The Hungarian system of local governments is an important part of the public finance system. The share of the local government system within general government spending was around 20% in 2010 and is still 11–12% following the recent reallocation of responsibilities. From 2012 to date, fundamental changes have been made to the system of local governments operating since 1990. This paper does not seek either to evaluate the changes or to make comparisons of any kind between the new system of local governments and the former system. Although a vast majority of the changes have been implemented on the basis of recommendations over which there was consensus among experts, the time that has elapsed since the adoption of the new Local Government Act is not sufficient for a comprehensive evaluation. In this paper, I am making an attempt to outline a framework that could be suitable for an analysis of the changes. I will be highlighting four of the components constituting the local government system: the responsibilities of local governments, the funding system, the regulatory environment setting out the operating framework of the system, and the organisational system. My experience suggests these components to be the most relevant in discussing the system of local governments as a public finance system. These system components are highly interdependent, and their movements are aligned. Consequently, any proposal for change will only be meaningful with this interdependence in mind. I will be elaborating on the matter at hand primarily in a public finance approach, merely touching upon the legal context of the system.


In this study, zinc oxide, zinc sulfide and zinc selenide semiconductor thin films were produced by Chemical Bath Deposition technique with and without annealing. The structural, surface and optical properties of the obtained thin films were determined to specify effect of annealing on thin film properties. Characterization results indicated that, the produced zinc-based thin films have polycrystalline nature. Both zinc sulfide and zinc selenide thin films have cubic and zinc oxide thin films have hexagonal structure. The surface morphologies of all thin films are homogeneous and compact. The optical band gap values of the obtained thin films are close to the band gap of zinc-based semiconductors. The annealing processes neither improved the crystal structures nor altered the band gap values of zinc-based thin films. Agreeable to characterization results, production of zinc-based thin films via chemical bath deposition technique without annealing is facile, economic and energy efficient so can be used for many thin film applications.


A recently developed social psychological and biographical approach to the study of lives, life positioning analysis (LPA), is applied to the early life experiences of Canadian basketball player Steve Nash for the purpose of identifying sources of his athletic creativity and work ethic. The analysis focuses on Nash's childhood and adolescence, especially his interactions with his father, brother, coaches, friends, and teammates. The interpretations, results, and conclusions offered describe specific types of interaction with these other individuals as likely influences on the development of important psychological aspects of the team oriented creativity that came to characterize Nash's unique athletic style. The article concludes with a brief description of the unique yields and possible contributions of this type of biographical case study as a methodological approach in sport psychology.


Despite the long-standing cultural importance and botanical interest in  Vanilla, many taxa belonging to the genus remain poorly understood. Vanilla species generally have broad geographical and ecological distributions. Most species are found in multiple countries, while local endemics are rare. Many names proposed in the eighteen and nineteenth centuries remain cryptic and unused despite having priority over more recently proposed names. Relatively few Vanilla species have been well-documented, both locally and across their entire distribution range, while a significant portion of novelties have been proposed on the basis of very few specimens that are compared only with local floras. After a careful inspection of the type materials, living plants, botanical illustrations, photographs and hundreds of additional herbarium specimens of Vanilla we tentatively recognize 62 species for the Neotropics. The taxonomy of Vanilla columbiana, V. hartii, V. inodora, V. karenchristianae, V. marowynensis, V. mexicana, V. odorata, V. phaeantha, V. planifolia, and V. pompona is revised. An updated typification, description, photographs, illustrations, list of studied specimens, distribution map, extent of occurrence and discussion is provided for each of the ten species. Taxonomic proposals include 28 new synonyms, 14 lectotypifications, and one neotypification. We stress on the importance of alpha-taxonomy for biological studies, emphasizing on the detrimental effects of taxonomic inflation and incorrect species determination on the inference of speciation rates, the understanding of biogeographical patterns, the correct estimation of ecological niches, seed dispersal studies, phylogenetic and genomic studies, and the assessments of conservation priorities, among others. Finally, the recently proposed genus Miguelia is placed under the synonymy of Vanilla.
Key Words: Conservation, distribution, Miguelia, typification, Vanilla columbiana, V. hartii, V. inodora, V. karen-christianae, V. marowynensis, V. mexicana, V. odorata, V. phaeantha, V. planifolia, V. pompona


This article traces some connections in the last 50 years between developments in church-state relations and developments in race relations. Like several other recent articles and books, this article traces the course of church-state relations not only in the Supreme Court, but in the broader social, political, and cultural context. The central story in church-state relations in the last 50 years has been the rise of a fairly strict separation of church and state as the overriding constitutional and moral ideal in the 1960s and 70s, and the partial decline of that ideal from the 1980s through the present. This article discusses how developments in the area of race may have facilitated both the rise of strict church-state sepatationism in the 60s and 70s and its subsequent decline. It focuses particularly on three connections. First, the 1960s' concern with the unjust treatment of blacks contributed to a special concern for the situation of other minorities, including religious minorities -- a concern that has probably moderated in recent years. Second, although the 1960s civil rights movement itself was highly religious, interpretations of it among elites (even religious elites) created an ambivalent attitude toward the intertwining of religion and government and an embrace of a secular-oriented approach to social welfare ministries -- an approach that has been challenged in recent years by social ministries that involve more explicit use of religious teaching. Third, the 1960s and 70s saw a heightened suspicion, in courts and other parts of society, that private entities and "private choice" were serving as means to frustrate desegregation and racial equality. Those years, therefore, were an inopportune time to assert claims for equal government aid to religiously affiliated education and other activities -- and indeed the Supreme Court struck down most forms of aid during this time. But in the past 20 years, many religious schools -- especially Catholic ones -- have shown a willingness and ability to serve minority students, and this removal of the taint of racial segregation has strengthened the case for equal government aid on both constitutional and moral grounds.


The purpose of the present cross-sectional study was to examine the effects of ambiguity of loss and type of caregiver-to-patient relationship on anticipatory grief, negative physical and psychological outcomes associated with grief, and boundary ambiguity in family caregivers of chronically ill patients. Questionnaires were completed by 23 parents of ill children and 30 spouses of ill mates. Using an original and a revised concept for level of ambiguity, partial support was found for the prediction that parents and spouses in high ambiguity of loss circumstances would report more anticipatory grief than those in low ambiguity ones. Contrary to prediction, a slight but nonsignificant trend occurred for parents and spouses in low ambiguity situations to report more negative physical and psychological effects associated with grief as well. Level of ambiguity was not found to impact boundary ambiguity as had been hypothesized. Spouses reported more boundary ambiguity than parents, regardless of level of ambiguity of the loss. Contrary to prediction that parents would report less anticipatory grief and more negative physical and psychological outcomes than spouses, generally, no significant differences were found between the two groups. However, using the original concept of ambiguity, parents did tend to recall more past grief than spouses. The study highlighted several methodological concerns which impact research on loss and grief, particularly the difficulty involved in recruiting participants with subsequent occurrence of sampling bias, rudimentary status of available measurement tools, and a host of potentially confounding personal and sociodemographic variables. The present study supports a view of the loss which occurs in families dealing with chronic illness as a complex process whose impact on grief, distress, and family upheaval is influenced by multiple factors. Such factors include both the ambiguity of the loss and the type of family relationship involved. Complex research of a longitudinal nature using psychosocial models of illness is needed to better delineate the impact of factors such as these.


This book is for busy programmers who want a succinct and yet readable guide to C# 3.0 and LINQ. C# 3.0 Pocket Reference tells you exactly what you need to know, without long introductions or bloated samples. Despite its conciseness, this book doesn't skimp on depth or detail, and embraces the conceptual challenges in learning C# 3.0 and LINQ. Tightly focused and highly practical, this pocket reference covers more ground than many of the big books on C#. C# 3.0 Pocket Reference includes plenty of illustrations and code examples to explain: Features new to C# 3.0, such as lambda expressions, anonymous types, automatic properties, and moreAll aspects of C# syntax, predefined types, expressions, and operatorsCreating classes, structs, delegates and events, enums, generics and constraints, exception handling, and iteratorsThe subtleties of boxing, operating overloading, delegate covariance, extension method resolution, interface reimplementation, nullable types, and operating liftingLINQ, starting with the principles of sequences, deferred execution and standard query operators, and finishing with a complete reference to query syntax-including multiple generators, joining, grouping, and query continuationsConsuming, writing, and reflecting on custom attributes You'll also find chapters on unsafe code and pointers, preprocessor directives, XML documentation, and a framework overview. If you're already familiar with Java, C++, or an earlier version of C#, C# 3.0 Pocket Reference is an ideal choice. No other book or online resource can get you up to speed so quickly.


From the mid-sixteenth to the mid-nineteenth century Russia was transformed from a moderate-sized, land-locked principality into the largest empire on earth. How did systems of information and communication shape and reflect this extraordinary change? Information and Mechanisms of Communication in Russia, 1600-1850 brings together a range of contributions to shed some light on this complex question. Communication networks such as the postal service and the gathering and circulation of news are examined alongside the growth of a bureaucratic apparatus that informed the government about its country and its people. The inscription of space is considered from the point of view of mapping and the changing public 'graphosphere' of signs and monuments. More than a series of institutional histories, this book is concerned with the way Russia discovered itself, envisioned itself and represented itself to its people. Innovative and scholarly, this collection breaks new ground in its approach to communication and information as a field of study in Russia. More broadly, it is an accessible contribution to pre-modern information studies, taking as its basis a country whose history often serves to challenge habitual Western models of development. It is important reading not only for specialists in Russian Studies, but also for students and non-Russianists who are interested in the history of information and communications.


