Abstract The Cretaceous Two Medicine Formation of northwestern Montana has yielded blocky, calcareous coprolites that contain abundant fragments of conifer wood and were produced by large herbivorous dinosaurs. The coprolites are generally dark gray to black in color due to a dark substance confined chiefly within what originally were the capillaries of tracheid and ray cells of xylem. This substance is a kerogen that consists in part of thin-walled vesicles 0.1–1.3 μm in diameter. Pyrolysis products of this kerogen are diagnostic of a bacterial origin with a possible contribution from terrestrial plants. The vesicular component is interpreted as the residue of bacterial cells, whereas a second filamentous component, closely associated with the vesicles, may be the residue of an extracellular binding material, such as glycocalyx. At least two episodes of calcification of the coprolite are recognized by manganous cathodoluminescence. The earlier of these infilled the capillary channels of the conifer fragments. Wood cell walls, voids, cracks, and small burrows were filled during the later episode. Microprobe data confirm these results and show that phosphate is sequestered in the capillaries. These observations suggest that bacteria within the capillaries induced initial mineralization of the coprolite, and, in so doing, created barriers that protected organic residues from subsequent destruction. Early onset of mineralization is consistent with the degree of preservation of woody xylem found in the coprolites.


The spectrum of Pr3+ produced by a sliding spark discharge was photographed in the wavelength range of 800 to 3100 A with a 35-ft Eagle vacuum spectrograph. An analysis of the resulting line list led to the discovery of all the levels of the 4f2 (except the 1S0), 4f5d, 4f6s, and 4f6p configurations. The interaction parameters for each configuration were derived from a least-squares fit of the energy formulas to the observed levels.


Background: The role of azathioprine (AZA) and 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) in the induction of remission in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) remains unclear. Aims: To compare the efficacy and safety of low-dose thiopurine (AZA/6-MP) and cytapheresis (CAP) for the induction of remission in patients with steroid- dependent UC. Patients and Methods: We reviewed the clinical course of 65 patients with steroid-dependent UC with moderate activity, who were treated with either low-dose AZA/6-MP (T-group, n = 38) or with CAP (C-group, n = 27). The efficacy and safety for the first 10 weeks after the start of the therapies were compared between the two groups. The cumulative probability curves of treatment failure were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Clinical remission was defined as an ulcerative colitis activity index value of less than 150 without any other treatments. Results: Neither clinical characteristics, concomitant therapies, nor laboratory data (except for serum albumin levels) were different between the two groups. The remission rate at 10 weeks was not different between the two groups (55.3% in the T-group and 70.4% in the C-group, p = 0.22 in the intention-to-treat analysis). The frequencies of adverse events did not differ be- tween the two groups (p = 0.12). The cumulative pro- bability of treatment failure at 10 weeks was 44.7% for the T-group and 29.6% for the C-group (p = 0.23). Conclusions: Low-dose thiopurine therapy is an alter- native candidate for the induction of remission in pa- tients with steroid-dependent, moderate UC.


We propose a new method for light-induced in situ synthesis of gold nanoparticle gratings in polymer thin films. The polymer films are doped with gold precursors and then irradiated with an interference pattern leading to the spatially controlled photo-reduction of metallic ions. An annealing procedure is then used to induce nanoparticle growth while maintaining the spatial organization within the film. The originality of the method resides in the fact that we use continuous low-power laser excitation in the visible range, which opens the way to large-area manufacturing processes. In terms of optical properties, such fabricated gold nanoparticle gratings exhibit both plasmonic and diffractive properties with plasmon enhanced diffraction efficiency.


The characteristics of a welfare state is largely related to social justice and welfare reforms. This is mainly in the form of legislation, economic transfers and services that help to ensure that all citizens receive a basic economic security and access to services such as health care and nursing. A key factor for this is a country's economy and political will. In Thailand, there was a strong economic growth during the 1970s. The corresponding development in Sweden took place in the mid 1940's. Health and welfare is the main area of collaboration between the Ministry of Health in Thailand and Malardalen University. The aim of this study is from a welfare perspective, a comparison of the similarities and differences in the basic elements of the health care systems in Thailand and Sweden.The study is based on analysis of national policy documents from Thailand and Sweden as well as from United Nations Agency.Both countries emphasize health and welfare from a social rights perspective in constitutions and other laws. E.g. the Thailand Constitution of 2007 states that a person shall enjoy an equal right to receive standard public health service, and the indigent shall have the right to receive free medical treatment from State's infirmary. The Swedish Constitution recognizes that the personal, economic and cultural welfare should be the fundamental goal of public activity through, among other things promote social care and social security, and good conditions for health. In the Swedish Health Care Act of 1982, the goal is a good health and care on equal terms for the entire population.Both Thailand and Sweden have a national system of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), which is defined according to World Health Organization (WHO) as ensuring that all people can use the promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative health services they need, of sufficient quality to be effective, while also ensuring that the use of these services does not expose the user to financial hardship.In terms of selected indicators shows for the year 2012 that the Total health expenditure (THE) % of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) amounts in Thailand 4% and 10% in Sweden, general government expenditure on health as % of GDP are 3% resp. 8%, prevention and public health services are 9 resp. 4%, physician density per 1,000 population 0.3 resp. 3.9. The proportion of beds at public/private hospitals are 78/21% resp. 99/1%.The example from the health care system shows that the two countries have legislation that emphasizes health as a social right and a public financing of health care. In terms of specific indicators, there are wide variations in terms of costs to society and the individual including prevention and public health services, access to doctors and proportion of beds in public and private hospitals.


The increasing use of intensive plantation management in the South has led to inferences that natural pine stands are unacceptably inferior in terms of fiber production, rotation length, wood quality, and regeneration. In this paper, we have compiled information from studies of different silvicultural practices in southern pine stands of natural origin to provide a more meaningful comparison with plantations. Research has shown that aggressive precommercial and commercial thinning regimes in stands of natural origin and the careful retention of high-quality residual stems dramatically closes the productivity gap. In addition, natural-origin pine stands often provide other products and compositional, structural, and esthetic values that exceed those of plantations. Although plantations have become an increasingly important element of silviculture, most southern pine forests will remain in stands of natural origin and must be managed appropriately to help ensure future timber supplies and environmental integrity.


Vigour of dairy calves in the first few days of life may be a relevant predictor of subsequent performance in an artificial-rearing system. This experiment aimed to evaluate two scoring systems to determine whether they detected variation in beef-sired calves born in the New Zealand pastoral dairy system. The scoring systems included a vigour score devised for housed dairy calves in Canada which had a range of physical and physiological parameters assessed, and a drinking score assessed at the feeder in the first few days of life (1=calf does not attempt to suck on feeder, 5=calf drinks vigorously for the whole feed). Calves generally scored highly (17-21 out of a possible 22 points) on the vigour score and meconium staining, head/tongue swelling, movement and heart rate showed little to no variation among calves. The drinking score showed that few calves scored in the low categories, and the scoring system may be improved by creating greater separation within the higher categories. Angus-cross calves were more likely to have a higher drinking score than Hereford-cross calves, and light or young calves were more likely to have low drinking scores.


The Senegalese Authority for Radiation protection and Nuclear Safety (ARSN), placed under the supervision of the Prime Minister, was setting up by the Law 2009‐14 relating to nuclear security and to radiation protection which repeals and replaces the opposite measures of the Law 2004‐17 relating to protection against ionizing radiations. The implementation of the ARSN enters within the scope of the international commitments of the Senegalese Government. Indeed, the member states of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the IAEA, participate collectively, through the structures of the Agency or in bilateral cooperation, in the implementation of the programs of radioprotection. Furthermore, from the moment a state makes a commitment in the implementation of nuclear programs, it has to set up the adequate legal framework. So, the global aim of ARSN is to regulate activities involving nuclear materials or radioactive sources and to control the traffic of such materials within the country. To that effect, all activities involving radiation exposure are subjected to regulatory control by a system of notification, authorization by registration or licensing and inspection. ARSN has the mandate to advise the Government on matters relating to radiation protection and disposal of radioactive waste; and to provide an effective national framework for the safety and security of radioactive sources and radiological installations, including physical protection. While the ARSN is specific to Senegal, other countries within Africa may have similar laws pertaining to local regulations that will also most likely be different. We will provide a brief overview of ARSN and how it applies to some of the activities within Senegal, including industrial and medical. When possible, notifications and/or comparison with other similar authorities within the African continent will be made.


Consumers want convenience. That convenience often comes in the form of everyday smart devices that connect to the internet and assist with daily tasks. With the advancement of technology and the "Internet of Things" in recent years, convenience is at our fingertips more than ever before. Not only do consumers want convenience, they want to trust that their product is performing the task that they purchased it for and not exposing them to danger or risk. However, due to the increasing capabilities and capacities of smart devices, consumers are less likely to realize the implications of what they are agreeing to when they purchase and begin using these products. This Note will focus on the risks associated with smart devices, using smart home devices as an illustration. These devices have the ability to collect intimate details about the layout of the home and about those who live within it. The mere collection of this personal data opens consumers up to the risk of having their private information shared with unintended recipients whether the information is being sold to a third party or accessible to a hacker. Thus, to adequately protect consumers, it is imperative that they can fully consent to their data being collected, retained, and potentially distributed. This Note examines the law that is currently in place to protect consumers who use smart devices and argues that a void ultimately leaves consumers vulnerable. Current data privacy protection in the United States centers on the self-regulatory regime of "notice and choice." This Note highlights how the self-regulatory notice-and-choice model fails to ensure sufficient protection for consumers who use smart devices and discusses the need for greater privacy protection in the era of the emerging Internet of Things. Ultimately, this Note proposes a state-level resolution and calls upon an exemplar state to experiment with privacy protection laws to determine the best way to regulate the Internet of Things.


