In 2009 a collaborative German-Russian expedition realised an ecological and limnogeological survey along a north-south transect in arctic Siberia. The field studies included 14 thermokarst lake-sites reaching from the Arga region at 73° N within the Lena delta (Laptev Sea regioin) to the Lena hinterland at 69° N crossing the treeline. Based on the findings of this pre-survey (e.g. significant high sedimentation rates) a follow-up expedition in 2010 was undertaken to continue the paleolimnological studies at Lake El'gene Kyuele (71°18,04' N, 125°34,15' E) in the middle part of the transect and Lake Kyutyunda (69°37,89' N, 123°39,42' E) near the southernmost position of the transect. During this expedition longer sediment cores up to 8 m could be retrieved using an Uwitec piston corer system from a platform. Additionally the catchment area and the lake bathymetry were analysed.El'gene Kyuele has a length of 2.9 km and a width of 0.5 km. The lake bottom shows a strong relief with a maximum water depth of 10.5 m. The small catchment area reveals intensive thermokarst processes of the surrounded deeply loesslike sediments (Yedoma). The elongated shape corresponding to the regional geological structure of the bedrock also indicates a tectonic component influencing the thermokarst lake genesis.We intend to compare the sedimentological and paleoenvironmental regimes of 4 selected lakes of the transect in order to gain informations about temporal environmental changes in the gradient from the north to the south. Our main questions are: How much is the thermokarst erosion influencing the sedimentological regime? Is the lake bathymetry only controlled by thermokarst subsidence processes? Is there a paleoclimate signal triggering the detrital input events? To answer this questions bio-geochemical, geochemical and grain-size studies were conducted on several sediment cores along the selected lakes of the transect.The aim of the research project is to understand and reconstruct the sedimentary thermokarst processes and the Holocene palaeoenvironmental gradients reaching from the southern extrem continental settings to the Laptev-Sea region.


The article is organised around three themes, each one illuminating half a century of historical life: (i) the first theme relates to the second half of the nineteenth century, analysing the role of statistics in the formation of state education systems; (ii) the second theme concentrates on the first half of the twentieth century and the importance of tests, examinations and surveys in the development of 'pedagogical modernity'; (iii) the third theme looks at the historical period of the second half of the twentieth century, and how databases began to be used as an important tool in the formulation of educational policies. To conclude, the article underlines how comparison is becoming one of the main instruments of governance in contemporary societies — in other words, how power tends increasingly to be exercised through policies that claim to be 'obvious', 'natural', 'evidence-based', instead of being grounded on ideological and political options.


Abstract In this paper, I argue that the folk ballad tradition of the Faroe Islands, to date never examined in detail by metrists, offers substantial empirical support for the necessity of maintaining the classic metrical template, as well as the distinction between metrical and prosodic structure: meter is an abstraction which can neither be collapsed into phonology, nor fundamentally detached from it (Kiparsky 2006, Blumenfeld 2015, pace Hayes & MacEachern 1998, Fabb & Halle 2008). The ballad performances also reveal a unidirectional correspondence from strong metrical positions to strong dance steps and strong musical beats, indicating that metrical prominence plays a significant role in determining rhythm. The Faroese tradition thus provides a window into the relation between metrical structure and performance. In support of my conclusions I draw upon both the ballad texts and audio-visual recordings of sections of sample ballads I made on the Faroe Islands.


The Diapason system, which is designed to aid the supervision of continuous processes that evolve with slow dynamics, such as those used for reprocessing nuclear fuels, is discussed. The system presents operators with a synthetic image of the process, which is modeled using qualitative physics and process control theory. Diapason has modules for prediction, defect diagnosis, and fault diagnosis. By following the evolution of relevant variables, whether measurable or not, and giving associated explanations, it can predict the evolution of processes, enabling management by anticipation. It also detects and promptly analyzes incidental situations, thus performing preventive maintenance and managing degraded conditions. Once it diagnoses defects based on model and process comparisons, it feeds those results to the module that diagnoses faults using structural knowledge of the process.<<ETX>>


The popularity of autonomous mobile robots have been rapidly increasing due to their new emerging application areas, from room cleaning, tourist guidance to space explorations. However, the development of a satisfactory control algorithm that will enable the autonomous mobile robots to navigate safely especially in dynamic environments is still an open research problem. In this work, a newly proposed potential field based control method is implemented, analyzed, and improvements are suggested based on experimental results obtained from a real robot. The experimental system, planned to be the groundwork for robot soccer team, consists of an overhead global vision camera, personal computer, wireless module, and a non-holonomic mobile robot, which is supposed to navigate safely among obstacles and reach its goal point. Images of the robots operating area are acquired by the camera, color processed by the PC in real-time to retrieve the required position and orientation information of the robot, goal, and obstacles. Then, the control algorithm is applied, and resulting reference wheel velocities are sent to the robot via wireless link. Finally, robot has to drive with these reference velocities for safe navigation and goal tracking. Experimental results in the form of motion history images, graphs and movies are presented to demonstrate the successful as well as problematic aspects of the implemented algorithm and the setup.


Pension funds play a linchpin role in Western, capitalist economies by allowing citizens to save for their future, and are generally viewed as fundamental to the stability and long-term orientation of the production system as a whole. It is essential to ensure that there is clarity as to society's expectations of them. In theory, they have the correct incentives to engage with investee companies to steer them towards the long-term. Yet evidence suggests this is not happening despite escalating soft law interventions. Environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks are increasingly seen as financially material, both in positive terms and in negative or defensive terms. Although trustees across the EU are legally permitted to take account of ESG factors in making investment decisions, the law in this area is vague and ill-defined. Furthermore, it appears that many investors are reluctant to factor these risks into their analysis, preferring instead to take a short-term, purely quantitative approach to management of risks across their portfolio. Many investors want to take account of ESG risks in their policies and decision-making but are currently being held back by legal uncertainties and (ill-founded) fear of liability. This paper calls for clarification at EU (and national) level of the extent extent of the discretion available to pension fund trustees so as to enable them to play the role that is expected of them by their beneficiaries and society.


Structural health monitoring (SHM) has originally been used for static structures. With the development of high-speed data acquisition technology, SHM systems can monitor structures in seconds. Advanced SHM systems for use in dynamic environments require operation in the microsecond timescale. One promising approach is the electromechanical impedance (EMI) technique. The EMI method monitors the impedance of a structure, and damage is indicated by changes in the impedance. Standard impedance measuring hardware are not practical for microsecond detection due to their slow sampling speeds. Faster impedance measuring techniques have been developed and allow for customizable excitation signals. Researchers have also considered taking measurements at higher frequencies to decrease the measurement time. Past works indicate sensitivity to damage is limited above 600 kHz. The goal of this study is to evaluate the sensitivity of the EMI method to damage with a high voltage excitation signal. It was hypothesized that increasing the voltage would increase damage sensitivity at higher frequencies. In this study, the amplitude of the excitation signal was increased using a high frequency voltage amplifier. A PZT disk bonded to a cantilevered aluminum beam was used as the test structure. Damage was created by decreasing the length of the beam. Finite element (FE) simulation was also employed to achieve a better understanding of the experiment. From the results of the experiment and FE model, using a higher excitation voltage has proven not to increase the sensitivity level of the EMI method. Higher voltages do improve the precision of the measurement by increasing the signal to noise ratio.


In this paper we provide an overview of the movement in Ireland from a focus on income poverty to the incorporation of deprivation indicators in a multidimensional approach to the measurement of poverty. We then seek to place this approach, involving a restricted incorporation of deprivation dimensions, in the context of a broader multidimensional approach to the understanding of poverty in Ireland. We proceed to extend our consideration to multidimensional approaches to quality of life which have involved macro and micro approaches to developing aggregate measures that go well beyond the normal concerns of poverty research. In so doing, we will seek to show that while all of these approaches must face key judgements relating to choices of dimensions, thresholds, weighting and aggregation, there is significant variation in the challenges posed in relation to the scale of aggregation, the degree of multidimensionality aspired to and the availability of data sources that match such ambitions. Given these issues, the superiority of a multidimensional approach and of a focus more broadly on quality of life must be demonstrated rather than assumed.


Uncertainty in Policy Making explores how uncertainty is interpreted and used by policy makers, experts and politicians. It argues that conventional notions of rational, evidence-based policy making - hailed by governments and organisations across the world as the only way to make good policy - is an impossible aim in highly complex and uncertain environments; the blind pursuit of such a 'rational' goal is in fact irrational in a world of competing values and interests. The book centres around two high-profile and important case studies: the Iraq war and climate change policy in the US, UK and Australia. Based on three years' research, including interviews with experts such as Hans Blix, Paul Pillar, and Brian Jones, these two case studies show that the treatment of uncertainty issues in specialist advice is largely determined by how well the advice fits with or contradicts the policy goals and orientation of the policy elite. Instead of allowing the debates to be side-tracked by arguments over whose science or expert advice is 'more right', we must accept that uncertainty in complex issues is unavoidable and recognise the values and interests that lie at the heart of the issues. The book offers a 'hedging' approach which will enable policy makers to manage rather than eliminate uncertainty.


We describe a Laplace transform exponential method applied to x-y-z geometry heterogeneous neutron transport problems in the discrete ordinates (SN) formulation that we refer to as the LTSN – Exp method. This numerical method uses the space Laplace transform technique to solve the one-dimensional transverse-integrated SN exponential equations within one of the homogeneous regions of the domain of solution. Based on the physics of shielding problems where the neutron flux attenuates exponentially with increasing distance from the source, we approximate the transverse leakage terms by exponential functions. We show in two numerical experiments that the LTSN – Exp method generates very accurate results in highly absorbing media.


