Objectives: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of prolonged television, computer, and mobile phone viewing times and examined related sociodemographic factors among Chinese pregnant women. Methods: In this study, a cross-sectional survey was implemented among 2400 Chinese pregnant women in 16 hospitals of 5 provinces from June to August in 2015, and the response rate of 97.76%. We excluded women with serious complications and cognitive disorders. The women were asked about their television, computer, and mobile phone viewing during pregnancy. Prolonged television watching or computer viewing was defined as spending more than two hours on television or computer viewing per day. Prolonged mobile phone viewing was watching more than one hour on mobile phone per day. Results: Among 2345 pregnant women, about 25.1% reported prolonged television viewing, 20.6% reported prolonged computer viewing, and 62.6% reported prolonged mobile phone viewing. Pregnant women with long mobile phone viewing times were likely have long TV (Estimate = 0.080, Standard Error (SE) = 0.016, p < 0.001) and computer viewing times (Estimate = 0.053, SE = 0.022, p = 0.015). Pregnant women with long TV (Estimate = 0.134, SE = 0.027, p < 0.001) and long computer viewing times (Estimate = 0.049, SE = 0.020, p = 0.015) were likely have long mobile phone viewing times. Pregnant women with long TV viewing times were less likely to have long computer viewing times (Estimate = −0.032, SE = 0.015, p = 0.035), and pregnant women with long computer viewing times were less likely have long TV viewing times (Estimate = −0.059, SE = 0.028, p = 0.035). Pregnant women in their second pregnancy had lower prolonged computer viewing times than those in their first pregnancy (Odds Ratio (OR) 0.56, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.42–0.74). Pregnant women in their second pregnancy were more likely have longer prolonged mobile phone viewing times than those in their first pregnancy (OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.01–1.55). Conclusions: The high prevalence rate of prolonged TV, computer, and mobile phone viewing times was common for pregnant women in their first and second pregnancy. This study preliminarily explored the relationship between sociodemographic factors and prolonged screen time to provide some indication for future interventions related to decreasing screen-viewing times during pregnancy in China.


In this thesis, media convergence strategies and added value of digital news services are investigated, focusing on the newspaper industry and it's audience. Convergence implies that previously unalike areas come together, approaching a common goal. A subordinate concept of convergence, i.e., media convergence, is a concept that has become common when denoting a range of processes within the production of media content, its distribution and consumption. Newspapers are one of many so-called publishing channels that provide information and entertainment. They have traditionally been printed on paper, but today's digital technology makes it possible to provide newspapers through a number of different channels. The current strategy used by newspaper companies involves a process of convergence mainly regarding multiple publishing. A newspaper company interested in publishing content through multiple channels has to adapt its production workflow to produce content not only for the traditional printed edition, but also for the other channels. In this thesis, a generalized value chain involving four main stages illustrates the production workflow at a newspaper company in relation to the convergence processes. The four stages are creation, packaging, distribution and consumption of content. One of the aims of this thesis is to assess how the views and strategies of newspaper companies concerning media convergence correspond with the opinions and views concerning convergence of their audience. In order to discuss this, seven types of media convergence are suggested. Furthermore, the thesis explores how the newspaper industry is relating to the processes of convergence, using two examples: newspaper companies' ventures into the use of moving images, and the newspaper companies' strategies for a future epaper edition. Among the findings of this thesis are that digital news services can add value to a newspaper company, however that the digital news services investigated, in their current form, are not sophisticated enough to give added value as perceived by the audience. The findings of the thesis are based on studies of the newspaper industry in Sweden and reflect specific newspaper companies, their strategies, production workflow and ventures from 2002 to 2007. The methods used have mainly been case studies and surveys.


The heterodimeric hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1 is a transcriptional master regulator of several genes involved in mammalian oxygen homeostasis, including erythropoietin, vascular endothelial growth factor, and factors involved in glucose transport and metabolism. The mouse Hif1a gene is expressed from two distinct promoter/first exon combinations resulting in tissue-specific (mHIF-1alphaI.1) and ubiquitous (mHIF-1alphaI.2) mRNA isoforms. By in situ hybridization, we detected mHIF-1alphaI.1 mRNA exclusively in the elongated spermatids of the testis. In vitro studies indicated that the switch from mHIF-1alphaI.2 to mHIF-1alphaI.1 mRNA expression does not occur at the premeiotic stages of mouse spermatogenesis. Exposure of mice to hypoxic conditions induced mHIF-1alphaI.2 protein in spermatocytes and probably in Sertoli cells but not in spermatogonia. In contrast, expression of the putative mHIF-1alphaI.1 protein in spermatozoa of the testis and epididymis was oxygen independent and located to the midpiece of the spermatozoal flagellum. Both the switch in transcript expression during spermiogenesis and the unexpected protein localization in mature sperm cells suggest a so far unrecognized function of HIF-1alpha.


This article makes an energy analysis of the Solar Energy Research and Training Center of the Federal University of Santa Catarina (Lab. Fotovoltaica-UFSC), at Sapiens Parque, Florianopolis-SC. The analysis takes into account the recharges of a full electric bus (e-Bus) used to transport researchers between the UFSC main campus and Sapiens Parque. In this study, the energy consumption of the electric bus and the generation of grid-connected photovoltaic systems in the research center were analyzed and evaluated. A data logger is connected to the inverter of the engine to monitor different parameters during the vehicle trips. The e-Bus carries out five trips a day and gets recharged during the 1.5 h break at Sapiens Parque. The monitoring of the e-Bus includes battery state of charge, regenerative braking energy production, consumption of the engine, GPS data and velocity. The evaluation of the data showed that the avg. traveling speed was an influencing factor on the consumption of the e-Bus, while the number of passengers wasn't. The analysis also showed, that the installed PV systems in the Lab. Fotovoltaica-UFSC generated more than 100 MWh in a period of one year (Nov./2016 to Oct./2017), which corresponds to a yield of 1,098 kWh/kWp per year. Since the begging of its operation, in March of 2017, the e-Bus consumption represented 75% of the PV production of the Lab. Fotovoltaica-UFSC.


Tracheal agenesis is an extremely rare, usually fatal, congenital anomaly presenting with respiratory distress and aphonia. We present a case of tracheoesophageal fistula, in which an endotracheal tube failed to be placed; alternatively the infant was partially venitlated via an endoesophageal tube. A delayed transfer of the infant and inability to perform an urgent tracheostomy led to the infant's demise. Floyd described 3 different phenotypes of tracheal agenesis. The anomaly is thought to be due to errors in development occurring during the division of the foregut into the esophagus and the trachea. Affected neonates uniformly present in the immediate postnatal period with severe respiratory distress and aphonia. Endotracheal intubation is difficult, often with multiple failed attempts and inability to advance the tube below the vocal cords. Ventilation with a tube placed in the esophagus can temporarily sustain life in the presence of a fistula as in this case. The condition can occur in isolation or in association with malformations in organ systems other than the lungs, airway and esophagus. New approaches for reconstruction of the trachea have been reported and regenerative medicine may have a future role.


Student volunteering has many benefits for students, universities, and nonprofit organizations (NPOs), but research on these from a multistakeholder perspective is scant. Using psychological contract theory, this article compares outcomes to expectations of students, universities, and NPOs, proposing a model of the benefits of volunteering to all three stakeholder groups. Based on a large-scale qualitative research with over 60 interviews in six Australian universities, the article offers an in-depth analysis of student volunteering benefits, surprises (benefits exceeding expectations), and disappointments (unmet expectations) for each stakeholder group. Some of these benefits align with existing literature, while others contribute new knowledge on the outcomes of student volunteering. The results show that training, preparation, and management of expectations have the potential to build positive benefits for all. It concludes with implications for universities and NPOs and directions for future research on student volunteering.


The common gating of CLC-1 has been shown to be inhibited by intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in acidic pH conditions. Such modulation is thought to be mediated by direct binding of ATP to the cystathionine β-synthase (CBS) domains at the C-terminal cytoplasmic region of CLC-1. Guided by the crystal structure of the C-terminal domain of CLC-5, we constructed a homology model of CLC-1's C terminus and mutated critical amino acid residues lining the potential ATP-binding site. The CLC-1 mutations V634A and E865A completely abolished the ATP inhibition of CLC-1, consistent with the loss of ATP binding seen with the corresponding mutations in CLC-5. Mutating two other residues, V613 and V860, also disrupted the ATP modulation of CLC-1. However, placing aromatic amino acids at position 634 increases the apparent ATP affinity. Mutant cycle analyses showed that the modulation effects of ATP and cytidine triphosphate on wild-type CLC-1 and the V634F mutant were nonadditive, suggesting that the side chain of amino acid at position 634 interacts with the base moiety of the nucleotide. The mutation effects of V634F and V613A on the ATP modulation were also nonadditive, which is consistent with the assertion suggested from the homology model that these two residues may both interact with the bound nucleotide. These results provide evidence for a direct ATP binding for modulating the function of CLC-1 and suggest an overall conserved architecture of the ATP-binding sites in CLC-1 and CLC-5. This study also demonstrates that CLC-1 is a convenient experimental model for studying the interaction of nucleotides/nucleosides with the CBS domain.