In the lastdecade beforehis death in 1987, Warhol continued to produce mesmerizing works at an astounding pace. Influenced by the most prominent artists of the 1980s, including Basquiat, Haring, Schnabel, and Clemente, Warhol experimented with a combination of painting and screen printing to develop an extraordinary vocabulary of images that traversed a variety of genres. The result is a remarkable output, collected here in this companion to a touring exhibition organized by the Milwaukee Art Museum. This catalogue delves into the range of works Warhol was creating during his last years, including abstract paintings, collaborations, and his final self-portraits. Essays by Keith Hartley and Gregory Volk and contributions by Bruno Bischofberger, Keith Haring, and Julian Schnabel round out this compelling look at an artist whose most fecund work may have been produced in his last years.


In Africa, economic integration, realised through regional integration, is seen as one of the driving factors that will improve the lives of its people. To enable regionalisation, economic growth and to unlock the potential of Africa its infrastructure will have to be improved. Infrastructure will on the whole be realised through public procurement. The stages for opening up procurement markets, referred to by Yukins and Schooner, is discussed and it is concluded that the states in SADC is still in the initial stages of opening its public procurement markets for regional competition. Although COMESA is not yet in full compliance with all four the stages great strides have been made and have elements of all stages been addressed. Because of the influence the Model Law has already played in COMESA, and the rest of Africa, it would be contra productive should SADC not take the same route as COMESA. If regard is had to the four categories of procurement rules that serves as barriers to national procurement markets, as set out by Arrowsmith it is clear that all of these are present in most SADC member states. Also in the case of COMESA these barriers still exist albeit to a lesser extent. What is necessary is a phased approach to address all of these barriers. This will be possible under the UNCITRAL Model Law as the 2011 Model Law does provide for the possibility of complying with international obligations and for states to allow for socio economic objectives in their procurement regimes. There can be little doubt that the 1994 Model Law has already had a marked influence on public procurement regulation in Africa and that the 2011 Model Law will in future continue to do so. Public procurement is essential for economic development and is the integration and harmonisation thereof on a regional basis the first step In this regard SADC, and especially South Africa, has an important role to play.


In this paper we describe a parameterisation of lip movements which maintains the dynamic structure inherent in the task of producing speech sounds. A stereo capture system is used to reconstruct 3D models of a speaker producing sentences from the TIMIT corpus. This data is mapped into a space which maintains the relationships between samples and their temporal derivatives. By incorporating dynamic information within the parameterisation of lip movements we can model the cyclical structure, as well as the causal nature of speech movements as described by an underlying visual speech manifold. It is believed that such a structure will be appropriate to various areas of speech modeling, in particular the synthesis of speech lip movements.


Background: Foot eczema is an allergic contact dermatitis which runs a chronic course due to the ignorance of the causative agent. Patch test is a safe and simple outpatient diagnostic procedure for all kinds of allergic contact dermatitis. Aims and Objectives: This study was done to find the role of footwear as a cause of foot eczema and to know the most common allergen in the footwear causing foot eczema by Patch testing. Materials and Methods: A total of 71 patients were enrolled in the study who presented with foot eczema. Meticulous history was taken and clinical examination was done on all patients. A patch test using Indian footwear series containing 15 allergens was performed, and results were recorded after 48 h. Results: In our study comprising 71 patients, age of the patients ranged from 13 to 70 years with a slight female preponderance. Plantar surface of foot was the most common site involved (35.2%) with a winter aggravation (21.1%). A total of 63.4% of patients were tested positive for one or more allergens present in the footwear. Footwear was reported to be an inciting agent in 36.4% patients, and 82.6% of these were tested positive. Black rubber mix (22.53%), nickel (14.08%), and colophony (12.67%) were the most common sensitizers. Conclusion: A significant incidence of footwear as a causation of foot eczema was concluded, with rubber and metals being the most common allergens. It is noteworthy to consider employing patch test routinely to know the causation of footwear in the foot eczema so that appropriate footwear can be used. However, it would be helpful if we could detect the specific allergen in a footwear to help these patients suffering a relapsing chronic dermatitis.


Within Drake Passage, the southern flank of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) hosts the ventilation of deep water, the injection of Antarctic shelf waters and interactions between westward and eastward boundary currents. This exchange is explored through the trajectories of forty surface drifters released in January 2012 in the northwestern Weddell Sea. The drifters detail Lagrangian transport pathways between the eastern Antarctic Peninsula and sites of elevated chlorophyll in the Scotia Sea. ACC frontal currents, in particular the Southern ACC Front, act as dynamical transport barriers to the drifters and influence surface chlorophyll distributions, indicating that ACC fronts partition Weddell source waters in the Scotia Sea. Interannual fluctuations in surface chlorophyll in the south Scotia Sea and the northern Weddell Sea covary. This suggests that Scotia Sea ecosystem dynamics are linked to water properties injected from the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula and respond to Weddell Gyre circulation changes.


Both MVs and exosomes are isolated by similar methodologies such as differential centrifugation of cell culture supernatant (S/N), filtration, floating on chemical gradients or using antibody labelled magnetic beads. Hence, the isolation techniques, commonly in use, provide low levels of purification and therefore require improvements and an in-depth analysis of observed results. This research has established a protocol for isolation of these vesicles and a means to identify them using known markers and their respective properties. The isolation techniques used and developed in this research include differential centrifugation, sucrose gradient centrifugation, and filtration. MVs and exosomes were later identified and distinguished according to their relative ability to bind FITC and PE conjugated annexin V, anti-LAMP1, anti-CD63 and anti-CD11b antibodies using flow cytometry. Protein gels were run with MVs and exosome samples isolated by different techniques to identify some distinct proteins in MVs/exosomes that may be uniquely present on one or either and hence that could be used as a marker to distinguish MVs from exosomes.

To prevent exosomal contamination of MV preparations, in a further improvement of the newly developed reverse filtration technique, gentle disruption of exosome aggregates by gentle water sonication was used and measurements of plasma MV levels made from a population of healthy donors. This found plasma MV levels to range between 0.51 and 2.82 x 105 MVs/ml. The MVs were characterised as phosphatidylserine-positive and ≥0.2 μm in diameter. Most of the variables looked at in this study including freezing at -20oC, gender and subject age did not alter MV absolute counts significantly. For the first time the effect of fasting on MV levels has been studied. Fasting individuals had a wider spread and appeared to have higher MV levels (2.8x105-5.8x105 MVs/ml). This could be defined as the normal baseline fasting reference range, which is almost 3-fold higher compared to the non-fasting group reference range (0.9-1.5x105) MVs/ml. These results suggest that when analysing total MVs, further investigations should use fasting subjects, as for quantification of other fasting analytes.

Prospective markers of (monocyte-derived) MVs, IL-1α, RANTES, G-CSF, CCL-1 and IL-17E are proposed for further investigation. MVs were shown to inhibit phagocytosis of apoptotic bodies more effectively than exosomes. With a view to understanding likely pathways being stimulated during MV release, and to also shortlist possible pharmacological reagents capable of being used to therapeutically inhibit Y27632, calpeptin and methyl-β cyclodextrin were shown to inhibit MV release. MV release from K562 cells was inhibited by Y27632 and calpeptin but less effectively by chlorpromazine or methyl-β-cyclodextrin, MV release from THP-1 acute monocytic leukaemia cells was greater than from peripheral blood monocytes which were in turn shown to express more phosphotidylserine than on exosomes.

With a view to using MVs as drug delivery vehicles, THP-1 MVs were found to fuse/hemifuse to K562 erythroleukaemia cells, but not at 4°C or if the MV surface was blocked with annexin V. β-Gly (10 μM) (as well as MVs carrying β-Gly [β-Gly MVs]) was found to inhibit proliferation at least 3-fold compared to untreated control. β-Gly and β-Gly MVs increased the doubling time but neither induced apoptosis of K562 cells (unlike MVs from apoptotic cells). Finally, β-Gly increased the percentage of cells in G0/G1 whilst decreasing the cells in G2/M and appears to induce erythroid differentiation as seen by the increase in the percentage of benzidine-stained cells.


Purpose: To explore respiratory allergen profile and the relation between the month of birth and allergen type in Duzce Province in Turkey.
Methods: The data of 310 patients, who applied with respiratory allergic disease complaints in Duzce province of Turkey between May 2014 and May 2016, were retrospectively reviewed. Among them, 303 people were detected to have a full birth date in day, month and year in the hospital software. Remaining seven people were excluded from the study as they only had their year of birth recorded.
Results: 183 of 303 subjects (60.4%) included in the study were men and 120 (39.6%) were women. The most frequent reaction was detected against D. Farinea in 43 subjects (14.2%) Other common reactions were detected against D. Pteronyssinus with 35 subjects (11.5%); against grass with 19 subjects (6.3%); against grains with 19 subjects (6.3%); and against weeds with 16 subjects.
Discussion: It was proved that the month of birth of those who were included in the study and detected to be allergen affected the allergen distribution.


