The influence of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) on the formation of nitric oxide (NO) was studied experimentally in a transparent gasoline direct injection engine by quantitative laser-induced fluorescence imaging. Spectral properties of the excited transition within the NO A2S+-X2P(0,2) band are well known from previous studies. The excitation scheme allows quantitative NO concentration measurements without detailed knowledge of the gas phase temperature. Good agreement was found with exhaust gas NOx chemiluminescence (CLD) measurements. The experiments were carried out in an optically accessible gasoline engine featuring a direct injection cylinder head (BMW) and a Bosch injection system, based on a serial inline six-cylinder engine with an enlarged crankcase. The measurements were performed in the pent-roof section of the combustion chamber. Various concentrations (0, 10 and 16%) and compositions (pure nitrogen, nitrogen / carbon dioxide and nitrogen / carbon dioxide / water) of synthetic exhaust gas were investigated. NO formation could be significantly reduced by EGR, from an average of about 1200 ppm (without EGR) to about 200 ppm (16% EGR-rate). The NO formation decreased steadily with increasing heat capacity of the inert gases present, independent of their chemical composition. In the temporal evolution of the NO formation, a retarded onset of up to 5° CA was found with 16% EGR. The two-dimensional NO concentration fields appeared to be very homogeneous when adding 16% EGR, whereas without EGR, strong inhomogeneities with local NO peak concentrations of up to 3400 ppm were detected.


My doctoral study investigated the "Practice as Research" model for critical 3D computer animation. I designed a structure for the model using mixed research methods and a critical process, and applied this proposed methodology first into a pilot study to examine some selected methods and identify other required techniques for this research model. The refined "Practice as Research" model was then
applied into different fields of animation - a game development project, a narrative, and experimental
animation for detailed analysis and improvement of its flexibility. The study examined a variety of practices and procedures used by animators and studios and identified
processes for the analysis and evaluation of computer animation. Within the created research space in both commercial project and experimental works, I demonstrated that there were effective and different procedures, depending on the application and its target qualities. Also, I clarified some of the basic differences between traditional animation techniques and 3D skills; hence, explained and modified some of the well-established animation practices to best suit 3D animation development.
The "Practice as Research" model encouraged critical research methods and attitudes into industrial settings to expand the receptiveness of experiences and knowledge, shifting away from the common creative product-oriented view. The model naturally led a practitioner to intervene one's perspective and previous ways of doing. It showed that the "Practice as Research" approach could increase
creativity in a product while maintaining control in time management and encourage animators to welcome other perspectives. The research concluded that if "Practice as Research" model was used properly, it could be an effective and efficient method to satisfy both commercial qualities and personal development. The most interesting part of the research was perhaps the search for an animator's mindset, personal qualities, preconceptions and preferences that could influence practices and qualities. With those
additional information, I refined the proposed "Practice as Research" model that allowed animators to modify their previous way of working and thinking during the process, and encouraged continuous development to aim for a higher quality of work.


Introduction to problem: Many software development projects today have a tendency to fail on some level. Even though they may not fail entirely, they might be completed with schedule delays, budget overrun or with poor quality that do not meet the customer?s requirements. When a project fails in some way, it is because one or many project risks have occurred. Our own opinion in this matter is that if the project team members are more aware of the project?s risks, it might increase the probability of project success. Therefore, we wanted to explore the area of risk awareness. We contacted Volvo Information Technology AB and through discussions we decided to investigate risk awareness when using one of their software project methods. That method was the Rational Unified Process. This report has not been conducted because Volvo IT considers this to be a problem that they wanted to investigate. Instead, we wanted to investigate this since we find the area of risk awareness among project team members interesting and we were able to do this with help from Volvo IT. Even though we mention the term ?project success? in this report, we will not investigate this in the report. Hypothesis: ?By using the Rational Unified Process, a higher awareness of the risks can be achieved by all team members of the project? Aim: The aim of this report is to investigate if risk awareness among project team members increases when software development projects make use of the Rational Unified Process. Method: We have used a web-based questionnaire to gather information. Four projects at Volvo Information Technology AB were contacted and asked to participate in the questionnaire. Two of these were using RUP and two did not use RUP. Personal e-mails were later sent out to each of the project managers with a description of the aim of our research and the way it would be carried out. The participants had a total of seven workdays to fill out the questionnaire. After seven days the site of the questionnaire were closed down. Conclusion: The differences in answers to certain questions have been rather significant between the two project methods. On the whole though, the answers have been positive for both project methods from a risk awareness point of view. Therefore, it seems to us that risk awareness is not dependent on the project method that is being used. We feel that we have not received enough convincing proof that members of RUP projects possess a higher awareness of project risks than non-RUP project members. Therefore we are of the opinion that we cannot verify our hypothesis.


Past theoretical and empirical research on cognitive mapping is combined with the authors' initial research to suggest how cognitive mapping might be employed to understand and predict travel behavior better, with an emphasis on how spatial cognition shapes access to opportunity. It is argued that the path-based cumulative process of spatial learning—during which the cognitive map develops through wayfinding and travel experience—affects accessibility by determining whether and how destinations are encoded into a person's cognitive map. Variations in cognitive mapping, spatial knowledge, and resultant travel behavior can occur between individuals or among groups in systematic ways. Some of these differences are related to previous travel experience, including experience with travel modes. Such variations in spatial knowledge can result in different levels of functional accessibility despite similar locations, demographics, and other factors thought to influence travel behavior. The initial survey in three Los Angeles, California, neighborhoods suggests that cognitive mapping is influenced by neighborhood and travel mode experience in addition to demographic characteristics. Modally constructed cognitive maps, which likely vary systematically by location and socioeconomic status, may affect perceived opportunities in ways that travel behavior researchers are only beginning to understand. To a carless job seeker, job opportunities not easily reached by transit are effectively out of reach and even transparent. Modally constructed cognitive maps, in other words, are essential to understanding both travel behavior and accessibility in cities.


This paper aims to discuss the scope of a proposal in favor of intuitions in the philosophical field, particularly with respect to the referential topic, without this leading to a strong modal rationalism. The notion of reference defended by the so called experimental philosophy questions the relevance of the inputs that traditional philosophy (armchair philosophy) could provide. From an analysis of the competent speaker lay intuition dichotomy will be argued there is a methodological tension with respect to the role played by a non expert intuition versus an expert intuition, and the relevance given to certain non expert competent intuitions versus expert non competent intuitions. It will be argued that asserting certain philosophical expertise does not inevitably lead to an extreme rationalism, proposing a moderate modal rationalism, in which intuitions are not discarded as epistemic access routes, but neither do they claim to be a privileged access route: they fulfill an exemplifier counterfactual role. Finally, we evaluate how this understanding of intuition fits better with the counterfactual and hypothetical character of a thought experiment.


Analyzing genetic differences between closely related populations can be a powerful way to detect recent adaptation. The very large sample size of the UK Biobank is ideal for detecting selection using population differentiation, and enables an analysis of UK population structure at fine resolution. In analyses of 113,851 UK Biobank samples, population structure in the UK is dominated by 5 principal components (PCs) spanning 6 clusters: Northern Ireland, Scotland, northern England, southern England, and two Welsh clusters. Analyses with ancient Eurasians show that populations in the northern UK have higher levels of Steppe ancestry, and that UK population structure cannot be explained as a simple mixture of Celts and Saxons. A scan for unusual population differentiation along top PCs identified a genome-wide significant signal of selection at the coding variant rs601338 in FUT2 (p = 9.16 × 10−9). In addition, by combining evidence of unusual differentiation within the UK with evidence from ancient Eurasians, we identified new genome-wide significant (p < 5 × 10−8) signals of recent selection at two additional loci: CYP1A2/CSK and F12. We detected strong associations to diastolic blood pressure in the UK Biobank for the variants with new selection signals at CYP1A2/CSK (p = 1.10 × 10−19)) and for variants with ancient Eurasian selection signals in the ATXN2/SH2B3 locus (p = 8.00 × 10−33), implicating recent adaptation related to blood pressure.


Context. White dwarfs are nowadays routinely used as reliable cosmochronometers, allowing several stellar populations to be dated.; Aims. We present new white dwarf evolutionary sequences for low-metallicity progenitors. This is motivated by the recent finding that residual H burning in low-mass white dwarfs resulting from Z = 0.0001 progenitors is the main energy source over a significant part of their evolution.; Methods. White dwarf sequences have been derived from full evolutionary calculations that take the entire history of progenitor stars into account, including the thermally pulsing and the post-asymptotic giant branch (AGB) phases.; Results. We show that for progenitor metallicities in the range 0.00003 less than or similar to Z less than or similar to 0.001, and in the absence of carbon enrichment from the occurrence of a third dredge-up episode, the resulting H envelope of the low-mass white dwarfs is thick enough to make stable H burning the most important energy source even at low luminosities. This has a significant impact on white dwarf cooling times. This result is independent of the adopted mass-loss rate during the thermally-pulsing and post-AGB phases and in the planetary nebulae stage.; Conclusions. We conclude that in the absence of third dredge-up episodes, a significant part of the evolution of low-mass white dwarfs resulting from low-metallicity progenitors is dominated by stable H burning. Our study opens the possibility of using the observed white dwarf luminosity function of low-metallicity globular clusters to constrain the efficiency of third dredge up episodes during the thermally-pulsing AGB phase of low-metallicity progenitors.


