Currently, there is no convenient and safe experimental method in the literature to evaluate skin protectant formulations for barrier properties. A novel and simple experimental method, based on paper chromatography, was developed to screen a broad spectrum of skin protectants available for moisture penetration. The method involves the use of paper chromatography for determining the Moisture Penetration Rate through a thin barrier film of a given skin protectant product It is simple, inexpensive, convenient, and safe and was used to evaluate 12 products currently used as skin protectants. This method can be used by formulators in their development efforts and by caregivers to determine the barrier properties of various products in a short period of time without expensive instrumentation or extensive time commitments. Skin irritation resulting from fecal and urinary incontinence is a common problem for geriatric patients (Fiers & Siebert, 1993; Talbot, 1994). Various products on the market today are used as protective barriers to prevent skin irritation from moisture penetration. However, from the caregivers perspective, there is a need for identifying the best product or the relative ranking of products based on suitable test methods. There is a lack of suitable in vitro test methods to screen skin protectant barriers (Guillemin,Mulset, Lob, & Riquez, 1974; Pigatto, Bigaldi, Legori, Altomare, & Finzi, 1993) on the market For any method to be acceptable it must be convenient, simple, reproducible, and safe for use on human volunteers. More importantly, it must have clinical relevance. Literature suggests the use of three methods to evaluate skin protectants. One of these methods relies on the extraction of the dye from the stratum corneum and determination of the concentration by spectrophotometry (Marks, Dykes, & Hamami, 1989; Trefel, Gabard, & Juch, 1994). Another method relies on the irritation caused to the skin and subsequent effects on bloodflow rates in the irritated areas as measured by Laser-Doppler method (Nilson, Otto, & Wahlberg, 1982; Wahlberg, 1984). The third method focuses on the histological examination of skin samples (Mahmoud, Lachapelle, & Neste, 1984). All of these methods have their strengths and limitations. The dye method is dependent on the hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity of the dye and its compatibility with the hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity of the skin protectant as well as that of the skin. It also is dependent on quantitative recovery of the dye from the skin matrix for final evaluation. Use of the skin irritation test depends upon the availability of human volunteers or animals for testing. The histological approach depends upon multi-step sample preparation before any examination can be conducted. Furthermore, from the standpoint of product development, there is no suitable and convenient method in the literature to evaluate skin protectants for moisture penetration. This paper describes a simple, convenient, reproducible, and safe method for evaluation of skin protectants for moisture penetration Methods and Materials The experimental setup involved the use of a circular Watman #4 filter paper with a hole (about 2 mm radius) in the center. (SeeFigure 1.) Using a marker, four water-soluble, black ink dots were placed about 2 mm away from the center around the hole. Another filter paper of the same size was cut in half. One half was rolled up into a wick. A 4-mm-wide, uniform coating of a given product was applied away from the end of the wick. This wick was inserted into the hole of the circular filter paper with a gentle rotation to ensure a uniform, thin film of the product at the contact surface area between the wick and the filter paper. This entire unit was then placed in a cup containing water. The lower end of the wick was immersed in the water, allowing water propagation vertically along the length of the wick and then radially on the filter paper through the thin protective product film. (SeeFigure 1.) As the water front moved radially, the ink from the marker dissolved and moved with it. Based on the solubility of various pigments in the ink formulation, the black ink separated out into its individual components, which resulted in a colorful display. The Moisture Penetration Rate (MPR) was then determined by measuring, in centimeters per hour (cm/hr), the distance traveled radially by the ink front from the starting point. The ink front travel time included total time from the initial placement of the filter paper unit in the water cup to the removal of the filter paper unit from the cup. The average of this rate, based on the four ink dots, was then calculated. This study evaluated the following products: Triple Care® (Smith & Nephew United, Inc.), Baza (Sween Corp.), Soothe & Cool (Medline Industries, Inc.), Lantaseptic® (Summit Industries), Daily Care (Pfizer), Petrolatum (Witco), Desenex® Ointment and Cream (Fisons), Proshield (HealthPoint Medical), Micatin® (Ortho Pharmaceuticals), Carrington Antifungal (Carrington), and iLEX® (Calgon Vestal Laboratories). Results and Discussion The MPR results for various products are shown graphically in Figure 2. Sensitivity of the method was determined by running samples of both petrolatum and water (with no barrier). In the absence of a barrier (water alone) the moisture penetration rate is 24.76 1.59 cm/hr. Among the various products evaluated, the CarringtonrM Antifungal and petrolatum exhibited the fastest MPR and iLEX® had an MPR of O cm/hr. Petrolatum is generally considered a skin protectant; however, this method clearly shows water penetration through the thin barrier. This moisture penetration through barrier films of petrolatum is apparently related to and facilitated by petrolatum's porous internal structure. On the other hand, iLEX® did not allow the penetration of moisture through the thin barrier film. This is primarily because iLEX® contains a hydroactive polymer (activated by water) that forms a seal as soon as it encounters moisture and completely inhibits moisture penetration through the barrier (Pichierri, 1993). This method also easily distinguishes between various formulation bases such as creams and ointments. In general, ointments (based on more than 15% petrolatum) will rank better than creams that are emulsions and contain less than 15% petrolatum. Typically, oil-in-water emulsions will tend to facilitate the penetration of moisture through the continuous aqueous phase. Water in the continuous phase will quickly spread through the filter paper upon contact of the wick with the body of the filter paper. In this test, creams based on water-in-oil emulsions will rank better than oil-in-water emulsions because water is the internal phase. Some products that are good barriers but contain a high concentration of mineral oil will exhibit the spreading of the oil through the filter paper. However, the oil-insoluble ink will not exhibit any spreading with the oil front, thereby reflecting the good barrier properties. Various parameters will affect the final MPR results and, for a given study, will have to be kept constant so that the results of relative ranking will hold. These parameters are filter paper brand and type, and brand of marker used. It is therefore recommended that for relative ranking of various products, it is highly desirable to use the same brand and type of the filter paper and the markers.


Nutrition science draws on human, animal and tissue studies. Nutritional epidemiology faces four basic methodological difficulties: (i) the diet is a complex exposure; (ii) dietary intake is difficult to estimate; (iii) the biological impact of diet is often age / stage-dependent (affecting choice of study design and duration); and (iv) reductionist assumptions are often inappropriate - whole diets may be more important than specific nutrients in determining health risk. Beyond these research challenges lies a penumbra of other questions. For example: What health risks result from intensified methods of food production? What are the global and local environmental consequences, and resultant health risks, of the escalating demand for food (driven by population size and changing consumer preference)?
Arising from the above are questions about the range and quality of evidence that is appropriate within the broad field of 'nutrition science'. Those issues include consideration of:
1. The health consequences of integrated whole-diets (Mediterranean, 'PolyMeal', low GI diet, etc.) versus seeking classic, atomistic, evidence of risks / benefits from specific nutrients or foods.
2. Life-course dietary data versus short-term controlled-trial dietary interventions. The former provide low-quality but high-relevance data; the latter provide high-quality but often low-relevance (short duration, age / stage-specific) data.
3. Palaeo-anthropological and historical data on the types of diet that have prevailed during long, formative, periods of human biological evolution - e.g. palaeolithic diet v. modern industrial diet. What profile of nutrient intake are we humans best equipped to consume?
4. Evidence of collateral human health risks from modern modes of food production, distribution and availability. For example:
extravagant use of antibiotics in commercial high-volume livestock production, resulting in antibiotic-resistant bacteria
chemical contamination of factory-farmed foods: pesticides, heavy metals, hormones
intensified methods of livestock production, leading to health risks such as human variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (due to 'mad cow' disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy), Nipah virus disease and avian influenza
diversion of grain as livestock feed, versus availability as food for Third-World populations: a source of food deprivation, malnutrition and its health consequences
contribution of forest clearance and livestock production to greenhouse gas emissions, climate change and its adverse health impacts (now and, more so, in the future)
adverse health impacts of loss of small-farmer livelihoods as food-producing conglomerates and supermarket chains consolidate 'production units'. (This applies in both high- and low-income countries.)
Items 1 and 2 suggest that we can gain useful, integrated, information from a synthesising analysis of whole diets as the determinant of health risks / benefits. Item 3 helps us understand how we have deviated from the nutrient profile of the human ancestral diet. Item 4 underscores the other ecological and socioeconomic risks that we take when we intensify food production and treat food primarily as a (profit-making or foreign exchange-generating) commodity rather than as a life-sustaining dividend from the natural world and its food-producing (and often human-managed) ecosystems.


A distributed system is composed of multiple independent machines that communicate using messages. Faults in a large distributed system are common events. Without fault tolerance mechanisms, an application running on a system has to be restarted from scratch if a fault happens in the middle of its execution, resulting in loss of useful computation. Checkpoint and Recovery mechanisms are used in distributed systems to provide fault tolerance for such applications. A checkpoint of a process is the information about the state of a process at some instant of time. A checkpoint of a distributed application is a set of checkpoints, one from each of its processes, satisfying certain constraints. If a fault occurs, the application is started from an earlier checkpoint instead of being restarted from scratch to save some of the computation. Several checkpoint and recovery protocols have been proposed in the literature. The performance of a checkpoint and recovery protocol depends upon the amount of computation it can save against the amount of overhead it incurs. Checkpointing protocols should not add much overhead to the system. Checkpoiniting overhead is mainly due to the coordination among processes and their context saving in stable storage. In coordination checkpointing, for taking single checkpoint, it will coordinate with other processes. Checkpoint initiating process coordinates with other processes through messages. If more number of messages are used for coordination then it increases the network traffic. Which is not desirable. It is better to reduce the number of messages that are needed for checkpoint coordination. In this thesis, we present an algorithm which reduces the number of messages per process, that are needed for checkpoint Coordination and there by decreasing the network traffic. The total running time of an application is depend on the execution time of the application and the amount of checkpointing overhead that incurs with the application. We should minimize this checkpointing overhead. Checkpointing overhead is the combination of context saving overhead and coordination overhead. Storing the context of application over stable storage also increases the overhead. In periodic interval checkpointing, sometimes processes takes checkpoints though it is not much useful. These unnecessary checkpoints increase the application's running time. We have proposed an algorithm which determines checkpointing interval dynamically, based on expected recovery time, to avoid unnecessary checkpoints. By eliminating unnecessary checkpoints, we can reduce running time of a process significantly.