A summary of results on the resonance Raman study of I2 in CCl4 and liq. Xe is presented. No discrete fluorescence can be obsd. upon excitation in the bound parts of the B state and instead a resonance Raman spectrum shows up superimposed on a broad fluorescence background. In the time-dependent picture, the resonance Raman spectrum is a signature of the excited state dynamics before the wavepacket decays by dephasing and/or depopulation. The latter is caused by solvent-induced curve crossing events to the purely repulsive B, a and a' states and the spectra deliver information about their time and location. From a Landau-Zener treatment, the matrix elements are derived for the crossing from B to B which plays a central role in the dynamics at very early times. The broad fluorescence background is due to incoherent returns of the fragments within the observation window. Structures show up in the resonance Raman overtone intensities for excitation in the continuum part of the B state and are attributed to coherent recoils of fragments in the solvent cage. [on SciFinder (R)]


IN DECEMBER OF 1844 AMEDEE PICHOT, EDITOR OF REVUE BRITANNIQUE, published a French translation of To George Sand: A Desire" along with the English version. (1) Elizabeth Barrett had published her two sonnets "To George Sand" only a few months earlier in Poems, 1844. (2) In a footnote, Pichot asserted that the purpose of Revue Britannique was partly to redress "les injustes attaques" against French culture and partly to recognize "les hommages" from foreigners for French national figures. He sent to Sand a copy of his French version of Barrett's sonnet, which begins with a dramatic apostrophe: Thou large-brained woman and large-hearted man, Self-called George Sand! whose soul, amid the lions Of thy tumultuous senses, moans defiance And answers roar for roar, as spirits can. (3) In 1844, she was close to forty, and with her more radical days behind her, Sand responded with wit and modesty. She wrote back to Pichot, "Je ne suis plus d'age a entendre tant de lions rugir en moi-meme et je ne me souviens pas qu'ils y aient jamais fait si grand vacarme" ("I am no longer of an age when I hear so much lions roaring within me, and I do not recall that they ever made that much of an uproar"--English translation mine). (4) Then she added that the press gave her more credit for social change than she deserved. The press? Even though she was reading poetic language in French translation, Sand recognized diction from the English press debates about her controversial novels and social conduct. The topical language apparent to Sand is no longer apparent to readers. As a result, although the sonnets "To George Sand" have regularly appeared in anthologies since the late twentieth century, they remain two of Barrett's most difficult poems. Feminist critics like Sandra Donaldson praise the sonnets for showing "the variety of women's experiences" and a "union of the manly and womanly in a 'pure genius'" like Sand. (5) Yet even sympathetic readers of the poems question their aesthetic merit. How could a poet who was often so skillful with language produce poems that seem "clumsy, involuted and laborious" (Patricia Thomson) or "awkward" if "desperately sincere" (Elaine Showalter)? (6) Part of the difficulty stems from the poet's attitude toward Sand, which Dorothy Mermin has aptly described as "profoundly mixed." (7) Sand appears in Barrett's letters as a "brilliant monstrous woman" who might be a "genius" and who might be "dangerous" because of the "irresistible power she attributes to human passion." (8) The seemingly clumsy form of the two sonnets could reflect this confused adoration. However, part of the difficulty also stems from a twentieth-century critical tradition in which a poem would be evaluated in terms of aesthetic, organic unity without necessarily considering historical context. For the past few decades, historicist critics like Antony H. Harrison have advanced a methodology that provides a bridge between aesthetic considerations and historical setting--"an archaeology that will eventually expose the complete and particular contexts surrounding the production, publication, and reception of literary works." (9) In fact, close attention to the topical nuances in poetic language can enrich the aesthetic experience of readers no longer in the Victorian era. In the case of Barrett's sonnets, the Victorian context reveals carefully chosen diction that responds to specific issues raised in the English press--about Sand, of course, but about other public issues as well, like heroes and heroism, and even the value of literary and Biblical texts. Most importantly for understanding the difficult style, the diction and syntax of the sonnets "To George Sand" correspond to sage discourse. Elizabeth Barrett admired Thomas Carlyle, and while asserting the heroism of Sand, she was also experimenting with the voice of a cultural sage for herself. To many writers of the Victorian press, Sand was hardly heroic. …


Content storage in a distributed collaborative environment uses redundancy for better resilience and thus provides good availability and durability. In a peer-to-peer environment, where peers continuously leave and rejoin the network, various lazy strategies can be employed to maintain a minimal redundancy of stored content in the system. Existing static resilience analyses fail to capture in detail the system's behavior over time, particularly the probability mass function of the actual available redundancy, since it ignores the crucial interplay between churn and maintenance operations, and looks only at the average system property. We perform a Markovian time-evolution analysis of the system specified by probability mass function of each possible system state, and establish that given a fixed rate of churn and a specific maintenance strategy, the system operates in a corresponding steady-state (dynamic equilibrium). Understanding the behavior of the system under such a dynamic equilibrium is a fundamental ingredient to precisely evaluate analytically the system's performance and availability as well as to determine the required operational maintenance cost. We also propose a new randomized variant of a lazy-maintenance scheme which has significant performance benefits in comparison to the existing deterministic procrastination based maintenance. We demonstrate the use of our analysis methodology in comparing performance of maintenance schemes using the examples of the new maintenance scheme we propose and the erstwhile best known existing lazy maintenance scheme. The comparative study shows that our randomized lazy maintenance strategy has substantially better resilience at same maintenance cost


Oral Lichen Planus (OLP) is a common chronic inflammatory disease, which involves the mucous membranes of the oral cavity, with an overall agestandardized prevalence of 1.27% (0.96% in men and 1.57% in women) as reported in the literature by McCartan and Healy. In our previous work, we exploited a bioinformatics approach, namely the Leader Gene Algorithm (LGA), enabling to underpin the main hub genes (termed as Leader Genes) involved in biological processes. In the case of OLP, we found a complex network made up of 132 genes and, in particular, we found five Leader Genes (namely, JUN, EGFR, FOS, IL2, and ITGB4). Using a subsequent bioinformatics algorithm, we managed to find the 48.39% of the already established OLP-related microRNAs (miRNAs), suggesting that at least half of the OLP-related microRNAome (miRNAome) finely tunes few, highly interconnected hub genes. Now, we would use real clinical samples in order to validate our predicted biomarkers, using molecular biology techniques, massspectrometry (MS) and ad hoc in-house developed instruments, such as nanoconductimetry via Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation factor monitoring (QCM_D). A unique combination of genomics and proteomics approaches can indeed represent a promising innovation for a personalized treatment of OLP and oral


With progress toward a practical quantum computer has come an increasingly rapid search for quantum-safe, secure communication schemes that do not rely on discrete logarithm or factorization problems. One such encryption scheme, Multi-path Switching with Secret Sharing (MSSS), combines secret sharing with multi-path switching to achieve security as long as the adversary does not have global observability of all paths and thus cannot capture enough shares to reconstruct messages. MSSS assumes that sending a share on a path is an atomic operation and all paths have the same delay. In this paper, we identify a side-channel vulnerability for MSSS, created by the fact that in real networks, sending a share is not an atomic operation as paths have multiple hops and different delays. This channel, referred to as Network Data Remanence (NDR), is present in all schemes like MSSS whose security relies on transfer atomicity and all paths having same delay. We demonstrate the presence of NDR in a physical testbed. We then identify two new attacks that aim to exploit the sidechannel, referred to as NDR Blind and NDR Planned, propose an analytical model to analyze the attacks, and demonstrate them using an implementation of MSSS based on the ONOS SDN controller. Finally, we present a countermeasure for the attacks and show its effectiveness in simulations and Mininet experiments.


In this study, 72 women wrote eight emails over the course of a month discussing one of two topics: (a) non-emotional events (i.e., control condition), or (b) their thoughts and feelings regarding their current romantic relationship. Some of the latter group received feedback on what they had written, whereas others kept their narratives more private. Participants who wrote about their relationships differed from those in the control condition on a variety of dimensions; they used different words (e.g., words related to positive and negative emotions, cognitive mechanisms), they perceived their narratives differently (e.g., more self-disclosing) and they found the experience of participating in the study more valuable. Very few significant differences emerged between the narratives of those who received feedback vs. those who did not. Overall, whether a woman anticipates receiving feedback on her relationship narrative does not appear to have a substantial influence on its content, style or depth of emotional disclosure and processing.


We present two spanwise-localized travelling-wave solutions in the asymptotic suction boundary layer, obtained by continuation of solutions of plane Couette flow. One of the solutions has the vortical structures located close to the wall, similar to spanwise-localized edge states previously found for this system. The vortical structures of the second solution are located in the free stream far above the laminar boundary layer and are supported by a secondary shear gradient that is created by a large-scale low-speed streak. The dynamically relevant eigenmodes of this solution are concentrated in the free stream, and the departure into turbulence from this solution evolves in the free stream towards the walls. For invariant solutions in free-stream turbulence, this solution thus shows that the source of energy of the vortical structures can be a dynamical structure of the solution itself, instead of the laminar boundary layer.


This paper centers on a fairly new phenomenon in digital religion: prayer apps. After an overview of their typical features, the paper will present a number of analytical perspectives on such apps, arguing that investing in theoretical work is needed, particularly in a young research field. Starting points are provided by Heidi Campbell's four-layer model of religious authority, Michel Foucault's concept of "technologies of the self," Birgit Meyer's understanding of religion as a practice of mediation, and by the conceptualization of the transcendence/immanence distinction developed at the Käte Hamburger Kolleg Dynamics of the History of Religions Between Asia and Europe at the Center for Religious Studies, Ruhr-Universät Bochum. With regards to authority, it will be pointed out that prayer apps employ highly different strategies of authorization. These include the evocation of traditional authority, building trust through the use of familiar design language (often borrowed from outside the religious field), and self-imposed strategies aimed at the 'improvement' of the individual believer. As for the transcendence/immanence-distinction, it will be argued that it is important to differentiate between prayer apps that have a more auxiliary character, helping users to prepare their offline praying practice, and those apps that allow users to pray directly on their phone – which has significant implications for the understanding of transcendence.