In contrast to the more established alternative asset classes like real estate or hedge funds, there is not much research available for investments in shipping. This article contributes to closing this gap in the literature and investigates the diversification properties of investments in shipping. During the sample period, an investment in shipping stocks earned an attractive risk-return combination. In general, the addition of an investment in shipping stocks to a base portfolio of stocks and bonds enhanced diversification. The results also reveal other insights. First, the composition of the shipping stocks portfolio mattered much. Compared with the MSCI World Marine Index, which is a capitalization-weighted aggregate of 10 stocks, the diversification benefit of the broader and equally-weighted shipping stocks portfolio of our Research Index, with 41 stocks, was much more pronounced and somewhat statistically significant. Second, diversification properties were not stable through the course of time with larger diversification benefits during the bear market from March 2000 to March 2003 compared to the bull market from April 2003 to October 2007. The positive overall view of the diversification properties of shipping stocks is based on a single full stock market cycle.


The three Kyoto flexible mechanisms—emissions trading, the clean development mechanism (CDM), and Joint Implementation (JI)—have always been controversial. Proponents saw the mechanisms as clever tools to ensure environmental outcomes were achieved at least cost. Reducing the costs of compliance, they argued, would make tighter environmental targets possible, and certainly more politically feasible. Detractors have argued that the flexible mechanisms commoditize Earth's atmosphere in a manner that will allow dubious projects and the exchange of "hot air" to substitute for serious engagement on climate change. This chapter reviews the Kyoto flexible mechanisms, which will become fully operative during the period 2008 to 2012. The review assesses their progress and success to date, examines the problems that have emerged, and considers suggestions for future developments in climate policy.


In this paper, we consider an approach to developing critically thoughtful e-Learning communities of practice— where participants are deliberate about the use of specific intellectual tools supporting critical thinking. We address Garrison & Anderson's (2003) argument that such critical thinking should play a central role within the ecology of eLearning communities and provide our view of what such communities might look like. To do this, we offer four categories of strategies helping to develop such communities—collaborative agreement on goals; facilitator(s) modelling and teaching the tools supporting critical thinking; and shaping communicative interactions within the e-Learning environment to encourage thinking. We provide examples from a current study involving 36 kindergarten to grade 12 teachers' blended use of information and communication technologies (ICT) and face-to-face sessions to illustrate our view.


The high radiative flux solar furnaces already in operation, and the furnaces to be built in the future, have large concentrators consisting of multiple facets. It is, therefore, necessa‐ ry to have an alignment procedure of the facets that guarantee the accuracy of alignment, allowing an alignment in a short time. This chapter presents a novel method for aligning the facets of a large concentrator, which uses a single optical system to achieve the re‐ quired precision and the desired energy distribution in the focal plane. Simulation and experimental results obtained with our procedure show that the proposed alignment sat‐ isfactorily meets the specifications.


Social networks are regarded as powerful resources that have available novel solutions, innovative ideas and can create new pathways. Networks exist as informal webs of affiliation between individuals and also as ties between organisations in the form of professional networks. These different forms of networks have in common that there is a social structure that connects particular agents with each other and enables the flow of information and knowledge between them. Thus, in creating new ties and connecting already existing networks/individuals/organisations, a richer structure is created and with it access options to novel knowledge. The exchange and combination of knowledge is a means for creating innovations.
The national initiative "Learning Regions – Providing Support for Networks" (2001-2008) fostered this macro-structural change process in Germany on a regional level, so that a new learning culture and with it innovative products and ideas could emerge. An underlying concept for this programme is the theory on 'learning organisations' (Senge et al. 2007) which is referred to concerning the interpretation of the data. Moreover, in order also to focus on the associated change processes, the guiding theoretical elaborations of Scharmer's "Theory U" are applied to the findings.
In this thesis the data gathered during the evaluation of this initiative are re-analysed with the research focus on particular social role inhabitants in networks: network managers. Based on a combination of survey and network data as well as expert interviews, the structural position and the resulting perspectives, perceptions and role learning processes are explored. By means of interpreting the findings, the thesis illustrates a developmental role-taking process for network managers with five stages along a U-curve. Thus, it becomes evident that the above described structural changes of interaction and knowledge flows are accompanied by deep change and the acquisition of certain skills. These skills are identified for example as a high tolerance for complexity and uncertainty, a "bridging capacity", an awareness of tie structures, a high level of personal mastery and the capacity to act skilfully in interdependent structures and perceive himself or herself as part of a larger system. Network management is recognized as a service function that needs to be filled in professional educational networks. In the networks of the learning regions, network managers are inclined to act as societal change agents and social entrepreneurs who try to induce a process of conscious co-evolution within a defined region.


The influenza pandemic of 1918-1920 was the most serious pandemic in modern world history. Around the globe, tens of millions of people died and hundreds of millions more were infected with a highly virulent virus. Despite the human suffering, the social and economic costs to countries have yet to be fully assessed. Not only did the pandemic impose huge demands on public health systems, it also exacted substantial economic and emotional costs on families, communities and governments which struggled to contain "the scourge". The possibility of a similar infectious disease outbreak in the future has focused research back to this quintessential pandemic as a foundational model for the likely impacts of a modern-day recurrence. However, much of the research has focused on the United States of America, neglecting the experience of many other regions throughout the world. This thesis aims to address this oversight in relation to Queensland's experience of the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic. Whilst not discounting the numerous histories on the pandemic's devastating morbidity and mortality, if one of the most significant disease events in world history is to be fully comprehended then, of necessity, the lived experience of the ordinary person must be appreciated.
Officially, nearly one thousand persons are recognised as having died of influenza in Queensland and 13,000 in Australia overall, during the pandemic. Whilst this number pales in significance compared to New Zealand, South Africa and many countries in the northern hemisphere, each death or case of illness was borne by family and friends as well as within the wider community in which the person lived and worked. Based on a critical examination of primary and secondary sources, this thesis provides a nuanced and multi-dimensional analysis of the full gamut of impacts the pandemic had on the state of Queensland and the lived experiences of its people.

The thesis begins with an outline of the pandemic as it spread around the world, before moving on to examine the powers of the state in matters of public health and the machinery at its disposal to respond to the crisis. The pandemic placed the fledgling federation of Australia in a quandary. The Queensland government felt impeded in its ability to combat the pandemic through the unwelcome interference and centralist attitude of the Commonwealth. Even so, the state government was not in a position to undertake the necessary work on the ground. The government viewed the town and shire councils as ideal vehicles to combat the epidemic that had broken out virtually simultaneously throughout the state, as well as to mobilise the thousands of volunteers, upon whom much of the day to day work in contending with the effects of the disease fell as the epidemic rolled through communities across the state.

While the impact on the public health system cannot be overstated, the pandemic period in Queensland coincided with the return of troops from the battlefields of World War One, a state-wide drought and consequent food shortage, labour struggles and maritime strikes, as well as the political tensions and intrigues of a floundering federalism. This thesis elucidates how the pandemic disrupted work and recreation schedules, caused statewide absenteeism and lost productivity in the workplace, as well as creating an overall environment of confusion, panic and resentment. Coming full circle, the thesis ends its examination of lived experiences of the pandemic by looking at the remembrance of its victims. The conclusion reached is that, despite the Australian authorities' penchant for military sacrifice as the defining symbol of nationhood, public memorialisation of civilians – even those who sacrificed their lives in helping others during the pandemic – has long been regarded as lacking sufficient worthiness.

This thesis is not a history of the epidemiology of influenza; rather it is a historical examination of the lived experience of ordinary Queenslanders during the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic. It provides a compelling snapshot of Queensland society trying to grapple with an unparalleled civil crisis at the close of an unprecedented war. Perhaps the strongest message coming through this history is that whilst actions in a time of crisis may not always define the general tenor of societies, knowledge of a community and its people is just as important as having knowledge of epidemiology or medicine in combating infectious disease epidemics.


Standard methods in preference learning involve estimating the parameters of discrete choice models from data of selections (choices) made by individuals from a discrete set of alternatives (the choice set). While there are many models for individual preferences, existing learning methods overlook how choice set assignment affects the data. Often, the choice set itself is influenced by an individual's preferences; for instance, a consumer choosing a product from an online retailer is often presented with options from a recommender system that depend on information about the consumer's preferences. Ignoring these assignment mechanisms can mislead choice models into making biased estimates of preferences, a phenomenon that we call choice set confounding. We demonstrate the presence of such confounding in widely-used choice datasets. To address this issue, we adapt methods from causal inference to the discrete choice setting. We use covariates of the chooser for inverse probability weighting and/or regression controls, accurately recovering individual preferences in the presence of choice set confounding under certain assumptions. When such covariates are unavailable or inadequate, we develop methods that take advantage of structured choice set assignment to improve prediction. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our methods on real-world choice data, showing, for example, that accounting for choice set confounding makes choices observed in hotel booking and commute transportation more consistent with rational utility maximization.