The determination of a list of di®erentially expressed genes is a basic objective
in many cDNA microarray experiments. Combining information across genes in the
statistical analysis of microarray data is desirable because of relatively small number
of data points obtained for each individual gene. Our LPE approach ¯nds a middle
ground between global F test and gene-speci¯c F test by pooling the information
across a group of genes that have similar variance estimates and shrinks the within-
gene variance estimate towards an estimate including more genes. This method
provides a powerful and robust approach to test di®erential expression of genes but
does not su®er from biases of the global F test and low power of gene-speci¯c F test.
In our approach the two-stage Mixed ANOVA model provides a conceptually and
computationally e±cient means to analyze the microarray data.


Abstract. Seasonally resolved chemical ice core records available from the Col du Dome glacier (4250 m elevation, French Alps), are here used to reconstruct past aerosol load and composition of the free European troposphere from before World War II to present. Available ice core records include inorganic (Na+, Ca2+, NH4+, Cl−, NO3−, and SO42−) and organic (carboxylates, HCHO, humic-like substances, dissolved organic carbon, water-insoluble organic carbon, and black carbon) compounds and fractions that permit reconstructing the key aerosol components and their changes over the past. It is shown that the atmospheric load of submicron aerosol has been increased by a factor of 3 from the 1921–1951 to 1971–1988 years, mainly as a result of a large increase of sulfate (a factor of 5), ammonium and water-soluble organic aerosol (a factor of 3). Thus, not only growing anthropogenic emissions of sulfur dioxide and ammonia have caused the enhancement of the atmospheric aerosol load but also biogenic emissions producing water-soluble organic aerosol. This unexpected change of biospheric source of organic aerosol after 1950 needs to be considered and further investigated in scenarios dealing with climate forcing by atmospheric aerosol.


The main aim of this dissertation was to examine the relative contribution of mediators derived from different theoretical perspectives (i.e. self-control theory, differential association theory, and routine activity theory) to explaining the relationship between parenting and delinquency. It is examined how various dimensions of parenting (i.e. parental monitoring, parental limit-settings, and the quality of the parent-adolescent relationship) are related to self-control, delinquent attitudes, peer delinquency, and time spent in criminogenic settings, and how these factors are in turn related to involvement in delinquency. Because it is reasonable to assume that these mediating mechanisms are interrelated, it is important to examine these mediators simultaneously in order to determine their relative contribution to explaining the relationship between parenting and delinquency. Since time spent in criminogenic settings is a relatively new concept used to explain adolescent engagement in delinquency, however, we also examined whether and how parenting is related to time spent in criminogenic settings. As a final step, we examined gender differences in the direct and indirect pathways, derived from the various theoretical frameworks, from parenting to delinquency. Data from the Study of Peers, Activities and Neighborhoods (SPAN) were used in the current dissertation, consisting of two waves of data collection among adolescents who were between the ages of 11 and 17 at T1 (M = 14.3). In order to be able to examine both between-person differences as well as within-person changes simultaneously we proposed a multilevel modeling approach. This approach enables us to explain time-stable differences between individuals, as well as within-person change in the dependent variable, controlled for all stable individual differences. The results of this dissertation have indicated that an integration of concepts from different theories in a joint mediation model, and by examining both between-person differences and within-person changes, provides insight into the ways in which various parenting dimensions might influence adolescent involvement in delinquency. Parental monitoring, parental limit-setting and the quality of the parent-adolescent relationship might indirectly be protective for involvement in delinquency, by affecting the adolescent's level of self-control, delinquent attitudes and peer delinquency. The present dissertation also provided some more insight into the determinants of time spent in criminogenic settings. Parents may function as access barriers by directly restricting adolescents from spending time in criminogenic settings on the one hand, but also indirectly by fostering self-control and delinquent attitudes that prevent them from spending time in criminogenic settings on the other hand. Furthermore the findings suggest that mechanisms derived from mainstream criminological theories explain involvement in delinquent behavior for both male and female adolescents. To conclude, interventions aimed at improving the quality of the parent-adolescent relationship might be as important as interventions aimed at improving parental monitoring and parental limit-setting, and boys and girls may equally benefit from these interventions.


Among the most significant developments in international investment law and policy in the past decade has been China's adoption of a new model of bilateral investment treaty that embraces disciplines commonly found elsewhere. This has been celebrated by some scholars as heralding the arrival of a universal model for investment protection that will be transformative of Chinese domestic policy. Others have expressed skepticism that Chinese policy portends liberalization of the Chinese economy. Nor does it indicate that China has embraced neo-liberal norms requiring the state to recede from controlling the levers of economic power. Both sides purport to derive their readings from shifts in Chinese investment policy and internal legislative change. We propose another reading derived from shifts in Chinese Communist Party leadership and the Party's perception of what is required to guarantee its stability and continued dominance. The object is to understand Chinese BIT policy as a product of the complex and interacting influences reflected in debates within the CCP. By examining four main eras in which China BIT policy has evolved, we propose bringing the Party back into discussions about investment treaty policy.


Abstract A unique example of 'Dynamic Figures' style motifs drawn with dry pigment was recently located in south-western Arnhem Land. One of these figures has been partially over-painted with wet pigment, suggesting that the drawings were produced as sketches for the painting of Dynamic Figures. The implications for rock art research are discussed. Keywords: Arnhem Land, Jawoyn, Dynamic style, Drawing, Incomplete motifs ********** A fortuitous find in south-western Arnhem Land of two dry pigment drawings and the incomplete over-painting of one of these presented a unique insight into the preparatory process for the painting of a Dynamic-style figure. The incompleteness of the painted figure also prompted a rethinking of the partial or apparently incomplete figures commonly found, but rarely noted, elsewhere in Arnhem Land rock art. The drawings The site complex (Jawoyn Association No ARN-0040) was located by Ray Whear and Chris Morgan during a helicopter reconnaissance of south-western Arnhem Land (Figure 1), and a preliminary recording of the complex in February 2006 recorded nine shelters within three adjacent rock outcrops (Figure 2). [FIGURES 1-2 OMITTED] The drawings occur in shelter C1, six metres wide, four deep, and three high, on a southerly facing, cliff-front ledge, some eight metres above the ground (Figure 3). Access is along the ledge from the east. The interior of the shelter is largely filled by a rock slab that dropped and formed the smooth horizontal ceiling that has been used for the artwork. Behind the slab there is a small area where two or three people could shelter. The floor is flat bedrock and the shelter contained no other cultural material. Apart from the figures reported on here there are no other motifs on the ceiling or elsewhere within the shelter. The ceiling is a stable, white sandstone, easily reached from the top of the slab. However, unlike many panels with dynamic figures, there is no silica skin on the rock surface. The artwork consists of three faint fragments and two distinct figures. All are drawn in a purple-red ochre, but one has also been partially over-painted in a brown-red pigment. [FIGURE 3 OMITTED] The two figures of interest in this paper consist of one standing and one running figure. Chaloupka (pets. comm., 2006) suggests that these figures are from the post-Dynamic period rather than the classic Dynamic period. As more indicative features may not have been required at the preliminary stage, it remains difficult to identify their period status. Given their similarity to the dynamic pose, however, they would probably derive at least from the early post-Dynamic period, if not the classic period. The standing figure, which is partially painted, is 54 cm tall. It wears a large 'beehive' headdress and is standing with left leg partially raised (Figure 4), suggesting either an informal stance or else a restrained and measured dance. As the figure does not have female sexual characteristics, it is assumed to be male (cf. Chaloupka 1993a). In his right hand the figure holds a single curved boomerang, while in his raised left hand he holds a similar pair of boomerangs. His legs have been infilled with paint and the lower portion of the torso has been partially painted. This painting, which does not follow the drawing exactly, clearly overlies the ochre drawing (Figure 5). Changes apparent in the drawn and painted sections (Figure 6), cannot be taken to necessarily indicate changes to the motif, as these could well have been the subject of further revision had the painting been completed. [FIGURES 4-6 OMITTED] Above this figure, a second, well-defined drawing of a dynamic figure runs or dances with legs splayed in the standard 'Dynamic' pose (Figure 7). While nothing can be detected in his left hand, his right hand behind him holds either a boomerang or inverted hooked-stick. …


Legal scholars, as well as economists, have focused limited attention on the role of coordinated groups of market participants - committees, clubs, associations, and the like - in social ordering generally and in the evolution of norms particularly. One might trace this neglect to some presumptive orientation to state actors (expressive law) and autonomous individuals (norm entrepreneurs) as the sole parties of interest in social change. Yet, alternative stories of social ordering and norm change might also be told. Dramatic recent changes in the contracting practices of the sovereign debt markets offer one such story. Using the latter by way of illustration, this essay explores the potential role of groups as mechanisms of norm transformation. In appropriate circumstances, it suggests, groups may offer an intermediate path of change between regulatory mandate and decentralized markets. Where a pattern of private behavior is at once inefficient but resistant to decentralized market change, groups may effectively stand in for the market - relying on private rather than public incentives to define outcomes, yet offering an infrastructure of coordination lacking in a pure market dynamic. Building on this conception, the essay offers a potential framework for the analysis of groups - as market substitutes in their internal dynamics, as market-mediating in their external interactions, and, most counter-intuitively, as contributing to norm change not exclusively through their strength, but also through their weakness.