This paper details the development of the NSW Aboriginal Road Safety Action Plan and the crash data evidence underpinning its development and delivery. In 2014 the Centre for Road Safety released the whole-of-Government NSW Aboriginal Road Safety Action Plan. The Action Plan identifies opportunities to harness efforts across Government to reduce Aboriginal road trauma and to achieve other positive outcomes including safer community roads and transport to access social, economic and cultural opportunities. This will be done through improved collaborative action using the Safe Systems approach; a stronger evidence base; promotion of safe and legal driving; providing safe alternative transport options; and improved post-crash response and treatment. The Action Plan is based on crash and casualty data, practical evidence (accounts from those across Government who work with Aboriginal people) and policy opportunities (mutual interests to improving road safety). The crash and casualty research evidence has been greatly enhanced by ongoing research to better quantify casualty severities using linked NSW Police and Health records. The linkage study allowed the opportunity to use Aboriginality identifier variables in the Health data, thus better quantifying the extent and characteristics of Aboriginal trauma in road traffic crashes in NSW. Several of the key results from this data linkage are presented in this paper. In implementing the Action Plan, the enhanced data will help target initiatives to tackle key crash factors, road user groups, locations and demographics to reduce Aboriginal road trauma.


The temperate forests of south-central Chile belong to the association Lapageria aextoxiconetum Oberdorfer vegetation, dominated by Aextoxicon punctatum R. et P., elderly and multi-layered, where the strata are emergent, dominant and co-dominant, shrub and herbaceous epiphytes. This work is the first report of measurements of some biochemical properties in samples from vascular epiphytes substrate in temperate forests. We evaluated the most frequent ecological situations: bifurcated trees (BT), dead standing trees (SDT) and medium gap border trees (MGBT), ES were compared with the surrounding soil forest land (SS) as control. The microbial biomass and enzyme activities of substrate were higher in ES of BT, situation probably due to optimal micro-environmental conditions (moisture and humidity, temperature, organic matter (OM) content and nutrient availability); similarly, lower levels of activity were found in ES in MGBT situation. We found a statistically significant correlation (p ≤ 0.05) between evaluated microbial biomass and enzymatic activities. Furthermore, the biochemical properties were influenced by factors such as moisture, temperature, pH and OM content and all of these factors correlated significantly (P≤0.01) among them. These results demonstrate a difference between ES and SS in BT that should be explored to gain insights in understanding the processes of decomposition using the natural microcosms that ES provides.


I am an expert in the arena of dermatoglyphics i.e. study of finger prints. On this discipline, I have an experience of 28 years. Consequently I have done some research work in the formation of Patterns on the first phalange of all the fingers and also on the skin of palms. By authenticating the finger impressions and its nature of forming ridge characteristics, ridges as well as its patterns, I have understood that each finger impression is working as an index of an organ which leads to the analysis of organ development and its condition. For declaring this statement, I have verified thousands of finger impressions formed at first phalange of fingers.


Cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) is widely farmed throughout the humid tropics where it is an important crop to smallholder farmers. Climate change projections suggest increased temperatures and altered rainfall patterns in these regions. The effects of two key climate change variables; elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations and water deficit were investigated on the reproductive development of six genotypes of cacao (CL19/10, ICS 1,
IMC 47, Pound 7/B, SCA 6, and SPEC 54/1). Genotypes showed variability in their response to treatments; however general observations were also made. At elevated CO2 (700ppm) the mean length of pollen tubes decreased and the degree of fluctuation in flowering intensity
increased over time without any overall reduction in flower production. Final pod size and maximum rate of growth increased in response to elevated CO2 in the second year of study. Additionally in the second year there was an increase in husk weight and thickness, and
individual bean weight. There was no increase in bean number or shell percentage. Total cocoa butter content and percentage unsaturated fat was lower under elevated CO2 along with reductions in stearic, oleic and linoleic fatty acid content; however these responses varied
between genotypes and sampling period. Final woody biomass increased under elevated CO2 whereas leaf biomass was unaffected. Water deficit stress had no observed effect on pollen performance, flowering behaviour, or cocoa butter content and composition. Final pod size
and rate of growth was reduced under water stress in the first year of study only. The reduced pod size was reflected in reduced husk and bean weights. Final wood and leaf biomass were both reduced in response to the water stress treatment. Across all parameters measured, no evidence of interaction between elevated CO2 and water deficit stress was observed. Overall, these results demonstrate the potential for yield improvement in cacao through breeding in preparation for future climate scenarios.


Human-centric situational awareness and visualization are needed for analyzing the big data in an efficient way. One of the challenges is to create an algorithm to analyze the given data without any help of other data analyzing tools. This research effort aims to identify how graphical objects (such as data-shapes) developed in accordance with an analyst's mental model can enhance analyst's situation awareness. Our approach for improved big data visualization is two-fold, focusing on both visualization and interaction. This paper presents the developed data and graph technique based on forcedirected model graph in 3D. It is developed using Unity 3D gaming engine. Pilot testing was done with different data sets for checking the efficiency of the system in immersive environment and non-immersive environment. The application is able to handle the data successfully for the given data sets in data visualization. The currently graph can render around 200 to 300 linked nodes in real-time.


Diabetic autonomic neuropathy gives rise to varied manifestations in the gastrointestinal tract i.e. gastropathies, nocturnal diarrhoea, oesophageal dysmotility, constipation and gallbladder dysfunction, being consequence of vagal neuropathy leading to reduced G.I. Motility. Gallbladder involvement in diabetic autonomic neuropathy is in the form of high incidence of gall bladder stones and a significant increase in gall bladder volume with poor concentration and poor visualization, with lack of symptoms of gallbladder disease. The present study concluded that gall bladder disease is more prevalent among type 2 diabetics. Diabetics with autonomic neuropathy tend to have larger gall bladders with poor contraction in response to fatty meals (due to vagal neuropathy), thus predisposing these patients to various forms of gall bladder disease.


Fouling is one of the major factors that drastically affects heat exchanger performance. Especially in Middle East where most of the heat exchangers are air cooled due to scarcity of water. As these heat exchangers are placed in a harsh climate, they are at high risk of low performance due to dusty/sticky particulate fouling. In order to identify possible active/passive methods to control or ideally eliminate particulate fouling, it is desirable to know exact thermophysical properties of such particulate fouling. This study presents thermophysical property characterization of selected fouling samples from eight different fin fan heat exchangers installed in an oil & gas facility in the Middle East. Laser flash Analysis (LFA) method is a well-known technique for measurement of the thermophysical properties: thermal diffusivity, specific heat and thermal conductivity of materials. A new technique was developed to prepare powder particulate fouling samples to make them as disc shaped samples while maintaining the range of ± 12 mm diameter and ± 2 mm thickness. The LFA measurements was conducted using LFA 447 Nano Flash Netzsch over the temperature range from 25 °C to 125°C. The thermal diffusivity was measured with an accuracy of ± 3% and the specific heat capacity with an accuracy of ± 5%. As the thermal conductivity is a product of these two measured values, is calculated with an accuracy of ± 5.8% and the measurement repeatability was within 2%.


Abstract Vertically transmitted parasites (VTPs) such as Wolbachia are expected not only to minimize the damage they inflict on their hosts, but also to protect their hosts against the damaging effects of coinfecting parasites. By modifying the fitness costs of the infection, VTPs can therefore play an important role in the evolution and epidemiology of infectious diseases. Using a natural system, we explore the effects of a Wolbachia–Plasmodium co-infection on mosquito fecundity. While Plasmodium is known to frequently express its virulence by partially castrating its mosquito vectors, the effects of Wolbachia infections on mosquito fecundity are, in contrast, highly variable. Here, we show that Plasmodium drastically decreases the fecundity of mosquitoes by ca. 20%, and we provide the first evidence that this decrease is independent of the parasite's burden. Wolbachia, on the other hand, increases fecundity by roughly 10%, but does not alter the tolerance (fecundity–burden relationship) of mosquitoes to Plasmodium infection. Although Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes fare overall better than uninfected ones, Wolbachia does not confer a sufficiently high reproductive boost to mosquitoes to compensate for the reproductive losses inflicted by Plasmodium. We discuss the potential mechanisms and implications underlying the conflicting effects of these two parasites on mosquito reproduction.