Most of the modern high-current high-voltage pulsed power generators require several stages of pulse conditioning (pulse forming) to convert the multi-microsecond pulses of the Marx generator output to the 40–300 ns pulse required by a number of applications including x-ray radiography, pulsed high current linear accelerators, Z-pinch, Isentropic Compression (ICE), and Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) drivers. This makes the devices large, cumbersome to operate, and expensive. Sandia, in collaboration with a number of other institutions, is developing a new paradigm in pulsed power technology; the Linear Transformer Driver (LTD) technology. This technological approach can provide very compact devices that can deliver very fast high current and high voltage pulses. The output pulse rise time and width can be easily tailored to the specific application needs. Trains of a large number of high current pulses can be produced with variable inter-pulse separation from nanoseconds to milliseconds. Most importantly, these devices can be rep-rated to frequencies only limited by the capacitor specifications (usually is 10Hz). Their footprint as compared with current day pulsed power accelerators is considerably smaller since LTD do not require large oil and de-ionized water tanks. This makes them ideally fit for applications that require portability. In the present paper we present Sandia Laboratory's broad spectrum of developmental effort to design construct and extensively validate the LTD pulsed power technology.


Fluorescence markers on chromosome numbers 3, 13, and 14 gave cytological evidence of the paternal origin of the extra haploid set in a premature triploid infant with XXY sex chromosome complement. The mother had discontinued the use of oral contraceptives 13 months prior to conception. It is not possible to tell whether the mechanism involved was fertilization by dispermy or by a diploid sperm.


Channeling human resources into the right occupations has historically been a key to economic prosperity. Occupational choices are not only driven by the material rewards associated with the various occupations, but also by the esteem that they confer. We propose a model of endogenous growth in which occupations carry a symbolic value that makes them more or less attractive; the evolution of symbolic values is endogenous and determined by purposive transmission of value systems within families. The model sheds light on the interaction between cultural and economic development and identifies circumstances under which value systems matter for long-run growth. It shows the possibility of culturally determined poverty traps and offers a framework for thinking about the transition from traditional to modern values.


Indigenous plant use-systems have evolved under, and constantly adapted to human and non-human impacts. In the last decades however, increasing socioeconomic and cultural transformations, including land-use change, outmigration, globalized markets, the introduction of new species, and climate change have led to a decreasing availability of indigenous resources, and are ultimately leading to a reduction of local use-knowledge. Participant observations, discussions, walks-in-the-woods, semi-structured interviews and informal meetings were carried out in 12 villages of far western Nepal between 2011 and 2015 to assess how sociocultural changes have affected the sustenance of indigenous systems and local biodiversity, when compared to studies carried out in the previous decades. Our findings show that there were no statistically significant differences in subject variable means, but differences were relatively important to plant parts-use and plant growth-forms (p = 0.183 and 0.088 respectively). Cissampelos pareira, Acorus calamus, Calotropis gigantea were found to have the greatest relative importance, whereas Ageratina adenophora, Melia azedarach, Carum carvi were most important based on use values. Among them, C. pareira and A. adenophora were introduced. The spatial distribution of species collected for medicine showed that all habitats were important for collection however, habitats close to villages were more favored. The use of non-indigenous and easily available species and more accessible habitats is becoming more prevalent as primary forests become increasingly overexploited, indigenous species become limited, and sociocultural cause of land use change expand. The utilization of indigenous and non-indigenous species and nearby habitats, although possibly affecting the quality of medicinal species, nonetheless reveals the dynamism of indigenous medicines as an adaptive asset mitigating human and non-human environmental changes.


A great deal of efforts have been made on the performance evaluation of distributed antenna systems (DASs). Most of them assume a regular base-station (BS) antenna layout where the number of BS antennas is usually small. With the growing interest in cellular systems with large antenna arrays at BSs, it becomes increasingly important to study how the BS antenna layout affects the rate performance when a vast number of BS antennas are employed. This paper presents a comparative study of the asymptotic rate performance of downlink multi-user systems with multiple BS antennas either co-located or uniformly distributed within a circular cell. Two representative linear precoding schemes, maximum ratio transmission (MRT), and zero-forcing beamforming (ZFBF), are considered, with which the effect of BS antenna layout on the rate performance is characterized. The analysis shows that as the number of BS antennas L and the number of users K grow infinitely while L/K → v, the asymptotic average user rates with the co-located antenna (CA) layout for both MRT and ZFBF are logarithmic functions of the ratio u. With the distributed antenna (DA) layout, in contrast, the scaling behavior of the average user rate closely depends on the precoding schemes. With ZFBF, for instance, the average user rate grows unboundedly as L, K → ∞ and L/K → v > 1, which indicates that substantial rate gains over the CA layout can be achieved when the number of BS antennas L is large. The gain, nevertheless, becomes marginal when MRT is adopted.


Clinical trials of anti-tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF) have shown efficacy in 60–70% of rheumatoid arthritis patients (RA). Predicting response to anti-TNF drugs at baseline remains an elusive goal in RA management. The purpose of this study was to determine if baseline levels of circulating cytokines, soluble receptors, adhesion molecules and metabolic factors differentiate future responders.

 RA patients (n=29) with active disease were recruited, who had failed on disease modifying drugs and were recommended for anti-TNF treatment. Peripheral blood samples were collected at baseline. Responders were identified by a ≥1.2 reduction in disease activity score (DAS28-ESR) at 6 months. Five protein arrays quantified 33 proteins in pre-treatment plasma (Cytokine I, III and IV; Metabolic I; Adhesion molecule; Randox Laboratories Ltd., UK). Data was analysed by Pearson ranked correlation and logistic regression to clinical measures of disease activity at baseline and six months anti-TNF treatment.

 Elevated levels of interleukin 8 (p=0.043), monocyte chemoattractant protein (p=0.027), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (p=0.020) and soluble interleukin 2α receptor (p=0.01) were associated with high TJC at baseline. No significant relationship with the protein array panels was recorded relative to baseline DAS28-ESR. Significant inverse correlations were observed between absolute change in DAS28-ESR after 6 months of anti-TNF therapy and baseline levels of interleukin 6 (p=0.026) and resistin (p=0.044).

 These findings suggest that baseline levels of specific circulating proteins may help to differentiate RA patient responders to anti-TNF therapies.


The effect of water in the mantle has been well studied and has well-known effects on the behavior and properties of magmas and the mantle including an increase in the extent of melting, suppression of plagioclase during crystallization, and a general reduction of seismic parameters and viscosity. At mid-ocean ridges, magmatic and mantle H2O contents are relatively low, and a reasonable understanding of the behavior of H2O has been obtained (Dixon and Stolper, 1995; Dixon et al., 1995; Dixon et al., 2002; Asimow and Langmuir, 2003). However, at back-arc basins, H2O can also be added to the mantle source by the subducting slab, changing the melting behavior and the mantle source composition (Stolper and Newman, 1994; Taylor and Martinez, 2003). Quantitative constraints on these factors lag behind, and this thesis will test hypotheses related to the role of volatiles in these three major processes at back arcs: (1) tracing mantle source compositions and flow vectors, (2) refining mantle melting models, and (3) constraining the origin of back-arc slab-derived fluids. Tracing mantle source compositions is done best in places where mantles of starkly contrasting compositions are juxtaposed, as in the case of plume-ridge interaction. The NW Lau Basin, a back-arc with little influence from the slab, provides an ideal setting to address mantle flow where the mantle source contrast is potentially well made with the interaction of relatively depleted mantle with the Samoan plume. Geochemical tests of the interaction between the Samoan Plume and the Lau Basin mantle have relied on one tracer ( 3 He/ 4 He), but the addition of volatiles (H2O, CO2), trace elements (e.g., La, Nb), and other radiogenic isotopes (Sr, Nd, Pb, Hf) provides further constraints on tracing the enriched Samoan mantle composition. Our new data suggest two-component mixing of MORB-like mantle with an enriched mantle source, similar to Samoa, although consideration of a complete regional data set suggests there may be other sources of heterogeneity in the mantle beneath NW Lau. Aside from tracing mantle flow, volatiles and trace elements provide constraints on mantle melting as H2O has an effect on where and how much melt can be made in the mantle, recorded in incompatible trace element signatures (e.g., Ti, Nb). Observations based on geochemical data suggest two possibilities: mixing of end-member melts or a continuous melting regime, but most models of mantle melting are restricted to isobaric-isothermal conditions and offer unrealistic tests of the competing hypotheses of back-arc magma generation. We developed a robust adiabatic, hydrous melting model and combined with a well-constrained mantle source composition, we model back-arc magma generation. The release of slab fluids is also an important part of subduction systems, as the fluid composition and the extent of its addition to back-arc mantle sources affects enrichment of resultant basalts. The composition of slab fluids reaching back-arc basins will differ from arc fluids depending on the pathway traveled by the fluid/melt, and the conditions of their release from the plate. Combining geochemical data with recent geochemical models of slab conditions (e.g., H2O/Ce) and geodynamic models for slab surface temperatures (SST) at each subduction zone provides a robust test of the depth origin of back-arc slab-derived fluids. Average SSTs for these global back arc basin spreading segments, referenced to 4 GPa, range from ~775-1000°C, hotter on average than global arc SSTs (730-850°C), suggesting that back-arc basin fluids originate at warmer temperatures than their respective arcs.


