Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) can be used in-vivo in a vast array of applications, such as anatomical imaging (magnetic resonance imaging, MRI), localized chemical composition characterization (magnetic resonance spectroscopy, MRS), cellular structure assessment (diffusion tensor imaging, DTI) and cerebral activity mapping (functional imaging, fMRI) for the most important one. This thesis focused on the development of diffusion NMR spectroscopy and imaging methods at ultra-high magnetic field, with the aim of a better characterization of the diffusion mechanism in-vivo. DTI measures the water molecule displacement due to the thermal agitation in the sample. In cellular tissue, the molecules are restrained in compartments delimited by the cell membranes, which mean that DTI can provide information on the cerebral cellular microstructure. DTI is thus widely used to investigate cerebral disorders such as brain ischemia, trauma, and tumors, as well as the structural changes occurring during brain development and normal aging. However, the presence of water molecules in both the intra- and extra-cellular compartments may bias the assessed structural information. On the other hand, the metabolites, measured by 1H-MRS, are mostly localized in the intracellular compartment, which may provide a more precise insight of the cellular structure. With the availability of high magnetic field systems, 1H-MRS allows the measurement of 15 – 20 metabolites in-vivo in localized region in the order of il in the rodent brain. These metabolites are involved in cell energy management, neurotransmission, neuro-protection, neuronal development and membrane growth, and thus provide a rather complete status of the brain neurochemical profile. In this context, a diffusion tensor spectroscopy pulse sequence (DT-MRS) was implemented and used to investigate the metabolite diffusion properties in specific brain regions in-vivo at ultra-high magnetic field 14.1 T to benefit from the increased sensitivity and spectral resolution at high B0. The diffusion tensor of 5 metabolites were reconstructed in the corpus-callosum, CC, (NAA, Tau, Glu, Ins and Mac) and 8 in the cortex, Cx, (with in addition Cr, PCr, GABA and GSH). Metabolites apparent diffusion coefficients were significantly higher in the CC (0.115 – 0.153 µm2/ms) than in the Cx (0.087 – 0.107 µm2/ms) and so was the fractional anisotropy (0.51 – 0.62 and 0.34 – 0.51 respectively). In addition, the metabolite preferential diffusion directions showed an excellent agreement with the known rat brain structure. The aforementioned DW-MRS pulse sequence was then combined with an inversion recovery module, allowing direct assessment of the macromolecule (MM) signal, which overlaps with metabolites resonances. An inaccurate estimation of the MM baseline may result in a significant bias during the quantification process. At ultra-high magnetic field, the MM spectral shape becomes more complex, and therefore, the previously reported experimental techniques would require post-processing to remove residual metabolite signals. In this study, several metabolite contaminations remaining in the metabolite nulled spectrum were successfully identified and attributed to creatine, myo-inositol, taurine, choline, N-acetylaspartate, glutamine and glutamate. The macromolecule baseline assessed by DW-MRS resulted in a twofold reduction of the metabolite residuals with minimal effect on the macromolecule signal (i.e. < 8% signal reduction). Although at high magnetic field spectral resolution and sensitivity are improved, metabolite diffusion measurements remain very time consuming and challenging due to the low metabolite concentrations in-vivo (1 – 15 mM) compared to water (44 M). Therefore, a fast and robust EPI-based DTI pulse sequence was developed, implemented and validated to investigate the cerebral architecture in-vivo at 14.1 T through water diffusion. Combined with the use of a purpose-built quadrature surface coil and adiabatic RF-pulses, it resulted in images with a full coverage of the rat brain and a total acquisition time of one hour. The rapid signal loss arising from the use of a surface coil for the MRI acquisitions, which was previously in this thesis overcome experimentally, was also addressed in collaboration with the Signal Processing Core of CIBM, by a direct correction applied on reconstructed magnitude images. Based on a low-pass frequency mode; the developed method showed better accuracy in enhancing image intensity compared to standard approaches. In view of a future application of the presented diffusion NMR techniques, investigating structural changes during brain development, a study was performed to characterize different intra-uterine growth retardation (IUGR) models by 1H-MRS. Dexamethasone-treated animals (100 µg/kg/day induced from the day 15 of gestation) showed more severe alterations in cerebral energy metabolism and neurotransmitter action at postnatal day 7 and 21 than the reference IUGR model, caloric restriction (30% food intake of ad libitum fed dams from day 1 of gestation). In a continuation of the IUGR study, the exposure to the estrogen-like molecule (i.e. bisphenol-A, BPA), was investigated. Here, 1H-MRS showed a significant increase of the Glu/Asp ratio in the hippocampus of the BPA-treated group at 20 days old, indicating a possible deviation in the malate-aspartate shuttle. Finally, the diverse NMR techniques used and developed during this thesis have required the implementation of several data processing tools, which were centralized in a framework written in Matlab (Mathworks, Inc). Two principal modules were build: 1. to reconstruct DTI experiments data and 2. to facilitate and standardize the 1H-MRS spectra quantification by LCModel. The proposed NMR data processing framework was used to process most of the data presented in this thesis and has demonstrated good performance. In addition, this framework was tested and used by five external users to analyze for data-analysis in ongoing studies.


Frustration over the undemocratic nature of the 1968 Democratic Party presidential nominating contest set forth a reform movement that forever changed the Democratic Party and America's political system. The resulting Committee on Party Structure and Delegate Selection (better known as the McGovern-Fraser Commission), at the direction of the 1968 convention, opened the Democratic Party to those outside of the Democratic establishment. The next 14 years would see a struggle between the Democratic Party establishment and "outsiders" over who would control the Democratic Party and its nominating process. This study examines the four major Democratic Party nominating process reform commissions over the 1970s and 1980s (McGovern-Fraser, Mikulski, Winograd, and Hunt) and whether or not each commission responded proportionately to perceived challenges from preceding election cycles. Additionally, this document provides analysis through the lens of the most recent Democratic Party nominating contest to prove that despite a strong role for the Democratic Party establishment, the current nominating system does not conflict with the original goals of Democratic Party reformers.


OBJECTIVE
After previously reporting the presence of disease by cytology findings after treatment for cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia (CIN) in 64.6% of HIV-infected women and in 13.0% of HIV-negative women, we aimed to determine the severity of cytological disease after treatment in HIV-infected women.

METHODS
We studied HIV-infected (N=571) women treated at the Colposcopy Clinic at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, Gauteng, between April 2003 and December 2006. We compared the initial histology results with Pap smears ≥6 months later, and evaluated factors associated with reduction in the grade of disease.

RESULTS
Mean age was 36.68 (SD+7.33) years; mean parity was 2 (SD+1.46); mean CD4+ count was 242.70 cells/mm3 (SD+187.56); 262 (45.80%) were receiving antiretroviral treatment. Persistent disease was detected on the repeat Pap smear in 199 (65.03%); of these, 223 (72.88%) were of a lesser grade than in the original histology results. Of the 152 with histologically confirmed CIN3, 67 (44.08%) had improved to a lesser grade, and 54 (44.63%) had normal cytology results. Among the latter two subject groups (n=141) who had CIN2 histologically, 91 (64.53%) had improved, 29 (20.57%) remained unchanged, and 20 (14.88%) had CIN3; 13 (4.25%) patients with CIN1 returned for follow-up; 11 (84.62%) of these had normal Pap smears and 2 (15.38%) had CIN3.

CONCLUSION
Recurrences were of a lesser degree than initial histology results. This reduction in the grade of disease was related to CD4+ count, complete excision and parity. Antiretroviral therapy use did not improve outcome, perhaps owing to low initial CD4 counts.


We analyze the Bitcoin protocol for electronic peer-to-peer payments and the operations that support the "blockchain" that underpins it. It is shown that that protocol maps formally into a dynamic game that is an extension of standard models of R&D racing. The model provides a technical foundation for any economic analysis of 'proof of work' protocols. Using the model, we demonstrate that free entry is solely responsible for determining resource usage by the system for a given reward to mining. The endogenous level of computational difficulty built into the Bitcoin protocol does not mitigate this usage and serves only to determine the time taken to process transactions. Regulating market structure will mitigate resource use highlighting the importance of identifying the benefits of competition for the operation of the blockchain.


A growing literature documents that complex financial statements negatively affect the information environment. In this paper, we examine whether managers use voluntary disclosure to mitigate these negative effects. Employing cross-sectional and within-firm designs, we find a robust positive relation between financial statement complexity and voluntary disclosure. This relation is stronger when liquidity decreases around the filing of the financial statements, is stronger when firms have more outside monitors, and is weaker when firms have poor performance and greater earnings management. We also examine the relation between financial statement complexity and voluntary disclosure using two quasi-natural experiments. Employing a generalized difference-in-differences design, we find firms affected by the adoption of complex accounting standards (e.g., SFAS 133 and SFAS 157) increase their voluntary disclosure to a greater extent than unaffected firms. Collectively, these findings suggest managers use voluntary disclosure to mitigate the negative effects of complex financial statements on the information environment.


Unlike most architecture encyclopedias, which tend to concentrate more on buildings and floor plans than their designers, this tome puts the architects in the spotlight, profiling individuals so that readers can get a clear overview of their bodies of work. By researching the best illustrations available from archives and prominent architectural photographers all over the world, this publications reaches an up to now unknown visual quality. 600 architects from the 18th to the 21st centuries are listed A to Z in this 1080-page, XL-sized volume, providing a comprehensive resource that no architecture professional, fan, or student should be without. Entries include: architect portrait, quote, and short biography; description of important works, historical context, and general approach; and, numerous drawings, photographs, and plans.


OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between systemic inflammation, atherosclerosis, and thrombosis in two distinct clinical models of atherothrombosis. BACKGROUND Persistent unstable angina (UA) is commonly associated with coronary thrombosis and persistent systemic inflammation. METHODS We assessed circulating markers of activation of the thrombotic and fibrinolytic cascades and systemic soluble and cellular markers of inflammation on admission in 40 patients with persisting UA (Braunwald class IIIB; group 1) and 30 patients with Leriche-Fontaine stage IIB-III peripheral artery disease awaiting revascularization (group 2). RESULTS The extent of atherosclerosis (p 0.01) and activation of the coagulation system were greater in group 2, which had higher thrombin-antithrombin III complexes and D-dimer levels (2.7 and 24.4 g/l, respectively), than in group 1 (2.0 g/l and 12.9 g/l, p 0.02 and p 0.0001, respectively). In contrast, C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 levels were higher in group 1 (7.6 pg/ml and 7.8 pg/ml, respectively) than in group 2 (4.5 pg/ml and 3.0 pg/ml, p 0.01 and p 0.03, respectively). Moreover, neutrophil activation was only found in group 1 (neutrophil myeloperoxidase content 4.0 arbitrary units vs. 3.4 arbitrary units in group 2, p 0.0001). These differences persisted during the initial three days of hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS Such a large, consistent discrepancy between atherothrombotic burden and systemic inflammation suggests that atherothrombosis, by itself, is an unlikely cause of persisting, recurring UA. An understanding of the primary inflammatory mechanisms of persistent and recurrent coronary instability could open the way to novel therapeutic strategies. (J Am Coll Cardiol ublished by Elsevier Inc. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2004.09.064


Anal incontinence (AI) is a symptom-based diagnosis and involves involuntary loss of solid or loose stool, flatus or faecal urgency defined as the inability to defer defecation. The main aetiology is considered to be related to pregnancy and childbirth. AI is often viewed as a woman's problem, with as many as one in five Norwegian women over the age of 30 experiencing symptoms of AI. Due to the socially debilitating consequences of AI, and that few health professionals routinely ask questions related to patients' continence status, symptoms may be under-reported. Patients with symptomatic AI are reluctant to seek medical advice, and it is estimated that only one in five patients with AI seek medical help. The prevalence of AI increases with age and particularly after menopause. However, findings from other countries suggest that the onset of AI symptoms is often reported in relation to a woman's first pregnancy or delivery. The prevalence of AI in pregnancy and postpartum in Norway was scarcely documented at the start of the project.The present study is a prospective cohort study conducted in the period May 2009-April 2011. A total of 1571 primiparae were included from the maternity wards at Ostfold Hospital Trust Fredrikstad and St. Olavs Hospital Trondheim. The participants answered questions on standardised questionnaires regarding the prevalence and frequency of AI and how symptoms of AI affected their health-related Quality of Life in late pregnancy and one year after delivery. Sociodemographic and deliveryrelated data were collected from the participants' hospital records.The main aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of AI among primiparous women, and to evaluate the impact of AI on health-related quality of life in late pregnancy and the first year after delivery. More specifically, the aims of the three separate papers were:Paper I: To evaluate the prevalence and predictors of specific AI symptoms, including urgency, in late pregnancy and one year after delivery.Paper II: To explore how experiencing different types of AI in late pregnancy affects health-related quality of life among primiparous women.Paper III: To explore the changes in continence status from late pregnancy and throughout the first year postpartum among healthy primiparae and investigate factors associated with persistent and new onset AI symptoms twelve months postpartumThe results from the three papers were:Paper I: AI was reported by 37% in late pregnancy, compared to 25% one year after delivery. Urgency was the most frequently reported symptom at both time points. Being unemployed and younger than 22 years at first delivery increased the risk of AI in late pregnancy. Higher education on the other hand, reduced the risk. Experiencing AI in late pregnancy was the strongest predictor of AI one year after delivery. Women with obstetric anal sphincter injury were at increased risk of flatus or stool incontinence, whereas operative delivery was associated with increased risk of urgency.Paper II: Between 20 and 30% of the women experiencing AI in late pregnancy, reported this to affect their Quality of Life. The majority reported only a low impact on Quality of Life. Those experiencing urgency alone reported little or no impact on Quality of Life, whereas women experiencing more than one symptom reported moderate to severe impact on Quality of Life. Compared to urgency only, women experiencing flatus alone weekly or more or women reporting a combination all AI symptoms reported the highest impact in the QoL domain "Embarrassment".Paper III: One in three of the 862 participants responding in late pregnancy, six and twelve months postpartum experienced AI in late pregnancy and one third of these experienced persistent symptoms six and twelve months after delivery. New onset AI was reported by 15% both at six and twelve months postpartum. AI at one year after delivery was associated with young age and AI in late pregnancy or at six months. Occiput posterior presentation was the only delivery related risk factor increasing the risk of postpartum AI.The results from the present study confirm previous findings that AI is relatively common in late pregnancy as well as one year after delivery. Experiencing symptoms of AI in late pregnancy is the strongest predictor of AI one year after delivery, and approximately half of women incontinent in pregnancy remained incontinent one year later. Women reporting more than one symptom of AI had a poorer Quality of Life compared with those experiencing only one symptom. Further, weekly or daily incontinence of flatus was the single symptom most strongly affecting Quality of Life. These results indicate that hormonal and mechanical changes occurring during pregnancy may have more impact on postpartum AI than vaginal delivery.


Plant-microbe symbioses are common, ubiquitous, and very varied. The health and vigor of plants is dependent on the multifarious relationships they have with symbiotic microbes. Many of these symbioses are ancient and essential for plants to survive in natural ecosystems, where critical nutrients are often limiting or pathogen populations are highly active. Coevolution of plants and their associated microbial symbioses have been a key driver of the evolutionary process. Recently it has become acknowledged that many plants form such relationships and harbor beneficial microbes within both their root systems and their aerial tissues. As with mycorrhizal fungi, the coevolution of many plants and their associated endosymbionts has resulted in an interdependence that now means that neither partner can flourish alone. This chapter discusses diversity within prokaryotic and eukaryotic symbioses. Many soil fungi form joint organs with plants called mycorrhizas. The easiest to observe are ectomycorrhizas formed on the short roots of most temperate forest trees. A high proportion of these undescribed species will form loose or strong symbiotic relationships with plants. The shift in phylogenetic approaches emphasized in this book has opened a myriad of opportunities for new discoveries. Thus conservation strategies are significant for their retention of plant-microbial symbioses as well as for their intrinsic protection of the plants themselves.


The H-2Z1 transgene is restricted to a subset of layer IV neurons in the postnatal mouse cortex and delineates exactly the somatosensory area. Expression of the H-2Z1 transgene was used as an areal marker to determine when the parietal cortex becomes committed to a somatosensory identity. We have shown previously that grafts dissected from embryonic day 13.5 (E13.5) H-2Z1 cortex and transplanted into the cortex of nontransgenic newborns express H-2Z1 according to their site of origin. Expression was not modified on heterotopic transplantation (Cohen-Tannoudji et al., 1994). In the present study, whole cortical explants were isolated at E12.5 from noncortical tissues. The explants developed a regionalized expression of H-2Z1, indicating that regionalization takes place and is maintained in vitro. We used this property and confronted embryonic H-2Z1 cortex with presumptive embryonic sources of regionalizing signals in an in vitro grafting procedure. A great majority of E11.5–E13.5 grafts maintained their presumptive expression of H-2Z1 when grafted heterotopically on nontransgenic E13.5–E15.5 explants. However, a significantly lower proportion of E11.5 parietal grafts expressed H-2Z1 in occipital compared with parietal cortex, indicating that somatosensory identity may be partially plastic at E11.5. Earlier stages could not be tested because the E10.5 grafts failed to developin vitro. The data suggest that commitment to the expression of a somatosensory area-specific marker coincides with the onset of neurogenesis and occurs well before the birth of the non-GABAergic neurons that express H-2Z1 in vivo.


Leaf spot symptoms on maize were observed in autumn 2011 in Shiraz (Fars province, Iran). In order to identify the causal agent, the leaves of infected plants were squashed in sterilized water, and cultured on EMB medium. Green colonies were observed after 2-3 days. Following purification, the biochemical tests including Gram, oxidase, O/F, hypersensitivity reaction on tobacco, culturing on YDC medium, production of indole, acetoin, citrate, production of acid from salicin, arbutin, melobiose, raffinose, sucrose and pathogenicity test on maize seedlings were performed. The 16S rRNA of a representative isolate was partially amplified and sequenced. Based on the disease symptoms, phenotypic and pathogenicity tests and sequencing data, the isolates were identified as Pantoea stewartii subsp. indologenes. This is the first report of the disease and the causal bacterium in Iran.


