An effective way of using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to simulate flow about a rotating device—for example, a wind or marine turbine—is to embed a rotating region of cells inside a larger, stationary domain, with a sliding interface between. This paper describes a simple but effective method for implementing this as an internal Dirichlet boundary condition, with interfacial values obtained by interpolation from halo nodes. The method is tested in two finite‐volume codes: one using block‐structured meshes and the other unstructured meshes. Validation is performed for flow around simple, isolated, rotating shapes (cylinder, sphere and cube), comparing, where possible, with experiment and the alternative CFD approach of fixed grid with moving walls. Flow variables are shown to vary smoothly across the sliding interface. Simulations of a tidal‐stream turbine, including both rotor and support, are then performed and compared with towing‐tank experiments. Comparison between CFD and experiment is made for thrust and power coefficients as a function of tip‐speed ratio (TSR) using Reynolds‐averaged Navier–Stokes turbulence models and large‐eddy simulation (LES). Performance of most models is good near the optimal TSR, but simulations underestimate mean thrust and power coefficients in off‐design conditions, with the standard k– ϵ turbulence model performing noticeably worse than shear stress transport k– ω and Reynolds‐stress‐transport closures. LES gave good predictions of mean load coefficients and vital information about wake structures but at substantial computational cost. Grid‐sensitivity studies suggest that Reynolds‐averaged Navier–Stokes models give acceptable predictions of mean power and thrust coefficients on a single device using a mesh of about 4 million cells. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Light funneling in metal/dielectric multilayer films with subwavelength grooves is numerically and experimentally demonstrated. Incident light at the resonant wavelength can be completely funneled into dielectric layers through a narrow groove that only covers 12.5% of the surface area within one period and absorbed by a resonant cavity composed of metal/dielectric multilayer films. A narrower resonant dip is observed than that produced by bulk metals with the same thickness and grooves. The mechanism and influencing factors of the reflection spectrum, including groove widths, layer numbers, and the profile of the groove side wall are comprehensively analyzed. Coupling between adjacent grooves with different depths are also discussed. Our study can be applied in the applications of biological sensing and infrared detectors.


Zeolites have attracted great interest over recent decades. Their unique pore structures of molecular dimensions and tunable compositions make them ideal for shape selective catalysis and separation. However, targeted synthesis of zeolites with new pore structures and compositions remains a key challenge. Here, we propose a novel approach based on a unique 3D-3D topotactic transformation, which takes advantage of weak bonding in zeolites. This is inspired by the structure transformation of PST-5, a new aluminophosphate molecular sieve, to PST-6 by calcination at 500 °C. The structure of PST-5 was determined from micrometer-sized crystals by 3D electron diffraction (3DED, also known as MicroED). We found that the 3D-3D topotactic transformation involves two types of building units where penta- or hexa-coordinated Al is present. We applied this approach to several other zeolite systems and predicted a series of new zeolite structures that would be synthetically feasible. This method provides a new concept for the synthesis of targeted zeolites, especially those which may not be feasible by conventional methods.


Chemical product and process design teaching is facing challenges due to the major changes occurred in the last decades in the chemical industry. The emergence of products as a focus for chemical engineers implies changes in what chemical engineers do. It is important to prepare students for the more diverse, flexible roles they are expected to perform in industry and nowadays it is requisite that chemical engineers participate in the whole process from conception to manufacture. This paper addresses the activity of ideas generation, a very important step in product and process design procedure, and explores the role of concept maps and mind maps along with the discussion of the main features of the methods used to map and structure the ideas. The main goal of this paper is to present the methods within the context of product and process design teaching and learning showing the potentialities of the methods as graphical representations, in the ideas generation step in order to allow free-flowing thoughts. An illustration of the maps performed by chemical and biological engineering master students within the product and process design curricular unit is presented along with the main conclusions. This type of maps is promising in order to allow chemical and biological engineering students gradually lift their skills.


The reconstruction of facial features is a key process in human identification with anthropological methods, and represents the ultimate aim of forensic facial reconstruction. This study aimed to record the values of facial tissue thickness of the Chilean population to have a reference table with forensic purposes. We used 40 Chileans cadavers of both sexes, with dates of death between 3 and 48 hours (mean 13.05 hours, SD 10.49) kept in cold storage at -4 o C, aged between 23 and 76 years (mean 45.95 years, SD 11.23), with a BMI average 25.38 (SD 2.27) in men and 26.41 (SD 3.09) in females. We analyzed the facial tissue thicknesses in 20 cephalometric points, eight median and six bilateral paramedian, using the needle puncture--method. We evaluated the presence of sexual dimorphism. The men have a greater thickness at the midpoints, unlike women, where thickness was greater in the paramedian points. However, the differences were significant only in the nasion point. Several studies have reported differences in tissue thickness between men and women, that would justify their systematic determination to develop protocols for facial reconstruction for forensic sculpture. In our study there were no differences, suggesting that different methods of preservation, postmortem time and BMI have influence on gender differences and should be considered in generating population data.


We have performed realistic atomistic simulations at finite temperatures using Monte Carlo and atomistic spin dynamics simulations incorporating quantum (Bose-Einstein) statistics. The description is much improved at low temperatures compared to classical (Boltzmann) statistics normally used in these kind of simulations, while at higher temperatures the classical statistics are recovered. This corrected low-temperature description is reflected in both magnetization and the magnetic specific heat, the latter allowing for improved modeling of the magnetic contribution to free energies. A central property in the method is the magnon density of states at finite temperatures and we have compared several different implementations for obtaining it. The method has no restrictions regarding chemical and magnetic order of the considered materials. This is demonstrated by applying the method to elemental ferromagnetic systems, including Fe and Ni, as well as Fe-Co random alloys and the ferrimagnetic system GdFe$_3$ .


Daněk J., Vačkář D., Krkoška Lorencová E. 2017: Value of ecosystem services in Protected Landscape Areas in the Czech Republic – Beskydy, 10 (1, 2): 99–112 This study aims to explore spatially explicit economic values of ecosystem services provided by ecosystems and habitats in 25 Protected Landscape Areas (PLAs) in the Czech Republic, with a more detailed overview of three selected PLAs (Beskids Mountains, Český les Mountains and Odra River Basin). In the methodology, combination of the Consolidated Layer of Ecosystems of the Czech Republic (CLES) and the EKOSERV database allowed us to utilize the ecosystem and economic valuation data in a specific geographic context using a GIS-based approach. The total value of ecosystem services in all 25 PLAs reached € 51 billion/year, with the surface area significantly influencing the total average value of a particular PLA. When transformed to value per unit area, the values varied from €1.2 to €6.5 million/km2/year. The results suggest a dominant role of forest ecosystems in the composition of the economic value provided by ecosystem services in the PLAs. Economic valuation of benefits provided by protected areas can help to realize the social importance of these sites and to support policy and decisionmaking processes.


The partition function plays a key role in probabilistic modeling including conditional random fields, graphical models, and maximum likelihood estimation. To optimize partition functions, this article introduces a quadratic variational upper bound. This inequality facilitates majorization methods: optimization of complicated functions through the iterative solution of simpler sub-problems. Such bounds remain efficient to compute even when the partition function involves a graphical model (with small tree-width) or in latent likelihood settings. For large-scale problems, low-rank versions of the bound are provided and outperform LBFGS as well as first-order methods. Several learning applications are shown and reduce to fast and convergent update rules. Experimental results show advantages over state-of-the-art optimization methods.


In order for the nervous system to function properly, neurons in the brain must establish specific connections during embryonic development. Formation of neuronal circuits involves axons extending from cell bodies and navigating through diverse tissues to reach their targets in the brain. Once axons reach their target tissues, they arborize and make synaptic connections. Axon pathfinding is driven by dynamic motility behaviors expressed by terminal growth cones at the tips of the axons. Here, we applied morphometrics to determine quantitative values for six morphological and motility parameters for growth cones of optic axons navigating through the optic tract of a living brain preparation from a Xenopus laevis tadpole. Our results demonstrate an increase in length, decrease in width, increase in perimeter, decrease in area, increase in number of filopodia, and a decrease in number of lamellipodia, of the growth cones in the optic tract. Therefore, optic axonal growth cones become less circular and more elongated and protrusive during their navigation through the optic tract. Quantitatively deconstructing parameters of growth cone motility is necessary to determine molecular, cellular, and biophysical mechanisms of axon pathfinding, and to formulate computational analyses of developing neuronal connectivity in the brain.


ABSTRACT Turbidites comprise about 27% of the cored sediments in the northeast and southeast parts of the Canada Abyssal Plain but only 2.5% of the cores from the north central part of the Canada Abyssal Plain. Turbidites have not been identified in cores from other areas of the Arctic Ocean. The most common sedimentary structures in the Canada Abyssal Plain turbidites are plane-parallel laminated Bouma B or D units, ripple cross-laminated Bouma C units, massive Bouma A units, and load deformation structures. The bulk of the deposits are composed of silt-sized particles. The sand-sized fractions are mostly well-sorted very fine sands. The turbidite sand-sized fractions are composed dominantly of quartz, chert, and detrital calcite. The mineralogy of the turbidites is very homogenous but does not identify a particular dominant source area. An averaged sedimentation rate of 83 mm/l,000 years can be calculated for part of the Canada Abyssal Plain based on a C14 age date of 700 ± 100 years BP for Foraminifera found in a brown lutite layer in 34 cores. The higher concentration of turbidites in the northeast and southeast parts of the Canada Abyssal Plain indicates that the Canadian Archipelago was the most likely source area for the deposits. The turbidity current flows possibly originated as a result of seismic shocks, or due to oversteepening of slopes because of high sedimentation rates, or as a result of lowered sea level during major periods of deglaciation.


Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is an autoimmune blistering disease produced by IgG autoantibodies against desmoglein (Dsg)3. Lesions on the skin and mucosa can, in rare cases, be induced by radiotherapy. We report a patient with a history of microprolactinoma and PV, who had only oral lesions from the beginning of her illness but 2 months after treatment with radiotherapy for a breast neoplasia, developed skin lesions limited to the irradiated area. Over the following few months, she also developed autoantibodies against Dsg1.


Factors Affecting Cervical Cancer Screening Among African Women Living in the United States by Mosunmola Adeyemi M.P.H., Walden University, 2008 M.P.A., University of Lagos, 1987 B.A., University of Ife, 1980 A.S., Georgia Perimeter, 2005 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Health Walden University December 2013 Abstract More than half of the incidents and mortality rates from cervical cancer occur among minority groups, including immigrant women from continental Africa living in the United States. Although researchers have examined cervical cancer screening practices among minority populations, including Black women in Africa and in the United States, there are few studies on cervical cancer screening and associated risk factors, specifically among African women living in the United States. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between selected factors and cervical cancer screening practices among African immigrant women living in the United States. Using the behavioral model for vulnerable populations as a theoretical basis, this cross-sectional quantitative study was focused on determining the association between family income, level of education, language of interview, insurance status, age, and perceived health status and cancer screening practices. Data on 572 African immigrant women from the National Health Interview Survey in 2005, 2008, and 2010 were used for the study. Chisquare tests and logistic regression were used to analyze the data. Key findings indicate that family income, education level, and age were significantly associated with cervical cancer screening practices among African immigrant women in the United States.More than half of the incidents and mortality rates from cervical cancer occur among minority groups, including immigrant women from continental Africa living in the United States. Although researchers have examined cervical cancer screening practices among minority populations, including Black women in Africa and in the United States, there are few studies on cervical cancer screening and associated risk factors, specifically among African women living in the United States. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between selected factors and cervical cancer screening practices among African immigrant women living in the United States. Using the behavioral model for vulnerable populations as a theoretical basis, this cross-sectional quantitative study was focused on determining the association between family income, level of education, language of interview, insurance status, age, and perceived health status and cancer screening practices. Data on 572 African immigrant women from the National Health Interview Survey in 2005, 2008, and 2010 were used for the study. Chisquare tests and logistic regression were used to analyze the data. Key findings indicate that family income, education level, and age were significantly associated with cervical cancer screening practices among African immigrant women in the United States. Findings from the study support positive social change by targeting at-risk groups for cervical cancer screening programs. The long-term goal of early cervical cancer screening is to lower cervical cancer rates among African immigrant women in the United States. The findings from the study can be used by community health professionals to provide education that can lead to utilization of cervical cancer screening services based on guidelines and recommendations. Factors Affecting Cervical Cancer Screening Among African Women Living in the United States by Mosunmola Adeyemi M.P.H., Walden University, 2008 M.P.A., University of Lagos, 1987 B.A., University of Ife, 1980 A.S., Georgia Perimeter, 2005 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Health


Background: Kenya has committed to achieve universal health coverage (UHC) and prioritised purchasing reforms. Existing evidence indicates that purchasing can be leveraged to achieve health system objectives when done strategically. However, no single study has collated evidence on the progress and bottlenecks on strategic health purchasing (SHP) in Kenya to inform requisite SHP reforms in moving towards UHC. Against this backdrop, we assessed the progress and gaps in SHP in Kenya. Methods: We used a cross-sectional qualitative study design and collected data using document reviews, key informant interviews, and a stakeholder engagement workshop focussing on the three main purchasers in Kenya: the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF), county departments of health (CDOH) and the Ministry of Health (purchaser for vertical programmes). Data was analysed following a framework analysis approach. Results: Kenya is making progress towards developing, implementing and institutionalising SHP practices that should lead to the attainment of health system goals. Progress has been made in 1) strengthening the process of defining a health benefits package available for the population, 2) engaging in selective contracting and integrated care contracting, 3) implementing multiple provider payment mechanisms, 4) designing legal and regulatory frameworks that provide direction for purchasing, and 5) increasingly utilising information systems. However, several gaps remain. First, there remain inadequate linkages between MOH policies and the NHIF that can facilitate adequate stewardship/oversight. Second, the purchasers lack adequate capacity to ensure quality assurance and enforce contracts. Third, provider payment methods (PPM) remain poorly designed, implemented, and are not adequately linked to health system goals. Finally, purchasers have weak or unclearly defined communications strategies to patients and providers. Conclusions: Although Kenya is making progress in SHP, key gaps remain. Consequently, there is a need to implement reforms that will align the purchasers' actions and decisions to the ideals of strategic health purchasing.


In this paper, we examine the Nash equilibrium convergence properties of no-regret learning in general N -player games. For concreteness, we focus on the archetypal "follow the regularized leader" (FTRL) family of algorithms, and we consider the full spectrum of uncertainty that the players may encounter – from noisy, oracle-based feedback, to bandit, payoff-based information. In this general context, we establish a comprehensive equivalence between the stability of a Nash equilibrium and its support: a Nash equilibrium is stable and attracting with arbitrarily high probability if and only if it is strict (i.e., each equilibrium strategy has a unique best response). This equivalence extends existing continuous-time versions of the "folk theorem" of evolutionary game theory to a bona fide algorithmic learning setting, and it provides a clear refinement criterion for the prediction of the day-to-day behavior of no-regret learning in games.


The Slit family of secreted proteins act as axonal repellents during embryogenesis. Slit2 via its receptor, Roundabout-1, also inhibits chemotaxis of multiple leukocyte subsets. Using static and microfluidic shear assays, we found that Slit2 inhibited multiple steps required to recruit circulating neutrophils. Slit2 blocked capture and firm adhesion of human neutrophils to and transmigration across inflamed primary vascular endothelial cells. To determine the response of Slit2 in renal ischemia reperfsuion injury, Slit2 was administered prior to bilateral renal pedicle clamping in mice. This led to significant decreases in both renal tubular necrosis score and neutrophil infiltration. Administration of Slit2 also prevented elevation of plasma creatinine following injury in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, administration of Slit2 did not increase hepatic bacterial load in mice infected with L.monocytogenes infection. Collectively, these data demonstrate Slit2 as an exciting therapeutic molecule to combat renal ischemia reperfusion injury without compromising protective host innate immune functions.


Screening a substrate for bodily fluids is an extremely important step for locating areas that may contain DNA. Several different methods have been developed for saliva (1). The Phadebas® Forensic Press (PFP) test is a presumptive saliva test that utilizes a preloaded paper that will react with the enzyme amylase, a component of saliva (2-5). Because of its ability to screen for amylase while simultaneously locating stains, the PFP may prove to be an effective, rapid method for screening. However it is important to assess whether the PFP introduces any inhibitors (7) to downstream processing such as PCR amplification. Based on previous studies, we hypothesize that the PFP will provide a rapid and sensitive method for locating multiple saliva stains simultaneously, without introducing inhibitors to DNA profiling. To test the limitations of PFP as well as evaluated its effects on DNA profiling we first created a dilution series of saliva ranging from neat to 1:5000. After this we preformed sensitivity tests on an indirect method, UV degraded samples and washed samples as well as with bodily fluid mixtures. Once all sensitivity tests were done, cuttings were taken from the substrate and PFP paper and analyzed for DNA. Tests found that the sensitivity ranges of the PFP were between 1:10 and 1:1000, indirect tests were less sensitive than direct, all bodily fluid mixtures were detected, and UV degraded samples took more time to react. In addition our DNA results confirmed our hypothesis that PFP does not inhibit DNA and is a useful method for locating stains. This project was funded by NSFREU Grant DBI 1262832.


Logical problems inherent in claims that biological neuroscience can ultimately explain mind are not anomalous: They result from underlying social interests. Neuroscientists are currently making a successful bid to fill a vacuum of authority created by the demise of Freudian theory in popular culture. The conflations described in the Gold & Stoljar target article are the result of alliances between certain apologist-philosophers, neuroscientists, and institutions, for the purpose of commanding authority and resources. Social analysis has a role to play in addressing logical issues in the philosophy of neuroscience.


The talk reviews some of the analytical results available for studying the dambreak problem. Emphasis is then given to a thorough comparison between experimental data, analytical results (lubrication theory), and numerical simulations (obtained using the shallow "water" equations) for Newtonian fluids, viscoplastic materials, and density-matched particle suspensions. We show that the front has a specific behavior, due to a large extent to the pronounced curvature of the free surface that causes the shear stress to significantly increase (relative to the behavior in the body), but surprisingly enough, the details of this front behavior are not essential to determining the flow behavior of the fluid avalanche. The last part of the talk is devoted to avalanches of particle suspensions, whose behavior is highly dependent on the particle concentration. In spite of particle migration (which causes a significant blunting of the velocity profile), the analogy with an equivalent homogeneous Newtonian fluid performs well for concentrations as large as 0.56, but for concentrations in excess of 0.58, a more complicated behavior including stick-slip motion is observed.


Academic Libraries and Toxic Leadership examines a phenomenon that has yet to be seriously explored. While other so-called feminized professions, such as nursing, have been studied for their tendency to create toxic leadership environments, thus far academic librarianship has not.

 This book focuses on how to identify a toxic leader in an academic library setting, how to address toxic leadership, and how to work toward eradicating it from the organization. In addition, it discusses which steps can be used to prevent libraries from hiring toxic leaders.