In this remarkable blend of sophisticated philosophical analysis and close reading of literary texts, Richard Eldridge presents a convincing argument that literature is the most important and richest source of insights in favor of a historicized Kantian moral philosophy. He effectively demonstrates that only through the interpretation of narratives can we test our capacities as persons for acknowledging the moral laws as a formula of value and for acting according to it. Eldridge presents an extensive new interpretation of Kantian ethics that is deeply informed by Kant's aesthetics. He defends a revised version of Kantian universalism and a Kantian conception of the "content" of morality. Eldridge then turns to literature armed not with any "a priori "theory but with an interpretive stance inspired by Hegel's phenomenology of self-understanding, more or less naturalized, and by Wittgenstein's work on self-understanding as ongoing narrative-interpretive activity, a stance that yields Kantian results about the universal demands our nature places on itself. Eldridge goes on to present readings of novels by Conrad and Austen and poetry by Wordsworth and Coleridge. In each text protagonists are seen to be struggling with moral conflicts and for self-understanding as moral persons. The route toward partial resolution of their conflicts is seen to involve multiple and ongoing activities of reading and interpreting. The result of this kind of interpretation is that such literature literature that portrays protagonists as themselves readers and interpreters of human capacities for morality is a primary source for the development of morally significant self-understanding. We see in the careers of these protagonists that there can be genuine and fruitful moral deliberation and valuable action, while also seeing how situated and partial any understanding and achievement of value must remain. "On Moral Personhood" at once delineates the moral nature of persons; shows various conditions of the ongoing, contextualized, partial acknowledgment of that nature and of the exercise of the capacities that define it; and enacts an important way of reading literature in relation to moral problems. Eldridge's work will be important reading for moral philosophers (especially those concerned with Kant, Hegel, and issues dividing moral particularists from moral universalists), literary theorists (especially those concerned with the value of literature and its relation to philosophy and to moral problems), and readers and critics of Conrad, Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Austen."


Most scholars discuss the food-water-energy-climate nexus as it emerges on land. Less attention has been paid to the food-water-energy-climate nexus as it exists in the ocean, but that nexus exists—and it is beginning to be strained. This Article, a companion piece to the forthcoming "It's Not Just an Offshore Wind Farm," explores the international drive to combine offshore wind facilities with marine aquaculture, an emerging example of the water-energy-food nexus in the marine environment. Many nations are becoming increasingly interested in both offshore wind farms and open ocean marine aquaculture, but both enterprises take up considerable space in the marine environment. The resulting actual and potential crowding creates and threatens conflicts both with other uses, such as fishing, ecotourism, and shipping, and with marine protection and biodiversity goals. In Europe, where offshore wind facilities have become quite extensive, co-location of facilities has emerged as a strategy to reduce competition for offshore space that might simultaneously benefit marine aquaculture and enhance food security. This article examines the increasing drive toward co-locating offshore wind and open ocean aquaculture facilities and offers suggestions for how law might better promote this form of co-location through ongoing marine spatial planning efforts.


The objective of this study is to investigate the mesophilic, anaerobic, co-digestion of scum with thickened waste activated sludge (TWAS) and primary sludge (PS). Observations of the reactor waste show that higher pretreatment temperatures assist in scum integration and appear to limit coagulation and separation effects associated with digesting fats, oils and greases. The 0.40 kg VS/m3 · d scum loaded reactor with scum pretreated at 70 °C achieved the greatest improvement in biogas production over PS and TWAS co-digestion without scum addition. Based on cell viability analysis of the reactor waste, scum-containing reactors were shown to produce 48 and 39% more biogas per m3 of live cells; signifying that scum addition increased the activity of the microbial population embedded in the waste or caused a microbial shift in the waste towards more active communities.


Abstract Objectives: To estimate the rate of progression from seroconversion to symptomatic disease in adults infected with HIV-1, and to establish whether the background level of signs and symptoms commonly associated with HIV-1 in uninfected controls are likely to affect progression rates. Design: Longitudinal, prospective cohort study of people infected with HIV-1 and randomly selected subjects negative for HIV-1 antibodies identified during population studies. Setting: Study clinic with basic medical care in rural Uganda. Subjects: 275 patients infected with HIV-1 (107 prevalent cases and 168 incident cases) and 246 controls negative for HIV-1 antibodies. Main outcome measures: Signs and symptoms of HIV disease, as determined by stages 2 and 3 of the World Health Organization clinical staging system. Results: The median time from seroconversion to WHO stage 2 was 25.4 months and to stage 3 was 45.5 months. 43% of the participants infected with HIV-1 had signs or symptoms by two years after seroconversion. The most common clinical conditions used to define progression of disease were weight loss, mucocutaneous manifestations, bacterial infections, chronic fever, and chronic diarrhoea. Although the rates of these conditions (apart from minor weight loss) were significantly higher in the participants infected with HIV-1, they were also relatively frequent in the control group. Herpes zoster, oral candidiasis, and pulmonary tuberculosis were not common events in the control group and therefore were more indicative of infection with HIV-1. Conclusions: Disease progression associated with infection with HIV-1 seems to be rapid in rural Uganda. This is most likely due to the high prevalence of conditions in the general population that could be taken as symptoms and signs of infection with HIV-1. What is already known on this topic The few studies that have reported time from seroconversion to HIV-1 symptomatic disease in poor countries suggest that this interval is shorter than in rich countries What this study adds Progression from seroconversion to symptomatic disease seems to be rapid in rural Africa The apparent rapid disease progression in rural Africa is most likely to be due to the high prevalence of what could be taken as symptoms and signs of HIV-1 in the general population


This paper identifies two types of market failures. The first concerns a coordination problem associated with panics. The problem in analysing this type of market failure from a policy perspective is that there is no widely accepted method for selecting equilibria. The second market failure concerns the incompleteness of financial markets. The essential problem here is that the incentives to provide liquidity lead to an inefficient allocation of resources. The paper outlines three manifestations of market failure associated with liquidity provision: financial fragility, contagion and asset price bubbles. The framework developed allows some insight into the question of when the financial system acts a shock absorber and when it acts as an amplifier. Having identified when there is a market failure, the paper looks at whether there are policies that can correct the undesirable effects of such failures.


We investigate numerically the optical field in the region immediately behind the input facets of dielectric step-index single-mode slab and fiber waveguides. Visualization of the intensity distributions gives insight into the formation of the fundamental mode and of radiation modes. For a more quantitative characterization we determine the amount of optical power and mode purity of the field in core vicinity as a function of propagation distance. The investigation assists in designing and optimizing waveguides being employed as modal filters, e.g. for astronomical interferometers.


Background/Aims: Sitafloxacin (STFX)-containing regimens were shown to be useful options for third-line Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy. It is reported that resistance to quinolone is also increasing globally. Therefore, we conducted an analysis of the current efficacy of a 10-day STFX-containing third-line rescue therapy and the changes of antibiotic resistance to H. pylori compared to 2 historical controls. Methods: Patients in whom eradication treatment using both first- and second-line triple therapies failed were enrolled from 2014 to 2015. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of STFX, clarithromycin (CLR), amoxicillin (AMX), metronidazole (MTZ) and the gyrA mutation status of the H. pylori strains were determined before treatment. After that, the patients received a 10-day triple therapy containing esomeprazole (20 mg, b.i.d.), AMX (500 mg, q.i.d.) and STFX (100 mg, b.i.d.; 10-day EAS). The eradication rate and the rate of antibiotic resistance to H. pylori were compared with 2 previous reports about STFX-containing third-line rescue therapies in 2009–2011 and 2012–2013. To explore the association between the eradication rates of regimens containing STFX, AMX and proton pump inhibitors and the location of gyrA mutation or AMX resistance, a meta-analysis was attempted. Results: The overall eradication rates, the eradication rate for gyrA mutation negative- and positive- strains were 81.6% (31/38), 94.7% (18/19) and 68.4% (13/19) respectively. These rates were not significantly different from 2 previous reports. The resistant rates to STFX, CLR, AMX, MTZ and the rate of presence of mutation in gyrA were 50.0, 81.6, 36.8, 78.9 and 50.0%, respectively, which was also not significantly different from 2 previous reports. A meta-analysis showed that the relative risk of the eradication failure is significantly lower in gyrA mutation negative strains compared to gyrA mutation positive strains, and that the relative risk of the eradication failure is significantly lower in gyrA mutation at D91 compared to gyrA mutation at N87 (p < 0.001 and p = 0.022, respectively). Moreover, a meta-analysis showed that the relative risk of the eradication failure is significantly lower in AMX-sensitive strains compared to AMX-resistant ones. Conclusion: Changes in the rate of antibiotic resistance to H. pylori were not observed from 2009 to 2015. The status of gyrA mutation is a superior marker for predicting successful eradication in STFX/AMX-containing triple regimen as a third-line rescue therapy.


In this paper, a fuzzy neural approach is proposed for localizing holes in conducting plates starting from a set of noninvasive eddy current measurements. The underlying ill-posed inverse problem is solved by means of a system that extracts information on the specimen under test from the measurements and implements a priori constraints to facilitate the detection and characterization of the defect. The method utilizes the concepts of fuzzy inference and of fuzzy curves and surface in order to estimate the location of the hole's center from a reduced set of features. A comparison with neural network estimators is carried out.