Loss of a negative feedback regulator enables TGF-β signaling to promote prostate cancer metastasis to the bone. The transforming growth factor–β (TGF-β) signaling pathway regulates various physiological processes and has a complex role in cancer. Although TGF-β can suppress tumor growth in the early stages of cancer, it can promote tumor progression in the later stages. Fournier et al. found that a negative feedback regulator of the TGF-β pathway suppressed the metastasis of prostate cancer to bone. Microarray and promoter activity analysis in cultured PC-3 prostate cancer cells showed that TGF-β signaling induced various genes that are associated with multiple steps of the metastatic process, with PMEPA1 (encoding prostate transmembrane protein, androgen induced 1) exhibiting the greatest induction. Bioinformatics analysis of patient samples revealed that lower PMEPA1 expression in primary tumors correlated with increased incidence of recurrence in prostate cancer and breast cancer patients. Compared with normal prostate tissue, PMEPA1 expression was increased in primary prostate tumors but similar in bone metastases, indicating that metastatic progression correlates with a decrease in PMEPA1 expression. Knocking down PMEPA1 increased proliferation of PC-3 cells cultured with TGF-β and increased the number of resulting osteolytic lesions when these PMEPA1-knockdown cells were inoculated into mice. In COS7 cells cotransfected with SMADs or HECT E3 ligases, the membrane-bound isoform of PMEPA1 (but not other isoforms or mutants lacking certain motifs) coimmunoprecipitated with the TGF-β effectors SMAD2 and SMAD3, as well as the E3 ubiquitin ligase NEDD4-1, and enhanced the interaction between SMAD2 and the E3 ligase SMURF2. Curiously, neither a proteasome inhibitor nor expression of a catalytically inactive SMURF2 prevented the inhibitory effect of overexpressed PMEPA1 on TGF-β signaling activity. TGF-β exposure of PC-3 cells in which PMEPA1 was knocked down resulted in increased SMAD2 phosphorylation and increased the nuclear retention time of SMAD2, as well as increased expression of several TGF-β target genes, compared with the TGF-β–induced responses in control cells. The findings suggest that PMEPA1 facilitates the interaction of SMAD2 with E3 ligases to limit TGF-β signaling, perhaps independently of ubiquitin-mediated degradation. Loss of this negative regulation may enable the prometastatic effects of TGF-β cancer patients. P. G. J. Fournier, P. Juárez, G. Jiang, G. A. Clines, M. Niewolna, H. S. Kim, H. W. Walton, X. H. Peng, Y. Liu, K. S. Mohammad, C. D. Wells, J. M. Chirgwin, T. A. Guise, The TGF-β signaling regulator PMEPA1 suppresses prostate cancer metastases to bone. Cancer Cell 27, 809–821 (2015). [PubMed]


Grain legume consumption has been linked in meta-analysis studies to decreased risk of metabolic syndrome, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases; however, the evidence for a chemo-protective effect of grain legume consumption against colorectal tumorigenesis has been considered inconclusive. We conducted a meta-analysis of human and animal studies to evaluate the effect of grain legume consumption on colorectal cancer (CRC) and its precursors. Twelve case-control studies (42,473 controls and 12,408 cases) and 11 prospective cohorts (1,533,527 participants including 12,274 cases) were included in the meta-analysis; the pooled risk ratio (95% confidence interval) for the highest versus the lowest legume intake group based on a random effects model was 0.72 (0.60–0.89) for incident adenoma, 0.91 (0.84–0.99) for prevalent adenoma, and 0.82 (0.74–0.91) for CRC. Fourteen animal studies (355 animals on grain legume diets and 253 animals on control diets) were included in the meta-analysis and showed in all but one study a chemo-preventive effect against colorectal tumorigenesis. Grain legumes contain various compounds (e.g., resistant starch, soluble fiber, insoluble fiber, phytosterols, saponins, phytates, flavonoids, proanthocyanidins, and phenolic acids) that have been shown to inhibit colorectal tumorigenesis in animal studies at concentrations that are relevant for human diets. Grain legume consumption alters several molecular pathways (e.g., p53, mTOR, NF-kB, Akt, and AMPK) that are critical for tumor induction, promotion, and progression. Based on our meta-analysis, daily grain legume consumption confers chemo-preventive effects against CRC.


This study is concerned with the rules for the conduct of Quaker life and the framework of organisation within which those rules operated, known generally as the discipline, in the period from-1758 to 1861. It begins with the first codification of the rules in 1758 and ends with the publication of the fourth edition of the book of discipline, embodying the results of major reforms, in 1861.The discipline and the organisation of the Society in 1758 are first described in detail and the study then proceeds to describe the development of the discipline up to 1861, explaining where possible the influences responsible for that development. The obvious focal points between 1758 and 1861 are the years of publication of the printed books of discipline in 1785, 1802, 1854 and. 1861 following the pattern of the manuscript Christian and Brotherly Advices issued in 1738.The other chief events in the Society's history concerning the development of the discipline were the-movement for the so-called revival of the discipline in the 1760s and an essentially theological controversy known as the Beacon in the 1850s, when the discipline was ineffectively applied and produced a schism on a small scale. The movement for the revival of the discipline was the major symptom of the discontent with the state of the Society felt by influential Friends throughout the period. This discontent reached crisis point at the end of the period when Friends realised the seriousness of their dwindling numbers. This study attempts to evaluate the responsibility of the discipline for this situation and deals finally with the major reforms in the discipline that were incorporated in the book of discipline in 1861.


How is Kenneth Starr's extraordinary term as independent counsel to be understood? Was he a partisan warrior out to get the Clintons, or a saviour of the Republic? An unstoppable menace, an unethical lawyer, or a sex-obsessed Puritan striving to enforce a right-wing social morality? This volume is designed to offer an evaluation and critique of Starr's tenure as independent counsel. Relying on lengthy, revealing interviews with Starr and many other players in Clinton-era Washington, "Washington Post" journalist Benjamin Wittes arrives at an understanding of Starr and the part he played in one of American history's most enthralling public sagas. Wittes offers a portrait of a decent man who fundamentally misconstrued his function under the independent counsel law. Starr took his task to be ferreting out and reporting the truth about official misconduct, a well-intentioned but nevertheless misguided distortion of the law, Wittes argues. At key moments throughout Starr's probe - from the decision to reinvestigate the death of Vincent Foster, to the repeated prosecutions of Susan McDougal and Webster Hubbell to the failure to secure Monica Lewinsky's testimony quickly - the prosecutor avoided the most sensible prosecutorial course, fearing that it would compromise the larger search for truth. This approach not only delayed investigations enormously, but it gave Starr the appearance of partisan zealotry and an almost maniacal determination to prosecute the president. Wittes provides in this account of Starr's term a reinterpretation of the man, his performance, and the controversial events that surrounded the impeachment of President Clinton.


Widespread e-commerce activity on the Internet has led to new opportunities to collect vast amounts of micro-level market and nonmarket data. In this paper we share our experiences in collecting, validating, storing and analyzing large Internet-based data sets in the area of online auctions, music file sharing and online retailer pricing. We demonstrate how such data can advance knowledge by facilitating sharper and more extensive tests of existing theories and by offering observational underpinnings for the development of new theories. Just as experimental economics pushed the frontiers of economic thought by enabling the testing of numerous theories of economic behavior in the environment of a controlled laboratory, we believe that observing, often over extended periods of time, real-world agents participating in market and nonmarket activity on the Internet can lead us to develop and test a variety of new theories. Internet data gathering is not controlled experimentation. We cannot randomly assign participants to treatments or determine event orderings. Internet data gathering does offer potentially large data sets with repeated observation of individual choices and action. In addition, the automated data collection holds promise for greatly reduced cost per observation. Our methods rely on technological advances in automated data collection agents. Significant challenges remain in developing appropriate sampling techniques integrating data from heterogeneous sources in a variety of formats, constructing generalizable processes and understanding legal constraints. Despite these challenges, the early evidence from those who have harvested and analyzed large amounts of e-commerce data points toward a significant leap in our ability to understand the functioning of electronic commerce.


OBJECTIVE
The authors studied demographic, clinical, social, and perceived health and well-being factors as predictors of partial remission in older patients treated for major depressive disorder (MDD).

METHODS
The sample included 186 patients who met DSM-IV criteria for MDD and underwent naturalistic treatment. Remission status was determined by Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale score. Ordinal logistic-regression was used to model the relationship between predictors and remission on an ordinal scale.

RESULTS
A total of 26.9% patients were in partial remission (score: 7-15), and 25.8% were not in remission (score: 16-60) 1 year after the index evaluation. In bivariate analyses, the odds of partial/no remission were significantly increased for those with comorbid MDD and dysthymia and for those with higher baseline depression scores, and decreased for those with higher perceived social support. Other factors potentially associated with outcome included number of mobility/IADL limitations, perceived stress, self-perceived health, life dissatisfaction, and heart trouble. Controlling for these potential confounders, comorbid MDD and dysthymia significantly predicted outcome. The effect of mobility/IADL limitations differed for those with comorbid dysthymia.

CONCLUSIONS
Among older adults treated for MDD, factors predicting partial remission appear to be similar to those predicting no remission. Patients with comorbid MDD and dysthymia are at increased risk for poor outcome, and predictors may vary by dysthymia status.