 Presents original research based on a two-phase study about toxic leadership in academic libraries

 Demonstrates how to identify toxic leadership in libraries

 Shows how toxic leadership can manifest itself, providing the reader with steps to eradicate it


This report presents research performed by Loughborough Design School (LDS) on behalf of Transport for London. The research has been conducted against a background of over representation of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) being involved in road traffic accidents with vulnerable road users (VRUs) where 'failed to look properly' and 'vehicle blind-spot' are often reported as the main casual factors in the accident data. Previous work by LDS on driver's vision from HGVs has identified the need to reduce reliance on indirect vision via mirrors through the specification of a direct vision standard (DVS) for HGVs. Recent work commissioned by TfL and performed by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) resulted in a draft DVS. This draft DVS has been evaluated and reworked by the LDS team to produce a viable and robust method to quantify direct vision performance of an HGV together with a means to rate that vision performance against a star rating standard. Throughout this process significant stakeholder consultation has been used to support the development of the DVS. A total of 27 vehicles representing the majority of the current Euro 6 N3 HGV fleet have been modelled in CAD. Where data were available these have been mounted at the highest, lowest and most sold heights to produce a sample of 54 test vehicles. A methodology has been developed that utilises volumetric projection of the field of view of the driver via the windows in the cab. This projection is then intersected with an assessment volume. The result is a volumetric representation of the space around a HGV cab that the driver can see to the front, driver and passenger sides. The volume of this space can be calculated to provide a rating of direct vision performance. An iterative design process was followed that explored different specifications of the assessment zone around the cab, factoring in the collision data with VRUs and the use of weightings to prioritise what needs to be seen. Two weighting schemes were evaluated one prioritising the volumes vertically, recognising the importance of being able to see closer to the ground, and a second prioritising the volumes directionally to address the prevalence of accidents being greater to the front and passenger side when compared to the driver's side. The final specification of the volumetric assessment consists of a single, unweighted zone around the cab, informed by the current coverage of mirrors specified in UNECE regulation 46. This was done to foster direct vision that aims to remove the reliance on mirrors and thus should focus on providing direct vision of the areas currently covered by mirrors. The vehicle sample was then evaluated for its performance using this assessment, providing a volumetric score for each vehicle. These volumetric scores were then quantified by correlating them with a VRU simulation. Thirteen 5th %ile Italian female VRUs were placed around the vehicle and moved laterally to a point at which their head and shoulders could be seen. This served to provide context for the volumetric results such that a particular volume could be equated to an average distance at which the small adult could be seen. Furthermore, the VRU simulations provided a means to translate the volumetric performance into star ratings. Four star rating specifications were produced following an absolute (based on risk/safety) and a relative (based on the performance of the current fleet) approach. For both absolute and relative two iterations were proposed: 1. the VRU simulation distances were used to establish a threshold value, 2. the median volumetric result was used to establish a threshold value. The final option taken forwards used the VRU simulation distances for a 5th %ile Italian female to define the 1 star boundary. Vehicles able to provide direct vision of the VRUs at an average of <2m to the front, <4.5m to the passenger side and <0.6m to the driver's side achieved a star rating 1 star or above. All others achieved a rating of zero star. Star ratings from 1 to 5 star were sub divided equally. The final result consists of three main outcomes: The definition, production and validation of the direct vision standard (DVS) for HGVs December 2018 Transport for London 4 Loughborough Design School © 1. A robust, repeatable and validated method for the volumetric analysis of direct vision performance using a CAD based process 2. A process to map a volumetric score for a given vehicle onto the 5 star rating scale to produce a DVS rating for any vehicle. 3. Star ratings for the majority of the Euro 6 N3/N3G HGV fleet showing that of the 41 configurations analysed, two vehicles are rated 5 star, no vehicles are rated 4 star, five vehicles are able to achieve 3 star, three vehicles are able to achieve 2 star, and six vehicles are able to achieve 1 star, the remainder 25 vehicles were rated as zero star.


We derive the explicit analytical results of low-lying eigenenergies, eigenstates, momentum distributions, and all the two-order spatial correlation functions for a Bose-Hubbard model on a ring in the strong interaction limit by means of the first-order perturbation theory. We show explicitly that the ground and the low-lying excited states are all quantum entangled states in the incommensurate filling case and that certain correlation functions in some of these states, the ground state in particular, violate the Schwarz inequality, another indication of their nonclassicality.


As a unique window on the world, the cover of Time is the most celebrated and coveted showcase in print journalism. People who have had their faces on Time's cover - Presidents and movie stars, corporate titans and sporting legends - consider it one of the highest forms of recognition. To Time's worldwide audience of nearly 50 million, the cover declares, "Dear reader, we've decided this is important for you to know." In this book, thousands of weekly statements of who and what matters are telescoped into a single, never-before-assembled volume that traces our modern history through Time's iconic artwork and cover stories that became an influential part of the news they were covering. Time's cover, "has never lost its power to immediately send the signal...that in some way history is being made before our eyes." That power was reasserted as recently at May 2012 by Time's instantly famous cover, "Are You Mom Enough?"


The United States faces no greater challenge today than successfully fulfilling its new ambition of helping bring about a democratic transformation of the Middle East. Uncharted Journey contributes a wealth of concise, illuminating insights on this subject, drawing on the contributors' deep knowledge of Arab politics and their substantial experience with democracy-building in other parts of the world. The essays in part one vividly dissect the state of Arab politics today, including an up-to-date examination of the political shock wave in the region produced by the invasion of Iraq. Part two and three set out a provocative exploration of the possible elements of a democracy promotion strategy for the region. The contributors identify potential false steps as well as a productive way forward, avoiding the twin shoals of either reflexive pessimism in the face of the daunting obstacles to Arab democratization or an unrealistic optimism that fails to take into account the region's political complexities. Contributors include Eva Bellin (Hunter College), Daniel Brumberg (Carnegie Endowment), Thomas Carothers (Carnegie Endowment), Michele Dunne (Georgetown University), Graham Fuller, Amy Hawthorne (Carnegie Endowment), Marina Ottaway (Carnegie Endowment), and Richard Youngs (Foreign Policy Centre).


Autoimmune inflammatory diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), have been thought to be mediated by the cytokine interleukin 17 (IL-17). Curcumin (1,7-Bis (4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1,6 heptadiene- 3, 5-di-one) is an active ingredient derived from rhizomes of Curcuma longa Linn., displaying remarkable anti-inflammatory. Curcumin has been re-ported to have the suppressive effect on the development of an experimental animal model of RA, collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). However, there is no evidence for the effect of cur-cumin on IL-17 production of CIA mice. In the present study, we demonstrated that curcu-min inhibited the production of IL-17 in vitro. The treatments of curcumin exhibited an in-hibitory activity against CIA. We further demonstrated that curcumin suppressed IL-17 production of CIA mice using enzyme-linked immunospot assay and intracellular cytokine staining. We reported that curcumin had the inhibitory activity on IL-17 production in CIA mice. The suppression of CIA might result from the inhibition of IL-17 production.


In this paper, we examine command-and-control (CAC) policies and market-based instruments (MBI) in the context of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). The CRP, an MBI in the form of subsidies, is by far the largest agro-environmental policy implemented to date. We compare the environmental performance of the CRP as implemented to a few counterfactual CAC polices using EPIC (Environmental Policy Integrated Climate), a bio-physical simulation model. In the context of multiple environmental indicators, no policy alternative emerges as a clear winner. The importance of the choice and design of CAC policies is emphasized. Keywords: command-and-control policy, Conservation Reserve Program, market-based instrument.


We advance first mover advantage (FMA) theory by examining how the pace of market evolution and technology evolution potentially enables or disables FMA. Integrating several streams of literature, we elaborate on the interplay among these two environmental (macro) conditions and the "isolating mechanisms" that underpin FMA. We model these dynamics to help researchers negotiate the current debate, arising from conflicting empirical evidence, on the conditions necessary for FMA to exist.


Using the African diederik cuckoo Chrysococcyx caprius and four sympatric passerine foster species in the subfamily Ploceinae, we show that nestling cuckoos are infested by feather lice and mites derived from the ectoparasite fauna typical of the foster species. Adult cuckoos had five species of lice and mites normally found on ploceines, which demonstrates that these ectoparasites are able to survive on foreign hosts. This is the first record of persistence of passerine ectoparasites on a cuckoo. Adult diederik cuckoos also harboured four species of mites and lice specific to cuckoos; since these were not detected on nestlings, cuckoo-specific lice and mites apparently transfer to cuckoos after they leave the nest. Contrary to prediction, ectoparasites with a life cycle involving a permanent association with their host (feather mites and lice) were more likely to transfer to cuckoo nestlings than ectoparasites which spend part of their life cycle away from their host (haematophagous mites and phoretic skin mites). New host records are established for the lice genera Brueelia, Cuculoecus, Machaerilaemus, Myrsidea, Philopterus as well as for the mite species Microlichus americanus, Ornithonyssus bursa, Ornithocheyla megaphallos, Pellonyssus reedi, Pteronyssoides passeris, Pternonyssus glossifer, Trouessartia baupi, T. carpi, Xolalges plocei, X. scaurus and the mite genus Passeroptes.


Both industry leaders and government officials around the globe are struggling with how to address online privacy. One solution suggested by both groups within the United States is for companies to voluntarily comply with the fair information practices of Notice, Choice, Access, and Security. A content analysis of the online privacy policies of the firms in the Fortune Global 100 was conducted to determine the extent to which the most successful global companies comply with fair information practices. The results indicate that 1.2% fully complies, 87.2% partially comply and 11.6% fail to comply with one or more fair information practice.