2877 Tibolone is a tissue-specific compound used for treatment of climacteric complaints and prevention of osteoporosis. It is converted by steroid metabolizing enzymes in the liver and intestine into three active metabolites: delta-4-isomer (exerting progestagenic and androgenic effects) and two hydroxy-metabolites: 3α-OH-tibolone and 3β-OH-tibolone (exerting estrogenic effects). Depending on which metabolites are formed, tibolone acquires the capacity to exert estrogenic, progestogenic and/or androgenic effects. The aim of the current study is to characterize the transcription profile that reflects the cellular response to the progestagenic and estrogenic actions of tibolone separately in vitro in cell lines, and combined in vitro in cell lines and in vivo in patients. For the in vitro experiments, the specific progestagenic properties of tibolone were investigated in the progesterone responsive Ishikawa PRAB-36 cell line and the specific estrogenic properties of tibolone were investigated in the estrogen responsive ECC1 cell line. Gene expression profiling was performed for both cell lines treated with tibolone for 6, 24 and 48h. For the in vivo study, healthy post-menopausal uterine prolapsed women requiring a hysterectomy are currently being recruited and distributed into different treatment groups. Tissues are being collected of all treatment groups for genomic (microarrays) and biochemical analyses (hormone levels). Both cell lines are derived from well-differentiated human endometrial tumors and, cultured in the absence of hormones, display 99.5% similarity in mRNA expression profile. Gene expression profiling of these cell lines, treated by tibolone, revealed 570 regulated genes. Functional classification and genetic network analyses showed that the progestogenic (via PRAB-36 cells) and estrogenic (via ECC1 cells) effects of tibolone act on the same biological/cellular processes and genetic networks, but do so via their own distinct set of regulated genes. The balance between the growth-inhibiting properties of the progestagenic metabolites of tibolone and the growth-inducing properties of the estrogenic metabolites of tibolone have been investigated in an endometrial cancer cell line expressing both PRA/B and ERα/β. In these cells growth induction is now effectively inhibited by tibolones progestagenic properties. In conclusion, using the cell lines it was observed that the balance between the progestagenic properties and the estrogenic properties of tibolone may take effect through a different set of genes acting in the same genetic network.


The microenvironment of glioblastoma is hostile to both invading and resident cells. Tumor cells in the tumor core are challenged by hypoxia, acidosis and have to resist attacks of invading microglia cells and other invading immune cells (1,2). In their recent paper, Alvarado et al . studied the role of Toll-like receptors (TLR) in glioblastoma cancer stem cells (CSC) and tumor cells without stem cell properties (3). TLRs have a well-established role in the innate immune system: Endogenous molecules liberated from damaged tissue or by pathogen-associated molecular patterns (e.g., lipopolysaccharides) activate TLR receptors during tissue injury or infection (4). This allows the detection of damage and of pathogen associated molecular pattern ("danger signals") and constitutes a crucial mechanism for activation of the innate immune system and especially dendritic cells.


Abstract:Observed textual similarities between different pieces of writing are frequently cited by textual scholars as grounds for interpretative stances about the meaning of a passage and its authorship, authenticity, and accuracy. Historically, identifying occurrences of such similarities has been a matter of extensive knowledge and recall of the content and locations of passages contained within certain texts, together with painstaking manual comparison by examining printed copies, use of concordances, or more recently, appropriate use of full-text searchable database systems. The development of increasingly comprehensive and accurate digital corpora of early Chinese transmitted writing raises many opportunities to study these phenomena using more systematic digital techniques. These offer the promise of not only vast savings in time and labor but also new insights made possible only through exhaustive comparisons of types that would be entirely impractical without the use of computational methods.This article investigates and contrasts unsupervised techniques for the identification of textual similarities in premodern Chinese works in general, and the classical corpus in particular, taking the text of the Mozi 墨子 as a concrete example. While specific examples are presented in detail to concretely demonstrate the utility and potential of the techniques discussed, all of the methods described are generally applicable to a wide range of materials. With this in mind, this article also introduces an open-access platform designed to help researchers quickly and easily explore these phenomena within those materials most relevant to their own work.


Author(s): Gilbert, Amy; Kohler, Dennis; Rigg, Tara; Fischer, Justin; Spraker, Terry; Fox, Karen; VerCauteren, Kurt | Abstract: Rabies is a fatal viral zoonosis that is transmitted by bite contact with saliva of an infected animal. In the U.S., human deaths are rare, but each year over 5,000 rabid animals are reported and over 90% of cases are from wildlife. Multiple species of carnivores and bats are the primary sylvatic reservoirs in the U.S., and several variants circulate independently among these two taxonomic orders. Rabies prevention efforts led by USDA APHIS Wildlife Services using live recombinant vaccine baiting began in 1995 and currently target raccoons and canids, but the territory of the south-central skunk rabies virus variant has been expanding in recent years, leading to incursions into areas previously free of carnivore rabies. Colorado has been one such area, where multiple species of bats were the main rabies reservoir prior to 2007. By 2012, the number of rabid striped skunks exceeded rabid bats in Colorado. Larimer County and Weld County, in Northern Colorado, both witnessed skunk rabies epizootics starting in 2012 that have continued through 2013. Despite spillover events into raccoons, red foxes, companion animals, and livestock during 2012 and 2013, no other host species appears to support independent circulation of the south-central skunk variant in Northern Colorado. Virus isolation from salivary glands of rabid animals will help to quantify the likelihood for secondary transmission from spillover hosts and guide intervention strategies targeting wildlife. We describe the spatiotemporal pattern of the epizootic and predict likely areas of spread along the Front Range of Northern Colorado.


Traditional approaches for interrogating the mitochondrial genome often involve laborious extraction and enrichment protocols followed by Sanger sequencing. Although preparation techniques are still demanding, the advent of next‐generation or massively parallel sequencing has made it possible to routinely obtain nucleotide‐level data with relative ease. These short‐read sequencing platforms offer deep coverage with unparalleled read accuracy in high‐complexity genomic regions but encounter numerous difficulties in the low‐complexity homopolymeric sequences characteristic of the mitochondrial genome. The inability to discern identical units within monomeric repeats and resolve copy‐number variations for heteroplasmy detection results in suboptimal genome assemblies that ultimately complicate downstream data analysis and interpretation of biological significance. Oxford Nanopore Technologies offers the ability to generate long‐read sequencing data on a pocket‐sized device known as the MinION. Nanopore‐based sequencing is scalable, portable, and theoretically capable of sequencing the entire mitochondrial genome in a single contig. Furthermore, the recent development of a nanopore protein with dual reader heads allows for clear identification of nucleotides within homopolymeric stretches, significantly increasing resolution throughout these regions. The unrestricted read lengths, superior homopolymeric resolution, and affordability of the MinION device make it an attractive alternative to the labor‐intensive, time‐consuming, and costly mainstay deep‐sequencing platforms. This article describes three approaches to extract, prepare, and sequence mitochondrial DNA on the Oxford Nanopore MinION device. Two of the workflows include enrichment of mitochondrial DNA prior to sequencing, whereas the other relies on direct sequencing of native genomic DNA to allow for simultaneous assessment of the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. © 2019 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.


Aim: This study aimed to determine the antiplaque efficacy of Nisin Z extract mouth rinse (Test) as compared to 0.2% chlorhexidine gluconate mouthrinse (Positive control) and distilled water (Placebo) and to assess minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs) of Nisin Z against Prevotella intermedia (Pi), Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa) in vitro. Materials and Methods: Forty-five individuals were randomly divided into three groups (15 in each group). The baseline plaque scores were brought to 0 with scaling and polishing. They were asked not to use any kind of mechanical oral hygiene aid for 4 days and advised to use mouthwashes A, B, or C (Group A: Nisin Z; Group B: distilled water; Group C: chlorhexidine) for 4 days. Following the 4-day plaque re-growth model, Plaque Index was checked on days 1 and 5. Results: In intergroup comparison, a statistically significant difference was seen between Nisin and placebo groups and chlorhexidine and placebo groups, with Nisin and chlorhexidine showing superior antiplaque activity. There was also statistically significant difference between Nisin and chlorhexidine groups, with chlorhexidine showing superior antiplaque activity. In vitro Nisin showed effective inhibition against all three bacterial strains Pi, Pg, and Aa exhibited the highest sensitivity to Nisin with a MIC of 2.5 μg/ml and MBC of 15 μg/ml. Conclusion: Nisin Z mouthrinse was found to be a potent plaque inhibitor, though less effective than chlorhexidine mouthrinse. However, it can serve as a good natural alternative to the gold standard.


This thesis presents a reading of T. S. Eliot's response to the work of Percy Bysshe Shelley, focusing on Eliot's Christian faith and the role it played in this response. Chapter One shows how Shelley was a great influence on Eliot's early work and how, after his Christian conversion, Eliot repudiated his influence. The chapter will show how previous readings of Eliot's relations with Romanticism have tended to centre on a Bloomian poetic 'anxiety of influence'. 1 will then offer my religious reading of Eliot's thought, and show how the period of initial repudiation gives way to a rapprochement with past poetic influences, as Eliot eventually accommodates past influences into his Christian scheme. Chapter Two examines the ways in which Shelley and Eliot address the issue of self-consciousness and our inherent sense of isolation. Chapter Three looks at the treatment of human love m the work of both poets. In both cases, Shelley desires, unsuccessfully, some release from selfhood, either in social communion or with an ideal lover. It is only with the adoption of a divine perspective that human relations can be set in context - something that Eliot came to realise in his later work. Chapter Four looks at the way the two poets reacted to the work of Dante, stressing that Eliot's Christian faith enabled him to relate to Dante's work in a way that Shelley, although appropriating Dantean motifs in his own work, could never fully attain. Chapter Five looks at the way both Eliot and Shelley address the fundamental shortcomings of language, showing how Eliot, in the years after his conversion, could be reconciled to linguistic shortfall because he could relate it to a higher, divine reality. Shelley, like Eliot in his early years, was vexed by this problem because he did not have the faith that offered a transcendent view of it. A concluding section draws together these chapters and sums up my reading of Eliot's faith, and the extent to which it affected his response to the work of Shelley.