Parents, especially mothers, of a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are more likely to experience higher levels of stress, and adaptive emotion regulation strategies, such as mindfulness and acceptance, may decrease stress among parents of children with ASD. Research has shown that mindfulness-based interventions reduce perceived stress among parents of typically developing children and improve the parent-child relationship, and similar interventions may be helpful for mothers of children with ASD. However, research has not yet established that mindfulness is related to decreased stress among parents. It is important to first establish this relationship, given the possibility that other factors, such as child behavioral difficulties or parental psychopathology are stronger predictors of maternal stress than the mother's regulation strategies. This study examined the unique contribution of maternal mindfulness to maternal stress in a sample of mothers (n = 154) who completed an online battery of measures. As predicted, maternal mindfulness significantly predicted level of maternal stress, above and beyond child behavior problems and maternal psychopathology, and this relationship was not moderated by child's ASD diagnosis. Maternal emotion regulation and effortful control were also significantly related to maternal stress, and may account for the explained variance of mindfulness. These findings and their implications are discussed.


Abstract One of the basic activities within the software development process is the performing of model transformations. This work presents two techniques for realizing transformations of models expressed in the unified modeling language (UML). The techniques are in line with established approaches to systematically defining UML model transformations with object constraint language (OCL). Practical aspects of the definition and the implementation process are emphasized, followed by remarks on how the transformations can be used within the model driven architecture (MDA) approach to development of software systems. Advantages of the approach are highlighted.


We propose a new fast learning algorithm for SOM and its digital hardware design based on the massively parallel architecture. When this proposed algorithm is realized by using Xilinx XC2V6000-6 FPGA, a maximum performance of 17500 MCUPS is achieved and up to 256 competing units (16 /spl times/ 16 map) can be implemented. Each competing unit have a weight vector which is represented by 128 elements of 16 bits accuracy. Furthermore, we applied the proposed hardware to a realtime digital image enlargement system. In the case of full color (24 bits) image enlargement from QQVGA (160 /spl times/ 120 pixel) to QVGA (320 /spl times/ 240 pixel), a proposed hardware requires only 0.12 second per image, while the personal computer (Intel XEON, 2.8 GHz Dual) requires more than 5 seconds per image.


The transformation towards a climate-resilient and low-carbon future will require collaboration between a host of institutions as well as stateand non-state stakeholders in addition to their numerous actions aimed at mitigation and adaptation. However, the "groundswell" of non-state and subnational actions and initiatives remains uncoordinated in a fragmented climate-governance landscape. This discussion paper investigates whether and how a Global Framework for Climate Action (GFCA) could become an advantageous link between the multilateral climate regime and non-state and subnational initiatives. It seeks to answer these questions by deriving lessons learnt from two case studies on existing frameworks that link non-state actions to multilateral processes: the Partnerships for Sustainable Development framework and the Private Sector Initiative under the UNFCCC Nairobi work programme on impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change, respectively. The case studies show a disconnection between the recognition of the hard-to-deny potential of non-state and subnational initiatives, and the performance of the samples of initiatives that take part in the respective frameworks. The studied frameworks largely fail to capture effective initiatives. Moreover, the studied frameworks are not successful at ensuring credible information, transparency and progress by participating initiatives. The lack of screening procedures and minimal requirements for participating initiatives have made these frameworks vulnerable to green-washing practices in which business-as-usual passes for being climate-friendly and sustainable. Moreover, the investigated frameworks lack sufficient means to operate larger programmes to mobilise non-state and subnational stakeholders in the long-term. Based on lessons learnt, this discussion paper presents a design for a GFCA. The proposed GFCA is a comprehensive and collaborative programme. It is comprehensive, as it combines multiple functions, namely: the mobilisation of new and enhanced initiatives; the recording of initiatives in a publicly available registry; the monitoring and verification of progress; and the conducting of periodic overall assessments to ensure that the framework leads to higher ambitions and better implementation. A GFCA is collaborative, as it is operated and administered by a network of experts, think tanks, and public and private organisations rather than by a single administrative body. This network will yield the strengths of existing efforts and pool resources from multiple organisations, while retaining legitimacy through its partnership with international bodies such as the UNFCCC secretariat or UNEP. Moreover, by building on existing efforts, the GFCA would not require a heavy institutional footprint. The proposed GFCA could become an important element in the future global climategovernance architecture. On the one hand, this framework would strengthen the orchestration capacity within the UNFCCC to steer non-state and subnational actions towards greater ambitions and the implementation of international targets and agreements. On the other hand, a GFCA would entail official recognition of non-state and subnational initiatives that substantially contribute to low-carbon and climate-resilient development. A credible and well-designed GFCA would be an additional motivation for reputationconscious non-state stakeholders, such as businesses and NGOs, to participate.


Retirement policies often seek to set minimum pensions at levels that enable single and married pensioners to have the same standard of living. The existing literature on consumer equivalence scales provides little assistance in reaching this policy objective, as the estimated scales are both imprecise and reliant upon strong and opaque assumptions. This paper proposes an alternative modelling strategy which has low data requirements and involves the use of detailed, but transparent, assumptions about the extent of joint consumption of particular commodities. These assumptions are embedded in an economic model of household consumption and combined with household expenditure data to calculate consumer equivalence scales. It is estimated that Australian couples of Age Pension age who own their own home need expenditures between 1.32 and 1.60 times that of single person households in order to have the same effective consumption level. These scales are lower than those used in the pension system at the time the research was undertaken.


Another summit of change, known as Rio+20, has passed in summer 2012, nourishing the rumours of a green economy. Building up a green economy seems to be the all over recipe for different crises of capitalism, among them climate change and resource scarcity. Yet efficiency and consistency, as their main strategies, do not suffice to reach sustainable levels, as they cause rebound effects and keep stimulating economy growth. Obviously, there are limits to green growth, too. Can we conceive an economy, and respective economic institutions, that serve human needs and wealth without a built-in necessity to grow? What kind of political, mental, and individual changes does a sufficiency economy require? And what are perspectives and policies to actually start implementing it? Just before Rio +20 the symposium "Economy of Sufficiency", devoted to Wolfgang Sachs on the occasion of his 65th birthday in 2011, examined these questions in three dimensions. Accordingly this selection of contributions to the symposium follows the chapters "Wealth in diversity" (Ashok Khosla, Marianne Gronemeyer, Vandana Shiva), "Enjoyable limits" (Richard B. Norgaard, Tim Jackson) and "Creating commons" (Ezio Manzini, Silke Helfrich). The essays indicate the historical development of the ideas on a sufficiency economy. Wandering through discourses of sustainable development for several decades, the authors map the range of perspectives, practices as well as barriers and bridge them between cultures, agencies and schools.


Professional development is a leading topic of discussion in the field of education. Because teachers are responsible for implementing relevant instructional practices, meeting the instructional needs of students, and taking ownership of their professional development goals, understanding teacher perceptions of school-based and district level professional development is critical. The purpose of this study was to investigate how K-12 teachers perceive school-based and district professional development. This study aimed to answer three questions: How do teachers perceive school-based and district professional development? What types of professional development experiences do teachers find effective? Do recent professional development experiences influence how teachers collaborate with other teachers? The researcher hopes that schools and districts will consider relevant, job-embedded, and sustainable professional development options based on the information found and reported in this case study.


Due to its efficiency, defeasible logic is one of the most interesting non-monotonic formalisms. Unfortunately, the logic has one major limitation: it does not properly deal with cyclic defeasible rules.In this paper, we provide a new variant of defeasible logic, using CAKE method. The resulting formalism is tractable and properly deals with circular defeasible rules.


India accounts for 26% of the words Tuberculosis population. The WHO's Global TB Program states that in India, the number of people newly diagnosed with TB increased by 74% when compared to other countries from 1.2 million to 2.2 million between 2013 and 2019. Tuberculosis was and still remains a disease that causes high death rates in the country. Many of these deaths can be easily prevented if diagnosed at an early stage. The easiest, cost-effective and non-invasive method of detecting tuberculosis is through a frontal chest x-ray (CXR). But this requires a radiologist to manually examine and analyse each of the X-ray, considering the heavy patient count this puts a great burden on the resources available. A computer aided diagnosis system can easily mitigate this problem and can greatly help in reducing the cost. In recent times deep learning has made great progress in the field of image classification and has produced remarkable outputs in terms of image classification in various domains. But there still remains a scope for improvements when it comes to Tuberculosis detection. The aim of this study is toapply three pre-trained convolutional neural networks that have proven record in image classification on to publically available CXR dataset and classify CXR's that manifest tuberculosis and compare their performances. The CNN models that are used on our CXR images dataset as a part of this study are VGG-16 ,VGG-19,AlexNet ,Xception and ResNet-50. Also visualization techniques have been applied to help understand the features whose weights played a role in the classification process. With the help of this system, we can easily classify CXR's that have active TB and even CXR's that show mild abnormalities, thus ensuring that high risk patients get the help they require on time.