This paper reconsiders the role of monetary policy in Sweden's strong recovery from the Great Depression. The Riksbank in the 1930s is sometimes seen as an example of a central bank that was relatively innovative in terms of the conduct of monetary policy. To consider this analytically, we estimate a small-scale, structural general equilibrium model of a small open economy using Bayesian methods. We find that the model captures the key dynamics of the period surprisingly well. Importantly, our findings suggest that Sweden avoided the worst excesses of the depression by conducting conservative rather than innovative monetary policy. We find that, by keeping the Swedish krona undervalued to replenish foreign reserves, Sweden's exchange rate policy unintentionally contributed to the Swedish growth miracle of the 1930s, avoiding a major slump in 1932 and enabling the country to benefit quickly from the eventual recovery of world demand.


The purpose of this paper is to encourage Christian educators to use narrative as a pedagogical strategy to enhance the knowledge of and authenticate the values of the kingdom of God. Effective biblical narrative illustrates and emphasizes heaven's culture, or kingdom culture, in contrast to earthly cultural norms. Narrative effectively suspends disbelief and doubt in the mind of the listener and can facilitate sharing the distinctive Seventh-day Adventist biblical worldview (biblical worldview). Stories help the audience make sense of complex concepts and discover unknown facts and perspectives. The communication of cultural norms through stories has normative ramifications on the listener's cognitive choices and resulting behavior. Narrative is the primary instrument of teaching Jesus used in His ministry. His stories portray a biblical picture of the kingdom of God. It is incumbent upon the Christian educator to use narrative to normalize cognitive and affective behaviors as taught in scripture. The centerpiece of biblical narrative is salvation, and the centerpiece of a well-told narrative founded on biblical principles should be salvation. To illustrate the power of the narrative to normalize kingdom culture, examples of biblical narrative and business narrative are included in the study.


Human trafficking, and the related problems of organised crime and prostitution, has become a serious problem for post-Soviet countries since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Human trafficking has a major impact on the countries of origin, the destination countries and the countries of transit, and is a concern for those studying population and migration, economics, politics, international relations and security studies. This book examines human trafficking from post-Soviet countries, exploring the full extent of the problem and discussing countermeasures, both local and at the global level, and considering the problem in all its aspects. It focuses in particular on the experiences of the Baltic Sea region, setting out the nature of organised crime and the full range of threats against society.


In Dastar Corp. v. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp. Justice Scalia colorfully warned against resort to trademarks law to achieve protections unattainable by copyright, lest these claims generate "a species of mutant copyright law that limits the public's 'federal right to "copy and to use,"' expired copyrights." The facts of that controversy, in which the claimant appeared to be invoking time-unlimited trademark protection to end-run the exhausted (unrenewed) copyright term in a motion picture, justified the apprehension that unbridled trademark rights might stomp, Godzilla-like, over more docile copyright prerogatives. Unfortunately, in the Court's eagerness to forestall Darwinian disaster in intellectual property regimes, it may have engaged in some unnatural selection of its own, mangling trademark policies in the process of conserving copyright. This essay will first consider how the (mis)application of copyright precepts has distorted trademarks law, then will take up happier examples of beneficent copyright influence. The first inquiry charts the near-demise of moral rights at the hands of copyright-(mis)informed trademark analysis. The second lauds the growing acceptance of copyright-inspired free speech limitations on trademark protection, exemplified by the various "Barbie" cases, and culminating in the "fair use" exemptions of the Trademark Dilution Revision Act of 2006.


This paper addresses the important question of how national research systems can support the implementation of the United Nations 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) set out in the 2030 agenda. Much attention on this topic has so far coalesced around understanding and measuring possible synergies and trade-offs that emerge in the SDGs. We contribute to this discussion by arguing that it is necessary to move from a focus on system interaction towards system transformation. A conceptual approach is presented based on the notion that research that "builds bridges�? between science and technology and the social and environmental pillars of sustainable development can more fully support simultaneous achievement of the SDGs and thus be transformational. This proposition is put to the test empirically through a study of the Mexican research system using methods from bibliometrics and social network analysis. Our results can help to provide a diagnostic of how research systems are approaching SDGs and where potential exists for transformative research.


The advances in networking and multimedia technologies have created opportunities for producers of digital content. However, the ability for anyone to make perfect copies of digital content and the ease by which copies can be distributed facilitate misuse, illegal distribution, plagiarism, misappropriation. Moreover, popular peer-to-peer software are widely used by Internet "pirates" to illegally share digital copyrighted content, thus violating the legal rights of the copyright owners. Known solutions like Digital Rights Management (DRM) systems aim at protecting and enforcing the legal rights associated with the use of digital content distributed on the Internet, but they may also disturb the balance between the information creation and distribution, and give rise to problems concerning with privacy. In fact, "fair use" and privacy are often invoked by web users: the former in order to prevent copyright owners from having the exclusive control over their creations than the copyright law intends, and the latter in order to preserve the ownership and distribution of confidential data. This paper reports on the most important problems tied to the use of DRM systems and, in the light of the current forensic trends, provides a number of suggestions that can be helpful to meet the conflicting interests of web users and content providers.


In the last fifteen years, our main goal has been to synthesize and combine various forms of graphical representations that are useful for educational modeling and knowledge management, using an integrated graphical formalism. We have shown that very different kinds of representation, conceptual maps, flowcharts, decision trees and others, can all be modeled more precisely, using the MOT graphic language based on typed objects (concept, procedures, principles, facts) as well as few typed links. With this set of primitive graphic symbols, it has been possible to build very different graphic models, from simple taxonomies to ontologies, more or less complex learning designs, delivery process, decision systems, and methods. Recent developments have led to two specialisations of the graphic language. The first one is a powerful, yet simple graphic language to build ontologies for a knowledge domain. The second one enables to model learning designs and scenarios in a standardized and computable way. The association between both kinds of models specifies the central part of a learning environment at the design phase, and enables its delivery to learners and educators. In the final section, I assert that knowledge representation for education should be graphic, user-friendly, general, scalable, declarative, standardized and computable. A discussion of these criteria concludes.


Edge enhancement, a type of intensity filtering of two-dimensional optical image, was demonstrated using dye-doped photorefractive liquid crystal films. We calculate the expected images using four wave mixing geometries, which show good agreement with the image that we experimentally observed using dye-doped liquid crystal as the photorefractive materials.


It is well documented that interaction between diverse students encourages positive learning outcomes. Given this, we examine how to enhance the quantity and quality of student diversity in university classrooms. Drawing on sociological theory linking life experiences with ways of knowing, we investigate how to increase classroom diversity by considering when, where, and how courses are scheduled and delivered. Our focus on structural features of academic scheduling and classroom offerings in relation to compositional diversity is unique, complementing established individual-level approaches for diversity enhancement. Using data from 96 Introduction to Sociology courses offered at the University of British Columbia between 2004 and 2014, we demonstrate that course structure has significant influence on a variety of student diversity measures (age, academic year, student major, country of origin, domestic or international status, and gender). We conclude by discussing ways instructors can employ sociological insights to optimize the pedagogical possibilities and challenges of diverse classrooms.


This thesis considers the pivotal role of the State in the process of agrarian change, through the analysis of a rural development project in North-East Brazil. The analytical model adopted here is the new institutionalism approach in development theory. New institutionalism emphasises the institutional context within which individuals preferences are determined. In development studies it argues that the capacity of the State to promote equitable development depends, not simply upon the utility maximising behaviour of actors, but also upon the nature of the States own institutions. To illustrate this argument, this thesis takes as a case study the Integrated Rural Development Project in the Northern Agreste of Pernambuco state. This was one of 43 area-based projects of the larger Programme for the Development of the Integrated Areas of North-East Brazil (POLONORDESTE). It was the major programme implemented by the Brazilian State, designed specifically to raise productivity and income of small farms in the region. This study provides historical information on the way the national and local political environment shapes the State's intervention and its role in agrarian development. In doing this, this study argues that to understand patterns of rural development, scholars should attach greater significance to the capacity for autonomous choice on the part of local level actors, both public and private, in shaping rural development policy. The information on the policy process and the achievements of the project was provided by unstructured and semistructured interviews, participant observation and informal contacts at project management level and local level, the archival sources of the project and oral histories of participants. The material on household farms was provided by a panel study of 340 sampled farms located in six selected municipalities of the Northern Agreste, undertaken at the beginning and at the end of the project. This analysis examined some of the transformations taking place in the Northern Agreste farming activities under the impact of State intervention and how the benefits of development policy were distributed among different classes of producers. It also examined economic and political interactions resulting from State action at local level. The limits and possibilities of peasants raising their standard of living are investigated, according to an analysis of their livelihood strategies and the support given by the project. The main conclusion of this thesis is that integrated rural development projects could result in strong support for the small farm sector, especially for those groups of small farmers with a sufficient resource endowment, particularly land, enabling them to respond to incentives to increase their market surplus. The non-interference of the project in the structure of land-distribution, has left a large segment of the landless rural population and some smallholder farmers without sufficient or secure land, since these groups were excluded from the project's agricultural components. For these peasants, the project led only to an increase in non-farm employment opportunities and access to collective goods provided to some villages. The State's physical presence in rural areas, however, has pluralized power at local level, breaking the former fusion of wealth and power of the local landed elite. Thus, patronage was "democratised" at local level as public goods were diverted to favour some rural poor.