These include: References http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/17/5/347#BIBL This article cites 17 articles, 11 of which can be accessed free at: Rapid responses http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/cgi/eletter-submit/17/5/347 You can respond to this article at: service Email alerting the top right corner of the article Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article sign up in the box at


DON ELLINGER WAS A FRUSTRATED MAN IN THE SUMMER OF 1944. LEAD examiner for the Region X office of the Fair Employment Practice Committee (FEPC) in Dallas, Texas, Ellinger and a small staff of investigators had spent the last two years working to obtain entry for African Americans into the all-white training facilities at a bomber factory owned by Consolidated-Vultee Aircraft Corporation (Convair) in nearby Fort Worth. Neither conferences, surveys, nor appeals to management had worked; if anything, Ellinger complained, since he began his investigations Convair's discriminatory practices had grown worse, expanding into such areas as hiring, upgrades, and discharge. "The attitude of the company, which from the first has been negative, is now openly hostile," he lamented, and the only means of reaching a resolution appeared to be through costly public hearings. Despite this negative assessment, Ellinger admitted that there was at least one small bright spot in the situation. Although African Americans were prohibited from joining the International Association of Machinists (IAM), J. D. Smith, the white president of IAM District Lodge 776, had offered his union's cooperation to the FEPC, in effect challenging the racial practices of the local aircraft industry and setting himself apart from the vast majority of southern labor activists. Even more heartening to Ellinger was the length to which Smith seemed willing to go to fulfill this pledge: in a gesture that would have been considered progressive within most American unions at the time, let alone one operating in the segregated South, Smith threatened to initiate arbitration proceedings against Convair management for unjustly firing an African American janitor, a tactic that gained the man's reinstatement. Having faced similar forms of managerial intransigence himself, Ellinger was pleased to be able to report back to his superiors in Washington, D.C., that Smith and District 776 "took a strong stand and fully represented the [black] worker as if he were a member of the IAM." (1) This brief glimpse into the inner workings of Fort Worth's largest aircraft manufacturing facility both confirms and challenges a number of interrelated historical arguments surrounding the struggle for fair employment in the South during World War II. To begin with, Ellinger's tense exchanges with Convair and his feeble recommendation for public hearings will no doubt be recognizable to those who have examined the short-lived FEPC. Since the 1970s, numerous studies have laid bare the effects of outside opposition and organizational weakness on the ability of the committee to carry out its important work. In his examination of the FEPC's administrative history, Merl E. Reed paints a picture of an embattled committee that encouraged fair employment through investigations and public hearings yet lacked the authority to issue sanctions or demand full compliance. Although he acknowledges the courage and tenacity of the FEPC's integrated staff, Reed concludes that this innately weak federal agency was barely able to dent the surface of the South's caste-bound racial system, let alone overturn it, in the face of employer opposition. In a more recent study examining the impact of wartime manpower policy on the region, historian Charles D. Chamberlain agrees with Reed's assessment and presents the FEPC as generally ineffectual in removing the barriers placed before black southern workers. (2) Local accounts of the FEPC's investigations in the southern shipbuilding, oil refining, and railroad industries have all reached similar conclusions concerning managerial resistance, the committee's institutional weaknesses, and their combined effect on job prospects for black workers. (3) As shown by Ellinger's protracted efforts to secure even minimal compliance from Convair, the heretofore neglected Fort Worth aircraft industry fits within the historiographical consensus surrounding the FEPC's shortcomings. …


This is a new and provocative study re-evaluating the history of the struggle between orthodoxy and heresy in the early church. Dr Williams argues that the traditional picture of Nicene ascendancy in the western church from 350 - 381 is substantially misleading, and in particular that the conventional portrait of Ambrose of Milan as one who rapidly and easily overpowered his "Arian" opponents is a fictional product derived from idealized accounts of the fifth century. Sources illustrating the struggle between the orthodox pro-Nicenes and "Arians" or Homoians, in the fourth century reveal that Latin "Arianism" was not the lifeless and theologically alien system that historians of the last century would have us believe. Dr Williams shows that the majority of churches in the West had little practical use for the Nicene creed until the end of the 350s - over twenty five years after it was first issued under Constantine - and that the ultimate triumph of the Nicene faith was not as inevitable as it has been assumed. Ambrose himself was seriously harrassed by sustained attacks from "Arians" in Milan for the first decade of his episcopate, and his early career demonstrates the severity of the religious conflict which embroiled the western churches,especially in North Italy. Only after an intense and uncertain decade did Ambrose finally prevail in Milan once the Nicene form of faith was embraced by the Roman empire through imperial legislation and "Arianism" was outlawed as heresy. This is an innovative and challenging book full of illumination new insights on the social, political, and theological entanglements ofthe early church.


The impact of Pyramid Club on the socio-emotional health and school performance of pupils in early secondary education: a mixed methods evaluation study
Background
The school setting has been heralded as the ideal environment in which to enhance both socio-emotional well-being (SEWB) and pupils' educational success. Robust evidence linking mental well-being with academic outcomes (e.g. Gutman & Vorhaus 2012) suggests that socio-emotional interventions can prevent the development, or worsening, of mental health problems whilst simultaneously benefitting pupils' school progress. Psychological distress among children and young people (CYP) is increasing and many are unable to access appropriate and timely support. This situation has focused attention on the crucial role of schools and led to greater demand for evidence-based models of good practice to improve schools' existing support and provision (Department of Health, 2015). Pyramid Club is a brief, school-based, socio-emotional intervention targeted at CYP (aged 7-14 years) who typically internalise their difficulties. Previous evaluations of Pyramid have predominantly consisted of effectiveness studies with primary school children (e.g. Ohl et al., 2012); impact on secondary-aged children and an understanding of process were identified as lacking.
Aim(s):
The aim of the current research was to robustly evaluate the Pyramid intervention through its impact on the socio-emotional well-being (SEWB) and school performance of pupils in early secondary education (11- to 14-years), and to investigate the procedures and mechanisms underlying behaviour change.
Methods: A mixed methods design was implemented. A quasi-experiment comprised the quantitative phase. Following a screening procedure pupils from eight, co-educational secondary schools in England and Wales (n=126) (mean age 12.5 years) were allocated to the Pyramid (intervention) group or non-intervention comparison group. Measures of SEWB and pupils' school performance were administered at three time points (baseline, post-test and 12-month follow-up). SEWB was assessed using objective and subjective measures including: the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Goodman, 1997; Goodman et al., 1998) at pre- and post-intervention. Subject ability self-concepts and current academic levels (English and Mathematics) were used as subjective and objective measures of school performance respectively at pre- and post-intervention. At 12-month follow-up the objective measures were used to re-examine the dual domains of interest.
A focus group method was selected to investigate stakeholders' perceptions and experiences of Pyramid Club. This approach addresses the rights of CYP to inform practices and policies which concern them, an increasingly important consideration in service evaluation. Focus groups were held with Pyramid Club attendees and separately with Club leaders at each of the participating schools. Qualitative data were thematically analysed.
Results: Young people who attended Pyramid club showed improvements in SEWB with an equivalent effect across gender, ethnic and SES groups, suggesting the intervention can be successfully delivered across socio-demographic groups; improvement was sustained at 12-month follow-up. Statistically significant differences in psychosocial difficulties generated large effects post-test, and at 12-month follow-up. Furthermore, distinct trends in pupils' ability self-concept in English and Mathematics from pre- to post-club indicate that Pyramid may have had a 'buffer effect', with Pyramid attendees showing some resilience to the typical 'dip phenomenon' associated with this developmental period. Qualitative findings supported intervention effectiveness (e.g. improvements in social skills and confidence) and identified drivers (procedures and mechanisms) underlying behaviour change. Moreover, impact on educationally relevant attitudes and behaviours or 'academic enablers' was identified, for example, greater participation and engagement in learning.
Conclusion: Current findings have important implications for theory and practice and extend the Pyramid literature to include evidence of effectiveness with an adolescent population. A refined, five-part Pyramid model has been proposed and can be incorporated as part of a multi-component health promoting schools strategy: the five-part model proposes how implementation processes can be integrated with existing school systems and recommended strategies (e.g. National Children's Bureau, 2015) to improve socio-emotional and educational outcomes for children and young people and, crucially, create 'real world' impact on pupils' lives.

References
Department of Health (2015) Future in mind (London, Crown Publications).
Goodman, R. (1997) The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: a research note, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 38, 581-586.
Goodman, R., Meltzer, H. & Bailey, V. (1998) The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: A pilot study on the validity of the self-report version, European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 7, 125-130.
Gutman, L., M., & Vorhaus, J. (2012) The impact of pupil behaviour and wellbeing on educational outcomes (London, Department for Education).
National Children's Bureau (2015) A whole school framework for emotional well-being and mental health. Available online at: https://www.ncb.org.uk/sites/default/files/field/attachment/NCB%20School%20Well%20Being%20Framework%20Leaders%20Resources%20FINAL.pdf (accessed 12 December 2017).
Ohl, M., Fox, P. & Mitchell, K. (2012) Strengthening socio-emotional competencies in a school setting. Data from the Pyramid project, British Journal of Educational Psychology, 83, 452-466.


Cerebellar tremor is a frequent and disabling symptom in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Supportive pharmacological treatment with different drugs showed only minor effects in a few studies and in clinical practice. Encouraged by previous studies with ondansetron, a 5HT3‐antagonist, we conducted a small open‐label, prospective and controlled study with 14 MS patients suffering predominantly from cerebellar tremor of the upper extremities. Principal outcome measure to evaluate a functional improvement of the single intravenous administered ondansetron injection was the subject performance in the 9‐hole‐peg‐test (9HPT) and 3 blind assessed upper extremity writing and copying tasks. We neither found significant improvement in the upper extremity tests nor in the subjective response of the patients. In conclusion we could not confirm a beneficial effect of ondansetron on cerebellar tremor of MS patients.