Recent improvement in technologies for measuring individual feed intake has made possible the collection of data suitable for breed-wide genetic evaluation. The goals of this research were to estimate genetic parameters for components of feed efficiency and develop a prototype system for conducting a genetic evaluation of Angus cattle for feed intake. Weaning weight (WWT), postweaning BW gain (PGN), subcutaneous fat depth (SQF), and feed intake data were accumulated by the American Angus Association from a variety of cooperators and augmented with data collected for routine genetic evaluation of Angus cattle. The feed intake data were standardized (SFI, mean 0 and variance 1) within contemporary groups. Numbers of animals with observed phenotypes were 18,169, 7,107, 4,976, and 4,215 for WWT, PGN, SQF, and SFI, respectively. The 4-generation pedigree for animals with records contained 45,120 individuals. (Co)variance components were estimated with ASREML, fitting a 4-trait animal model with fixed contemporary groups for WWT, PGN, SQF, and SFI. Heritability estimates were 0.33 ± 0.03, 0.31 ± 0.04, 0.26 ± 0.04, and 0.42 ± 0.05 for direct genetic effects on WWT, PGN, SQF, and SFI, respectively. Genetic correlations of WWT and PGN with SFI were 0.40 ± 0.07 and 0.55 ± 0.10, respectively, and indicate their value as indicator traits in predicting EPD for feed intake. The genetic correlation of SQF and SFI was not different from 0. For all animals with a recorded feed intake phenotype, accuracy of their EPD for feed intake ranged from 0.16 to 0.64 with a mean of 0.26. However, 9,075 animals had an accuracy that was equal to or exceeded 0.2 for their feed intake EPD. Postanalysis calculation of measures of efficiency EPD was pursued. This work demonstrates the feasibility of conducting a national cattle evaluation for feed intake using indicator traits to reduce opportunity for selection bias, increase accuracy of the evaluation for a substantial number of animals, and ultimately facilitate calculation of selection indexes including feed intake.


Since its origin, the railway station has had a complicated relationship with the city, demanding periodical updates, particularly regarding spatial issues. With the aim of improving the liveability of station areas, current redevelopment projects are reconceptualising them as balanced transport 'nodes' and 'places' in the city. However, the proposed spatial solutions do not fully support the sought after economic, social and environmental performances. These intentions continue to be predominantly bounded with the (abstract) planological level, not finding appropriate translation at the (concrete) spatial design level. Further, the interdisciplinary nature of the highly complex planning and design processes of station areas, which should contribute to enhance the performance of their spaces, reinforces constraints and relegates architecture to a marginal role in this quest. It is thus necessary to understand how architecture can contribute to the improvement of the spatial performance of contemporary stations areas, supporting their current reconceptualization. To gain this understanding, the research explored the factors which influence the spatial definition and performance of European High Speed Train station areas, using "design research" and "research by design" . Via a theoretical integrative framework, synthesized from knowledge developed by architecture and other sciences, case studies of 'through' stations were analysed and compared. Six cases, encapsulating the most recurrent relative positions of the railway (infrastructure and the station building) towards the(ir) direct built environment, were chosen out of a large sample. For each category (cases with railway tracks at (a) ground level, (b) elevated level and (c) underground level), two cases, featuring an adapted station building and a newly built one, were studied. Their physical and functional characteristics were mapped at several scales and moments (in history), as well as redesigned. A variety of positive and negative approaches and solutions to the problem were identified. The research is rounded up with a set of 'design recommendations' meant to improve the performance of station area spaces, based on the results of the (graphical) analyses and the redesign exercises. In general, to attain such performance the (physical and functional) integration of the public spaces of the station and of its surroundings, along with the specific (spatial) characteristics of the city they are located in, are crucial. The desirable concentration of transport and non-transport functions must be clearly organized in space, dismantling barriers to their accessibility. To operationalize such integration in all categories of cases, architecture must go beyond its traditional scope regarding intervention scale and methodology. This requires a structural change to the station area's design task, which should be organized around spatial goals commonly subscribed by all stakeholders, and in which architecture should have a central role. Such renovated awareness on the approach to the redevelopment of station areas is necessary for the improvement of their spatial performance. In this way the 'city's station' can become a 'station city' which enhances the city's liveability, instead of draining it out.


In this paper, we propose and analyze an electrically modulated silicon-on-insulator (SOI) submicrometer-size high-index-contrast waveguide. The geometry of the waveguide provides high lateral optical confinement and defines a lateral p-i-n diode. The electrooptic structure is electrically and optically modeled. The effect of the waveguide geometry on the device performance is studied. Our calculations indicate that this scheme can be used to implement submicrometer high-index-contrast waveguide active devices on SOI. As an example of application, a one-dimensional microcavity intensity modulator is predicted to exhibit a modulation depth as high as 80% by employing a dc power consumption as low as 14 /spl mu/W.


For Latin America, the Cold War was anything but cold. Nor was it the so-called 'long peace' afforded the world's superpowers by their nuclear standoff. In this book, the first to take an international perspective on the postwar decades in the region, Hal Brands sets out to explain what exactly happened in Latin America during the Cold War, and why it was so traumatic. Tracing the tumultuous course of regional affairs from the late 1940s through the early 1990s, "Latin America's Cold War" delves into the myriad crises and turning points of the period - the Cuban revolution and its aftermath; the recurring cycles of insurgency and counter-insurgency; the emergence of currents like the National Security Doctrine, liberation theology, and dependency theory; the rise and demise of a hemispheric diplomatic challenge to U.S. hegemony in the 1970s; the conflagration that engulfed Central America from the Nicaraguan revolution onward; and, the democratic and economic reforms of the 1980s. Most important, this book chronicles these events in a way that is both multinational and multilayered, weaving the experiences of a diverse cast of characters into an understanding of how global, regional, and local influences interacted to shape Cold War crises in Latin America. Ultimately, Brands exposes Latin America's Cold War as not a single conflict, but rather a series of overlapping political, social, geostrategic, and ideological struggles whose repercussions can be felt to this day.


Through the credit they furnish, materials suppliers provide a form of working capital for most construction contractors. This paper considers the implications of this for crediting organizations (i.e. suppliers). It is shown that a supplier's financial turnover movement (or lack of it) can be modelled and predicted with some accuracy by considering a number of characteristics of their credit control department. The models are developed from analysis of data obtained from a survey of 55 UK materials suppliers' credit control and debt collection procedures. The statistical technique of multivariate‐discriminant analysis (MDA) is used. Predictive accuracy of the models is tested on an independent, hold‐out sample of 10 suppliers' characteristics. It is found that 'risk‐taking' suppliers who protect themselves from bad debt by using insurance; suppliers who employ a third‐party organization to evaluate potential debtors' creditworthiness; and suppliers who service only one construction trade with materials, achieve significantly greater financial growth than those suppliers who do not exhibit these characteristics.


Abstract Utah juniper (Juniperus osteosperma) has greatly expanded its historical range in the western United States. Management plans for the species have focused on curtailing its encroachment into sagebrush and grassland communities. These plans often include burning or other methods of elimination. These methods may result in subdivision or fragmentation of existing juniper stands. We initiated a study at Dugway Proving Ground, a U.S. Army facility, to examine the effects of fragmentation on the reproductive success of Utah juniper in isolated populations. We used enzyme electrophoresis to quantify genetic variability in isolated populations. We also determined population reproductive success by examining juniper fruits for evidence of seed abortion and/or presence of insect parasites. We compared reproductive and genetic variability in isolated populations at Dugway to 2 nonisolated and encroaching Utah juniper populations. The Dugway populations exhibited reduced seed set due to high seed abortion and/or insect seed parasitism, and a loss of genetic variability in comparison to the nonisolated populations. Additionally, there was a significant correlation between reproductive success and genetic variability.


The Studies in Applied Finance series is under the general direction of Prof. Steve H. Hanke, Co-Director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Applied Economics, Global Health, and Study of Business Enterprise (email@example.com) and Dr. Hesam Motlagh (firstname.lastname@example.com), a Fellow at the Johns Hopkins Institute for Applied Economics, Global Health, and Study of Business Enterprise.

This working paper is one in a series on applied financial economics, which focuses on company valuations. The authors are mainly students at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore who have conducted their work at the Institute as undergraduate researchers.


Humanitarian affairs are now a major factor in international relations. Assistance to victims of armed conflict or natural disasters play an important role in policy debates at the domestic level, in international and non-international organizations and in the media. Budgets for international emergency aid are growing while development aid dwindles. Charity has become the answer to all ills, and the "victim" is a symbol of our time. After having examined some of the recent humanitarian crises and discussed relevant policy issues, the author puts forward several proposals to change policies and institutions. He advocates reinforcing conditions which will enable the principles enshrined in the UN Charter to be put into effect and, at the same time, will diminish the need, and space, for charity.