The current research was conducted with the aim of the effectiveness of group reality therapy on the students' mental health and self-esteem. The research population includes all the PNU students, Karaj branch who were studying in the educational year of 2014-2015. In this research 40 students were selected through the random sampling method available as the research sample volume. Here, 20 students were selected through random sampling method available as the research sample volume that participated in the group reality therapy and 20 more students were selected as the control group. The method applied in this research is semi empirical with two groups of experimental and control. The experimental group was placed under 9, 90 minute sessions of group reality therapy. To collect data the Goldberg 28 question general health questionnaire and the Copper Smith 58 question self-esteem questionnaire were used. To analyze data, the descriptive statistics (average, standard deviation,…) as well as inferential statistics (covariance analysis) were applied. Results indicated that the average mental health scores in the experimental group's posttest are lower than that of the posttest in the control group. Also, the average self-esteem scores in the experimental group's posttest are higher than that of the posttest in the control group. It is, thus, concluded that group reality therapy is influential in promoting the mental health and selfesteem of the students..


This book clearly and comprehensively presents the knowledge and skills nurses and health professionals need in order to effectively use the Internet and interactive social media to educate health consumers. By understanding and using Web 2.0 and Health 2.0 applications and technology, nurses will have access to a critical tool for improving the health of individuals, families, and communities, as well as enhancing their own professional development. The different types of health care information sites available on the Internet are addressed along with criteria for evaluating them. The text provides a framework for understanding the devices that support social media and depicts the many scenarios in which social media can be used to promote health. Also included are examples of research studies related to health care informatics. Each chapter begins with clear and concise learning objectives and explanations of related terms. A theoretical foundation for understanding the concepts in the chapter is included, along with web-based resources that support additional in-depth learning. Discussion questions and exercises stimulate the development of critical thinking skills and promote point-of-care applications. Advances in technology and point-of-care use expected to come in the near future are woven throughout. The text will be of value for all nurse education and practice settings. Key Features: Provides easily understood information on interactive social media applications and their implications for nursing and health delivery Illustrates how to use social networking tools and sites effectively Describes the types of health care information websites available and how to evaluate them Addresses the many devices that support social media and when to use them Includes a database of tools and resources to assist educators, students, administrators, and practitioners in their use of the Internet and social media


ABSTRACT ATP8A2 is a P4-ATPase that is highly expressed in the retina, brain, spinal cord and testes. In the retina, ATP8A2 is localized in photoreceptors where it uses ATP to transport phosphatidylserine (PS) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) from the exoplasmic to the cytoplasmic leaflet of membranes. Although mutations in ATP8A2 have been reported to cause mental retardation in humans and degeneration of spinal motor neurons in mice, the role of ATP8A2 in sensory systems has not been investigated. We have analyzed the retina and cochlea of ATP8A2-deficient mice to determine the role of ATP8A2 in visual and auditory systems. ATP8A2-deficient mice have shortened photoreceptor outer segments, a reduction in photoresponses and decreased photoreceptor viability. The ultrastructure and phagocytosis of the photoreceptor outer segment appeared normal, but the PS and PE compositions were altered and the rhodopsin content was decreased. The auditory brainstem response threshold was significantly higher and degeneration of spiral ganglion cells was apparent. Our studies indicate that ATP8A2 plays a crucial role in photoreceptor and spiral ganglion cell function and survival by maintaining phospholipid composition and contributing to vesicle trafficking.


Using a nonstationary state solution to the nonlinear Schrodinger equation (NLSE), we report the results of our numerical investigation on the swing behavior of spatial solitons propagating along waveguides whose refractive indices in the transverse direction are perturbed by Scarf II type parity–time symmetric profiles. We show that solitons, after entering parity–time symmetry (PTS) cells with Scarf II profiles will, in general, swing along the waveguide with nonuniform amplitude and period. Nevertheless, it is demonstrated that when the average incident position in the transverse direction is set at the center of the profile symmetry and the amplitude of the incident soliton exceeds a specific value, the soliton behavior could be approximated by a stationary-state solution to the NLSE and say it is almost self-trapped. Simulation also shows that, depending on the soliton's initial average transverse input position, the swing behavior could be greatly influenced by the nonreciprocity of PTS cells.


The American founders brought an original attitude towards offices and gifts which separated them from Europe. Gifts, which were part of European diplomatic culture, were recast as corrupt influences. And offices were viewed with fear of their corrupting power, given the examples of Europe. The "corner-stone" of the new Constitution, according to one delegate, was the provision designed to prevent lucrative offices from being sold and traded for political power. This Essay, a response to Seth Barrett Tillman's challenge to my previous writing on founding era anxiety about corruption, is a partial exploration of the scope of the clauses relating to gifts and office holding.


The Author's Effects: On Writer's House Museums is the first book to describe how the writer's house museum came into being as a widespread cultural phenomenon across Britain, Europe, and North America. Exploring the ways that authorship has been mythologized and materialized through the conventions of the writer's house museum, The Author's Effects anatomizes the how and why of the emergence, establishment, and endurance of popular notions of authorship in relation to creativity. It traces how and why the writer's bodily remains, possessions, and spaces came to be treasured in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, as a prelude to the appearance of formal writer's house museums. It ransacks more than 100 museums and archives to tell the stories of celebrated and paradigmatic relics—Burns' skull, Keats' hair, Petrarch's cat, Poe's raven, Brontë's bonnet, Dickinson's dress, Shakespeare's chair, Austen's desk, Woolf's spectacles, Hawthorne's window, Freud's mirror, Johnson's coffee-pot, and Bulgakov's stove, amongst many others. It investigates houses within which nineteenth-century writers mythologized themselves and their work—Thoreau's cabin and Dumas' tower, Scott's Abbotsford and Irving's Sunnyside. And it tracks literary tourists of the past to such long-celebrated literary homes as Petrarch's Arquà, Rousseau's Île St Pierre, and Shakespeare's Stratford to find out what they thought and felt and did there, discovering deep continuities with the redevelopment of Shakespeare's New Place for 2016


This chapter explores the interrelation between social entrepreneurship and social capital at the neighbourhood level. Although the relevance of social capital theory for explaining the phenomenon of social entrepreneurship is obvious and undisputed, in-depth academic studies in this area remain scarce. We link social cohesion and collective efficacy, two neighbourhood-level components of social capital, to social entrepreneurial activity in the neighbourhood. In this way, we connect the theoretical perspectives of 'institutional void' and 'institutional support' that are addressed in the social entrepreneurship literature. We investigate these relations by using a sample of 360 entrepreneurs in 161 Dutch neighbourhoods and their report of the values they attach to societal and economic goals in their businesses. We find that in particular, collective efficacy in neighbourhoods can be linked to social entrepreneurship. This effect appears to be non-linear and U-shaped, which supports the idea that both a lack (signalling 'institutional void') and an abundance (signalling 'institutional support') of collective efficacy may trigger social entrepreneurial activities in a neighbourhood.


The present work is concerned with exact solutions of Stokes second problem for magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) flow of a Burgers' fluid. The fluid over a flat plate is assumed to be electrically conducting in the presence of a uniform magnetic field applied in outward transverse direction to the flow. The equations governing the flow are modeled and then solved using the Laplace transform technique. The expressions of velocity field and tangential stress are developed when the relaxation time satisfies the condition γ = λ2/4 or γ>λ2/4. The obtained closed form solutions are presented in the form of simple or multiple integrals in terms of Bessel functions and terms with only Bessel functions. The numerical integration is performed and the graphical results are displayed for the involved flow parameters. It is found that the velocity decreases whereas the shear stress increases when the Hartmann number is increased. The solutions corresponding to the Stokes' first problem for hydrodynamic Burgers' fluids are obtained as limiting cases of the present solutions. Similar solutions for Stokes' second problem of hydrodynamic Burgers' fluids and those for Newtonian and Oldroyd-B fluids can also be obtained as limiting cases of these solutions.


Known affectionately as 'La Roja' ('The Red One'), the Spanish national football team has had a trajectory that is inextricably linked with the country's historical and political events. The 'historical memory' of this convoluted historical period also infuses the history of the sport itself in Spain and is thoroughly marked by the authoritarian regime that governed the country at the time (1939–1975). This is a history that is indelibly marked by the military coup led by Francisco Franco and the dictatorship that followed it, which remain contested ground in twenty-first-century Spain. It is this historical amalgamation, this article will argue, that makes Spanish football an exemplary arena from which to observe the processes of memorialising and coming to terms with a divisive past.


[Index to Disease Prevention special section][1]

As models for prevention research, infectious diseases have set a high standard. Thanks to the development and widespread distribution of vaccines and anti microbial drugs, we now live in a world free of smallpox, nearly free of polio, and with declining rates of malaria and AIDS. These victories (some still partial) have resulted in people living longer and acute infectious diseases being superseded in many countries as a public health priority by long-term noncommunicable diseases. Heart disease, metabolic disease, cancer, and respiratory disease together account for 60% of all deaths worldwide and 80% of deaths in low- and middle-income countries. Global projections for dementia are particularly alarming: By the year 2050, the disorder may affect more than 100 million people.

Logic dictates that preventing these diseases is a better approach than treating people after they have become ill. In many cases, the knowledge and tools needed for prevention appear to be in place. A number of these killer diseases share risk factors that can be modified by lifestyle changes—for example, by eliminating tobacco use, eating less processed food, and increasing physical activity. For certain cancers, screening tests are available that allow detection of the disease at an early stage. So why is prevention of these diseases so difficult when it seems like such a good idea on paper?

