AIMS
The aim of this study was to assess the papillary muscle strain as a contributor to recurrent mitral regurgitation (MR) after mitral valve repair for fibroelastic deficiency.

METHODS AND RESULTS
Sixty-four patients with isolated posterior mitral valve prolapse and severe MR referred for surgery were prospectively recruited between 2008 and 2012. Two- and three-dimensional echocardiography and speckle tracking were performed in all patients. The longitudinal strain of the anterolateral (AL) and posteromedial (PM) papillary muscles was individually calculated as well as the global longitudinal strain of both papillary muscles was measured before and after mitral repair and normalized to left ventricle end-diastolic volume. Eight patients (12.5%) had at least moderate MR 6 months after mitral repair. The longitudinal strain of the AL (preop -4.94 ± 2.2 vs. postop -3.28 ± 1.3, P < 0.001) and the PM papillary muscles (preop -12.64 ± 5.3 vs. postop -4.12 ± 6.77, P < 0.001) as well as the global strain of both papillary muscles (preop -7.59 ± 3.48 vs. postop -1.07 ± 6, P < 0.001) were all reduced after surgical repair. The longitudinal strain of the PM papillary muscle was the strongest predictor of recurrent MR (when less than or equal to -14.78). The global preoperative papillary muscle strain was also a determinant of recurrent MR when the global strain was greater than -9.05% (area under the curve: 0.895, sensitivity: 100%, and specificity: 76.8%).

CONCLUSIONS
Patients with isolated posterior mitral leaflet prolapse are less likely having any residual MR post repair when the global papillary muscle strain of both papillary muscles is close or equal to zero. Strain of the papillary muscles may be an important determinant in predicting residual MR in patients who undergo mitral valve repair.


Couto and Sandaker (2016) proposed two complementary processes, selection of cultures and cultural-selection, as successors to the metacontingency in the process of cultural-level selection. They argued that the selective processes in the metacontingency were limited to within-groups selection, and might be included in the discussion pertaining to the selection of cultural practices. Further, they argued that the selection processes outlined in the metacontingency model failed to address the selection of cultural-social environments, which they suggested might result in the selection of between cultures, or between groups, features and would be more in line with the third level of selection processes which Skinner (1981; 1988) described as resulting in the evolution of cultures. This article incorporates an understanding of feedback from systems theory that is broader than the common application of the concept in the field of behavior analysis, and considers several examples that illustrate how positive-feedback loops between multiple metacontingencies may result in the between-groups, cultural-level selective processes described by Couto and Sandaker, and how such systems may emerge via processes of self-organization.


Objective: To determine whether cardiac rehabilitation influences plasma levels of angiogenic cytokines and their correlation with myocardial blood flow (MBF). Design: Randomised controlled study. Setting: Tertiary cardiac centre. Patients: 39 postinfarction patients randomised to either a 3-month training group (n = 20) or a non-training group (n = 19), and 19 normal controls. Interventions: Cardiac rehabilitation. Main outcome measures: MBF by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, and plasma levels of stem cell factor (SCF), stromal-derived factor-1 (SDF-1), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) measured at enrolment and at 3 months after randomisation. Results: At baseline, when compared with the healthy subjects, postinfarction patients had a lower MBF in the infarcted myocardium during dipyridamole-induced stress (1.65 (0.58) vs 2.77 (0.78) ml/min/g, p<0.001) but higher plasma levels of VEGF (3.65 (0.75) vs 2.77 (0.59) pg/ml, p<0.001 expressed as the natural logarithm) and SDF-1 (2113 (345) vs 1869 (309) pg/ml, p = 0.009). Only SDF-1 was inversely associated with stress MBF in both remote (r = −0.39, p = 0.03) and infarcted myocardium (r = −0.62, p<0.001). After 3 months, the training group's stress MBF had increased by 33% in the remote (p<0.001) and 28% in infarcted myocardium (p = 0.02), while VEGF decreased by 9% (p = 0.01), and SDF-1 decreased by 11% (p = 0.02). The change in SDF-1 was inversely correlated with the change in stress MBF in both remote (r = −0.40, p = 0.01) and infarcted myocardium (r = −0.50, p = 0.001). In the non-training group, MBF and cytokines were unchanged. Conclusion: Cardiac rehabilitation improves stress MBF in postinfarction patients, with an inverse decrease in circulating angiogenic cytokines.


The annual catch of octopus in the Rodrigues Lagoon, located east/north-east of Mauritius, has dropped by almost half since 1994. This has prompted concern over the resource and has initiated an assessment of the current status of the stock. The limited available biological information suggests that the main pulse of recruitment into the lagoon occurs in the first few months of the year, but that exact timing varies between years and additional staggered recruitment may occur throughout the year. Size frequency information suggests that the brooding period may be variable and extended, with a main peak between October and January. Catch-and-effort data were also limited, but a decreasing trend in catch per unit effort in two of the datasets examined allowed some preliminary withinseason assessment of population size (using a depletion model) at selected landing sites. The use of a migration bias correction formula suggested a net emigration from the lagoon, which might be indicative of adult movement into deeper waters. Depletion models seem to be useful as a management tool and should be tested further against more substantial monthly catch-and-effort data. In the interim, a precautionary approach of instituting a national seasonal closure for octopus fishing following periods of peak recruitment may have both economic and conservation benefits. Keywords : growth, management recruitment, Octopus cyanea , regulations, reproduction, stock assessment African Journal of Marine Science 2011, 33(1): 181–187


A study was conducted to examine the effects of exhaustive enduring exercise training on the skeletal muscle of rats. Twenty-six male Wistar rats were divided into 3 groups : an exhaustive training group (EE), a free-eating control group (Co), and a pair weight group in which body weight was matched to EE (PW). The rats in EE were forced to run on a treadmill with an inclination of 0•`3•‹, 6 days/week for 4 weeks. At first the rats ran at a constant speed for 60 min. Then we gradually added 2 m/min to the basic speed every minute until they were exhausted. The treadmill speed was 20 m/min during the first, 30 m/min during the second, 35 m/min during the third, and 40 m/min during the final week. The muscle wet weight, the quantity of the muscle protein and the isometric tetanic force were measured with the soleus and extensor digitorum longus (EDL). Food restriction induced significant decreases in EDL weight. Exhaustive enduring exercise training induced noteworthy decreases in soleus weight, but remarkable gains in EDL weight. It also induced significant changes of the quantity of the muscle protein in the two muscles, which corresponded to the changes in muscle weight. The isometric tetanic force of both muscles was not affected by food restriction. The isometric tetanic force showed a significant decreases in EDL in EE comparison Co. The isometric tetanic force of the soleus did not show a significant decreases. However, its degree of decrease corresponded to that of the muscle protein. These findings illustrate that exhaustive endurance exercise training induces degradation of the soleus and hypertrophy of the EDL. However, it also decrease the muscle force which generats the capacity of the two muscles. We think that this phenomenon depends on the skeletal muscle characteristics, such as fiber type, and eccentric or concentric contraction. (Jpn. J. Phys. Fitness Sports Med. 1998, 47: 209•`220) key words : exhaustive enduring exercise, muscle protein, isometric tetanic force


In the last decade, the Mediterranean mussel production in Italy has been steadily increasing, reaching in 2002 the 7% of the worldwide production. This trend is mainly due to the increase in landings from aquaculture, which in 2002 accounted for about 70% of the country annual production. Despite this growth, the development of off-shore mussel culture activities still encounters a number of constraints concerned with sustainability and environmental impacts. This work presents the developement of a mathematical model which aims at describing the impact of farmed mussels on phytoplankton concentration. The model was applied to study the sustainability of mussel culture activities along the western Adriatic coast. Simulation results indicate that, during a critical period of the rearing cycle, phytoplankton concentration could be impacted by the grazing of farmed mussels. Model results were discussed on the basis of considerations on energy requirements to sustain mussel growth. The approach presented can give useful indications related to farms sizes and locations.


OBJECTIVE
To observe the influence of alum on the intestinal microecological balance in normal microorganisms.

METHOD
The mice were administered orally with alum of a small dosage(0.25/kg) and a large dosage(1 g/kg) for half a month, two months and three months, and a micro flora analysis of the mice was carried out at intervals of the above mentioned administrations.

RESULT
The intestinal flora in the animals administered with alum was imbalanced. The counts of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli closely related to human physiological activities were decreased. The counts of pathogenic E. Coli significantly increased; and the longer the animals were treated with alum, the stronger the microecological balance was influenced.

CONCLUSION
Alum could induce imbalance of the normal intestinal flora in mice.


Compared with the fossil record of vascular plants, bryophyte fossils are rare; this circumstance is probably related to a lower preservation potential compared with that of vascular plants. We searched for bryophyte remains in extensive collections of plant-fossil assemblages from the Triassic of Antarctica and identified three assemblages with surprisingly well-preserved bryophyte fossils. Although most bryophyte remains are too fragmented to conclusively place them in a detailed systematic context, they exhibit features sufficient to suggest the presence of at least four types of leafy bryophytes and two orders of thallose liverworts (Pallaviciniales and Metzgeriales) in the high-latitude Triassic ecosystems of Antarctica. The leafy bryophytes exhibit combinations of morphological features (e.g. keeled and entire-margined, ecostate leaves with elongated cells) that today occur in only a few small, systematically isolated groups, but were common among Palaeozoic and especially Mesozoic bryophytes. The diverse morphologies of the bryophyte fossils add further support to previous hypotheses that during warmer periods in the Earth's history, bryophyte vegetation may have been particularly rich and diverse in high-latitude regions. Through analysis of the sedimentology and taphonomy of these assemblages, we identify a combination of key factors that may explain the preservation of bryophyte fossils in these deposits: (1) punctuated, high-energetic sedimentary events causing traumatic removal and incorporation of bryophytes into sediment-laden flood waters; (2) limited transport distance, and short period of suspension, followed by rapid settling and burial as a result of a rapidly decelerating flow discharging into a floodplain environment; and (3) early-diagenetic cementation with iron hydroxides in locally anoxic zones of the organic-rich, muddy substrate.