The morphological analysis of galaxy clusters in X-rays allows a reliable determination of their dynamical state. Substructures on (sub-)Mpc scale influence the gravitational potential of a cluster and manifest themselves in the X-ray surface brightness distribution as secondary peaks or overall irregular shape. They lead to deviations from the hydrostatic equilibrium and spherical shape, two assumptions which are widely used in galaxy cluster studies to derive global astrophysical properties. Analyzing the X-ray morphology of clusters thus yields valuable information, provided that the employed substructure measures are well-tested and well-calibrated.
In this work, the X-ray morphology of galaxy clusters is quantified using three common substructure parameters (power ratios, center shift and the asymmetry parameter), which are subsequently employed to study the disturbed cluster fraction as a function of redshift. To ensure a reliable application of these substructure parameters on a variety of X-ray images, a detailed parameter study is conducted. It focuses on the performance and reliability of the parameters for varying data quality using simulated and observed X-ray images. In particular, when applying them to X-ray images with low photon counts such as observations of distant clusters or survey data, it is important to know the characteristics of the parameters. Comparing the three substructure measures, the center shift parameter is most robust against Poisson noise and allows a reliable determination of the clusters' dynamical state even for low-count observations. Power ratios, especially the hexapole P3/P0, and the asymmetry parameter, on the other hand, are severely affected by noise, which results in spuriously high substructure signals. Furthermore, this work presents methods to minimize the noise bias.
The results of the parameter study provide a step forward in the morphological analysis of high-redshift clusters and are employed in the framework of this thesis to quantify the evolution of the disturbed cluster fraction. The sample used for this analysis comprises 78 low-z (z 0.3, the high-redshift subsets of the 400d2 and SPT survey catalog are used. These objects were mainly observed with the Chandra observatory and have low photon counts. To ensure a fair comparison, which is independent of the data quality, the photon statistics of the low- and high-redshift observations are aligned before performing the morphological analysis.
In agreement with the hierarchical structure formation model, a mild positive evolution with redshift, i.e. a larger fraction of clusters with disturbed X-ray morphologies at higher redshift, is found. Owing to the low photon counts and small number of high-redshift observations, the statistical significance of this result is low. For two of the three substructure parameters (power ratios and center shift) the findings are also consistent within the significance limits with no evolution, but a negative evolution of the disturbed cluster fraction can be excluded for all parameters.


There are many established registries of kidney biopsies around the world. In addition, there are several reports available in literature from many countries on pediatric kidney biopsy. This study was done to determine the indications and pathological patterns of kidney biopsies of children referred to our hospital, and compare our data with the data available from other countries. This is a cross-sectional study of pediatric kidney biopsies over a 10-year period, from January 1997 to December 2006. All biopsies were done in Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. Age range was from 1 to 14 years. Data were analyzed for indications and histopathological diagnosis. A total of 54 kidney biopsies were included in the initial analysis. Here 13 samples were excluded and final analysis was done on the remaining 41 samples. The most common indication of kidney biopsy was nephrotic syndrome in 25 samples (61%). The most common histopathology was minimal change disease in 15 (37%), followed by focal segmental glomerulosclerosis in 5 (12%) of the biopsies.


When people think of domestic abuse, they often focus on domestic violence. But domestic abuse includes any attempt by one person in an intimate relationship or marriage to dominate and control the other. Domestic violence and abuse are used for one purpose and one purpose only: to gain and maintain total control over you. An abuser doesn't "play fair." An abuser uses fear, guilt, shame, and intimidation to wear you down and keep you under their thumb.


Background In India, annually, 500,000 people die due to non-availability of organs. Given the large proportion of brain death amongst road accident victims, any improvement in organ donation practices amongst this cohort could potentially address this deficit. In this study, we identify the potential areas for intervention to improve organ donation amongst professional drivers, a population more likely to suffer from road accidents. Methods 300 participants were surveyed using a structured, orally-administered questionnaire to assess knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding organ donation. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify key variables affecting intent to practice. Results Nearly half our participants had unsatisfactory knowledge and attitude scores. Knowledge and attitude was positively correlated, rs (298) = .247, p < .001, with better scores associated with a higher likelihood of intent to practice organ donation [AOR: 2.23 (1.26–3.94), p = .006; AOR: 12.164 (6.85–21.59), p < .001 respectively]. Lack of family support and fear of donated organs going into medical research were the key barriers for the same [AOR: 0.43 (0.19–0.97), p = .04; AOR: 0.27 (0.09–0.85), p = .02 respectively]. Conclusion Targeted health-education, behaviour change communication, and legal interventions, in conjunction, are key to improving organ donor registrations.


Patients' rights have been formulated in a number of documents and guidelines from various international bodies. Laws and declarations on patients' rights do not automatically make health care safer, but can help to empower patients. Empowered patients are in a better position to manage their own health and health care and to participate in efforts to improve safety. The report presents an overview of legal aspects influencing patient safety and describes examples of patient involvement. It highlights the need to strengthen a continuum of information between various levels of care, including patient experiences, health literacy and engagement. The work is expected to contribute to the wider process of evidence collation aimed at finding efficient ways to build realistic and informed expectations of health care, while encouraging patients to be vigilant and knowledgeable to ensure maximum safety standards. Recommendations are formulated with respect to the macro, meso and micro levels of health service delivery.


Sponsored by the Natural Attenuation Task Committee of the Environmental and Multi-Media Council of the Environmental and Water Resources Institute of ASCE. This report provides the regulatory framework, scientific and engineering principles, and applications of natural attenuation for the remediation of contaminated sites. Natural attenuation is a process that relies on the natural assimilative capacity of a site to reduce or stabilize contaminates to desirable levels. It is becoming an increasingly popular, cost-effective remedial alternative for many contaminated sites. The report describes in detail sites contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons and MTBE, chlorinated solvents, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, metals, and radioactive wastes. Topics include: major pollutants; extensive review of literature; examples of applications of natural attenuation; site characterization and monitoring requirements and procedures; and basic scientific principles on physical, chemical, and biological processes. Environmental engineers and scientists will find this book full of information on basic principles to summaries of natural attenuation applications.


The author considers the problem of using an array of sensors for separating a desired signal from unwanted disturbance signals. The desired signal is assumed to be gated, either in time or in frequency. He derives an eigenstructure based method which requires no knowledge of the array manifold and which allows for coherent signals. >


This study focuses on how views on democracy develop during adolescence. A total of 40 Dutch adolescents were interviewed in their second and fourth year of secondary education. The study shows that the interviewed adolescents do become more familiar with politics but do not develop more nuanced views towards democracy. As the adolescents age, a one-dimensional perspective on democracy becomes more apparent. In the interviewees' perspective, democracy increasingly equals majority rule. Other aspects, such as minority interests and finding consensus, are increasingly neglected. This study, therefore, suggests that adolescents do not 'naturally' develop more complex views on democracy when they age.


This paper attempts to assess the Europe-wide systemic risk in banking. We employ a bivariate GARCH model to estimate conditional correlations between European bank stock indices. These correlations are used as an indication for the interdependencies amongst the banking business in Europe and hence for the systemic risk potential. We employ several tests to assess the development of systemic risk: a non-parametric test of constancy of the correlation, a test of parallel shifts in the correlation at pre-specified events, and a test for a linear time trend in the correlations. The results show that many of the conditional correlations exhibit an upward move in the last years. This is an indication that the economic factors determining the European banking business have become more similar and that the systemic risk potential has increased.


This paper studies the effects of capital taxation in a dynamic heterogeneous-agent economy with uninsurable entrepreneurial risk. Although it allows for rich general-equilibrium effects and a stationary distribution of wealth, the model is highly tractable. This permits a clear analysis, not only of the steady state, but also of the entire transitional dynamics following any change in tax policies. Unlike either the complete-markets paradigm or Bewley-type models where idiosyncratic risk impacts only labor income, here it is shown that capital taxation may actually stimulate capital accumulation. This possibility emerges because of the general-equilibrium effects of the insurance aspect of capital taxation. In particular, for the preferred calibrated version of the model, when the tax on capital is 25 percent, output per work-hour is 2.2 percent higher than it would have been had the tax rate been zero. Turning to the welfare effects of a reform in capital taxation, it is examined how these effects depend on whether one focuses on the steady state or also takes into account transitional dynamics, as well as how they vary in the cross-section of the population (rich versus poor, entrepreneurs versus non-entrepreneurs).


P roviding cash transfers to poor households to alleviate poverty has been popular in many middle-income countries, and is an emerging programme approach for a number of low-income countries. As their popularity grows among donors and governments, much is being learnt about the politics that drive cash transfers, as well as important design and implementation issues (Slater and Farrington, 2009, and McCord, 2009). The evidence informing cash transfer design has to date been drawn largely from stable and peaceful countries. There has been little discussion however about the role of cash transfers in post-conflict or fragile contexts. Are design and implementation issues the same in post-conflict states as in low-income countries? Or are there fundamental differences in the role of cash transfers in helping to reduce poverty and vulnerability amongst the poor in these contexts? This Project Briefing draws on emerging evidence on the experience of cash transfers in fragile and post-conflict states. It highlights specific examples from two case studies on cash transfers in Sierra Leone and Nepal, countries recovering from ten year civil conflicts. It focuses on three aspects of cash transfers in post-conflict contexts: the lessons of existing cash transfer experiences; how much cash transfers contribute to poverty reduction; and the role of cash transfer programming in the context of new state development and social cohesion in a fragile peace process. The case studies were part of a three-year study on cash transfers by ODI, funded by the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation


In Graham v. Florida, the Supreme Court held that imposing a life sentence without possibility of parole on a juvenile nonhomicide offender violates the Cruel and Unusual Punishments Clause. To support this conclusion, the Court found that there was a societal consensus against the punishment, despite the fact that such punishment was authorized in the federal system, thirty-seven states, and the District of Columbia, and despite the lack of any apparent trend toward abolition of the punishment. Graham represents the fourth time in the last eight years that the Supreme Court has found a societal consensus against a punishment that appeared to enjoy significant public support. Graham is the second case in the last two years in which the Court found a societal consensus against a punishment that appeared to be increasing, rather than decreasing, in popularity. The Supreme Court's decision to invalidate punishments despite their popularity seems fine at first blush. The Bill of Rights was designed largely to protect unpopular minorities from the tyranny of the majority. And what minority group is more unpopular, and thus in need of protection, than convicted criminals? But there's a deeper problem here. Since 1958, the Supreme Court has used the "evolving standards of decency test" as the primary standard for determining whether a punishment is cruel and unusual. This test holds that a punishment is unconstitutional if it no longer comports with societal moral standards, measured primarily in terms of legislative enactments and jury verdicts. But in Graham and several other recent cases, the Court has found certain punishments to violate current standards of decency despite the fact that many legislatures approved them and that juries continued to impose them. These cases reveal that the Supreme Court's Eighth Amendment jurisprudence is evolving away from any real reliance on the evolving standards of decency test. Although the Court gives lip service to the idea that there must be a societal consensus against the punishments it strikes down, it no longer uses the test as a true ground for its decisions. This change in the Court's approach is not necessarily a bad thing. The evolving standards of decency test is inherently majoritarian, and is thus a poor protection for criminal offenders when public opinion turns against them. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court has effectively replaced this test with an unfettered reliance on its own "independent judgment," with no external constitutional standard to guide its decisions. This approach to constitutional jurisprudence runs contrary to basic principles of separation of powers, and does not appear to be sustainable over the long run. As the Supreme Court prepares to leave the evolving standards of decency test behind, it is a good time to reexamine the original meaning of the Cruel and Unusual Punishments Clause. In a prior article, I have shown that the word unusual originally meant "contrary to long usage," and that the Cruel and Unusual Punishments Clause was originally meant to prevent legislatures and courts from ratcheting up the severity of punishment significantly beyond what prior practice would allow. I will suggest in this article that the Supreme Court could probably have reached substantially the same result it did in Graham by relying on the original meaning of the Cruel and Unusual Punishments Clause. Had the Court done so, the result would have been more plausible and the Court's jurisprudence in this area more sustainable.


The present study examined the longitudinal associations among supportive coparenting and father engagement during infancy and mother-child attachment at age three within an at-risk sample (N= 1371), using secondary data from Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing (FFCW) study. Mothers reported on coparenting and father engagement during the one-year phone interview and mother-child attachment was assessed using the Toddler Attachment Sort-39 (TAS-39) at age three during the three-year in-home interview. Findings suggest that supportive coparenting was significantly associated with higher levels of father engagement and more secure mother-child attachment relationship across three racial/ethnic groups including white, African American, and Hispanic. Interestingly, results also support racial/ethnic differences such that after controlling for child sex, infant temperament, family structure and maternal education, father engagement was a significant predictor of secure mother-child attachment only among Hispanic families. In addition, race/ethnicity moderated the link between supportive coparenting and father engagement such that the link was stronger among white families compared to minority families. Results highlight the significance of coparenting and father engagement in relation to mother-child attachment relationship. The implications of these findings for interventions targeting paternal engagement and coparenting among at-risk children are discussed. Keywords: Coparenting,


Fast dissolving tablets of clonazepam were prepared by sublimation method with a view to enhance patient compliance. A 32 full factorial design was applied to investigate the combined effect of two formulation variables: amount of croscarmellose sodium and camphor. Croscarmellose sodium (2-8% w/w) was used as superdisintegrant and camphor (20-40% w/w) was used as subliming agent, to increase the porosity of the tablets, since it helps water to penetrate into the tablets, along with directly compressible mannitol to enhance mouth feel. The tablets were evaluated for hardness, friability, thickness, drug content uniformity, in vitro dispersion time, wetting time and water absorption ratio. Based on in vitro dispersion time (approximately 11 s); the formulation containing 5% w/w croscarmellose sodium and 40% w/w camphor was found to be promising and tested for in vitro drug release pattern (in pH 6.8 phosphate buffer). Short-term stability (at 40°/75% relative humidity for 3 mo) and drug-excipient interaction. Surface response plots are presented to graphically represent the effect of independent variables on the in vitro dispersion time. The validity of the generated mathematical model was tested by preparing two extra-design checkpoints. The optimized tablet formulation was compared with conventional commercial tablet formulation for drug release profiles. This formulation showed nearly nine-fold faster drug release (t50% 1.8 min) compared to the conventional commercial tablet formulation (t50% 16.4 min). Short-term stability studies on the formulation indicated that there are no significant changes in drug content and in vitro dispersion time (P<0.05).


Background:Asphyxia is an important cause of acute kidney injury (AKI) and transient kidney impairment, there is a high incidence of AKI among the asphyxiated infants (50 – 72%). The normal renal ultrasound appearance in a neonate typically shows higher cortical echogenicity than in older child. Normally the parenchymal echogenicity is equal to or greater than that of liver and spleen. Doppler examination of the renal artery includes complete evaluation of the kidneys. Left and right decubitus patient positions are preferred for the kidney examination (left decubitus for the right kidney and vice versa). Both kidneys are examined carefully with respect to size, echogenicity and smoothness of outline, together with assessment of the corticomedullary differentiation.There are two approaches are used in Doppler examination, anterior abdominal approach and flank approach.


Tandem mass spectrometry is one of the most popular techniques for quantitation of proteomes. There exists a large variety of options in each stage of data preprocessing that impact the bias and variance of the summarized protein-level values. Using a newly released data set satisfying a replicated Latin squares design, a diverse set of performance metrics has been developed and implemented in a web-based application, Quantitative Performance Evaluator for Proteomics (QPEP). QPEP has the flexibility to allow users to apply their own method to preprocess this data set and share the results, allowing direct and straightforward comparison of new methodologies. Application of these new metrics to three case studies highlights that (i) the summarization of peptides to proteins is robust to the choice of peptide summary used, (ii) the differences between iTRAQ labels are stronger than the differences between experimental runs, and (iii) the commercial software ProteinPilot performs equivalently well at between-sample normalization to more complicated methods developed by academics. Importantly, finding (ii) underscores the benefits of using the principles of randomization and blocking to avoid the experimental measurements being confounded by technical factors. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD003608.


The antioxidant properties and antimicrobial potential of three ethnomedicinal plants, (Momordica charanta, Senna alata and Nauclea lafifolia) extracted with acetone were investigated. Polyphenols from the medicinal plants were screened for their antioxidant and antimicrobial activities against pathogenic micro organisms (Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Esherichia coli and Candida albicans). The medicinal plants displayed different polyphenols contents and antioxidant activities. In addition, varying antimicrobial susceptibility patterns were exhibited. The highest amount of total phenolic compounds was shown by S. alata and the lowest one was M. charanta. The extract of S. alata showed the highest antioxidant activity. Some micro organisms (S. aureus and C. albicans) were susceptible to the polyphenol extracts with minimum inhibitory concentration values between 1.25 to 5.00 mg/ml while other microorganisms (S. pyogenes and E. coli) appeared to be resistant to the extracts. The results suggested that these plants are not only potential sources of phenolic antioxidants but also potentially, good source of antimicrobial agents.


Online advertising delivers promotional marketing messages to consumers through online media. Advertisers often have the desire to optimize their advertising spending strategies in order to gain the highest return on investment and maximize their key performance indicator. To build accurate advertisement performance predictive models, it is crucial to detect the change-points in the historical data and apply appropriate strategies to address a data pattern shift problem. However, with sparse data, which is common in online advertising and some other applications, online change-point detection is very challenging. We present a novel collaborated online change-point detection method in this paper. Through efficiently leveraging and coordinating with auxiliary time series, we can quickly and accurately identify the change-points in sparse and noisy time series. Simulation studies as well as real data experiments have justified the proposed method's effectiveness in detecting change-points in sparse time series. Therefore, it can be used to improve the accuracy of predictive models.


This thesis investigates the interaction between the evolution of the Irish Question and the re-emergence of Britain's two-party political system after World War I. It challenges the contention summed up in A.J.P. Taylor's suggestion that David Lloyd George 'conjured' the Irish Question out of existence with the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921. Here, it is shown that on the contrary the Irish dispute continued to be a highly sensitive issue for successive British governments until the Treaty's Boundary Commission report was shelved in 1925. This was so because British politics was then undergoing a profound revolution. Its climax was the 1924 general election, which established the Conservatives as the dominant players in British politics, ensured Labour's place as the leading party of the left, and confirmed the eclipse of Liberalism. The first of this study's two aims is to set the Irish dispute within this wider context. Specifically, it examines how the answer to the Irish Question that was devised by Lloyd George and his Coalition partners was constructed and then dismantled as a result of this revolution. The second aim of this thesis is to demonstrate that the Boundary Commission was only one element in the Treaty's Ulster clauses, all of which were designed to bring about Ireland's re-unification. The intent was to exploit the financial restrictions of the 1920 Government of Ireland Act and thus pressure Ulster Unionists into joining a single Irish Parliament. This aspect has been overlooked in other studies, though it posed as serious a threat to Northern Ireland's survival as the Commission itself.


This report offers a detailed picture of elementary schools educating limited English proficient (LEP) students. Analysis reveals that LEP students are largely segregated: nearly 70% of LEP children are enrolled in only 10% of schools. Compared to Low- and No-LEP schools, High-LEP schools are predominately urban, have mostly low-income and minority students, and face challenges in staff recruitment. The remaining 30% of LEP students are in schools with fewer LEP peers, where they are less likely to receive services tailored to their educational needs. Because the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act holds schools accountable for the performance of LEP children, the report discusses the findings' implications for implementing NCLB in High- and Low-LEP schools. [View the corresponding press release ]


This paper presents a novel DNA sequences alignment method based on inverted index. Now most large scale information retrieval system are all use inverted index as the basic data structure. But its application in DNA sequence alignment is still not found. This paper just discuss such applications. Three main problems, DNA segmenting, long DNA query search, DNA search ranking algorithm and evaluation method are detailed respectively. This research presents a new avenue to build more effective DNA alignment methods.