The critical behavior of osmotic susceptibility is investigated in the re-entrant complex mixture 1-propanol (P)+water (W)+potassium chloride (KCl) through light-scattering measurements. The measurements are performed on approaching a special critical point [i.e., the double critical point (DCP)] in this mixture, along the line of upper critical solution temperatures (T(U)'s), by varying t from the high temperature one-phase region. The light-scattering data analysis emphasizes the need for corrections to the asymptotic Ising behavior and yields very large magnitudes for the correction-to-scaling amplitudes A(1) and A(2), with the first-correction amplitude A(1) being negative, signifying a nonmonotonic crossover behavior of the susceptibility exponent in this mixture. For the T(U) closest to the DCP, the effective susceptibility exponent gamma(eff) displays a nonmonotonic crossover from its nearly doubled three dimensional (3D)-Ising value toward its nearly double mean-field value with an increase in t. While for that far away from the DCP, it displays a nonmonotonic crossover from its single-limit Ising value toward a value slightly lower than its mean-field value of 1 with an increase in t. This feature of the effective susceptibility exponent is interpreted in terms of the possibility of a nonmonotonic crossover to the mean-field value from lower values in the nonasymptotic high t region. The renormalized Ising regime extends over a larger t range for the sample (or T(U)) closest to the DCP when compared to that far away from it. The in-between T(U)'s display a trend toward shrinkage in the renormalized Ising regime as T(U) shifts away from the DCP. Nevertheless, the crossover to the mean-field behavior is completed only beyond t>10(-2) for the T(U)'s studied. The observed crossover behavior is attributed to the presence of strong ion-induced clustering in this mixture, as revealed by various structure probing techniques, while the observed unique trend in the crossover behavior is discussed in terms of the varying influence of the DCP on the critical behavior along the T(U) line. The crossover behavior for the T(U)'s is pronounced and more sharp compared to the T(L)'s (lower critical solution temperatures) [U. K. Pradeep, J. Chem. Phys. 129, 134506 (2008)] in this mixture, although there exists no difference in the growth of the mesoscale clusters in the lower and upper one-phase regions in this mixture. Our observations suggest the need to look at the crossover behavior probably from two perspectives, namely, the dielectric effect and the clustering effect. The effective susceptibility exponent as a function of the field variable t(UL), instead of the conventional variable t, displays a sharp nonmonotonic crossover from its asymptotic 3D-Ising value ( approximately 1.24) toward a value slightly lower than its nonasymptotic mean-field value of 1, as that observed in the t analysis for the T(U) far away from the influence of the DCP.


We propose a model for functional data registration that compares favorably to the best methods of functional data registration currently available. It also extends current inferential capabilities for unregistered data by providing a flexible probabilistic framework that 1) allows for functional prediction in the context of registration and 2) can be adapted to include smoothing and registration in one model. The proposed inferential framework is a Bayesian hierarchical model where the registered functions are modeled as Gaussian processes. To address the computational demands of inference in high-dimensional Bayesian models, we propose an adapted form of the variational Bayes algorithm for approximate inference that performs similarly to MCMC sampling methods for well-defined problems. The efficiency of the adapted variational Bayes (AVB) algorithm allows variability in a predicted registered, warping, and unregistered function to be depicted separately via bootstrapping. Temperature data related to the el-ni\~no phenomenon is used to demonstrate the unique inferential capabilities for prediction provided by this model.


Sapropels, unusually dark, organic-rich sediment layers whose origin is controversial, are widespread in the eastern Mediterranean. The upper surfaces of these layers appear sharp and show little evidence of bioturbation. It has been suggested that postdepositional oxidation may have removed the dark coloration from the upper part of the original layer, so that the top of the visible layer now lies somewhat below the original position of the sapropel top. Such a diagenetic alteration has considerable implications for the interpretation of the sedimentary record, where the tops of dark layers are usually correlated with the cessation of sapropel formation. Geochemical data demonstrate that all visual evidence of a thin example of the most recent eastern Mediterranean sapropel has been removed from the sedimentary record by oxidation processes. Such a process may have thinned all sapropel units by several centimetres. The most recent period of sapropel formation probably ended as recently as 5 ka (cf. cited values between 6.0 and 7.6 ka).


In 2006, Federal Rule of Civil Procedure (FRCP) 37(e) came into effect, declaring that lost electronically stored information (esi) could not prompt "sanctions … on a party" absent "exceptional circumstances." Sanctions were limited to losses resulting from "the routine, good-faith operation of an electronic information system." Effective December, 2015, Rule 37(e) now contemplates limited "measures … to cure the prejudice" caused by lost and irreplaceable esi due to a party's failure "to take reasonable steps to preserve," as well as sanctions for more culpable conduct. The rule was amended in 2015 because the 2006 norm had "not adequately addressed the serious problems resulting from the continued exponential growth in the volume" of esi and because it had prompted in the federal circuits "significantly different standards for imposing sanctions or curative measures on parties who fail to preserve" esi. The 2015 rule incorporated only some of the 2013 recommended amendments to FRCP 37(e), which included comparable guidelines for esi and nonesi discovery. This article first reviews the basic features of the old and new FRCP 37(e), as well as their place amongst other FRCP and judicial precedents on information preservation in anticipation of and during litigation. It then comments on the challenges posed under the new federal rule, including issues on choice of law; irreplaceability; culpability; burden of proof; party identification; and, state spoliation torts.


A grey area has emerged between what is legal and what is not as states struggle with how to respond to the many new synthetic compounds emerging onto the market. Of the various types of 'Legal highs' the seminar focused on stimulants because of the parallels with the other main drug-policy issue of the moment; i.e. the status of traditional herbal stimulants. These older discussions have been reinvigorated by: Bolivia's efforts to de-schedule coca-lead at UN level; the debates on the status of khat between EU States, and of krater across Asia; and the increasing stride of legitimate cannabis use on the domestic front, as in for example Spain. It was hoped that it would be constructive to look at each of these phenomena through the prism of the other. This approach was also considered appropriate because there are shared characteristics between the synthetic and herbal stimulants markets (i.e. they tend to be more recreational) as compared with psychedelics. The seminar aimed to consider the legal responses of various jurisdictions to these issues and the lessons that can be drawn. Specific attention was to be directed at whether traditional criminal justice models suit legal highs or whether medicines law or other types of legal framework would be more appropriate. Broadening out to a policy-perspective, the seminar sought discussion of strategies to diminish the dominance of the concentrated and more harmful stimulant substances and steer the market towards milder forms. Whether or not, to this end, milder substances should be made licit and available, was an issue put directly on the table. The Expert Seminar on Herbal Stimulants and Legal highs was an initiative of the Transnational Institute ('TNI') working together with the International Drug Policy Consortium ('IDPC') and funded by the European Commission and the Open Society Institute. The Seminar took place in Amsterdam on 30-31st October 2011. The seminar is the fourth in a series of expert discussions on drug policy designed to feed into moments of opportunity for policy and law reform at national and international level with detailed technical analysis. This seminar was timed to maximises the opportunities presented by Bolivia's efforts to de-schedule coca leaf at UN level and the European Commission's intent to create legislative framework of control for herbal stimulants and Legal highs. Four subjects were covered over the course of the day: - Market Dynamics - Herbal Stimulants - Legal Control Mechanisms - EU Strategies on New Substances


Christ and Spirituality in St. Thomas Aquinas: *Takes readers to the heart of St. Thomas Aquinas as a theologian profoundly concerned with the spiritual life*St. Thomas Aquinas's holiness did not flower alongside his endeavor as a theologian or in isolation from it. Rather, it was a fruit of his practice of theology and the asceticism proper to magnanimous souls who dare to examine the mystery of God. Theological affectivity -- charity present through a living faith -- is necessary for an authentic practice of theology. The experience of God, which is essential to the mystical life, is at the heart of Aquinas's study and life. The studies in this volume investigate themes of particular spiritual relevance in Aquinas's theology: friendship, charity, prayer, configuration to Christ, priesthood, preaching. They also reveal Aquinas's entire approach to theology to be guided by the desire to grow spiritually through theologizing. The Angelic Doctor here appears as a Dominican friar whose theology flows from his faith and prayer. Desiring to underscore the Trinitarian character of the Christian life, Aquinas pays careful attention to the human being as created in the image of God. In this light, Aquinas presents Christ as the Exemplar after which we are fashioned and as the model we are to imitate. Christ thus appears in the Summa not only as the way by which the human being must travel toward God but also as the head who leads the rational creature's return to the Creator.


ABSTRACT Background: Motorcycles are the most popular vehicles in Taiwan, where more than 14.8 million motorcycles (1 motorcycle per 1.6 people) are in service. Despite the mandatory helmet law passed in 1997, less than 80% of motorcyclists in Taiwan wear helmets. Objective: The objective of this study was to analyze the effect of using motorcycle helmets on fatality rates. Methods: A clinical data set including 2,868 trauma patients was analyzed; the cross-sectional registration database was administered by a university medical center in Central Taiwan. A path analysis framework and multiple logistic regressions were used to estimate the marginal effect of helmet use on mortality. Results: Using a helmet did not directly reduce the mortality rate but rather indirectly reduced the mortality rate through intervening variables such as the severity of head injuries, number of craniotomies, and complications during therapeutic processes. Wearing a helmet can reduce the fatality rate by 1.3%, the rate of severe head injury by 34.5%, the craniotomy rate by 7.8%, and the rate of complications during therapeutic processes by 1.5%. These rates comprise 33.3% of the mortality rate for people who do not wear helmets, 67.3% of the severe head injury rate, 60.0% of the craniotomy rate, and 12.2% of the rate of complications during therapeutic processes. Discussion: Wearing a helmet and trauma system designation are crucial factors that reduce the fatality rate.