This paper describes the initiating action, planning, adaptations, and official conclusion of a one-year consolidation of a professional health-sciences library with a largely commuter-student undergraduate liberal arts library, during the consolidation of their corresponding universities. Ties existed between some university programs, such as nursing, but the cultures of the two universities differed. The structure established to handle the consolidation allowed effective communication and cooperative development of policies and processes. Reaccreditation efforts also required extensive work to reflect the new university. Crucial lessons were learned from the intensive effort.


We propose a new measure for food prices to further examine the impact of changes in food prices and real income on individuals' eating decisions and weight. We calculate price per calorie for food consumed away from home and food consumed at home as the dollar amount spent by households on each food category divided by the number of calories consumed. We use our newly constructed time series for price per calorie as an input into a neoclassical model of eating decisions and weight. Our goal is to propose a quantitative explanation for the increase in calories consumed away from home as well as changes in weight for men and women 1971 and 2006. We find that prices determine the allocation of calories across food types, while income determines the total number of calories consumed and thus individuals' weight. Based on our results, we share the view that taxes on food will impact what people eat but will have limited effect on reducing the population body-mass index or the obesity prevalence.


Nitrogen Oxides Emission Control Through Reburning with Biomass in Coal-Fired Power Plants. (December 2004) Senthilvasan Arumugam Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Kalyan Annamalai Oxides of nitrogen from coal-fired power stations are considered to be major pollutants, and there is increasing concern for regulating air quality and offsetting the emissions generated from the use of energy. Reburning is an in-furnace, combustion control technology for NOx reduction. Another environmental issue that needs to be addressed is the rapidly growing feedlot industry in the United States. The production of biomass from one or more animal species is in excess of what can safely be applied to farmland in accordance with nutrient management plans and stockpiled waste poses economic and environmental liabilities. In the present study, the feasibility of using biomass as a reburn fuel in existing coal-fired power plants is considered. It is expected to utilize biomass as a low-cost, substitute fuel and an agent to control emission. The successful development of this technology will create environment-friendly, low cost fuel source for the power industry, provide means for an alternate method of disposal of biomass, and generate a possible revenue source for feedlot operators. In the present study, the effect of coal, cattle manure or feedlot biomass, and blends of biomass with coal on the ability to reduce NOx were investigated in the Texas A&M University 29.31 kW (100,000 Btu/h) reburning facility. The facility used a mixture of propane and ammonia to generate the 600 ppm NOx in the primary zone. The reburn fuel was injected using air. The stoichiometry tested were 1.00 to 1.20 in the reburn zone. Two types of injectors, circular jet and fan spray injectors, which produce different types of mixing within the reburn zone, were studied to find their effect on NOx emissions reduction. The flat spray injector performed better in all cases. With the injection of biomass as reburn fuel with circular jet injector the maximum NOx reduction was 29.9 % and with flat spray injector was 62.2 %. The mixing time was estimated in model set up as 936 and 407 ms. The maximum NOx reduction observed with coal was 14.4 % and with biomass it was 62.2 % and the reduction with blends lay between that of coal and biomass.


It has been argued that there is a prima facie case as to why extra-curricular activities should be thought to contribute to graduate outcomes, yet few studies have examined student activities beyond the classroom and their role in student experience and graduate outcomes. This study collected data via a questionnaire survey (n=852) and a series of focus groups with students (n=95) to examine undergraduate perceptions of the role that extra-curricular activities play in developing employability skills. It was found that extracurricular activities were significantly correlated with other employability related aspects of student experience and viewed favourably by students in terms of CV building and enhancing employability. Yet students also reported that it was often difficult to participate in activities outside of their academic work and paid employment. It is concluded that the value of extra-curricular activities is widely recognised and universities should support students who wish to engage in them. Furthermore, future programmes aimed at harnessing the capacity of extra-curricular activities to develop student employability need to give due consideration to strategies for enhancing inclusion and diverse participation.


This paper reports on an effort to use Stagecast CreatorTM as a means for developing modelling skills among undergraduate students taking an introductory course in science that took place in a virtual learning environment (WebCTTM). An inquiry-based curriculum was implemented, which guided students working in small groups to collect and study moon observations and construct a series of successive models of the moon phases using Stagecast CreatorTM. Students' reflective journals and reports of synchronous discussions were the means for collecting data. The findings show that the WebCTTM platform supported the on-line collaboration among students in the course that was used to help them improve their models through the use of Stagecast CreatorTM. Specifically, students' groups shared their models with other groups through WebCTTM, and provided feedback about each other's models, indicating model limitations and suggesting possible improvements. The results also suggest that students believed that the on-line collaboration supported their learning growth as well as the process of developing modelling skills. Students found it extremely fruitful to exchange ideas with other groups, to read and make suggestions for model improvements and to collaborate with almost all students in the course – which would have been impossible without the on-line collaboration tool. Collaboration in learning situations like the one presented in this paper involves exchanging, negotiating and critiquing ideas for the purpose of building new, more refined knowledge. This collaborative process became feasible due to the fact that sharing and viewing Stagecast CreatorTM files through the Internet is fully compatible with web-browsers. We suggest that the process of model deployment was practically made possible due to the combined use of Stagecast CreatorTM and WebCTTM.


A network baseline allows for the identification of malicious activity in real time. However, a baseline requires that every listed action is known and accounted, presenting a nearly impossible task in any production environment due to an ever-changing application footprint, system and application updates, changing project requirements, and not least of all, unpredictable user behaviors. Each obstacle presents a significant challenge in the development and maintenance of an accurate and false positive free network baseline. To surmount these hurdles, network architects need to design a network free from continuous change including, changing company requirements, untested systems or application updates, and the presence of unpredictable users. Creating a static, never-changing environment is the goal. However, this completely removes the functionality of a production network. Or does it? Within this paper, I will detail how this type of static environment, referred to as the Labyrinth, can be placed in front of a production environment and provide real time defensive measures against hostile and dispersed attacks, from both human actors and automated machines. I expect to prove the Labyrinth is capable of detecting changes in its environment in real time. It will provide a listing of dynamic defensive capabilities like identifying attacking IP addresses, rogue-process start commands, modifications to registry values, alterations in system memory and recording the movements of an attacker's tactics, techniques, and procedures. At the same time, the Labyrinth will add these values to block list, protecting the production network lying behind. Successful accomplishment of these goals will prove the viability and sustainability of a Labyrinth defending network (Revelle, 2011) environments.


The desire to increase the sensitivity of solution-based absorption spectroscopy is motivated by the need for label-free biosensing (which provides a more authentic indication of the state of a biological system) and by the usefulness of characterizing the kinetics of biologically-relevant reactions (which may not be accurately characterizable at reagent concentrations required by standard methods. There are a number of techniques by which such increasingly sensitive measurements have been made, including cavity ringdown spectroscopy, incoherent cavity-enhanced spectroscopy, microsphere-based whispering-gallery mode sensing,and our cavity-enhanced measurements, which are the most sensitive to date and which can be conducted in real time with high bandwidth. Our current device has a demonstrated detection threshold of 1.7x 10^{-7}/sqrt{Hz} (4.36x10^{-6}cm^{-1}), which could with further technical work be improved to a shot-noise limited sensitivity of 1.93x 10^{-10}/sqrt{Hz} (1.06x10^{-8}cm^{-1}). The latter would correspond to an average of 700 strong absorbers (epsilon = 10^5 M^{-1}cm^{-1}) in the optical beam volume. The shot-noise limited detection threshold of our measurement method could potentially be improved by up to two orders of magnitude by incorporating state-of-the-art optical mirrors. With such mirrors, cavity-enhanced absorption experiments performed with gas-phase samples have previously demonstrated single molecule sensitivity. We have established that solution-based cavity-enhanced absorption measurements are more sensitive than standard single-pass measurements by the predicted enhancement factor for our present device (~ 20,000). These measurements provide the proof-of-principle for solution-based, cavity-enhanced spectroscopy and serve as the intermediate step towards the attainment of the theoretical sensitivity of this technique. We believe that this device will be of broad interest to the scientific community, because it is presently the most sensitive solution-based spectroscopic device. It can make real-time absorption measurements which would allow monitoring of the kinetics of chemical reactions in which the spectral properties of reactants change by even a small amount, and, near its theoretical limit of sensitivity (given currently available mirrors), such a device could potentially resolve single-molecule absorption events on the sub-millisecond timescale and below.


This work focuses on the use of animations for learning complex and dynamic mental models. Animations can provide more information than pictures but can also interfere with learning since learners have to actually process this information, and do it in real time. Through five experiments, using four different animations, we explored the way learners used the available information to understand the depicted phenomenon. We studied the effect of features allowing learners to consult previous states of the animation (snapshots, control and interactivity over the content). We also used a collaborative learning setting in order to improve the processing of the information by the learners. Through these experiments, we adapted and developed methods to describe the learning processes beyond what we could observe with our experimental conditions. The results allowed us to enrich our comprehension of the specific processes involved when learning from animations. In particular, our fifth experiment showed qualitative differences in the visual representation constructed from static pictures or from animations. Our discussion on these results led us to describe a framework of cognitive processes implicated when learning from multimedia materials.