Neoclassical views on fiscal sustainability are based on several assumptions that are inconsistent with accounting and operational realities of the money system, including dangers of "bond vigilantes" in government debt markets and "printing money" is inherently inflationary. Combining these assumptions with the broader world view of monetary policy as the appropriate sole manager of the macroeconomy, neoclassicals essentially define fiscal sustainability as a policy mix in which fiscal policy "gets out of the way" of "monetary dominance", defined as the central bank's ability to independently pursue an "optimal" monetary policy. This paper presents an alternative view consistent with real-world accounting and monetary operations; a policy mix in which fiscal policy has an active role is shown to be a more sustainable one. Perhaps surprisingly, this turns out to also not be subject to the neoclassical fears or concerns of a policy regime of fiscal dominance.


Since the Disaster Research Center (DEC) was established in 1963, it
has engaged in a variety of different studies although its basic focus has
remained the same. From the beginning, the Center's major research objective
has been to analyze emergency organizations and their response to, as
well, as prior preparations for, large-scale community energencies, particularly
when a natural disaster agent was involved. Prior studies of disaster
responses had primarily focused on the victims. Practicaly no attention
had been given to the activities of the emergency organizations in the community,
even though the actions of such groups generally determine the efficiency
and effectiveness of the reactions in the emergency period. Thus, DRC
decided to study organizations during the emergency period and has continued
to focus on this area throughout most of its research.


Background/Context Educational resilience is defined as having successful outcomes in school despite the adversities one has faced in life. There is a dearth of research on a particularly high-risk group—unaccompanied refugee minors who are separated from their parents by war and lack the protection and advocacy provided by adult caretakers. Purpose This qualitative study explores the factors associated with educational resilience among unaccompanied Sudanese refugee youth who experienced extreme trauma and chronic adversity prior to being placed with American foster families in 2000–2001. Setting The setting includes Lansing and neighboring communities in Michigan. Participants Nineteen Sudanese refugees (mean age—15 years at the time of resettlement; gender—17 males, 2 females) who had been placed in a foster care program for unaccompanied refugee minors in the United States participated in the retrospective interviews. We interviewed 20 parents from 15 families, including five couples, 3 married mothers interviewed alone, 2 single fathers, and 5 single mothers. Research Design The study used a qualitative research design by using open ended semi-structured interviews in which the participants were comfortable speaking about their experiences, yet the researchers were able to follow the interview protocol. With the assistance of the resettlement agency (Lutheran Social Services of Michigan), we sampled for diversity in the foster families to obtain a sample of youth who were exposed to diverse families and circumstances. With the help of foster parents and the assistance of a Sudanese cultural consultant, we recruited at least one youth from each of these families, with the exception of two families. Data Analysis The transcribed interviews were coded thematically. A three-step coding procedure was used: open, axial, and selective coding. Findings All youth in our study came to the United States with "education" as their primary goal. Many youth had a desire to help those left in Africa and to rebuild Sudan. All the youth interviewed had achieved at least a high school diploma, and all but three had either completed or were enrolled in higher education. Personal attributes, relationships, and community support/opportunities helped the youth in overcoming the challenges that they faced in terms of educational attainment in the United States. Conclusions/Recommendations This study confirmed the important roles of parents, teachers, and school counselors in educational success for at-risk youth. The challenges noted by the youth and their foster parents provided useful information for possible changes in policy that could enhance their success.


Presented within are four categories of product/industrial design practice, one of which, Discursive Design, is problematized regarding basic operational mode and audience. Two dimensions will be offered that provide fundamental structure for future theorization. Having emerged over the last two decades, increasingly critical practice is being developed within design's art-based, exhibitive model, and also within the field of design research. Here the dimension of Terminal/Instrumental is posited as an operational modality, while the audience along this dimension is posited in terms of Internal/External participation.


The dramatic story of Scotland - by charismatic television historian, Neil Oliver. Scotland is one of the oldest countries in the world with a vivid and diverse past. Yet the stories and figures that dominate Scottish history - tales of failure, submission, thwarted ambition and tragedy - often badly serve this great nation, overshadowing the rich tapestry of her intricate past. Historian Neil Oliver presents a compelling new portrait of Scottish history, peppered with action, high drama and centuries of turbulence that have helped to shape modern Scotland. Along the way, he takes in iconic landmarks and historic architecture; debunks myths surrounding Scotland's famous sons; recalls forgotten battles; charts the growth of patriotism; and explores recent political developments, capturing Scotland's sense of identity and celebrating her place in the wider world.


Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have triggered a sudden change in the educational scene. Its characteristics of being free, heterogeneous, multi-thematic, and fostering lifelong learning have completely changed the instructional design scene, allowing these innovations and new architectures of teaching and learning to be included. However, MOOCs have been criticized by the scientific community for their high dropout rates and low overall completion rates, which has called into question their effectiveness as a pedagogical tool. This paper analyzes how the application of gamification strategies in MOOCs on energy sustainability affects participants' engagement and seeks to identify what types of interactive gamification media are more useful in generating interest and motivation in students. In order to do so, a mixed quasi-experimental method is used. A gamification board with challenges, badges, and leaderboards to a sample is used, and at the same time, this platform is analyzed using the integrated theoretical gamification model in e-learning environments. In the MOOCs where gamification strategies were applied, a global completion rate of 14.43% was obtained, while in those without gamification, 6.162% was obtained. Likewise, the degree of student engagement with respect to the completion rate of activities was much higher in the gamified platform (28.032%) than in the traditional design (13.252%). The results show that applying gamification strategies in MOOCs achieves a higher level of engagement and student motivation.


This paper generalizes the Grossman-Helpman political economy model to characterize the structure of environmental and industry protection for a small open economy when domestic and/or trade policies are the outcome of a noncooperative common agency game between sector-specific producer lobbies and the government. For a consumption externality, the political equilibrium results if domestic and trade policies are available, are production-enhancing protection of organized industries, but the same environmental protection as Pigouvian taxes. Subsidies to organized industries counterbalance environmental taxes when there is a production externality, and it is ambiguous whether domestic or trade policy alone leads to more environmental protection. In addition, this paper demonstrates that the original Grossman-Helpman results arise as a special case that rests on the assumption that only trade policies are available to the government.


Psoriasis is a common and severe skin disease. Up to 30% of psoriasis patients develop psoriatic arthritis (PsA), another severe disease that contributes significantly to the burden of psoriatic disease in patients. The treatment of patients with both psoriasis and PsA is particularly challenging, because different strategies are often followed, and considerable resources are needed for these chronic inflammatory diseases. Of note, psoriasis patients tend to be undertreated. Efforts to improve the management of psoriasis and PsA are urgently needed, to incorporate improvement of patient outcomes by promotion of best practice from both the medical and the pharmacoeconomic perspective. These are the goals of the Quality Movement in the USA and of quality management in general. The need for evidence-based guidance on safety, efficacy, overall outcome, and cost-effectiveness is being addressed by numerous initiatives striving to generate practice guidelines, control costs, and optimize cost-effectiveness of treatments. The 2007 Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis's (GRAPPA) Initiative for Quality aims to secure and improve management of psoriasis and PsA, elaborating on these evidence-based guidelines by defining major domains of quality and creating a checklist that identifies physicians who can administer state-of-the-art medical services to patients who need their services.


Iron-manganese oxide coatings can form on a wide range of geologic samples and they have the inherent geochemical ability to adsorb elements and thus potentially act as tools for mineral exploration and environmental monitoring. In this study the concentrations of elements present in Fe-Mn oxide coatings were determined using Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (LAM-ICP-MS). The potential Fe-Mn oxide coatings for environmental monitoring was assessed at three study sites located on the island of Newfoundland. Additionally, annual accretion at one study site was also examined to further understand coating accretion as a function of time. -- Useful analytical results were obtained using a data normalisation scheme which set the sum of MnO₂ + Fe₂O₃ in the coating to 100%. Quantification of an internal standard was investigated using an Electron Microprobe and Scanning Electron Microscope. However this was not successful because of sample heterogeneity and the thinness of the coating. The acquired samples underwent a simple sample preparation procedure, and were analysed using optimised operating conditions. -- For the mineral exploration and environmental monitoring aspect of this study, four study locations with a wide range of sample sites were selected; Tilt Cove, Betts Cove, Robinsons River, and Rennies River. Water samples were collected along with the Fe-Mn oxide coatings. The waters were analysed for dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, temperature, and 46 elements using ICP-MS. Multivariate statistics, in the form of Principal Component Factor Analysis (PCFA) was performed on the data. Graphical display of the Factor scores from the PCF A produced sample groupings that were related to both geologic and environmental inputs. For the water PCFA, variable loadings were related to the local geology and environmental conditions along with the affinity of the element. The loading of variables in each Factor for the Fe-Mn oxide coating data was related to the adsorption of the element either on the MnO₂ or Fe₂O₃ phase with most elements except Cr and Cu displaying preferential adsorption to MnO₂. Elemental Fe-Mn oxide coating concentrations were a function of the elements affinity (chalcophile, lithophile, or siderophile), pH of the environment, stream water concentration, and amount of the two oxide phases present. Even with these complications, LA-ICP-MS analysis of Fe-Mn oxides was able to identify areas of heavy metal pollution and suggest geologic inputs. -- Accretion of Fe-Mn oxide coatings was examined on an annual basis by placing artificial substrates (streak plates, cement, and polished pebbles) in Rennies River, St. John's, Newfoundland at seven sampling sites and allowing the coatings to collect for periods of time from three months to one year with samples acquired every 3 months. Water samples were also collected and measured for most of the same variables as the oxide coatings. For the Fe-Mn oxide coatings, two Factors resulted from the PCF A. A plot of the Factor scores showed four groups of samples based on location, and time of sampling. Coating concentrations did not match any of the expected trends based on stream chemistry or coating properties. This is explained by a model of coating accretion suggesting that high amounts of Fe₂O₃ and metals coprecipitate for the initial stage of coating formation and greater amounts were adsorbed in the later stages.