Abstract. Transport and chemical transformation of well-defined New York City (NYC) urban plumes over the North Atlantic Ocean were studied using aircraft measurements collected on 20–21 July 2004 during the ICARTT (International Consortium for Atmospheric Research on Transport and Transformation) field campaign and WRF-Chem (Weather Research and Forecasting-Chemistry) model simulations. The strong NYC urban plumes were characterized by carbon monoxide (CO) mixing ratios of 350–400 parts per billion by volume (ppbv) and ozone (O 3 ) levels of about 100 ppbv near New York City on 20 July in the WP-3D in-situ and DC-3 lidar aircraft measurements. On 21 July, the two aircraft captured strong urban plumes with about 350 ppbv CO and over 150 ppbv O 3 (~160 ppbv maximum) about 600 km downwind of NYC over the North Atlantic Ocean. The measured urban plumes extended vertically up to about 2 km near New York City, but shrank to 1–1.5 km over the stable marine boundary layer (MBL) over the North Atlantic Ocean. The WRF-Chem model reproduced ozone formation processes, chemical characteristics, and meteorology of the measured urban plumes near New York City (20 July) and in the far downwind region over the North Atlantic Ocean (21 July). The quasi-Lagrangian analysis of transport and chemical transformation of the simulated NYC urban plumes using WRF-Chem results showed that the pollutants can be efficiently transported in (isentropic) layers in the lower atmosphere ( 3 mixing ratio in the NYC urban plumes remained at 80–90 ppbv during nocturnal transport over the stable MBL, then grew to over 100 ppbv by daytime oxidation of nitrogen oxides (NO x = NO + NO 2 ) with mixing ratios on the order of 1 ppbv. Efficient transport of reactive nitrogen species (NO y ), specifically nitric acid (HNO 3 ), was confirmed through the comparison of the CO/NO y ratio in photochemically fresh and aged NYC plumes, implying the possibility of long-range transport of O 3 over the stable MBL over the North Atlantic Ocean in association with NO x regeneration mechanism. The impact of chemical initial and boundary conditions (IC/BCs) on modelled O 3 urban plumes was investigated in terms of the background O 3 level and the vertical structure of the urban plumes. Simulations with dynamic ("time-variant") chemical IC/BCs enhanced the O 3 level by 2–12 ppbv on average in the atmospheric layer below 3 km, showing better agreement with the observed NYC plumes and biomass-burning plumes than the simulation with prescribed static IC/BCs. The simulation including MOZART-4 chemical IC/BCs and Alaskan/Canadian wildfire emissions compared better to the observed O 3 profiles in the upper atmospheric layer (>~3 km) than models that only accounted for North American anthropogenic/biogenic and wildfire contributions to background ozone. The comparison between models and observations show that chemical IC/BCs must be properly specified to achieve accurate model results.


Energy based models (EBMs) are appealing due to their generality and simplicity in likelihood modeling, but have been traditionally difficult to train. We present techniques to scale MCMC based EBM training on continuous neural networks, and we show its success on the high-dimensional data domains of ImageNet32x32, ImageNet128x128, CIFAR-10, and robotic hand trajectories, achieving better samples than other likelihood models and nearing the performance of contemporary GAN approaches, while covering all modes of the data. We highlight some unique capabilities of implicit generation such as compositionality and corrupt image reconstruction and inpainting. Finally, we show that EBMs are useful models across a wide variety of tasks, achieving state-of-the-art out-of-distribution classification, adversarially robust classification, state-of-the-art continual online class learning, and coherent long term predicted trajectory rollouts.


Cervical cancer staging remains one of the oldest staging systems for malignancies in the history of cancer. The initial professional body responsible for cervical cancer staging was the Radiological Sub-Commission of the Cancer Commission of the Health Organization of the League of Nations founded in 1928. Annual reports were published by the same commission and, in 1958, the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) became the official patron of the annual report. The FIGO Committee on Gynaecologic Cancer undertakes the responsibility to review and make recommendations to changes in the staging systems, based on available scientific information. Since the initial staging publication, there have been eight changes to the staging system for cervical cancer, with the most recent being in 2009. Thus far, most of the changes have pertained to stage I and its sub-stages.


The saving patterns of retired US households pose a challenge to the basic life-cycle model of saving. The observed patterns of out-of-pocket medical expenses, which rise quickly with age and income during retirement, and heterogeneous life span risk can explain a significant portion of US saving during retirement. However, more work is needed to distinguish these precautionary saving motives from other motives, such as the desire to leave bequests. Progress toward disentangling these motivations has been made by matching other features of the data, such as public and private insurance choices. An improved understanding of whether intended bequests left to children and spouses are due to altruism, risk sharing, exchange motivations, or a combination of these factors is an important direction for future research.


Fast gradient methods are known to be nonmonotone algorithms, and oscillations typically occur around the solution. To avoid this behavior, we propose in this paper a fast gradient method with restart, and analyze its convergence rate. The proposed algorithm bears similarities to other algorithms in the literature, but differs in a key point that enables theoretical convergence rate results. The efficiency of the proposed method is demonstrated by two numerical examples.


This psychophysical study explored one possible basis for visually judging the direction of motion in depth. We propose that the changing-size channels precisely compute the algebraic difference between the velocities of opposite edges of a target, thus extracting the velocity component Vz along a line through the eye independent of the trajectory of the target, so that (with added "jitter") this computation is accurately independent of the component of motion Vx parallel to the frontoparallel plane over a wide range of Vx:Vz ratios. We have no evidence for a complementary channel that computes Vx independently of Vz over any comparable range of Vx: Vz ratios. Our evidence shows that the oscillations of the edges of our stimulus square were equivalent to the oscillation of the square along one of 11 trajectories in depth. All 11 trajectories had the same value of Vz, but the 11 trajectories had different Vx values. In separate experiments, subjects adapted to each trajectory and we measured threshold elevations for two test oscillations, one equivalent to pure z-direction motion and the other equivalent to pure x-direction motion. To a first approximation, threshold elevations for the z-direction test were the same for all 11 trajectories, with the greatest departure from constancy (30%) when two edges of the adapting stimulus were stationary (i.e., equivalent to trajectories that just grazed the eye). Adding an 8-Hz "jitter" oscillation to the 2-Hz adapting oscillation "linearized" the visual response so that threshold elevations were rendered accurately constant (± 5%) for all trajectories tested.


Space inflatable technology is a promising solution to placing large metrology systems in space. Lighter weight, higher packaging efficiency, and easier maintenance are among a few of their advantages over mechanically deployed structures. On the other hand, their large volume after deployment makes them susceptible to disturbances in space. Therefore, vibration control is one major issue for this technology. The present work is an extension of the previous work of the author on continuum modeling of these structures for their vibrations analysis. Kinetic and strain energy expressions of the fundamental lattice elements of a structure are expanded in terms of the nodal displacement components. Certain assumptions are made to reduce the order of strain components in a three-dimensional structure in order to find the equivalent continuum model. Additionally, this work includes the effects of strain rates on the kinetics of these structures. The frequency results for various structures are compared to those of a previous model which neglects such effects. It is shown that the frequency changes are noticeable when the strain rate components are included in the kinetic energy derivations.


The topic of teen drinking is popular because it has been persistent over time and does not appear to be diminishing in today's society. Alcohol consumption among adolescents is a major health concern for our adolescents today (Kosterman, Hawkins, Guo, Catalon, & Abbott, 2000). Besides being associated with poor health conditions (Puddey, Rakic, Dimmitt, & Beilin, 1999), adolescent drinking is also correlated with risks such as poor school performance, violence/criminal behavior, and other self-harming behaviors (Mason & Windle, 2002). Aside from these alcohol related risks, there is a higher risk of poor decision making including that of drinking and driving. The current study attempted to determine the relationship among exposure to the negative effects of alcohol, specifically, death as a result of alcohol consumption and driving, and (1) the teen's participation in alcohol consumption post exposure and (2) the teen's participation in driving after consuming alcohol post exposure to these negative effects. The current study suggests that knowing someone who has been killed in a drunk-driving accident and the participants' own reported alcohol consumption is not significantly related, however, knowing someone who has been killed in a drunk driving accident is significantly related to the participants' own drunk driving behaviors, with those reporting higher levels of drunk driving being those who knew someone killed in a drunk driving accident. The study also indicates that the rated level of closeness to the person the participant knew who had been killed in a drunk driving accident was not significantly related to their own alcohol consumption nor their own drunk driving behaviors. Although the data doesn't show a level of significance between rated closeness to the person the participant knew who had died in a drunk-driving accident and their own drinking and drunk-driving behaviors, data does indicate a trend toward social group behaviors. There were six participants who reported being "Very Close" to someone who had been killed in a drunk-driving accident. Those six participants reported a higher mean (tables 2 and 4) for both alcohol consumption in the past 30 days and also for driving under the influence of alcohol in the past 30 days. This trend is something that possibly relates back to social group actions (e.g. the peer group of the individual who was killed in a drunk-driving accident is more likely to participate in drinking and drunk-driving than those not in that same peer group). The statistical power of the results indicating the peer groups (closeness) trends was compromised due to the small amount of participants (6 students) that fell within the group that rated being "very close" to someone who had been killed in a drunk-driving accident. This finding may have been found significant had there been more participants in this particular rating group.