This book contains the proceedings of the conference "Groups and Model Theory", held May 30-June 3, 2011, in Ruhr, Germany, in honour of Rudiger Gobel's 70th birthday. In the last thirty years, group theory has received new input through the application of methods from logic to problems in algebra. In particular, model theory has strongly influenced both commutative and non-commutative group theory. This led to striking new developments in group theory and has had an interesting impact back on model theory. This interplay has been revisited by algebraists and model theorists and is showing strong and promising roads for future research. This book presents important current research at the border of model theory and group theory by renowned researchers. Articles in this volume cover abelian groups, modules over commutative rings, permutation groups, automorphism groups of homogeneous structures such as graphs, relational structures, geometries, topological spaces or groups, consequences of model theoretic properties like stability or categoricity, subgroups of small index, the automorphism tower problem, as well as random constructions.


Much of the contemporary literature on consciousness in the philosophy of mind is concerned with how phenomenal experience might be accounted for in scientific theory. One position, due to David Chalmers, Frank Jackson and others, has it that because consciousness is not open to reductive explanation (consciousness is not logically supervenient on the physical), materialism, which is committed to a priori conceptual analysis, must be false. In this thesis, an attempt will be made to discredit this viewpoint. While Ned Block and Robert Stalnaker argue that explicit micro-macro (physical) entailments can only be a posteriori justified, I argue that non-explicit entailments can be handled in the same way, and so can only be empirically grounded. These two arguments taken together suggest that micro-macro entailments cannot be a priori justified. If this is the case, then it would seem that materialism is not committed to a priori conceptual analysis and, thus, the failure of consciousness to be a reductively explainable phenomenon, whether true or not, does not warrant any anti-materialist conclusions. Additionally, in reply to the eliminativist attack, a defense of consciousness and qualia will be mounted.


The most celebrated and historic golf clubhouses in America and Great Britain. If golf courses are the soul of a golf club, then the golf clubhouse is the heart of a golf club. The private inner sanctum for member camaraderie and refreshment appeared in golf s earliest history, but purpose-built clubhouses didn t exist until the nineteenth century. Focusing on the most celebrated golf clubhouses built from the late-nineteenth century and into the 1930s, Legendary Golf Clubhouses of the U.S. and Great Britain showcases the true golden age of golf clubhouse architecture. The clubhouses chosen for this book are stellar examples of expansive and lush private estates that were converted into golf courses, and the estate manors into golf clubhouses. Experience the turn-of-the-century coastal charm of thatched Maidstone Country Club located in chic Easthampton, New York; savor a view of the ocean from the locker rooms in the luxurious Mediterranean-influenced Gulfstream Golf Club in Palm Beach, Florida; and behold the lavish grandeur of England s Stoke Park, best remembered for its appearance in the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever. Diedrich gives the reader an insider s view of these singular grand golf structures their grounds, and the dining, sitting, and club rooms clubhouses that are distinguished not only for their architectural beauty, but also for how they are symbolic of a particular golf club s identity. This book is the perfect gift for avid golfers and golf enthusiasts alike."


There is a negative and statistically significant relationship between the returns of the S&P 100 and the Nasdaq 100 stock indexes and their corresponding implied volatility indexes, VIX and VXN. For the S&P 100, the relationship is asymmetric, as negative stock index returns are more associated than positive returns with greater changes in VIX. VIX changes when negative stock index returns are observed are greater in low–volatility periods. For the Nasdaq 100, the asymmetric effect is rather weak, but the VXN and underlying index co–movement is also somewhat muted in high–volatility trading environments. There is some evidence that positive forward–looking returns are to be expected for long positions triggered by extremely high levels of the implied volatility indexes.


Race and Nation is the first book to compare the racial and ethnic systems that have developed around the world. It is the creation of nineteen scholars who are experts on locations as far-flung as China, Jamaica, Eritrea, Brazil, Germany, Punjab, and South Africa. The contributing historians, sociologists, anthropologists, political scientists, and scholars of literary and cultural studies have engaged in an ongoing conversation, honing a common set of questions that dig to the heart of racial and ethnic groups and systems. Guided by those questions, they have created the first book that explores the similarities, differences, and the relationships among the ways that race and ethnicity have worked in the modern world. In so doing they have created a model for how to write world history that is detailed in its expertise, yet also manages broad comparisons.


A number of countries have recently implemented variants of a negative incometax, to push the less skilled members of the economy into work, or to make workpay in comparison with welfare benefits. In most cases, these measures haveresulted for the concerned groups in a decrease of the tax rates, that remainpositive, rather than in a subsidy, in conformity with the recommendations ofthe current theory of optimal taxation. Indeed in the Mirrlees setup (continuouslabor supply or intensive margin, unobserved productivity, utilitarian planner)the marginal tax rate is non negative at the optimum.The purpose of the paper is to question this result of the theory. We studyeconomies where it is optimal to have people in the economy work more than inthe laissez-faire. We provide an example in the intensive setup. The utilitarianoptima in the extensive model seem to exhibit this property quite generally. Wehope that these results help towards providing some theoretical foundations forlow skilled work subsidy, and extending the scope of welfare to work programs.


Urbanization is one of the most significant global changes. The rapid growth in urban area is imposing high pressure to land and their resources. With regard to various ecological services of the Hyrcanian ecosystems and the necessity to conserve them, this research aimed to investigate the growth trend of urban areas and their impacts on land suitability of the conservational patches in Korganroud watershed, Guilan Province. First, the undeveloped parts of the watershed were divided into two main ecosystem types of forest and rangeland. Then, for each ecosystem type, required parameters of the CAPS Model (land capability and ecological parameters) were calculated and combined using linear combination approach. In total, 14 different zones with an area o 64,541 hectare (19% of the watershed's area: 13% jungle and 6% rangeland ecosystems) were distinguished as conservational patches. Simulation of the urban growth was done using a Markov-Cellular Automata Urban Change Modeling method called SLEUTH. We designed three different scenarios of historical, managed and ecologically sustainable growth for the period of 2008 2050. Finally, integration of the results of two approaches was implemented using a loose coupling approach. Results reflect a general trend in decline of patch suitability influenced by type and size of the urban area growth. According to the results, the observed changes in urban growth for the historical scenario provide a development approach different to the changes for the other two scenarios which collectively fall in another approach to development. Thus, conservational suitability of the area can be preserved by changing the development approach and harnessingcurrent trend of the urban area growth.


Mental health literacy among the general public is poor; many people lack the skills to provide early intervention and suicide prevention strategies. 'Mental Health First Aid' (MHFA) is a 12-hour mental health promotion programme offering a tool kit and action plan supporting participants to engage with those experiencing a mental health difficulty. Exploring the MHFA model, this study aims to capture the views of experienced MHFA instructors, sharing their journey of programme delivery in Northern Ireland. A focus group of six instructors participated in a semi-structured recorded meeting, transcripts of which were analysed and key themes identified using a pragmatic approach to schematic content analysis. This study identifies and explores four themes: future roll out, instructor skills, challenges, networks and motivation. Results indicate that complex strategies are employed in delivering MHFA training, while the conclusion calls for the development of a mental health public awareness campaign and continuation of the MHFA programme.


Prostaglandins were described as potent mediators in the auto/paracrine regulation of reproduction. The canine Corpus luteum (Cl) is in part independent of gonadotrop support in the first third of diestrus. Analog to other species, it was postulated, that locally produced prostaglandins act via auto/paracrine mechanisms during this phase. Earlier experiments showed, that both cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) -synthase (PGES) are strongly expressed in the early Cl-phase. To support the hypothesis of an auto/paracrine effect of PGE2, canine luteal cells were isolated in the early luteal phase and stimulated with PGE2. An upregulated StAR-promotor activity, an increased StAR-protein expression and an enhanced synthesis of P4 could be shown. In contrast, the expression of cytochrome P450scc and 3! hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/$-5/$-4 isomerase (3!HSD) remained unaffected. Additionally, the expression of the prostaglandin transporter (PGT) in Cl of pregnant and nonpregnant dogs was assessed and revealed a time-dependent expression with strongest signals in the early luteal phase. Consequently, PGE2 proved to be a steroidogenic factor in luteal cells isolated during the early Cl-phase, while the expression pattern of PGT supports the hypothesis of prostaglandins acting via auto/paracrine mechanisms in this period.


Inherited ichthyoses represent a large heterogeneous group of skin disorders characterised by impaired epidermal barrier function and disturbed cornification. Current knowledge about disease mechanisms has been uncovered mainly through the use of mouse models or human skin organotypic models. However, most mouse lines suffer from severe epidermal barrier defects causing neonatal death and human keratinocytes have very limited proliferation ability in vitro. Therefore, the development of disease models based on patient derived human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) is highly relevant. For this purpose, we have generated hiPSCs from patients with congenital ichthyosis, either non-syndromic autosomal recessive congenital ichthyosis (ARCI) or the ichthyosis syndrome trichothiodystrophy (TTD). hiPSCs were successfully differentiated into basal keratinocyte-like cells (hiPSC-bKs), with high expression of epidermal keratins. In the presence of higher calcium concentrations, terminal differentiation of hiPSC-bKs was induced and markers KRT1 and IVL expressed. TTD1 hiPSC-bKs showed reduced expression of FLG, SPRR2B and lipoxygenase genes. ARCI hiPSC-bKs showed more severe defects, with downregulation of several cornification genes. The application of hiPSC technology to TTD1 and ARCI demonstrates the successful generation of in vitro models mimicking the disease phenotypes, proving a valuable system both for further molecular investigations and drug development for ichthyosis patients.