This research examines how media-induced consumer activation level affects consumer response to highly energetic commercials. Over six studies, including a Hulu field experiment, the authors report that consumers who are experiencing a deactivating emotion (e.g., sadness induced by a movie) find it more difficult to watch highly energetic commercials compared with consumers who are not experiencing a deactivating emotion. As a result, consumers experiencing a deactivating emotion are less likely to watch highly energetic commercials and recall the advertiser compared with consumers who are not experiencing a deactivating emotion. The authors do not observe these effects when consumers experiencing a deactivating emotion watch commercials that are moderately energetic or when consumers do not experience a deactivating emotion. These findings suggest that when advertisers run commercials in a media context that induces a deactivating emotion (e.g., sadness, relaxation, contentment), they should avoid running highly energetic commercials (e.g., with upbeat, enthusiastic spokespeople). In addition, this research recommends that when advertisers are unable to determine the emotions induced by the media context, they should run commercials that are moderate in energy. The results of a meta-analysis across the present studies show that consumers experiencing a deactivating emotion will respond as much as 50% more favorably to moderately energetic commercials compared with highly energetic commercials.


Snap-on Incorporated is a leading global innovator, manufacturer and marketer of tools, equipment, diagnostics, repair information and systems solutions for professional users performing critical tasks. Products and services include hand and power tools, tool storage, diagnostics software, information and management systems, shop equipment and other solutions for vehicle dealerships and repair centers, as well as for customers in industries, including aviation and aerospace, agriculture, construction, government and military, mining, natural resources, power generation and technical education. Snap-on also derives income from various financing programs to facilitate the sales of its products. Products and services are sold through the company's franchisee, company-direct, distributor and internet channels. Founded in 1920, Snap-on is a $3.1 billion, S&P 500 company headquartered in Kenosha, Wisconsin.


Controversy exists as to whether the lingering effects of concussion on emotional, physical, and cognitive symptoms is because of the effects of brain trauma or purely to emotional factors such as post-traumatic stress disorder or depression. This study examines the independent effects of concussion on persistent symptoms. The Defense Automated Neurobehavioral Assessment, a clinical decision support tool, was used to assess neurobehavioral functioning in 646 United States Marines, all of whom were fit for duty. Marines were assessed for concussion history, post-concussive symptoms, emotional distress, neurocognitive functioning, and deployment history. Results showed that a recent concussion or ever having experienced a concussion was associated with an increase in emotional distress, but not with persistent post-concussive symptoms (PPCS) or neurocognitive functioning. Having had multiple lifetime concussions, however, was associated with greater emotional distress, PPCS, and reduced neurocognitive functioning that needs attention and rapid discrimination, but not for memory-based tasks. These results are independent of deployment history, combat exposure, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. Results supported earlier findings that a previous concussion is not generally associated with post-concussive symptoms independent of covariates. In contrast with other studies that failed to find a unique contribution for concussion to PPCS, however, evidence of recent and multiple concussion was seen across a range of emotional distress, post-concussive symptoms, and neurocognitive functioning in this study population. Results are discussed in terms of implications for assessing concussion on return from combat.


The detection and potential removal of duplicates is desirable for a number of reasons, such as to reduce the need for unnecessary storage and computation, and to provide users with uncluttered search results. This paper describes an investigation into the application of scalable simhash and shingle state of the art duplicate detection algorithms for detecting near duplicate documents in the CiteSeerX digital library. We empirically explored the duplicate detection methods and evaluated their performance and application to academic documents and identified good parameters for the algorithms. We also analyzed the types of near duplicates identified by each algorithm. The highest F-scores achieved were 0.91 and 0.99 for the simhash and shingle-based methods respectively. The shingle-based method also identified a larger variety of duplicate types than the simhash-based method.


Predicting agents' future trajectories plays a crucial role in modern AI systems, yet it is challenging due to intricate interactions exhibited in multi-agent systems, especially when it comes to collision avoidance. To address this challenge, we propose to learn congestion patterns as contextual cues explicitly and devise a novel "Sense–Learn–Reason–Predict" framework by exploiting advantages of three different doctrines of thought, which yields the following desirable benefits: (i) Representing congestion as contextual cues via latent factors subsumes the concept of social force commonly used in physics- based approaches and implicitly encodes the distance as a cost, similar to the way a planning-based method models the environment. (ii) By decomposing the learning phases into two stages, a "student" can learn contextual cues from a "teacher" while generating collision-free trajectories. To make the framework computationally tractable, we formulate it as an optimization problem and derive an upper bound by leveraging the variational parametrization. In experiments, we demonstrate that the proposed model is able to generate collision- free trajectory predictions in a synthetic dataset designed for collision avoidance evaluation and remains competitive on the commonly used NGSIM US-101 highway dataset. Source code and dataset tools can be accessed via Github.


Religions are one of the major forces in the world today and have a special ability to create "systemic change". They motivate their followers and as a key variable allow new players appear in the global arena .Furthermore, religious motivations, from past to present, are effective factor for forming armed movements such as Islamic fundamentalist groups. Middle East area due to the disparate political boundaries, Baathist , nationalist and Arab attitudes , Islamist movements and human conflicts on the one hand, and the presence of extra-regional activists, on the other hand ,was the place for evolving and organizing of the Islamic fundamentalist groups. This research seeks to use the realistic approaches and identity and to answer the following question: Did religious ideas and constructing a new identity based on them make Islamic fundamentalist groups organize their activities in the region? Results show that the religious ideas, which has been turned into an ideology, has made regional activists use of religion for political goals and objectives and this is one of the techniques of fundamentalist groups in the Middle East. As a result, using existing platforms ,regional and trans-regional activists have been able to organize fundamentalist groups. It is predicted that these ideological conflicts will change geopolitical balance of the region geopolitically which will also have some global consequences.


PA700, the 19 S regulatory subcomplex of the 26 S proteasome, contains a heterohexameric ring of AAA subunits (Rpt1 to -6) that forms the binding interface with a heteroheptameric ring of α subunits (α1 to -7) of the 20 S proteasome. Binding of these subcomplexes is mediated by interactions of C termini of certain Rpt subunits with cognate binding sites on the 20 S proteasome. Binding of two Rpt subunits (Rpt2 and Rpt5) depends on their last three residues, which share an HbYX motif (where Hb is a hydrophobic amino acid) and open substrate access gates in the center of the α ring. The relative roles of other Rpt subunits for proteasome binding and activation remain poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that the C-terminal HbYX motif of Rpt3 binds to the 20 S proteasome but does not promote proteasome gating. Binding requires the last three residues and occurs at a dedicated site on the proteasome. A C-terminal peptide of Rpt3 blocked ATP-dependent in vitro assembly of 26 S proteasome from PA700 and 20 S proteasome. In HEK293 cells, wild-type Rpt3, but not Rpt3 lacking the HbYX motif was incorporated into 26 S proteasome. These results indicate that the C terminus of Rpt3 was required for cellular assembly of this subunit into 26 S proteasome. Mutant Rpt3 was assembled into intact PA700. This result indicates that intact PA700 can be assembled independently of association with 20 S proteasome and thus may be a direct precursor for 26 S proteasome assembly under normal conditions. These results provide new insights to the non-equivalent roles of Rpt subunits in 26 S proteasome function and identify specific roles for Rpt3.


CMU/SEI-2021-TR-008Accenture, an early adopter of the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) frame-work, faced numerous challenges related to a rapidly changing market. Its clients were looking to Accenture to help them "hyper-drive" system transformations to achieve greater cost effectiveness, faster speed, better quality, and continuous innovation to stay relevant in the market. To achieve these goals, Accenture launched an automation journey built around what it calls "The 4S Model": Simple, Seamless, Scalable, Sustainable. The process produced intelligent tools to automation for transformation that enabled Accenture and its clients to transform rapidly and meet the challenges of a changing market and business land-scape. Process improvement initiatives are now implemented across more than 50% of Accenture's industry client base, with new automation opportunities identified every three hours. Automation strategy, process, and technology programs established have shown an impact on client value delivered, delivery performance, and people performance. Some of the key metrics that have shown a significant improvement consistently are productivity, quality (defects), effort, and schedule. In 2020, the Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute and IEEE recognized Accenture with the Watts Humphrey Software Process Achievement Award. For more information on the SPA Award, visit https://resources.sei.cmu.edu/news-events/events/watts/.


We introduce the conditional Site Frequency Spectrum (SFS) for a genomic region linked to a focal mutation of known frequency. An exact expression for its expected value is provided for the neutral model without recombination. Its relation with the expected SFS for two sites, 2-SFS, is discussed. These spectra derive from the coalescent approach of Fu (1995) for finite samples, which is reviewed. Remarkably simple expressions are obtained for the linked SFS of a large population, which are also solutions of the multiallelic Kolmogorov equations. These formulae are the immediate extensions of the well known single site θ/f neutral SFS. Besides the general interest in these spectra, they relate to relevant biological cases, such as structural variants and introgressions. As an application, a recipe to adapt Tajima's D and other SFS-based neutrality tests to a non-recombining region containing a neutral marker is presented.


COOPERATIVE VISIBLE LIGHT POSITIONING SYSTEMS Osman Erdem M.S. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering Advisor: Sinan Gezici December 2017 Light emitting diode (LED) based visible light positioning (VLP) systems offer an alternative approach to commonly used radio frequency (RF) based positioning systems. In the literature, VLP studies are performed only for noncooperative systems. In this thesis, received signal strength (RSS) based cooperative localization is proposed for visible light systems. The effects of cooperation on the localization accuracy of visible light positioning systems are illustrated based on a Cramér-Rao lower bound expression. The obtained expression is generic for any three-dimensional configuration and covers all possible cooperation scenarios via definitions of connectivity sets. In addition, a low-complexity positioning algorithm is proposed for cooperative location estimation. Numerical results are presented to investigate the significance of cooperation and to evaluate performance of the proposed algorithm in various scenarios.