The use of Optical Backscatter Reflectometer (OBR) as a distributed fiber optic system to measure strain and detect cracking in concrete structures is investigated. A laboratory experience in a concrete slab is first presented and after this pilot test, a full-scale bridge load test was used to investigate the effectiveness of the OBR technology monitoring system when applied to real structures. The bridge monitoring consisted of the installation of 100m of optic fiber in the soffit of the prefabricated bridge beams. Strain readings obtained from the optic fibers were compared to results from previous identical load tests applied to the bridge, confirming the high accuracy inherent in the optic fiber technology. Subsequently, the cooling tower of a power plant was monitored using the OBR sensor system. A total of 300 meters of cooling tower are monitored and 30,000 points on the concrete surface (inner and outer of shell) are interrogated. The obtained results show the feasibility of this technique despite the roughness of the
concrete surface and the heterogeneity due to the presence of aggregates of different
sizes. All applications verify that the OBR sensor is not only able to detect appearing
cracks that are hardly visible, but it is also able to perform robustly and with high
accuracy up to a load level producing a crack width in the range of 1 mm. Moreover,
the OBR frequency signal is acquired properly and provides correct strain values without breaks, even at a high load level. Regarding economic impact, deployment of the
OBR monitoring system presents a financial advantage over equivalent monitoring techniques (number of points interrogated).


In case of in-vessel corium retention during a severe accident in a light water reactor, weakening of the vessel wall and deterioration of the vessel steel properties can be caused both by the melting of the steel and by its physicochemical interaction with corium. The interaction behavior has been studied in medium-scale experiments with prototypic corium. The experiments yielded data for the steel corrosion rate during interaction with UO2+X-ZrO2-FeOy melt in air and steam at different steel surface temperatures and heat fluxes from the corium to the steel. It has been observed that the corrosion rates in air and steam atmosphere are almost the same. Further, if the temperature at the interface increases beyond a certain level, corrosion intensifies. This is explained by the formation of liquid phases in the interaction zone. The available experimental data have been used to develop a correlation for the corrosion rate as a function of temperature and heat flux.


Hyper-Masculinity: The Construction of Gender in the Postmodeln Novel This thesis takes as its subject the superficial nature of the nonnative masculine gender role. To investigate the creation of this role I have attempted to bring some understanding of recent theorisation of the postmodem, and of gendered identity, to readings of selected contemporary fiction. I have chosen to focus on several contemporary American texts. In a bid to avoid essentialising masculinity ever further I attempt to embrace the self-reflexive way in which these novels are written in conjunction with the various postmodernisms posited by Fredric Jameson, Jean-Francois Lyotard, John Frow and Jean Baudrillard. Despite differing in significant ways, these critics all explore the idea of multiple identities. The lack of fixity this mUltiplicity fosters ensures that masculinity as an intrinsic given becomes disputed. 'The dialogues this creates reveal a category that is insecure, mobile and fluctuating, regardless of attempts to present it as otherwise. 'The first novel looked at is 'Thomas Pynchon's Vineland. This narrative encourages the questioning of the 'standard' masculinity adopted in patriarchal society by displaying men vulnerable to Post Traumatic Stress disorder, hysteria and madness, due to the war in Vietnam and governmental law enforcement. Masculinity is portrayed as tentative, provisional and impossible to maintain to society's exactmg requirements. Psychotherapy is shown to confusingly both offer a fixed and stable 'self, whilst also promoting the encouragement of potential multiple other' selves' . r Don DeLillo's White Noise continues the search for these 'selves'. Jack Gladney's debilitating fear of death compromises his mental and physical health. His strivings to deal with this, whilst also fulfilling various strands of the desired male stereotype, are explored through life-threatening disasters, usually pre-empted by rapidly developing technology. Jack's career in academia raises questions about the circulation of knowledge and infonnation. Like Vineland, White Noise also examines the role of the family unit as an inherent part of the enforcement of standardised identities. 'The Family', both in its domestic fonnat and via its more violent reincarnation as The Mafia, plays a vital role in all of these texts. Within DeLillo's Underworld (Section Three), the protagonist's therapy brings him away from the influence of The Mob, transfoITIling him from murderer to upstanding citizen. His career in Waste Management provides a metaphor for the text's exploration of the manner in which abject matter is expulsed as part of a bid to confonn to societal requirements. I draw upon Julia Kristeva's work on abjection in this section. The ritualistic nature of what is discarded and what revered is further explored in the fourth novel, Bret Easton Ellis's Alnerican Psycho. This text offers an extreme picture of the potential results of stereotypical containment, with a protagonist who is determined to hyper-confonn. Patrick Bateman not only espouses the thorough commodification of society, he also strives to exceed every stipulation pertaining to consummate maSCUlinity. Bret Easton Ellis's Glmnormna, provides the material for the final chapter, it offers a chilling portrayal of surface-obsessed society. Mediated images of celebrities provide role models for the characters' identity fonnation. Postmodemity's purported lack of depth is eAl'lored in the light ofBaudrillard's theories. The potentialities of the cybernetic post-human are raised and discussed via the theorisation of Lyotard and Donna Haroway. The texts were selected for their usefulness in demonstrating a developing notion that rather than forming a new or extended sense of masculinity, men are acknowledging a growing awareness of the self-conscious, perfonnative, indeed 'hyper', nature of any masculine identity. Contemporary films and television programmes are examined alongside the novels.


We report on observations of TeV-selected active galactic nuclei (AGNs) made during the first 5.5 months of observations with the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on-board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (Fermi). In total, 96 AGNs were selected for study, each being either (1) a source detected at TeV energies (28 sources) or (2) an object that has been studied with TeV instruments and for which an upper limit has been reported (68 objects). The Fermi observations show clear detections of 38 of these TeV-selected objects, of which 21 are joint GeV–TeV sources, and 29 were not in the third EGRET catalog. For each of the 38 Fermi-detected sources, spectra and light curves are presented. Most can be described with a power law of spectral index harder than 2.0, with a spectral break generally required to accommodate the TeV measurements. Based on an extrapolation of the Fermi spectrum, we identify sources, not previously detected at TeV energies, which are promising targets for TeV instruments. Evidence for systematic evolution of the γ-ray spectrum with redshift is presented and discussed in the context of interaction with the extragalactic background light.


The principal immune function of the afferent lymphatics is to bear antigen and leukocytes from peripheral tissues to the draining lymph nodes. Recent research has shown that passage of leukocytes into the afferent lymphatic capillaries is far from an indolent process; rather it is carefully orchestrated by an array of adhesion molecules, as well as by chemokines and their receptors. Here we review the current knowledge of leukocyte trans‐lymphatic endothelial migration and its role in the development of an immune response.


The achievement of sustainable democracy demands that particular attention must be paid to the issue of political finance, or the financing of politics. This paper is about political party financing and why it matters in the political process. The paper identifies various forms of political party financing and their challenges. In the context of Tanzania, the paper also identifies and discusses the flaws and gaps in Political Parties Act as well as other legislations regarding party financing. The article recommend that party financing should aim to strike an innovative balance between a shortage of funds, which is no good for a sustainable democracy, and a waste of money, which is no good for a healthy democracy either. Among the key recommendations is that public funding for ongoing party activities and campaigns should be allocated by a mix of proportional rules and flat subsidies to all parties that meet reasonable thresholds and flat subsidies as refers here imply providing subsidies to all political parties on equal basis. The other key recommendation is that oversight entities, (that is the Registrar of Political Parties and the NEC) should be independent, nonpartisan, and equipped with sufficient human and financial resources and authority to enforce the country's laws. Key words: politics, political parties, democracy, political party financing


The exercise intensity, at which the maximal fat oxidation (MFO) rate occurs, has been defined as Fatmax. It has been suggested that the fat oxidation rate during the Fatmax intensity is approximately 2-fold greater than at any other intensity although modifiable by several physiological conditions (training, previous exercise or meal). There are a few standardized protocols for estimating of Fatmax. The most common tests include: Cycle Ergometer (CE) and Treadmill (TM). Reviewing of tables of the study appoint that the extent of weight or fat loss in response to exercise training varies among individuals.


Using a mixed methodology, the effectiveness of an 8-week modification of Landreth's (1991) 10-week group filial therapy training model was investigated with parents (n = 5) court-ordered for remedial parenting services due to physical abuse and/or neglect of their school-age children. A comparison group (n = 3) concurrently received an 8-week parent education course. Three primary questions were explored. Do filial therapy group participants demonstrate a greater decrease in child physical abuse potential and parenting stress following training when compared to parent education group participants? In addition, do filial therapy group participants show evidence of stronger parent-child relationships following training when compared to participants in the parent education group? Preand post-measures were utilized, and anecdotal and qualitative data were also collected. Following the analysis of both the quantitative and qualitative data, it was determined that the group quantitative results detracted from the richness of the qualitative findings, and the former were subsequently dropped. Instead, individual preand posttest quantitative scores, along with the anecdotal data, were compiled to create participant profiles that provided additional descriptive information to the emergent focus group themes. Due to the size of the sample (N = 8), findings were only preliminary and merit further study. Participants demonstrated social desirability in their assessment responses; therefore, it is recommended that qualitative or mixed methodology, as well as multiple measures of each construct, be incorporated to combat this phenomenon in future studies with this population. Results of this study further suggested that there are clinical benefits to utilizing a mixed sample of both courtand self-referred participants. In addition, the court-mandated population is heterogeneous and requires multiple treatment options coupled with screening protocol for appropriate treatment assignment. Future filial therapy research with this population should provide greater support to participants in conducting filial therapy sessions, as well as alternative ways of documenting these sessions. In addition, it is proposed that a combination of individual and group filial therapy models that is longer-term would be more effective with this population than the 8-week model used.