Quantification of metabolites from magnetic resonance spectra (MRS) has many applications in medicine and psychology, but remains a challenging task despite considerable research efforts. For example, the neurotransmitter $\gamma$-aminobutyric acid (GABA), present in very low concentration in vivo, regulates inhibitory neurotransmission in the brain and is involved in several processes outside the brain. Reliable quantification is required to determine its role in various physiological and pathological conditions. We present a novel approach to quantification of metabolites from MRS with convolutional neural networks --- MRSNet. MRSNet is trained to perform the multi-class regression problem of identifying relative metabolite concentrations from given input spectra, focusing specifically on the quantification of GABA, which is particularly difficult to resolve. Typically it can only be detected at all using special editing acquisition sequences such as MEGA-PRESS. A large range of network structures, data representations and automatic processing methods are investigated. Results are benchmarked using experimental datasets from test objects of known composition and compared to state-of-the-art quantification methods: LCModel, jMRUI (AQUES, QUEST), TARQUIN, VeSPA and Gannet. The results show that the overall accuracy and precision of metabolite quantification is improved using convolutional neural networks.


Though there is a contingent of linguists who fight the fact, our language is always changing--not only through slang, but sound, syntax, and words' meanings as well. Debunking the myth of "pure" standard English, tackling controversial positions, and eschewing politically correct arguments, linguist John McWhorter considers speech patterns and regional accents to demonstrate just how the changes do occur. Wielding reason and humor, McWhorter ultimately explains why we must embrace these changes, ultimately revealing our American English in all its variety, expressiveness, and power.


It is theoretically shown that, when nano- and femtosecond laser pulses act consecutively on a fullerene-containing medium, bleaching of the medium is observed. The dependences of this effect on the parameters of the medium and of the laser radiation have been studied. This effect can serve as a basis for creating optical shutters with a femtosecond response time.


Wireless networks have historically considered support for mobile elements as an extra overhead. However, recent research has provided means by which network can take advantage of mobile elements. Particularly, in the case of wireless sensor networks, mobile elements are deliberately built into the system to improve the lifetime of the network, and act as mechanical carriers of data. The mobile element, which is controlled, visits the nodes to collect their data before their buffers are full. It may happen that the sensor nodes are sampling at different rates, in which case some nodes need to be visited more frequently than others. We present this problem of scheduling the mobile element in the network, so that there is no data loss due to buffer overflow. We prove that the problem is NP-complete and give an ILP formulation. We give some practical algorithms, and compare their performances.


The western Pacific Ocean plays an important role in regulating and modulating the global climate system on interannual to geological timescales. Excellent records have been acquired by coring high sedimentation rate sites in the marginal seas of the western Pacific Ocean during IMAGES cruises. This special section has been proposed to publish papers presenting high-resolution records and the interpretation of climate change mechanisms revealed by these records. Chen et al. (2008) established a long and detailed chro


Scanning ion micro-beam analysis has been used to determine the diffusion of molecules in materials with a combination of high spatial resolution and concentration sensitivity not possible with other analytical techniques. The ion beam analysis apparatus and techniques available at the University of Surrey are described. Methodologies have been devised to determine the scanning micro-beam line scan size and the diameter of the beam spot. Adaptations to the micro-beam line hardware have been proposed with the design of a novel form of none interrupting beam current monitor utilising a transmission Faraday cup and charge collection from the object aperture. Micro-Nuclear Reaction Analysis (NRA) has been used for the first time to resolve the location and concentration of a hydrocarbon molecule in a biological matrix. Deuterated molecules (a surfactant and a hair conditioning agent) were imaged in perm damaged and undamaged hair fibres. Natural deuterium levels were ascertained with reference to a virgin hair fibre. Profiles of chlorine diffusing into cement paste blends have been determined using micro-Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE). The profiles were fitted with a semi-infinite model of Fickian diffusion. The analysis was combined with micro-NRA to simultaneously profile the aqueous carrier (deuterium oxide) with the diffusing chlorine. A combination of micro-PIXE and micro-NRA has been used for the first time to image the ingress of water (deuterium oxide) and subsequent redistribution of drug in a polymeric drug release system. The two dimensional distributions of water, drug, and polymeric matrix are statistically correlated.


We numerically observed plasmonic Zitterbewegung (ZB) in nanoscale binary metal waveguide arrays constructed by alternately filling two different dielectrics into adjacent guides. The positive- and negative-energy states of a relativistic electron, whose interference causes the ZB, are mimicked by surface plasmon polariton modes of the two bands of the guide array, respectively. Different from photonic ZB appearing in dielectric systems, we also found that SPP wave packets satisfy a negative-coupled Dirac equation; hence the beam center of SPP shows a shift direction opposite to photonic ZB.


Automated analysis of fluorescence microscopy data relies on robust segmentation and tracking algorithms for sub-cellular structures in order to generate quantitative results. The accuracy of the image processing results is, however, frequently unknown or determined a priori on synthetic benchmark data. We present a particle filter framework based on Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods and adaptive annealing. Our algorithm provides on-line per-frame estimates of the detection and tracking confidence at run time. We validate the accuracy of the estimates and apply the algorithm to tracking microtubules in mitotic yeast cells. This is based on a likelihood function that accounts for the dominant noise sources in the imaging equipment. The confidence estimates provided by the present algorithm allow on-line control of the detection and tracking quality.


Hungarian academics are becoming unnerved by their government9s aggressive nationalist agenda, and the intensifying political pressures it is imposing on science. Central European University, which attracts top students from Eastern Europe for its English-language graduate classes and has 17 research centers focusing on social sciences, business, environment, math, and other topics, is a prime target, subject to tightening restrictions that, some fear, could force it out of Hungary. Some of its academics were recently labeled mercenaries by a pro-government newspaper. Hungarian scientists also worry that their main grant-funding body, praised for its independence and transparency in a recent European review, has become replaced by an agency more susceptible to political influence. And some researchers believe the government is increasingly wasting scarce funds on scholarship that promotes a particular agenda or controversial theories of national origin.


This is a thrilling portrait of the extraordinary childhood of Pearl Buck, the now-forgotten bestselling Nobel Prize winning novelist. Pearl Buck was raised in China by her American parents, Presbyterian missionaries from Virginia. Blonde and blue-eyed she looked startlingly foreign, but felt as at home as her Chinese companions. She ran free on the grave-littered grasslands behind her house, often stumbling across the tiny bones of baby girls who had been suffocated at birth. Buck's father was a terrifying figure, with a maniacal zeal for religious conversion - a passion rarely shared by the local communities he targeted. He drained the family's budget for his Chinese translation of the New Testament, while his aggrieved, long-suffering wife did her utmost to create a homely environment for her children, several of whom died tragically young. Pearl Buck would eventually rise to eminence in America as a bestselling author, but in this startlingly original biography, Spurling recounts with elegance and great insight her unspeakable upbringing in a China that was virtually unknown to the West.


This doctoral thesis focuses on the investigation of innovative functional materials for the development of sensing applications, which use electrochemiluminescence (ECL) technology as transduction technique.
The demand for highly sensitive, selective and reliable sensors able to perform fast, economic and easy detection in clinical and analytical chemistry increases constantly. Among the electrochemical techniques, ECL is the most suitable transduction method for sensing applications. In fact, due to the electrochemical nature of the signal generation, extremely high range of sensitivity and very low detection limits can be reached. Moreover, the generation of the signal is achieved directly in situ, which enables spatial visualization and mapping of the signal distribution. This property of the ECL can be exploited for the imaging of small objects, such as micro-particles or cells, deposited directly on the surface of the electrode. In addition, efforts have been made to understand the complex interplay of the chemical and electrochemical reactions responsible of the signal generation at the electrode surface. The collected information might help towards the improvement of the technology at the basis of the ECL sensors, in order to obtain higher sensitivity and selectivity.
The functional materials studied in this thesis present different electrochemical characteristics and are expressly designed for sensor applications. In particular, the proper selection of the material and its optimization assure high performances of the device. For example, the combination of supramolecular chemistry with the ECL technology can be exploited for the development of a sensor for the early diagnosis of prostate cancer, or the excellent electrochemical properties of carbon-based materials can be used for the imaging of biological samples with high spatial resolution.


Studies of the structure and physical properties of the layered ruthenocuprates RuSr2GdCu2O8 and Pb2Sr2Cu2RuO8Cl are reviewed. RuSr2GdCu2O8 is a weak ferromagnetic superconductor and doping studies have shown that it is possible to tune the magnetic and superconducting transitions simultaneously. The average crystal structure of RuSr2GdCu2O8 is tetragonal at both 10 and 295 K (space group P4/mmm), but a √ 2a x √ 2a x c superstructure resulting from coherent rotations of the RuO6 octahedra within subdomains of 50-200 Å is observed by selected area electron diffraction (SAED). The same tilts and rotations of the RuO6 octahedra are observed in semiconducting Pb2Sr2Cu2RuO8Cl, which has strikingly similar magnetic properties to RuSr2GdCu2O8. Antiferromagnetic order is observed in the 10 K neutron diffraction pattern with a Ru moment of 1.1(1) μB, but a spin-flop transition is observed above a field of 0.5 T.