This article deals with the aspects of criminal law and the conception of circumstances excluding criminal responsibility. Problems related with the circumstances excluding criminal responsibility comprise topical and almost unexplored aspects of the Lithuanian criminal law. In the beginning of the article the author contradistinguishes the elements of deed and circumstances of the notion of circumstances excluding criminal responsibility. The author declares that the deed is an element comprising formal correspondence of circumstances excluding criminal responsibility to the indications of deed as stipulated in the criminal legislation. Analysis of the characteristic of formal correspondence leads the author to the conclusion that circumstances excluding criminal responsibility coincide with certain crimes in terms of the object of the crime, key characteristics of actus reus and requirements set for the subject of the crime. Speaking about the second element of circumstances excluding criminal responsibility the author draws a conclusion that this constituent part finds reflection in a psychic relation of the person with the deed and the resulting sequels, thus dovetailing with a mental element of corpus delicti. Moreover, circumstances as an element of crime erase indications of crime and produce a direct impact on the social substance of the deed, which is qualified as beneficial to the public or neutral in the criminal sense. Further on, the article tackles different perception of sources of circumstances excluding criminal responsibility in the Criminal Code of the Republic of Lithuania and the theory of the criminal law of the Republic of Lithuania. The author goes deep into the analysis of the system of circumstances excluding criminal responsibility and voice critical remarks on the operating and the new Criminal Code of the Republic of Lithuania indicating the flaws and inaccuracies in the key criminal legislation of the state.


The double explosion of SN 2009ip in 2012 raises questions about our understanding of the late stages of massive star evolution. Here we present a comprehensive study of SN 2009ip during its remarkable rebrightenings. High-cadence photometric and spectroscopic observations from the GeV to the radio band obtained from a variety of ground-based and space facilities (including the Very Large Array, Swift, Fermi, Hubble Space Telescope, and XMM) constrain SN 2009ip to be a low energy (E ∼ 1050 erg for an ejecta mass ∼0.5 M☉) and asymmetric explosion in a complex medium shaped by multiple eruptions of the restless progenitor star. Most of the energy is radiated as a result of the shock breaking out through a dense shell of material located at ∼5 × 1014 cm with M ∼ 0.1 M☉, ejected by the precursor outburst ∼40 days before the major explosion. We interpret the NIR excess of emission as signature of material located further out, the origin of which has to be connected with documented mass-loss episodes in the previous years. Our modeling predicts bright neutrino emission associated with the shock break-out if the cosmic-ray energy is comparable to the radiated energy. We connect this phenomenology with the explosive ejection of the outer layers of the massive progenitor star, which later interacted with material deposited in the surroundings by previous eruptions. Future observations will reveal if the massive luminous progenitor star survived. Irrespective of whether the explosion was terminal, SN 2009ip brought to light the existence of new channels for sustained episodic mass loss, the physical origin of which has yet to be identified.


In academic and intellectual discussions on how to achieve sustainable growth and development in the world, it is stated that it is not easy for countries to gain, develop and maintain competitiveness in the globalization environment and often noted that it will not be possible without Research and Development (R&D) and innovation activities. In this context, this study examines the relationship between R&D expenditures to GDP ratio and global innovation index in the scope of BRICS_T countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and Turkey). For this, panel cointegration and causality analyses were applied based on data covering the period 2007-2019. First, horizontal cross-sectional dependence between series was analyzed by the LM CD test developed by Pesaran (2004) and LM adj. test whose deviation was corrected by Pesaran et al. (2008). After cointegration coefficients were determined as heterogeneous, 1st and 2nd generation unit root tests were implemented. 1st generation unit root tests Maddala & Wu (1999), Choi (2001), and Im, Pesaran & Shin (2003) were applied; stationarity was tested by CADF test, one of the 2nd generation unit root tests; Westerlund & Edgerton's (2007) LM Bootstrap Panel Cointegration test was utilized for detecting long-run relationship between variables. After long-run coefficient estimations were performed through FMOLS, Dumitrescu & Hurlin (2012) causality test was applied. Consequently, the statistically significant positive effect of R&D on global innovation index GII was determined. The highest effect was in China and Russia. Panel-wide, a 4.3% enhancing effect was determined. In addition, two-way causality was detected between the R&D and GII variables.


This country program evaluation (CPE) of Venezuela (RE-351) for the period 1999-2007 was prepared following the guidelines of a pre-established protocol that has made it possible to develop an independent, long-term view of the Bank's relationship with Venezuela, the results of which are presented as an input for the Bank's Management in its process of preparing the future country strategy with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. The CPE found that from 1999 to 2007, the Bank program had proposed an ambitious set of 81 development objectives that, in practice, despite their relevance to the country's development, far exceeded the Bank's effective capacity to act in Venezuela. This paper offers a set of recommendations including: 1) Increase technical-cooperation activities and studies; 2) Develop an active niche strategy in the Bank's areas of technical expertise; 3) Increase the evaluability of the program and operations; 4) Unleash the potential of the Bank's new organization and tools; 5) Generate activities in the infrastructure and productive sectors, emphasizing optimization of social impacts.


Sixteen (16) microsatellite DNA markers previously developed for two Bornean species of Shorea (Dipterocarpaceae), viz. 5 from Shorea curtisii (Shc) and 11 from Shorea leprosula (Sle), were tested on Philippine Parashorea malaanonan for cross-species amplification. Initially, these loci were tested in Parashorea malaanonan from the Makiling Forest Reserve on Luzon Island. All five Shc loci had amplification products, three (3) were polymorphic and two (2) were nonpolymorphic. Of the 11 Sle loci, five (5) were polymorphic, three (3) were non-polymorphic, two (2) did not have amplification products, and one (1) had multiple bands. Four loci were further tested on individuals of Parashorea malaanonan from a plantation on Leyte Island. High levels of genetic variability were observed. Cross-transferability was 75%. Expected heterozygosity (He) ranged from 0.39 to 0.82. Results indicate potential use of these markers derived from Shorea in studies of genetic diversity assessments in Parashorea malaanonan.


Starting with the work of Jaakkola and Haussler, a variety of approaches have been proposed for coupling domain-specific generative models with statistical learning methods. The link is established by a kernel function which provides a similarity measure based inherently on the underlying model. In computational biology, the full promise of this framework has rarely ever been exploited, as most kernels are derived from very generic models, such as sequence profiles or hidden Markov models. Here, we introduce the MTreeMix kernel, which is based on a generative model tailored to the underlying biological mechanism. Specifically, the kernel quantifies the similarity of evolutionary escape from antiviral drug pressure between two viral sequence samples. We compare this novel kernel to a standard, evolution-agnostic amino acid encoding in the prediction of HIV drug resistance from genotype, using support vector regression. The results show significant improvements in predictive performance across 17 anti-HIV drugs. Thus, in our study, the generative-discriminative paradigm is key to bridging the gap between population genetic modeling and clinical decision making.


The EU aims at being a prominent global crisis responder but its Member States act also through the UN, NATO, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to achieve both short-term stabilization by military and/or civilian means, as well as longer term conflict prevention and transformation. By comparing the policy approaches of these four multilateral organizations to conflicts and crises, this article shows how the broad principle of comprehensiveness has been developed to fit different institutional logics, thus leading to divergences in approach. Distilling findings from empirical research conducted in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, Libya, Mali and Ukraine, this article synthesizes lessons about varying levels of the EU's and the other organizations' conflict sensitivity, effective multilateralism, value-based approach and application of the principle of local ownership in theatre.


Anti-virus software based on unsupervised hierarchical clustering (HC) of malware samples has been shown to be vulnerable to poisoning attacks. In this kind of attack, a malicious player degrades anti-virus performance by submitting to the database samples specifically designed to collapse the classification hierarchy utilized by the anti-virus (and constructed through HC) or otherwise deform it in a way that would render it useless. Though each poisoning attack needs to be tailored to the particular HC scheme deployed, existing research seems to indicate that no particular HC method by itself is immune. We present results on applying a new notion of entropy for combinatorial dendrograms to the problem of controlling the influx of samples into the data base and deflecting poisoning attacks. In a nutshell, effective and tractable measures of change in hierarchy complexity are derived from the above, enabling on-the-fly flagging and rejection of potentially damaging samples. The information-theoretic underpinnings of these measures ensure their indifference to which particular poisoning algorithm is being used by the attacker, rendering them particularly attractive in this setting.


Abstract. Stable isotopic analysis of water in plant, soil, and hydrological studies often requires the extraction of water from plant or soil samples. Cryogenic vacuum extraction is one of the most widely used and accurate extraction methods to obtain such water samples. Here, we present a new design of a cryogenic vacuum extraction system with 18 extraction slots and an innovative mechanism to aerate the vacuum system after extraction. This mobile and extendable multi-port extraction system overcomes the bottleneck of time required for capturing unfractionated extracted water samples by providing the possibility to extract a larger number of samples per day simultaneously. The aeration system prevents the loss or mixture of water vapor during defrosting by purging every sample with high-purity nitrogen gas. A set of system functionality tests revealed that the extraction device guarantees stable extraction conditions with no changes in the isotopic composition of the extracted water samples. Surprisingly, extractions of dried and rehydrated soils showed significant differences of the isotopic composition of the added water and the extracts. This observation challenges the assumption that cryogenic extraction systems to fully extract soil water. Furthermore, in a plant water uptake study different results for hydrogen and oxygen isotope data were obtained, raising problems in the definition from which depths plants really take up water. Results query whether the well-established and widely used cryogenic vacuum distillation method can be used in a standard unified method of fixed extraction times as it is often done.


