The Westminster Handbook to Reformed Theology is a superb and uniquely designed reference tool for scholars, pastors, and students, featuring compact yet comprehensive entries on theological concepts, terms, and historical figures prominent in the Reformed tradition. Written by esteemed Reformed scholars, this book provides easy access to a wealth of information and summarizes the most significant aspects of Reformed theology. The Westminster Handbook to Christian Theology series provides a set of resources for the study of historic and contemporary theological movements and Christian theologians. These books are intended to help students and scholars find concise and accurate treatments of important theological terms.


Globalization has made cross-cultural communication a necessity. The mobility of people and the contact between countries have greatly increased cross-cultural communication. Intercultural awareness has become a prerequisite for successful cross-cultural communication. Intercultural awareness is required if a foreign language learner is to achieve the intercultural communication competence, which is now considered to be the major goal of foreign language learning. Intercultural communication competence is multi-dimensional in nature, implicating not only the linguistic competence, but also the power of perceiving and interpreting socio-cultural events, and the behavioral ability of coping independently with cross-cultural encounters. The objective of this paper is to present an overview of how language and culture are dealt with from a cross-cultural perspective, to discuss concerns with defining norms and standards for foreign language learning raised by this perspective, and to consider how to foster the intercultural communication competence by pedagogical approaches that integrate current understandings and researches of language, culture and learning into their curricular and instructional designs. Key words: Intercultural awareness; Intercultural communication competence; Language and culture; Socio-cultural perspective; Curriculum design


Eleven strains of Xanthomonas campestris pv. graminis, causal agent of grass bacterial wilt, collected over 20 years, varied significantly (P < 0.001) in their aggressiveness on meadow fescue and Italian rye grass. Aggressiveness of strains isolated since 1993 was not higher than strains isolated from 1975 to 1984. Significant interactions (P < 0.001) between X. campestris pv. graminis strains and cultivars occurred for meadow fescue but not for Italian rye grass (P =0. 934). Inoculation with a single, highly aggressive strain for breeding of meadow fescue proved to be useful to increase the resistance to bacterial wilt, but improvement became stagnant after an initial strong increase in resistance level. Furthermore, a possible breakdown of the resistance of meadow fescue cultivars when grown in exotic environments might be possible. Therefore, the use of a strain mixture for breeding of meadow fescue is recommended.


Abstract ABSTRACT Using a commercially available testosterone enzyme immunoassay (EIA), we developed and validated an assay procedure for determining testosterone levels in small-volume (20 µL) avian plasma samples. We evaluated this EIA's utility by measuring plasma testosterone levels in Mourning Doves (Zenaida macroura), White-eyed Vireos (Vireo griseus), Red-eyed Vireos (Vireo olivaceus), and Indigo Buntings (Passerina cyanea). Standard biochemical validations (e.g., parallelism, recovery of exogenous testosterone) demonstrated that the assay accurately and precisely measured testosterone in avian plasma. We compared plasma testosterone levels in males and females of all four species and Indigo Buntings in various reproductive stages to physiologically validate the assay's ability to determine biologically important changes in testosterone levels. Plasma testosterone levels were higher in males compared to females in three of four species. Prebreeding and breeding male Indigo Buntings had higher circulating testosterone levels than postbreeding males. Testosterone levels in our study were similar to reported values for other passerine species using radioimmunoassay procedures. Our results suggest that this EIA procedure is very effective for determining testosterone levels in small-volume avian plasma samples and is sensitive enough to detect biologically important changes in the gonadal activity of birds. Thus, this assay has considerable utility for measuring testosterone in small birds (<15 g), from which only small volumes of plasma (20 µL) can be collected.


Grapheme-based speech recognition systems are faster to develop but typically do not reach the same level of performance as phoneme-based systems. In this paper we introduce a technique for improving the performance of standard grapheme-based systems. We find that by handling a relatively small number of irregular words through phoneme-to-grapheme (P2G) transliteration – transforming the original orthography of irregular words to an 'idealised' orthography – grapheme-based accuracy can be improved. An analysis of speech recognition accuracy based on word categories shows that P2G transliteration succeeds in improving certain word categories in which grapheme-based systems typically perform poorly, and that the problematic categories can be identified prior to system development. We evaluate when category-based P2G transliteration is beneficial and discuss how the technique can be implemented in practice. Index Terms: speech recognition, P2G transliteration, phoneme-to-grapheme rules, grapheme-based ASR


In this thesis, the structure and stability of globular proteins adsorbed onto nanometer-sized hydrophilic silica particles were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), hydrogen/deuterium exchange (HDX), and mass spectrometry (MS). The adsorption process itself was characterized with fluorescence and absorption spectroscopy and surface plasmon resonance (SPR). The combination of these methods offered a unique insight into adsorption-induced changes within proteins related to their adsorption characteristics. DSC contributed with thermodynamic information on the overall structural stability within the protein population. HDX in combination with MS contributed information on the structure and stability of adsorbed proteins with focus on changes within the secondary structure elements. In order to increase the structural resolution in this part of the investigation, proteolysis was performed prior to the MS analyzing step. Knowledge on the protein adsorption process was utilized in a practical approach called ligand fishing. In this approach, SPR was used to monitor the chip-based affinity purification of a protein with MS used for protein identification.Adsorption isotherms revealed that electrostatic interactions play an important role in the adsorption of proteins to hydrophilic surfaces. DSC investigation revealed that the thermal stability of proteins reduces with increasing electrostatic attraction between the protein and the surface and that this effect diminishes at higher surface coverage. The mass-increase due to exchange between protein hydrogen atoms and deuterium atoms in solution was investigated as a function of time. This gave insight into adsorption-induced changes in the structural stability of proteins. By combining DSC and HDX-MS, it was possible to differentiate between adsorption-induced changes in the secondary and tertiary structure. Additionally, if limited proteolysis was performed, the investigations gave insight into the orientation and protein segment specific changes in the stability of proteins adsorbed to silica surfaces. The adsorption of proteins to silica particles also provided the basis for a new experimental design that allows handling of minute amounts of proteins in a ligand fishing application, as used in the field of functional proteomics.


The aim of present investigation was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of methanolic extracts of leaves, flowers and seeds of Moringa concanensis Nimmo belonging to the family Moringaceae. The antibacterial activity of the extracts was studied by using pathogenic bacterial strains such as Staphylococcus aureus (MTCC 737) and Escherichia coli (MTCC 433). Using disc diffusion method, different concentration of the extracts (20, 30, 40 and 50 mg/µl) was compared with the control Streptomycin. The extracts showed potential antibacterial properties comparable with that of standard Streptomycin against the test organisms. The methanol extract of leaves and flowers of M. concanensis showed that higher antibacterial activity when compared to the seed extracts.


With huge reserves, marine natural gas hydrate is one of the most potential unconventional alternative energy sources after shale gas, coalbed methane and tight gas. The research and pilot engineering of natural gas hydrate exploitation technology mainly adopts the depressurization method at home and abroad, all of which refer to the exploitation technology of conventional oil and gas. However, if the depressurization method is used to exploit the weak cementing and unstable non-diagenetic marine natural gas hydrate, the hydrate will be decomposed disorderly and uncontrollably, and 6 great risks will be faced. Therefore, the project team led by Academician Zhou of the Chinese Academy of Engineering divided the hydrate into the kind of diagenetic and non-diagenetic, proposed the technological strategy of 6 "utilize", firstly created the technological principle of solid fluidization exploitation of non-diagenetic natural gas hydrate and the technological process of hydrate mining, crushing, ejection and fluidization of seawater, separation and backfill of sand, slurry lift and deep separation and re-backfill in the platform, and achieved the safe and green exploitation which let nature take its course, turned the harm into a benefit, and turned the uncontrollable into controllable. Based on this principle, Southwest Petroleum University invented the experimental simulation method and technology, cooperating with China National Offshore Oil Corporation and Sichuan Honghua Petroleum Equipment Co. Ltd. The overall process simulation of solid fluidization exploitation with water depth of 1500 m and pipeline length of 4500 m is achieved. The world's first large physical experimental simulation system of solid fluidization exploitation of marine natural gas hydrate is researched and developed, which has full independent intellectual property rights and includes 3 modules and 12 subsystems of sample preparation of hydrate, crushing and slurry modulation, high-efficient pipeline transportation and separation of slurry, image capture in real-time, data collection and automation of security control and so on. Moreover, the experiment of solid fluidization exploitation is carried out systematically for the first time, which provided an important basis for the formulation of the test scheme, the optimization design of the process and the research and development of downhole tools, supported the world's first successful test exploitation of solid fluidization method, and proved the scientific feasibility of the principle and the technology of solid fluidization exploitation. The experimental simulation technology and system, as well as the first testing results, were reported in the Journal Science. The successful research and development and the further upgrading of the system are expected to promote the technology of solid fluidization exploitation of marine nondiagenetic natural gas hydrate to become a disruptive technology leading the world's frontiers, and are expected to accelerate the commercial development of natural gas hydrate in China and even the whole world. Keywords—marine non-diagenetic natural gas hydrate; solid fluidization; exploitation; physical simulation; experimental system; test scheme


Organic–inorganic halide perovskite has excellent properties to function as light harvesters in solar cells due to the possibility to tune its optical properties and to use it as thin film absorber, at a few hundred-nanometer thicknesses. Herein, we demonstrate the fabrication of perovskite solar cells with controlled transparency, by the mesh assisted deposition process. Sequential fabrication of perovskite was performed in air, wherein a PbI2 grid was formed in the first step, and in the second step, the grid reacted selectively with methylammoniumiodide, resulting in a perovskite grid pattern. The best cells were obtained with a photoanode composed of mesoporous TiO2 with Al2O3 nanoparticles. The resulting semi-transparent perovskite solar cells, including a semi-transparent contact composed of MoO3/Au/MoO3 yielded a power conversion efficiency of 5.5% with an average transparency of 26% and efficiency of 8% for cells fabricated with a gold contact.