OBJECTIVE
To understand the social context of female sex workers who use crack and its impact on HIV/AIDS risk behaviors. METHODODOLOGICAL PROCEDURES: Qualitative study carried out in Foz do Iguaçu, Southern Brazil, in 2003. Twenty-six in-depth interviews and two focus groups were carried out with female commercial sex workers who frequently use crack. In-depth interviews with health providers, community leaders and public policy managers, as well as field observations were also conducted. Transcript data was entered into Atlas.ti software and grounded theory methodology was used to analyze the data and develop a conceptual model as a result of this study.

ANALYSIS OF RESULTS
Female sex workers who use crack had low self-perceived HIV risk in spite of being engaged in risky behaviors (e.g. unprotected sex with multiple partners). Physical and sexual violence among clients, occasional and stable partners was widespread jeopardizing negotiation and consistent condom use. According to health providers, community leaders and public policy managers, several female sex workers who use crack are homeless or live in slums, and rarely have access to health services, voluntary counseling and testing, social support, pre-natal and reproductive care.

CONCLUSIONS
Female sex workers who use crack experience a plethora of health and social problems, which apparently affect their risks for HIV infection. Low-threshold, user-friendly and gender-tailored interventions should be implemented, in order to increase the access to health and social-support services among this population. Those initiatives might also increase their access to reproductive health in general, and to preventive strategies focusing on HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections.


Structured peer-to-peer (P2P) systems are considered as the next generation application backbone on the Internet. An important problem of these systems is load balancing in the presence of non-uniform data distributions. In this paper we propose a completely decentralized mechanism that in parallel addresses a local and a global load balancing problem: (1) balancing the storage load uniformly among peers participating in the network and (2) uniformly replicating different data items in the network while optimally exploiting existing storage capacity. Our approach is based on the P-Grid P2P system which is our variant of a structured P2P network. Problem (1) is solved by directly adapting the search structure to the data distribution. This may result in an unbalanced search structure, but we will show that the expected search cost in P-Grid in number of messages remains logarithmic under all circumstances. Problem (2) is solved by a dynamic, reactive balancing method based on sampling the P-Grid structure. Through simulations we show that our solution provides a scalable approach to these load balancing problems. Finally we discuss issues that had to be addressed beyond the theoretical aspects when implementing our approach as part of a practical P2P system.


The size and distribution of interphase precipitates in micro-alloyed steels is a crucial micro-structural feature to control for obtaining the necessary strength in low-cost automotive sheets. In order to optimize both alloy chemistry and thermal processing an enhanced understanding of the interphase precipitation mechanism is required. It is proposed that the evolution of inter-sheet spacing of MC carbides during the γ→α+MC transformation can be explained considering the interfacial segregation and the corresponding dissipation of Gibbs energy inside the moving interphase boundary. The inter-sheet spacing of interphase precipitates is controlled by a complex interplay between the interfacial energy and interfacial segregation, this is presented in form of an analytical model. It is shown that the general trend of refining inter-sheet spacing with growing ferrite half-thickness can be well predicted by the proposed model.


Satellite navigation systems are becoming increasingly common for automotive use within the civilian population. This increase in use is of interest to forensic investigators as satellite navigation devices have the potential to provide historical location data to investigators. The research in progress investigates the data sources and encoding on a number of common satellite navigation devices. The aim of this research is to develop a framework for the acquisition and analysis of common satellite navigation systems in a way that valid for multiple devices.


A facile and low-cost dip-coating process for the deposition of silicon doped hematite films (Si:α-Fe2O3) for hydrogen production by solar water splitting in photo-electrochemical cells (PEC) is presented. The precursors include iron nitrate, oleic acid, tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and tetrahydrofuran as dispersion agent. Sequential dip coating on transparent conducting oxides glass substrates with heat treatment steps at 500 °C and 760 °C yields mesoporous Si:α-Fe2O3 with a roughness factor of 17 and photocurrent densities >1 mA/cm2 at 1.23 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode with SiOx underlayer and surface modification. A PEC demonstrator with 80 cm2 active area in 1 M potassium hydroxide yields a photocurrent of 35 mA at 1.5 AM irradiation with the corresponding hydrogen evolution at a Pt wire counter electrode.


This paper presents a general equilibrium model with technological uncertainty, financial markets and imperfect information. The future consists of uncertain environments that are more or less clearly distinguishable (measurable). This limits the possibilities of specialization and diversification. Households have no direct information about the productivity of risky technologies. They rely on the information conveyed by the set of financial products provided by the financial sector, the pay-off promises of the products and their prices. Unreliable information-processing by financial markets leads to deception of households. As a result, extending the space spanned by financial products is not unambiguously good. This suggests a policy rule which ties financial innovations to the experience base of the economy.


Loss of biodiversity is a growing problem and hence conservation of species is becoming increasingly important. In this dissertation conservation issues related to the critically endangered European mink (Mustela lutreola) are examined in situ (in the wild) and ex situ (in captivity) on both an individual and community level. It also contains fundamental research as conservation contexts often allow for conclusions beyond applied biology. Individual behavioural differences, e.g. personality, can impact fitness and are hence relevant for conservation. Paper I thus experimentally explores the structure, expression and plasticity of personality in captive European minks. Thereafter paper II investigates if personality affects survival of reintroduced captive-bred animals and if spatiotemporal conditions affects the relationship between personality and survival. Paper III experimentally explores individual dietary specialism and learning in relation to novel prey as this could also impact survival. One of the main threats to the European mink is displacement by the invasive American mink (Neovison vison) wherefore management of American mink is important for European mink conservation. Paper IV hence analyses survey data to study whether native otters and red foxes can suppress American mink populations in north-eastern Europe. In the results three personality trait domains were identified in the European mink: boldness, exploration and sociability. The domains were repeatable but plastic between the non-breeding and breeding season. Reintroduced personality-tested animals survived longer if they were bolder but the effect of exploration was either positive or negative depending on spatiotemporal conditions. This is not only interesting for conservation but provides new insights on how individual behavioural differences could be maintained over evolutionary time. Whilst exploration is likely to be maintained by fluctuating selection pressures, the mechanism seem to vary with domain. The feeding experiments revealed diet choices similar to those found in wild individuals as there were both generalists and different types of specialists. Still, individuals differed in learning time towards novel but natural prey, suggesting that reintroduced animals might differ in their ability to find food after release. This could affect survival also and be related to personality. Survey data revealed that American mink abundances were suppressed by those of red foxes. Previous studies show that foxes are suppressed by lynx, and the abundance pattern of mink in relation to red fox found here indicate the existence of a predator cascade as mink were most abundant where lynx were abundant and vice versa. In several regions in the study area population dynamics indicated either exploitation or interference competition as probable mechanisms whereby foxes suppress minks. However, in many regions there were no relationships between dynamics. This could be due to that exploitation and interference competition might occur simultaneously and thus cancel each other out in the dynamics. Overall this thesis shows the importance of considering individual traits in conservation efforts, and also provides knowledge on the structure, plasticity and evolution of personality. As American mink was suppressed by foxes, management efforts might be most beneficial for species impacted by the mink if they to a larger extent are undertaken in areas with low fox abundances.


The geomorphological observations were carried out in the area of Lukla and its surroundings: Nachipan, Rondinma, Chaurikharkha, Muse, Nakchun, Tate and Surke villages. The Dudh Koshi River runs along N-S direction crossing these different villages. The heights of the different platforms of the different areas and river floors show the correlations of height spans with permanent or mean height of the plains (Fig. 1). The different platforms are surrounded by steep topography containing different rock types: mainly of biotitesillimanite- garnet gneiss, partly of quartzite and Miocene granite/pegmatite belonging to the Higher Himalayan Crystalline Sequence (HHCS). The different platforms contain moraine, colluviums and river terrace deposits. The Nachipan platform, located to the NNW direction from Lukla village consists of moraine, colluviums and terrace deposits. Regarding geomorphic development of the Nachipan platform following stages can be summarized: (a) Main glacier moraine sediments carried by the Dudh Koshi River were deposited. This stage of evolution is main glacial moraine stage. (b) This moraine deposit was eroded by the same river and river terraces were deposited over the moraine deposit. This stage is called as upper Nachipan terrace stage. (c) This stage was followed by earlier main landslide stage. In this stage, moraine deposit as a landslide (colluviums) covered the terrace deposit. (d) Then erosion process occurred on moraine, terrace and main landslide (colluviums) deposits by the Dudh Koshi River. Then terrace deposits were formed over moraine deposit. This stage is called as lower Nachipan terrace stage. (e) Later major landslide stage occurred. In this stage the upper Nachipan terrace, moraine and earlier landslide materials were collapsed down as a single major landslide stage. (f) Then again erosion process occurred on later major landslide stage and lowest Nachipan terrace stage was developed. (g) Finally recent river terrace deposits were formed by the Dudh Koshi River. Rondinma platform, located to the NWW direction from Lukla village consists of subrounded to rounded pebbles, cobbles and boulders carried by the Dudh Koshi valley. Chaurikharka platform, located NNW direction from the Lukla village is topographically flat and is covered by huge boulders of mainly quartzite, partly of biotite-sillimanite-garnet gneiss and granite. Below the sediments, the materials could be the continuation of Nachipan glacial moraine stage. Muse platform, located to the south of Chaurikharka platform is mainly covered by huge boulders of mainly biotite-sillimanitegarnet gneiss, with less migmatized biotite gneiss. At lower part of Muse platform, few rounded gravels are also found. Lukla platform has very gentle topography (less than 15 degree) and consists of mainly angular to sub angular colluviums and is partly by terrace sediments. Some large boulders found at the lower part of Lukla platform consist of mainly biotite-sillimanite-garnet gneiss. Similarly Tate platform, located to the W from the Lukla village has gentle topography (less than 25 degree) and contains mainly of large boulders of colluvium materials and few fluvial sediments. Therefore, different platforms contain different types of sediments: moraine, colluviums and alluvium during their development stages. Journal of Nepal Geological Society, 2007, Vol. 36 (Sp. Issue) p.29