Janet L. Abu-Lughod, Race, Space, and Riots in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. 360 pp. Building on her earlier book on three cities, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles: America's Global Cities (U. Minnesota Press, 1999), Professor Abu-Lughod goes one step further in the review here by examining the riots that have occurred in these cities. First a brief word about the author's background. Janet L. Abu-Lughod is professor emerita of sociology at Northwestern University and the Graduate School of the New School for Social Research. She has distinguished herself as a major urbanist for several decades. In this new book, she neatly balances the historical facts of each of these cities with a deeply informed interpretation that clearly advances our knowledge of how both large and small riots unfold. Abu-Lughod starts off by citing the Kerner report (U.S. Riot Commission Report of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorder) of 1968 which included this famous statement about the widespread riots: "This is our basic conclusion: Our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white-separate and unequal" (Kerner Report 1968:1). For the remainder of the book, Professor Abu-Lughod goes on to document how this assessment, now forty years old, is still a nagging source of most of our nation's urban disturbances, thus the key words in the title, "Race" and "Space." In many ways, it's the same old, same old even in the suggested policies to curb uprisings. In addition to addressing this larger issue, Abu- Lughod carefully dissects the historical trajectories of the three cities, outlining two riots for each city, making six in all. She does this by underscoring that these riots were "megariots or (almost) major riots" as opposed to minor uprisings. Race relations figure prominently in most of these cases, and the author takes care to define race as a social construct. She also clarifies where other factors enter the analysis, such as the tensions over living space in certain cities. Hers is a welcome interdisciplinary perspective on the subject of "race riots," adding nuances and wrinkles heretofore missed by other observers. The discussion on the three cities is a type of controlled comparison where a limited number of disturbances are recounted in detail with overarching questions driving the analysis. These questions are: 1) what are the changing conditions of race relations over time; 2) how do we explain variations in riots in three distinct cities; and 3) why do city governments reflect different response strategies? She then goes on to state the case of each city. Chicago is the city the author knows best and the book's two chapters covering the "bloody" riot of 1919 and the "Black Uprising" in 1968 are masterful descriptions and analysis of the root causes there. The early urban history is fascinating, rich with evidence and insight. For example, the 1919 riot was triggered by a swimming incident by the lakeshore where a black youth was killed by a rock thrown by a white man. The descriptions of what occurred after is assessed from various angles to provide a wellrounded view, leaving the reader with plenty of facts and evidence to make up his or her mind. As an urbanist, the author is without parallel when she dissects the U.S. federal effort to address the housing needs of the population. While race and socioeconomic issues are important too, the author stresses the significance of space and how the contentions over neighborhood borders eventually solidified a solution: the separation of the white and black races. This battle over space raged as a low-intensity war from the 1950s to the 1960s and erupted into violence and bloodshed with the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King on April 4, 1968. While space and race marked events in Chicago, class and race seemed to reflect the black-white antagonisms and hostilities in New York. …


Antarctic sea-ice is a critical component of the climate system, an enhancer of glacial climate and, as recently hypothesised by modelling studies, a potential driver of the millennial scale climate variability that dominated the last glacial cycle (LGC). Unfortunately a severe lack of glacial sea-ice records from the Southern Ocean has so far prevented the testing of this hypothesis with field data. In this thesis, I present detailed reconstructions of Antarctic sea-ice and ocean conditions derived from diatom assemblages and the first application of highly branched isoprenoid biomarkers to glacial sediments. These sea-ice sensitive proxies were measured in high-resolution, glacial sediment cores from the Scotia Sea (Southwest Atlantic, West Antarctica) and the Adelie Land Coast (Australia Antarctica Basin, East Antarctica). Good chronological control for the past 50 kyrs was achieved through the correlation of geochemical tracers with an oxygen isotope stack, a combination of biostratigraphic datums and relative geomagnetic palaeointensity data, and the identification of the Laschamp geomagnetic excursion at its most southerly site to date. These records permit a critical assessment of the contemporaneous nature of the regional extent, duration and seasonality of summer and winter sea-ice in West and East Antarctica during the LGC, and further afford an opportunity to determine validity of the proposed role played by Antarctic sea-ice in millennial-scale climate change through its influence on oceanography and climate. Results show that the environmental response to climate perturbations in West and East Antarctica was heterogeneous between 46.9 cal ka B.P. and 25 cal ka B.P. and broadly homogenous between ''25 cal ka B.P. and deglaciation. This study builds on existing Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) sea-ice reconstructions and shows greater summer sea-ice expansion in the Scotia Sea than previously recognised, a reduced maximum winter sea-ice extent along the Adelie Land Coast, a circum-Antarctic sea-ice maximum earlier than the LGM, decreased sea-ice seasonality in the Scotia Sea prior to maximum conditions, and an extensive period of extended sea-ice seasonality after maximum conditions. Further, this investigation has revealed close relationships between these new glacial reconstructions of Antarctic sea-ice and Antarctic Isotope Maxima, Dansgaard/Oeschger events, atmospheric CO2 variability and deep-water formation, confirming the likely importance of Antarctic sea-ice in the propagation of global millennial-scale climate change during the LGC.


Social-ecological systems (SES) are dynamic systems that continuously change in response to internal or external pressures. A better understanding of the interactions of the social and ecological systems that drive those dynamics is crucial for the development of sustainable management strategies. Dynamic models can serve as tools to explore social-ecological interactions; however, the complexity of the studied systems and the need to integrate knowledge, theories, and approaches from different disciplines pose considerable challenges for their development. We assess the potential of Ostrom's general SES framework (SESF) to guide a systematic and transparent process of model development in light of these difficulties. We develop a stepwise procedure for applying SESF to identify variables and their relationships relevant for an analysis of the SES. In doing so we demonstrate how the hierarchy of concepts in SESF and the identification of social-ecological processes using the newly introduced process relationships can help to unpack the system in a systematic and transparent way. We test the procedure by applying it to develop a dynamic model of decision making in the management of recreational fisheries. The added value of the common framework lies in the guidance it provides for (1) a structured approach to identifying major variables and the level of detail needed, and (2) a procedure that enhances model transparency by making explicit underlying assumptions and choices made when selecting variables and their interactions as well as the theories or empirical evidence on which they are based. Both aspects are of great relevance when dealing with the complexity of SES and integrating conceptual backgrounds from different disciplines. We discuss the advantages and difficulties of the application of SESF for model development, and contribute to its further refinement.


[1] The network comprising 61 high-frequency radar systems along the U.S. West Coast (USWC) provides a unique, high resolution, and broad scale view of ocean surface circulation. Subinertial alongshore surface currents show poleward propagating signals with phase speeds of O(10) and O(100–300) km d −1 that are consistent with historical in situ observations off the USWC and that can be possibly interpreted as coastally trapped waves (CTWs). The propagating signals in the slow mode are partly observed in southern California, which may result from scattering and reflection of higher-mode CTWs due to curvature of shoreline and bathymetry near Point Conception, California. On the other hand, considering the order of the phase speed in the slow mode, the poleward propagating signals may be attributed to alongshore advection or pressure-driven flows. A statistical regression of coastal winds at National Data Buoy Center buoys on the observed surface currents partitions locally and remotely wind-forced components, isolates footprints of the equatorward propagating storm events in winter off the USWC, and shows the poleward propagating signals year round.


This thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Social Science in Anthropology, 2018.


The fact that the neutron is slightly more massive than the proton is the reason why atomic nuclei have exactly those properties that make our world and ultimately our existence possible. Eighty years after the discovery of the neutron, a team of physicists from France, Germany, and Hungary headed by Zoltán Fodor, a researcher from Wuppertal, has finally calculated the tiny neutron-proton mass difference. [9]


Collateral circulation provides an alternative pathway for coronary blood flow during sudden coronary occlusion. Although interest on coronary collaterals has begun decades before, not until recently it regain its attention in the management of cardiovascular disease. Although several important studies have been done to elaborate the coronary collateral circulation, some conflicting opinions on its occurrence and function remain. This thesis aims to elaborate some issues in the occurrence and functional impact of coronary collaterals in coronary artery disease. This thesis comprises literature reviews and clinical observational studies. The literature reviews present the current knowledge on the role of collaterals in coronary artery disease and on the formation of collateral vessels. Clinical observational studies have been done to several cohorts of research populations. In a cohort of 52 patients with total or subtotal chronic coronary occlusion who underwent myocardial perfusion imaging and coronary angiography, we found that presence and extent of coronary collaterals are related to the perfusion of the regional myocardium. Nevertheless, only 27-35% of well developed collaterals provide functional perfusion. In a cohort of 879 male patients with stable coronary artery disease who have been followed for 24 months, the angiographical presence of coronary collaterals is a clinical predictor of cardiovascular prognosis. Furthermore, we studied the relevance of coronary collaterals in acute myocardial infarction. In a group of 187 patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), we studied the appearance of collaterals during STEMI and found that there is a significant increase of collateral prevalence within hours after infarction. The appearance of angiographic visible collaterals is associated with the duration of occlusion during myocardial infarction. In another cohort of 2529 patients with STEMI, we reevaluated the impact of ischemic time on the post-infarction left ventricular function after treatment with primary percutaneous coronary intervention. We found that the association between ischemic time and post-infarction left ventricular ejection fraction is significant, but weak. In the same cohort of patients, we evaluated the independent impact of collaterals on infarct size and post-infarction left ventricular function. Presence of collaterals in STEMI is associated with decreased infarct size, but not associated with better post-infarction LVEF. We also found that ischemic time have less negative effects on infarct size in patients with collaterals. To study the occurrence of coronary collaterals, we conducted two genetic association studies. In a cohort of 879 patients with coronary artery disease, we examined the association between polymorphism in TNF-α gene and collateral presence. We found that a G to A polymorphisms in the promoter region is associated with collateral presence. In another cohort of 226 patients, we studied the association between polymorphism in MCP-1 gene and collateral presence. We found that polymorphism at position -2518 is associated with collateral presence.


un arms embargoes have been increasingly applied to civil wars, yet these embargoes have tended to be either irrelevant or malevolent in their effects. arms embargoes are rarely enforced in a civil war; they undermine the credibility of the un; they are unlikely to change the political positions of civil war participants; they criminalise target societies; and they benefit arms suppliers willing to break the rules. this article argues for the reform of partial arms embargoes, which target select groups in a civil war. it also argues for the restriction in use of impartial embargoes, which apply to all sides in a civil war. enforcing impartial embargoes can actually make the situation worse, by shaping the course of the civil war in unpredictable and immoral ways.