Numerous challenges face construction companies in today's competitive market, including the complex and contractually varied relationships of those involved; the nature of construction projects producing unique, non-repetitive outcomes; the lack of standardisation; the impact of changes to the project design; and contractual disputes that arise. These challenges lead to late delivery, increased costs and negative impacts on quality, thus eroding client satisfaction and the ability of the project to meet the client's needs and expectations. Therefore, there is strong rationale not only to employ a quality management system (QMS) such as ISO 9001 to create a systematic process for ensuing quality, but also to investigate the perceptions of those who implement such systems in order to gain insights into the critical success factors for implementation and successful project outcomes.
This study explored the ISO 9001 QMS in the UK construction project context, investigating those critical success factors that can lead to its successful implementation. First, a literature review was carried out to provide the theoretical grounding for the investigation. The critical success factors and factor components that emerged then formed the basis of a quality management survey, which was completed by UK-based project managers to ascertain those factors deemed vital for the UK construction context. The data was collected and statistically evaluated through SPSS, with the compare means, Kendall's W, Kruskal–Wallis, and Spearman correlation coefficient tests then applied. The results were validated through semi-structured interviews with UK-based project managers in order to explore, corroborate and extend the results from the quality management survey. Content analysis was applied to the qualitative interview data, leading to a greater depth of understanding of the questionnaire results, the rejection of some items, and the inclusion of others.
The final outcome of this study comprises 7 critical success factors (i.e. change management, client focus, engagement of people, leadership, the process approach, relationship management, and continuous improvement) and 76 associated factor components found to be vital to the effective implementation of ISO 9001 and successful project outcomes in UK construction projects. Six of these critical success factors are currently established as Quality Management Principles (QMPs) in ISO 9001:2015, thus confirming their continued inclusion, with change management representing a new candidate for inclusion as a QMP. Moreover, of the 3 critical success factors rejected by this study (i.e. evidence-based decision-making, non-standardisation, and skills and training), the rejection of evidence-based decision-making is a surprising finding, given its current inclusion as a QMP in ISO 9001:2015. Therefore, this study encourages further examination of the justification for its inclusion as a critical success factor, given the findings of this research.
The researcher hopes that the findings emerging from this study can shed further light on ISO 9001 quality management implementation in the UK context, offering guidance for quality management specialists in the context of construction projects. Furthermore, it is believed that embracing the findings will help to reduce delays while enhancing the projects' overall efficiency, the likelihood of attaining quality outcomes, and most importantly, client satisfaction. In terms of the quality management literature, the findings offer rich insight into project managers' implementation of ISO 9001 in UK construction projects, while offering valuable input for its development, and the potential for the research findings to be harnessed by other QMS


Two azo dyes were introduced in polyvinyl alcohol matrices giving thin solid colored films on which they can record polarization volume holograms in real time. These new azo dye polymer photosensitive systems have been holographically studied. Holographic characterization was investigated to determine its optimal and dynamical recording application conditions. Under a light exposure of 300 mJ/cm(2), polarization volume real time holograms having 0.27% diffraction were produced. We present three simple uses based on the facts that these photosensitive films are erasable and reusable for many thousand write/read/erase cycles and that they may show a memory effect in specific conditions.


Is the self already relational in its very bodily foundations? The question of whether our mental life is initially and primarily shaped by embodied dimensions of the individual or by interpersonal relations is debated in many fields, including psychology, philosophy, psychoanalysis, and more recently, cognitive neuroscience. In this interdisciplinary target article, we put forward the radical claim that even some of the most minimal aspects of selfhood, namely the feeling qualities associated with being an embodied subject, are fundamentally shaped by embodied interactions with other people in early infancy and beyond. Such embodied interactions allow the developing organism to mentalize its homeostatic regulation. In other words, embodied interactions contribute directly to the building of mental models of the infant's physiological states, given the need to maintain such states within a given dynamic range despite internal or external perturbations. Specifically, our position rests on the following three propositions: (1) the progressive integration and organization of sensory and motor signals constitutes the foundations of the minimal self, a process which we have linked to contemporary, computational models of brain function and named "embodied mentalization"; (2) interactions with other people are motivated and constrained by the same principles that govern the "mentalization" of sensorimotor signals in the individual – and hence the mentalization of one's body can include signals from other bodies in physical proximity and interaction, especially in interaction with particular bodies. (3) Crucially, given the dependency of humans in early infancy, there is a "homeostatically necessary" plethora of such embodied "proximal" interactions, especially as regards interoception. Collectively, such experiences of proximal intercorporeality "sculpt" the mentalization process and hence the constitution of the minimal self, including the progressive sophistication of mental distinctions between "subject-object," "self-other" and even "pleasure-pain." Finally, we explore notions of cardiac and more broadly interoceptive awareness as later, cognitive acquisitions that allow us to progressively solidify such distinctions, as well as understand and empathise with other people.


For generating a more reasonable initial layout configuration, a three-dimensional topology optimization methodology of the steel-concrete composite structure is presented. Following Solid Isotropic Material with Penalization (SIMP) approach, an artificial material model with penalization for elastic constants is assumed and elemental density variables are used for describing the structural layout. The considered problem is thus formulated as to find the optimal material density distribution that minimizes the material volume under specified displacement constraints. By using the adjoint variable method for the sensitivity analysis, the optimization problem is efficiently solved by the gradient-based optimization algorithm. Numerical result shows that the proposed topology approach presented a novel structural topology of the simply-supported steel-concrete composite beam.


This study investigated to what extent learners' beliefs about language learning strategies (LLS) are subject to change as they are taken through a process of reflection. Three research questions were addressed: the profile of language learning strategies of the students, the nature of strategy use and belief about LLS and how the change of belief about LLS occurred.

The study employed a minor quantitative measurement and qualitative analysis of the data. Findings at the beginning of the study are compared with the findings at the end of the study after the reflection procedure was implemented. The reflection was meant to provide time for the students to contemplate, and critically evaluate, their strategy use with regard to their English learning process. Twelve students participated in this study. Three types of data collection techniques were utilized to gather the data: survey, interview, and reflective journal writing. The Strategy Inventory of Language Learning (SILL), developed by Oxford (1990) was used to collect data about the students' current learning strategies. In-depth interviews about their learning experiences with reference to their language learning approaches were also employed not only to compare with the survey results but also to enrich the data needed for deep analysis. The last instrument was the reflective learning journal. Journals were assigned to all the students in all macro-skill subjects to explore their experiences regarding their language learning journey by documenting their success and failure stories. All these data were triangulated for verification and analysed accordingly to respond to the research questions.

The findings indicate that before reflection in general the students were moderate users of the English learning strategies as formulated in the SILL. In terms of categories, metacognitive categories were the most frequently used strategies suggesting that, as adult language learners, the students were familiar with the strategies of planning, monitoring and evaluating their learning. However, they did not exploit their emotion sufficiently to facilitate their learning, as indicated by their affective strategies being the least frequently used categories. After the intervention of reflection, the frequency use of the strategies increased across categories the with the metacognitive strategy category remaining the most frequently used. Also there was a shift in the least frequently used categories from affective strategies to memory strategies. This finding weakened the popular claim that memory strategies were the most popular strategies` among Asian EFL learners. This finding also serves as evidence that reflection is among the determinants of the improved frequency use of learning strategies.

This study shows that all of the students preferred collaborative learning especially in verbal skills, suggesting that this finding corroborates Vygotsky's theory of cognitive development and social learning. The fact that the students had different levels of English proficiency allowed them to learn from one another through their social interaction in which some students became the learners, and some others became the "More Knowledgeable Others", that is, other than the teachers. This finding was confirmed with data collected from the SILL survey which found a high level of frequency in the use of social strategy categories. Linguistic and non-linguistic problems were also identified, as encountered by the students. The problem of limited vocabularies and limited knowledge of grammar impeded them from active participation in verbal and written practices as these weaknesses made them feel anxious and afraid of making mistakes. Lack of self-confidence and lack of motivation as a result of low English competence were reported. These factors prevented them from active involvement in learning activities as they caused them to feel shy and lazy.

With regard to the learners' beliefs, it was found that the students held strong beliefs about the importance of language practice, the use of learning strategies, the significance of vocabulary and grammar, and error-correction. All of them believe that practice in language learning is a must suggesting that without language practice learning would not happen. Most of the students also believe in the effectiveness of their use of learning strategies based on their learning experience. Students also claimed that vocabulary and grammar are fundamental in English language learning suggesting that they would give top priority to learning these components. Finally, they had a strong conviction that making errors is normal in language learning and that it is part of the learning process. Therefore, they were happy for any corrections if they made mistakes. In connection with belief change, this study found factors affecting belief change also included: self-esteem, self-confidence, motivation, mindset and conception of language and language learning. In conclusion, this study has implications for EFL pedagogical practices and for further studies in the field of learners' beliefs.