This special section of Science highlights many of the challenges facing researchers in noncommunicable disease prevention, a field characterized by impassioned debates on issues as fundamental as whether the benefits of cancer screening outweigh the risks, and which forms of prevention are the most cost-effective. The need for carefully designed clinical trials is a common theme in discussions of potential chemopreventive agents—among them aspirin, vitamin D, vaccines against chronic diseases, and β-amyloid–lowering drugs. The preventive strategies most likely to succeed on a population-wide scale are described, as are the best ways to integrate these efforts with infectious disease prevention, and the far-reaching effects (some adverse) that disease prevention efforts could have on a country's economy. And even as medical researchers seek new prevention drugs and strategies, we are reminded that lifelong health requires proper nutrition, especially during the first 1000 days of life, and that effective prevention will require an understanding of why people engage in health-harming behaviors.

One year ago this month, the United Nations convened a conference focused on the global reach of noncommunicable diseases, and it has since set a goal: to reduce the probability of premature mortality from these diseases by 25% by the year 2025. Although the specifics are still a work in progress, preventive strategies will probably play an important role. As if prevention researchers didn't already face enough challenges, they now find themselves working on a deadline.

 [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/site/special/prevention/index.xhtml


Recent neuroimaging research has demonstrated that resting-state intracortical connectivity (i.e., the shared communication between two brain regions) can serve as a robust predictor of motor performance and learning. Theoretically, direct modulation of resting-state intracortical connectivity within the motor system could then improve motor performance and learning. However, previous neuromodulation techniques such as repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation may be limited in the capacity to modulate targeted intracortical connectivity. Paired Associative Stimulation (PAS) has shown efficacy in facilitating connectivity primarily between the central and peripheral nervous system based on the neuroplasticity mechanism of Spike Timing Dependent Plasticity. It may therefore be plausible for a reconfigured corticocortical PAS paradigm to modulate resting-state intracortical connectivity using a dual stimulator methodology over specific cortical nodes. However, potential theoretical and technological considerations of such a paradigm first need to be addressed prior to application for the purposes of manipulating motor behavior. We posit a corticocortical PAS paradigm used in conjunction with resting-state electroencephalography to demonstrate efficacy of potentiating motor learning associated resting-state intracortical connectivity within the human brain. Here we provide a precise PAS/EEG experimental design, details on data analysis, recommendations for maintaining scientific rigor, and preliminary proof of principle within a single-subject.


Abstract. Combined droughts and heatwaves are among those compound extreme events that induce severe impacts on the terrestrial biosphere and human health. A record breaking hot and dry compound event hit western Russia in summer 2010 (Russian heatwave, RHW). Events of this kind are relevant from a hydrometeorological perspective, but are also interesting from a biospheric point of view because of their impacts on ecosystems, e.g., reductions in the terrestrial carbon storage. Integrating both perspectives might facilitate our knowledge about the RHW. We revisit the RHW from both a biospheric and a hydrometeorological perspective. We apply a recently developed multivariate anomaly detection approach to a set of hydrometeorological variables, and then to multiple biospheric variables relevant to describe the RHW. One main finding is that the extreme event identified in the hydrometeorological variables leads to multidirectional responses in biospheric variables, e.g., positive and negative anomalies in gross primary production (GPP). In particular, the region of reduced summer ecosystem production does not match the area identified as extreme in the hydrometeorological variables. The reason is that forest-dominated ecosystems in the higher latitudes respond with unusually high productivity to the RHW. Furthermore, the RHW was preceded by an anomalously warm spring, which leads annually integrated to a partial compensation of 54 % (36 % in the preceding spring, 18 % in summer) of the reduced GPP in southern agriculturally dominated ecosystems. Our results show that an ecosystem-specific and multivariate perspective on extreme events can reveal multiple facets of extreme events by simultaneously integrating several data streams irrespective of impact direction and the variables' domain. Our study exemplifies the need for robust multivariate analytic approaches to detect extreme events in both hydrometeorological conditions and associated biosphere responses to fully characterize the effects of extremes, including possible compensatory effects in space and time.


A previously healthy 58-year-old man presented to the emergency department with a 4-week history of gradually progressive dyspnea, facial flushing, and night sweats. Three weeks before presentation, he received the diagnosis of acne rosacea from an outside physician and was given topical treatments, with no relief in symptoms. One week before presentation, he began to notice swelling of the face, neck, and right arm and dysphagia (initially with solids, then progressing to liquids).


Air ions are characterized on the basis of measurements carried out in a boreal forest at the Hyytiala SMEAR station, Finland, during the BIOFOR III campaign in spring 1999. The air ions were discriminated as small ions (charged molecular aggregates of the diameter of less than 2.5 nm), intermediate ions (charged aerosol particles of the diameter of 2.5–8 nm), and large ions (charged aerosol particles of the diameter of 8–20 nm). Statistical characteristics of the ion concentrations and the parameters of ion balance in the atmosphere are presented separately for the nucleation event days and non-event days. In the steady state, the ionization rate is balanced with the loss of small ions, which is expressed as the product of the small ion concentration and the ion sink rate. The widely known sinks of small ions are the recombination with small ions of opposite polarity and attachment to aerosol particles. The dependence of small ion concentration on the concentration of aerosol particles was investigated applying a model of the bipolar diffusion charging of particles by small ions. When the periods of relative humidity above 95% and wind speed less than 0.6 m s −1 were excluded, then the small ion concentration and the theoretically calculated small ion sink rate were closely negatively correlated (correlation coefficient −87%). However, an extra ion loss term of the same magnitude as the ion loss onto aerosol particles is needed for a quantitative explanation of the observations. This term is presumably due to the small ion deposition on coniferous forest. The hygroscopic growth correction of the measured aerosol particle size distributions was also found to be necessary for the proper estimation of the ion sink rate. In the case of nucleation burst events, the concentration of small positive ions followed the general balance equation, no extra ion loss in addition to the deposition on coniferous forest was detected, and the hypothesis of the conversion of ions into particles in the process of ion-induced nucleation was not proved. The estimated average ionization rate of the air at the Hyytiala station in early spring, when the ground was partly covered with snow, was about 6 ion pairs cm −3 s −1 . The study of the charging state of nanometer aerosol particles (diameter 2.5–8 nm) in the atmosphere revealed a strong correlation (correlation coefficient 88%) between the concentrations of particles neutralized in the aerosol spectrometer and naturally positively charged particles (air ions) during nucleation bursts. The charged fraction of particles varied from 3% to 6% in accordance with the hypothesis that the particles are quasi-steady state charged.


Co-operative societies across the world have age-old tradition of assisting members gain easy access to vital resources and services through collective efforts. This paper explores the strategies adopted by public sector workers' co-operative society in securing urban land for housing development. This study is motivated by dearth of empirical studies on strategies used by low- and middle -income earners in overcoming myriad challenges militating against access to urban land and housing in Nigerian cities. We used a qualitative research method to carry out an empirical investigation through one-on-one interviews with purposively selected members of Land Acquisition Committee (LAC) of the NEPA District Co-operative Thrift and Saving Loan Association Enugu, Nigeria. Findings show that a mixture of customary, informal and formal practices involved in securing land from indigenous landowners was principally aimed at ensuring customary and statutory legitimacy as well as secured tenure. The paper concludes that co-operative approach has great potentials in addressing problems of multiple payments for land, "indigenous land owners' factor" and high cost of urban land in Nigeria, and therefore, should be encouraged and promoted among disadvantaged urban residents in developing countries.


The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was a challenge for emergency care units worldwide due to the large numbers of patients, the scarcity of information, the medical resources, and the uncertainty regarding the disease's etiology and pathogenesis. The transmission of the virus and a probable post-pandemic of SARS-CoV-2 will depend on how deep we can understand this disease, the duration of immunity and the degree of cross immunity between SARS-CoV-2 and other pathogens either bacteria or fungi. Most mortalities have been treated to an atypical pneumonia consisted of a sudden worsening of general condition of the admitted positive COVID-19 patients. The severe thromboembolism often characterized by a violent pulmonary and systemic complications described with a blend of inflammatory-infectious patterns that rapidly shifted into a typical systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) or into an acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) that eventually concluded into a multi-organ failure (MOF) and death. The fatality rate reported in our Covid-19 structure, SG Moscati Hospital of Taranto province in Italy, was higher in aged male people with preexisting chronic pulmonary disease (COPD), patients with cancer and preexisting cardio-vascular diseases (CVD). We assumed a different theoretical position to clarify the higher mortality event seen among those patients that was not as obvious as it appeared, we thus offered different pathophysiological picture that could help to newly solutions in therapy and prevention.


Globalisation has promoted the connections among sovereign states in the international political economy. Despite the preponderance of neo-protectionist tendencies in the United States and some European countries, the import of regionalism in global political economy has not waned. While economic regionalism was adopted in the advanced capitalist formations as a logical consequence of and/or the instrument for the universalisation of capitalism, the emergence and/or revival of regional groupings like the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was a reactionary outcome of the twin problems of colonialism and globalisation. Specifically, West African states reached out to one another in order to mitigate the negative effects of globalisation and advance their common interest through economic integration. This study interrogates the relevance of ECOWAS in the international political economy within the global resurgence of protectionism. Although ECOWAS is impaired by multifarious political and socioeconomic challenges, this study demonstrates that its achievements in free movement of goods and persons, promotion of peace, security, good governance, and democratisation make it remain relevant in the global political economy.