We propose a model for a manager of a hedge fund with a liquidity constraint, where he is seeking to optimize his utility of wealth, with one and multiple period horizons. By using stochastic control techniques, we state the corresponding multi-dimensional Hamilton–Jacobi–Bellman partial differential equation and we use a robust numerical approximation to obtain its unique viscosity solution. We examine the effects of the liquidity constraint on managerial trading decisions and optimal allocation, finding that the manager behaves in a less risky manner. We also calculate the cost of being at sub-optimal positions as the difference in the certainty equivalent payoff for the manager. Moreover, we compare the values of a benchmark hedge fund with another one having a risky asset with a higher rate of return but less liquidity, finding that higher rate of return with a liquidity constraint does not always lead to greater return.


We demonstrate that attention flows manifest knowledge, and the distance (similarity) between crypto economies has predictive power to understand whether a fork or fierce competition within the same token space will be a destructive force or not. When dealing with hundreds of currencies and thousands of tokens investors have to face a very practical constraint: attention quickly becomes a scarce resource. To understand the role of attention in trustless markets we use Coase's theorem. For the theorem to hold, the conditions that the crypto communities that will split should meet are: (i)Well defined property rights: the crypto investor owns his attention; (ii) Information symmetry: it is reasonable to assume that up to the moment of the hard fork market participants are at a level ground in terms of shared knowledge. Specialization (who becomes the expert on each new coin) will come later; (iii) Low transaction costs: Just before the chains split there is no significant cost in switching attention. Other factors (such as mining profitability) will play a role after the fact, and any previous conditions (e.g. options sold on the future new coins) are mainly speculative. The condition of symmetry refers to the "common knowledge" available at t-1 where all that people know is the existing coin. Information asymmetries do exist at the micro level -we cannot assume full efficiency because transaction costs are really never zero. Say's Law states that at the macro level, aggregate production inevitably creates an equal aggregate demand. Since a fork is really an event at the macroeconomic level (in this case, the economy of bitcoin cash vs the economy of bitcoin), the aggregate demand for output is determined by the aggregate supply of output — there is a supply of attention before there was demand for attention.The Economic Complexity Index (ECI) introduced by Hidalgo and Hausmann provides the ability to predict future economic growth by looking at the production characteristics of the economy as a whole, rather than as the sum of its parts i.e. the present information content of the economy is a predictor of future growth. Say's Law and the ECI approach are about aggregation of dispersed resources, and that's what makes those relevant to the study of decentralized systems.While economic complexity is measured by the mix of products that countries are able to make, crypto economy complexity depends on the remixing of activities. Some services are complex because few crypto economies consume them, and the crypto economies that consume those tend to be more diversified.We should differentiate between the structure of output (off chain events) vs aggregated output (on chain, strictly transactional events). It can be demonstrated that crypto economies tend to converge to the level of economic output that can be supported by the know-how that is embedded in their economy — and is manifested by attention flows. Therefore, it is likely that a crypto economy complexity is a driver of prosperity when complexity is greater than what we would expect, at a given level of investment return. As members of the community specialize in different aspects of the economy, the structure of the network itself becomes an expression of the composition of attention output. We use genetic programming to find drivers — in other words, learn the rankings. Such a ranking score function has the form, returns_tokenA > returns_tokenB = f (sources_tokenA > sources_tokenB). It can be demonstrated that crypto economies tend to converge to the level of economic output that can be supported by the know-how that is embedded in their economy — and is manifested by attention flows. Ultimately, the degree of complexity is an issue of trust or lack thereof, and that's what the flow of attention and its conversion into transactional events reveal.


Vieda Skultans left Latvia as a refugee at the age of six months. In 1990, she returned for the first time. This text is both a personal account of a homecoming and an anthropology of a people trying to come to terms with its past and to face an uncertain future. Based on more than 100 interviews carried out in the wake of Latvian independence, it gives voice to stories of dispossession and exile and of ambiguous returns. At the same time it unpicks the process of memory itself, showing how personal memory is shaped by the traditional narratives of national history and culture.


This paper discusses the peculiar ability of certain deictic locatives (like la 'there') to appear left-adjacent to the verb in European Portuguese. We propose that leftward movement of la (and similar deictic locatives) is middle scrambling, understood as movement to Spec,TP. In order to explain why la -preposing to Spec,TP is not always permitted, we elaborate on the hypothesis of Costa & Martins (2003, 2004) that in EP the strong nature of the polarity-encoding head Σ requires it to be 'lexicalized' either by syntactic merger or by morphological merger under adjacency. Middle scrambling is barred whenever Σ and V must be adjacent. The analysis derives the particular syntax of the deictic locatives (in different clausal structures, including restructuring infinitives) and its puzzling parallelism with clitic placement. Finally, we suggest that speaker/utterance-anchorage is what links together deictic locatives and tense, enabling the former to enter the syntactic domain of the latter.


Immunosenescence is characterized by a complex remodelling of the immune system, mainly driven by lifelong antigenic burden. Cells of the immune system are constantly exposed to a variety of stressors capable of inducing apoptosis, including antigens and reactive oxygen species continuously produced during immune response and metabolic pathways. The overall homeostasis of the immune system is based on the balance between antigenic load, oxidative stress, and apoptotic processes on one side, and the regenerative potential and renewal of the immune system on the other.
Zinc is an essential trace element playing a central role on the immune function, being involved in many cellular processes, such as cell death and proliferation, as cofactor of enzymes, nuclear factors and hormones. In this context, the age associated changes in the immune system may be in part due to zinc deficiency, often observed in aged subjects and able to induce impairment of several immune functions.
Thus, the aim of this work was to investigate the role of zinc in two essential events for immunity during aging, i.e. apoptosis and cell proliferation. Spontaneous and oxidative stress-induced apoptosis were evaluated by flow cytometry in presence of a physiological concentration of zinc in vitro on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) obtained from healthy subjects of different age: a group of young subjects, a group of old subjects and a group of nonagenarians. In addition, cell cycle phases were analyzed by flow cytometry in PBMCs, obtained from the subjects of the same groups in presence of different concentration of zinc. We also analyzed the influence of zinc in these processes in relation to p53 codon 72 polymorphism, known to affect apoptosis and cell cycle in age-dependent manner.
Zinc significantly reduces spontaneous apoptosis in all age-groups; while it significantly increases oxidative stress-induced late apoptosis/necrosis in old and nonagenarians subjects. Some factors involved in the apoptotic pathway were studied and a zinc effect on mitochondrial membrane depolarization, cytochrome C release, caspase-3 activation, PARP cleavage and Bcl-2 expression was found. In conclusion, zinc inhibits spontaneous apoptosis in PBMCs contrasting the harmful effects due to the cellular culture conditions. On the other hand, zinc is able to increase toxicity and induce cell death in PBMCs from aged subjects when cells are exposed to stressing agents that compromise antioxidant cellular systems. Concerning the relationship between the susceptibility to apoptosis and p53 codon 72 genotype, zinc seems to affect apoptosis only in PBMCs from Pro- people suggesting a role of this ion in strengthening the mechanism responsible of the higher propensity of Pro- towards apoptosis.
Regarding cell cycle, high doses of zinc could have a role in the progression of cells from G1 to S phase and from S to G2/M phase. These effect seems depend on the age of the donor but seems to be unrelated to p53 codon 72 genotype.
In order to investigate the effect of an in vivo zinc supplementation on apoptosis and cell cycle, PBMCs from a group of aged subjects were studied before and after six weeks of oral zinc supplementation. Zinc supplementation reduces spontaneous apoptosis and it strongly reduces oxidative stress-induced apoptosis. On the contrary, no effect of zinc was observed on cell cycle. Therefore, it's clear that in vitro and in vivo zinc supplementation have different effects on apoptosis and cell cycle in PBMCs from aged subjects. Further experiments and clinical trials are necessary to clarify the real effect of an in vivo zinc supplementation because this preliminary data could encourage the of this element in all that disease with oxidative stress pathogenesis.
Moreover, the expression of metallothioneins (MTs), proteins well known for their zinc-binding ability and involved in many cellular processes, i.e. apoptosis, metal ions detoxification, oxidative stress, differentiation, was evaluated in total lymphocytes, in CD4+ and in CD8+ T lymphocytes from young and old healthy subjects in presence of different concentration of zinc in vitro. Literature data reported that during ageing the levels of these proteins increase and concomitantly they lose the ability to release zinc. This fact induce a down-regulation of many biological functions related to zinc, such as metabolism, gene expression and signal transduction. Therefore, these proteins may turn from protective in young-adult age to harmful agents for the immune function in ageing following the concept that several genes/proteins that increase fitness early in life may have negative effects later in life: named "Antagonistic Pleyotropy Theory of Ageing". Data obtained in this work indicate an higher and faster expression of MTs with lower doses of zinc in total lymphocytes, in CD4+ and in CD8+ T lymphocytes from old subjects supporting the antagonistic pleiotropic role of these proteins.