The method of types is one of the key technical tools in Shannon Theory, and this tool is valuable also in other fields. In this paper, some key applications will be presented in sufficient detail enabling an interested nonspecialist to gain a working knowledge of the method, and a wide selection of further applications will be surveyed. These range from hypothesis testing and large deviations theory through error exponents for discrete memoryless channels and capacity of arbitrarily varying channels to multiuser problems. While the method of types is suitable primarily for discrete memoryless models, its extensions to certain models with memory will also be discussed.


AIM
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the intensity of trauma influences the pathogenesis of traumatic chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH).

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Thirty-one patients treated surgically for traumatic CSDH were divided into high-impact and lowimpact groups according to the intensity of trauma. They were respectively evaluated with respect to clinical and radiological findings at presentation, and the subdural concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor, and beta-trace protein (ΒTP) [a highly specific protein in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)] related to the pathogenesis of CSDH. If ΒTP (subdural fluid/serum) was > 2, an admixture of CSF to the subdural fluid was indicated.

RESULTS
The ΒTP (subdural fluid/serum) was > 2 in all patients with a traumatic CSDH. The mean concentration of subdural ΒTP in the high-impact group was higher than in the low-impact group (6.1 mg/L versus 3.9 mg/L), and the difference was statistically significant (p=0.02). In addition, mean concentrations of IL-6, IL-8 and VEGF were higher in the high-impact group, as compared to the low-impact group, though the differences did not reach statistical significance.

CONCLUSION
Trauma may be related to CSF leakage into the subdural space in CSDH, and the intensity of trauma may influence the amount of CSF leakage. Although there is no direct correlation between the amount of CSF leakage and other subdural molecules, the intensity of trauma may be associated with larger concentrations of molecules in traumatic CSDH.


Now in its 47th edition, Lowe's Transport Manager's and Operator's Handbook is the most comprehensive guide available to the operational rules and guidelines governing the UK's road transport operators. This best-selling handbook provides an essential reference to factors that are of utmost importance in today's road transport industry. It includes details on professional competence, working times and driving hours rules, speed cameras and penalties, the international road haulage market and drugs testing for drivers.
Lowe's Transport Manager's and Operator's Handbook is the essential reference source for any transport manager, fleet operator, owner-driver haulier or student with an involvement in the industry.
The 47th edition has been thoroughly updated and revised to reflect the latest developments in the industry.


Scientific research and development is, for many organizations, the key to survival. Organizations depend upon science to help create products and services that successfully compete with similar organizations. Beyond the creation or refinement of products and services, however, is the role of science as a tool for maintaining the social legitimacy of organizations facing controversy. For example, the crisis at Three Mile Island resulted in a reexamination of the entire nuclear industry in the United States. In describing the ineptitude of the nuclear power industry's initial response to the crisis, Farrell and Goodnight (1981) identify a decline in "the practical art of rhetoric". Dionisopoulos and Crable (1988) contend that the future of nuclear energy in this country depended upon scientists both inside and outside the nuclear industry engaging in an extended public relations campaign to convince the public first, that the industry had identified and systematically resolved the causes of the Three Mile Island crisis, and second, that nuclear energy was vital to the country's future. Dependence upon science can be limited to the legitimacy of a single corporation or product. For instance, when the Food and Drug Administration reported that Rely tampons were linked to toxic shock syndrome, Proctor & Gamble hired a group of independent scientists, physicians, microbiologists, and epidemiologists to work with their own scientists in an effort to challenge the government's findings as inconclusive. When this group was "unable to give Procter & Gamble executives the information they so desperately needed," the company voluntarily pulled the Rely product from the market (Fink, 1986, p. 197). These examples suggest that a debate involving scientific evidence can and often does occur during and after an organizational crisis. Inherent in the scientific method of research are a series of standard operational procedures endorsed by generations of scientists to enhance the likelihood that what is offered as scientific evidence is accurate. However, as Fisher (1978) explained, science must "remain consistent with the 'common-sense experience of social reality'". Hence, for science to be practical, as in the case of organizational crises, interpretation and application of findings to social exigences are essential. This interpretation and application, along with scrutiny of tangible research procedures, generate a discourse which Prelli (1989) suggests "is accepted or rejected on grounds of its reasonableness--given the issue at stake, the knowledge conditions of the scientific community, and the perceived expertise |ethos~ of the makers of the claims". Of particular interest to this study is the role of ethos in determining the reasonableness of scientific argument. Specifically, this study explores the question, to what extent can organizations adhere to the norms of scientific ethos when defending their products and procedures during times of crisis? To answer this question, I offer a case study in which a test of ethical norms for the scientific community is applied to a sample of scientific arguments offered by the Exxon Corporation in response to the Valdez oil spill. Accordingly, I first describe the context of the Valdez disaster in terms of an organizational crisis. Next, I describe the nature of scientific argument and the norms of scientific ethos. These norms are then applied to several speeches delivered by the CEO of Exxon. Finally, I offer an explanation of how and why a complimentary relationship between the norms and counter norms of scientific ethos is an appropriate and realistic standard for effectively measuring the ethics of profit seeking organizations engaged in scientific argument during times of crisis. CONTEXT OF THE EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL In order to establish the context for Exxon's scientific argumentation in the wake of the Valdez crisis, it is essential to offer some boundaries for what I label scientific argument. …


Background: The oncogenic Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) mutation was reported to be the signature genetic event in most cases of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Hepassocin (HPS/FGL1) is involved in regulating lipid metabolism and the progression of several cancer types; however, the underlying mechanism of HPS/FGL1 in the KRAS mutant PDAC cells undergoing eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) treatment remains unclear. Methods: We measured HPS/FGL1 protein expressions in a human pancreatic ductal epithelial (HPNE) normal pancreas cell line, a KRAS-wild-type PDAC cell line (BxPC-3), and KRAS-mutant PDAC cell lines (PANC-1, MIA PaCa-2, and SUIT-2) by Western blot methods. HEK293T cells were transiently transfected with corresponding KRAS-expressing plasmids to examine the level of HPS expression with KRAS activation. We knocked-down HPS/FGL1 using lentiviral vectors in SUIT-2 cells and measured the cell viability by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and clonogenicity assays. Furthermore, a lipidomic analysis was performed to profile changes in lipid metabolism after HPS/FGL1 knockdown. Results: We found that the HPS/FGL1 level was significantly upregulated in KRAS-mutated PDAC cells and was involved in KRAS/phosphorylated (p)-signal transduction and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling, and the knockdown of HPS/FGL1 in SUIT-2 cells decreased cell proliferation through increasing G2/M cell cycle arrest and cyclin B1 expression. In addition, the knockdown of HPS/FGL1 in SUIT-2 cells significantly increased omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and EPA production but not docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Moreover, EPA treatment in SUIT-2 cells reduced the expression of de novo lipogenic protein, acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase (ACC)-1, and decreased p-STAT3 and HPS/FGL1 expressions, resulting in the suppression of cell viability. Conclusions: Results of this study indicate that HPS is highly expressed by KRAS-mutated PDAC cells, and HPS/FGL1 plays a crucial role in altering lipid metabolism and increasing cell growth in pancreatic cancer. EPA supplements could potentially inhibit or reduce ACC-1-involved lipogenesis and HPS/FGL1-mediated cell survival in KRAS-mutated pancreatic cancer cells.


Tiotropium bromide (TIO), a long-acting anticholinergic bronchodilator, is now used world-wide for the treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). However, the GOLD guidelines recommend another, or additional medication for symptomatic patients with GOLD stage III or IV disease, forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) less than 50% of the predicted value, and repeated exacerbations. Several lines of evidence such as the TRISTAN study have shown the synergistic effects of a salmeterol–fluticasone propionate combination (SFC), with significant improvements of pulmonary function, health status, exacerbation rates, and quality of life in patients with COPD, compared with using individual components of SFC. But they didn't obtain any improvement in the data for mortality, which is our major clinical concern. The TORCH study is a major study which investigated all-cause mortality rates, but it showed no significant difference of mortality among SFC, individual drugs and placebo groups. The INSPIRE study showed significant improvement of mortality in the SFC treatment group, compared with the TIO. However, the higher incidence of pneumonia in the SFC group remains a subject of debate. Some studies showed that SFC therapy has lower medical costs with good patient compliance, which may become a reason for choosing the therapy.
The new 2010 NICE GOLD Guideline recommends the "triple" therapy with SFC and TIO, when the FEV1% predicted is less than 50% in the presence of persistent exacerbations or breathlessness. The advantages of "triple" therapy may outweigh the disadvantages of each medication. This review focuses upon the therapeutic potential of SFC for the treatment of COPD.