Vehicles driven off-road damage the soil and vegetation on the terrain, which can cause soil erosion and degradation of the landscape. This type of damage occurs on military installations due to training. Military training lands must be managed in an attempt to minimize the overall impacts of training on the terrain. The Army Training and Testing Area Carrying Capacity (ATTACC) is a model used by the U.S. Army to manage their training lands. Methods of determining the impacts produced by a vehicle and subsequent vegetative recovery have been used at Fort Lewis, WA for the Light Armored Vehicle (LAV). The LAV is an eight-wheeled vehicle with a maximum curb weight of approximately 14,000 kg. In June of 2003, the vehicle was operated in spiral patterns (five high-speed and five low-speed), and the impacts of the vehicle were assessed at this time. Measurements were taken at 13-20 points along each of the 10 spirals. The impact measurements taken at each point were disturbed width and impact severity. The impacts were reassessed after six months and one year to determine recovery from the initial damage. Different types of impacts (imprint, scrape, combination, and pile) were determined based on the characteristics of the damage produced. The recovery of these different impact types was also assessed. The study site at Fort Lewis was found to have an overall vegetative recovery of 43% after one year, but the different impact types varied in the amount of recovery. Imprint impact types had an almost complete recovery of 74%, while the scrape and combination showed little recovery (11% and 22%, respectively) after one year. The pile also showed a high recovery of 54%. Areas where the vehicle was operated at low iv speeds showed high recovery (78%). Recovery was much lower (29%) for areas where the vehicle was operated at high speeds. The damage produced was higher and recovery lower when the vehicle was turning sharply. The data produced by this study will be useful in managing the training with LAVs at Fort Lewis by implementation into the ATTACC model. Further study must be done to determine when these impacts would be fully recovered from the damage. The results found in this study are only applicable to the LAV and Fort Lewis. Other vehicles produce different impacts, and other locations have different climates, soils, and vegetation types that would respond differently to vehicle impacts. The methods used in this study can be utilized at other locations and with different vehicles to provide applications to more sites and a wider variety of vehicles.


Abstract- This paper presents a tunable bandstop filter design using defected ground structure (DGS) where FR4
substrate is used as a low cost solution compared to others substrate such as Teflon and Rogers RT/Duroid. Thus, the
performance of the tunable DGS bandstop filter using FR4 substrate is analyzed in this paper. Besides, analytical
modeling of the tunable bandstop filter is derived and discussed as well where the tunable element of varactor diodes are used in the design. As result, tuning range in simulation is achieved from center frequency of 0.445 to 1.99GHz while the tuning range of fabricated filteris from 0.495 to 1.88GHz. The range of bandstop attenuation is between 9 to 46 dB for tuning voltage between 0 to 8 V.


Although Brown v. Board of Education set the stage for the civil rights movement and ended an era of strict racial segregation in schooling, it did not deliver all of the expected educational benefits for black children. Fifty years after the Supreme Court declared an end to the separate but equal doctrine in public schools, America's schools are still substantially segregated and unequal. It is safe to say that the educational results of Brown have been a disappointing. In this article, I contend that much of the disappointment of Brown stems from a misconception of the power of schooling and a disconnect between America's faith in its schools and their operational reality. So much was expected from Brown because many believed, or at least hoped, that ending segregation in schools would - in itself - make inroads into the structure of a racially oppressive society. Implicit in the Brown decision and in the litigation leading to Brown is an unexamined faith in the institution of public schooling and its power to effect social change. That faith encompasses the beliefs that public schools are capable of serving as the social balance wheel for a capitalist society; that they create citizen affinity; and that they operate as engines of societal reform. Each of these beliefs is contestable and worthy of examination. This article examines Brown as an expression of faith in public schooling and considers its power to be a democratizing force in American society. It then puts that faith in the context of the public school's discriminatory history. I go on to consider two ways in which schooling was expected to accomplish its democratizing effect - by establishing equality and by creating racial affinity - and explain reasons to doubt that the schools alone can ever accomplish these goals. Finally, I conclude that fifty years of experience with Brown require us to take a new look at the social framework for achieving equality and social cohesion. Given the limits of the power of schooling to effect social change, we cannot simply reform schools and expect resulting social and political changes. Instead, we must strive for greater equality and cohesion in society if we hope to achieve equal opportunity in schooling. School reform cannot take place in the absence of supporting social reform.


We estimate the effect of Ge doping on the acoustic damping coefficient of silica fibers. We show that an acoustically multimode fiber with a characteristic central index dip, such as that observed in modified chemical-vapor deposition (MCVD)-type fibers, can provide adequate data for a reasonable estimation. This may result from the fact that the scattering integral of each acoustic mode in such a waveguide is strongly position-dependent in the radial direction where there is a varying Ge content.


Capacity planning is a crucial component of health care governance. By concentrating on a diverse selection of countries, this policy brief shows a range of approaches to health care financing and organization, since both of these factors have an impact on approaches to capacity planning. Examples are from Canada, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and New Zealand.


1. The influence of adrenergic receptor blocking drugs on the mouse thyroid gland maintained in vitro has been investigated. 2. Phentolamine, an α adrenergic blocking drug, and propranolol, a β blocking drug, inhibited the release of [ 131 I]iodothyronines from pre-labelled mouse thyroids, which otherwise occurred when the glands were incubated in the presence of thyroid stimulating hormone, long acting thyroid stimulator, or cyclic 3′5′-adenosine monophosphate. 3. Evidence is presented to show that (a) the inhibition is not due to adrenergic blockade, (b) the effect cannot wholly be attributed to the prevention of adenyl cyclase activation, (c) the mechanism of action of the two drugs is dissimilar. 4. The observed clinical response in the treatment of thyrotoxicosis does not appear to be related to this antithyroid effect of propranolol.


The Late Cretaceous represented a period of greenhouse climate of Earth history, and was characterised by high temperatures, high atmospheric CO2 and high eustatic sea-level, with larege areas of shallow warm epicontinental seas. Understanding the dynamics of the Late Cretacious oceans led to the deposition of a large portion of the world's petroleum reserves, so reconstruction of depositional environments and refinement of stratigraphical correlation are important for this field as well. Dinoflagellates were a prolific and diverse group within the plankton throughout Late Cretaceous oceans, and their cysts display good preservation across different facies, and so are a good group for biostratigraphical and palaeoenvironmental study.

A high-resolution quantitative study of the palynomorphs from five European sections of Late Cenomanian to Early Coniacian (Late Cretaceous) age is presented, along with elemental and stable-isotope geochemistry. The sections are from a range of palaeolatitudes and basins, including the North Sea Basin, the Anglo-Paris Basin, the Bohemian Basin, the Polish Trough and the Vocontian Basin.

High-resolution [delta]13C curves (derived from carbonate and organic carbon) enable the recognition of major isotope events, despite offsets in absolute values and variation in amplitude between the sections, providing support for the hypothesis that such curves can be used in detailed chemostratigraphical correlation. Dinoflagellate cyst (dinocyst) biostratigraphical markers that correlate between basins prove to be good tie-points, though the positions of several previously recognised dinocyst markers are shown to differ between basins. Acmes of dinocyst species are considered to be of potentially better use than first or last occurences.

Hypotheses for the processes leading to widespread black shale deposition and carbon isotope excursion that characterise Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 (OAE2), at the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary, have focussed on increased productivity versus increased preservation of organic matter. High dinocyst abundance, and particularly a high proportion of peridinoid cysts, (which are thought to be derived from eutrophy-adapted heterotrophic dinoflagellates), at the onset of OAE2, support the notion of increased productivity. However, as OAE2 progressed, changes in dinocyst assemblages relfect a cessation of high productivity.

Dinocyst distribution is considered to be controlled largely by nutrient levels, but is also impacted by temperature, sea level, and water mass changes. Influxes of certain species are related to changes in salinity, changes in temperature, and water mass change, and increased communication between basins.


Root zone soil moisture at one and two meter depths are forecasted four days into the future. In this article, we propose a new multivariate output prediction approach to root zone soil moisture assessment using learning machine models. These models are known for their robustness, efficiency, and sparseness; they provide a statistically sound approach to solving the inverse problem and thus to building statistical models. The multivariate relevance vector machine (MVRVM) is used to build a model that forecasts soil moisture states based upon current soil moisture and soil temperature conditions. The methodology combines the data at different depths from 5 cm to 50 cm, the largest of which corresponds to the depth at which the soil moisture sensors are generally operational, to produce soil moisture predictions at larger depths. The MVRVM test results for soil moisture predictions at 1 m and 2 m depth on the 4th day are excellent with RMSE = 0.0131 m3/m3 for 1 m; and RMSE = 0.0015 m3/m3 for 2 m forecasted values. The statistics of predictions for 4th day (CoE = 0.87 for 1 m and CoE = 0.96 for 2 m) indicate good model generalization capability and computations show good agreement with actual measurements with R2 = 0.88 and R2 = 0.97 for 1 m and 2 m depths, respectively. The MVRVM produces good results for all four days. Bootstrapping is used to check over/under-fitting and uncertainty in model estimates.