This article seeks to elucidate changes over time and cross-national variations in the status of art forms through a comprehensive content analysis of the coverage given to arts and culture in elite newspapers of four different countries – France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States – in the period 1955–2005. The authors explore how cultural hierarchy is affected by specific features of these societies and their respective journalistic and cultural production fields. The four countries show significant differences in journalistic attention to high and popular art forms. Throughout the period of study, the American newspapers and to a slightly lesser extent, French elite newspapers generally devote more attention to popular art forms than their Dutch and German counterparts. In accounting for cross-national differences in the coverage given to popular culture, field-level factors like market structure and the position and size of local cultural industries seem more important than more remote factors such as national cultural repertoires and the level of social mobility


Spermatogenesis, oogenesis and fecundity are described and the gonad index calculated for 10 individuals from each month using histological and image analysis techniques for the Antarctic brittle star Ophionotus victoriae (Bell 1902). Individuals were collected between September 1997 and December 2000 from a shallow water population (15 to 20 m) on the west of the Antarctic Peninsula. Both male and female gonad index varied seasonally, where proportions of large oocytes and mature sperm decreased markedly between November and December of each year, indicating the spawning period. Although the annual timing of reproduction was consistent among years, O. victoriae displayed considerable inter-annual variation in reproductive effort. This variability was notable in the gonad and gut index of both males and females and in female fecundity, which showed no discernible change in some years, but varied more than an order of magnitude in others. We identify 3 main aspects to the reproductive ecology of 0. victoriae: (1) spawning was synchronous and annually consistent; (2) long periods were required for gamete development, with oocytes requiring similar to18 to 24 mo to mature; (3) there was clear inter-annual variability in reproductive effort and nutritional condition, which could be associated with the extent of the preceding organic sedimentation event. Subsidiary effects may also have been felt from the seasonal ice profile and temperature signal. A combination of all or some of these patterns may be an adaptation to the distinct seasonality and low level resource supply characteristic of the Antarctic and the long-term cycles intrinsic in polar environmental variables.


In recent years there has been a growing body of knowledge exploring the benefits of using sanitation-derived nutrients. Such studies aim to uncover strategies that facilitate nutrient recovery from urine and faecal sludge for agricultural use. This paper presents the findings of a study which assessed the willingness to handle and use urine in agriculture among people living in rural areas of eThekwini Municipality, South Africa. Results show that less than 5% of participants are using urine as a fertiliser. This could be attributed to limited awareness of the value of urine in agriculture since only 9.7% are aware that urine contains essential nutrients that can support plant growth. Furthermore, health concerns, smell and the opinions of others are identified as barriers to the handling of urine. The study therefore recommends that participatory field trials and promotional activities are conducted to improve users' awareness and acceptance. The outcome of this research is of importance to help inform low- and middle-income countries' governments as they address urban and environmental challenges such as access to adequate sanitation, poverty and food security.


Imagination, Cognition and Personality solicits reviews of new books from its readers. Good reviews provide a valuable professional service by informing readers of new books and by critically orienting them to the major issues the books address. Any relevant volume may be considered. If you wish to submit a review, before proceeding please send a letter of intent, identifying the book in question (title, author, publisher), to Nicholas Brink, Ph.D., ICP Book Review Editor, P.O. Box 94, 125 Weaver Avenue, Coburn, PA 16832 (570) 523-0023, e-mail: email@example.com. Instructions will then be sent to you. The Editor reserves the right of final decision on publication.


A cornerstone of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is the exertion of market control when a species' biological status is put at risk by commercial demand. This is the crux of an Appendix I listing under CITES; once a species is listed on Appendix I it may not be imported or introduced from the sea in order to be used for primarily commercial purposes. As CITES has evolved and strengthened over its forty three-year history, the Parties have agreed specific compliance measures and policy initiatives targeted toward both building upon and supporting this cornerstone. And, yet, one decision at the upcoming Standing Committee puts at risk the reputation and integrity on which CITES stands.Since 2002 Japan has introduced from the sea sei whales and sold the meat, blubber, and other products commercially in order to raise money to support its whaling operations. Because Japan does not have a reservation for the North Pacific population of sei whale, which is listed on Appendix I, Japan's actions are in clear contravention of the Convention. The question is whether the Standing Committee is willing to hold Japan accountable for nearly 20 years of non-compliance in a demonstration of the integrity and reputation of the Convention or whether politics and power triumph.


Sensor positioning is a fundamental block in many location-dependent applications of wireless sensor networks. Although the main objective in localization is primarily enhancing the positioning accuracy, the importance of energy consumption and localization accuracy poses new challenges. The localization is usually assisted with some self-known position sensors called anchor nodes. In this letter, optimal power allocation for the anchor nodes in a sense of minimizing the energy consumption considering estimation errors is investigated. To have a better estimation of the relative distance between the anchor and unknown nodes using received signal strength indicator (RSSI), average energy of the received beacon is introduced as a new decision metric. Based on this, a squared position error bound as an accuracy parameter is derived, and an optimization problem is proposed to maximize the localization performance. More specifically, the optimal power allocation policy is first derived for the case that the anchor nodes estimate their own locations with no error. Since there are unavoidable errors in the positions of the anchor nodes, the optimization problem is then modified by including uncertainty in the positions of the anchor nodes. The results show that a substantial reduction in power consumption can be achieved by optimal allocation of the transmission power.


Xenopus embryos express N-cadherin in a pattern similar to that observed in other species, and cells expressing Xenopus N-cadherin can bind to cells expressing chicken N-cadherin in vitro. To investigate the developmental role of this molecule, we injected mRNA encoding chicken N-cadherin into one blastomere of 2-cell-stage Xenopus embryos and examined the effect of its expression on their development. The ectopic expression of N-cadherin occurred in various regions of the injected embryos and induced abnormal histogenesis, such as thickening, clumping or fusion of cell layers. These results suggest that the precise quantitative and qualitative regulation of the expression of cadherins is essential to embryonic morphogenesis.


I-X is a framework that can be used to create an application in which multiple agents adopt a task-centric view of a situation, and which supports the necessary coordination of their activities to respond to that situation. The I-X process panel provides the functionality of a to-do list and instant messaging and thus, it is a useful tool when it comes to organizing the response to an emergency. However, I-X goes well beyond this metaphor and provides a number of useful extensions that facilitate the finding and adaptation of plans for teams to respond in dynamic situations. In the Co-OPR (collaborative operations for personnel recovery) project, the I-X framework has been used to support training exercises for personnel recovery. This paper will describe some of the initial findings that are the result of experiments conducted to evaluate the suitability and extent to which personnel recovery trainees and trainers can be supported by I-X in so-called "Command Post Exercises". The result shows that an I-X application can be useful in such a scenario by eliminating some of the basic problems that often occur


There are a number of innovative procedures available for use in qualitative research, including observation, note-taking and verbal protocol techniques. This paper highlights the potential usefulness of stimulated recall as an innovative technique for use in qualitative research in sport and possibly exercise. Specifically, it focuses on video footage obtained from head-mounted cameras for use in stimulated recall during post-event interviews. Examples of research studies carried out in simulation training with fire and emergency personnel and with leisure participants in a whitewater adventure setting, are used to illustrate how stimulated recall can be utilised effectively in practice. Participants in a river-surfing course completed daily qualitative semi-structured interviews, facilitated by footage from head-mounted video cameras. The cameras were worn throughout the course while participants were in the water. The use of the head-mounted equipment and video-footage as stimulated recall in the study and preliminary findings about the procedure are described. Finally, a number of advantages and disadvantages of head-mounted camera and stimulated recall procedures in general are discussed.


Practice theory has lately taken a turn towards modelling the evolution of practices, which appear situated at the centre of the study of social action. I argue in this paper, following previous criticisms, that such centrality can be revised in order to better incorporate elements of agency and normativity, which are much determinant of the emergence and development of practices. The aim of this paper is to propose an alternative heuristic which advances on lefebvrean trialectics, in order to better account for process in the study of practices. For this I rely on previous concepts from anthropology and sociology, such as fetishisation, ritualisation and bricolage. A relevant case study is merely outlined in order to illustrate how such a conceptual framework can identify agencies and situate practices in relation to power structures and performance at an early stage within the research process.


An analytic solution to the Laplace equation for potential distribution in response to current flow in a heterogeneous, two-dimensional semi-infinite domain is studied. Circular heterogeneities of varying sizes and electrical conductivities are considered. We investigate the response of the stream function, the potential field, and, in particular, the potential at the top boundary relative to the background as a function of the size, location, and electrical conductivity of circular inclusions taken singly or multiply. The analytic solution sets the basis for the application of sensitivity analysis to the electrical resistance tomography (ERT) method, as an initial step toward improving the application of the method to tracking rapid hydrological processes.


ABSTRACT The smart city has emerged as a universal term for the pervasive utilisation of information and communication technologies deployed to provide value-added services to citizens based on data generated from sectors such as energy, mobility, etc. However, current approaches are faced with interoperability as a challenging issue in processing big data. Therefore, this study explores the role of application programming interfaces (APIs) for managing real-time, online, and historical energy data in the context of residential buildings and electric vehicles. Moreover, a layered architecture that employs APIs in big data is developed for district energy management towards providing energy information intelligence and support decision-making on energy sustainability in facilitating prosumption operations. Practically, the layered architecture collects energy data and provides data to prosumers who are citizens that produce, consume, share, and sell energy generated from renewable sources such as solar and wind to better improve energy prosumption in smart grid.