This paper presents adaptive methods for content-based retrieval in video database applications. A new adaptive video indexing (AVI) technique based on a template-frequency model, together with a self-training retrieval architecture, is proposed, to allow full use of temporal information. AVI takes into account spatio-temporal information for relevance feedback analysis of the dynamic content of video data. The AVI indexing method can be effectively adapted for video shot, scene, and story queries, in order to facilitate multiple-level access to a video database. Our system incorporates this indexing structure to a self-training neural network which implements automatic adaptive retrieval, through its signal propagation process. This greatly reduces the search time for video transmissions over the Web because relevance feedback is implemented in automatic and semi-automatic fashions. The AVI structure not only works well in fully automatic mode, but is also effective in the user-interaction interface system, to achieve a user-friendly environment. Experimentally, we demonstrated the proposed indexing technique and automatic relevance feedback for retrieval of CNN news videos. We also investigated the resilience of the system with a user-controlled interaction process and applied this to an automatically indexed database of 20 h of Hollywood movies.


Over the past few years, "dystopia" has become a word with increasing cultural currency. This volume argues that we live in dystopian times, and more specifically that a genre of fiction called "dystopia" has, above others, achieved symbolic cultural value in representing fears and anxieties about the future. As such, dystopian fictions do not merely mirror what is happening in the world: in becoming such a ready referent for discussions about such varied topics as governance, popular culture, security, structural discrimination, environmental disasters and beyond, the narrative conventions and generic tropes of dystopian fiction affect the ways in which we grapple with contemporary political problems, economic anxieties and social fears.
The volume addresses the development of the narrative methods and generic conventions of dystopian fiction as a mode of socio-political critique across the first half of the twentieth century. It examines how a series of texts from an age of political extremes contributed to political discourse and rhetoric both in its contemporary setting and in the terms in which we increasingly cast our cultural anxieties. Focusing on interactions between temporality, spatiality and narrative, the analysis unpicks how the dystopian interacts with social and political events, debates and ideas, Stock evaluates modern dystopian fiction as a historically responsive mode of political literature. He argues that amid the terrors and upheavals of the first half of the twentieth century, dystopian fiction provided a unique space for writers to engage with historical and contemporary political thought in a mode that had popular cultural appeal.
Combining literary analysis informed by critical theory and the history of political thought with archival-based historical research, this volume works to shed new light on the intersection of popular culture and world politics. It will be of interest to students and scholars in literary studies, cultural and intellectual history, politics and international relations.


There is a consensus throughout much of the western world that the public sector is in urgent need of repair. This study seeks to understand why this is so by comparing developments in Canada and the United Kingdom. It looks to changes in values both in society and inside government, and to the relationships between politicians and civil servants at the top and between civil servants and citizens at the bottom. Donald J. Savoie argues that both Canada and the UK now operate under court government rather than cabinet government. By court government, he means that effective power now rests with their respective prime ministers and a small group of carefully selected courtiers. For things that matter to prime ministers and their courts, the decision-making process shifts from formal to informal, involving only a handful of actors. For things that matter less to them, the decision-making process is horizontal, cumbersome, and consultative, and involves a multitude of actors from different government departments and agencies as well as a variety of individuals operating outside government. Court governments undermine both the traditionally bureaucratic model and basic principles that have guided the development of our Westminster-Whitehall parliamentary system. Nonetheless, Canada and the United Kingdom still cling to accountability requirements better suited to the past and the traditional bureaucratic model. Savoie concludes with a call for new accountability requirements that correspond with court government as well as the new relationships between politicians and civil servants, and civil servants and citizens.


The constitutions of the Bretton Woods Institutions require decisions to be taken by weighted voting: each member country possesses a number of votes, depending on its quota allocation, all of which must always be cast as a bloc. This leads to a problem of democratic legitimacy since a member's influence or voting power within such decision-making systems does not necessarily correspond to its voting weight. In previous work it has been shown that the present system of weighted voting in the IMF gives disproportionate influence to the USA at the expense of all other members. This effect occurs in both the board of governors and the executive board. This paper looks at the power implications of the structure of the IMF and World Bank executive boards (in which members are grouped into constituencies that cast their combined weighted votes as a bloc) from the point of view of formal voting power (using the Penrose power index). A criticism that is frequently made is that the present constituency structure and voting weights work to enhance the power of the developed and creditor countries at the expense of the poor, and that many countries are effectively impotent; we show that the weighted voting system adds to this anti-democratic bias and produces some unintended effects (for example the disfranchisement of Estonia in the Nordic/Baltic constituency and of five Central American republics in the Spanish/ Mexican/Venezuelan constituency, even though in neither case is there a dictator ). We argue generally that the voting power approach is more than just the calculation of power indices and can in fact produce solid facts by identifying cases where members of weighted voting bodies are actually disfranchised.


Despite the long evolutionary history of this group, the challenges brought by the Anthropocene have been inflicting an extensive pressure over sharks and their relatives. Overexploitation has been driving a worldwide decline in elasmobranch populations, and rapid environmental change, triggered by anthropogenic activities, may further test this group's resilience. In this context, we searched the literature for peer-reviewed studies featuring a sustained (>24 h) and controlled exposure of elasmobranch species to warming, acidification, and/or deoxygenation: three of the most pressing symptoms of change in the ocean. In a standardized comparative framework, we conducted an array of mixed-model meta-analyses (based on 368 control-treatment contrasts from 53 studies) to evaluate the effects of these factors and their combination as experimental treatments. We further compared these effects across different attributes (lineages, climates, lifestyles, reproductive modes, and life stages) and assessed the direction of impact over a comprehensive set of biological responses (survival, development, growth, aerobic metabolism, anaerobic metabolism, oxygen transport, feeding, behavior, acid-base status, thermal tolerance, hypoxia tolerance, and cell stress). Based on the present findings, warming appears as the most influential factor, with clear directional effects, namely decreasing development time and increasing aerobic metabolism, feeding, and thermal tolerance. While warming influence was pervasive across attributes, acidification effects appear to be more context-specific, with no perceivable directional trends across biological responses apart from the necessary to achieve acid-base balance. Meanwhile, despite its potential for steep impacts, deoxygenation has been the most neglected factor, with data paucity ultimately precluding sound conclusions. Likewise, the implementation of multi-factor treatments has been mostly restricted to the combination of warming and acidification, with effects approximately matching those of warming. Despite considerable progress over recent years, research regarding the impact of these drivers on elasmobranchs lags behind other taxa, with more research required to disentangle many of the observed effects. Given the current levels of extinction risk and the quick pace of global change, it is further crucial that we integrate the knowledge accumulated through different scientific approaches into a holistic perspective to better understand how this group may fare in a changing ocean.


The prevalence and spread of online misinformation during the 2020 US presidential election served to perpetuate a false belief in widespread election fraud. Though much research has focused on how social media platforms connected people to election-related rumors and conspiracy theories, less is known about the search engine pathways that linked users to news content with the potential to undermine trust in elections. In this paper, we present novel data related to the content of political headlines during the 2020 US election period. We scraped over 800,000 headlines from Google's search engine results pages (SERP) in response to 20 election-related keywords—10 general (e.g., "Ballots") and 10 conspiratorial (e.g., "Voter fraud")—when searched from 20 cities across 16 states. We present results from qualitative coding of 5,600 headlines focused on the prevalence of delegitimizing information. Our results reveal that videos (as compared to stories, search results, and advertisements) are the most problematic in terms of exposing users to delegitimizing headlines. We also illustrate how headline content varies when searching from a swing state, adopting a conspiratorial search keyword, or reading from media domains with higher political bias. We conclude with policy recommendations on data transparency that allow researchers to continue to monitor search engines during elections.


The global community has long understood the importance of public health to world prosperity, security, and cooperation. The World Health Organization (WHO) was established in 1948 as the first specialized agency of the United Nations. Its constitution established its mandate "to promote and protect the health of all peoples ... without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition." Over the course of the last several decades, together with the United Nations Children's Fund, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), and other specialized UN agencies, WHO activities paved the way to reduce childhood mortality by almost 60 percent globally. The world has eradicated smallpox, and polio has been reduced by 99 percent. Scientific and technical discoveries have helped increase life expectancy, have afforded women the opportunity to plan and space their children, and have improved the quality of life for millions. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Yet approximately eight million children under live still die each year, largely from preventable diseases. More than 200 million women who would like access to family planning do not have it. And close to 360,000 women die in childbirth each year, almost exclusively in the developing world. In fact, of all the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the least progress has been made on the goals related to women's and children's health. In September 2010, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched a new Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health. This strategy was designed to redouble collective efforts to meet the health-related MDGs and to accelerate progress. It pooled the ideas, commitments, and resources of governments, philanthropic institutions, and other funders: the United Nations and multilateral organizations; civil society and non-governmental organization; the business community; health-care workers and professionals; and academic and research institutions. All in all, the contributors committed more than US$40 billion in new resources, with the potential to save the lives of 16 million women and children under five. A cornerstone of this Global Strategy is innovation. In just the last decade, innovations in the financing and delivery of public health goods and services have advanced markedly, anchored by the valuable role of the United Nations. If we are to collectively achieve the MDGs and the ambitious targets embedded in the Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health, we must learn from recent innovations in global health, stretch and use them to their fullest potential, and identify new models that will further improve the efficiency and effectiveness of global health delivery. Innovations in global health financing After a decade-long boom in financing for global health, funding levels are beginning to taper off, and resource constraints will only get more noticeable in the future. However, there are several recent innovations in global health financing--in which the United Nations plays a substantive role--that will help us meet the challenge of delivering more value for money and increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of each aid dollar. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Arguably the largest advances in global health financing in the past decade included the establishment of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The launch of GAVI in 2000 was one of the most promising events during my tenure at the WHO, innovative because it took a deep and long view about the value of immunizations and intensified public and private sector commitments to children's health. It also paved the way to launch the Global Fund two years later. Since that time, both of these global financing institutions have saved close to 11 million lives by pooling donor funding, coordinating technical assistance from UN partners, basing funding decisions on nationally-driven priorities and prior results in recipient countries, and creating virtually unparalleled levels of transparency and accountability in the management of resources. …