Formation of mountain ranges results from complex coupling between lithospheric deformation, mechanisms linked to subduction and surface processes: weathering, erosion, and climate. Today, erosion of the eastern Andean cordillera and sub-Andean foothills supplies over 99% of the sediment load passing through the Amazon Basin. Denudation rates in the upper Ucayali basin are rapid, favoured by a marked seasonality in this region and extreme precipitation cells above sedimentary strata, uplifted during Neogene times by a still active sub-Andean tectonic thrust. Around 40% of those sediments are trapped in the Ucayali retro-foreland basin system. Recent advances in remote sensing for Amazonian large rivers now allow us to complete the ground hydrological data. In this work, we propose a first estimation of the erosion and sedimentation budget of the Ucayali River catchment, based on spatial and conventional HYBAM Observatory network.


This review considers data published on the effects of offshore and onshore windfarms on swans and geese and finds that the information available is patchy. Of 72 swans or geese reported as collision victims at 46 wind farms, most (39 birds) were reported at 23 wind farms in Germany where such data are collated. Post-construction monitoring was undertaken for ≤ 1 year at 67% of 33 sites, making it difficult to test for cumulative effects or annual variation in collision rates. Site use by the birds was measured at only nine of 46 wind farms where collisions by swans and geese were monitored or recorded. Displacement distances of feeding birds at wintering sites ranged from 100–600 m, but preliminary evidence suggested that large-scale displacement also occurs, with fewer swans and geese returning to areas after wind farms were installed. Eight studies of flight behaviour all reported changes in flight-lines for swans or geese initially seen heading towards the turbines, at distances ranging from a few hundred metres to 5 km; 50–100% of individuals/groups avoided entering the area between turbines, but in some cases the sample sizes were small. Key knowledge gaps remain, including whether wind farm installation has a consistently negative effect on the number of birds returning to a wintering area; whether flight avoidance behaviour varies with weather conditions, wind farm size, habituation and the alignment of the turbines; provision of robust avoidance rate measures; and the extent to which serial wind farm development has a cumulative impact on specific swan and goose populations. It is therefore recommended that: 1) post-construction monitoring and dissemination of results be undertaken routinely, 2) the extent to which wind farms cause larger-scale displacement of birds from traditional wintering areas be assessed more rigorously, 3) further detailed studies of flight-lines in the vicinity of wind farms should be undertaken, both during migration and for birds commuting between feeding areas and the roost, to provide a more rigorous assessment of collision and avoidance rates for inclusion in collision risk models, and 4) the combination of collision mortality and habitat loss at all wind farms in the species' range be analysed in determining whether they have a significant effect on the population.


An estate planner must always be on guard when drafting instruments that may supply incentive for someone to contest a will. Anytime an individual would take more through intestacy or under a prior will, the potential for a will contest exists, especially if the estate is large. Although will contests are relatively rare, the prudent attorney must recognize situations that are likely to inspire a will contest and take steps during the drafting stage to reduce the probability of a will contest action and the chances of its success.This article examines the situations which provide an enhanced likelihood of a will contest and then details the techniques a prudent attorney should consider. An important caveat is in order. Although this article discusses a wide range of strategies that may be helpful in preventing will contests, these techniques vary widely in both cost and predictability of results. There is no uniform approach to use for all clients. Each situation needs to be carefully examined on its own merits before deciding which, if any, of the techniques should be used.


Written for marketing and finance directors, CEOs, and strategists, as well as MBA students, this practical book explains the principles and practice behind rigorous due diligence in marketing. It connects marketing plans and investment to the valuation of the firm and how it can contribute to increasing stakeholder value. Completely revised and updated throughout, the Second Edition features new case examples as well as a completely new first chapter containing the results of new research into risk and marketing strategies amongst Finance Directors and Chief Marketing Officers.


This paper presents a novel semantic-based phrase translation model. A pair of source and target phrases are projected into continuous-valued vector representations in a low-dimensional latent semantic space, where their translation score is computed by the distance between the pair in this new space. The projection is performed by a multi-layer neural network whose weights are learned on parallel training data. The learning is aimed to directly optimize the quality of end-to-end machine translation results. Experimental evaluation has been performed on two Europarl translation tasks, English-French and German-English. The results show that the new semantic-based phrase translation model significantly improves the performance of a state-of-the-art phrase-based statistical machine translation sys-tem, leading to a gain of 0.7-1.0 BLEU points.


Deductive techniques are presented for deriving programs systematically from given specifications. The specifications express the purpose of the desired program without giving any hint of the algorithm to be employed. The basic approach is to transform the specifications repeatedly according to certain rules, until a satisfactory program is produced. The rules are guided by a number of strategic controls. These techniques have been incorporated in a running program-synthesis system, called DEDALUS.


Relive history as it happened - year by year. From the origins of our earliest African ancestors right up until the present day, "History Year by Year" covers the history of cultures and nations around the world in amazing visual detail. Discover the events, individuals, cultures, inventions and ideas that have shaped the world in this innovative and visually arresting book that presents the 'who', 'where' and 'what' of history as never before. Explore the past using dynamic timelines that highlight major themes and 'stories of the year' as well as bite-sized detail so you can move seamlessly through history. Completely comprehensive yet perfect for browsing, "History Year by Year" is an essential addition to any family bookshelf making the past accessible to everyone.


The MDS is a core set of items, definitions, and response categories used to assess all of the nation's 1.5 million nursing home residents who reside in facilities participating in the Medicare or Medicaid programs. Further, the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) has proposed a rule that would require facilities to computerize MDS data and submit it to state and federal agencies, paving the way for a national database. This article describes the process of testing the reliability of the MDS items in 13 nursing homes in five states. The results demonstrate that MDS data gathered in a research effort attain reliabilities that make such data useful. MDS items met a standard for excellent reliability (i.e., intraclass correlation of .7 or higher) in key areas of functional status, such as cognition, ADLs, continence, and diagnoses. Sixty-three percent of the items achieved reliability coefficients of .6 or higher. Eighty-nine percent of the items in the MDS achieved .4 or higher.


Abstract. We studied nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes and soil nitrogen (N) cycling following forest conversion to pasture in the central Amazon near Santarem, Para, Brazil. Two undisturbed forest sites and 27 pasture sites of 0.5 to 60 years were sampled once each during wet and dry seasons. In addition to soil-atmosphere fluxes of N2O we measured 27 soil chemical, soil microbiological and soil physical variables. Soil N2O fluxes were higher in the wet season than in the dry season. Fluxes of N2O from forest soils always exceeded fluxes from pasture soils and showed no consistent trend with pasture age. At our forest sites, nitrate was the dominant form of inorganic N both during wet and dry season. At our pasture sites nitrate generally dominated the inorganic N pools during the wet season and ammonium dominated during the dry season. Net mineralization and nitrification rates displayed large variations. During the dry season net immobilization of N was observed in some pastures. Compared to forest sites, young pasture sites (≤2 years) had low microbial biomass N and protease activities. Protease activity and microbial biomass N peaked in pastures of intermediate age (4 to 8 years) followed by consistently lower values in older pasture (10 to 60 years). The C/N ratio of litter was low at the forest sites (~25) and rapidly increased with pasture age reaching values of 60-70 at pastures of 15 years and older. Nitrous oxide emissions at our sites were controlled by C and N availability and soil aeration. Fluxes of N2O were negatively correlated to leaf litter C/N ratio, NH4+-N and the ratio of NO3--N to the sum of NO3--N + NH4+-N (indicators of N availability), and methane fluxes and bulk density (indicators of soil aeration status) during the wet season. During the dry season fluxes of N2O were positively correlated to microbial biomass N, β-glucosidase activity, total inorganic N stocks and NH4+-N. In our study region, pastures of all age emitted less N2O than old-growth forests, because of a progressive decline in N availability with pasture age combined with strongly anaerobic conditions in some pastures during the wet season.


Abstract:The rhetorical ideas inherited from the Greeks have established the notion that skilled use of language is always indicated by eloquent expression, and that silence is either an aberration or a lack of skill. As we penetrate the silence that has surrounded one of the great civilizations of the earth, however, and look at Egyptian rhetoric, we find alternative views on what makes a skilled speaker. While the Egyptians esteemed eloquent speaking, a skill that in fact had a very high value in their society, Egyptian rules of rhetoric also clearly specify that knowing when not to speak is essential, and very respected, rhetorical knowledge. The Egyptian approach to rhetoric is thus a balance between eloquence and wise silence. Egyptian rules of speech also strongly emphasize adherence to social behaviors that support a conservative status quo. For the Egyptians, much more than for the Greeks, skilled speech should support, not question, society. The few studies of Egyptian rhetoric which have previously been done discuss some of the moral components of that rhetoric and the importance of silence. The current study looks at Egyptian attitudes toward language as both a magical and a practical element of life, and in addition this study places the rules of Egyptian rhetoric solidly within the Egyptian social system.