Background: Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block is a regional anesthesia technique for postoperative analgesia. Since multiple nerves are to be blocked in a single prick, mucolytic enzyme hyaluronidase is being used to improve the spread of the local anesthetic. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of adding hyaluronidase as an adjuvant to local anesthetic in ultrasound (US)-guided TAP block. Materials and Methods: Eighty patients were randomly divided into two groups, Group B and Group BH. Group B patients received US-guided bilateral TAP block with 38 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine (heavy) and 2 ml of NS. Group BH patients received 38 ml of 0.25% bupivacaine (heavy) with 3000 IU hyaluronidase (2 ml) after completion of surgery under spinal anesthesia. Visual analog score (VAS) and heart rate were noted periodically. Time of demand of the first rescue analgesia and total analgesic consumption in 24 h were noted. Patient satisfaction survey was done at the end of 24 h. Results: Group BH patients had lower mean VAS scores at 6 and 8 h postoperatively as compared to Group B. The mean time of demand for the first rescue analgesia was longer in Group BH (351 ± 16 min) as compared to Group B (307 ± 13 min). The cumulative dose of rescue analgesic needed was more in Group B (370 ± 9 min) as compared to Group BH (343 ± 8 min). Patient satisfaction score was 3.3 ± 0.5 in Group BH and 2.3 ± 0.5 in Group B. All the differences were statistically significant. Conclusion: Addition of hyaluronidase improved quality of postoperative analgesia which can be due to the enzymatic action of hyaluronidase which hydrolyses the hyaluronic acid in the connective tissue and facilitates the spread of local anesthetic solution.


Abstract There has been considerable criticism of the use of human dignity as a guiding value in the context of South Africa's equality jurisprudence. What are the implications of the use of the value in socio-economic rights jurisprudence? Drawing on the work of Martha Nussbaum, the article links the value of human dignity to the material conditions necessary to enable people to develop and exercise their capabilities. Access to basic social services is crucial not only to people's physical survival, but also to enable the development of their potential to shape their own lives and to be active agents in the shaping of our new society. Human dignity as a relational concept requires society to respect the equal worth of the poor by marshalling its resources to redress the conditions that perpetuate their marginalisation. This, in turn, requires a focus on the actual impact of the state's actions or omissions on the life chances of disadvantaged groups, and a response that is proportionate to the seriousness of that impact. In constitutional adjudication, it requires that a high burden of justification is placed on the state in cases involving a deprivation of basic human needs. The article concludes by examining how the Constitutional Court's reasonableness review standard and remedial jurisprudence could be strengthened to accord greater value to this conception of human dignity.


: Mechanistic understanding of electro- and photocatalytic CO2 reduction is crucial to develop strategies to overcome catalytic bottlenecks. In this regard, herein it is presented a new CO2-to-CO reduction cobalt aminopyridine catalyst, a detailed experimental and theoretical mechanistic study toward the identification of bottle-necks and potential strategies to alleviate them. The combination of electrochemical and in-situ spectroelectrochemical (FTIR/UV-Vis SEC) studies together with spectroscopic techniques (NMR, EXAFS) lead us to identify elusive key electrocatalytic intermediates derived from complex [Co(pyMetacn)(OTf)2] (1) (pyMetacn = 1-[2-pyridylmethyl]-4,7-dimethyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononane) such as a highly reactive cobalt (I) (1(I)) and cobalt (I) carbonyl (1(I)-CO) species. 1(I) was obtained by electrochemical reduction of 1(II), and characterized by NMR, EXAFS and FTIR/UV-Vis SEC. The combination of spectroelectrochemical studies under CO2, 13CO2 and CO with DFT disclosed that 1(I) directly reacts with CO2 to form the pivotal 1(I)-CO intermediate at the 1(II/I) redox potential. At this redox potential the theoretical energy barrier for the C-O bond cleavage was found to be as low as 12.2 kcal·mol-1. However, the catalytic process does not proceed at the 1(II/I) redox potential, due to the formation of 1(I)-CO, which is a thermodynamic sink and the CO release restricts the electrocatalysis. In agreement with the experimental observed CO2-to-CO electrocatalysis at the 1(I/0) redox potential, computational studies suggested that the productive electrocatalytic cycle involves striking metal carbonyl intermediates such as [LN4Co0CO] (LN4 = pyMetacn), [LN4CoII(CO2)CO] and [LN4CoICO)2]. In contrast, under photochemical conditions, the catalytic process smoothly proceeds at the 1(II/I) redox potential. Under the latter conditions, it is proposed that the electron transfer rate is under diffusion control and then the CO release from 1(II)-CO is kinetically favored, facilitating the catalysis. Finally, we have found that visible light irradiation has a positive impact under electrocatalytic conditions. We envision that light irradiation can serve as an effective strategy to improve the CO2 reduction of molecular catalysts, via alleviating bottlenecks, such as the CO poisoning.


Algorithms that detect silhouettes, creases, and other edge based features often perform per-edge and per-face mesh computations using global adjacency information. These are unsuitable for hardware-pipeline implementation, where programmability is at the vertex and pixel level and only local information is available. Card and Mitchell and Gooch have suggested that adjacency information could be packed into a vertex data structure; we describe the details of converting global/per-edge computations into local/per-vertex computations on a related 'edge mesh.' Using this trick, we describe a feature-edge detection algorithm that runs entirely in hardware, and show how to use it to create thick screen-space contours with end-caps that join adjacent thick line segments. The end-cap technique favors speed over quality and produces artifacts for some meshes.We present two parameterizations for mapping stroke textures onto these thick lines---a tessellation-independent screen space method that is better suited to still images, and an object space method better suited to animation. As additional applications, we show how to create fins for fur rendering and how to extrude contours in world-space to create the sides of a shadow volume directly on the GPU.The edge mesh is about nine times larger than the original mesh when stored at 16-bit precision and is constructed through a linear time pre-processing step. As long as topology remains fixed, the edge mesh can be animated as if it were a vertex mesh.


ABSTRACT/RESUME This paper broadens ethnic studies of the Chinese in Canada from the context of large cities to that of towns and small cities like Peterborough, Ontario. It also expands the analytical focus from the anti-Chinese prejudices, policies, and other forms of institutional racism to the everyday racism that fused such racist ideologies and institutional forces into routine and recurrent practices against the Chinese in the daily life of Peterborough before 1951. In this small urban community, Chinese immigrants coped with everyday discrimination not simply through the passive or militant responses discussed in previous studies, but also by defending their rights and counterattacking racism using Canadian institutions (courts, churches, and local media). The paper describes how these experiences led to significant changes in their ethnicity. Cet article augmente les etudes ethniques des Chinois au Canada du contexte des grandes villes jusqu'a celle des villages et des petites villes comme Peterborough, Ontario. Il augmente egalement le foyer analytique de l'etude des prejudices and des politiques anti-Chinois, et d'autres formes de racisme institutionnel, a l'etude du racisme ordinaire, qui a fusionne de telles ideologies racistes et forces institutionnelles avec des pratiques courantes et recurrentes contre les Chinois dans la vie quotidienne des residants de Peterborough avant 1951. Dans cette petite communaute urbaine, les immigres chinois ont fait face a la discrimination ordinaire pas simplement en utilisant les reponses passives ou militantes discutees dans les literatures precedents. Ils ont egalement defendu leurs droits et ont attaque le racisme en employant les etablissements canadiens, y compris des cours, des eglises et des medias locaux. Certaines de leurs batailles legales ont reussies. En particulier, leurs contacts journalieres avec les personnes blanches ont mene a leurs relations amicales avec eux, et aussi aux changements cruciaux a leur appartenance ethnique. INTRODUCTION In an immigrant country such as Canada, ethnic minorities and their relations with the majority group are central themes in its national history. Nevertheless, ethnic studies of the Chinese in Canada have usually centered on British Columbia and a few large cities in other provinces. The Chinese as a racial minority and their ethnic relations with the white majority in small urban communities outside British Columbia have not received much academic scrutiny. (1) The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to extend ethnic studies of the Chinese experience in Canada from the context of large cities to that of towns and small cities like Peterborough, Ontario. An additional objective is to compare the experience of the Chinese in this eastern Canadian community with that of their more thoroughly researched counterparts on the Pacific Coast. Previous writings revealed popular attitudes and political policies against the Chinese in Canada, especially institutional racism imposed and sustained by the state and other institutional forces before the mid-twentieth century (Ward 1978: Roy 1989; Li 1998). Such studies have focused on the passive responses of the Chinese in their aversive efforts to build Chinatowns as residential ghettos and develop ethnic businesses as occupational enclaves (Anderson 1991; Chan 1983, 49, 68-73, 137-144; Chan and Lam 1986, 579; Lai 1988, 34-35). Some have also highlighted their largely ineffective legal battles, their organized strikes, and other forms of militant resistance to racism (Backhouse 1999, 132-172; Creese 1987, 38-43; Tan 1987, 80-85; Walker 1997, 87-121; Wickberg et al. 1982, 50, 121-131). This paper expands the analytical focus of racism to examine the everyday racism that fused the aforementioned racist ideologies and institutional forces into routine and recurrent practices before 1951, and actualized the unequal relations between the Chinese and the white majority in the daily life of Peterborough residents. …


In this work, we developed a low-cost and sensitive electrochemical sensor for nonenzymatic detection of glucose based on ball-in-ball hollow ternary nickel cobalt sulfide spheres (NiCo2S4). A facile anion exchange method to synthesize the hollow structure of NiCo2S4 is demonstrated. The synthesized hollow NiCo2S4 was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The electrochemical sensing properties of NiCo2S4 towards glucose were evaluated. Due to the synergetic effects from both Ni and Co species with multiple valence transitions and the high surface area of the hollow NiCo2S4, the nanostructure exhibited good performance towards glucose oxidation. A simple and selective sensing platform for the assay of glucose has been developed in 0.1 M KOH solution at 0.55 V. The sensor displays a wide linear range from 0.005 to 2 mM with a detection limit of 2 μM for glucose detection. For the determination of glucose in serum samples, the results are satisfactory when compared to those obtained from a local hospital.