With music fans attending festivals like Bonnaroo and Coachella in record numbers, festival revenues have grown from very little a decade ago to over $4.6 billion in 2011 (Grose, 2011). Americana music festivals are one such type of music festival currently enjoying increased popularity. The purpose of this dissertation is to understand consumption-related behaviors and experiences within the Americana music festival context. Thus, one of the primary goals of this dissertation is to understand the experience of the Americana music festival and to explore what this experience means for festivalgoers, fans, and the genre itself. Four research objectives were developed to address this purpose: (1) to explore the Americana music festival experience, (2) to investigate the role of consumption in this experience, (3) to examine how the Americana music festival functions as a marketplace, and (4) to investigate the ways that Americana music festivals link to the local community. Americana music festivals are settings that allow the emotive, affective properties of the consumption process to emerge through moments of fun, enjoyment and leisure. However, thus far, no academic research has investigated the Americana music festival as a particular experiential consumption context. Likewise, although research exists on festivals in general, there are gaps in this literature specifically related to festival consumption behaviors. An ethnographic approach was used to address the purpose and objectives of this study. Specifically, I immersed myself in the research by attending ten Americana music festivals conducting research in the field for a total of 33 days over the duration the festivals attended. Data collected consisted of interviews, fieldnotes and photographs. Data were analyzed to develop the thematic interpretations. Three thematic areas emerged that structure the interpretation: Crafting the Festival, The Marketplace, and Experiencing the Festival. Within each thematic area, dimensions of the meanings of the Americana music festival experience are examined. Findings indicate that the Americana music festival is a transformative commercial offering that is created by organizers for consumers to escape and explore new experiences. Findings also shed light on how the Americana music festival inspires consumption that shapes individual and group identities. Lastly, findings elucidate the importance of stakeholder support necessary for Americana music festivals to be successful. Although, this study addresses several gaps in the literature, it also points to the need for further exploration of the experiential consumption facets of festivals in general and Americana music festivals in particular.


The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) receives more prior art submissions by patent applicants than its patent examiners have the capacity to process. Although applicant prior art submissions are highly likely to contain references material to prosecution, evidence suggests that overburdened examiners often fail to utilize references submitted by applicants in their examination of patent applications. The information overload suffered by patent examiners has deleterious effects on patent quality, since examiners fail to identify and apply the references most relevant to the examination of patent applications. The vision of patent examiners as perfect filters of patentability and of information as always benefiting the public good is both idealistic and unrealistic. Despite their expertise, patent examiners are human and fallible, vulnerable to the effects of information processing overload and the cognitive biases attendant to decision-making by a boundedly rational actor. Failing to address these problems will likely result in frustrated applicants, overburdened patent examiners, and reduced patent quality. This article proposes to solve both the plague of inequitable conduct allegations in litigation and the administrative burdens of complying with the duty of disclosure by reframing disclosure obligations for the information age. Reframing the duty of disclosure in this fashion would require no modifications to statutory provisions, few alterations to administrative rules and regulations, and only modest changes to existing case law. Thus, the approach suggested in this article is both legally conservative and administratively feasible.


The sovereignty of postcolonial African states is largely derived from their recognition by other states and by the United Nations, irrespective of their actual effectiveness. Such international legal sovereignty has been a resource to weak African states, allowing them to endure against the odds, and to their rulers who have instrumentalized it to foster their domestic authority and domination. Yet, African sovereignty has also been a curse. Being exogenous to domestic social and political relations, it tends to isolate and shield rulers from the ruled and predisposes state institutions toward predation. It also standardizes and homogenizes the continent's institutional landscape in disregard to the wealth and promise of effective institutional arrangements on the ground, to which it denies legitimacy. Despite the equilibrium properties of the African sovereignty regime, there might be opportunities to tweak the system in ways that could unleash more effective and accountable state and nonstate institutions.


Oligodendrocyte progenitors (OLPs) are widely distributed throughout the embryonic and adult central nervous system (CNS). They are the primary, possibly the only source of oligodendrocytes in the developing CNS and in the repair of
demyelinated lesions, but it is unclear whether they continue to generate myelinating oligodendrocytes or any other cells in the normal healthy adult.
A transgenic mouse line, Pdgfra-CreERT2, allowed temporally-controlled, permanent activation of YFP expression in PDGFRa-expressing OLPs and their differentiated
progeny in the Rosa26-YFP reporter background. In vivo BrdU labelling and fate mapping of YFP-positive cells revealed that, in the corpus callosum, approximately half of the OLPs were dividing with a cell cycle time of approximately 8 days. Half of the daughter cells differentiated into myelinating oligodendrocytes, the others remained undifferentiated to maintain the OLP population.
In the cortex, the majority of differentiated cells were SOX10+ non-myelinating oligodendrocyte-lineage cells of unknown function. In addition, YFP-labelled projection neurons accumulated in the piriform cortex (primary olfactory cortex).
YFP-labelled astrocytes were not found anywhere in the forebrain.
In collaboration with RMJ Franklin and colleagues (University of Cambridge) the fates of OLPs during repair of gliotoxin-induced demyelinated spinal cord lesions
were investigated. In the lesions, OLPs generated mainly remyelinating oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells as well as a few astrocytes.
Taken together, my in vivo Cre/lox fate-mapping studies showed that OLPs can differentiate into myelinating oligodendrocytes, non-myelinating oligodendrocytelineage
cells, cortical projection neurons and - during remyelination - Schwann cells and astrocytes. Thus, OLPs possess multipotential stem cell-like properties in the
adult mouse CNS.


What are the relational dynamics between Taiwanese Christian daughters-in-law (D-Ls) and their non-Christian mothers-in-law (M-Ls)? How does Christian faith influence their intergenerational relations? How best can a caregiver offer appropriate pastoral support and assist Christian women in dealing with their non-Christian M-Ls? These issues and problems have been largely ignored in the relative literature and have arisen from of my pastoral work and personal experience. As a female pastor and D-L, set out this study seeking to integrate professional and academic knowledge in order to answer these questions.

This study focuses on women's experiences, attempting to reveal those relationship issues, and determine any problems underscoring the daily interactions of D-L—M-L in Taiwanese society. In order to meet these aims, the thesis engages with feminist pastoral theology, social science methodology, psychological analysis, and cultural studies.

The first part of this study explores literature relevant to the topic, and the living context of Taiwanese D-Ls, as well as feminist pastoral theology. It is concerned with how traditional Chinese and Western cultures define roles and construct intergenerational relationships. Social transition, tension between tradition and modernity, and the struggles and challenges in relation to these intergenerational relationships are examined. The traditional male-centred theological paradigms, in which gender is interpreted and which must be reinterpreted and reconstructed for developing feminist theology, is also discussed.

The second part of this study describes its feminist research methodology. It sets out a framework for collecting data to aid in developing an understanding of Taiwanese Christian women's experience. Focus group discussions were used to explore the collective voice of the D-Ls. The last part of this study involves the presentation of research findings, discussions, and suggestions for further thought and action. It illustrates key findings from analysis of the focus group discussions, and describes the daily interaction and cultural ideology they present, along with the roles husbands, fathers-in-law (F-L), children, and other family members play in the web of relationships. The findings reveal that D-Ls face the challenges of an androcentric and hierarchical family culture, a close-knit family web, and unequal power relations. Different religious practices impact upon the D-L-M-L
relationship and this can be a source of tension or conflict. Christian teachings also convey potentially androcentric messages for women that can affect their self-image and cause other harmful consequences. However, many participating women indicated that Christian beliefs provide them with a spiritual strength which has transformed their lives, and led to relational restoration. The Bible, teachings and church groups provide religious resources that support them in the face of relational challenges.
I end with self-reflection, noting the need for further theological construction, and propose an alternative model of Triune love, based upon feminist interpretation, as a foundation for family renewal and women's emancipation. This theological model has implications for new forms of pastoral care which can promote gender equality and non-hierarchical, intergenerational relationships.


Education-related changes are often argued as the main reasons for changes in earnings distribution. However, omitted variable and measurement error biases possibly affect econometric estimates of these effects. Brazil experienced a sharp fall of individual labour income inequality between 1996 and 2014. Coincidentally, in the Brazilian National Household Sample Survey ( PNAD) there are special supplements on family background in these two years that allow us to better address the role played by falling education returns. This paper takes advantage of this information to provide new estimates of the level and evolution of the returns to education in Brazil using variable premiums by education level, quantile regressions, and pseudo panels. Regarding measurement error, the empirical strategy is to make use of the information of who responded to the PNAD questionnaire but controlling for availability biases. We find evidence of attenuation bias which reduces mean returns from education between 14 and 31.5 per cent. On the other hand, omitting parents' education information also accounting for selectivity issues reduces the premium estimates by 24 per cent. Perhaps more importantly, the fall of education premium is heavily underestimated when we do not take family background into account. The highest fall of returns occurred in intermediary levels of education and income. Cohort effects also show that the reduction in the educational premium has been going on for several generations. Finally, we assess how parents' education affects the educational outcomes of their children and how the intergenerational mobility of education has evolved over the last years. We find a reduction on the intergenerational persistence of education from 0.7 to 0.47 between 1996 and 2014. Cohort effects regarding intergenerational mobility also show that the fall in the persistence of education is also stronger for younger cohorts, which coincides with the fall of education premiums.