As of 2012, roughly 23% of U.S. households' assets and 50% of retirement assets are invested in mutual funds, thus making mutual funds one of the most important investment vehicles for U.S. households. The federal taxation of mutual funds and mutual fund shareholders has played a vital role in the development of mutual funds and their appeal to U.S. investors. Despite the significant amount of mutual fund assets held in retirement accounts, there has been very little analysis of the issues that arise when taxable and tax-exempt shareholders invest together in the same mutual fund. A substantial body of research shows that managers are attuned to the tax consequences of their investment activities, but only very recently have researchers begun to explore how the presence of tax-exempt investors affects managers' investment strategies. The current tax regime governing mutual funds imposes tax externalities on both taxable and tax-exempt shareholders. When tax-exempt shareholders predominate, fund managers focus less on managing fund tax liability and thereby generate higher taxes and lower after-tax returns for taxable shareholders. When taxable shareholders hold a significant portion of a mutual fund's assets, the fund manager, focusing on minimizing fund taxable income, may undertake trades that reduce fund income but do not add economic value. These trades impose costs on all shareholders but benefit only taxable shareholders. This Article considers various options to mitigate these costs, such as requiring funds to disclose the percentage of tax-exempt investors, adopting principles from partnership taxation to better match taxable and economic income, and prohibiting a fund from being offered to both taxable and tax-exempt investors. This Article concludes that tax externalities resulting from taxable and tax-exempt investment in the same mutual fund are unavoidable absent substantial changes to the basic architecture of mutual fund taxation. Because such changes seem unlikely and would create other issues, this Article suggests revising the tax law to permit the creation of a special class of mutual fund, the "Retirement Mutual Fund," solely for retirement accounts. A Retirement Mutual Fund would be subject to an alternative tax regime that would mitigate tax externalities for both tax-exempt and taxable shareholders.


Agents or victims, liberated or oppressed, "bad girls" or "good girls." What do these labels mean and do they further or hinder women's progress? How are today's visions of female sexuality and power like or unlike those of the past? How do younger women define feminism? Isn't the personal still political? Dismayed by the media's tendency to reduce the feminist enterprise to labels and superstars, Donna Perry and Nan Bauer Maglin decided to find out what a diverse group of feminists think about women, sex, and power in the nineties. The result is a provocative and varied collection of twenty-four essays by second- and third-wave feminists; artists and activists; professors and graduate students; professional journalists and just-published writers; mothers and daughters. By focusing on society's construction, containment, and exploitation of female sexuality, in particular, these essays offer fresh perspectives on women's agency or lack of it. The contributors focus on the oversimplifications and false dichotomies in current discussions of female sexuality, as well as the privileged perspective and individualism that currently dominate the popularized feminist message. Individual writers--including Emma Amos, bell hooks, Ann Jones, Lisa Jones, Paula Kamen, Matuschka, Marge Piercy, Katha Pollitt, Anna Quindlen, Elayne Rapping, Lillian S. Robinson, and Ellen Willis--reexamine women's empowerment in the light of issues like AIDS, battering, acquaintance rape, narratives of childhood sexual abuse, and pornography. Several draw political conclusions from their personal struggles, while others read stories and texts--from history, the art world, the media, popular culture, and social science research--in new and controversial ways.


Natech Risk Assessment and Management: Reducing the Risk of Natural-Hazard Impact on Hazardous Installations covers the entire spectrum of issues pertinent to Natech risk assessment and management. After a thorough introduction of the topic that includes definitions of terms, authors Krausmann, Cruz, and Salzano discuss various examples of international frameworks and provide a detailed view of the implementation of Natech Risk Management in the EU and OECD. There is a dedicated chapter on natural-hazard prediction and measurement from an engineering perspective, as well as a consideration of the impact of climate change on Natech risk. The authors also discuss selected Natech accidents, including recent examples, and provide specific ?lessons learned' from each, as well as an analysis of all essential elements of Natech risk assessment, such as plant layout, substance hazards, and equipment vulnerability. The final section of the book is dedicated to the reduction of Natech risk, including structural and organizational prevention and mitigation measures, as well as early warning issues and emergency foreword planning. Teaches chemical engineers and safety managers how to safeguard chemical processing plants and pipelines against natural disastersIncludes international regulations and explains how to conduct a natural hazards risk assessment, both of which are supported by examples and case studiesDiscusses a broad range of hazards and the multidisciplinary aspects of risk assessment in a detailed and accessible style


Model organisms have become the transformative tools for biological discovery of the cellular and molecular processes that underlie human disease pathogenesis. Here, we discuss the use and translational value of rodent models, and highlight their strengths and caveats in the context of human psychiatric illnesses such as depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Human genetic association studies and epidemiological analyses cannot detect causative biological mechanisms that control behavior; however, we can use nonhuman animal models to validate and evaluate the function, and potential contribution, of likely candidate genes that were previously tied to differences in disease-relevant endophenotypes. Although animal experimentation allows rigorous control of both genetic and environmental variables, all model organisms have limited biological validity and will never fully capture the broad diagnostic criteria for human psychiatric illness, arguably the most complex of all human disorders. With this in mind, we evaluate the utility and limits of translating rodent psychiatric illness-relevant behavioral assay (elevated-zero maze, forced-swim test, sucrose preference test, and tail suspension test) data to humans. Shortcomings also may include deficiencies in development of models, poor experimental design, inadequate methodologies, physiological differences between species, and problems with the interpretation of results. Research on animals will continue despite these limitations, and innovative translational approaches to neuropsychiatric disorders such as the automation of behavioral assays, neural imaging in awake animals, and epigenetic profiling will elucidate the neurocircuitry of behavioral dysregulation. Optimizing the translational value of model organisms could contribute to an improved understanding and treatment of mental illness.


Modern data systems comprise of heterogeneous and distributed components, making them difficult to manage piece-wise, let alone as a whole. Furthermore, the scale, complexity, and growth rate of these systems render any heuristic and rule-based system management approaches insufficient. In response to these challenges, statistics-based techniques for building gray or black box models of system performance can better guide system management decisions. Although statistics-based approaches have been successfully deployed, a single model is often inadequate to capture intricacies of a single workload on a single system. The problem is exacerbated with multiple heterogeneous workloads super-positioned on a consolidated system. An even greater challenge is to translate the behavioral correlations found by statistics into insights and guidance for designing and managing even more complex data systems. In this article, we reflect on recent work on using statistics for data system modeling and management, and highlight areas awaiting further research.


Bonamia ostreae is an economically significant protistan parasite of the flat oyster Ostrea edulis in Europe and North America. Management of this parasite depends partly upon its reliable identification in wild and aquacultured oyster populations, but B. ostreae is small and difficult to detect by traditional microscopic methods. We designed a fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) assay to sensitively detect B. ostreae in standard histopathological sections of B. ostreae-infected oysters using fluorescently labeled DNA oligonucleotide probes. Hybridization using a cocktail of 3 presumptively B. ostreae-specific, fluorescein iso(thio)cyanate (FITC)-labeled oligonucleotides produced an unambiguous staining pattern of small green rings inside infected oyster hemocytes that was easily distinguished from host tissue background. This pattern is diagnostic for B. ostreae. A negative control cocktail of oligonucleotides containing 2 mismatches relative to target sequences, on the other hand, failed to hybridize at all. B. ostreae-specific probes did not cross-react with a related protist, Haplosporidium nelsoni.


For decades, city plans of Bangkok have been the prerogative of a few influential interest groups. Interests of the middle to upper class and more powerful groups have been protects and carelessly neglected the needs and interests of the lower- income majority or other vulnerable groups, particularly those who live in unprofitable areas. The consequences of this approach can be seen in places, where a high proportion of population live in isolated areas lacking provision for basic infrastructure and services. In other words, when the city prioritizes global development towards efficiency and attractiveness, this exclusive approach results in segregation and fragmentation on the local level. Without being integrated to the urban tissue, this undesirable truth has triggered the author's interest in seeking for the way to change the paradigm in which local level especially the vulnerable groups will also be able to participate and benefit from global interventions by the government. Therefore, it is very significant to promote urban vitality that enhances not only their living quality, but also economic viability and social cohesion. Thanks to the mass transit system (MTS) expansion plan of Bangkok launched by the government in last few years, the hypothesis of integrating global (infrastructure) into local dimensions (urban tissue) will be experimented. The thesis starts with a serious problem of the city brought by the MTS (elevated level) implemented on a fragmented and unorganized urban spatial structure (ground level) of the city due to a rapid urbanization. Without any coordination to urban development, when the market begins to intervene, losers are local residents seen via gentrification, segregation and inequity. However, in accordance to the expansion plan, it covers the historic core of the city, which is crucially needed to be preserved. This is a high time to reconsider and integrate not only global and local planning, but also urban and infrastructure development towards sustainability. By planning for local inhabitants, the inclusive approach aims to prepare for the undeniable infrastructure development to meet local demands and basic services before it comes and to make use of it when it finishes to improve spatial quality and to enhance socio-cultural dimensions together with economic conditions. To conclude, the author will focus on the local level and search for an appropriate linkage with the global planning by using the MTS network expansion and the historic core of Bangkok as the study case.