India launched the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in 2005 to improve maternal and child health by providing good quality health services to all, especially deprived sections of society, to reduce inequality in access to health services. With the backdrop of NRHM, we analysed the extent to which the utilisation of maternal health care services (MHCSs) in the three stages of the continuum of care—antenatal care (ANC), care during child delivery and postnatal care (PNC)—–has improved among the poor vis-à-vis the rich in India, and the corresponding narrowing down in inequality in the period 2006–2016. Data from the 3rd round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) in 2005–2006, capturing the pre-NRHM period and the 4th round of NFHS 2015–2016, capturing the post-NRHM era ten years after the implementation of the flagship programme, are used for the analysis. We estimated absolute as well as relative measures of inequality, absolute gap and coverage ratio between the poor and rich, slope index of inequality and concentration index. Our findings show that maternal health care coverage increased significantly among the poor for all components of MHCSs. Even so, the extent of utilisation of services remains significantly lower among the poor in 2015–2016 compared to the coverage among the rich in 2005–2006. Although inequality declined at the national level over the decade, it still persists. High equity has been achieved in using skilled birth attendance during child delivery and institutional delivery during 2015–2016, however, inequality continues to be higher for ANC indicators including consumption of iron and folic acid supplements for at least 100 days, receipt of four or more antenatal check-ups and comprehensive health check-ups at least once during antenatal visits and receipt of first check-up in the first trimester.


A simple active battery management system for lithium ion battery stacks is described, that is robust and scalable. The architecture is based on an isolation unit consisting of a small equal turns ratio high isolation transformer with two diodes. One isolation unit is connected to each series connected cell in the battery stack and enables both accurate cell voltage monitoring and active cell balancing. The output of the isolation unit is completely galvanically isolated and thus suitable for high voltage packs with stringent safely requirements such as automotive and industrial electrical vehicles. Detailed measurements results are presented and a complete prototype for a LiFePO4 16s2p 2kWh battery module is constructed and its performance measured.


The identification, differentiation and classification of microorganisms have been subjects of research for many years. Recently, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy techniques have gained attention in the characterization and classification of microorganisms based on biochemical profiles and cell structure characteristics. In the present study, the characterization and differentiation of pigmented photoreceptor-producing microorganisms using FTIR spectroscopy was carried out. For this purpose some microorganisms were isolated from different environments, of which three photoreceptor-producing bacteria were selected to limit the scope of the study to one phenotypic characteristic. Genomic relatedness among the isolated strains was investigated and it was shown that these strains had similarities to the Kushneria marisflavi, Halobacillus halophilus and Halobacillus faecis species. In addition, Halobacterium salinarum was investigated as a typical representative photoreceptor-producing archaeon. Spectra (500-4000 cm-1) of the intact cells and crude extracted pigments were recorded on an FTIR spectrometer and compared with each other. The similarities among the spectra were evaluated using hierarchical cluster analysis and compared with the phylogenic tree based on genomic study. Our results demonstrate that hierarchical clustering based on extracted pigments shows separation of strains more distinctly than those based on intact cells. The results of the present study suggest that FTIR analysis of bacterial pigments is an easy and economical technique comparable to other phylogenetic markers, for the differentiation and characterization of bacteria.


A cross-sectional survey was undertaken in the abattoir to study the prevalence of Cysticercus bovis in cattle originated from different localities and to determine the cyst prevalence as well as distribution in different organs within infected animals in Gondar ELFORA abattoir. Out of the total 450 cattle slaughtered and examined at Gondar ELFORA abattoir, 9 animals (2.0%) were identified positive for C. bovis infection. Predilection sites for C. bovis were observed and their relative infestation rates were recorded. As a result of this study, predominantly cysts were found on shoulder muscle (55.56%) followed by masseter muscle (33.33%) and tongue (11.11%). The prevalence and occurrence of C. bovis was also studied based on the geographical locations of slaughtered cattle. Accordingly, cattle from low lands and high lands had showed a prevalence of 6.45 and 0.307%, respectively. In conclusion, C. bovis is prevalent and is one of the major parasitic diseases that causes huge carcass condemnation of slaughtered animals and poses serious financial lose in the socio-economy of the study area. Therefore, public health awareness should be created on improving personal and environmental hygiene for breaking the life cycle of the disease.

 Key words: Cysticercus bovis, Gondar ELFORA, prevalence, Ethiopia.


Learn Android Studio covers Android Studio and its rich tools ecosystem, including Git and Gradle: this book covers how Android Studio works seamlessly with Git, for source control, and Gradle, a build and test tool. In addition, this book demonstrates how to develop/collaborate with remote Git web-hosting services such as GitHub and Bitbucket. Four complete Android projects accompany this volume and are available for download from a public Git repository. With this book, you learn the latest and most productive tools in the Android tools ecosystem, and the best practices for Android app development. You will be able to take away the labs' code as templates or frameworks to re-use and customize for your own similar apps. Android Studio is an intuitive, feature-rich, and extremely forgiving Integrated Development Environment (IDE). This IDE is more productive and easier to use for your Android app creations than Eclipse. With this book you will quickly master Android Studio and maximize your Android development time. Source code on the remote web-hosting service is targeted to the latest Android Studio release, version 1.2. What youll learn How to get started with the Android Studio IDE How to navigate and use Android Studio How to do version control with GitHow to use Gradle How to use the new Android Wear framework How to debug your code using Android Studio How to manage your app projects How to test your apps How to analyze and refactor your code How to customize Android Studio Who this book is for This book is for Android app developers new to this IDE tool.


Various studies on consumer purchasing behaviors have been presented and used in real problems. Data mining techniques are expected to be a more effective tool for analyzing consumer behaviors. However, the data mining method has disadvantages as well as advantages. Therefore, it is important to select appropriate techniques to mine databases. The objective of this paper is to know consumer behavior, his psychological condition at the time of purchase and how suitable data mining method apply to improve conventional method. Moreover, in an experiment, association rule is employed to mine rules for trusted customers using sales data in a super market industry


"This third edition ofthe Handbook of International Research in Mathematics Education provides a comprehensive overview of the most recent theoretical and practical developments in the field of mathematics education. Authored by an array of internationally recognized scholars and edited by Lyn English and David Kirshner, this collection brings together overviews and advances in mathematics education research spanning established and emerging topics, diverse workplace and school environments, and globally representative research priorities.

New perspectives are presented on a range of critical topics including embodied learning, the theory-practice divide, new developments in the early years, educating future mathematics education professors, problem solving in a 21st century curriculum, culture and mathematics learning, complex systems, critical analysis of design-based research, multimodal technologies, and e-textbooks. Comprised of 12 revised and 17 new chapters, this edition extends the Handbook's original themes for international research in mathematics education and remains in the process a definitive resource for the field."--Publisher website


Summary Background Symptomatic femoro-popliteal disease is treated by bypass surgery or angioplasty with or without stenting. The aim of this study was to compare the results of stenting and bypass surgery with regard to limb salvage in patients with severe leg ischaemia. Methods A total of 213 patients with femoro-popliteal disease presenting with severe claudication or critical limb ischaemia between January 2009 and December 2013 were evaluated; 118 patients (139 limbs) had stents placed and 95 patients (104 limbs) had bypass surgery. Most (60%) presented with critical limb ischaemia (rest pain 40%, tissue necrosis 20%), and the remainder with severe claudication. The treatment groups had matching risk factors. Results The average age was 66 years and 73% were male. Tissue necrosis was found in 26% of the stent group and 12% of the bypass group (p = 0.009). In the stent group 26% had adjunctive procedures, compared to 16% in the bypass group (p = 0.138). During the one-year follow up, there were 30 stent occlusions (22%) and 18 graft occlusions (17%) (p = 0.42). There were 14 major amputations (10%) in the stent group, and 13 (13%) in the bypass group (p = 0.68). Limb salvage rate was 90% in the stent group, and 88% in the bypass group (p = 0.68). There were no peri-operative deaths in the stent group, but one in the bypass group (1%). One-year mortality rate was equal (8%) in both groups (p = 1.00). Conclusion One-year outcome was comparable in both groups with regard to mortality, stent or graft patency and limb salvage rates.