Background Prior to 1999, the conservation status of the biggest fish in the sea was listed by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) as 'Indeterminate – Data Deficient' in its Red List of Threatened Species publication. A Species Report was commissioned in 1999 and the Whale Shark's status was subsequently upgraded to 'Vulnerable' in 2000. Much attention has been afforded this species since 2000, with various protective measures implemented at the local, national and international scale. But has it had any effect? Approach Literature Review and discussions with stakeholders from across the globe was used to investigate the current state of play. A recent updated IUCN Red List Report was also consulted. Areas of concern are highlighted and suggested ways forward discussed. Results Whale Sharks are listed under many international conventions e.g. the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); the Bonn Convention for the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS); the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). There is however little evidence of actions under these Conventions. The Whale Shark is known to occur in the waters of more than 100 countries – yet it receives protection in less than 50% of these. One country that lists protection for this species is China – the location of the largest active commercial whale shark fishery. Yet enforcement of existing laws is lacking. A review of the conservation status for the Whale Shark was undertaken in 2015 resulting in no change to its 'Vulnerable' assessment in the IUCN's 2016 Red List. The main threats are fisheries catches, bycatch in nets, vessel strikes, whale shark tourism, marine pollution, and the inability for implementation/actions under current laws and Conventions. Conclusions Where are we failing – and what needs to be done? For a start, we need better information, starting with regional and global population assessments to establish population trends globally (at present 'unknown' in the latest Red List Assessment). We need improved monitoring of threats and the means to implement adjustments as required (including tourism activities) to minimise impacts. We must have an increased level of data sharing: greater collaboration between researchers, especially to maximise the use of limited available resources to achieve tangible outcomes (which can then be reviewed by relevant authorities when implementing conservation measures). And then an increased level of public education on a local, national and global scale – to help minimise threats (esp. fin trade/habitat destruction e.g. various marine industries; development etc.). Perhaps consumer-driven pressure to make it unviable for stocking/sourcing of whale shark products? And then could it be possible to have a fisheries quota – and benefit the global conservation of this species? Discussions need to be had.


Beef cattle production is suffering numerous difficulties in productive and economical terms in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Expanding new markets, competition with other meats, external competition through imported Mercosul beef, new growth and slaughter processes bring new challenges to the Brazilian livestock production. In the case of Rio Grande do Sul, another factor to be considered is the competition with Central States in the internal market. Meat prices received by farmers in the last years stayed constant, but prices of the main production inputs are still rising. This scenery brought continuous income decrease to the beef cattle farmers. As a result, many farmers are selling part of their lands or leaving beef cattle production. This paper aims to compare gross income and cash flows in three farms with different beef cattle systems during the years of 2003 and 2004, as well as analysing the cost percentage of different inputs necessary to the production systems. The farms are located in different regions: Campanha, Depressao Central and Fronteira Oeste, representing important agricultural production regions in the in Rio Grande do Sul state. The results show that without technological modernisation in beef cattle production systems and integration with agriculture, it becomes difficult to remunerate all the production factors. Planning allows a better income distribution, reducing the months of negative cash flow. However, the low profit per area demonstrates the gravity of the economical situation of beef cattle farmers in Rio Grande do Sul.


In aerial photography since roads and other man-made structures are small compared to natural features, their edges are usually indistinct from the background and are often undetected by automatic systems. A major problem in the development of such systems is the delineation of boundaries around areas containing features of interest. The computer is often unable to accomplish the detection process alone. Therefore, it is reasonable to combine the superior pattern recognition abilities of a human being with the computational power of a digital computer to form an interactive system. In this paper, an interactive feature extraction system is discussed. The hardware consists of a CDC-6400 sequential computer, a Goodyear STARAN associative array processor, a DEC PDP 11/50 minicomputer, image display, digitizing and recording devices. The feature extraction program for the interactive system consists of a series of routines which were installed in the system. The routines were written in FORTRAN and/or the STARAN assembly language according to the intended application in order to efficiently use the computers. 2B-3 GENERATING CHARACTER MAPS ON A REMOTE TERMINAL BY USE OF SIMPLIFIED SOFTWARE Premsukh Poonai and W. J. Floyd Bethune-Cookman College, Florida Royce Hall Federal Electric Corporation Carl James Upp Consultant on Remote Terminals


Dendritic polyphenylazomethines (DPA) could encapsulate ferroceniums by complexation of the electron-donating skeleton of the DPA imines. Upon addition of ferroceniums to a series of dendritic polyphenylazomethines (DPAGX, where X is the generation number, X = 1-4), the UV-vis spectra showed changes in a manner similar to that observed for the complexation of metal ions with DPAGX. Stepwise shifts in the isosbestic point were consistently observed with the number of imine groups in the first and second layers of the generation-4 dendrimer (DPAG4). DPAG2 and DPAG3 were also found to trap 6 equiv of ferroceniums. To investigate the complexation, UV-vis spectroscopy, (57)Fe Mossbauer spectroscopy, electrospray ionization-mass spectroscopy (ESI-MS), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and fluorescence spectroscopy were performed. We confirmed that neutral ferrocenes cannot complex with the imine group while ferroceniums can. Utilizing the redox property of ferrocenes, we were able to electrochemically control the encapsulation and release of ferrocenes into the DPA in a manner similar to redox-responsive proteins such as ferritin. In addition to ferrocenes, oligoferrocenes could also be trapped in the DPA. The biferrocene cation(1+) was particularly suitable for electrochemical switching due to its stable mixed valence condition. The terferrocene dication(2+) encapsulated into DPAG4 could be fabricated into a thin film, which exhibited the near-infrared absorption of an intervalence charge-transfer (IV-CT) band, pointing the way toward the use of such systems in material science.


In unsupervised outlier ensembles, the absence of ground truth makes the combination of base outlier detectors a challenging task. Specifically, existing parallel outlier ensembles lack a reliable way of selecting competent base detectors, affecting accuracy and stability, during model combination. In this paper, we propose a framework---called Locally Selective Combination in Parallel Outlier Ensembles (LSCP)---which addresses the issue by defining a local region around a test instance using the consensus of its nearest neighbors in randomly selected feature subspaces. The top-performing base detectors in this local region are selected and combined as the model's final output. Four variants of the LSCP framework are compared with seven widely used parallel frameworks. Experimental results demonstrate that one of these variants, LSCP_AOM, consistently outperforms baselines on the majority of twenty real-world datasets.


Today, most biometrics research groups are tackling the challenging problem of an
automatic fingerprint identification system (AFIS) using large databases. Since AFIS
dedicates most of its processing time to searching for the best-matched fingerprint,
searching over the entire fingerprint database is rather inefficient. It is proposed that
the database be divided into sub-databases, each containing only fingerprints of the
same pattern or class. Fingerprint classification is then an important first step in
directing the search only to the appropriate sub-database, thus reducing the extent of
searching of the large database.
The main objective of this thesis is to propose a classification technique to reliably
classify a fingerprint into one of six well-known classes: plain arch, tented arch, right
loop, left loop, whorl and twin loop. The fingerprint classification technique proposed
in this thesis has achieved good results owing to the improvement in a number of
processing steps the author has proposed for the enhancement of fingerprints, the
determination of singular points and their associated principal axes, and the rule-based
classification algorithm. The directional bandpass Gabor filter-bank approach is one of the most effective and
mathematically elegant techniques to date for fingerprint image enhancement. The
filter output, however, is very sensitive to the ridge orientation and frequency that the
filter is tuned to, and also to the spatial parameters of the Gaussian envelope.
Unfortunately, filtering of a fingerprint image with an adaptive two-dimensional
Gabor filter bank is computationally expensive because ridge orientation and
frequency vary significantly throughout the fingerprint. In this thesis we propose to
use an array of 8x4 two-dimensional Gabor filters tuned to eight directions and four
ridge frequencies. Filtered fingerprint images at any combination of local ridge
orientation and frequency can be calculated using a 2-D interpolation algorithm. The
proposed technique produces a better quality of image than current Gabor-based
techniques. The results are compared using a goodness index measure of the
reliability of the automatic minutiae detection. The accuracy of the location of singular points on a fingerprint is important for
minutiae matching alignment and is also essential for the Poincare index to correctly
determine the type of singular points. In this thesis, we present a novel yet simple and
accurate technique for the automatic determination of singular points. The technique
offers a double-resolution estimation of the ridge orientation on a 4x4 pixels quincunx
grid and quantises ridge orientations into six codes called ridge flow codes. Singular
regions are defined as where all six codes exist. A singular point within a singular
region can then be quickly determined by locating the point where the variance of
local ridge orientation is at its maximum. The Poincare indices of these singular
points are used to determine their type: ordinary, delta, core or double-core. The
distribution and type of the singular points, together with their associated principal
axes, are then used to classify a fingerprint into one of six well-known classes or
patterns.
This thesis proposes a rule-based algorithm for classifying fingerprints into one of six
well-known classes. The rules are formed using the relative locations and types of
singular points and the relative directions of their associated principal axes. The
reliable and fast classification algorithm is made possible by a simple but effective
combination of ridge flow-code technique and orientation variance calculation in the
determination of singular points and principal axes. The Poincare indices of these
singular points are used to determine their type: ordinary, delta, core or double-core.
For a test sample of some 150 fingerprints, the correct classification rate of the
proposed algorithm was found to be better than 90%.


Electrolytic coagulation has advantages compared with conventional chemicals coagulation treatment. First of all, the addition of alkaline agent is necessary in chemicals coagulation treatment as the addition of acid agents in coagulation of dense wash water makes pH decline. While not much change of pH is observed with electrolytic coagulation, where alkaline agent is not demanded. Secondly, it is easy to control the dose of additional coagulants. In this study, electrolytic coagulation sedimentation treatment is adopted for membrane retentate from membrane filtration treatment without using coagulants. As electricity can control the addition of coagulation, an automation method is applied in the experiment. The lower the iron as well as aluminum dissolved, the higher the sludge dentity becomes; especially aluminum has this tendency. It is possible to achieve 400 kg/m 3 of condensed sludge density with artificial wash water and more than 80 kg/m 3 for real retentate, in terms of electrolytic coagulation of iron anode. The sludge density of aluminum anode is higher, but Its filtrate density is lower than iron anode.