The power supply technology used in welding applications changed dramatically from manually tap-controlled 50 Hz bulky transformers which had large leakage inductance to provide stable arc burn to switch-mode fast controlled high-frequency power electronics. Nowadays, the typical converter configuration consist of a diode rectifier supplying via a large electrolytic capacitor a smooth DC-link voltage to a high switching frequency H-bridge inverter that steps down the voltage and provides isolation via a high frequency transformer whilst operating with adjustable duty-cycle to maintain the output current constant. This topology allows for important size reduction since the size of magnetics decreases rapidly with the increase of the frequency. This paper proposes a more complex two-stage configuration with a buck DC/DC converter operating at a reduced switching frequency to feed adjustable voltage to an H-bridge inverter, which is operating always with the required voltage at 50% duty-cycle, enabling in addition the minimization of the output filter size and of the switching losses.


The first research question of this study concerns the plasticity of cognitive processes of adult learners confronted with the task of adapting to a new language and an unfamiliar system of formal education. The second question inquires into the relative contribution of two different forms of cognitive intervention—the Learning Potential Assessment Device (LPAD) procedure and the cognitive education program—to the cognitive modifiability of immigrant adults. Both forms of intervention were studied in the past but never in comparison. It seemed, therefore, important to compare the performance of immigrant adult students who received only the LPAD procedure with that of the students who received both LPAD and a prolonged cognitive intervention. The results indicate that the cognitive processes of adult immigrants are modifiable, often no less than those of school-age children and that the participation in cognitive education program has an added value for students with relatively high preprogram performance as compared to LPAD alone.


In the Mississippi River Basin of North America, invasive bigheaded carp (silver carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix and bighead carp H. nobilis, also referred to as Asian carp) have spread rapidly over the past several decades. In the Illinois River, an important tributary of the Upper Mississippi River, reproduction appears to be sporadic and frequently unsuccessful, yet bigheaded carp densities in this river are among the highest recorded on the continent. Understanding the causative factors behind erratic recruitment in this commercially-harvested invasive species is important for both limiting their spread and managing their harvest. We analyzed weekly catch records from 15 years of a standardized monitoring program to document the emergence of age-0 bigheaded carp in relation to environmental conditions. The appearance of age-0 fish was generally linked to hydrographic attributes, which probably serve as a cue for spawning. However, we found profound differences in the number of age-0 fish among years, which varied by as much as five orders of magnitude in successive years. The strong link between summer flooding and age-0 fish production we observed emphasizes the importance of understanding the hydrologic context in which sustained invasions occur. Despite evidence of sporadic recruitment, bigheaded carp populations in the Illinois River appear to be consistent or increasing because of particularly strong, episodic year classes.


In this study, we examine the ecology and adaptive dynamics of an asexually reproducing population, migrating along an environmental gradient. The living conditions are optimal at the central location and deteriorate outwards. The different strategies are optimized to the ecological conditions of different locations. The control parameters are the migration and the tolerance of the strategies towards the environmental condition (location). Locally, population growth is logistic and selection is frequency-independent, corresponding to the case of a single limiting resource. The behavior of the population is modeled by numerically integrated reaction-diffusion equations as well as by individual-based simulations. Limiting similarity, spatial niche segregation and character displacement are demonstrated, analogous to resource-heterogeneity based niche partitioning. Pairwise invasibility analysis reveals a convergent stable singular strategy optimized to the central, optimal location. It is evolutionary stable if the migration rate and the tolerance are large. Decreasing migration or decreasing tolerance bifurcates the singular strategy to an evolutionary branching point. Individual-based simulation of evolution confirms that, in the case of branching singularity, evolution converges to this singular strategy and branches there. Depending on the environmental tolerance, further branching may occur. The branching evolution in the asexual model is interpreted as a sign that the ecology of an environmental gradient is prone to adaptive geographic speciation.


The collapse of central planning was hailed as evidence of the economic and moral superiority of capitalism over any possible alternative. The essays in this book challenge that claim. The case for more democratic forms of enterprise management is considered from a variety of viewpoints. One chapter deals with the philosophical justification for enterprise democracy. The remaining chapters are devoted to the question of efficiency, which has been central to economic debates about ownership and control. The orthodox belief amongst economists is that any shift to more democratic forms of enterprise control would be unworkable. The essays in this book provide a thorough theoretical and empirical critique of this orthodoxy.


Foreign Accent Syndrome (FAS) is rare speech disorder that affects about 80 persons in all the world, it´s a rare speech disorder characterized by segmental (abnormality in time of pronunciation of vocal and consonant) and prosodical deficits (abnormality in rhythm and intonation of words and phrases) without abnormal grammatical abnormalities, the patient´s speech resembles a nonnative accent. The most of cases present like an acquired abnormality of the speech due to a damage of the central nervous system. It could be secondary to neurologic or psychogenic disturbances. We present a case of FAS. It was a 65 years old woman with diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis. Neurophysiological and Image tests were done to her. Visual Evoked Potential showed abnormality of nerve conduction on visual system due to demyelinating, Somatosensory Evoked Potential showed abnormality of nerve conduction on somatosensory way at left parietal area, probably due to demyelinating. EEG revealed paroxysmal activity on bilateral Fronto-Centro-Temporal regions, a peak of energy on theta band in all of derivation, predominantly in lower Frontal and Temporal regions and increase of absolute and relative power as well as mean frequency of theta band on lower Frontal and Temporal regions. 3T MRI showed hyperintense yuxtaxial image in cortical regions, hypointense images in brain stem, demyelinating plaques on left Frontal, Parietal and Temporal subcortical areas and in periventricular regions. We conclude that FAS is a rare disorder, it could be associated to Multiple Sclerosis.


We present segmented transmission-line (TML) electroabsorption modulators (EAMs) with characteristic impedance close to 50 /spl Omega/. The segmented TML approach allows us to design a traveling-wave EAM with 50 /spl Omega/ impedance and very high bandwidth. The devices show low return loss (<-15 dB) and excellent frequency response up to 50 GHz, and exhibit a maximum model-extrapolated 3 dBe bandwidth (BW) of 90 GHz. An effective modeling tool based on Bloch-wave analysis is derived. Design considerations and TML properties for periodic TML-EAMs are discussed.


Purpose: Hyperlipidaemia has gained world wide interest in its ability to participate in the pathology of atherosclerotic diseases like coronary heart disease (CHD) which dominates the scenario of diseases causing morbidity and mortality in the world. Hyperlipidaemia is a term used to denote raised serum levels of cholesterol or triglycerides or both. Raised cholesterol is estimated to cause 18% of the global cerebrovascular disease and 56% of global ischemic heart disease. Overall this amounts to about 4.4 million deaths (7.9% of total) annually. Raised total cholesterol is a major cause of disease burden in both the developed and developing world as a risk factor for ischemic heart disease and stroke. Every 1% decrease in cholesterol decreases CHD risk by 2.5%. Method: Randomized single group, single intervention observational study of sample size: 30. Assessment was done based on lipid profile values pre and post treatment. One tab "Amritadya Guggulu", 475mg TID with water, after food, for a period 30 days. Follow up was taken on 31st day. Result: After treatment S.Cholesterol showed an average of 21.96% decrease, On S.LDL at an average of 30.47% decrease, On S.VLDL average of 20.77% decrease, S. TRIGLYCERIDES average of 26.32% decrease at p<0.001 respectively. S.HDL showed an average of 1.40% increase at p>0.5. 60% of patients had an average increase in S.HDL by 9.27% and 28.30% decrease in other parameters, however 40% of patients had an average decrease of 8.62% and 23.01% decrease in other parameters in S.HDL. Conclusion: Amritadya guggulu has given significant result on elevated lipid profile, even though it has decreased S.HDL in minority patients, the change may be corrected, subject to lifestyle changes.


Improving the quality, reliability and adequacy of water services is very important for both the rural and urban development of Zimbabwe. Most of the effort towards water improvements by both the government and non-governmental organizations has mainly been focusing of the supply side of water, thus ignoring the demand aspects. This paper attempts to incorporate demand side aspects in the water supply management system of the City of Harare. The paper analyses and estimates the willingness to pay for improved water supply services in Mabvuku, a high density area in Harare. The paper utilizes cross sectional data from a sample of 147 households collected using self administered questionnaires. A single dichotomous choice contingent valuation technique is used to elicit households' willingness to pay for improved water quality. Probit model estimation is used and the results from the regression show that the mean willingness to pay was US$8.58 per month. The factors affecting willingness to pay are household income, knowledge about on-going rehabilitation programmes, household size, age, previous infection and education. Perception about the current water quality and the bid price had a negative influence on willingness to pay for improved water supply services. The study recommends the establishment of a water development charge of not less than $8.58 per month, raising awareness about on-going water rehabilitation programs, a review of the school curriculum to include water sessions, among other measures.


Foodborne disease caused by food infection is one of health concern which cause of consumption of contaminated foods that containing living microorganisms. There are several kinds of microorganisms that can cause food infection, one of them is Salmonella sp, a negative Gram basil shaped-bacteria as the cause typhoid and paratyphoid diseases. The purpose of this study is isolate and identify negative Gram bacteria on snacks in the traditional market Anduonuhu Kendari. This research is a descriptive study with dumplings samples which sale on the traditional Market Anduonohu as population. Samples were taken as a total sampling with pour plate method was used for bacterial isolation. All 10 samples were shown positive result which growth in Brain Heart Infusion Broth media as 7 of them are positively grow in Salmonella Shigella Agar with negative Gram basil-shaped bacteria was found under the microscope after Gram staining, suspected as negative Gram baceria. It can be concluded that 7 (70%) out of of 10 dumplings samples were contaminated negative Gram bacteria. This research can be continued by identifying other pathogenic bacteria which are the bacteria that cause food borne disease.