Abstract This paper presents an application and a further development of Norbert Elias and Eric Dunning's (2008) Quest for Excitement thesis through the analysis of the recent phenomenon of the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) in USA. The research method is based on qualitative data analysis of different digital sources concerning bare-knuckle fighting, ranging from newspaper reports, interviews with promoters and fighters, social network posts, videos, etc. The main finding is that BKFC portrays certain features (e.g. no gloves, blood) that constitute a 'spectacularization of violence'; it apparently increases the perceived danger of the practice even though it does not increase real harm (e.g. concussions, deaths). BKFC employs other strategies emphasizing control, safety and respectability as a counterweight to obtain an adequate tension balance within the US threshold of sensitivity to violence concerning professional combat sports.


An optimised and proactive maintenance strategy aims to maximise the economical profit, minimise environmental impacts and keep the risk of failure to a low level. Implementation of such a strategy in the context of district heating requires efforts and abilities for predicting future performances and estimating service life of district heating components. A literature review on failures (damages and performance reductions) occurring on district heating pipes, reveals that failures in district heating pipes are mainly leaks due to corrosion or mechanical impacts and reduced thermal insulation performance: leaks being the more serious damage type. A feasible service life estimation method for this type of damage is the Factor Method. Since the application of this method within the context of DH pipes has not been found in other publications, this paper focuses on describing the method and discusses the possibilities on how to apply it in two specific cases with respect to leakage: service life estimation of repaired district heating pipe sections (i.e. maintenance of district heating network) and of district heating pipes in new or extended district heating networks. Particular attention is paid to which modifying factors should be considered and how to quantify them.


Recommendation systems have developed beyond simple matrix factorization to focus on two important sources of information: the temporal order of events (Hidasi et al., 2015) and side (e.g., spatial) information encoded in user and item features (Rendle, 2012). However, state-of-art temporal modeling is often limited by model capacity for long user histories. In addition, meta data are rarely used in generic sequence models, perhaps due to a lack of improvement guarantees in end-to-end training. Important kinds of meta-data, like interaction feedback (e.g. click vs. add to cart, view duration) are not modeled. In this paper we propose a hierarchical recurrent network with meta data (HRNN-meta) model to solve both problems. To compactly store long histories, and propagate gradients through them, we use HRNN to group user interactions into hierarchical sessions of activity intervals, within which a user tends to maintain related interests. Different from previous hierarchical models (Quadrana et al., 2017), which manipulate model hidden states, HRNN encodes session information in the embedded inputs. We show that this change not only yields up to 10x better computational efficiency due to better ability to align batches, but also allows us to extend from GRUs (Cho et al., 2014) to the entire family of RNN models, and further increases model capacities when combined with temporal convolutional networks. To use meta data in sequential models, we extend the HRNN decoder with a factorization machine inspired network, between the HRNN output embedding and item meta data, which improves over the vanilla HRNN which is a special case of the model. We also extend HRNN-meta model to handle user features and interaction feedback to learn different objectives such as click or rating predictions. We report significant improvements both in simulation studies and in real-world datasets.


Historically, studies on the fine-scale patterns of recreational use on coral reefs have been rare, even though this information is necessary for successful management with respect to biodiversity conservation, resource allocation and visitor satisfaction. Visitors are attracted to particular attributes of coral reef environments (e.g. spectacular coral viewing or fishing opportunities) and these are accessed via nodes of coastal infrastructure and travel networks. Defining the travel networks of visitors is one objective of a project mapping human use at Ningaloo, which is a diverse fringing coral reef system extending ~ 300 km along the coast of north-western Australia. Over 12-months, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 1 208 recreational participants to collect information about their movements to, and within, the NMP. All data were geo-referenced and entered into a Geographic Information System. Three types of networks were defined: (1) travel from accommodation to (or within) the NMP for shore and boat-based recreation, (2) travel from beach access points for shore recreation and (3) travel from a launch site for boat-based recreation. For shore-based recreation, visitors travelled a median of 6.8 km from accommodation but only walked 0.1 km from their beach access point. In contrast, for boat-based recreation, interviewees travelled a median of 1.8 km to their launch site but motored a further 4.6 km to their recreation site. The results highlight strong clustering at coastal access points with rapid distance decay. There are several implications for planning and management of human use in these coral reef environments which are derived from the disjunct, node-focused nature of visitor use. For example, any provision of coastal access roads will have dramatic effects in terms of concentrating visitor use in that locale which can lead to overcrowding and habitat degradation. A clear understanding of both marine and coastal travel networks can thus allow managers to focus their attention and resources in appropriate areas.


The object people perceive in an image can depend on its orientation relative to the scene it is in (its reference frame). For example, the images of the symbols × and + differ by a 45 degree rotation. Although real scenes have multiple images and reference frames, psychologists have focused on scenes with only one reference frame. We propose an ideal observer model based on nonparametric Bayesian statistics for inferring the number of reference frames in a scene and their parameters. When an ambiguous image could be assigned to two conflicting reference frames, the model predicts two factors should influence the reference frame inferred for the image: The image should be more likely to share the reference frame of the closer object (proximity) and it should be more likely to share the reference frame containing the most objects (alignment). We confirm people use both cues using a novel methodology that allows for easy testing of human reference frame inference.


Hamilton and Zuk's influential hypothesis of parasite-mediated sexual selection proposes that exaggerated secondary sexual ornaments indicate a male's additive genetic immunity to parasites. However, genetic correlates of ornamentation and immunity have rarely been explicitly identified. Evidence supporting Hamilton and Zuk's hypothesis has instead been gathered by looking for positive phenotypic correlations between ornamentation and immunity; such correlations are assumed to reflect causal, additive relationships between these traits. We show that in song sparrows, Melospiza melodia, a male's song repertoire size, a secondary sexual trait, increased with his cell-mediated immune response (CMI) to an experimental challenge. However, this phenotypic correlation could be explained because both repertoire size and CMI declined with a male's inbreeding level. Repertoire size therefore primarily indicated a male's relative heterozygosity, a non-additive genetic predictor of immunity. Caution may therefore be required when interpreting phenotypic correlations as support for Hamilton and Zuk's additive model of sexual selection. However, our results suggest that female song sparrows choosing males with large repertoires would on average acquire more outbred and therefore more heterozygous mates. Such genetic dominance effects on ornamentation are likely to influence evolutionary trajectories of female choice, and should be explicitly incorporated into genetic models of sexual selection.


This thesis sets out to examine in detail the condition of systemic hypertension (high Blood Pressure) in relation to optometric practice in the United Kingdom. Systemic hypertension, which is asymptomatic in the early stages, is diagnosed from the Blood Pressure (BP) measurement recorded by a sphygmomanometer and/or from the complications that have developed in target organs. Optometric practice based surveys revealed that diagnosed systemic hypertension was the most prevalent cardiovascular medical condition (20.5%). Measurement of BP of patients in this sample revealed that if an optometrist included sphygmomanometry into the sight examination then at least one patient each day would be referred for suspect systemic hypertension. Optometric opinion felt that the measurement of BP in optometric practice would advance the profession, being appreciated by both patients and General Practitioners (GPs), but was felt to be an unnecessary routine procedure. The present sight examination for the systemic hypertensive is similar to that of the normotensive patient, but may involve an altered fundus examination and a visual field test. The GPs were in favour of optometric BP measurement and a future role in the share care management of the systemic hypertensive. The application of a new pictorial grading scale for the grading of vascular changes associated with pre-malignant systemic hypertension was found to be both accurate and reliable. Clinical trial of the grading scale in optometric practice found positive correlations between BP and increasing severity of the retinal vascular features. The subtle pre-malignant vascular changes require reliable accurate detection and analysis to assist in the management of the systemic hypertensive patient. Vessel width was shown to decrease with increasing age. Image analysis of the A/V ratio, arteriolar tortuosity and focal calibre changes revealed a positive correlation to the patient's BP (p<0.001). The retinal vasculature is relatively stable longitudinally with only minor changes in response to early disease states. Age and elevated BP increased a patient's risk of developing systemic medical conditions over a two-year period. The application of the pictorial grading scale to optometric practice and training the optometrist in the use of sphygmomanometry would improve the management of the systemic hypertensive patient in optometric practice. Future advances in image analysis hold substantial benefits for the detection and monitoring of subtle vascular changes associated with systemic hypertension.