Abstract Despite the vast volume of scholarly work on Mediterranean and the Near East the region, issues of marginalisation, discrimination, racism, and ethnic-gender groups as well as the implications of these within the context of various wider forces and structures are only lately receiving any attention at all and this paper is part of an effort to explore and expose them. The aim of this paper is to explore this otherwise forgotten area through the example of Cypriot women and their interpretations of internal 'Others' in Cyprus. It is thus an attempt to analyze the discourses and images adopted by women in Cyprus surrounding 'Otherhood'. Ultimately, the paper represents an effort to use ethnographic fieldwork and empirical data in order to explore and raise questions about women's experiences and attitudes in Cyprus, since the androcentric cosmology common to Mediterranean societies has been largely ignored. Key words: Constructions of Women, Otherhood, Cyprus Why The Front Door? Introducing the 'Structure' The Mediterranean and the Near East have traditionally been the focus of much anthropological research and more recently the attention of social scientists, most notably economists, and political scientists. Despite the vast volume of scholarly work on the region, issues of marginalisation, discrimination, racism, and ethnic-gender groups as well as the implications of these within the context of various wider forces and structures are only lately receiving any attention at all. The following analysis is part of an effort to explore and expose them through the example of Cypriot women and their interpretations of internal 'Others' in Cyprus. It provides an analysis of the multiple discourses and images adopted by women in Cyprus surrounding 'Otherness' and raises questions which have been ignored to present day in part due to the 'phallonarcissistic' vision and the androcentric cosmology common to Mediterranean societies (Bourdieu, 2001, p6). In order to discuss Cypriot women's attitudes, beliefs, and opinions on issues of 'Otherhood', one has to enter their homes, into the so-called 'private' sphere. Entering 'the Front Door', as the title of this chapter states, is an act of particular importance in the case of Cyprus. The 'house', like the patriarchal, capitalist state, is a structure of oppression and domination. It is highly symbolic as the "house is a place of cleanliness and purity as opposed to the street which is dirty ... The street is also a place of sexual impurity ... (and) a euphemism for adultery, as when it is said that a woman deceives her husband 'in the street'." (Dubisch, 1983, p197-8). The concept of cleanliness within the home used to be very dominant in both urban and rural settings, although it is gradually shifting and reconstructing its previous symbolic significance in urban settings (partly due to women's entry into the labor force). A clean woman (kathari yineka, implying a woman who keeps the house clean) and a clean house are important praises which indicate to sexual purity. They are socially implied as mutually constitutive, interdependent symbolic terms, where one cannot exist without the other: a woman who is occupied with cleaning the house, is not occupied with 'other things', her mind is not 'elsewhere' (o nous tis even allou). Rather, her interest lies within the home and the family. Women's commitment to household chores and responsibilities is made explicitly obvious in a high standard of cleanliness and order, "often at the expense of convenience." (Rushton, 1983, p59). A woman who neglects her house chores, in either a rural or an urban community will be, in the best case scenario (2), subject to gossip by both women and men as this demonstrates her lack of commitment to the family and the home. The state of a Cypriot woman's house reflects her sexual morality, so both the woman and the man have a vested interest in the house being kept clean (Dubisch, 1986, p. …


Mutations in the creatine (Cr) transporter (CrT; Slc6a8) gene lead to absence of brain Cr and intellectual disabilities, loss of speech, and behavioral abnormalities. To date, no mouse model of CrT deficiency exists in which to understand and develop treatments for this condition. The purpose of this study was to generate a mouse model of human CrT deficiency. We created mice with exons 2–4 of Slc6a8 flanked by loxP sites and crossed these to Cre:CMV mice to create a line of ubiquitous CrT knockout expressing mice. Mice were tested for learning and memory deficits and assayed for Cr and neurotransmitter levels. Male CrT−/y (affected) mice lack Cr in the brain and muscle with significant reductions of Cr in other tissues including heart and testes. CrT−/y mice showed increased path length during acquisition and reversal learning in the Morris water maze. During probe trials, CrT−/y mice showed increased average distance from the platform site. CrT−/y mice showed reduced novel object recognition and conditioned fear memory compared to CrT+/y. CrT−/y mice had increased serotonin and 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. Ubiquitous CrT knockout mice have learning and memory deficits resembling human CrT deficiency and this model should be useful in understanding this disorder.


This guide will be used to keep WebSOC on track as we move through the redesign of the website and to keep all of our stakeholders informed on our progress.


This synthesis will be useful to commercial vehicle operators, federal and state agencies, and others interested in improving commercial vehicle safety. The report identifies and documents (1) motivating factors that influence commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers in deciding whether to wear safety belts and (2) research and practices that address CMV safety belt usage. It also offers a review of ergonomic and human engineering factors in the design and use of safety belts in CMVs as well as approaches to facilitate safety belt use by truck manufacturers. The information for this synthesis was obtained through a review of relevant literature; a survey of commercial truck and bus fleet managers; focus group discussions with CMV drivers; a survey of CMV drivers conducted at several truck stops; a review of the interactions of the commonly used 3-point safety belt with a range of CMV drivers; and visits to a number of CMV original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to examine installation of current safety belt designs and approaches used in new CMVs. This synthesis was prepared in support of the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Admin-istration's Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Belt Partnership, which is conducting outreach activities to promote safety belt use and participating in and implementing safety belt-related research.


In the last decade, the federal circuit courts have grappled with the issue whether, and to what extent, school officials constitutionally may discipline students for their off-campus electronic speech. Before 2015, three federal circuit courts had extended school authority to off-campus electronic speech by applying a vague test that allows school officials to reach far beyond the iconic "schoolhouse gate" referenced in the Supreme Court's landmark decision in Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, 393 U.S. 503 (1969) Two other federal circuits had avoided the issue altogether by deciding the cases before them on other grounds. In 2015, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals became the sixth circuit court to wrestle with the issue, issuing a highly fractured decision in which multiple judges urged the Supreme Court to provide guidance on this important constitutional issue. A petition for a writ of certiorari was filed in the Fifth Circuit case but, in February 2016, just days after the unexpected death of Justice Antonin Scalia, the Supreme Court denied the certiorari petition. The eight-member Court thus missed an opportunity to address this important First Amendment issue. This article reviews the varied approaches the federal circuits have taken regarding the scope of school officials' authority over students' off-campus electronic speech. The article then proposes an analytical framework that will protect students' free speech rights while preserving the ability of school officials to insure the safety and wellbeing of the school community.


Collaborative learning in higher education is important to student engagement and experience but it is relatively under researched and there is much that is not yet understood. Further, methodological approaches and tools to research collaborative learning need developing. We explore issues related to assessed group work experienced by a first year cohort on a large Business Studies module, by examining views of both staff and students. Adopting a mixed-methods approach, we trialled an innovative approach to focus groups using an adapted business tool (Process Value Mapping) and a theoretically informed questionnaire.  The particular foci were organisation of collaborative learning, support for collaboration, group formation, and the benefits and difficulties experienced. Overall both students and staff were positive about the experience. Students experienced challenges including finding time to meet and how groups were composed. Staff in the focus group raised organisational issues about the process of supporting collaborative learning. This study confirms the value of collaborative learning and its challenges. We argue that the data from both groups highlights the importance of how collaborative learning begins. We also argue that for collaborative learning to be enhanced, and to be a positive experience on large modules such as this, attention should be paid to how groups are formed, how they are supported and how collaborative skills develop.  We propose systemic and organisational changes that can help ensure collaborative learning is successful. This requires institutional innovation.


Acknowledgements. List of Contributors. List of Abbreviations. 1. Education for All: multigrade realities and histories A.W. Little. 2. Learning opportunities for all: pedagogy in multigrade and monograde classrooms in the Turks and Caicos Islands C. Berry. 3. A multigrade approach to literacy in the Amazon, Peru: school and community perspectives P. Ames. 4. Multigrade teaching in London, England C. Berry, A.W. Little. 5. Multigrade teachers and their training in rural Nepal T. Suzuki. 6. Prepared for diversity? Teacher education for lower primary classes in Malawi A. Croft. 7. Adapting the primary mathematics curriculum to the multigrade classroom in rural Sri Lanka M. Vithanapathirana. 8. Improving the quality of health education in multigrade schools in Vietnam Vu S., P. Pridmore. 9. Adapting the curriculum for teaching health in multigrade classes in Vietnam P. Pridmore with Vu S. 10. EFA for pastoralists in Noth Sudan: a mobile multigrade model of schooling S. Aikman and H. El Haj. 11. Extending basic education to out-of-school children in Northern Ghana: what can multigrade schooling teach us? A. Kwame Akyeampong. 12. The costs and finance of multigrade strategies for learning: how do the books balance? K.M. Lewin. 13. Escuela nueva's impact on the peaceful social interaction of children in Colombia C. Forero et al. 14. Multigrade lessons for EFA A.W. Little. Index.