Electrically assisted engine boosting systems lend themselves to better throttle response, wider effective operating ranges, and can provide the ability to extract excess energy during deceleration and high-load events (and store it in a vehicle's onboard batteries). This can lead to better overall vehicle performance, emissions, and efficiency while allowing for further engine downsizing and increased power density. In this research effort, a hybrid-electric turbocharger, variable-frequency drive (VFD), and novel sensorless control algorithm were developed. An 11 kW permanent-magnet (PM) machine was coupled to a commercial turbocharger via an in-line, bolt-on housing attached to the compressor inlet. A high-efficiency, high-temperature VFD, consisting of custom control and power electronics, was also developed. The VFD uses SiC MOSFETS to achieve high-switching frequency and can be cooled using an existing engine coolant loop operating at up to 105 °C at an efficiency greater than 98%. A digital sliding mode-observer sensorless speed control algorithm was created to command and regulate speed and achieved ramp rates of over 68,000 rpm/s. A two-machine benchtop motor/generator test stand was constructed for initial testing and tuning of the VFD and sensorless control algorithm. A gas blow-down test stand was constructed to test the mechanical operation of the hybrid-electric turbocharger and speed control using the VFD. In addition, a liquid-pump cart was assembled for high-temperature testing of the VFD. Initial on-engine testing is planned for later this year. This paper intends to present a design overview of the in-line, hybrid-electric device, VFD, and performance characterization of the electronics and sensorless control algorithm.


Soil surface CO2 flux (RS) is overwhelmingly the product of respiration by roots (autotrophic respiration, RA) and soil organisms (heterotrophic respiration, RH). Many studies have attempted to partition RS into these two components, with highly variable results. This study analyzes published data encompassing 54 forest sites and shows that RA and RH are each strongly (R2>0.8) correlated to annual RS across a wide range of forest ecosystems. Monte Carlo simulation showed that these correlations were significantly stronger than any correlation introduced as an artefact of measurement method. Biome type, measurement method, mean annual temperature, soil drainage, and leaf habit were not significant. For sites with available data, there was a significant (R2=0.56) correlation between total detritus input and RH, while RA was unrelated to net primary production. We discuss why RA and RH might be related to each other on large scales, as both ultimately depend on forest carbon balance and photosynthate supply. Limited data suggest that these or similar relationships have broad applicability in other ecosystem types. Site‐specific measurements are always more desirable than the application of inferred broad relationships, but belowground measurements are difficult and expensive, while measuring RS is straightforward and commonly done. Thus the relationships presented here provide a useful method that can help constrain estimates of terrestrial carbon budgets.


Aims. We use spectro-polarimetric THEMIS/MSDP data to investigate the 3D structure of solar magnetic-flux tubes across the upper photosphere. Methods. Profiles of the sodium D 1 line 589.6 nm are analysed by the bisector method at different wavelengths from the core to the wings, for several bright features. They are compared to synthetic profiles derived from 2D magnetic models of flux tubes and from the MULTI code for NLTE line profiles. Three different magnetic models of flux tubes are investigated. Model (I) consists of a single flux tube that compensates for the horizontal Lorentz forces exactly, while model (II) uses a compromise between horizontal and vertical components. Model (III), a conglomerate of thinner flux tubes, leads to the best agreement with observations. Results. (1) The combination of seeing effects (small filling factor) with slopes of line profiles, which are different in the flux tubes and the neighbouring quiet sun, account for the decrease in observed magnetic field from line core to line wings in central parts of magnetic features, as well as the decrease in magnetic fluxes integrated over the whole magnetic features. (2) The expansion with height of single magnetic flux tubes (models I and II) accounts for the increase in the size of magnetic features from line wings to line core. (3) Pure thermodynamical criteria characterising Dopplershifts and line-intensity fluctuations of magnetic and non-magnetic features have been proven by observations. Conclusions. We could account for differential Zeeman effects along the D 1 line profile by combining expansion of flux tubes with height, low gas pressure inside flux tubes, and small filling factor due to seeing effects. Better agreement with observations, in particular with respect to magnetic field amplitudes, will probably need 3D models that take velocity fields and horizontal gradients of temperature into account.


One of the most significant developments in public law over the past quarter-century has been the resurgence of interest in statutory interpretation. Until recently, virtually all of this scholarship has focused on the judiciary's proper role in carrying out this enterprise in a representative democracy with separated powers. It is increasingly understood, however, that the judiciary does not have primary responsibility for interpreting statutes in the modern regulatory state. Rather, this task is performed initially, and often exclusively, by administrative agencies and other executive officials who have been delegated authority to implement federal programs. Yet, the manner in which the executive branch does and should carry out this task has only recently begun to receive scholarly attention. This Symposium brings together some of the nation's leading scholars of administrative law and legislation to build on this early work. These scholars were asked to (1) comment on the manner in which administrative agencies and other executive officials interpret regulatory statutes; (2) offer normative propositions that could guide the executive branch in this enterprise; and (3) explore the relevance of this learning for the judiciary when it reviews the validity of agency action or interprets statutes in other contexts. As this brief introductory essay explains, the contributions address these and other related questions from a variety of historical, empirical, and normative perspectives.


This paper establishes the historical context of Muslim-Christian relations at the Cape, the role played by Ahmed Deedat in this relationship, and the public reaction to his role. It focuses in particular on his reaction to the polemics of various churches against Islam and the divisions among Muslims regarding Christian-Muslim relations. Opposition to Deedat among Muslims underscored deeper discursive differences between traditional gulamŒl and those that we may term 'modernist', even if in time they proved to be more traditional. Deedat's influence was at its height between approximately 1960 and 1980. Thereafter, it began to decline, partly due to the emergence of new organisations and leaders in the Cape, who were involved in the wider anti-apartheid movement, due also to the fact that Deedat's own gaze was shifting outwards towards the international Muslim world. If Deedat's intention was to restore the confidence of rank-and-file Muslims, he succeeded for a period, but support for the very public 'Deedat-style' activities eventually declined.


»"Dafür sind unsere Märtyrer von 1989 nicht gestorben!": Politischer Kapitalismus im postkommunistischen Rumänien«. As historical evidence shows, there are multiple roads to such different forms of capitalism as "traditional commercial capitalism" and "political capitalism." And, following Weber, not all of these forms can trigger the long term stable economic growth associated with Western rational capitalism. Although previous sociological analyses have improved our understanding of post-socialism, they have generated more controversy than theoretical convergence. This is because, I contend, many sociological studies have neglected the political and historical aspects involved in the construction of markets in the former communist bloc. In this paper I discuss the features of political capitalism in post-communist Romania, a case that has been infrequently addressed by mainstream analyses of Central and Eastern Europe. Specifically, I analyze the rise of political capitalism as an effect of Romania's communist and post-communist political-institutional histories.


The research reported in this presentation is set in the context of the 'global sporting arms race' and the use of the SPLISS model to understand the processes associated with the development of sporting success (De Bosscher et al., 2008), especially those related to talent identification, research and coaching provision. It is the latter two processes (or, 'pillars', as defined in the SPLISS model) comprising both 'research' and 'coaching provision and coach development' that are of particular importance for improving both the quality and quantity of coaches required to enhance international sporting success. Since undertaking reflective practice appears to contribute to understanding coaches' experiential learning (Cassidy et al., 2009), it is suggested that adopting a visual auto-ethnographic angle to research-based practice will help better capture and contribute to enhanced coach learning, provision and development.
THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
Current findings within sports coaching (especially football) seek to examine the development of coaches' ability and coaching status. Within the UK and England in particular, of interest is the difference in the number of qualified coaches registered in the sport compared to other principal European nations (Peacock, 2008). To both generate and deliver research which is relevant to coaching practice and which maximizes its quality studies are required to explore what is currently happening on the 'front line' and in coaches' everyday coaching sessions.
The provision and expectation of coach delivery and elite (categorized as levels 4 and 5) coach education qualifications varies both within and between countries and, accordingly, approaches need to be partly understood on existed coaching provision and delivery (Taylor and Garratt, 2012). It therefore might be argued that evidence of coach learning as part of the certification of national governing bodies (NGBs) and higher education courses (Nelson et al., 2006) needs further examination. Indeed, Cushion and Nelson (2010, p.360) have noted that 'evidence of coach learning is limited' and the complexity of coach learning does not appear to be captured effectively by NGBs (Cushion, 2011). Thus far, coaching research has failed to better understand this complexity and develop coach learning by engaging in the various learning environments in which elite coaches find themselves.
METHODOLOGICAL POSSIBILITIES
The approach argues that visual auto ethnography may help enable coaches to understand better the consequences of their decision-making and to learn from their 'real life' experiences to enhance future practice. The reflective approach of visual auto ethnography seeks to bring meaning to various learning situations by developing coaches' knowledge base in a profession that is often categorized via 'isolated' and inaccessible practice (Knowles et al., 2006, p.173). It might also be proposed that capturing and reliving complex decision-making processes can be better accomplished by coaches using visual feedback, obtained via head-mounted cameras to enable researchers to re-access and understand coaches' experiential and situated learning and the opportunity to posit a seat on the experience (Hughes, 2012).
IMPLICATIONS
As the 'global sporting arms race' continues to gather momentum, reflecting on the use of head-mounted cameras with coaches might inform future elite sport policy and development and shed greater light on the complexities of coach learning, practice and development. Research of the kind presented also enables coaches to be located at the centre of research and to 'see' their learning in a more realistic way that enhances their future practice.