The main challenge of real time video streaming over a wireless network is to provide good quality service (QoS) to the mobile viewer. However, wireless networks have a limited bandwidth that may not be able to handle the continues video frame sequence and also with the possibility that video frames could be dropped or corrupted during the transmission. This could severely affect the video quality. In this study we come up with a mechanism to eliminate the frozen video and provide a quality satisfactory for the mobile viewer. This can be done by splitting the video frames to sub-frame and transmitted over multiple channels. We will present a subjective test, the Mean Opinion Score (MOS). MOS is used to evaluate our scenarios where the users can observe three levels of frame losses for real time video streaming. The results for our technique significantly improves the indicate perceived that video quality.


We demonstrate controlled growth of face-centered cubic (FCC), monodisperse hard-sphere colloidal crystals by centrifugation at up to 3000g onto FCC (100) templates. Such rapid deposition rates often result in an amorphous sediment. Surprisingly, however, growth onto (100) templates results only in single crystals with few or no extended defects. By contrast, deposition onto flat, (111), or (110) templates causes rapid disordering to an amorphous sediment if the dimensionless flux (particle volume fraction × Peclet number) exceeds a critical value. This crystalline-to-amorphous crossover results from the degeneracy of possible stacking positions for these orientations. No such degeneracy exists for growth onto (100). After growth, extended defects can nucleate and grow only if the crystal exceeds a critical thickness that depends on the lattice misfit with the template spacing. The experimental observations of the density of misfit dislocations are accounted for by the Frank–van der Merwe theory, adapted for the depth-dependent variation of lattice spacing and elastic constants that results from the gravitational pressure.


Sublittoral communities of macroalgae from the Abra de Bilbao and its surrounding area, which are affected by pollution, were studied in 1984 and 1992. Statistical cluster analysis applied to a network of 230 quadrats distributed along 7 transects resulted in 4 structural levels of community, depending on the pollution gradient. These levels are defined by algal cover, vertical layering and the predominant morphology of the species forming the communlty. Sedimentation, turbidity and water toxicity are the principal destabilizing factors among the phytobenthic communities Species with simple morphology, mainly ceramiaceous algae (Ceramium diaphanum, Calllthamnion neglecturn, Antithamnionella spirographidis. Pterotharnnion plumula, Anotrichium furcellaturn, Compsothamnion thuyoides), sciaphilous (Mesophyllum lichenoides, Zanardjnia prototypus, Rhodymenia coespitosella, Drachiella minuta, Erythroglossum laciniatum, Hypoglossurn hypoglossoides) and those resistant to sedimentation (Pterosiphonia pennata and Champia parvula) are the most widely found species in severely polluted settings. Species such as Gelidium sesquipedale, Heterosiphonia plumosa, Calliblephans ciliata. Halopitys incurvus, Djctyopterjs polypodioides and Halurus equisetifolius are species typically found at the reference site and are good indicators of unchanged environments. Pterosiphonia complanata, abundant at the reference site, took the place of G. sesquipedale in those sites farthest from the source of pollut~on Ord~nation and classification analyses detected changes in flora after 8 yr, pointing toward a recuperating process. The improvement consisted of an increase in algal cover along with a decrease in ceramiaceous algae and a greater complexity in communlty stratification. This recovery was directly related to a decrease in industrial activity and closure of the mineral washeries, as well as the establishment of urban wastewater-treatment plants for various municipalities. KEY L\'ORDS: Pollution . Sublittoral . Benthic macroalgae Community parameters . Bioindicators Recuperating process


This Article, using statistical tools and theory in conjunction with more standard legal approaches, argues that pharmaceutical manufacturers should disclose all cases of illness or injury associated with their products because this data is material to patients and their doctors, and therefore to Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 10b-5's "reasonable investor." Patient and investor interests complement each other in this context, so each will benefit from disclosures that interest the other. Because individuals process more information than traditional statistical tests convey, they act reasonably in expanding their treatment and investment criteria beyond statistical data. Moreover, two sets of expert intermediaries — doctors and professional investors — will be involved. Their expertise will contribute to a more accurate assessment of the risks that adverse-event reports may suggest a drug presents, and of the significance of these risks to shareholders. The Supreme Court's reasons for not requiring full disclosure are out of place in the context of adverse-event reporting given Rule 10b-5's pro-disclosure mandate and the fact that even seemingly singular and unconnected facts can substantially move investors' and patients' opinions about a drug's safety, and thus its maker's viability. A full-disclosure rule would place the determination of which facts are important into the hands of parties with "skin in the game" rather than regulators or self-interested drug makers.


S ain't so bad, Mrs. Davids. I know she drink too much, and she sure do swear a lot, especially for a body as old as she is. But she ain't so bad. I'm about sixtyfive years old, and I been taking care of her, feels like, my whole life. Ain't nobody really understand why, I guess, but I do. I do. I wasn't none surprised when the kitchen staff called me this evening. Said something about Mrs. Davids disrupting all the other residents, said something about Mrs. Davids making some remark the kitchen folk ain't took too kindly. So I drive over to Parksland, quick as I can, seeing as how I live a good thirty minutes away. I make it there in about fifteen and run over to the office where the wait staff is holding Mrs. Davids like she some kind of escaped prisoner. It's a sight to behold. That's God's truth right there. Two young waitresses dressed all up in they tuxedo shirts and black pants and bowties sitting with they boss, a boy who ain't old enough to be nobody's daddy, let alone boss. And they's got Mrs. Davids across from them looking every single bit the ninety-nine years old she is, sitting in that small chair that swallows her up and holding that cane her husband had made for her, thirty-some years back, when everyone thought she'd die first. I can see by the strong line of her back and the thin lines of they lips that Mrs. Davids sure enough been giving them hell. "Sam, thank you for coming all this way," the boss-boy says, finally noticing me in the doorway, "She wouldn't go back up to her room until you came over here." "Ah, Sam!" Mrs. Davids says, standing up slowly, "These people have treated me absolutely horribly! I want you to place a dinner order for me and bring it up to my room before you go." Then without saying one word to any of the other folks in the room, she grabs her cane and walks on out of the office, headed slow as can be to her room on the second floor. Soon as she's out of earshot one of the waitresses shakes her head and lets out a little scream. "I cannot stand her!" The boss-boy glances quickly at me to see if I look offended by this remark, and I don't think I do, but my guess is that waitress is going to get a talking to after I'm gone, letting her know that there are some things you ain't supposed to say in front of some people, which I suppose is the lesson they were trying to teach Mrs. Davids. "Well, I guess I'm supposed to place a dinner order," I say to them, and they bring me her Thursday meal. "If y'all don't mind my asking," I start when I'm almost out of the door, "what exactly did Mrs. Davids say that's got you all riled up?" That question sure enough hits a hot note. The boss-boy don't really know what to do with himself either, shoves his hands into his pockets and starts to stammer a bit. "Well, Sam . . . sir, she said. . . ." Boy takes so long to spit it out that I start to wonder if old Mrs. Davids done told everyone she was going to shoot up the retirement home. "Sam, she said that she didn't want to sit in the back of the dining room because that's where all the niggers sit."


We introduce a decentralized attitude control strategy that can dramatically reduce the usage of propellant, by
taking full advantage of the physical coupling of the tether. Motivated by a controllability analysis, indicating that both array resizing and spin-up are fully controllable by the reaction wheels and the tether motor, we report the first propellant-free underactuated control results for tethered formation flying spacecraft. This paper also describes the hardware development and experimental validation of the proposed method using the Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, and Reorient Experimental Satellites test bed. In particular, a new relative sensing mechanism that uses sixderee-of-freedom force-torque sensors and rate gyroscopes is introduced and validated in the closed-loop control experiments.


BACKGROUND
Hyperacute xenograft rejection (HXR) is characterized by complement activation and intravascular thrombosis. The pathogenesis of HXR is attributed to antibodies binding to α-Gal-epitopes on the endothelial cells (EC) of the xenograft, activating complement and thrombin-mediated coagulation mechanisms. Our aim was to evaluate the influence of thrombin inhibition upon HXR and tissue integrity in an ex-vivo working heart model.

MATERIAL/METHODS
Eighteen isolated porcine hearts were perfused with human whole blood in a working heart model. The blood was treated with heparin (n=9) in group G-I and with heparin and additionally recombinant hirudin (0.012 mg/ml bolus, afterwards 4.5 µg/ml/h continuously) in group G-II (n=9). The experiments were terminated at end of cardiac output. Histological analysis was performed after the experiments.

RESULTS
Working heart time of G-II was significantly longer (712.0±37.8 vs. 125.0±31.4 min, p<0.01). Heart weight increase in G-II was lower (0.05±0.01 vs. 0.30±0.06%/min, p<0.01). Stroke work index and specific coronary flow improved significantly in G-II after 120 minutes. Histological analysis revealed increased tissue damage and thrombosis phenomena in G-I. Moreover, immunohistochemistry showed increased C3 and C5b-C9 upon EC of G-I.

CONCLUSIONS
Direct thrombin inhibition with Hirudin could be a successful strategy in primate xenotransplantation experiments to prevent tissue damage thus improving the graft survival.