This work is a comprehensive genealogical chart of virtually all of the named figures of Greek mythology that can be shown to be related. The product of more than 35 years of research, the text includes a 72-page continuous chart that links 3673 named figures into a single "family tree" spanning 20 generations and an 80-page index that provides a citation to an authoritative ancient source for each relationship. The genealogy begins with Chaos and - based on works by Hesiod, Homer, Aeschylus, Pindar, Bacchylides, Herodotus, Euripides, Apollodorus, Pausanias, Diodorus Siculus, and scores of other ancient poets, playwrights and writers - continues down through the Titans, the gods, legendary kings, and such well-known figures of literature as Odysseus, Jason, Antigone, and Helen of Troy, as well as hundreds of obscure figures, including their spouses, paramours, children and descendants. The chart shows all of the known relationships - parental, marital, and extramarital - of each figure. In addition to furnishing a citation for each relationship, the index provides brief descriptive information and indicates the quadrant and page of the continuous chart where the relationship is depicted. A two-page master chart illustrates the relationships among the principal figures.


The increasing demand of raw water in DKI Jakarta has caused excessive groundwater abstraction. It causes the groundwater level drop to certain level and has emerged cone of depression in some areas. Groundwater management as an effort to recover the groundwater level, requires an integrated groundwater monitoring system. Recently, there are approximately 161 groundwater monitoring wells in Jakarta groundwater basin. Those wells are generally categorized as secondary network, since determined by groundwater abstraction activity. Meanwhile, a representative primary network to monitor the natural condition of groundwater in each aquifer layer is not yet available completely. The method of Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) spatial estimation is applied to determine the number and distribution of primary monitoring wells based on aquifer geometry using Groundwater Modeling System (GMS) software. Based on the aquifer geometry, it can be arranged monitoring zones and the number of monitoring wells in each zone. There are 9 monitoring zones in Jakarta groundwater basin consist of 1 zone with 1 monitoring well, 2 zones with 2 monitoring wells, 3 zones with 3 monitoring wells, and 3 zones with 4 monitoring wells, so that the total of primary monitoring wells for groundwater monitoring in Jakarta groundwater basin is 26 monitoring wells. This research is expected to be useful for stakeholders to optimize the representative monitoring wells network based on aquifer geometry in sustainable groundwater management.


23-minute recital work for organ solo, commissioned by the Dean & Chapter of Manchester Cathedral for inaugural recital on the Cathedral's new organ [14 September 2017].

Composer's programme note, as published in the ACIS CD release of the work:

This music fulfils a 40-year-old wish to respond to the 11th-century Basilica of San Miniato, overlooking the Tuscan metropolis of Florence from its hilltop in 'Oltrarno', the district so named because it lies across the River Arno from the main part of the city (where I lived for some charmed months during 1976). The marbled facade of the church is a magnet for the sun, which lends it a supernaturally luminescent quality. The interior is no less remarkable. The music articulates a personal reaction to making one's ascent towards the piazza in front of the Basilica on a summer's evening, and seeks to evoke the uniquely numinous, uplifting atmosphere of the building's internal spaces.

Structurally, this piece can be simplistically summarised as a free fantasia and an ensuing movement which starts as a fugue but gradually transmutes into a triumphant toccata. The music's declamatory opening statement permeates the entire piece, making both quiet and climatic reappearances and culminating in a fanfare-like peroration immediately before the very final chord. A spacious introduction leads into a more measured section whose opening articulates two fundamental elements: a brief motif consisting of a descending three-note scale plus a leap back up to its first note, and the interval of a perfect fourth – this latter being of seminal importance to the work as a whole. Rhapsodic exploration of this and the opening bars of the piece leads eventually to a brief cadenza-like passage and the launching of a scherzo of dance-like character. In this the interval of a fourth (both ascending and descending) is again prominent, as are interlocking, rising three-note groups and a descending scale.

The request for this work had come soon after the musical world was stunned and saddened to learn of the death in New York of the inspirational British organist and choir director, John Scott. I had known John Scott since we were both students at Cambridge University in the 1970s. He was the first organist of international reputation to champion my music for the instrument, and two of my early pieces bear a dedication to him. It was therefore natural and fitting that I should ask the Dean and Chapter at Manchester for their blessing on a secondary dedication to John's memory, not least because his home city of Wakefield lies only just over thirty miles away. This was warmly received and my score is inscribed accordingly. Thus, before long the scherzo music becomes more subdued and gives way to an introspective passage (in which the same melodic building blocks are apparent). The earlier music returns, but remains suffused with the preceding mood and recedes gradually, expiring after another cadenza-like passage.

A chorale-like statement is now heard. This launches a fugue whose subject arises naturally from disparate elements heard hitherto, including the chorale. The fugue proves to be less a strict example of the genre, more an incidentally-fugal study in gradual escalation, proceeding through a series of marginal accelerations and eventually moving into triple, rather than quadruple, time. Soon, triplet figuration recalls passages from the introduction of the work and from the earlier scherzo, which is now revisited and expanded in more extrovert fashion. Again this is interrupted, with the introspective music making a modified return, through which the triplet patterns this time persist. Thereafter, another gradual acceleration recalls the earlier stages of the fugue amid intermittent outbreaks of irregular dance rhythms. The toccata-like music intensifies until eventually the chorale theme breaks forth triumphantly. Its broad restatement leads to a dramatic coda in which great virtuosity is demanded of the performer, particularly in the pedal department. Having begun 'at an angle' to E major, the music now homes in definitively on that key – but is momentarily interrupted by a tangential declamation of the work's opening bar from the organ's reeds, before the music achieves final affirmation with an unambiguous major chord.


Objective: This study explores the effects of helix B surface peptide (HBSP) on myocardial infarct size (IS), cardiac function, cardiomyocyte apoptosis and oxidative stress damage in mouse hearts subjected to myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI) and also the mechanisms underlying the effects. Method: Male adult mice were subjected to 45 min of ischemia followed by 2 h of reperfusion; 5 min before the reperfusion, they were treated with HBSP or vehicle. MIRI-induced IS, cardiomyocyte apoptosis and cardiac functional impairment were determined and compared. Western blot analysis was then conducted to elucidate the mechanism of HBSP after treatment. Results: HBSP administration before reperfusion significantly reduced the myocardial IS, decreased cardiomyocyte apoptosis, reduced the activities of superoxide dismutase and malondialdehyde and partially preserved heart function. As demonstrated by the Western blot analysis, HBSP after treatment upregulated Akt/GSK-3β/ERK and STAT-3 phosphorylation; these inhibitors, in turn, weakened the beneficial effects of HBSP. Conclusion: HBSP plays a protective role in MIRI in mice by inhibiting cardiomyocyte apoptosis, reducing the MIRI-induced IS, oxidative stress and improving the heart function after MIRI. The mechanism underlying these effects of HBSP is related to the activation of the RISK (reperfusion injury salvage kinase, Akt/GSK-3β/ERK) and SAFE (STAT-3) pathways.


Saul Bellow, as a cerebral, analytical, and philosophical writer, unflinchingly describes the world and gives the readers tremendous thoughts about life and society. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1976 for his human understanding and subtle analysis of contemporary culture. In Mr. Sammler's Planet, Bellow shows the readers a death-burdened, rotting, spoiled, sullied, exasperating, sinful earth. This insane world is full of droll mortality and morbid entertainments. The coexistence of rationality and bestiality in man is vividly displayed in this novel. In his Introduction to Ethical Literary Criticism, Professor Nie Zhenzhao formulated the theory of the Sphinx factor as composed of the human factor and the animal factor, and the combination of the two makes an integrated man. The animal factor in the novel is fully demonstrated in the black pickpocket's bestiality, Mr. Sammler's voyeurism, the Holocaust, killings and thefts. However, the human factor is not so salient as the animal factor in this novel. I argue that the tension between the two factors not only intensifies the conflicts but shows how the author perceives the world. Bellow shows a strong contempt for the world. A pessimistic and critical outlook is conveyed in Bellow's understanding of cities, represented by Chicago and New York. Robbery, cheating, speculation, beauty, money and lust construct a corrupted panorama of industrial cities. This is one of the reasons why Bellow highlights the animal factor more than the human factor. He seeks to criticize the American city from different perspectives of city culture, including the corruption of the bureaucracy, vices in public transport, changes in the urban landscape, competition between the pursuit of art and the pursuit of money.


Pervasive informatics as an emerging interdisciplinary study focuses on how information affects human interaction with built environments. Pervasive informatics is different from pervasive computing in that its focus is on ICT-enhanced physical and social spaces, called intelligent pervasive spaces, rather than on the technology itself. An information-rich social interaction taking place within intelligent pervasive spaces offers a complex domain of study. Many theoretical approaches are relevant to the design of effective pervasive spaces. For example, a socio-technical systems (STS) approach is helpful to understand and support the provision and use of intelligent spaces and pervasive technologies. This article reviews some related contributing theories, including STS, computer-supported cooperative work and semiotics. Semiotics, the study of signs, symbols and information, is used to examine the efficacy of a built environment on physical, empirical, syntactical, semantic, pragmatic and social levels. The prototypical expression of 'agent-in-environment' allows analysis of the ontological dependency (or affordance) between the space and its capability. With an empirical example, the article illustrates how the semiotic approach is used in the design of pervasive spaces, which would lead to the further conceptual development of a pervasive informatics approach, including new methods and techniques.