The seas surrounding Malaysia provide a rich source of marine fisheries. The fisheries industry is an important economic earner and the total marine fish production has increased drastically from 242,900 metric tonnes in 1970 to around a million metric tonnes in the year 2000. Since fisheries resources are renewable, proper management issues should be taken to manage these fisheries resources. From the management point of view, fish forecasting is a very important tool for fisheries managers and scientists to enable them to decide on sustainable management issues. Time series models have been used to forecast various phenomena in many fields. In a previous research by Mahendran Shitan et. al. (2004), the maximum likelihood and bootstrap method were used to forecast the total Malaysian marine fish production. Marine fish can be sub-classified as demersal marine fish and pelagic marine fish and it would be interesting to forecast the individual composition of these categories. Therefore, in this research we fit time series models to forecast the demersal and pelagic marine fish production using ARIMA and integrated ARFIMA models and make predictions of each category. Our results indicate that the ARIMA models appear to be the better models and the forecasted amounts for the year 2011 are approximately 373,370 and 666,460 metric tonnes for the demersal and pelagic marine fish, respectively.


Background: The birth of a disabled child is one of the resonant factors that can cause family disorders. Mothers who have disabled children experience different levels of anxiety and stress. Decreased hearing, meanwhile, is one of the major reasons for disability. Parents have different concerns about their children's development and social relations. Cochlear implantation is a new way to cure deafness and enables the disabled child to hear, talk, and communicate. This research intends to compare the outbreak of depression, anxiety, and stress among mothers who have healthy children and those of cochlear implantation children. Additionally, the research examines if cochlear implantation surgery can alleviate mothers' concerns and emotional problems. Methods: There were 250 mothers (125 mothers of healthy children and 125 mothers of cochlear implantation children) evaluated in this descriptive-analytic study. Mothers between 19-40 years of age with children (healthy or decreased hearing) between 1-12 years of age were selected for participation. Evaluation was conducted by a Dass 21 option questionnaire and the results were statistically analyzed by SPSS software. Results: Both groups of mothers were matched according to age and education level (p>0.05). Results showed a meaningful difference (p<0.01) in the amount of depression, anxiety, and stress of mothers of healthy children compared with mothers of cochlear implantation children. Conclusion: The amount of depression, anxiety and stress in mothers of cochlear implantation children is more than mothers of healthy children. Parents of children with decreased hearing face and tolerate pressures caused by the difficulties with their children in addition to pressures in everyday life which include verbal communication disorders and educational problems, costs of rehabilitation, hearing aids and cochlear implantation. These pressures cause tremendous concern for parents. In addition, their children's occupation, education and social future, the lengthy rehabilitation programs as well as problems the children face in society can also increase parental stress.


Lead corrosion in premise plumbing systems from materials, such as lead pipes, soldered joints, and brass, can cause elevated lead in drinking water. This work examined mechanisms by which galvanic corrosion of lead solder:copper joints is accelerated by high chloride, low sulfate, and high nitrate in the water. Galvanic corrosion studies conducted using simulated copper plumbing joints showed lowered pH and concentrated anions at the lead solder surface. A combination of low pH and high chloride can prevent passivation of the solder surface, indefinitely sustaining high corrosion rates and lead contamination of potable water supplies. The mass of lead leached to water correlated with predictions based on Faraday's law, although a portion of the oxidized lead remained attached to solder in a scale layer. When the level of sulfate in water increased relative to chloride, galvanic currents and associated lead contamination could be greatly reduced. The impact of chloride-to-sulfate mass ratio (CSMR) on lead leaching from 50:50 lead:tin solder galvanically coupled to copper was examined at the bench scale. The CSMR can be affected by coagulant changeover, use of desalinated water, anion exchange, brine leaks, and other treatment changes. Consistent with prior experiences, increasing the CSMR in the range of 0.1 to 1.0 produced dramatic increases in lead leaching from this source. Above this range, while lead leaching was generally very high, there was little correlation between lead release and CSMR. The impact of nitrate was tested at the bench scale using synthesized water. Results consistently showed that increasing nitrate in the range of 0 to 10 mg/L NO3-N, could dramatically increase lead leaching from simulated soldered pipe joints. Although higher nitrate slightly increased the galvanic current, the main factor affecting lead release appears to be initiation of non-uniform corrosion, with small pieces of solder detaching into the water. Under some circumstances, the decay of chloramine after it leaves the treatment plant, and formation of nitrate via nitrification, can markedly increase corrosivity of distributed water to lead solder. The bench scale experiments conducted in this work illuminated many issues related to accelerated lead corrosion of solder. However, future research is necessary to further elucidate the mechanisms behind nitrate-accelerated corrosion, as well as methods for inhibition of corrosion due to chloride and nitrate.


We develop a flexible, open-source framework for query answering on relational databases by adopting methods and techniques from the Semantic Web community and the data exchange community, and we apply this framework to a medical use case. We first deploy module-extraction techniques to derive a concise and relevant sub-ontology from an external reference ontology. We then use the chase procedure from the data exchange community to materialize a universal solution that can be subsequently used to answer queries on an enterprise medical database. Along the way, we identify a new class of well-behaved acyclic EL-ontologies extended with role hierarchies, suitably restricted functional roles, and domain/range restrictions, which cover our use case. We show that such ontologies are C-stratified, which implies that the chase procedure terminates in polynomial time. We provide a detailed overview of our real-life application in the medical domain and demonstrate the benefits of this approach, such as discovering additional answers and formulating new queries.


In this paper, we propose a set of experiments for evaluating sensors' precision in measuring received signal strength indicator (RSSI) in wireless sensor networks (WSN). More specifically, a WSN application is implemented for collecting RSSI measurements in different conditions. The application consists of two parts: an experiment control script which runs on a computer, and an experiment sensor firmware which runs on each WSN node. Statistical analysis of variance (ANOVA) is performed to determine if the WSN nodes used are manufactured with enough precision. Obtained results demonstrate that the differences between the sensors are insignificant, even if the RSSI measurements have significant variation.


Heat-treating industry is adopting more and more industry 4.0 techniques and solution packages, to improve production process and product quality. Proper specification, measurement, and control of heat-treating atmospheres are always critical to achieving the desired metallurgical and microstructural results. The combination of atmosphere measurements and other furnace operating parameters (e.g., furnace temperature and pressure) can provide a better view of the whole production. Thermodynamic calculations and field experiences can be integrated into the smart solution to provide process engineers more capabilities to manage and optimize production. In this article, our recent research and development work on smart solutions for the heat-treating industry will be presented and discussed.


There has been a rapidly growing interest in Automatic Symptom Detection (ASD) and Automatic Diagnosis (AD) systems in the machine learning research literature, aiming to assist doctors in telemedicine services. These systems are designed to interact with patients, collect evidence about their symptoms and relevant antecedents, and possibly make predictions about the underlying diseases. Doctors would review the interactions, including the evidence and the predictions, collect if necessary additional information from patients, before deciding on next steps. Despite recent progress in this area, an important piece of doctors' interactions with patients is missing in the design of these systems, namely the differential diagnosis. Its absence is largely due to the lack of datasets that include such information for models to train on. In this work, we present a large-scale synthetic dataset of roughly 1.3 million patients that includes a differential diagnosis, along with the ground truth pathology, symptoms and antecedents for each patient. Unlike existing datasets which only contain binary symptoms and antecedents, this dataset also contains categorical and multi-choice symptoms and antecedents useful for efficient data collection. Moreover, some symptoms are organized in a hierarchy, making it possible to design systems able to interact with patients in a logical way. As a proof-of-concept, we extend two existing AD and ASD systems to incorporate the differential diagnosis, and provide empirical evidence that using differentials as training signals is essential for the efficiency of such systems or for helping doctors better understand the reasoning of those systems.


We examined whether or not different behavioral expressions of dominance by a male affected how introverted and extraverted women rated his sexual attractiveness. We assessed 81 women on the extraversion scale of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised Short Scale (Eysenck & Eysenck, 1991), and they then watched a 1-minute silent video of a male confederate in 3 dominance conditions (closed body posture [low], open body posture [medium], and open body posture with gesticulation [high]) and rated the male for sexual attractiveness. Results showed that higher dominance behavior significantly increased the confederate's attractiveness, accounting for 10% of the variance in attractiveness ratings. However, the women's personalities appeared to have no significant effect on these ratings. These results are discussed in relation to extant literature on the phenomenon that women do not select "nice guys" in preference to other men.