There has been substantial debate in the legal academy centered on the questions of whether universal moral intuitions exist and, if so, whether these intuitions have a privileged normative status, a debate both reflecting and partly reinterpreting classical jurisprudential debates about the existence of "natural law" and "natural rights." There is a strong but underappreciated homology between the debates about the nature and quality of intuitive moral reasoning, and debates, associated with the Heuristics and Biases (H&B) school on the one hand and the "Fast and Frugal" (F&F) school on the other, about the nature and quality of our capacity to make self-interested decisions (decisions requiring both factual and a-moral evaluative judgment and decision making ability. There are those in the legal academy, most prominently Cass Sunstein, who accept that people indeed often have strong moral intuitions but believe these predispositions deserve little or no normative deference because the intuitions frequently merely reflect the use of inapt rules of thumb. Others, most prominently John Mikhail, believe people readily make non-reflective moral judgments that we cannot readily explain or justify logically that are grounded in our capacity to process a quite small number of critical features of a decision situation in precisely the way that F&F theorists believe we make most judgments. I explore the degree to which some of the virtues, and, more importantly, most of the problems, in both Sunstein's and Mikhail's work are the features and shortcomings that have bedeviled the work of each of the schools on heuristic reasoning.


OBJECTIVES
This study extends previous research that contrasted occupational forms with elderly persons living in institutions to include elderly women living independently. In addition to differences in number of repetitions elicited, the current study measured heart rate response and perceived rest period duration.

METHOD
Forty-five women over the age of 65 years were randomly assigned to one of three occupational forms: materials based (kicking a balloon), imagery based (kicking an imaginary balloon), and rote exercise (performing a kicking movement without a balloon or imagery prompt). Subjects were instructed to perform the assigned lower-extremity movement until they fatigued and after a self-determined period of rest indicated when they felt able to do another set of movements. Dependent variables included number of repetitions of movement, heart rate (at baseline, at completion of movements, at end of rest period), duration of movement, and self-perceived rest period. Group means for each variable were compared using analyses of variance.

RESULTS
Groups showed no significant difference in baseline and demographic data. Subjects in the materials-based occupational form performed significantly more repetitions and required a significantly longer self-perceived rest period than subjects in the imagery-based and rote exercise forms. There were no significant differences among the groups for heart rate response. Duration of movement and number of repetitions variables were strongly correlated (r = .95), indicating lack of independence.

CONCLUSIONS
The materials-based occupational form elicited a quantitatively different performance than the other forms. Given the relatively fuller experience (i.e., interaction with an object, clear objective) of the materials-based form, an occupational form that has added meaning for the person appears to result in enhanced performance when compared with forms that lack strong meaning and suggest more limited purposes.


Erik Petersen: Suscipere digneris. A find and some hypotheses on the Copenhagen Psalter Thott 143 2° and its history. The Copenhagen Psalter Thott 143 2o has often, and rightly, been praised as an outstanding example of the subtlety and artistic quality of Romanesque art in manuscripts. Its illumination, the saints of its calendar and litany place it in an English context. Two added elements, an obituary notice on the death in 1272 of Eric duke of Jutland, son of the Danish king Abel, and a prayer of an anonymous woman, link the codex to Medieval Denmark and Scandinavia as well. Addressing the Holy Trinity with the words Suscipere digneris the woman prays for herself, pro me misera peccatrice, and for the souls of her father and mother, of her brothers and sisters, of all members of her family, and for the souls of all brothers and sisters and familiares of her order. She also prays pro anima Byrgeri ducis. The occurrence of duke Birger, or Birger Jarl, in her prayer has given the book the name "Psalter of the Folkungar", in particular in Scandinavian scholarship. The assumptions have been that the Psalter belonged to the Swedish aristocratic family of the Folkungar, that the duke Birger mentioned in the prayer was the older member of the family bearing that name (d. 1202), and that the book later passed to Mechtilde, the mother of duke Eric and widow of king Abel killed in 1252, who married the younger duke Birger in 1261. Duke Birger died in 1266, Mechtilde in 1288. The fate of the Psalter from the end of the 13th century until it entered the huge library of count Otto Thott (1703–1785) has been entirely unknown. There are, however, a couple of clues to its history, one in the codex itself and one external, which do cast some light on its whereabouts. The first is a small piece of paper with bibliographical notes from the 18th century inserted at the very end of the codex. The second is an elaborate copy of the calendar and the prayer that I became aware of while working on the German humanist and theologian Johann Albert Fabricius (1668–1736) and his manuscripts. It could be proved that the copy was made in Fabricius' own hand between 1720 and 1736. Since I knew that Fabricius did not leave Hamburg at any time during these years, it could also be proved that the Copenhagen Psalter must have been present in the city at least for some time in the same period. The codex did not belong to Fabricius, and since he left no information about it apart from the copy itself, I was not able to determine how he had had access to it. The answer was to be found in a hitherto unnoticed treatise De Psalterio Manuscripto Capelliano ob singularem elegantiam commemorabili observatio, written by Johann Heinrich von Seelen (1687–1762) and published in the third volume of his Meditationes Exegeticae, quibus varia utriusque Testamenti loca expenduntur et illustrantur, Lubeck 1737. Von Seelen's treatise is based on an autoptic study of the codex. He informs his readers that the codex once belonged to Rudolphus Capellus (1635–1684), professor of Greek and History at the Gymnasium Academicum in Hamburg. Von Seelen gives a detailed description of the codex, which leaves no doubt about its identity with the Psalter now in Copenhagen. He also states that the codex was sent to him for his use and information by his friend Michael Richey (1678–1761) in Hamburg. Michael Richey had been a colleague and close friend of Fabricius, who must have copied the codex while it was in Richey's library. After Rudolphus Capellus' death it passed on to his son Dietericus Matthias Capellus (1672–1720), who noted down the bibliographical notes on the sheet of paper attached to the codex. It was sold by auction as part of the bibliotheca Capelliana in Hamburg in 1721, and it will have been on that occasion that Michael Richey acquired it. It is not known where and how Rudolphus Capellus acquired the Psalter. Von Seelen called it Capellianum, because Capellus was the first owner known to him. In the present paper the old Benedictine nunnery in Buxtehude, Altkloster, is suggested as the likely previous home of the codex. The short distance from Hamburg to Buxtehude, Capellus' limited radius of action, and the fact that Altkloster was dissolved as a catholic monastery exactly in the period when Capellus acquired the codex is adduced in support of the hypothesis. In addition, archival material in Stade confirms that there were still several medieval manuscripts in the monastery when it was dissolved as a consequence of the Peace of Westphalia. Only one of them has been identified – actually another manuscript that found its way into the Thott collection in Copenhagen. This manuscript, Thott 8 8o with a late medieval German translation of the New Testament, contains a note in the hand of its first modern owner, Dietrich von Stade (1637–1718), which attests the presence of medieval books in Altkloster even as late as in 1696. They had been taken over by the first Lutheran minister in the former monastery and were in the custody of his widow when Dietrich von Stade visited it. Capellus left his marks and scars on the manuscript. His hand, which I recognize from an autograph manuscript now in the Fabricius Collection, can be identified as the one that added numbers to the psalms. He also added the heading to the list of relics on top of f. 1r, and four lines of text on f. 199v. He added a note to the prayer on f. 16v, and even wrote down the Greek passages in the NT as parallels to the Latin canticles Magnificat and Nunc dimittis on f. 185r–185v. As to the medieval additions in the manuscript it is pointed out in the paper that the owner of the relics listed on the first page of the book was not the owner of the manuscript. The name was erased at an unknown date, but the letters dns (for dominus) before the erasure indicate that the owner was a man, not a woman or a church or a monastery. It is suggested that the list of relics is probably younger than usually assumed. The text that Capellus completed with the four lines and a final Amen at the very end of the codex is itself an addition to the original manuscript. Despite its length (f. 194v–199v) it has received little attention from scholars. It is actually a version of the so-called Oratio Sancti Brandani, copied in a late medieval hand that imitates the script of the Psalter proper. Palaeographically as well as textually it appears to be a foreign element in the context of the Psalter, but it is, of course, interesting for its history. The text ends abruptly, so Capellus' addition may perhaps be seen as more justifiable here than elsewhere in the book. The only date explicitly noted down in the entire codex is found in the calendar. There are two medieval additions in it, one, little noticed, mentioning the 11.000 virgins in October, and the one noting the death of Eric duke of Jutland in year 1272, added to the line of the 27th day of the month of May. The present paper offers new suggestions as to how to understand the notices, and argues against the interpretation most often put forward, namely that Mechtilde was the direct or indirect authoress of the obituary-notice about duke Eric. It also argues against the identification of Mechtilde with the ego of the prayer on f. 16v. Based on palaeographical and other formal observations it is contended that the text should be dated to the end of the 13th Century and not its beginning, and that Byrgerus dux is likely to be the younger Birger Jarl, not the older. It is pointed out that he is not included in the prayer as a family member, but merely as Byrgerus dux. Following a structural analysis of the text, it is concluded that the anonymous voice of prayer is not that of Mechtilde; instead it is suggested that it could belong to an otherwise unknown daughter of Mechtilde and king Abel, and thus a sister of Eric duke of Jutland. Her place was a monastery, her present time the year 1288 or later. Prayers beginning with words Suscipere digneris are found in many variations in medieval manuscripts. In one source, MS 78 a 8 in the Kupferstichkabinet in Berlin, a Psalter, this prayer as well as other significant elements, display a striking similarity with the Copenhagen Psalter. The Berlin Psalter, which is younger than the Copenhagen Psalter, has added elements that relates to persons in Sweden and Norway. The Berlin Psalter was presented to the nuns in Buxtehude in 1362 by a miles who passed by from his hometown in the western part of Northern Germany. The relation between the Psalters now in Berlin and Copenhagen is complicated. In the present paper it is suggested that, with respect to the prayer, they may depend on a common source. It is concluded that the Berlin Psalter may have had closer links to the Folkungar in Sweden than the Copenhagen Psalter, whose history, in so far as we know it, points rather to its presence in Medieval Jutland, that is Southern Denmark and Northern Germany.