References:
Cassidy, T., Jones, R.L. & Potrac, P. (2009). Understanding Sports Coaching: The Social, Cultural and Pedagogical Foundations of Coaching Practice. London: Routledge.
Cushion, C.J., Nelson, L.J., Armour, K.M., Lyle, J., Jones, R.L., Sandford, R. and O'Callaghan, C. (2010). Coach Learning and Development: A Review of Literature. Leeds: Sports Coach UK.
Cushion, C.J. (2011). Coaches learning and development. In R.Bailey & I. Stafford (Eds.) Coaching Children in Sport. Abingdon: Routledge.
De Bosscher, V., Bingham, J., Shibli, S., Van Bottenburg, M., & De Knop, P. (2008). The Global Sporting
Arms Race: An international comparative study on Sports Policy Factors Leading to International
Sporting Success. Aachen: Meyer & Meyer.
Hughes, C. (2012). The Senses, the Self and the Physically Active Body. Unpublished PhD Thesis.
Knowles, Z., Tyler, G., Gilbourne, D., & Eubank, M. (2006). Reflecting on reflection: exploring the practice of sports coaching graduates. Reflective Practice: International and Multidisciplinary Perspective, 7 (2), 163-179.
Nelson, L.J., Cushion, C.J. and Potrac, P. (2006). Formal, non-formal and informal coach learning: A holistic conceptualisation. International Journal of Sports Science and Coaching, 1 (3), 247-259.
Peacock, J. (2008). Training coaches will produce better players. Football Development Department Discussion Document for Coaching 2008-2012: Developing world-class coaches and players, 8-13.
Taylor, W.G. & Garratt, D. (2012). Coaching and professionalization. (2012). In P. Potrac, W. Gilbert & J. Dennison (Eds.), Routledge Handbook of Sports Coaching. Oxon; New York: Routledge.


In both Iran and India, many social and cultural obstacles to authentic and humane social development are often traced to complexities caused by an encounter with Western modernity. In this essay, I explore what the Iranian reception of modernity might gain from the Indian conversation on Hind Swaraj. I show that Gandhi's thought contains two different critiques of modernity. The first radical option entails the rejection of modernity and its core institutions such as the nation-state; the second proposes adapting traditions, including religions, within the framework of a pluralistic democracy so as to craft alternative versions of the nation-state. The objective of the essay is to examine those aspects of the latter strand of Gandhi's thought that may be compatible with Iranian realities. A further goal is to put Iranian and Indian voices together in a constructive dialogue with one another.


Link prediction and recommendation is a fundamental problem in social network analysis. The key challenge of link prediction comes from the sparsity of networks due to the strong disproportion of links that they have potential to form to links that do form. Most previous work tries to solve the problem in single network, few research focus on capturing the general principles of link formation across heterogeneous networks. In this work, we give a formal definition of link recommendation across heterogeneous networks. Then we propose a ranking factor graph model (RFG) for predicting links in social networks, which effectively improves the predictive performance. Motivated by the intuition that people make friends in different networks with similar principles, we find several social patterns that are general across heterogeneous networks. With the general social patterns, we develop a transfer-based RFG model that combines them with network structure information. This model provides us insight into fundamental principles that drive the link formation and network evolution. Finally, we verify the predictive performance of the presented transfer model on 12 pairs of transfer cases. Our experimental results demonstrate that the transfer of general social patterns indeed help the prediction of links.


The experience of the European Union (EU) is widely perceived as not just an example, but the model for regional integration. In recent years, the EU has also been pursuing an increasing number of trade agreements. Besides fostering economic ties, these agreements have also been used by the EU to export its regulatory approach beyond tariff and non-tariff barriers issues. As a result, this EU regulatory demonstration effect also influences the institutional development of its trading partners. More recently, the EU seems to have stepped up its efforts to shape the regional integration process of developing countries, by undertaking comprehensive agreements with regional groupings, which cover not just trade, but also trade-related issues, development concerns and political aspects. This is notably the case with the current negotiations with African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) regional groupings in the context of economic partnership agreements (EPAs). The support provided by the European Commission to the development of the institutions and work programme of the African Union (AU) will also further contribute to export the EU integration model. Background note for the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly's Committee on Political Affairs discussion on the issue of 'Lessons to be learnt from the European model of regional integration for the ACP countries', meeting of 13 September 2007, in the ACP House, Brussels. This is a revised and abridged version of an earlier study.


Climatic change is anticipated to alter disturbance regimes for many ecosystems. Among the most important effects are changes in the frequency, size, and intensity of wildfires. Serotiny (long-term canopy storage and the heat-induced release of seeds) is a fire-resilience mechanism found in many globally important terrestrial ecosystems. Life-history traits and physiographic differences in ecosystems lead to variation in serotiny; therefore, some systems may exhibit greater resilience to shifting disturbances than others do. We present a conceptual framework to explore the consequences of changing disturbance regimes (such as mean and variance in fire severity or return intervals) to serotinous species and ecosystems and implications of altered serotinous resilience at local and regional scales. Four case studies are presented, and areas needing further research are highlighted. These studies illustrate that, despite the reputed fire resilience of serotiny, more fire does not necessarily mean more serotinous species across all systems in which they occur.


Abstract. Fourteen years of meteorological parameters, aerosol variables (absorption and scattering coefficients, aerosol number concentration) and trace gases (CO, NOx, SO2) measured at the Jungfraujoch (JFJ, 3580 m a.s.l.) have been analyzed as a function of different synoptic weather types. The Schuepp synoptic weather type of the Alps (SYNALP) classification from the Alpine Weather Statistics (AWS) was used to define the synoptic meteorology over the whole Swiss region. The seasonal contribution of each synoptic weather type to the aerosol concentration was deduced from the aerosol annual cycles while the planetary boundary layer (PBL) influence was estimated by means of the diurnal cycles. Since aerosols are scavenged by precipitation, the diurnal cycle of the CO concentration was also used to identify polluted air masses. SO2 and NOx concentrations were used as precursor tracers for new particle formation and growth, respectively. The aerosol optical parameters and number concentration show elevated loadings during advective weather types during the December–March period and for the convective anticyclonic and convective indifferent weather types during the April–September period. This study confirms the consensus view that the JFJ is mainly influenced by the free troposphere during winter and by injection of air parcels from the PBL during summer. A more detailed picture is, however, drawn where the JFJ is completely influenced by free tropospheric air masses in winter during advective weather types and largely influenced by the PBL also during the night in summer during the subsidence weather type. Between these two extreme situations, the PBL influence at the JFJ depends on both the time of year and the synoptic weather type. The fraction of PBL air transported to the JFJ was estimated by the relative increase of the specific humidity and CO.


Generally, sigmoid curves are used to describe the growth of animals over their lifetime. However, because growth rates often differ over an animal's lifetime a single curve may not accurately capture the growth. Broken-stick models constrained to pass through a common point have been proposed to describe the different growth phases, but these are often unsatisfactory because essentially there are still two functions that describe the lifetime growth. To provide a single, converged model to age animals with disparate growth phases we developed a smoothly joining two-phase nonlinear function (SJ2P), tailored to provide a more accurate description of lifetime growth of the macropod, the Tasmanian pademelon Thylogale billardierii. The model consists of the Verhulst logistic function, which describes pouch-phase growth – joining smoothly to the Brody function, which describes post-pouch growth. Results from the model demonstrate that male pademelons grew faster and bigger than females. Our approach provides a practical means of ageing wild pademelons for life history studies but given the high variability of the data used to parametrise the second growth phase of the model, the accuracy of ageing of post-weaned animals is low: accuracy might be improved with collection of longitudinal growth data. This study provides a unique, first robust method that can be used to characterise growth over the lifespan of pademelons. The development of this method is relevant to collecting age-specific vital rates from commonly used wildlife management practices to provide crucial insights into the demographic behaviour of animal populations.


Few people realise the extent to which the Hollywood movie industry today was shaped in the silent era. Drawing on the resources of The Library of Congress, one of the greatest repositories for silent film and associated memorabilia, Peter Kobel explores the fascinating world of silent film, from its birth in the 1890s, with the earliest narrative shorts, through the full-length features of the Twenties and puts directors, actors and their films into a broad historical perspective. The book also looks at the technology of early film, the use of colour photography and the restoration work being spearheaded by some of Hollywood's most important director such as Scorcese and Francis Ford Coppola. Lavishly illustrated by the Library of Congress's extensive collection of posters, paper prints, film stills and other memorabilia, most of which has never been in print, SILENT MOVIES will take its place as the defining work on this most important and fascinating aspect of American culture.


A spontaneous order is defined as an order with abstract rules. The rules structure the actions of individuals and organizations. Decentralized actions may all be in harmony with the order yet reflect mutually incompatible objectives. Most spontaneous order analyses have focused on markets, science and democracy. In some but not all liberal democracies, religious human action is however also structured by a spontaneous order, which is distinct from—although in some ways similar to—markets. Like firms in markets, religious organizations attempt to accumulate systemic resources. But unlike in markets, the religious systemic resource—objective religious commitment—is fuzzier and therefore more difficult to interpret than price signals. A similarity with markets is that religious activity may be suppressed by active government involvement in religious funding and regulations, and that individual choice is influenced by the prevailing system of social values.


The purpose of the mixed design study was to examine the perceived effectiveness of leaders who made use of the invitational leadership style of leading their organization. Four research questions emerged throughout the study. The population for this research study consisted of all practicing public school principals in a Midwest state, as well as the teachers who serve under their leadership. Study participants consisted of 178 individuals. The Perceptions of Leader-ship Practices surveys were utilized to collect pertinent data, as well as through semi-structured, open-ended interviews. Findings revealed that there is a statistically significant difference between the usages of invitational leadership qualities in effective schools versus less effective schools. It was also concluded that there was no significant difference between the invitational leadership qualities of male and female administrators. Qualitative findings established that teachers believed that the invitational qualities of respect and trust were leadership qualities that were most influential to creating an effective organization, while principals agreed that trust is the predominant influencing factor. The invitational leadership factor of people proved to be the undisputed choice for teachers and principals when striving to establish an overall effective school organization. The active use of invitational leadership was proven in this study to be a leadership model that should be considered effective when seeking to create a healthy, positive, and successful organization. Implications for leadership preparatory programs and recruitment are significant.