Charlson Ong's award-winning novel An Embarrassment of Riches (2000) creatively narrates the history of the Chinese diaspora as an overdetermined event in the Southeast Asian Region. The novel explores the politics of belonging, displacement, identity, and territory through a/n (re)imagined nation built primarily on Philippine historical and cultural contingencies. This essay seeks to explore the junctures and vicissitudes of the Chinese diaspora in the region through the following questions: How is hybridity manifested by selected characters and other cultural elements in the narrative? Second, how do the perceptions of homeland, marked by ambivalence and contradiction, operate in the narrative? And third, how does the memory of the characters' homeland or the lack of it contribute to identity formation? Furthermore, an analysis of the novel's form has been conducted, possibly asserting the notion that the genre is also a hybridized entity. This paper illustrates the complexity of the Chinese diaspora in the region and its bearing to identity formation.


Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a lethal malignancy, with most patients facing an adverse clinical outcome. Aberrant Notch pathway activation has been implicated in the initiation and progression of PDAC, specifically the aggressive phenotype of the disease. We used a panel of human PDAC cell lines as well as patient-derived PDAC xenografts to determine whether pharmacologic targeting of Notch pathway could inhibit PDAC growth and potentiate gemcitabine sensitivity. MRK-003, a potent and selective γ-secretase inhibitor, treatment resulted in the downregulation of nuclear Notch1 intracellular domain, inhibition of anchorage-independent growth, and reduction of tumor-initiating cells capable of extensive self-renewal. Pretreatment of PDAC cells with MRK-003 in cell culture significantly inhibited the subsequent engraftment in immunocompromised mice. MRK-003 monotherapy significantly blocked tumor growth in 5 of 9 (56%) PDAC xenografts. A combination of MRK-003 and gemcitabine showed enhanced antitumor effects compared with gemcitabine in 4 of 9 (44%) PDAC xenografts, reduced tumor cell proliferation, and induced both apoptosis and intratumoral necrosis. Gene expression analysis of untreated tumors indicated that upregulation of NF-κB pathway components was predictive of sensitivity to MRK-003, whereas upregulation in B-cell receptor signaling and nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-like 2 pathway correlated with response to the combination of MRK-003 with gemcitabine. Our findings strengthen the rationale for small-molecule inhibition of Notch signaling as a therapeutic strategy in PDAC. Mol Cancer Ther; 11(9); 1999–2009. ©2012 AACR.


Background Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant healthcare problem. Understanding physical and functional impairments that patients with active TB present with at the time of diagnosis and how these impairments change over time while they receive anti-TB therapy is important in developing appropriate rehabilitation programmes to optimise patients' recovery. Objectives The aim of this study was to assess the acceptability, implementation and practicality of conducting a prospective, observational and longitudinal trial to describe physical and functional impairments of patients with active TB. Method A feasibility pilot study was performed. Patients with acute pulmonary TB admitted to an urban quaternary-level hospital were recruited. Physical (muscle architecture, mass and power, balance, and breathlessness) and functional (exercise capacity) outcomes were assessed in hospital, and at 6 weeks and 6 months post-discharge. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. Results High dropout (n = 5; 41.7%) and mortality (n = 4; 33.3%) rates were observed. Limitations identified regarding study feasibility included participant recruitment rate, equipment availability and suitability of outcome measures. Participants' mean age was 31.5 (9.1) years and the majority were human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive (n = 9; 75%). Non-significant changes in muscle architecture and power were observed over 6 months. Balance impairment was highlighted when vision was removed during testing. Some improvements in 6-minute walk test distance were observed between hospitalisation and 6 months. Conclusion Success of a longitudinal observational trial is dependent on securing adequate funding to address limitations observed related to equipment availability, staffing levels, participant recruitment from additional study sites and participant follow-up at community level. Participants' physical and functional recovery during anti-TB therapy seems to be limited by neuromusculoskeletal factors.


We are designing, implementing, deploying, and operating a secure measurement platform capable of performing various types of Internet infrastructure measurements and assessments. We integrate state-of-the-art measurement and analysis capabilities to try to build a coherent view of Internet topology. In September 2007 we began to use this novel architecture to support ongoing global Internet topology measurement and mapping, and are now gathering the largest set of IP topology data for use by academic researchers. We are using the best available techniques for IP topology mapping, and are developing some new techniques, as well as supporting software for data analysis, topology generation, and interactive visualization of resulting large annotated graphs. This paper presents our current results, next steps, and future goals.


We report the results of a crowdsourced experiment that measured the accuracy of motion outlier detection in multivariate, animated scatterplots. The targets were outliers either in speed or direction of motion, and were presented with varying levels of saliency in dimensions that are irrelevant to the task of motion outlier detection (e.g., color, size, position). We found that participants had trouble finding the outlier when it lacked irrelevant salient features and that visual channels contribute unevenly to the odds of an outlier being correctly detected. Direction of motion contributes the most to accurate detection of speed outliers, and position contributes the most to accurate detection of direction outliers. We introduce the concept of saliency deficit in which item importance in the data space is not reflected in the visualization due to a lack of saliency. We conclude that motion outlier detection is not well supported in multivariate animated scatterplots.


DRAFT: PLEASE DO NOT QUOTE OR CITE WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR.In my Article Racial Capitalism, I expressed concern about the ongoing process of racial exploitation in which white people and predominantly white institutions derive value from the racial identity of people of color. I see this process as troubling and undesirable. Rendering racial identity a commodity harms people of color in many ways: by treating a deeply-felt aspect of identity as merely another thing to be bought and sold; by giving outsiders a stake in the identities of nonwhite people; and by providing yet another obstacle to improved race relations in America.Since the publication of Racial Capitalism, two events have occurred that relate to the Article's conclusions. First, the Supreme Court decided Fisher v. University of Texas, which considered the constitutionality of the school's race-conscious admissions scheme. Second, Professor Richard Ford has responded directly to my Article in the online Forum provided by the Harvard Law Review. My goal in this brief Response, which will also appear in the online Forum, is to consider these two contributions in light of Racial Capitalism.


This thesis details the synthesis and characterisation of s-block metal (lithium, sodium and magnesium) phosphonium ylide, R(_3)PCHR', and iminophosphorane complexes, R(_3)PNR', together with some related phosphine oxide, R(_3)PO, and sulfide, R(_3)PS, species, where R= Ph or Me(_2)N and R' = H, Me or Ph. The first three chapters of the thesis provide an introduction to the topic, with details of the experimental methods employed and results obtained. Chapter 4 presents a systematic study of Lewis base complexed s-block metal aryloxides, (ArOM L)(_2) where Ar = C(_6)H(_3)Ph(_2) or MeC(_6)H(_2)((^1)Bu)(_2), L = R(_3)PCHR', R(_3)PNR', R(_3)PO or R(_3)PS, and M = Li, Na, and (ArO)(_2)Mg(L)(_2) where Ar = MeC(_6)H(_2)(^1)Bu)(_2) and L = R(_3)PCHR' or R(_3)PNR'. This includes a discussion of the single crystal XRD structures of the eight neutral ligands used, L, and ten new complexes containing either lithium or sodium. Chapter 5 describes the application of some related s-block metal ylide complexes, e.g. Ph(_3)PCHMe-LiN(CH(_2)Ph(_2))(_2) and Ph(_3)PCHMe-NaN(SiMe(_3))(_2), to the Wittig reaction, together with some solution-state and solid-state discussions (two single crystal XRD structures) of s-block metal amide-phosphonium ylide complexes, R(_3)PCHR'.MNR'(_2) where R = Ph or Me(_2)N, R' = H or Me, and R" = SiMe(_3) or CH(_2)Ph Chapter 6 details a range of N-s-block metallated iminophosphorane complexes (e.g. Ph(_3)PNLi-LiBr.2thf and R(_3)PNMgX-L where R = Ph or Me(_2)N and L = Lewis base) their application to transmetallation reactions with copper(I) compounds, solution-state and solid-state NMR studies and six new single- crystal XRD structures. Chapter 7 describes some very recent work involving alkyldiphenylphosphonium ylides, MePh(_2)PCHPh, and imines, MePh(_2)PNPh, including a single crystal XRD structural study of the latter and three of its lithium derivatives, e.g. [CH(_2)LiPh(_2)PNPh](_4). Chapter 8 is concerned with a number of unexpected results, including the synthesis, solid-state structure and proposed mechanism of a novel A^-phosphino- iminophosphorane, Ph(_2)(C(_3)H(_4)Ph)PNP(C(_3)H(_5))Ph, and two aminophosphonium salts, [R(_3)PNH(_2)](^+)[OC(_6)H(_3)Ph(_2)]" where R = Ph or Me(_2)N.