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Low effective demand is often cited as a major reason for the lack of private-sector involvement in the seed system for legume crops in developing countries. The viability of these seed systems depends on whether farmers perceive the seed product as a quality planting material, and whether they are willing to pay a premium for the seed relative to grain. To evaluate these issues, double blind field experiments and experimental auctions were conducted with more than 500 bean and cowpea farmers in northern Tanzania and northern Ghana. The experiments were designed to gauge the relative demand for three types of seed products: certified, quality declared (QDS), and recycled (i.e., grain saved from previous harvest). These three types of seeds differ in seed input (i.e., which generation of seed is used to produce them), the level of regulatory supervision they receive during production, and the technical conditions under which they are produced. Whether the production cost differential across these types of seeds makes them qualitatively different products as reflected in their perceived or actual performance of the plant, and whether that translates into sufficient price premiums paid by farmers for these better quality seeds are the research questions addressed by this study. Overall, the results of the field experiments indicate that, all else equal (i.e., the variety and management practices), plots planted with certified seed performed better on measures of objective indicators (i.e., yield, seed quality, and agronomic traits). However, the actual yield difference between the different bean plots in Tanzania was much smaller than the yield differential observed for the cowpea plots in Ghana. Irrespective of the magnitude of the yield differences (or yield deterioration observed over each generation of seed production), an important implication of this finding is that to increase productivity, it is not sufficient to promote only the adoption of improved varieties, but it is likely also necessary to promote the use of higher quality seed as an input. In both countries, plots planted with certified seeds were perceived, based on the observations of plots at the flowering and harvest stages, to be of the best quality by a majority of farmers. All else equal, farmers were willing to pay a premium for the higher quality seeds. The relative difference in farmers' willingness-to-pay (WTP) for different seed types was highly correlated with the relative difference in their perceived quality. This willingness to pay a premium for quality legume seed by smallholder farmers is encouraging and indicative of the existence of an effective demand for self-pollinated crop seeds (as opposed to recycled grain) like beans and cowpeas. While a significant portion of farmers in the study (35-40%) were willing to pay a large enough premium to cover the higher production costs of certified seed, across both crop/country case studies, we found the rest of the legume growing farmers' willingness to pay premium for quality seed was below the current local price of certified seed. Indeed, for a sub-set of these farmers in Tanzania (25%), the willingness to pay for quality seed was even lower than the local grain price. The implication of these findings is that there is no one-sizefits-all strategy to meet the seed needs of all the farmers. Current efforts to encourage the private sector to produce and supply certified seeds through agro-dealers can potentially meet the seed needs of at most 35-40% of farmers (if the quality of those seeds is substantially superior to recycled grain, and the seed is of a preferred variety). Clearly, more research and discussion is needed to assess the seed needs of the remaining (majority) farmers whose WTP for quality seed appears to be less than the current market price of certified seed. One avenue of research is to investigate mechanisms to lower the cost of producing quality seed, without reducing the incentives for seed producers, so that quality seed can be provided at prices closer to that of grain. While cost-reducing strategies through policy, programmatic and technological options should remain a high priority for governments and donor-supported programs such as the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), this study also indicates the need for continued support for innovative and smart subsidy-based approaches to meet the needs of the 15-20% of farmers whose WTP for seed is so low that for-profit seed production/marketing models will not work. In drawing this implication, we have not taken in to consideration the varietal preferences of farmers and how their absolute WTP for quality seed might be influenced by the type of variety, which was held constant in the experiments. More research is needed to understand farmers' varietal preferences and their demand for seed that embodies both their preferred traits and quality. Across the two countries, results indicate that seed quality matters, and that on average certified seeds consistently outperformed both the QDS and recycled seeds. In Ghana, on average the QDS outperformed the recycled seed, but in Tanzania the QDS and recycled seed performed similarly. Community based QDS production and sale is often promoted as a lowcost option for increasing farmers' access to quality seed within a community. However, if the lower cost also comes with lower quality, then the sustainability of QDS seed systems is questionable since farmers may not be willing to pay the price premium required. That said, this study also illustrates that when the advantages of planting better quality seed in place of recycled seed can be demonstrated, a significant portion of farmers appear to be willing to pay more, indicating that private sector seed systems can be viable.


The Nigerian agricultural export sector has been through three different development phases: transition, peak, and de-agriculturalisation. Blending simple international trade theory with actual facts, this study supports the notion that production during the transition phase enjoyed a classical ""vent for surplus"" type of growth, involving increased utilisation of available factor inputs, which in turn produced increased per capita income. Coupled with the classical factors were several technological packages introduced to fanners in later years. These led to the attainment of output peaks mainly in the 1950s and 1960s. Finally, the study argues that the foundation for de-agriculturalisation was already laid during the peak phase when fanners were taxed heavily, and several agricultural projects were biased against them.


The submitted manuscript has been created by the University of Chicago as Operator of Argonne National Laboratory ("Argonne") under Contract No. W-31-109-ENG-38 with the U.S. Department of Energy. The U.S. Government retains for itself, and others acting on its behalf, a paid-up, nonexclusive, irrevocable worldwide license in said article to reproduce, prepare derivative works, distribute copies to the public, and perform publicly and display publicly, by or on behalf of the Government.


Background: Sports-related concussions (SRCs) have gained increased societal interest in the past decade. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has implemented legislation and rule changes to decrease the incidence and risk of head injury impacts. The "targeting" rule forbids initiating contact with the crown of a helmet and targeting defenseless players in the head and neck area; however, there are concerns that this rule change has unintentionally led to an increased incidence of lower extremity injuries. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the change in lower extremity injury rates in NCAA football during the 2009-2010 to 2014-2015 seasons. We hypothesized that the lower extremity injury rate has increased across the time period. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: Sixty-eight NCAA football programs provided 153 team-seasons of data to the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program. Lower extremity injuries (ie, hip/groin, upper leg/thigh, knee, lower leg/Achilles, foot/toes) and SRCs sustained during NCAA football games were examined. We calculated injury rates per 1000 athlete-exposures (AEs) for lower extremity injuries and SRCs. Rate ratios (RRs) compared injury rates between the 2009-2010 to 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 to 2014-2015 seasons. Results: Overall, 2400 lower extremity injuries were reported during the 2009-2010 to 2014-2015 seasons; most were to the knee (33.6%) and ankle (28.5%) and caused by player contact (59.2%). The lower extremity injury rate increased in 2012-2013 to 2014-2015 compared with 2009-2010 to 2011-2012 (23.55 vs 20.45/1000 AEs, respectively; RR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.06-1.25). This finding was retained when restricted to injuries due to player contact (RR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.07-1.32) but not for injuries due to noncontact/overuse (RR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.80-1.14). When examining player contact injury rates by anatomic site, only ankle injuries had an increase (RR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.13-1.64). The SRC rate also increased in 2012-2013 to 2014-2015 compared with 2009-2010 to 2011-2012 (3.52 vs 2.63/1000 AEs, respectively; RR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.08-1.66). Conclusion: The lower extremity injury rate has increased in NCAA football athletes. Similarly, SRC rates have increased, although this may be caused by concurrent policies related to better education, identification, and management. Targeting rule changes may be contributing to increased rates of player contact–related ankle injuries. Alongside continued surveillance research to examine longitudinal time trends, more in-depth individual-level examinations of how targeting rule changes influence coaching and player behaviors are warranted.


Laboratory testing was undertaken to examine the spontaneous combustion propensity of some of the coal seams being mined at Leigh Creek. Tests indicated that while carbonaceous rocks retained a fuel load, in isolation, these did not have the capacity to reach thermal runaway. However, the potential existed for heat from another source, such as coal, to raise the temperature of these rocks to above the threshold for thermal runaway (>100 °C). The mine closure plan submitted to the regulator (Department of Premier and Cabinet, South Australia) incorporated a monitoring trial of the selected spontaneous combustion management rehabilitation strategy to demonstrate its effectiveness. The strategy included reducing batter slopes of waste spoil piles and the application of an inert cover. The trial was established in June 2017 in a location with active combustion immediately prior to rehabilitation treatment. Measurements of temperature and oxygen concentrations within the spoil pile over twelve months show that oxygen is consumed within 1 m of the outer surface of the waste, while maximum spoil pile temperatures have been decreasing, indicating a net heat loss from the trial spoil pile area. No spontaneous combustion outbreaks have occurred in the trial area since the trial commenced. Characteristics of the trial area materials, the management strategy, and outcomes from the field trial measurements are presented.


Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA) is a restorative justice–based model that originated in Canada in the mid-1990s for the postincarceration reintegration of those who have offended sexually. Although the roots of COSA are in restorative justice philosophy, the program has also found favour, to some degree, with organisations such as police services and corrections that are traditionally concerned more with protecting community safety than with the ideals of restorative justice. Informed by the author's research and personal experience as a COSA volunteer, and analysis of recent and historical representations of COSA, this article explores theoretically how the development of the COSA initiative has been influenced by the seemingly disparate concerns of both the restorative justice and community protection movements, and examines the importance of balancing these paradigms in the everyday practices of circles.


To evaluate renal osteodystrophy (ROD), bone biopsies were performed in 57 patients with end-stage renal failure (ESRF) on dialysis, 46 on hemodialysis (HD) and 11 on peritoneal dialysis (PD). There were 29 males (mean age of 42 years) and 28 females (mean age of 39 years). Relevant presenting clinical features were pruritus in 46 cases, bone pains in 32, acute pseudogout in three, bone deformities in two, conjunctiva! calcification in two, cutaneous calcification in two, and corneal calcification in one. The mean value of predialysis blood investigations were as follows: urea 33.9 mmol/L, creatinine 913 umol/L, bicarbonate 18 mmol/L, calcium 2.36 mmol/L, albumin 40 g/L, phosphorus 1.69 mmol/L, alkaline phosphatase 178 U/L, parathyroid hormone 543 pmol/L, magnesium 1.06 mmol/L and aluminum 1.81 mmol/L. Skeletal survey showed no changes in 24 patients (42%), hyperparathyroid cystic changes of bones in seven, osteoporosis as the predominant features in seven, mixed picture of ROD in 12, subperiosteal resorption of the metacarpals in two, osteosclerosis (Rugger Jersey Spine) in two and osteomalacia in two patients. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured by dual x-ray absorptiometry in the lumbar spine (LS) and femoral neck (FN). All patients had low BMD (both LS and FN). Bone biopsy (BBX) revealed mixed picture in 30 cases, predominantly secondary hyperparathyroid changes in 10, mild hyperparathyroid changes in five, predominant osteoporosis in three, osteomalacia in four, aplastic (adynamic) bone in four, and aluminum deposition in one. All of the patients who showed evidence of bone involvement on BBX had abnormal BMD suggesting that BMD is a good non-invasive screening test for ROD but indiscriminative for the type of bone disease. BBX still remains the diagnostic tool to differentiate and classify different types of bone disease.