The purpose of this study is to analyse Georg Kaiser's Zweimal Amphitryon in the light of the various influences at work in his treatment of his subject, in order to seek an answer to the numerous questions raised by the play, and in the process to acquire a better understanding of both the author and the ideas he wished to present to the public. The play is analysed against the background of earlier works on the myth of Zeus's descent to earth and his seduction of Amphitryon's wife Alkmene; and other possible sources are considered in the light of Kaiser's numerous departures from those works. An investigation into one of the most radical changes he made, in the transformation of the character of Amphitryon, brings to light a little known poem written in the early 1800's and obviously having Napoleon as its subject, which leads to a detailed consideration of Amphitryon's resemblance to Adolf Hitler. The clear parallels between Kaiser's play and the New Testament story of the conception of Jesus are also analysed and show this to be the third major strand in the composition of the play An important element in the play, Amphitryon's trial before the citizens of Thebes and its sequel in Zeus's replacement of the sentence imposed by one for an offence not recognized by the Thebans, is discussed, its genesis in the earlier plays and its relationship to Kaiser's own trial for embezzlement considered, and its effect in pointing up the inherent unsoundness of our perception of reality noted. Kaiser's attitude to the actions leading to his trial is also relevant to a consideration of Zeus's role in the play. The study shows that Kaiser has combined three main themes, the condemnation of war, his Expressionist vision of the regeneration of man and his view of the unique position of the artist in society. In addition he raises a number of important issues that throw light on his own personality, for instance, issues of morality and the nature of justice, of the concept of guilt and responsibility and of human worth and of love.


Background / Objective Hemorrhoids are a very common anorectal condition, affecting millions of people around the world and represent major medical and socioeconomic problem. New technique for treating symptomatic hemorrhoids has been introduced in to clinical practice. Only limited number of cases using this technique were reported. This was a first clinical case in Lithuania using this technique for treating hemorrhoids. 44 year-old-man underwent liver transplantation for B viral cirrhosis in 2011. He developed liver transplant cirrhosis, hepatorenal syndrome, portal hypertension, hiperuricaemia. He presented to us with recurrent episodes of massive rectal bleeding, requiring multiple transfusions, with hemoglobin as low as 45 g/l. Several episodes of conservative treatment for hemorrhoids was not effective. Because of thrombocytopenia, risk of intra- and postoperative bleeding usual choice of surgical or minimally invasive treatment for hemorrhoids was not possible. The choice of selective angiography and embolization was made. On the 30th of July 2015 the patient underwent visceral and selective mesenteric angiograms. Inferior mesenteric artery was canulated. Terminal branches of the inferior rectal artery were embolized using Interblock 18 microspirals. Three spirals were used. Rectal bleeding stopped. Proctoscopy was performed after three weeks. Hemorrhoidal cushions were reduced by approximately 70%. No recurrent bleeding was observed 23 months after the procedure. The patient safely underwent repeated liver transplantation within 1 month. Conclusions Embolization of inferior rectal arteries requires multidisciplinary approach. Emborrhoid is a safe, effective microinvasive treatment for hemorrhoids in patients, who are otherwise at high risk for surgical complications.


Tough Choices: News Media Accounts of Women Union Leaders The 1990s saw a revival of feminist interest in analysing news media representations of women in political positions.(1) In part this was probably due to the rise in numbers of elected women politicians and the concurrent achievement of leadership positions by women in political parties and other membership based organisations, including trade unions. Women's increased entry into elected positions was accompanied by an increased scrutiny of women's experiences and responses to their experiences by representative organisations such as unions and political parties. Gender made it onto the policy agenda although it has not yet achieved a central priority.(2) Women citizens want more women in public life and, as audiences of news, they want more information about the personal beliefs and experiences of their elected representatives. This audience interest is important to news producers who seek to increase their audience share (particularly amongst women) to compete more successfully for advertisers. Public and media interest in how women perform as political actors has increased the amount of news coverage of their actions and stories about their personal lives. The traditional association of women with the private sphere, and their `novelty' value, may account for some of this emphasis on the personal. It also articulates with the general trend in news reporting to increase coverage of the personal lives of public figures, sometimes referred to as the `feminisation of news,'(3) as part of a strategy to increase the appeal of the news to new audiences, particularly women. In this article I will argue that the opposition of women to politics, which lies at the heart of many of the difficulties women experience as political actors within the public sphere, is sustained and circulated by particular emphases in media representations of women as political actors.(4) This has significant implications for women trade union officials as well as for women elected politicians. Women within trade unions face a double challenge in attempting to communicate their achievements, credentials and experiences. Not only are they always already positioned as outsiders through their gender, but the traditional conventions of news reporting position trade unions in opposition to the presumed interests of audiences.(5) I discuss news media representations of Jennie George as ACTU president to illustrate (and to some extent document) the problems women leaders face in combating the masculinised culture of the union movement, and indeed of public politics generally. Media representations also compound the problem by re-inscribing George's femininity and difference from the masculine norm -- positioning her consistently as the Other. Multiple Differences In the 1870s and 1880s the Australian union movement believed it was creating the working man's paradise. It developed a strong masculinist organisational `monoculture'(6) despite political and factional differences between unions and variations in the specific models of unionism across industries, areas of work and states. The traditional culture of the trade union movement is combative, shaped in part by its origins in defending workers against employer exploitation and in acting assertively to improve workers' pay and conditions.(7) But this culture has also been informed by beliefs about working-class masculinity and the appropriate ways to assert, and to defend that masculinity in the face of threats to one's interests as a worker and/or as a man.(8) As Carmel Shute has argued, `unions rely on an emotional dynamic which requires men to assert their strength. Militancy and masculinity have become conflated.'(9) The historical emphasis on the physical strength of blue-collar workers, their necessary toughness and their militancy in pursuit/defence of their interests,(10) articulates with a number of myths about the `good union official' (for example one who works extremely long hours, prioritises work over family, and wears ill-health as a badge of honour). …


This thesis models negotiations over U.S. subfederal economic policies that conflict with international norms. It analyses a recent case of a U.S. state government bargaining with foreign entities over a subfederal economic regulation which violated international norms: California's system of worldwide combined unitary taxation. The thesis applies Stopford and Strange's framework of state-firm bargaining to the subfederal level by: 1) determining which actors were involved in lobbying to change a U.S. state economic policy which violated international norms, California's unitary tax method; 2) determining the actors' policy agendas; 3) determining the different types of political and economic assets each actor possessed, and how effectively the actors used these assets to achieve their policy agendas; 4) determining how effectively the actors used various channels of negotiation to influence California's policy, and; 5) determining the most effective uses of assets and negotiating channels, key initiatives which influenced the outcome of the policy debate. What happens when U.S. state economic regulations conflict with international norms. What capabilities do states possess to defend their regulations when bargaining in the international arena. This thesis will argue that in the case of California's unitary tax, the following hypotheses are valid: 1) Powerful U.S. states such as California can maintain regulatory standards at odds with federal and international norms. Growing global economic interdepence is not eliminating California's regulatory options, since the U.S. federal government often refuses to effectively constrain powerful states which violate federal and international norms. 2) U.S. state governments can bargain directly with foreign governments and multinational enterprises as actors in the international arena. As the international arena increasingly intrudes on the affairs of subfederal governments, the U.S. federal government will not always be the preeminent negotiating channel for international actors seeking to influence U.S. economic policies.


On June 11, 2009, the Empire State Stem Cell Board ("Board"), which administers the $600 million in New York State funds allotted to stem cell research, voted to allocate a portion of those funds to compensate women up to $10,000 for "donating" their eggs for use in stem cell research. The Board's decision makes New York the first state to affirmatively allow state funds to be used to compensate women for providing their eggs for use in stem cell research beyond mere reimbursement of associated medical and other expenses, and, similarly, distinguishes it from most international countries, which either prohibit payment of any amount to women donating their eggs for research purposes or limit compensation to reimbursement for certain expenses. As expected, the Board's decision elicited divergent reactions. Proponents focused on the potential advancements in stem cell research and the inconsistency between permitting payment in the reproductive context and disallowing payment in the research context. Opponents voiced fears that payment might unduly induce women to donate their eggs.This Article analyzes the Board's decision, first outlining the aims of stem cell research, the logistics of egg production, and why payment is necessary to obtain a sufficient number of eggs for stem cell research purposes; then summarizing the arguments regarding compensation; and finally, relying on insights from those arguments, focusing on the safeguards the Board set out in its written statement. In evaluating the decision, this Article concludes that the Board has not crafted sufficient safeguards to protect against the possibility that women may be unduly influenced to supply their eggs, as it sought to do. Thus, the Article ends by identifying further safeguards that the Board should adopt in order to confront the full expanse of women"s potential interactions with its compensation program, both as to guarding against undue influence and exploitation, and creating a program that addresses the continuing needs of the women that New York entices with large sums of money to provide their eggs.


President Clinton's year of crisis, which began when his affair with Monica Lewinsky hit the front pages in January 1998, engendered a host of important questions of criminal and constitutional law, public and private morality; and political and cultural conflict. In a book written while events of the year were unfolding, Richard Posner presents a balanced and scholarly understanding of the crisis that also has the freshness and immediacy of journalism. Posner clarifies the issues and eliminates misunderstandings concerning facts and the law that were relevant to the investigation by Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr and to the impeachment proceeding itself. He explains the legal definitions of obstruction of justice and perjury, which even many lawyers are unfamiliar with. He carefully assesses the conduct of Starr and his prosecutors, including their contacts with lawyers for Paula Jones and their hardball tactics with Monica Lewinsky and her mother. he compares and contrasts the Clinton affair with Watergate, Iran-Contra, and the impeachment of Andrew Johnson, exploring the subtle relationship between public and private morality. And he examines the place of impeachment in the American constitutional scheme, the pros and cons of impeaching President Clinton, and the major procedural issues raised by both the impeachment in the House and the trial in the Senate. This book will be the foundation for anyone who wants to understand President