Insuring the integrity and security of hot mix asphalt (HMA) samples is critical to assuring the quality of the installed product and complying with Federal requirements. Samples of HMA are often taken at the plant with limited state supervision. Further, samples are taken from a truck where obtaining a representative sample can be difficult. The concept of moving the sample location to the job site offers the potential to address the weaknesses cited above. However, there are a number of different approaches, each with advantages and disadvantages. The objective of the proposed research project was to produce a review of successful methods and practices currently used to sample HMA during production and installation. This included visiting other states and providing detailed documentation of the visits. While achieving this objective, sufficient data were collected to allow Illinois Department of Transportation's (IDOT's) personnel to draw a final recommendation for the optimum technique to be adopted for HMA sampling in future projects. During the course of this project, sampling practices in six highway agencies were evaluated (Kansas, Iowa, Ohio, Michigan, Florida, and Ministry of Transportation of Ontario). Four of these agencies specify roadway sampling, while one agency is experimenting with a new generation of mechanical sampling device and another agency samples directly from a Material Transfer Device (MTD). During the course of this project, areas of improvement in the current Illinois QC/QA program were also identified. In general, sampling behind the paver is being conducted by many states without much difficulty. Based on the site visits conducted in this research, the TRP group determined that the roadway sampling procedure adopted by Michigan Department of Transportation (DOT) is the most appropriate for possible implementation in Illinois. In addition to this sampling technique, sealed bags adopted by Iowa DOT may be used, if necessary, to safely transport samples from the field to lab. Results of this research project also indicated that all visited states have a much higher sampling/testing frequency than Illinois and have successfully implemented an incentive/disincentive specification system. In addition, all visited states comply with the FHWA Technical Advisory (TA) or are in the process of making changes to comply with the TA. Based on these findings, the TRP has determined that the current Illinois QC/QA program is in need of several modifications to ensure successful implementation of roadway sampling, to comply with the TA, and to encourage high-quality construction of HMA. While changing sample location would improve sample security, it would not address shortcomings of the existing QC/QA program. In conjunction with implementation of roadway sampling, it is recommended to base sampling on tons instead of time, that IDOT personnel determine random sampling locations, witness samples taken, and take immediate possession of samples; adopt incentive and disincentive pay; and accept density based on field cores. It is also recommended that the formed TRP group continue effort in revising the QC/QA program to gain compliance with the TA and to introduce changes deemed necessary from our field visits.


Abstract.
 Two middle Permian (Capitanian) to Early Triassic (Griesbachian) rugosochonetidae brachiopod genera, Fusichonetes Liao in Zhao et al., 1981 and Tethyochonetes Chen et al., 2000, have been regarded as two distinct taxa and used as such for a wide range of discussions including biostratigraphy, paleoecology, paleobiogeography, and the Permian-Triassic boundary mass extinction. However, the supposed morphological distinctions between the two taxa are subtle at best and appear to represent two end members of a continuum of morphological variations. In this study, we applied a range of quantitative and analytical procedures (bivariate plots, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, categorical principle component analysis, and cladistic analysis) to a dataset of 15 quantified morphological variables, integrating both key external and internal characters, measured from 141 specimens of all well-known Fusichonetes and Tethyochonetes in order to test whether or not these two genera could be distinguished in view of the chosen characters. The results indicate that these two genera are morphologically indistinguishable and that the species classification previously applied to these two genera appears to represent polyphyletic groupings within the genus Fusichonetes. Consequently, Tethyochonetes is concluded to be a junior synonym of Fusichonetes. The diagnosis and key characteristics of Fusichonetes are clarified and refined based on a new suite of well-preserved specimens from the Permian −Triassic Xinmin section in South China.


The annual elimination of large numbers of Argentine ant queens near the advance front of an invasion could be a useful tool for weakening the species' dispersion and, therefore, limiting its establishment in non-invaded areas. However, before carrying out trials to test the effectiveness of this method it would be essential to have sufficient knowledge of the effect of seasonal dynamics acting on the queens' densities of the species in order to determine the most favourable period of the year to act. We analyzed the seasonal densities and nest dynamics of Argentine ant queens in an invaded Mediterranean natural ecosystem. We observed that the queens' density varied depending on the season of the year and that this variation was mainly due to the seasonal dynamics of nest aggregations in winter and ant dispersions in summer. The greatest densities per litre of nest soil were observed in winter (December to March, approximately) and the lowest densities were observed in summer ( June to July). This information is essential for improving current knowledge of the Argentine ant's biology and developing control methods based on the elimination of queens in invaded natural areas.


ABSTRACT Moraxella catarrhalis strains can express either a UspA2 protein or a UspA2H protein. The latter protein is encoded by a gene that possesses a homopolymeric nucleotide tract containing eight adenine (A) residues [i.e., a poly(A) tract] which is located near the 5′ end. A spontaneous UspA2H-negative variant of M. catarrhalis strain O46E, designated O46E.U2V, was found to have a uspA2H poly(A) tract that contained seven A residues. Northern blot analysis of total RNA from the O46E parent strain revealed a readily detectable uspA2H mRNA transcript, whereas little or no uspA2H transcript was detectable in total RNA from the UspA2H-negative variant O46E.U2V. The 5′ end of the uspA2H genes from both the O46E parent strain and the O46E.U2V variant were ligated to a promoterless lacZ gene to prepare translational fusions for use as reporter constructs. The level of β-galactosidase activity expressed by the fusion construct containing eight A residues in its poly(A) tract was 200-fold greater than that obtained with the construct that had seven A residues. Site-directed mutagenesis of the 5′ end of the uspA2H gene confirmed that translation was initiated at a GTG codon located 21 nucleotides (nt) upstream of the poly(A) tract. Primer extension analysis determined that the transcriptional start site of the uspA2H gene was located 291 nt upstream from the GTG translational start codon. This poly(A) tract was also found to be present in the uspA2H genes of other M. catarrhalis strains.


The paper presents an analysis for predicting the torque, thrust, and bending moments at the root of rotor blades in a horizontal axis marine current turbine using the blade element-momentum theory combined with linear wave theory. The measured current velocities taken near the core of the Florida Current offshore Fort Lauderdale, Florida are used in the evaluation of the loads on the rotor blades. The periodic loading on the blade due to the steady spatial variation of current speeds over the rotor swept area is determined by a limited number of parameters, including tip-speed ratio, Reynolds number, lift and drag coefficients, thrust and torque coefficients, and power coefficient. In the simulation modeling, numerical calculations are carried out for every time step on the assumption of quasi-steady flow. Lift and drag coefficients are calculated as function of incident angles taking into account the 3D effects. The results from this study include simulated thrust and torque when rotor operates in calm water and waves. The variation in the thrust and torque is predicted for certain parameters including wave height and wave frequency. The thrust and torque are evaluated by varying both the rotor's rotational speed and current speed. It has been found both thrust and torque increase as the current speed increases, and in longer waves the torque is relatively sensitive to the variation of wave height. Both in-plane and out-of-plane bending moments fluctuate significantly and can be predicted by linear wave theory with blade element-momentum theory.Copyright © 2011 by ASME


The development of shale gas resources was made possible by the combination of horizontal drilling and high‐volume hydraulic fracturing (fracking). Environmental concerns have been raised relative to shale gas production, especially potential impacts on groundwater. Fluids related to unconventional oil and gas (O&G) operations contain chemical compounds that can impact groundwater quality. Such impacts can occur due to (1) the infiltration of surface contaminant releases, (2) failures of the integrity of O&G wells, and (3) upward fluid migration from a shale/tight reservoir along preferential paths that can be natural (faults or fracture zone) or man‐made (O&G wells). Surface releases represent the most probable mechanism leading to groundwater contamination. Improvements in O&G drilling operations under stringent regulations can minimize this risk. Experts identify O&G well integrity as the most challenging issue that may lead to groundwater contamination. Failure of casing and cement can lead to upward fluid flow within or outside O&G wells, especially of methane. Integrity failures leading to fluid migration to shallow fresh water aquifers or to the surface are well understood and can be detected and repaired, but this can be complex and costly. A few regulators now impose groundwater monitoring to detect impacts from integrity failures. Occurrences of communication with existing O&G wells from fracking operations have also led some regulators to impose rules aiming to avoid such potential fluid migration paths. There is an ongoing scientific debate regarding the potential for fluids to migrate upward from exploited shale gas units to aquifers through natural preferential paths. WIREs Water 2017, 4:e1188. doi: 10.1002/wat2.1188


The Baltic Sea is one of the most severely polluted water bodies on earth, with stressors resulting from anthropogenic pressures of 85 million inhabitants in nine coastal countries. All are members of the European Union (EU) with the exception of Russia. This exception poses challenges for governing the Sea, as Russia is excluded as a member country from EU Baltic Sea governing policies, such as the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR). This added complexity has led to the emergence of new forms of cooperation to include Russia in the governing process. One such initiative is the Turku process, an initiative by the cities of Turku (Finland), Hamburg (Germany), and St. Petersburg (Russia) to promote cooperation, especially with Russian partners. Since its emergence in 2010, there has been no study of it in the literature. This study aims to bridge this gap by analyzing the history and evolution of the Turku process under the lens of experimentalist governance. It aims to illustrate the experimentalist governance perspective through the Turku process and to present the theoretical foundations of the concept. It does the former through key informant interviews with main actors in the Turku Process and the latter with the help of the literature on experimentalist governance. This study adds to the dialogue on governance in an especially challenging time when the Ukraine crisis has negatively impacted EU–Russia relations.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to characterize the neuropsychiatric profile of elderly patients with schizophrenia and establish a patient registry for prospective ante-mortem and post-mortem studies.

METHOD
Medical records of all chronically institutionalized patients in eight state hospitals who were over the age of 65 and had a chart diagnosis of schizophrenia (N = 528) were reviewed. Of the potential subjects, 192 were excluded because of clinical histories inconsistent with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, 56 because of insufficient information to establish a psychiatric diagnosis, and 122 because of family members' refusal to give consent for autopsy in the event of death. To date, 81 of the remaining 158 patients have undergone neuropsychiatric evaluation with standard assessment instruments.