Whether financial news may contribute to market panics is not an innocent question. A positive answer is easily used as a legitimation to limit the freedom of financial journalists. Long-term effects of news are moreover inconsistent with the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH), which maintains that new information gives immediately rise to a new equilibrium. The EMH is under discussion, however, as a result of the transformation of financial markets and of financial journalism due to new economic thoughts, new communication theories, high-frequency trading and high-frequency sentiment analysis. As a case study of a market panic we show the impact of US news, UK news and Dutch news on three Dutch banks during the financial crisis of 2007–9. To avoid market panics, financial journalists may strive for greater transparency, not only on asset prices and corporate philosophies, but also on network dependencies in the worldwide financial markets.


Soil samples from 49 locations in Wales have been analyzed for 14 polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by HPLC with UV and fluorescence detection to define the normal or typical range of PAHs in surface soils (0–5 cm). The ΣPAH (defined as the sum of 14 PAH compounds sought) values vary by over 3 orders of magnitude. In general, soils show a constant qualitative mixture of PAH components but marked differences in absolute values along the remote-rural-urban gradient. Soil organic matter content has some controlling influence over soil ΣPAH values, but other soil properties (percent clay, bulk density) do not. In general, soils naturally rich in organic matter, such as peat bogs or deciduous and coniferous woodland soils, contain higher ΣPAH concentrations. SIMCA pattern recognition studies have been used to examine patterns in the samples and the variables. Principal component analysis supported the classification of "remote/rural" and "urban" soil samples based on the pattern of PAH; the distinction between remote/rural and urban is made at 600 μg of ΣPAH kg-1. The data are discussed further in the context of factors controlling soil PAH patterns.


Alternative splicing is the process by which an exon is preferentially included or excluded from an mRNA transcript. Recent global sequencing studies have shown that >95% of the transcriptome undergoes some form of alternative splicing. Such regulation often alters protein isoform expression, as is especially apparent in T cells of the immune system that change their expression of RNA and protein according to signaling cues. The focus of this thesis is on one alternative exon in the pre-mRNA of transcription factor LEF1 and its regulation by the splicing factor CELF2. LEF1 is crucial for T cell function as it upregulates the expression of TCRα. Upon signal induction in T-cells, CELF2 promotes the inclusion of exon 6 in LEF1 (LEF1-E6) in the final mRNA transcript. This increase in LEF-E6 inclusion generates an isoform of LEF1 that is preferentially active in promoting transcription of TCRα. CELF2 regulates LEF1-E6 inclusion upon stimulation by increasing its binding to two conserved elements (USE60 and DSE120) in the upstream and downstream introns flanking exon 6. My goal is to understand how the increase of binding of CELF2 to the USE60 and DSE120 upon stimulation results in an increase in LEF1-E6 inclusion. Using a combination of in vivo minigene assays, in vitro splicing assays and UV-crosslinking assays I correlate the binding of CELF2 to the function of the USE60 and DSE120. I show that the USE60 and DSE120 do not work synergistically to enhance inclusion but function antagonistic to each other. The USE60 is a repressor of splicing while the DSE120 is an enhancer. In order to achieve an increase in exon 6 inclusion only upon stimulation, CELF2 binding is highly regulated between the USE60 and DSE120. In unstimulated T cells, binding is biased towards the repressive USE60 and upon stimulation the increase in CELF2 binding happens purely on the activating DSE120. This bolus of CELF2 binding on the DSE120 upon stimulation leads to an increase in exon 6 inclusion. These studies reveal a model where binding of CELF2 to the DSE120 is inhibited in unstimulated cells and this inhibition is relieved upon stimulation. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics First Advisor Kristen Lynch


One of the most creative and brilliant episodes in modern Chinese history, the cultural and literary flowering that takes the name of the May Fourth Movement, is the subject of this comprehensive and insightful book. This is the first study of modern Chinese literature that shows how China's Confucian traditions were combined with Western influences to create a literature of new values and consciousness for the Chinese people.


The development of four separate, prototype expert systems to aid in software engineering management is described. Given the values for certain metrics, these systems provide interpretations which explain any abnormal patterns of these values during the development of a software project. The four expert systems which solve the same problem, were built using two different approaches to knowledge acquisition, a bottom-up approach and a top-down approach and two different expert system methods, rule-based deduction and frame-based abduction. In a comparison to see which methods might better suit the needs of this field, it was found that the bottom-up approach led to better results that did the top-down approach, and the rule-based deduction systems using simple rules provided more complete and correct solutions than did the frame-based abduction systems. >


Forest stand productivity is defined as the quantitative estimation of a specific area's potential to produce biomass over a determined period of time. The site index has been the predominant method used to evaluate forest stand productivity. Teak is one of the most accepted species within the international timber market due to the physical and aesthetic qualities of this wood. The aim of this study was to determine the site index of teak plantations. The study was conducted in teak plantations of Tabasco. Data were obtained from a network of 10 plantations consisting of 35 plots measured over four successive inventories (2003 to 2006). The data were fitted to five models, of which four were based on proposed finite difference equations and a non-integrated function. The most suitable of the five models was chosen, taking into account the goodness of fit, the residual analysis, and the validation with a data subsample from the plantation. The Sloboda model was finally selected, and the results obtained were compared with the model proposed by Upadhyay. This model proved to be a useful tool, not only in evaluating station quality but also in improving the planning and management of teak plantations in Tabasco.


Performance sampling models of duration dependence in employee turnover and firm exit predict that hazard rates will initially be low, gradually rise to a maximum, and then fall. Some empirical duration distributions have bimodal hazard rates, however. In this paper, we present a generalization of the performance sampling model that can account for such deviations from unimodality. While the standard model of performance sampling assumes that the mean and the standard deviation of performance are constant over time, we allow them to change in time, to reflect the fact that tasks may change over time. We derive the hazard rate implied by this more general model and show that it can be bimodal. Using data on turnover in law firms, we show that the hazard rate predicted by these models fit data better than existing models.


In 2010, incumbent Senator Lisa Murkowski was defeated in the U.S. Senate primaries by an insurgent wing of the Republican party that saw substantial success across the country. Senator Murkowski then announced her intention to mount a write-in campaign, offering the rare prospect of a realistic chance of success. In an attempt to forestall ballot errors that might prove determinative in a close race, the Alaska Division of Elections attempted to offer a list of eligible write-in candidates to Alaskan voters at the polls. In this short response to a symposium contribution by Professor Chad Flanders, I use the controversy over that list as a convenient point of departure for a return to first principles in election law. Alaska statutes required voters to write the name of their preferred candidate as it appeared on the appropriate candidate's declaration of a write-in candidacy. Such a requirement is open to interpretation, and some observers believed that the requirement should be strictly interpreted, based on the fact that a list of candidates was offered at the polls. This piece explores the notion of fault as the link between the two issues. Then, using the Alaskan example, it questions more generally the adequacy of fault as an interpretive principle for election regulations.


OBJECTIVE
To characterize the frequency, incidence and severity of dengue fever in Suriname and to detect historic clusters of disease by integrating epidemiological data into a spatial visualization platform.

METHODS
The frequency, incidence and severity of all reported dengue fever (DF) and dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) cases in Suriname from 2001 to 2012 were calculated and stratified by demographic factors. Using a geographic information systems (GIS) platform, we visualized the distribution of DF cases and used Moran's I to detect autocorrelation. Furthermore, a retrospective spatial Poisson probability model was used to identify local clusters of DF within Suriname. Local clusters were divided into neighborhoods and individual DF cases were mapped to the street level.

RESULTS
In Suriname, cases of DF emerge in cyclical patterns (three to five years) with seasonal peaks following the short and the long rainy season. Chi-square analysis indicated a statistically significant (p < 0.05) difference between age group, ethnicity and district and the onset of DHF. The spatial analysis detected spatial autocorrelation and four statistically significant (p < 0.05) clusters were identified in the two most populated districts of Paramaribo and Wanica.

CONCLUSION
In Suriname, identification of demographic and environmental risk factors that contribute to the development of DHF is essential to determine how preventive action can be more effectively allocated. The integration of epidemiological data into a GIS platform allowed for the identification of historic epidemiological clusters of dengue which will be used to guide environmental health studies in Suriname.


This work examines how the media representation of the female self-martyrs of Dagestan and Chechnya, often dubbed "Black Widows", portrays them as irrational, hysterical and/or desperate. The replication of the "Chechen Black Widow" narrative, applied to any female self-martyr striking on Russian soil, is clearly visible in both British and Russian media. This not only denies political agency to female attackers of Dagestani origin, but also attempts to dehumanise and demonize the entire group. By linking the bombers to unspecified "outside forces" and "Islamist" terrorism, any measures taken to suppress them, however harsh, are then justified to the public.