Some reflections on why English is necessary but not enough. On 11 May 2001, as part of the EU-Japan Friendship Week, and on the occasion of the European Year of Languages, a one-day symposium on 'The Future of Linguistic Diversity' was held at the Japan Foundation in Tokyo: see ET67, Jul 01. In his contribution to this symposium, Professor Reinier Salverda of University College London (as the representative of the Netherlands) discussed how it may be possible to work towards successful international communication in a world that is nonetheless marked by great diversity of language. The following adapted and extended version of his EYL presentation discusses both multilingualism today and the view that English, while necessary in global terms, is hardly enough.


Kinetic and magnetic energies of the staggered flux phase, with a fictitious flux of equal magnitude but opposite direction in adjacent square plaquettes, are calculated for the two-dimensional t-J model using the variational Monte Carlo method. They are compared to the energies of the resonating-valence-bond state, the flux phase with half a quantum per plaquette, and the projected Fermi-liquid state. For about 10% hole concentration the staggered flux phase has the lowest energy of the nonsuperconducting states, but its energy is still higher than that of the superconducting d-wave state.


Abstract An empirical analysis was conducted on the conditions under which competition can be constructive. The participants were 64 managers and 28 employees from organizations in mainland China. They were asked to describe specific incidents of competition between them and their fellow employees and rate on a 7-point Likert-type scale the conditions that they perceived affected the outcomes. The incidents could involve either a physical activity or an intellectual task or both. Results showed that the variables related to constructive competition included the fairness of the rules, the motivation to win, having an advantage that enhanced one's chances of winning, a strong positive relationship among competitors, and a history of confirming each other's competence. By controlling these factors, the constructiveness of competition may be enhanced.


Fijian women collectively challenged their double colonization since the 1900s. Indentured women workers pioneered "embryonic agitations" (evidenced through strikes, physical confrontations, and written petitions) against exploitative colonial officials and Indian overseers. The 1920s saw a shift in the nature of women's activism towards a discourse of economic empowerment, with the rise of indigenous organic organizations like Qele ni Ruve. This period was followed by the transcultural platform of the Pan-Pacific and Southeast Asian Women's Association in the 1940s and the contemporary women's movement of the 1960s led by the Fiji Young Women's Christian Association. The latter was marked by convergences with and divergences from transnational discourses. The focus-feminisms of the 1980s brought human rights to the forefront of women's activism. This phase has continued until the present day, although there is now an emphasis on peace and reconciliation in post-coup Fiji.


In 2011, the European Council stressed the significance of water quality for sustainable development in Europe
and emphasized the need for better integration of the water policy objectives into the Common Agriculture Policy reform in rural areas. Since 2000, the Water Framework Directive (WFD) has required the EU Member States to
target good ecological status for their water bodies. However, the implementation of the Directive for the numerous
Mediterranean temporary streams has been delayed indicating the need for elaboration of the tools and
methods that address the special characteristics of such water bodies. This requirement has been addressed by
the recently completed MIRAGE project. In the context of the recent publication of the European Commission's
Blueprint to Safeguard Europe's Waters, the MIRAGE-proposed framework for the characterization of the ecohydrological
dynamics and the systematic description of the measured impact for temporary rivers could bring
considerable added value to the EU revision of all relevant water policies. The project recommends additions
to WFD articles including an explicit definition of temporary rivers, adaptation of environmental objectives to
their peculiarities and establishment of a proper method to determine the initial status and specific actions in
River Basin Management Plans.


Ideas and concepts about evaluation travel around the globe. Studies of how evaluation models are disseminated, diffused and implemented are important. In this article, we examine an organization with a history of traditions and legitimacy and a successful audit of its own and how it responds to modern concepts of administration where evaluation plays an important role. Based on an analytical framework from organizational theory, we show how an evaluation model has been either adopted, rejected or transformed depending on the local context and consider why central policies have had limited success in its implementation. This article should contribute to a better understanding of the transformation that evaluation undergoes in the journey between and within organizations.


Histone ubiquitinations are critical for the activation of the DNA damage response (DDR). In particular, RNF168 and RING1B/BMI1 function in the DDR by ubiquitinating H2A/H2AX on Lys-13/15 and Lys-118/119, respectively. However, it remains to be defined how the ubiquitin pathway engages chromatin to provide regulation of ubiquitin targeting of specific histone residues. Here we identify the nucleosome acid patch as a critical chromatin mediator of H2A/H2AX ubiquitination (ub). The acidic patch is required for RNF168- and RING1B/BMI1-dependent H2A/H2AXub in vivo. The acidic patch functions within the nucleosome as nucleosomes containing a mutated acidic patch exhibit defective H2A/H2AXub by RNF168 and RING1B/BMI1 in vitro. Furthermore, direct perturbation of the nucleosome acidic patch in vivo by the expression of an engineered acidic patch interacting viral peptide, LANA, results in defective H2AXub and RNF168-dependent DNA damage responses including 53BP1 and BRCA1 recruitment to DNA damage. The acidic patch therefore is a critical nucleosome feature that may serve as a scaffold to integrate multiple ubiquitin signals on chromatin to compose selective ubiquitinations on histones for DNA damage signaling.


One of the most obvious impacts roads have on the natural world is direct mortality to individual animals that attempt to cross roads. A less obvious but likely more important impact of roads on many species is habitat fragmentation. The ability for individuals to travel between subpopulations is the key to genetic diversity as well as ultimately the survival of the species. Considering these impacts and management goals to increase habitat connectivity, increased attention has been given to creating road design that reduces wildlife collisions. Most studies, however, have been in other countries or regions and most focus on connectivity for just one or a few species and rarely in urban settings. This study examines the effectiveness of a variety of under-road passage structures for a community of animals in an urban wetland. Wildlife passage was taken into great consideration in the construction of the Boeckman Road Extension, the new road (2006) in Wilsonville, Oregon, examined in this study. As a result it includes a bridge, two box culverts and eleven round concrete culverts to facilitate wildlife passage as well as a mammal fence atop an amphibian/reptile wall. In order to monitor passage use the authors used a combination of sand-track monitoring and motion-detection cameras. They compared passage structure use to movement in the habitats surrounding the road by monitoring four habitat transects in addition to the passage structures (Road transect). They also conducted tag and release studies targeted to small mammals. Finally, camera data collected in passage structures were compared to camera monitoring at the end of the exclusionary fencing. A total of 26 species were detected in this study, 73% (19) of which were found to be using passage structures. 15% (4) of the identified species were detected on transects but not in passages and 11.5% (3) were detected in locations other than transects or passage structures. The bridge structure provided passage to the highest number of species (16), followed by the 24" and 18" culverts, which had a combined total of 11 species, and lastly the 9x4 culverts, which were flooded, with 2 species detected. The results indicate that large and medium mammals overall did not use passages less than would be expected based on their local movement in habitats. In pit and Sherman traps 16 of the 48 small mammals that were captured and tagged were re-caught, but only four of these moved from one transect to another, with two moving away from the road and the other two moving toward and under the road. Of the species detected with cameras at the passage structures and circumventing fencing, excluding small mammals, reptiles and amphibians (139), 19% (33) were found potentially crossing on the road surface. The proportion of deer detected using over-road crossings (23%) is of particular concern for driver safety. The bridge structure provided the greatest passage, in not only frequency of crossings but also species present. When maintenance factors, driver safety and species of greatest concern are included, the higher cost of the bridge structure would likely be even further balanced by the benefits. This study highlights the effectiveness and potential problems (and possible fixes) of some of the passage and prevention structures. Including passage and prevention structures such as these in road design is imperative for habitat connectivity and the need for this becomes even more apparent as Oregon's native wildlife face an ever increasing urban landscape as well as the potential impacts of climate change.


A silica-based mesoporous nanosphere (MSN) controlled-release drug delivery system has been synthesized and characterized. The system uses l-cysteine derivatized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), bound to the MSNs using Cu2+ as a bridging ion. The AuNPs serve as removable caps that hinder the release of drug molecules inside the amino functionalized MSN mesoporous framework. The modified MSNs themselves exhibit negligible cytotoxicity to living cells, as revealed using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The drug delivery system requires one of two biological stimuli to trigger drug release. These stimuli are either: low pH (pH < 5); or elevated levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) (concentration > 4 mM). The feasibility of biologically controlled release was demonstrated through the stimuli-induced removal of the AuNP caps over the MSN releasing the anticancer drug doxorubicin. We envisage that this MSN system could play a significant role in developing new generations of controlled-release delivery vehicles.


Systemic sclerosis (scleroderma/SSc) is a rare, connective autoimmune multisystem disease with wide-reaching consequences. SSc is recognized by the presence of serum autoantibodies and fibroproliferative changes in the microvasculature which, in turn, results in too much accumulation of collagen fibres in the skin and internal organs. Gastrointestinal (GI) involvement is highly prevalent among SSc patients (seen in over 90% of cases). Altered GI function and subsequent nutritional disorders are common outcomes of SSc, affecting the quality of life (QoL) and possibly carrying an associated rate of morbidity and mortality. Disease-related malnourishment is also considered to have a detrimental effect on clinical outcomes. There is little information on dietary advice for SSc patients, and as GI complaints are risk factors for bad nutritional status, perceptive assessment seems to be necessary. As the SSc pathogenesis is yet to be explored, recent investigations have aimed to evaluate the effect of diet in terms of triggering or altering the course of the disease. The present review aimed to discuss current knowledge relating to the effect of nutrition on SSc pathogenesis.