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This essay describes the history of the civil society breast cancer movement in Mexico, the role played by breast cancer NGOs and the changes they must undergo for their activities to impact the quality of life of men and women dealing with this disease. The concept of civil society today has been transformed, regaining a degree of autonomy and being at the center of a participatory democracy. Civil society takes a lead role in key issues such as health, civil rights, and public welfare. Breast cancer organizations have the liberty to organize and promote initiatives that will help others' welfare and develop their full potential for the benefit of themselves and their community. These organizations must focus on promoting changes in the system that will result in better services and better quality of life for their constituents.


This review paper provides the operations management (OM) community with an exhaustive analysis of the mathematical models developed for the problem of low-carbon supply chain management (LCSCM). Our paper belongs to the green supply chain management (GSCM) reviews but is distinguished by its specific interest in analysing research works on supply chain (SC) management regarding the reduction of carbon emissions and its related constraints. To facilitate our benchmarking of the 83 selected papers, we adopt a literature classification based on the logistic decisions studied within the developed models. We distinguish three categories of logistic decisions: operational management, technology investment and SC design coordination. Companies are currently facing great external pressures from governments and their conscientious customers to reduce their overall emissions. We analyse how these environmental constraints, which we believe are key drivers for low-carbon emissions management, have been incorporated into mathematical models. Analysing these external pressures in terms of concern about carbon emissions constitutes our main contribution through this literature review. In addition, companies are facing a challenge to reduce their carbon emissions, which are mainly generated from production, transport and storage activities. Consequently, the modelling of carbon emissions remains a crucial task when addressing the LCSCM problem. We suggest analysing the techniques used thus far to approximate those carbon emissions. Furthermore, to illustrate our literature classification and the features of the LCSCM problem, we provide the framework on which we based our analysis of the selected literature. We discuss the modelling aspects of this problem to highlight the limits of the existing literature and consequently suggest recommendations for future research. We believe that this issue will continue to be one of the top concerns of the OM community within the GSCM field as it continues to gain importance among business leaders, and political and social actors.


The effects of forest age and dominant tree species on the water discharge volume have been analyzed by a paired-watershed experiment in two adjacent catchments in Tatsunokuchi-yama Experimental Forest, western Japan. The control period is 1937-1943. The treated periods are 1948-1953, 1968-1977, and 1996-2003. In these treated periods, the forest age or the dominant tree species were different between two adjacent periods. Differences in the discharge duration curves from the two catchments are compared for the control and the treated periods. A significant change in the discharge duration curves is seen in the third treated period (1996-2003) on days with low water, when the forest age difference between the adjacent catchments was 35 years. This is believed to be the result of differences in forest age and forest treatment just after the occurrence of pine wilt disease.


Bush v. Gore marked the first time in the history of democratic government that an unelected judicial organ chose a head of state by preventing the counting of votes. The majority was oblivious to the democratic character of our Constitution in every aspect of its analysis. Its very starting point - the asserted authority of the states to disenfranchise voters altogether from participation in the selection of presidential electors - cannot be sustained in the face of the text and history of the Fourteenth Amendment, nearly universal practice since 1868, and the conspicuous trajectory of our constitutional development toward more democracy. Specifically, state legislative authority to exclude citizens altogether from the choice of presidential electors cannot be reconciled with the provision in Section Two that reduces a state's representation base in Congress to the extent the state disenfranchises its adult male population in such elections. The majority's only recourse to the Fourteenth Amendment is an equal protection analysis that is nearly fatuous. By contrast, the majority ignores the importance of procedural due process in elections as an essential bulwark of democracy. Vote tabulation is a species of administrative adjudication, and voters should be deemed minimally entitled under the Fourteenth Amendment to voting tabulation systems rationally calculated to ascertain their intent accurately. A due process analysis of the Florida election supports the conclusion that hand recounts in challenged counties should have been deemed a constitutional prerequisite to the casting of Florida's electoral votes. There was no legal or practical impediment to conducting a statewide recount consistent with the Fourteenth Amendment, and, compared to the Court's assault on due process, the equal protection issue raised by the majority and accepted as non-trivial by Justices Souter and Breyer, pales as insubstantial. But the most compelling demand of democratic principle in Bush v. Gore may well have been that the Court defer to Congress, as an elected federal institution, for the resolution of a wholly political contest. Both the textual and the institutional arguments for deferring to Congress would have been stronger in Bush v. Gore than they were in Nixon v. United States, in which Chief Justice Rehnquist, writing for himself and for Justices Stevens, Scalia, Kennedy, O'Connor and Thomas, held it to be a political question whether the Senate was constitutionally required to hold a full evidentiary hearing before the entire Senate in order to convict and remove an impeached judge. The abandonment by the Bush v. Gore majority of this, as well as other jurisprudential commitments, helped to create the distressing impression that five Justices were determined to ordain a Bush victory, regardless of the legal merits. It is a measure of the Court's imprudence in deciding Bush v. Gore both that such a possibility cannot be dismissed out of hand and that the Court could have responsibly deferred to Congress as the more accountable and constitutionally appropriate decision-making institution to resolve the Florida controversy.


The vertical separation of organic matter formation from respiration can lead to net carbon sequestration within the ocean's interior, making the biological pump an important com- ponent of the global carbon cycle. Understanding the response of the biological pump to the changing environment is a prerequisite to predicting future atmospheric carbon dioxide concen- trations. Will the biological pump weaken or strengthen? Currently the ocean science community is unable to confidently answer this question. Carbon flux at approximately 1000 m depth, the sequestration flux, determines the removal of carbon from the atmosphere on time scales ≥100 yr. The sequestration flux depends upon: (1) input rates of nutrients allochthonous to the ocean, (2) the export flux at the base of the euphotic zone, (3) the deviation of carbon fixation and remine - ralization from Redfield stoichiometry, and (4) the flux attenuation in the upper 1000 m. The bio- logical response to increasing temperature, ocean stratification, nutrient availability and ocean acidification is frequently taxa- and ecosystem-specific and the results of synergistic effects are challenging to predict. Consequently, the use of global averages and steady state assumptions (e.g. Redfield stoichiometry, mesopelagic nutrient inventory) for predictive models is often insuf- ficient. Our ability to predict sequestration flux additionally suffers from a lack of understanding of mesopelagic food web functioning and flux attenuation. However, regional specific investiga- tions show great promise, suggesting that in the near future predictions of changes to the biolog- ical pump will have to be regionally and ecosystem specific, with the ultimate goal of integrating to global scales.


Building the future now. This is the iconic work of a singular architect. Zaha Hadid is a wildly controversial architect whose work remained largely unbuilt for years, despite awards and critical acclaim. Yet in the past decade, Hadid has risen to fame and completed numerous structures like the Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in Cincinnati, the Glasgow Riverside Museum, and the Eli & Edythe Broad Art Museum in Michigan. With her audacious, futuristic designs, Hadid now ranks among the elite of world architecture. Born in Baghdad and educated in London, where her practice is based, Hadid has designed radical architecture for over 30 years. This massive TASCHEN monograph, now available in a specially updated and more accessible edition, covers her complete works to date. The New National Stadium of Japan-venue of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, and the Serpentine Sackler Gallery in London are both published for the first time. This volume shows the evolution of Hadid's career - including buildings and furniture and interior designs - with in-depth texts, spectacular photos, and her own drawings.


Most people would agree that the healthcare system in the United States is a mess. Healthcare accounts for a larger percentage of gross domestic product in the United States than in any other industrialized nation, but health outcomes do not reflect this enormous investment. In this book, Philip Rosoff offers a provocative proposal for providing quality healthcare to all Americans and controlling the out-of-control costs that threaten the economy. He argues that rationing -- often associated in the public's mind with such negatives as unplugging ventilators, death panels, and socialized medicine -- is not a dirty word. A comprehensive, centralized, and fair system of rationing is the best way to distribute the benefits of modern medicine equitably while achieving significant cost savings. Rosoff points out that certain forms of rationing already exist when resources are scarce and demand high: the organ transplant system, for example, and the distribution of drugs during a shortage. He argues that if we incorporate certain key features from these systems, healthcare rationing would be fair -- and acceptable politically. Rosoff considers such topics as fairness, decisions about which benefits should be subject to rationing, and whether to compensate those who are denied scarce resources. Finally, he offers a detailed discussion of what an effective and equitable healthcare rationing system would look like.


Recent studies in eukaryotes have demonstrated the translation of alternative open reading frames (altORFs) in addition to annotated protein coding sequences (CDSs). We show that a large number of small proteins could in fact be coded by altORFs. The putative alternative proteins translated from altORFs have orthologs in many species and evolutionary patterns indicate that altORFs are particularly constrained in CDSs that evolve slowly. Thousands of predicted alternative proteins are detected in proteomic datasets by reanalysis using a database containing predicted alternative proteins. Protein domains and co-conservation analyses suggest a potential functional relationship between small and large proteins encoded in the same genes. This is illustrated with specific examples, including altMiD51, a 70 amino acid mitochondrial fission-promoting protein encoded in MiD51/Mief1/SMCR7L, a gene encoding an annotated protein promoting mitochondrial fission. Our results suggest that many coding genes code for more than one protein that are often functionally related.