The report reviews the technology of Free-space Optical Communication (FSO) and simulation methods for testing the performance of diverged beam in the technology. In addition to the introduction, the theory of turbulence and its effect over laser is also reviewed. In the simulation revision chapter, on-off keying (OOK) and diverged beam is assumed in the transmitter, and in the receiver, avalanche photodiode (APD) is utilized to convert the photon stream into electron stream. Phase screens are adopted to simulate the effect of turbulence over the phase of the optical beam. Apart from this, the method of data processing is introduced and retrospected. In the summary chapter, there is a general explanation of different beam divergence and their performance.


Covert treatment involving the administration of medicines without the knowledge of the patient is difficult to justify ethically and legally. In our case, Mrs. T does not have sufficient ethical or legal basis to do so. In addition, the psychiatrist should advise her against such an undertaking, particularly since Mr. T appears to have decision-making capacity and has not exhibited aggressive behaviour. If aggression becomes emergent or evident, institutionalised care should be considered. Within this setting, covert treatment may be justifiable, if it is necessary to stabilise Mr. T's condition. Otherwise, open discussion and transparency of medical intervention are not only consistent with ethical and legal requirements of respecting Mr. T's dignity as a person, but also indispensable components to a viable long-term response to a challenging illness.


Current Pediatric Research Journal is one of the leading peer-reviewed Journal. The journal is being regularly published on monthly basis since 1996. It is our pleasure to announce that during year 2019, all issues of volume 23 were published online on time and the print issues were also brought out and dispatched within 30 days of publishing the issue online. All published articles of this journal are included in the indexing and abstracting coverage of SCOPUS, ProQuest, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), CiteFactor, Secret Search Engine Labs Index Copernicus, Google Scholar, Global Impact Factor (GIF), CiteFactor, Electronic Journals Library, RefSeek, International committee of medical journals editors (ICMJE), Hamdard University, EBSCO A-Z, Virtual Library of Biology (vifabio), Studies receiving funding from a funding organization that is included on the list of PMC and Research Funder Policies or authors having NIH grant were submitted to PubMed.


This article builds on Philip Bobbitt's remarkable work in constitutional theory, which posits a practice-based constitution based in six accepted "modalities" of argument. I attempt to supplement Bobbitt's theory - which has a static and exclusive quality to it - with an account of interpretive evolution based in Max Black's interaction theory of metaphors. I suggest that we can (and do) create constitutional metaphors by deliberately overlapping Bobbitt's modalities of argument, and that through these creative acts we can grow the practice of American constitutionalism. I then present case studies of this metaphoric process at work in three fields of constitutional practice: from constitutional theory I take Akhil Reed Amar's theory of "intratextualism"; from constitutional advocacy I select Louis Brandeis brief in Muller v. Oregon; and from constitutional judging I look to the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education. I conclude that the concept of modal metaphors offers practitioners a principled and grammatical way to create new constitutional meanings and resolve constitutional dilemmas.


AIMS
Many of the secondary effects of high levels of molybdenum (Mo) overlap with symptoms commonly seen in pediatric patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We measured plasma Mo levels and examined the relationship between Mo levels and kidney function.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study was carried out at the London Health Sciences Centre in London, Ontario, Canada with 36 children and adolescents 4 - 18 years of age with CKD. There were 1 - 6 trace element measurements (Mo and copper (Cu)) per patient. We studied the proportion of patients with abnormal trace element levels and the relationship between trace element levels and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), calculated using the Filler formula. Plasma Mo and Cu levels were measured using High Resolution Sector Field Inductively Coupled Mass Spectrometry. Anthropomorphic data and blood parameters were collected from our electronic chart program.

RESULTS
Median eGFR was 51 mL/min/1.73m2 (35, 75). Median Mo level was 2.00 µg/L (1.40, 2.88). 20 patients had at least one set of Mo levels above the published reference interval in either unit, and the results of 46% of the tests were above the interval. There was a strong negative correlation between the Mo levels and the eGFR (Spearman's r = -0.627, p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS
Our study suggests that pediatric patients with CKD have elevated plasma levels of Mo, which may cause secondary effects commonly associated with CKD. The elevated Mo levels in our center's catchment area may cause an accumulation of this trace element in patients with impaired renal function.
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Development of an Afrikaans wordnet: methodology and integration The Afrikaans wordnet is a lexical-conceptual network in the form of an electronic lexical database, developed at the North- West University. In this article, a methodology for a semi-automatic construction of the entries – so-called synonym sets – is investigated. Firstly, a background is given on the nature of a wordnet, as well as "WordNet", on which it is based. Other wordnets, as well as applications of wordnets, are also discussed here. Next, the macrostructure of a wordnet in terms of its integration and compatibility with other wordnets is investigated, after which the proposed methodology is presented with a discussion of the results. Finally, a projection is made to the integration of the Afrikaans wordnet with other resources, which include "WordNet" and an Afrikaans lexical database, called ALEXANDER.


Data collected during the DESEAS survey carried out in three areas of the Mediterranean Sea (Balearic Sea, western and eastern Ionian Sea) were used to describe the structure and spatial distribution of the fish assemblages at depths between 600 and 4000 m. A total of 55 species (8 chondrichthyes and 47 teleost fish) were sampled, 38 of them in the Balearic Sea, 30 in the western Ionian and 37 in the eastern Ionian. Multivariate analysis showed a clear pattern of zonation with depth and geographic area. Three main assemblages were identified across the vertical gradient investigated: on the upper slope around a depth of 600 m, on the middle slope between 800 and 1300 m, and on the lower slope below 1300 m. The geographic characterisation of the ichthyofauna structure was mainly observed on the upper and middle slope. The highest abundance and biomass values were found at depths of 1000-1200 m due to the presence of larger species with high energy requirements, such as Alepocephalusrostratus, Mora moro and Galeus melastomus. On the middle slope, significant differences in the abundance, biomass and mean fish weight were detected between the three areas. Significant differences for these parameters were also shown between the middle and lower slope assemblages. A significant decrease in species richness and diversity was shown with increasing depth, indicating an impoverishment of the megafauna with depth and a higher similarity between the Balearic Sea and the Ionian Sea with regard to the greatest depths. The dominant species on the deepest bottoms were Bathypteroismediterraneus, Chalinura mediterranea and Coryphaenoides guentheri . On the lower slope, the shark Centroscymnuscoelolepis was also found to be relatively abundant off the Balearic Islands, Etmopterusspinax in the eastern Ionian Sea and the teleost fish Cataetyx laticeps throughout the three study areas. The deepest bottoms of the Mediterranean Sea shelter an ichthyofauna dominated by small-medium species living in a food scarce environment in which some large mobile fishes are widespread. The results are discussed in relation to previous studies mostly carried out in the Atlantic and western Mediterranean.


BACKGROUND
Chest pain is the main symptom of first presentation with ischaemic heart disease (IHD). Little is known about the incidence of IHD among patients consulting the general practitioner (GP) for chest pain.

AIMS
To estimate the occurrence of IHD among patients consulting for chest pain, to study the results of the bicycle exercise test, and to estimate the incidence of IHD in the population.

DESIGN OF STUDY
Prospective descriptive study.

SETTING
Three primary health centres in south-eastern Sweden.

METHOD
All patients without a current IHD diagnosis, aged 20 to 79 years, and consulting for a new episode of chest pain, were included consecutively. The outcome was classified as IHD, possible IHD or not IHD, according to the results of a postal questionnaire, an exercise test or hospital care. Data from the hospital registry on patients with a diagnosis of IHD were analysed retrospectively.

RESULTS
Out of 38,075 GP consultations, 577 (1.5%) were for chest pain. IHD was diagnosed in 41 (8%) of the chest pain patients, in 441 (83%) the diagnosis was excluded, and in 50 (9%) the diagnosis was judged as being uncertain. Even though the diagnostic criteria were strict, the exercise tests led to a diagnostic conclusion in 77% of the cases, most frequently a normal test result. Combining data from primary and hospital care, the yearly incidence of IHD was 6.5 diagnosed per 1000 inhabitants (aged 20 to 79 years old).

CONCLUSION
The incidence of a new episode of chest pain bringing the patients to the GP was low. Eight per cent of the patients received an IHD diagnosis, and in 9% further investigation or clinical assessment is needed.


ABSTRACT This paper asks the question: to what extent do inspection regimes, particularly the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted), influence the work of a school, and how might that influence be conceptualised? It draws on an ESRC-funded study of 'policy enactments in secondary schools', which was based on case-study work in four 'ordinary' schools. Here the data set is re-examined to understand the extent to which Ofsted had an ongoing influence on the work of the leadership, management and teachers in these schools. We undertook a process of secondary analysis of the data from the project and found that the influence of the inspection agenda was strong in the schools, policy decisions were often being made to conform to Ofsted's expectations and the influence on leadership and management was clearly apparent. In resisting this agenda we also found that schools to some extent performed 'the good school' for inspections. Finally, we relate this empirical evidence to conceptions of governmentality and post-panopticism to shed new light on their theoretical relevance to contemporary inspection regimes.