Population growth rate matters for determining the optimal amount of capital in the context of dynamic inefficiency. From the aspect of social security, if there are pension schemes, individuals have no motive for having a child as income source for retirement periods. Thus, it is important to take into account an interaction between social security and population growth rate when the optimal level of social security is considered. This paper finds the optimal social security level in an 80-period overlapping generations model with endogenous population growth. It is shown that the optimal payroll tax rate is 0% in the benchmark case, and the optimal payroll tax rate is lower than that in the exogenous case in the economic with dynamic inefficiency at the case there is no social security. This is due to the effect of borrowing constraints and some properties with children, such as requiring parents to make a certain amount of payment for many periods and giving no chance to be free from rearing children, that dominates the effect of efficiency gains. These effects lower the fertility rate, which will lower the population growth rate, and hence lower the optimal social security level.


Pulmonary atelectasis in children is a pathological condition with no specific symptoms or findings that may be seen in the course of several pulmonary and thoracic diseases. Early and accurate diagnosis is essential in the treatment of pulmonary atelectasis. The first imaging method to be considered when a patient with pulmonary atelectasis is encountered is posterior-to-anterior chest X-ray. However, several pulmonary diseases can today be diagnosed and monitored using bedside ultrasonography. We describe a case of peripherally located radio-opacity in the right upper zone at posterior-to-anterior chest X-ray in a 9-year-old patient under monitoring due to asthma and presenting with cough and nasal discharge. Images compatible with atelectasis were obtained at pulmonary evaluation with bedside ultrasonography. No atelectatic areas were observed at control ultrasonography and posterior-to-anterior chest X-ray following appropriate treatment. Lung ultrasonography is an imaging technique that is especially promising in children and that may represent an alternative in the diagnosis and monitoring of pulmonary atelectasis.


ABSTRACT Gender justice and women's empowerment are both an end and a goal of sustainable development, and information and communication technology for development (ICT4D) policies and monitoring needs to be informed by this understanding. This article draws on research from Afghanistan exploring how women's empowerment is conceptualised in relation to information and communication technologies (ICTs) currently, and how ICTs are used in processes intended to support empowerment. Our research shows that women in Afghanistan have high hopes that ICTs will be enabling and empowering. Yet the majority of women's ICT activities do not realise that vision; with a few exceptions around women's health, ICTs usually only enable women to meet their existing needs, and do not enable them to challenge patriarchal power relations. According to our respondents, using ICT for purposes that challenge patriarchy – e.g. using the internet to learn about rights to divorce or citizen's rights, or sharing 'private' stories of abuse in social media spaces – has a high risk of social repercussions. We argue that these warnings and responses urge women to conform, and submit to control, and regulate women's interactions and movements. They limit women's choices, options, and power. However, some Afghan women in our research rejected these attempts to control and regulate – 'I don't care about their reactions'. This offers hope that for some individuals in some contexts, ICTs can put a dent in patriarchal power, supporting and furthering women's empowerment.


The article compares the legal methodologies in the National Socialist State (NS, 1933–1945) and in the German Democratic Republic (GDR, 1949–1990). Their concept of law differed in a significant way from the preceding periods. Law was no longer regarded as the will of the community but as the will of the dictator (the 'leader' or the party) and at the same time as the utterance of the official ideology. This antinomy between voluntaristic and ideological principle characterises the legal methodology in both dictatorships. The theories of the sources of law are dominated by the voluntaristic, authoritative element. Therefore, the will of the 'leader' or the party, i.e., the statute, is the only real source of law. Customary law is negligible, judge-made law is not approved, a court's right of inspection doesn't exist. The ideological principle gains much greater importance in the interpretation of the law. In the NS, the law must be interpreted in accordance with the 'National Socialist ideology', in the GDR, which is 'partially' socialist, according to the communist ideology. The former voluntaristic 'subjective-historical' interpretation is abandoned. Jurisprudence in the NS and GDR also demanded ideological, 'essential' concepts, whereas the precedent 'bourgeois' theory preferred 'functional' concepts according to the specific purpose of a statute. The formation of systems failed in both dictatorships, probably because of the ideological setting.


This study reports on the process of developing a maintenance programme manual following the Medical Research Council guidelines representing the 'phase I' or modelling. This study uses an inductive thematic analysis approach to examine user perceptions on the maintenance cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) programme. Three focus groups were carried out with people with dementia, three with staff, and three with family carers of people with dementia. In total 17 people with dementia, 13 staff and 18 family carers took part in separate focus groups. The main findings from the user focus clearly supports the recent draft NICE guidelines on dementia (NICE‐SCIE, 2006) that states that all people with mild/moderate dementia should be 'given the opportunity to participate in a structured group of cognitive stimulation programme'. People with dementia highly valued the opportunity to take part in a mental stimulating group programme and found it vital in keeping them healthy and active. Most family carers and staff were very positive but expressed concerns about the effectiveness of this type of programme and gave real life examples where the idea of 'use it or lose it' did not apply. Results from the focus groups will be used in order to produce a new version of the maintenance CST draft manual and this will be evaluated in a large randomized controlled trial (RCT).


In this paper, we present a comprehensive methodology to dimension an OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access) network. We divide the dimensioning task into sub-blocks and present implementation details of each block. The first block has the objective of determining the spatial SINR (Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio) distribution over a cell area and the MCS (Modulation and Coding Scheme) probabilities. This task usually relies on extensive Monte Carlo simulations. In this paper, we propose a semi-analytical approach in order to reduce computational time. The second block evaluates dimensioning parameters based on a markovian approach. Our model takes into account mixed traffic profiles, different scheduling policies and MCS probabilities obtained from the first step. Theses two stages (radio coverage and traffic analysis) form together a complete dimensioning process for OFDMA networks.


The first part of this thesis examined by comparative analysis the phenotype, tissue distribution and functional profile of the human DC subsets, myeloid (m) DC and plasmacytoid (DC), in RA and PsA. This study demonstrated that circulating pDC and mDC are reduced in the peripheral blood (PB) of RA and PsA patients, but are accumulated to the inflammatory synovial fluid (SF) and synovial membrane (SM), commensurate with altered migration. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the majority of pDC and mDC within the synovial compartment displayed a predominantly immature phenotype as identified by the low to absent expression of specific co-stimulation and maturation markers including CD80, CD83, CD86 and dendritic cell lysosome-associated membrane protein (DC-LAMP). However, pDC and mDC purified from SF underwent ex vivo phenotypic maturation and released cytokines to TLR stimulation at comparable levels to their normal PB purified counterparts. Commensurate with that observation, cytokine profiling of SM localized pDC and mDC revealed expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-12p70, IL-23p19, IL-15, IL-18 and IFN-α/β. Together these data indicated no apparent intrinsic cellular defect, suggesting that extrinsic factors in the local synovial environment may be culpable for inhibition of DC maturation. In addition mDC in SM expressed predominantly IL-12p70 and IL-23p19, suggesting a central role in the regulation and expansion of T cells, in particular Th17, which have been ascribed a pathologic role in arthritis. In contrast, pDC expressed predominantly IL-15 and IL-18, cytokines that can enhance IL-12 induced IFN-γ release and inhibit T cell apoptosis, thus indicating a role in the amplification and prolongation of inflammatory arthritis. Of particular interest it was demonstrated that pDC also expressed IFN-α/β in abundance. As pDC constituted the dominant DC subset in the SM in both RA and PsA, this may have pathological implications as IFN-α has been critically linked to pathology in other autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and, of particular import to PsA, psoriasis. In conclusion, these studies indicate that mDC and pDC possess multi-faceted roles in inflammatory arthritis, involved in both the initiation and perpetuation of arthritis, but also the potential suppression thereof. The data provide a firm basis upon which to build rational tolerance induction regimes in due course as the appropriate biological targeting agents become available in the clinical environment.


The vacuum, water-effect and ethanol-effect morphology of 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazole-5-one (NTO) is simulated using the attachment energy model by the molecular dynamics (MD) simulation method. The model size of the boundary layer dramatically influences the time and accuracy of the simulation. To study the crystal habit of NTO in a solvent within a short time and with high accuracy, the model size is first discussed. As the outcomes of NTO in water and ethanol are unsatisfactory, we propose the study of morphology control, which is performed by adding water to ethanol to adjust the growth rate of NTO surfaces. Based on the growth rate of each surface, we obtain a suitable mass ratio of ethanol/water, in which NTO is recrystallized and the crystal morphology is ameliorated. Besides, the radial distribution function (RDF) analysis shows that the solvent molecule adsorption on NTO molecules is mainly via solvent-crystal face interactions of hydrogen bonding. The simulation results can provide some guidance for the crystallization process of NTO, and the model size can also be applied in the morphology control of other compounds.


Electrical power generation with renewable energies, such as wind and solar, plays an important role in the electrification of remote rural areas. Since there are always seasonal and synoptic variations in wind and solar resources, a hybrid system, consisting of both wind and solar energy, may be more reliable and economical than a single energy system: this is because either energy can compensate variations in the other. A storage battery is also necessary for such an autonomous hybrid system to keep balance between loads and generators, and has a large impact on system performance. A basic task in system design is to determine the capacity of this equipment. This paper deals with the impact of resource variations on actual power generation, analyses the principle of system operation, and develops a model for optimisation of the capacities. A case study and comparison are performed to validate the proposed model.