The thirty year long friendship between Imre Lakatos and the classic scholar and historian of mathematics rpd Szab had a considerable influence on the ideas, scholarly career and personal life of both scholars. After recalling some relevant facts from their lives, this paper will investigate Szab's works about the history of pre-Euclidean mathematics and its philosophy. We can find many similarities with Lakatos' philosophy of mathematics and science, both in the self-interpretation of early axiomatic Greek mathematics as Szab reconstructs it, and in the general overview Szab provides us about the turn from the intuitive methods of Greek mathematicians to the strict axiomatic method of Euclid's Elements. As a conclusion, I will argue that the correct explanation of these similarities is that in their main works they developed ideas they had in common from the period of intimate intellectual contact in Hungarian academic life in the mid-twentieth century. In closing, I will recall some relevant features of this background that deserve further research.


I Women, Health, and the Health Care System Chapter 1 Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health: Where is the Future Heading? Susan Wysocki Chapter 2 Growth and Development of Women Diane Marie Schadewald, Marcia Szmania Davis, Ellis Quinn Youngkin Chapter 3 Epidemiology, Diagnostic Methods, and Procedures in Women's Health Catherine Juve, Diane Marie Schadewald Chapter 4 Assessing Adolescent Women's Health Renee Sieving, Sarah Stoddard, Deborah A. Raines Chapter 5 Assessing Adult Women's Health Diane Marie Schadewald, Catherine Juve, Ellis Quinn Youngkin, Marcia Szmania Davis Chapter 6 Assessing OlderWomen's Health Debra Hain II Promotion of Wellness for Women Chapter 7 Women and Sexuality Catherine Ingram Fogel, Diane Marie Schadewald Chapter 8 Health Needs of Lesbians Debera Jane Thomas Chapter 9 Health Needs of Women with Disabilities Michele Davidson Chapter 10 Integrating Wellness: Complementary Therapies and Women's Health Jo Lynne W. Robins III Promotion of Gynecologic Health Care Chapter 11 Menstruation and Related Problems and Concerns Kristine Alswager, Christine Durler, Deborah Griswold Chapter 12 Contraceptive Management and Family Planning Beth Walcker, Coralie Pederson, Kathryn A. Caufield Chapter 13 Infertility Michelle Valentine, Jennifer R. Gardella Chapter 14 Vaginitis and Sexually Transmitted Diseases Susan D. Schaffer, Jane Houston Chapter 15 Women and HIV Dina Treloar, Susan D. Schaffer Chapter 16 Common Gynecologic Pelvic Disorders Jennifer M. Laubach, Reena P. Lorntson, Donna E. Forrest Chapter 17 Breast Health Linda Christinsen-Rengel Chapter 18 The Menopause Transition Catherine Juve, Valerie T. Cotter, Ellis Quinn Youngkin III Promotion of Women's Health Care During Pregnancy Chapter 19 Promoting and Assessing Health during Pregnancy Jennifer Demma, Karen Trister Grace Chapter 20 Maternal Conditions Impacting Risk in Pregnancy Debbie Ringdahl, Melissa Frisvold, Joan Corder-Mabe Chapter 21 Assessing Fetal Well-Being Michele Davidson, Marion Herndon Fuqua Chapter 22 Postpartum and Lactation Diane Schadewald, Cheri Friedrich, Kathleen M. Akridge IV Primary Care Conditions Affecting Women's Health Chapter 23 Common Medical Problems: Cardiovascular through Hematological Disorders Mary Benbenek, Mary Dierich, Elaine Ferrary, Rita A. Seeger Jablonski Chapter 24 Common Medical Problems: Musculoskeletal Injuries through Urinary Tract Disorders Gwen Short, Rita A. Seeger Jablonski, Elaine Ferrary Chapter 25 Psychosocial Health Concerns Ann Bateman, Eugenia Zelanko Appendix A Emergency Childbirth and Assessment of Newborn Diane Marie Schadewald, Catherine Juve Appendix B Selected Screening Tools Appendix C Billing and Coding Catherine Juve, Diane Marie Schadewald Appendix D Selected Laboratory Values Diane Marie Schadewald, Ellis Quinn Youngkin Appendix E Federal Agencies Concerned with Women's Health Diane Marie Schadewald Index


School health personnel recognize the importance of sending positive messages to students, faculty,
staff, and the community about adopting and maintaining appropriate health lifestyle behaviors. Yet, schools often send conflicting messages. Some messages have historical precedence in schools that are difficult to ameliorate or eliminate. Nonetheless, school health personnel should identify the conflicting messages and take steps to provide support for positive health behaviors. This commentary highlights three common practices that do not support positive health behaviors: vending machines that dispense non-nutritious snacks; smoking and chewing/dipping areas for students and faculty; and fund raising activities that sell popular foods of low nutrient quality.


This article addresses Vicent Andrés Estellés' poetry, its importance among modern Catalan literature and some main problems of transmission. For this purpose, it evaluates the effects of La gioia della strada (2016), an anthology of his poems translated into Italian. Some translational challenges are studied linked to the passage from Catalan to Italian and, in particular, to Estellés's poetry (tone, metric, repetitions). Some Estellés' compositions are analysed in both versions and it concludes with a critical assessment.


Concerns have been raised regarding disinfection by-products (DBPs) formed as a result of the reaction of halogen-based disinfectants with DBP precursors. In order to appreciate the chemical and biological tradeoffs, it is imperative to understand the formation trends of DBPs and their spread in the distribution network. However, the water at a point in a complex distribution system is a mixture from various sources, whose proportions are complex to estimate and requires advanced hydraulic analysis. To understand the risks of DBPs and to develop mitigation strategies, it is important to understand the distribution of DBPs in a water network, which requires modelling. The goal of this research was to integrate a steady-state water network model with a particle backtracking algorithm and chlorination as well as DBPs models in order to assess the tradeoffs between biological and chemical risks in the distribution network. A multi-objective optimisation algorithm was used to identify the optimal proportion of water from various sources, dosages of alum, and dosages of chlorine in the treatment plant and in booster locations to control the formation of chlorination DBPs and to achieve a balance between microbial and chemical risks.


In December 2004, the Securities and Exchange Commission, (SEC), by a vote of 3-2, promulgated regulations 203(b)(3)-2, an amendment to the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (Advisers Act), that required many hedge fund managers to register with the SEC for the first time. In discussing the regulation, the majority wrote that this regulation was necessary because the regulatory program for hedge funds and hedge fund managers in place at the time were inadequate and recent growth in the hedge fund industry had led to several cases of fraud and retailization. On June 23, 2006, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia overturned this regulation. The purpose of this article is to present the arguments that precipitated the regulation and to discuss the grounds on which the regulation was ultimately overturned.


Abstract The isotopic and chemical signatures for ice-age and Holocene ice from Summit, Greenland, and Penny Ice Cap, Baffin Island, Canada, are compared. the usual pattern of low δ 18O, high Ca2+ and high Cl– is presented in the Summit records, but Penny Ice Cap has lower than present Cl– in its ice-age ice. A simple extension of the Hansson model (Hansson, 1994) is developed and used to simulate these signatures. the low ice-age Cl– from Penny Ice Cap is explained by having the ice-age ice originating many thousands of km inland near the centre of the Laurentide ice sheet and much further from the marine sources. Summit's flowlines all start close to the present site. the Penny Ice Cap early-Holocene δ 18O's had to be corrected to offset the Laurentide meltwater distortion. the analysis suggests that presently the Summit and Penny Ice Cap marine impurity originates about 500 km away, and that presently Penny Ice Cap receives a significant amount of local continental impurity.


At the center of our understandings of political equality and democratic governance lies what might be termed the "Free Speech Principle," the idea that liberal democracy both depends upon and is largely manifested by "uninhibited, robust, and wide-open" debate from "diverse and antagonistic sources." But absent preventative regulation, market hierarchy ? the state of substantial inequality of wealth increasingly prevalent in Western democracies, particularly the U.S. ? translates inevitably into what I refer to as "speech hierarchy" ? the disproportionate power of wealthy speakers and audiences to determine the mix of speech that comprises our public discourse. By effectively silencing outlying minorities and the poor, speech hierarchy runs directly counter to the Free Speech Principle. Moreover, contrary to what some commentators claim, the Internet offers no panacea for the problem of speech hierarchy because, I predict, in significant ways the next-generation Internet will closely resemble the centralized structure of traditional media markets. Copyright, which today affords content providers unprecedented expansive control over uses of expressive works, exacerbates speech hierarchy. It does so against the background of media consolidation and ownership of exclusive rights to vast inventories of existing expression. Copyright promotes speech hierarchy, both in the static sense (when prospective users are unable to obtain permission to use existing works) and the dynamic sense (by increasing the costs of expression for individuals and entities who must purchase expressive inputs from media conglomerates and by favoring entities that can engage in effective price discrimination in the sale of their expressive goods). Yet, I argue, despite its conflict with the Free Speech Principle, at least some measure of speech hierarchy is a necessary condition for liberal democracy. Liberal democracy requires media enterprises with the political independence and financial wherewithal to reach a mass audience, galvanize public opinion, and engage in sustained investigative reporting and critique - what we might term the "Free Press Principle" - no less than it requires wide-open debate from diverse sources - the Free Speech Principle. A universe of yeomen authors could not fulfill those functions. To the extent that speech hierarchy supports the Free Press Principle but runs counter to the Free Speech Principle, copyright law and media policy must seek to moderate between the two. They must enable, and indeed support, a degree of market hierarchy in the expressive sector even as they seek to ameliorate the most deleterious effects of media concentration and foster expression from a broad spectrum of adverse and antagonistic sources. The scope of copyright owner rights and limitations to those rights should be determined within that framework.