RESULTS
Mini-Mental State scores of the 81 patients indicated severe dementia, and Functional Assessment Scale scores showed that patients required assistance with activities of daily living. All patients were rated as severely ill on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. Ratings on the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms and the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms indicated a predominance of negative symptoms over positive. Of 30 patients who have died to date, research autopsies have been conducted on 26.

CONCLUSIONS
Establishing a well characterized, prospective patient registry for clinicopathologic studies of schizophrenia is feasible but labor intensive. Diagnosis of schizophrenia with a high degree of confidence can be achieved by means of detailed chart review and assessment of current neuropsychiatric functioning with standard rating instruments. These data provide a basis for correlations of clinicopathologic factors.


This is a short review in honor of B. Mandelbrot's 80st birthday, to appear in W ilmott magazine. We discuss how multiplicative cascades and related multifractal ideas might be relevant to model the main statistical features of financial time series, in particular the intermittent, long-memory nature of the volatility. We describe in details the Bacry-Muzy-Delour multifractal random walk. We point out some inadequacies of the current models, in particular concerning time reversal symmetry, and propose an alternative family of multi-timescale models, intermediate between GARCH models and multifractal models, that seem quite promising.


Courts are daily confronted with admissibility issues – such as in cases involving neuroscientific testimony – that sometimes involve both the existence of a general phenomenon (i.e., "G") and the question of whether a particular case represents a specific instance of that general phenomenon (i.e., "i").
Unfortunately, courts have yet to carefully consider the implications of "G2i" for their admissibility decisions. In some areas, courts limit an expert's testimony to the general phenomenon. They insist that whether the case at hand is an instance of that phenomenon is exclusively a jury question, and thus not an appropriate subject of expert opinion. In other cases, in contrast, courts hold that expert evidence must be provided on both the group-data issue (i.e., that the phenomenon exists) and what is called the "diagnostic" issue (i.e., that this case is an instance of that phenomenon).
Consequently, the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Law and Neuroscience has prepared this knowledge brief to help courts manage the G2i divide. Specifically, we recommend that courts first determine whether proffered expert testimony concerns only the existence of the general phenomenon or instead concerns both that and the diagnosis that a particular case represents an instance of that phenomenon. Only after making that determination should the court make its admissibility decision (guided, for instance, by the Daubert factors for admitting scientific evidence).


We propose a novel suboptimal design algorithm for PON outside plant deployment. Under realistic restrictions such as possible fiber paths, splitting ratio of optical splitters, and locations of the central office and subscribers are given, the algorithm can automatically generate the suboptimal PON network in terms of total fiber length.


To achieve efficient attenuation of noise and vibration characteristics within the helicopter environment, solid-state actuators are seen as one of the most promising smart technologies. The Smart Hybrid Active Rotor Control System project is expected to demonstrate the ability of smart structure systems, employing multiple active material actuators, sensors, and closed-loop controllers, to reduce simultaneously rotorcraft vibration and noise. Within this project, piezoceramic elements were used as actuators to vary the dry friction and the stiffness of the whole helicopter blade system. This active control concept, named Smart Spring, originated a prototype used to demonstrate the ability to attenuate vibrations. Before testing the Smart Hybrid Active Rotor Control System in operative conditions, the dynamic properties of the Smart Spring installed on a nonrotating helicopter blade are investigated. The effects of the Smart Spring actuator on the modal properties are studied through experimental activities carried out at Carleton University. Furthermore, the capability of the Smart Spring to change the dynamic behavior of the helicopter blade is demonstrated by analyzing the shifts in the modal parameters. Finally, a beam finite element model of the blade, with stiffness and mass properties tuned to the experimental structure, is presented.


We present the all-sky Planck catalogue of Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) sources detected from the 29 month full-mission data. The catalogue (PSZ2) is the largest SZ-selected sample of galaxy clusters yet produced and the deepest all-sky catalogue of galaxy clusters. It contains 1653 detections, of which 1203 are confirmed clusters with identified counterparts in external data-sets, and is the first SZ-selected cluster survey containing > 10 3 confirmed clusters. We present a detailed analysis of the survey selection function in terms of its completeness and statistical reliability, placing a lower limit of 83% on the purity. Using simulations, we find that the Y 5R500 estimates are robust to pressure-profile variation and beam systematics, but accurate conversion to Y 500 requires. the use of prior information on the cluster extent. We describe the multi-wavelength search for counterparts in ancillary data, which makes use of radio, microwave, infra-red, optical and X-ray data-sets, and which places emphasis on the robustness of the counterpart match. We discuss the physical properties of the new sample and identify a population of low-redshift X-ray under- luminous clusters revealed by SZ selection. These objects appear in optical and SZ surveys with consistent properties for their mass, but are almost absent from ROSAT X-ray selected samples.


[Breast Cancer Special Issue Index][1]

Few scientific endeavors captured as much public interest as the race to identify BRCA1 , a gene responsible for inherited predisposition to breast and ovarian cancers. The search culminated in a 1994 Science paper reporting the isolation of BRCA1 by positional cloning.[*][2] Isolation of the related cancer predisposition gene BRCA2 followed soon after.[†][3] Twenty years later, the BRCA genes continue to make headlines, sparking a Supreme Court decision on the legality of gene patenting and intense debates on the ethics of genetic testing.

![Figure][4]

CREDIT: ANNE WESTON/CANCER RESEARCH UK/VISUALS UNLIMITED INC.

In this special section of Science , expert contributors retrace the long and tortuous path leading to the mapping and identification of the BRCA1 gene; discuss the ways in which BRCA mutation status has been integrated into the clinical management of patients in high-risk families; and highlight the role of the BRCA proteins in preserving the structural and numerical integrity of chromosomes throughout the cell cycle, a function that may explain their tumor suppressor activity.

Science 's News team explores many of the issues that have arisen since the discovery of the BRCA genes. Advances in molecular medicine have brought new options for treatment and prevention, driving down mortality rates in wealthy countries. But in poor countries, shut out from these advances, mortality rates remain disproportionately high. Widespread breast screening has led to early detection and a new dilemma: whether to aggressively treat noncancerous lesions that may never become invasive or whether to "watch and wait." Since 1994, dozens more genes have been found that increase a woman's risk of hereditary breast cancer, but by how much is uncertain, confounding already complicated issues in genetic testing and counseling. Throughout this explosion of research, advocacy groups have been a powerful force in boosting funding and shaping the agenda, and they continue pushing for increasingly ambitious, some say unrealistic, goals.

Clearly much more needs to be done—both more research and better ways to get existing treatments to women who need them. The discovery of the BRCA genes was transformative. More than a million women and men have been tested for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in the past 20 years, and there is no doubt that the test has saved lives. But mutations in these two genes account for only 5 to 10% of breast cancer cases in the general population, and worldwide, breast cancer remains the most common and most deadly cancer in women. Is it time to start a new race?

 [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/site/special/breastcancer/index.xhtml
 [2]: #fn-1
 [3]: #fn-2
 [4]: pending:yes


A mid-term review of the Aboriginal Employment Development Policy (AEDP) has recently been completed. While much of the associated policyrhetoric and assessment of policy outcomes has been aimed at the national level, the fiscal environment in which AEDP goals are to be achieved is invariably one of regional labour markets and administrative systems operating in the economic context of States and Territories. In view of this reality, this paper responds to a need for regional-level analyses of change in the economic status of indigenous people compared to that of nonindigenous people in each State and Territory. Using 1986 and 1991 Census-based social indicators for Tasmania, attention is focussed on relative shifts in population growth and intra-State distribution, labour force and income status, and levels of welfare dependency (measured as non-employment income). A major finding is that the gap in labour force status between indigenous and non-indigenous people remained the same, with the status of both groups deteriorating, while the relatively lower income status and higher level of welfare dependency of indigenous people also remained unaltered. This suggests that despite the introduction of the AEDP, indigenous people in Tasmania have shared in the negative effects of economic downturn. If the overall aims of the policy are to be accomplished, an increased focus on quantity and quality of outcomes will be necessary.


"My whole life, it's been assumed, Western civilisation is an old bitch gone in the teeth. And so people say, go to Israel. Because in Israel at least people are fighting. In Israel, they're fighting for something they believe in." (Via Dolorosa). In 1997, after many invitations, the 50-year-old British playwright resolved finally to visit the 50-year-old State of Israel. The resulting play, written to be performed by the author himself, offers a meditation on an extraordinary trip to both Israel and the Palestinian territory, which leaves Hare questioning his own values as searchingly as the powerful beliefs of those he met. Accompanying Via Dolorosa is the 1996 lecture When Shall We Live? Which also addresses questions of art and faith. Originally given in Westminster Abbey as the Eric Symes Memorial Lecture, it attracted record correspondence when an abridged version was published in the Daily Telegraph.