Tectonic deformation from the 2010 Maule (Chile) Mw 8.8 earthquake included both uplift and subsidence along about 470 km of the central Chilean coast. In the south, deformation included as much as 3 m of uplift of the Arauco Peninsula, which produced emergent marine platforms and affected harbor infrastructure. In the central part of the deformation zone, north of Constitución, coastal subsidence drowned supratidal floodplains and caused extensive shoreline modification. In the north, coastal areas experienced either slight uplift or no detected change in land level. Also, river-channel deposition and decreased gradients suggest tectonic subsidence may have occurred in inland areas. The overall north-south pattern of 2010 coastal uplift and subsidence is similar to the average crestal elevation of the Coast Range between latitudes 33°S and 40°S. This similarity implies that the topography of the Coast Range may reflect long-term permanent strain accrued incrementally over many earthquake cycles.


Polyethylene is a thermoplastic polymer composed of a repeating unit (-CH2-CH2)n. It is the most consumed plastic due to its low price and ease of manufacture. It can be described by three basic characteristics that influence the processing and properties: density, molecular weight and molecular weight distribution. Principally, polyethylene is classified according to its density. The more used in the film industry are: low density polyethylene (LDPE), lineal low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), and high-density polyethylene (HDPE). Polyethylene films are produced by blow extrusion, usually from the pellets of LDPE. And one important application of these films is packaging.
Shrink films are very used in the packaging industry. The film shrinks because a high degree of molecular orientation or internal stress was introduced into it during its manufacture. When the film is introduced in an oven and reheated to a temperature above its softening point the internal stresses are released, causing the film to shrink. However, these films need more studies to prevent the problems that appear during the shrink process. And this is the objective of this project: to improve the shrink process studying the heat transfer in the oven, knowing that there happen four phenomena: radiation and convection heat transfer between the oven and the film; conduction heat transfers between the film and the bottles and convection heat transfer between the bottles and the oven. The calculations have been made for four different formulations.
One important fact in the shrinkage is the Blow up ratio (BUR). It is a number that refers to the ratio of a blown film bubble diameter to the extrusion die diameter. The higher the BUR, the larger the bubble diameter is in relation to the die.
There are two ways to determinate the shrink-percentage. One method is by immersion of the film in an oil-bath at a chosen temperature. The other method consists in a sample introduced in a hot oven and subsequently cooled down to the room temperature.
However, to calculate the shrinkage in the laboratory the samples have been heated in an oven to different temperatures (130oC, 135oC, 140oC, 190oC and 220oC) during different times, with the objective to see the percentage of shrinkage in the machine direction (MD) and the transverse direction (TD). As previously mentioned, the orientation of the film is an important aspect to the final shrinkage. For that reason, the orientation of the films in the study has been measured by an infrared spectroscopy method. The finally results of the shrinkage, the heat transfer and the orientation of the films have been related to arrive to the conclusion that the shrinkage of the film is a combined result of the film orientation, the temperature of the oven and the melting temperature of the films. And also that the important heat transfer happen just in the first 1,9 seconds.


Introduction: Transmembrane
sodium-independent glucose
transporters (GLUTs) play an important role in both placental and fetal development by the providing transplacental glucose transport. Abnormal GLUT-1 and
GLUT-3 placental expression could play a role in such late pregnancy complications development as preeclampsia
and intrauterine growth retardation. Materials
and Methods: Immunohistochemistry was performed to reveal patterns of
GLUT-1 and GLUT-3 expression in the placental terminal villi compartments. Results: GLUT-1 syncytial expression in the terminal villi of severe PE cases (both with and without IUGR) was
significantly lower in compare to control group. We also report about
GLUT-3 both syncytial and endothelial expression in the near term and term
placental terminal villi without significant difference between the study and control groups. Conclusion: other study
should be performed to establish the nature of GLUT-1 downregulation in severe
preeclampsia cases and whether GLUT-3 is expressed in the syncytiotrophoblast
of near term and term placentas or not.


A GC/FT-IR accessory has been configured with two lightpipes in order to allow flexibility in chromatographic separations. A capillary column is connected to a 15-cm lightpipe (1.5-mm bore) and is used for analytical GC/FT-IR. The second lightpipe (42-cm, 3-mm bore) is connected to a packed column and is configured with valves to provide a stopped-flow capability. This lightpipe is used when the sample size is not limited or when signal-averaging and high resolution are necessary. Broad-band MCT detectors are generally used because they are not adversely affected by unmodulated blackbody radiation from the heated lightpipe. In those instances when a narrow-band MCT detector is needed, an aperture and one additional mirror are used to discriminate against the unmodulated radiation. Applications of both systems are discussed.


This paper presents the results of different searches for correlations between very high-energy neutrino candidates detected by IceCube and the highest-energy cosmic rays measured by the Pierre Auger Observatory and the Telescope Array. We first consider samples of cascade neutrino events and of high-energy neutrino-induced muon tracks, which provided evidence for a neutrino flux of astrophysical origin, and study their cross-correlation with the ultrahigh-energy cosmic ray (UHECR) samples as a function of angular separation. We also study their possible directional correlations using a likelihood method stacking the neutrino arrival directions and adopting different assumptions on the size of the UHECR magnetic deflections. Finally, we perform another likelihood analysis stacking the UHECR directions and using a sample of through-going muon tracks optimized for neutrino point-source searches with sub-degree angular resolution. No indications of correlations at discovery level are obtained for any of the searches performed. The smallest of the p-values comes from the search for correlation between UHECRs with IceCube high-energy cascades, a result that should continue to be monitored.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate genetic and metabolic predispositions and nutritional risk factors for development of pasture-associated laminitis in ponies.

DESIGN
Observational cohort study.

ANIMALS
160 ponies.

PROCEDURES
A previous diagnosis of laminitis was used to differentiate 54 ponies (PL group) from 106 nonlaminitic ponies (NL group). Pedigree analysis was used to determine a mode of inheritance for ponies with a previous diagnosis of laminitis. In early March, ponies were weighed and scored for body condition and basal venous blood samples were obtained. Plasma was analyzed for glucose, insulin, triglycerides, nonesterified fatty acids, and cortisol concentrations. Basal proxies for insulin sensitivity (reciprocal of the square root of insulin [RISQI]) and insulin secretory response (modified insulin-to-glucose ratio [MIRG]) were calculated. Observations were repeated in May, when some ponies had signs of clinical laminitis.

RESULTS
A previous diagnosis of laminitis was consistent with the expected inheritance of a dominant major gene or genes with reduced penetrance. A prelaminitic metabolic profile was defined on the basis of body condition, plasma triglyceride concentration, RISQI, and MIRG. Meeting > or = 3 of these criteria differentiated PL- from NL-group ponies with a total predictive power of 78%. Determination of prelaminitic metabolic syndrome in March predicted 11 of 13 cases of clinical laminitis observed in May when pasture starch concentration was high.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Prelaminitic metabolic syndrome in apparently healthy ponies is comparable to metabolic syndromes in humans and is the first such set of risk factors to be supported by data in equids. Prelaminitic metabolic syndrome identifies ponies requiring special management, such as avoiding high starch intake that exacerbates insulin resistance.


Strongyloides stercoralis is an intestinal nematode causing endemic infection, mostly in immunocompromised individuals, in tropical and subtropical regions. Herewith, we are reporting a rare case of this kind in immunocompetent patient. A 31-year-old male patient presented with chief complaints of chronic diarrhea and loss of weight since last 4 months. He reported passing watery and foul smelling stool. He also had loss of appetite since last 2 months and was diagnosed as diabetic since last 4 months but he was not given any treatment for this and his fasting blood sugar was 110 mg/dl. His HIV status was negative. Stool examination done on three occasions showed plenty of S. stercoralis larvae. Patient responded well to albendazole therapy. Strongyloidiasis is not always associated with compromise in immune status. It should be suspected in immunocompetent individuals with history of long-term diarrhea and weight loss.


This paper examines the development of dark and political tourism within Northern Ireland. The central aim was to explore the interrelationship between both types as perceived by representatives across the private and public sector of the Northern Ireland tourist industry to determine the extent of both sectors' willingness to collaborate in order to promote dark and political sites as tourist attractions. The investigation is based on data collected in 2008 mainly through in-depth interviewing sessions conducted with representatives of public tourist bodies, private tourist organizations, and political parties. The results indicate that most organizations recognize the importance of dark and political heritage in terms of attracting visitors to the Province and, therefore, benefiting the economy. In addition, the findings demonstrate that collaboration is welcomed by all players. However, there is confusion with regard to the respective roles and responsibilities of both public and private tourist organizations.


Factors beyond a person's control, such as demographic characteristics at birth, often influence the availability of rewards an individual can expect for their efforts. We know surprisingly little how such pay-gaps due to random differences in opportunities impact human motivation. To test this we designed a study in which we arbitrarly varied the reward offered to each participant in a group for performing the same task. Participants then had to decide whether or not they were willing to exert effort to receive their reward. Unfairness reduced participants' motivation to pursue rewards even when their relative position in the distribution was high, despite the decision being of no benefit to others and reducing reward for oneself. This relationship was partially mediated by participants' feelings. In particular, large disparity was associated with greater unhappiness, which was associated with lower willingness to work – even when controlling for absolute reward and its relative value, both of which also affected decisions to pursue rewards. Our findings suggest pay-gaps can trigger psychological dynamics that hurt productivity and well-being of all involved.