A search is performed for the electroweak pair production of charginos and associated production of a chargino and neutralino, each of which decays through an $R$-parity-violating coupling into a lepton and a $W$, $Z$, or Higgs boson. The trilepton invariant-mass spectrum is constructed from events with three or more leptons, targeting chargino decays that include an electron or muon and a leptonically decaying $Z$ boson. The analyzed dataset corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 139 fb$^{-1}$ of proton-proton collision data produced by the Large Hadron Collider at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV and collected by the ATLAS experiment between 2015 and 2018. The data are found to be consistent with predictions from the Standard Model. The results are interpreted as limits at 95% confidence level on model-independent cross sections for processes beyond the Standard Model. Limits are also set on the production of charginos and neutralinos for a Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model with an approximate $B$-$L$ symmetry. Charginos and neutralinos with masses between 100 GeV and 1100 GeV are excluded depending on the assumed decay branching fractions into a lepton (electron, muon, or $\tau$-lepton) plus a boson ($W$, $Z$, or Higgs).


This thesis provides a missing link between the British feminist art movement from
the 1970s onwards and three contemporary female artists, namely Tracey Emin,
Gillian Wearing and Sam Taylor-Wood. The dissertation demonstrates the influence
that feminist art has had on contemporary women's art. It shows how various
elements, typically associated with feminist art from a previous generation of female
artists. have been either consciously or unconsciously incorporated into the way the
three artists in question approach their work.
The ideas. concerns and ways of working of a previous generation of feminist artists
are discussed in relation to gender politics, the idea of the traditional male "genius",
the question of feminist art practice, the role of the female body, performance versus
performativity and the representation of women in visual culture. The contemporary
work is discussed in relation to the above issues, drawing out comparisons to
feminist art practice where appropriate.
The thesis also contextualises Tracey Emin, Gillian Wearing and Sam Taylor-Wood
within the generation of the Young British Artists (YBAs) of the 1990s. Here it
focuses on ideas such as self-promotion versus patronage, the particular
sensationalist art practice of the YBAs, the problematic attitude towards cultural
theory and finally, it demonstrates how women artists of that particular period
tended to work.
The dissertation does not aim to present a comprehensive survey of all feminist
visual arts activity in Britain and North America, the geographical locations of
interest for this thesis, nor is it an all encompassing art historical overview of the
activities in London, during the 1990s. The thesis should be understood as a
celebration of the significance of the feminist art movement and as a demonstration
of the validity of many of its concerns, even today, as exemplified in the work of the
three artists in question.


The Atlas seeks to be wider in scope than standard trade union and labour histories, examining the character of protest, both its changing nature and its continuities, and setting the whole armoury of aggressive and defensive tactics available to workers in a wider context of community struggles and developing trade unionism. The role of employers and their associations and the changing stance of the state to the legitimacy of trade unions will also be considered. We aim to set these aspects in a geographical context so that new questions will be asked and novel insights gained - values that were consistently highlighted in the reviews of the companion volume 'An Atlas of Rural Protest in Britain 1548-1900'.


The phylogeography of a wide ranging temperate species, the adder, Vipera berus, was investigated using several genetic tools, with special emphasis on the post-glacial colonisation pattern of Fennoscandia. The area was colonised from two directions by adder populations representing different glacial refugia. The two populations meet in three places and the main contact zone is situated in Northern Finland. The two other contact zones are the result of dispersal across the Baltic Sea to the Umea archepelago and South-Western Finland. Asymmetrically distributed nuclear genetic variation compared to mitochondrial DNA in the northern contact zone suggests a skewed gene flow from the east to the west across the zone. This pattern might reflect differences in dispersal among sexes and lineages, or may be accounted for by a selective advantage for nuclear variation of eastern origin among Fennoscandian adders.The phylogeographic pattern for adders across the entire species range was addressed by sequencing part of the mitochondrial genome and scoring microsatellite markers. The adder can be divided into three major genetic groups. One group is confined to the Balkan peninsula harbouring the distribution range of V. b. bosniensis. A second, well differentiated group is restricted to the Southern Alps. These two areas have probably served as refugia for adders during a number of ice ages for the adders. The third group is distributed across the remainder of the species' range, from extreme Western Europe to Pacific Russia and can be further divided into one ancestral group inhabiting the Carpathians refugial area, and three more recent groups inhabiting areas west, north and east of the Alps. The adder provides an example of a species where the Mediterranean areas are housing endemic populations, rather than the sources for post-glacial continental colonisation. Continent-wide colonisation has instead occurred from up to three cryptic northern refugia.


Visible light-responsive photocatalytic technology holds great potential in water treatment to enhance purification efficiency, as well as to augment water supply through the safe usage of unconventional water sources. This review summarizes the recent progress in the design and fabrication of visible light-responsive photocatalysts via various synthetic strategies, including the modification of traditional photocatalysts by doping, dye sensitization, or by forming a heterostructure, coupled with π-conjugated architecture, as well as the great efforts made within the exploration of novel visible light-responsive photocatalysts. Background information on the fundamentals of heterogeneous photocatalysis, the pathways of visible light-responsive photocatalysis, and the unique features of visible light-responsive photocatalysts are presented. The photocatalytic properties of the resulting visible light-responsive photocatalysts are also covered in relation to the water treatment, i.e., regarding the photocatalytic degradation of organic compounds and inorganic pollutants, as well as photocatalytic disinfection. Finally, this review concludes with a summary and perspectives on the current challenges faced and new directions in this emerging area of research.


A new species of gecko superficially resembling Hemidactylus maculatus is described from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Hemidactylus acanthopholis sp. nov. is a large sized Hemidactylus, SVL at least 91.7mm. Dorsal scalation on trunk granular, intermixed with enlarged, fairly regularly arranged longitudinal rows of 18–20 trihedral, moderately keeled, striated tubercles of equal size on dorso-lateral aspect, 2–3 rows of tubercles on mid-dorsal smaller in size, approximately two dorsal granular scales wide. Two large rounded and one small internasal between nasals. Two pairs of postmentals, anterior pair is twice as long and wide as the posterior pair. Scales on ventral trunk arranged in 35–40 rows. Lamellae divided, 9, 11, 10, 10, 10 on manus, and 10, 12, 12, 12, 12 on pes respectively on digits I–V. Caudal pholidosis on dorsal aspect, consist of small, striated scales intermixed with large rounded un-keeled tubercles, scales sub-equal throughout and a series of large eight enlarged, moderately keeled and weakly striated and flattened tubercles in a whorl on each caudal segment. Femoral pores, 19–21 on each side separated medially by 13–14 pore-less scales.


Fully updated for Windows Server 2012 R2! Prepare for Microsoft Exam 70-412and help demonstrate your real-world mastery of advanced configuration tasks for Windows Server infrastructure. Designed for experienced IT professionals ready to advance their status, Exam Ref focuses on the critical-thinking and decision-making acumen needed for success at the MCSA or MCSE level. Focus on the expertise measured by these objectives: Configure and manage high availability Configure file and storage solutions Implement business continuity and disaster recovery Configure network services Configure the Active Directory infrastructure Configure access and information protection solutions This Microsoft Exam Ref: Organizes its coverage by objectives for Exam 70-412. Features strategic, what-if scenarios to challenge candidates. Designed for IT professionals who have real-world experience configuring Windows Server 2012 R2 services in an enterprise environment. Note: Exam 70-412 counts as credit toward MCSA and MCSE certifications


Historically, community health nursing has responded to the changing health care needs of the community and continues to meet those needs in a variety of diverse roles and settings. Community Health Nursing: Caring for the Public's Health, Second Edition reflects this response and is representative of what communities signify in the United States--a unified society made up of many different populations and unique health perspectives. This text provides an emphasis on population-based nursing directed toward health promotion and primary prevention in the community. It is both community-based and community-focused, reflecting the current dynamics of the health care system. The Second Edition contains new chapters on disaster nursing and community collaborations during emergencies. The chapters covering Family health, ethics, mental health, and pediatric nursing have all been significantly revised and updated.


During the mid-1990s, a bilingual intercultural education initiative was launched to promote the introduction of indigenous languages alongside Spanish in public elementary schools in Bolivia's indigenous regions. Bret Gustafson spent fourteen years studying and working in southeastern Bolivia with the Guarani, who were at the vanguard of the movement for bilingual education. Drawing on his collaborative work with indigenous organizations and bilingual-education activists as well as more traditional ethnographic research, Gustafson traces two decades of indigenous resurgence and education politics in Bolivia, from the 1980s through the election of Evo Morales in 2005. Bilingual education was a component of education reform linked to foreign-aid development mandates, and foreign aid workers figure in New Languages of the State , as do teachers and their unions, transnational intellectual networks, and assertive indigenous political and intellectual movements across the Andes.

Gustafson shows that bilingual education is an issue that extends far beyond the classroom. Public schools are at the center of a broader battle over territory, power, and knowledge as indigenous movements across Latin America actively defend their languages and knowledge systems. In attempting to decolonize nation-states, the indigenous movements are challenging deep-rooted colonial racism and neoliberal reforms intended to mold public education to serve the market. Meanwhile, market reformers nominally embrace cultural pluralism while implementing political and economic policies that exacerbate inequality. Juxtaposing Guarani life, language, and activism with intimate portraits of reform politics among academics, bureaucrats, and others in and beyond La Paz, Gustafson illuminates the issues, strategic dilemmas, and imperfect alliances behind bilingual intercultural education.