Windrow-composted livestock manure has been shown to be less hazardous to the environment compared to manure directly applied to cropland and other agricultural areas. Although offsite contaminant losses through runoff and leaching can occur during the composting process, these losses are suspected to increase under different compost moisture conditions and as composted materials mature. This research quantified the effects of windrow-composted livestock manure and straw bedding components on runoff and infiltration characteristics from laboratory rainfall simulations. Compost samples collected on three dates at approximately the beginning (day 0), middle (day 30), and end (day 60) of a June-July 2004 field research windrow composting period were used for this rainfall simulation study. Replicated compost windrow-shaped cross-section samples were constructed in a specially-designed Plexiglas container apparatus for viewing and recording infiltrated leachate wetting front position boundary movement from simulated rainfall events. Runoff and leachate samples were collected and analyzed for drainage volumes and concentrations and total mass losses of sediment, nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N), and ortho-phosphorus (PO4-P) during and following rainfall simulation trials. Leachate wetting front position boundary movement was significantly lower for day 60 compost samples compared among day 0 and day 30 compost sample material. Drainage volume analysis results indicated significantly higher average runoff versus leachate volumes within all compost sampling dates, and runoff volumes were significantly higher among day 30 and day 60 compost samples compared to runoff volumes from day 0 compost samples. Average sediment, NO3-N, and PO4-P concentrations were significantly higher in leachate versus runoff within all compost sampling dates. Conversely, the total mass losses of these contaminants were significantly higher in runoff compared to leachate within all compost sampling dates. Results of this study suggest that biological and mechanical functions of the composting process reduced compost sample aggregates and increased compost bulk density. We hypothesize that these changes in compost material structure and porosity volume decreased infiltration and increased runoff sediment, NO3-N, and PO4-P losses during the second and final compost sampling stages of a field windrow composting period.


The influence of ambient temperature and applied electric field on the electrical properties of high resistivity (1–30 kΩ cm), semi-insulating (>100 kΩ cm), and insulating (1011–1012 Ω cm) single-crystal 6H–SiC is reported. Current–voltage (I–V) characteristics of lateral metal-semiconductor-metal test structures were measured in vacuum in a temperature range of 295–730 K and under moderate pulsed electric fields (0.5–80 kV/cm). It is shown that the resistivity of the undoped 6H–SiC varies strongly with the ambient temperature after a temperature/field function dominated by a factor containing the activation (ionization) energy of residual boron of 0.35 eV. The dominant activation energy of semi-insulating Vanadium-compensated material (6H–SiC:V) varies with the ambient temperature, increasing from ∼0 eV at 295–320 K to ∼0.8 eV at T⩾600 K. This result can explain the relatively low decrease of the resistivity of insulating 6H–SiC at very high ambient temperatures and its viability as a substrate for next-generation high temperature microwave integrated circuits based on large band gap semiconductors.


Background Type II DNA topoisomerases are essential, ubiquitous enzymes that act to relieve topological problems arising in DNA from normal cellular activity. Their mechanism of action involves the ATP-dependent transport of one DNA duplex through a transient break in a second DNA duplex; metal ions are essential for strand passage. Humans have two isoforms, topoisomerase IIα and topoisomerase IIβ, that have distinct roles in the cell. The C-terminal domain has been linked to isoform specific differences in activity and DNA interaction. Methodology/Principal Findings We have investigated the role of the C-terminal domain in the binding of human topoisomerase IIα and topoisomerase IIβ to DNA in fluorescence anisotropy assays using full length and C-terminally truncated enzymes. We find that the C-terminal domain of topoisomerase IIβ but not topoisomerase IIα affects the binding of the enzyme to the DNA. The presence of metal ions has no effect on DNA binding. Additionally, we have examined strand passage of the full length and truncated enzymes in the presence of a number of supporting metal ions and find that there is no difference in relative decatenation between isoforms. We find that calcium and manganese, in addition to magnesium, can support strand passage by the human topoisomerase II enzymes. Conclusions/Significance The C-terminal domain of topoisomerase IIβ, but not that of topoisomerase IIα, alters the enzyme's KD for DNA binding. This is consistent with previous data and may be related to the differential modes of action of the two isoforms in vivo. We also show strand passage with different supporting metal ions for human topoisomerase IIα or topoisomerase IIβ, either full length or C-terminally truncated. They all show the same preferences, whereby Mg > Ca > Mn.


Introduction: Living with a serious stressor such as cancer is known to activate cognitive patterns relative to personal death and dying. This study was conducted to determine of death depression and its related factors in Iranian patients with cancer. Method: In this cross-sectional study that was conducted in 2015 (June-November); 500 cancer patients with random sampling method were included to study. Data were gathered with demographic and Death Depression Scale (DDS). Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses with using SPSS 22.0 were used to explore the potential factors influencing death depression of cancer patients. Results: Based on results, males age (48.59±16.15; 95CI: 46.62-50.57) were more than females (46.38±14.24; 95 CI: 68.42-71.66). The average of death depression score among patient with cancer was higher than the third quartile. A multivariate linear regression analysis showed that scores of incoming status (β coefficient = 0.24, p<0.001), no history of drug use (β coefficient = 0.13, p=0.002), and stage of cancer (β coefficient = 0.12, p=0.005) were independent predictors of death depression in cancer patients. Conclusion: Regards to high prevalence of depression in selected patients, importance of concentration on psychology interventions, especially in acute phase of disease and chemotherapy periods were highlighted.


The last deglaciation is an interval of marked changes in the climate system. The records of glaciation of tropical mountains offer unique opportunities to assess the timing of changes and the sensitivity of tropical climates to global and regional atmospheric phenomena. Here we summarize the existing knowledge on the glacial history of the highest mountains of the Trans Mexican Volcanic Belt (19.5°N) and Central America (Cuchumatanes in Guatemala, 15.5°N; Cerro Chirripo in Costa Rica, 9.5°N), focusing on the transition from the last local glacial maximum (LLGM) to the early Holocene, with some emphasis on records supported by cosmogenic nuclide dating. The LLGM in the mountains of Mexico (20-14 ka) and Central America (~21-18 ka) overlaps with the final part of the global Last Glacial Maximum (26.5-19 ka). A depression of the equilibrium line altitude (ELA) of glaciers of 1500-1000 m with respect to modern values is indicative of 9-6°C cooling. Deglaciation in Costa Rica started by 18 ka, while in Mexico glaciers remained at or near their maximum position until ~15 ka, probably due to the influence of Heinrich event 1. Glacier retreat commenced at 15-14 ka in central Mexico and accelerated from 14 to 13 ka, in coincidence with the Bolling-Allerod warming. A standstill or advance took place from 13 to 10.5 ka in Mexico. In Costa Rica, undated moraines formed between 18 and 10 ka. Full deglaciation across the region is recorded at ~10 ka, except on the mountains of central Mexico >4,200 m, and can be explained by a rise of the ELA of 300 to 450 m (warming of ~2-3°C) relative to the LLGM. In general, the deglacial records of central Mexico and Central America seem to be controlled by temperature. However, the temporal pattern of deglaciation of Costa Rica is similar to that of the northern tropical Andes, while the one from central Mexico is in agreement with the chronology of the western USA.


This article argues that the field of "Federal Courts" scholarship needs to expand to consider the relations not just between state and federal courts, but also between domestic courts and judicial institutions operating at the international level. Both relationships raise similar sorts of "interjurisdictional" problems - issues of standards of review, abstention, procedural defaults, and the like. Moreover, the study of supranational courts would benefit from the Legal Process jurisprudence that dominates the field of domestic Federal Courts law. In particular, I emphasize Henry Hart and Al Sacks' notion of "institutional settlement," which holds that decisions should be allocated to particular institutions on the basis of institutional competence and that decisions by the primary institution, once made, should generally be respected absent a sufficiently good reason for overruling them. I illustrate how a Legal Process approach to supranational courts might work through two primary sets of examples. The first involves the tug of war between American domestic courts and the International Court of Justice over foreign nationals convicted of capital crimes in state courts after failure by local authorities to notify the accused of his rights to consular notification under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. This issue recently came to a head in the Medellin case, which the Supreme Court elected not to resolve last Term but is likely to see again. The central question in these cases is whether the ICJ should respect domestic rules of procedural default, which bar litigation of Vienna Convention claims in domestic habeas corpus proceedings where those claims were not first presented to the state trial court. The second set of examples involves arbitration proceedings under Chapter 11 of the North American Free Trade Agreement. In the Mondev and Loewen cases, NAFTA panels engaged in what was, for all practical purposes, appellate review of state courts on questions of state law. The question here is whether international law should sanction "denial of justice"-type claims that make domestic law questions re-litigable at the supranational level, and if so whether supranational tribunals should adopt a more deferential standard of review. Institutional settlement, I argue, has a good deal to say about both sets of questions. The last part of the article speculates more generally about what a Legal Process approach can tell us about supranational adjudication. It considers some international law principles - like the "margin of appreciation" in the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights, as well as the principle of "complementarity" in the statute of the International Criminal Court - that already incorporate norms of institutional settlement. I argue that institutional settlement has something to offer both skeptics and enthusiasts of supranational adjudication: It can moderate the intrusiveness of such adjudication, while at the same time increasing its legitimacy.