The kinase Akt and the transcription factor Foxo1 may not be required for hepatic responses to insulin. In the canonical insulin signaling pathway in the liver, insulin leads to activation of the kinase Akt, which phosphorylates and inhibits the transcription factor Foxo1, thus resulting in decreased expression of genes involved in glucose production (gluconeogenesis). Accordingly, Lu et al. found that mice with a hepatic-specific deletion of Akt1 and Akt2 (double-knockout mice) showed metabolic defects such as hyperglycemia after feeding, glucose intolerance, and fasting hyperinsulinemia. These mice also showed decreased insulin signaling (as indicated by decreased phosphorylation of the ribosomal protein S6 and increased abundance of Igfbp1 (insulin-like growth factor binding protein 1) and increased expression of various Foxo1 target genes. Mice with hepatic deletions of Akt1, Akt2, and Foxo1 (triple-knockout mice) did not show the metabolic defects exhibited by the double-knockout mice; however, insulin signaling remained impaired in the livers of triple-knockout mice. These results led the authors to propose that after feeding, Foxo1 can suppress an Akt-independent, insulin-responsive noncanonical pathway and that the main function of Akt is to inhibit Foxo1 through a parallel pathway. Similar to wild-type mice, the expression of genes encoding gluconeogenic enzymes decreased after feeding in Foxo1–/– and double-knockout mice, findings that supported the proposed noncanonical pathway. In contrast, basal expression of genes encoding gluconeogenic enzymes was lower in hepatocytes isolated from Foxo1–/– and triple-knockout mice and was nonresponsive to insulin stimulation, suggesting that the isolated hepatocytes were responding to insulin through the canonical pathway. In the associated commentary, Cheng and White discuss reports that suggest that the kinases PDPK1 (3-phosphoinositide dependent protein kinase-1) and atypical PKC (protein kinase C) could be involved in the noncanonical pathway. M. Lu, M. Wan, K. F. Leavens, Q. Chu, B. R. Monks, S. Fernandez, R. S. Ahima, K. Ueki, C. R. Kahn, M. J. Birnbaum, Insulin regulates liver metabolism in vivo in the absence of hepatic Akt and Foxo1. Nat. Med. 18, 388–395 (2012). [PubMed] Z. Cheng, M. F. White, The AKTion in non-canonical insulin signaling. Nat. Med. 18, 351–353 (2012). [PubMed]


A new algorithm for removal of cosmic spikes from hyperspectral Raman image data sets is presented. Spectra in a 3 × 3 pixel neighborhood are used to identify outlier-contaminated data points in the central pixel of that neighborhood. A preliminary despiking of the neighboring spectra is performed by median filtering. Correlations between the central pixel spectrum and its despiked neighbors are calculated, and the most highly correlated spectrum is used to identify outliers. Spike-contaminated data are replaced using results of polynomial interpolation. Because the neighborhood contains spectra obtained in three different frames, even large multi-pixel spikes are identified. Spatial, spectral, and temporal variation in signal is used to accurately identify outliers without the acquisition of any spectra other than those needed to generate the image itself. Sharp boundaries between regions of high chemical contrast do not interfere with outlier identification.


Ship routing and scheduling problem is considered to meet the demand for various products in multiple ports within the planning horizon. The ports have restricted operating time, so multiple time windows are taken into account. The problem addresses the operational measures such as speed optimisation and slow steaming for reducing carbon emission. A mixed integer non-linear programming (MINLP) model is presented and it includes the issues pertaining to multiple time horizons, sustainability aspects and varying demand and supply at various ports. The formulation incorporates several real time constraints addressing the multiple time window, varying supply and demand, carbon emission etc. that conceive a way to represent several complicating scenarios experienced in maritime transportation. Owing to the inherent complexity, such a problem is considered to be NP-Hard in nature and for solutions an effective meta-heuristics named Particle Swarm Optimization-Composite Particle (PSO-CP) is employed. Results obtained from PSO-CP are compared using PSO (Particle Swarm Optimization) and GA (Genetic Algorithm) to prove its superiority. Addition of sustainability constraints leads to a 4-10% variation in the total cost. Results suggest that the carbon emission, fuel cost and fuel consumption constraints can be comfortably added to the mathematical model for encapsulating the sustainability dimensions.


A series of polyquasicrystalline ingots with the nominal composition Al 63.6 Cu 24.0 Fe 12.4 has been prepared by conventional drop casting and subsequent annealing at 1088K for 24h. Compression specimens prepared from the different ingots have been deformed at temperatures ranging from 750 to 1050K. The details of the structure and microstructure of the as-cast, annealed and deformed materials have been investigated by optical, scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Whatever their initial structure (i.e. pure icosahedral, modulated or relevant to approximant phases) and their defect microstructure (dislocations and crystalline platelets), all the specimens, which have been compression tested, exhibit similar mechanical behaviours.


The terrible events that unfolded on September 11, 2001 affected the entire world,
especially people in the United States. This study assessed symptoms and correlates of
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and examined substance use following the attack.
There were 210 participants from the NY, NJ, and Conn. areas surveyed on the beach 8-
10 months after 9/11. Participants were asked about their retrospective accounts and their
current reports of symptoms and substance use. Results showed that people who were
within a one-mile radius of the World Trade Center (WTC) on 9/11 had more frequent
PTSD symptoms retrospectively and 8-10 months following the attack than people who
were 45-60 miles away. There was a significant correlation between retrospective
accounts of PTSD symptoms and substance use six months following 9/11. There was
also a significant correlation between PTSD symptoms 8-10 months after 9/11 and
substance use six months following 9/11. A t-test revealed that substance use in the six
months after 9/11 was not significantly different from substance use in the six months
before 9/11. Even 8-10 months after the terrorist's attacks of September 11, 2001
participants reported considerable psychological imbalance.


We report the computation of the matrix element of the chromomagnetic operator of the flavour changing neutral current (FCNC)-type between a $B$- or $D$-meson state and a light hadron and off-shell photon. The computation is carried out by using the method of light-cone sum rules (LCSR). It is found that the matrix element exhibits a large strong phase for which we give a long distance interpretation. The analytic structure of the correlation function in use admits a complex anomalous threshold on the physical sheet, the meaning and handling of which within the sum rule approach is discussed. We compare our results to QCD factorisation for which spectator photon emission is end-point divergent.


So you fancy yourself a filmmaker? Here to ensure that you truly are is a simple, to-the-point guide that leads you through the process of creating your very first digital video project with Adobe's brand-new consumer-level video editing software, Premiere Elements ($99). In these pages veteran author and PC Magazine contributing editor Jan Ozer gets right to the point: Rather than explore every option and feature of Premiere Elements, Jan uses project-based instruction and big, colorful screen shots to demonstrates the quickest, easiest, and smartest route to cinematic success. Each short lesson builds on the last as you learn how to capture and import video; add transitions, titles and effects; take advantage of the program's stunning templates; use the program with Photoshop Elements to edit and incorporate still images; and output your finished video to DVD. The book's small size and even smaller price ($12.99) make it the perfect entry point into the world of digital filmmaking as well as the ideal jumping-off point for further exploration.


Mendelssohn's music is consistently measured by a Beethovenian yardstick and, more often than not, his music is found to be unfit to live up to this aesthetic model. The purpose of this dissertation is to ask: is the model of Beethoven's music the only appropriate choice for guiding analysis and research of Mendelssohn's compositional style? I argue that the answer is an emphatic no. This dissertation attempts to open other avenues of research into Mendelssohn's compositional style by training the focus directly on Mendelssohn's works themselves. Using an inductive approach, this dissertation summarizes the results of the analysis of a cross-section of works in sonata form that span Mendelssohn's compositional career. This dissertation attempts to demonstrate that Mendelssohn was following a decidedly different path than Beethoven. First, I examine Mendelssohn's musical education and upbringing, drawing strong connections to the Classical style. Next, I demonstrate the need for a flexible analytical model of sonata form in order to capture the unique blend of Classical and Romantic aspects within Mendelssohn's music in sonata form and argue that Hepokoski and Darcy's theory of sonata form is the best choice to analyze these works. The conclusions drawn from an examination of twenty-four first movements in sonata form from Mendelssohn's oeuvre are then presented, suggesting that there are four main aspects that define Mendelssohn's sonata-form style. Aesthetic issues of the early-nineteenth century are explored with a focus on the concept of lyricism and its effect on sonata form as a whole and Mendelssohn's approach in particular. Finally, four analytical case studies are presented which span Mendelssohn's compositional career. Two piano sonatas, the Sonata in G Minor, Op. 105 (1821) and the Sonata in E Major, Op. 6 (1825) are presented as a demonstration of ii Mendelssohn's early conception of sonata form; the Cello Sonata No. 1 in Bb Major, Op. 45 (1838) and the Piano Trio in C Minor, Op. 66 (1845) are presented in order to demonstrate Mendelssohn's continued use and transformation of sonata form over the course of his compositional career.


Should a new "platform" target a functionality-rich but complex and expensive design or instead opt for a bare-bone but cheaper one? This is a fundamental question with profound implications for the eventual success of any platform. A general answer is, however, elusive as it involves a complex trade-off between benefits and costs. The intent of this paper is to introduce an approach based on standard tools from the field of economics, which can offer some insight into this difficult question. We demonstrate its applicability by developing and solving a generic model that incorporates key interactions between platform stakeholders. The solution confirms that the "optimal" number of features a platform should offer strongly depends on variations in cost factors. More interestingly, it reveals a high sensitivity to small relative changes in those costs. The paper's contribution and motivation are in establishing the potential of such a cross-disciplinary approach for providing qualitative and quantitative insights into the complex question of platform design.


Most architects who build do not make buildings; they make information that makes buildings. Making buildings requires acquiring knowledge not only of the world of information exchange, but also of the world of making things. It is an expertise that goes beyond the architectural drawing and an expertise that many designers cannot claim to fully possess or practice. Design through Making is not only directed at architects, but engineers, educators, fabricators, machine operators, and anyone with an interest in the manifestation of ideas. It seeks to challenge outmoded notions that building production is preceded by design, and making is merely the cooking of the raw, or the end game where no further design ideas are explored. Here, a hybrid mode is recognised where the investigation of ideas is fully engaged with the tactile, physical nature of architecture and building processes. It is an issue that celebrates the re-emergence of making, not merely as an immense resource for ideas, experimentation and customisation, but as a critical resource that will redefine architectural practices. This title includes the work of Block Architecture, Mark Burry, Thomas Heatherwick Studios and Walter Pichler; there is also a special feature on Japanese traditions in architecture. Contributors include: Iain Borden, Sarah Chaplin, David Dunster, Jonathan Hill and Mark Prizeman.