The work presented in this thesis describes the development and applications of hollow carbon nanostructures both as the catalytically active, magnetically separable carbon nanoreactors, and electrodes for electrocatalytic reactions. The work is separated into three distinct parts, the formation of carbon nanoreactors of different diameters and shapes in which the effect of confinement imposed by the nanotube is probed in exploratory hydrogenation reactions, the functionalisation of carbon nanoreactors with magnetic nanoparticles for magnetically separable catalyst supports, and the development of new hybrid metal-carbon nanoreactors as efficient electrocatalysts for hydrogen fuel cell applications. In the first part of the thesis, a Ru3(CO)12 precursor was successfully inserted into carbon nanoreactors of different diameters – very narrow single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs, DSWNT ~1.5 nm) and much wider hollow graphitised carbon nanofibers (GNFs, internal dGNF ~50 nm) using sublimation followed by the formation of uncoated metallic Ru nanoparticles via thermal decomposition. The resultant RuNPs@SWNT and RuNPs@GNF nanoreactors were then tested in hydrogenation reactions using a high pressure scCO2 batch reactor, where the excellent diffusivity and mass transfer properties of scCO2 as solvent enabled the efficient delivery of the reagents to the catalyst surface within the narrow nanoreactors. RuNPs confined in the narrowest channels of SWNT was observed to be highly active and selective in competitive hydrogenation reaction of alkenes, but concurrently reduce the accessible volume of the SWNTs by 30-40 % resulting in lower overall turnover numbers (TONs). In contrast, RuNPs confined in wider GNFs were entirely accessible and indicated outstanding activity in comparison to unconfined RuNPs on the outer surface of SWNTs or carbon black. In the second part of the work, GNFs sidewalls were functionalised by non-covalent attachment of commercial graphene-like carbon coated magnetic Co nanomagnets (Co@Cn) exploiting van der Waals forces via dispersion in an organic solvent using ultrasonic treatment, and by the in situ formation of carbon coated iron nanomagnets (Fe@Cn). A number of experiments were carried out to find the minimum amount of nanomagnets required to enable complete separation of the nanotubes from the solution with an external magnetic field. Characterisation of this composite material by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) showed that Co@Cn and Fe@Cn successfully attached to the GNFs. Magnetic functionalisation steps were then combined with uncoated, palladium and platinum nanoparticle catalyst formation and the resultant catalytically active and magnetically separable hybrid materials were investigated in the reduction of nitrobenzene. The recyclability and stability of these magnetic and catalytic nanoreactors were studied in the reduction of nitrobenzene using magnetic recovery, and only negligible catalyst loss ( 10% catalyst loss by wt.). In the third part, GNFs were shortened by ball milling and combined with palladium catalyst to form (PdNPs/-PdNPs@)s-GNF using a novel procedure and the resultant activity and stability towards hydrogen evolution and hydrogen oxidation reactions (HER/HOR) in acid media was studied. (PdNPs/-PdNPs@)s-GNF exhibited enhanced activity and excellent durability during 30000 electro-catalytic cycles in HER compared to that of state-art commercial Pt/C which exhibited decreasing activity and poor durability during the cycling in acid. Moreover, s-GNF demonstrated an enhanced HER activity and stability during 5000 cycles. HRTEM revealed some chemical transformations at the step edges within GNF during the electrochemical cycling contributing to durability of the electrocatalyst. Overall, the superior HER/HOR activity and durability was attributed to the corrugated morphology of s-GNF, and therefore the ability to stabilise the Pd nanoparticles at the graphitic step-edges effectively through strong bonding and synergetic effects between the Pd and s-GNF support. These results clearly indicate that carbon nanoreactors as catalyst supports and electrocatalystd show significant promise for a variety of chemical reactions.


The Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea are located between Greenland and Canada. Both basins evolved from Cretaceous to Eocene times. They are linked by the bathymetric high of Davis Strait, which limits the water transport between both basins. The Labrador Sea is an extinct rift system of the early North Atlantic. Oceanic crust has been identified from magnetic spreading anomalies. It is also proposed that the crust of Baffin Bay is oceanic. But no clear magnetic spreading anomalies are detected and therefore the presence of stretched continental crust is also possible. A similar controversy exists on the nature of the Davis Strait crust. Thick oceanic crust as well as continental fragments are debated. The tectonic evolution of the area is an important factor for the role of Davis Strait as a polar gateway in palaeocean models.
In 2008 and 2010 research expeditions to the Davis Strait and Baffin Bay were undertaken to collect geophysical data on the tectonic evolution of this area. Here, I present P-wave velocity and density models of a 710-km-long line in southern Baffin Bay and of a 315-km-long line in the central Davis Strait. The models are supported and complemented by seismic reflection and magnetic anomaly data.
The models support results of previous studies: southern Baffin Bay is underlain by oceanic crust of 7.5 km thickness on average. The crust is covered by sediments of up to 6 km thickness. Conjugate to breakup volcanics off Baffin Island, we find seaward dipping reflector sequences in the seismic reflection data of the Greenland margin. We conclude, that the opening of southern Baffin Bay was accompanied by volcanism. The Davis Strait is also characterized by volcanism - along most of the profile basalt flows are imaged. The models reveal that the Davis Strait consists mainly of sections of continental crust. These are saparated by a 45-km-wide unit of new igneous or highly intruded, stretched, continental crust. We account this feature to an influence of the early North Atlantic mantle plume.
With the new information of our crustal models, I developed a plate kinematic model. Although southern Baffin Bay is underlain by oceanic crust, magnetic spreading anomalies are probably missing due to many fractures. These lead to small scale crustal sections which are shifted to each other. Due to the reorientation of the Greenland plate in the Late Paleocene, compressional forces were compensated in the Davis Strait. These probably resulted first in a deformation within the Ungava Fault Complex (the pre-Eocene plate boundary) and then caused the evolution of a new transform fault, the Hudson Fracture Zone.
To estimate at what time a water transport was possible via the Davis Strait and how the Labrador Sea basin evolved, I calculated palaeobathymetry grids. I compiled published and new seismic data with information from drill sites. In a backstripping routine, I calculated the effects of flexual unloading for the lithosphere, of sedimentdecompaction, of global sea-level changes, and of thermal subsidence of the lithosphere.
Palaeolocations of the profiles and the age structure of the crust are derived from our recent plate kinematic model. Although the grids are characterized by great uncertainties, we can conclude that the Davis Strait separated the Labrador Sea from the Baffin Bay in pre-Eocene times. We propose that, similar to today, an early West Greenland Current formed a cyclonic circulation in the early Labrador Sea basin since the Paleocene. Our palaeobathymetric reconstruction can be used in palaeocean models and improve palaeoclimate reconstructions.


The tension between trade liberalization and environmental protection has received remarkable attention since the establishment of the WTO. It has been the subject of a wide-ranging debate, and is one of the central themes of the anti-globalization movement. This book explores that debate. It argues that by focusing on the WTO, the debate has failed to recognize the institutional and discursive complexity in which the trade-environment conflict is embedded. A legal investigation of this nexus requires a framework of inquiry, in which this complexity can be elucidated - a model of global legal pluralism. The first theoretical part of the book (Chapters One and Two) responds to this challenge by developing a pluralistic model, which recognizes the trade and environment conflict as the product of multiple dilemmas, constituted and negotiated by a myriad of institutional and discursive networks. As such, this conflict cannot be understood or addressed through one-dimensional models. Viewing the trade-environment conflict through a pluralistic perspective yields important practical insights. It means that this conflict cannot be resolved by uniform economic or legal formulae. Dealing with this conflict requires, rather, polycentric and contextual strategy. The empirical part of the book (Chapters Three to Seven) explicates this thesis by examining several global legal domains, ranging from the WTO to "private" transnational regimes such as transnational litigation, international construction law and international financial law. This part demonstrates how the different discursive and institutional structures of these domains have influenced the contours of the trade-environment conflict, and considers the policy implications of this diversity from a pro-environmental perspective.


Background Schistosoma mansoni and S. haematobium are co-endemic in many areas in Africa. Yet, little is known about the micro-geographical distribution of these two infections or associated disease within such foci. Such knowledge could give important insights into the drivers of infection and disease and as such better tailor schistosomiasis control and elimination efforts. Methodology In a co-endemic farming community in northern Senegal (346 children (0–19 y) and 253 adults (20–85 y); n = 599 in total), we studied the spatial distribution of S. mansoni and S. haematobium single and mixed infections (by microscopy), S. mansoni-specific hepatic fibrosis, S. haematobium-specific urinary tract morbidity (by ultrasound) and water contact behavior (by questionnaire). The Kulldorff's scan statistic was used to detect spatial clusters of infection and morbidity, adjusted for the spatial distribution of gender and age. Principal Findings Schistosoma mansoni and S. haematobium infection densities clustered in different sections of the community (p = 0.002 and p = 0.023, respectively), possibly related to heterogeneities in the use of different water contact sites. While the distribution of urinary tract morbidity was homogeneous, a strong geospatial cluster was found for severe hepatic fibrosis (p = 0.001). Particularly those people living adjacent to the most frequently used water contact site were more at risk for more advanced morbidity (RR = 6.3; p = 0.043). Conclusions/Significance Schistosoma infection and associated disease showed important micro-geographical heterogeneities with divergent patterns for S. mansoni and S. haematobium in this Senegalese community. Further in depth investigations are needed to confirm and explain our observations. The present study indicates that local geospatial patterns should be taken into account in both research and control of schistosomiasis. The observed extreme focality of schistosomiasis even at community level, suggests that current strategies may not suffice to move from morbidity control to elimination of schistosomiasis, and calls for less uniform measures at a finer scale.