Workshop title : Structural Equation Models in IS Theory and Measurement Abstract Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is taking on an increasingly important role in the examination of theory and measurement issues in information systems. Despite its popular use and the many software packages that exist for the researcher, SEM is a complex technique that provides may pitfalls for the unaware researcher. This workshop provides a gentle introduction to SEM from basic principles. It also covers some of the advanced issues that the researcher might encounter, not only from a statistical but also, and more importantly, from an ontological and epistemological perspective. The workshop is targeted at PhD students and IS researchers new to SEM and little to no statistical knowledge. Demonstrations and hands-on examples make use of the open source R system for statistical computing, which will be provided to all participants.


The challenge in creating a routing protocol for ad-hoc networks is to design a single protocol that can adapt to the wide variety of conditions that can be present in any ad-hoc network enviroment. The routing protocol must perform efficiently in enviroments in which it suffers from high nodes mobility and many wireless transmission constraints. Because it it often impossible to know what enviroment the protocol will find itself in, and because the enviroment can change unpredictably, the routing protocol must be able to adapt automatically. In this thesis, we use a fuzzy reasoning algorithm (FRA) as a highly adaptive algorithm to achieve that goal. We will present the various application of that algorithm to ad-hoc routing protocols. Then, we will focus on four major applications that are the core of any ad-hoc routing protocol. These applications are: route lifetime estimation, local connectivity management, nodes affinity management, and active queue management. In the first method, the fuzzy reasoning is used to estimate the time route can stay active in the routing table. In the second method, fuzzy reasoning is used to optimize the maximum time period that can transpire before the node broadcast the 'Hello" messages. Mapping the relationship between the signal strength fluctuation and links lifetime is presented in the third method. Finally, in the last method fuzzy reasoning is used for network congestion estimation and estimating time to start dropping incoming packets. Extensive performance analysis via simulation proves the effectiveness of using the FRA to improve the accuracy of routing protocol parameters and hence the overall network performance.


Background Estimates of current global rabies mortality range from 26,000 to 59,000 deaths per annum. Although pre-exposure prophylaxis using inactivated rabies virus vaccines (IRVs) is effective, it requires two to three doses and is regarded as being too expensive and impractical for inclusion in routine childhood immunization programmes. Methodology/ Principal Findings Here we report the development of a simian-adenovirus-vectored rabies vaccine intended to enable cost-effective population-wide pre-exposure prophylaxis against rabies. ChAdOx2 RabG uses the chimpanzee adenovirus serotype 68 (AdC68) backbone previously shown to achieve pre-exposure protection against rabies in non-human primates. ChAdOx2 differs from AdC68 in that it contains the human adenovirus serotype 5 (AdHu5) E4 orf6/7 region in place of the AdC68 equivalents, enhancing ease of manufacturing in cell lines which provide AdHu5 E1 proteins in trans. We show that immunogenicity of ChAdOx2 RabG in mice is comparable to that of AdC68 RabG and other adenovirus serotypes expressing rabies virus glycoprotein. High titers of rabies virus neutralizing antibody (VNA) are elicited after a single dose. The relationship between levels of VNA activity and rabies glycoprotein monomer-binding antibody differs after immunization with adenovirus-vectored vaccines and IRV vaccines, suggesting routes to further enhancement of the efficacy of the adenovirus-vectored candidates. We also demonstrate that ChAdOx2 RabG can be thermostabilised using a low-cost method suitable for clinical bio-manufacture and ambient-temperature distribution in tropical climates. Finally, we show that a dose-sparing effect can be achieved by formulating ChAdOx2 RabG with a simple chemical adjuvant. This approach could lower the cost of ChAdOx2 RabG and other adenovirus-vectored vaccines. Conclusions/ Significance ChAdOx2 RabG may prove to be a useful tool to reduce the human rabies death toll. We have secured funding for Good Manufacturing Practice-compliant bio-manufacture and Phase I clinical trial of this candidate. Author summary Rabies was, after smallpox, the second human disease for which an efficacious vaccine was developed, by Pasteur in 1885. Although it is eminently preventable, with highly efficacious vaccines available for both humans and animals, it still causes considerable mortality in low and middle-income countries. It is a particular problem in areas with the weakest healthcare and veterinary infrastructure, where achieving prompt post-exposure vaccination or high-coverage dog vaccination are challenging. Here, we report the development of a new candidate rabies vaccine, designed to enable low-cost single-dose pre-exposure human rabies prophylaxis in such settings. ChAdOx2 RabG is based upon a simian adenovirus-vectored candidate previously shown to achieve protection after a single dose in non-human primates, now modified to allow clinical-grade bio-manufacture. We show that it induces a potent immune response in mice, that this response can be further enhanced by clinically-relevant adjuvant, and that we can stabilise it such that it can withstand temperatures of up to 45 °C for a month. We will be performing a clinical trial of this candidate in the near future.


As his work transcends what is seen as iconography, from a strictly art history perspective, the choice of Scott Redford for portrayal in this rubric may seem surprising. However, regarding the applicability of iconographical approaches to the wider domain of cultural studies, precisely his adaptation of art history methods, which integrate disparate source material in a quest for meaning, sparked the interest of this issue of META.For most scholars in the field of Islamic history, researching premodern times normally involves reading narrative sources, that is, chronicles. Despite the so-called "documentary turn" taking place in Mamluk and Ottoman Syria, scholars of the Middle East lack the vast array of archival material that is available to their colleagues working on Medieval Europe. Thus, taking into account other types of material generally neglected by historians might be useful (more in the tradition of archaeologists and art historians who do include material culture in general). This article discusses Scott Redford's approach to combining written sources, epigraphy, and archaeological findings of the Seljuks of Rum in 13th century Anatolia in order to gain more insight into the iconography of power in a remote Islamic past.


Since their initial demonstration in 1994, quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) have become prominent sources of mid-infrared radiation. Over the years, a large scientific and engineering effort has led to a dramatic improvement in their efficiency and power output, with continuous wave operation at room temperature and Watt-level output power now standard. However, beyond this progress, new functionalities and capabilities need to be added to this compact source to enable its integration into consumer-ready systems. Two main areas of development are particularly relevant from an application standpoint and were pursued during the course of this thesis: wavelength control and wavefront engineering of QCLs. The first research direction, wavelength control, is mainly driven by spectroscopic applications of QCLs, such as trace gas sensing, process monitoring or explosive detection. We demonstrated three different capabilities, corresponding to different potential spectroscopic measurement techniques: widely tunable single longitudinal mode lasing, simultaneous lasing on multiple well-defined longitudinal modes, iii and simultaneous lasing over a broad and continuous range of the spectrum. The second research direction, wavefront engineering of QCLs, i.e. the improvement of their beam quality, is relevant for applications necessitating transmission of the QCL output over a large distance, for example for remote sensing or military countermeasures. To address this issue, we developed plasmonic lenses directly integrated on the facets of QCLs. The plasmonic structures designed are analogous to antenna arrays imparting directionality to the QCLs, as well as providing means for polarization control. Finally, a research interest in plasmonics led us to design passive flat optical elements using plasmonic antennas. All these projects are tied together by the involvement of Fourier analysis as an essential design tool to predict the interaction of light with various gratings and periodic arrays of grooves and scatterers.


We present a new method for forecasting systems of multiple interrelated time series. The method learns the forecast models together with discovering leading indicators from within the system that serve as good predictors improving the forecast accuracy and a cluster structure of the predictive tasks around these. The method is based on the classical linear vector autoregressive model (VAR) and links the discovery of the leading indicators to inferring sparse graphs of Granger causality. We formulate a new constrained optimisation problem to promote the desired sparse structures across the models and the sharing of information amongst the learning tasks in a multi-task manner. We propose an algorithm for solving the problem and document on a battery of synthetic and real-data experiments the advantages of our new method over baseline VAR models as well as the state-of-the-art sparse VAR learning methods.


The article discusses the information structure of Gawwada, an East Cushitic language of Southwest Ethiopia, along the lines of the Prague School and Lambrecht's (1994) theory. Gawwada does not have any dedicated focus-marking device – contrary to previous preliminary statements and in stark contrast with many Cushitic languages of the Horn of Africa. Moreover, it is argued that the category of focus itself is only scarcely grammaticalized in this language. It is rather "Contrast", marked through a clitic element =kka, which is central to the information structure of the language. It is also argued that possibly other purported Focus Markers of other Cushitic languages (most notably Somali) may be interpreted, at least partially, as markers of contrast. Other pragmatic-marking strategies discussed in the article include the presence vs. absence of Subject-Verb agreement, the presence vs. absence of Subject Clitics, and, to a lesser degree, word order change and object-incorporation.


A constructive method of program development is presented. It seeks to unify two important ideas about program development. Namely that programming is a goal‐oriented activity and that there should be a correspondence between data and program structures. The latter concept is seen to be extensible beyond the data processing context in which it was originally proposed. Induction provides the vehicle for program development by stepwise refinement, with the final program being constructed by application of a sequence of progressively more powerful generalizations. The design process employed guarantees the correctness of the final program provided that each of the refinement steps have been correctly taken. The method is illustrated by a number of samples.