Toxin-antitoxin systems are ubiquitous in prokaryotic and archaeal genomes and regulate growth in response to stress. Escherichia coli contains at least 36 putative toxin-antitoxin gene pairs, and some pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis have over 90 toxin-antitoxin operons. E. coli MazF cleaves free mRNA after encountering stress, and nine M. tuberculosis MazF family members cleave mRNA, tRNA, or rRNA. Moreover, M. tuberculosis MazF-mt6 cleaves 23S rRNA Helix 70 to inhibit protein synthesis. The overall tertiary folds of these MazFs are predicted to be similar, and therefore, it is unclear how they recognize structurally distinct RNAs. Here we report the 2.7-Å X-ray crystal structure of MazF-mt6. MazF-mt6 adopts a PemK-like fold but lacks an elongated β1-β2 linker, a region that typically acts as a gate to direct RNA or antitoxin binding. In the absence of an elongated β1-β2 linker, MazF-mt6 is unable to transition between open and closed states, suggesting that the regulation of RNA or antitoxin selection may be distinct from other canonical MazFs. Additionally, a shortened β1-β2 linker allows for the formation of a deep, solvent-accessible, active-site pocket, which may allow recognition of specific, structured RNAs like Helix 70. Structure-based mutagenesis and bacterial growth assays demonstrate that MazF-mt6 residues Asp-10, Arg-13, and Thr-36 are critical for RNase activity and likely catalyze the proton-relay mechanism for RNA cleavage. These results provide further critical insights into how MazF secondary structural elements adapt to recognize diverse RNA substrates.


26 complete mitochondrial control region sequences of Thymallus arcticus yaluensis and T. grubii were sequenced, to investigate the validity of T. a. yaluensis, and constructed the phylogenetic relationships of Thymallus (T.) tugarinae, T. a. arcticus and T. thymallus were used as outgroups. The results showed the average K 2-P genetic distances between T. a. yaluensis and the four populations of T. grubii (Huma reiver, Gan River, Mudan River and Songhua River population) ranged from 0.007 to 0.015, and the average genetic distances among the four populations of T. grubii ranged from 0.004 to 0.015, thus both showing significant lower between different Thymallus (0.046-0.062).The phylogenetic trees estimated by neighbor-joining (NJ) and maximum parsimony (MP) methods indicated that the individuals of T. a. yaluensis failed to form monophyletic clades, and not a subsepecies of T. a. arcticus, but formed monophyletic clades with T. grubii. These results revealed that T. a. yaluensis should not be considered a valid species, but is a synonym of T. grubii, and just a population of T. grubii.


BACKGROUND
It is well known that mucosal changes and alterations in liver function occur in the experimental obstructive jaundice model.

AIMS
We aimed to evaluate the effect of resveratrol on obstructive jaundice-induced changes in the small bowel mucosa and liver using ischaemia-modified albumin as a marker of oxidative damage.

STUDY DESIGN
Animal experimentation.

METHODS
The study used a rodent experimental model of obstructive jaundice, including a sham group (1), a control group (2), and a study group (3). Wistar albino rats were used. Jaundice was produced by ligation of the bile duct in Groups 2 and 3. In Group 3, resveratrol was administered intraperitoneally for 14 days.

RESULTS
In terms of the structure and the size of the mucosal villi, significant thickening and blunting were detected in Group 2 compared with Group 1. These changes were significantly less noticeable in Group 3 compared with Group 2. Levels of ischaemia-modified albumin were significantly higher in Group 2 compared with those in Group 1, and they were significantly decreased in Group 3 compared with Group 2.

CONCLUSION
Resveratrol administration to obstructive jaundiced rats reduced the organic effects of obstructive jaundice on small bowel mucosa and liver oxidative stress. We believe that this reduction might attenuate bacterial translocation and systemic effects of secreted cytokines.


To diagnose performance problems in production systems, many OS kernel-level monitoring and analysis tools have been proposed. Using low level kernel events provides benefits in efficiency and transparency to monitor application software. On the other hand, such approaches miss application-specific semantic information which can be effective to differentiate the trace patterns from distinct application logic. This paper introduces new trace analysis techniques based on event features to improve kernel event based performance diagnosis tools. Our prototype, AppDiff, is based on two analysis features: system resource features convert kernel events to resource usage metrics, thereby enabling the detection of various performance anomalies in a unified way; program behavior features infer the application logic behind the low level events. By using these features and conditional probability, AppDiff can detect outliers and improve the diagnosis of application performance.


Objectives The population served by our centre has a relatively high proportion of people originating from the Indian subcontinent ("South Asians") compared to the national average (14.3% vs 4.6%). We observed that the mortality rate in South Asian women undergoing cardiac surgery in our unit appeared to be relatively high. We investigated this observation further to determine whether ethnic origin was an independent risk factor for postoperative death in females. Methods Data for all patients undergoing cardiac surgery were collected prospectively in a registry. Retrospective analysis was carried using SPSS on data for 4901 patients operated on in the 6-year period April 2004 to March 2010. Categorical data associated with mortality were analysed using χ2 tests. Risk factors for in-hospital mortality were subjected to univariate analysis, and those found to be significant were tested for independence using multivariate logistic regression. Results During the study period, 1160 female patients underwent surgery with a mortality rate of 4.7%. Mortality in 113 South Asians was 8.9% vs 4.3% in non-Asians (p=0.03). Of 20 risk factors tested with univariate analysis, 16 were significantly associated with mortality. Logistic regression showed the following to be independent predictors of postoperative mortality: urgency of operation (OR 32.0; p<0.001), older age (OR 24.2; p<0.001), preoperative renal dysfunction (OR 15.8; p<0.001), diabetes (OR 7.8; p=0.005), South Asian ethnicity (OR 7.3; p=0.007), extra-cardiac arteriopathy (OR 4.8; p=0.028), and an operation other than isolated CABG (OR 5.8; p=0.016). Conclusions In our population, South Asian ethnicity appears to be an independent risk factor for mortality in females undergoing cardiac surgery. Studies in larger populations are warranted.


Excessive bleeding is one of the most common complications in cardiac surgery and is caused most frequently by insufficient surgical hemostasis or impairments of the coagulation system or a combination of both. A substantial number of patients consume disproportionately high amounts of blood products. Transfusion of blood products is associated with negative outcomes such as early and late mortality, increased risk for infections, prolonged hospital stay and decrease of long term quality of life. At the start of this project, the procoagulant fibrinogen concentrate was increasingly infused in cardiac surgery without solid evidence on its effect. This lack of evidence and the questions that were raised on the effects of fibrinogen in cardiac surgery, together with the aspiration to optimize hemostasis in this domain, have led to the formulation of this thesis project. In Chapter 2, a large retrospective cohort of high-risk cardiac surgery procedures revealed that administering fibrinogen concentrate did not reduce postoperative blood loss and transfusion. There was also no increase in clinical adverse events such as 30-day mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, renal insufficiency or failure, infections and prolonged mechanical ventilation. In Chapter 3, the implementation of a cardiac surgery specific transfusion protocol is described in order to systematically direct the use of blood products and pro-hemostatic medication to prevent excessive transfusion of blood products and reduce the number of transfused patients. The new cardiac surgery specific transfusion protocol resulted in fewer patients transfused with red blood cells (RBC) and fresh frozen plasma (FFP) and a lower risk for myocardial infarction. In Chapter 4, a prediction model was developed using the widely used EuroSCORE variables to predict intraoperative and postoperative blood loss in cardiac surgery. The EuroSCORE variables proved to be very solid and accurate in predicting intraoperative blood loss with good calibration and a discrimination (an area under the curve (AUC)) of 0.84. For the postoperative period the discriminative ability was lower (AUC 0.74). In Chapter 5, end cardiopulmonary bypass (end-CPB) plasma fibrinogen levels were related to postoperative blood loss and transfusion. The purpose of this study was to determine the critical plasma fibrinogen levels for excessive bleeding. Interestingly, there was no critical fibrinogen level that resulted in excessive bleeding. However, end-CPB plasma fibrinogen levels higher than ≥ 2.5 g/L reduced the risk for excessive postoperative bleeding. The target fibrinogen concentration was set at this level (2.5 g/L) in the randomized clinical trial. Chapter 6, the randomized clinical trial is described. In this trial, targeted fibrinogen concentrate infusion did not reduce intraoperative blood loss. However, postoperative blood loss at 24 hours after surgery was reduced significantly. Also, after 24 hours less patients had received postoperative RBC transfusion. We observed more cases of stroke in the fibrinogen group compared to the placebo group. It must be emphasized that this study was not powered to assess statistical differences in adverse events between the fibrinogen and the control group. Further research is needed to assess the risk/benefit ratio of fibrinogen concentrate infusion in cardiac surgery.


The IceCube Neutrino Observatory and its prototype, AMANDA, were built in South Pole ice, using powerful hot-water drills to cleanly bore >100 holes to depths up to 2500 m. The construction of these particle physics detectors provided a unique opportunity to examine the deep ice sheet using a variety of novel techniques. We made high-resolution particulate profiles with a laser dust logger in eight of the boreholes during detector commissioning between 2004 and 2010. The South Pole laser logs are among the most clearly resolved measurements of Antarctic dust strata during the last glacial period and can be used to reconstruct paleoclimate records in exceptional detail. Here we use manual and algorithmic matching to synthesize our South Pole measurements with ice-core and logging data from Dome C, East Antarctica. We derive impurity concentration, precision chronology, annual-layer thickness, local spatial variability, and identify several widespread volcanic ash depositions useful for dating. We also examine the interval around similar to 74 ka recently isolated with radiometric dating to bracket the Toba (Sumatra) supereruption.