SUMMARY: The sagittal otolith and eye diameter of two sympatric species of the genus Aphanopus, A. carbo and A. intermedius, from North Atlantic waters were investigated. The study objectives were to find morphometric variables of otoliths to identify the two species and relate ecomorphological characters of otolith and eye diameter to the depth distribution of each species. The otoliths of the two species are very similar, although significant differences in shape, otolith height and weight and the sulcus acusticus area were detected. The ratio between eye diameter and cephalic length (ED:CL ratio) was also significantly different. In both analyses A. carbo obtained higher values, which suggests that A. carbo and A. intermedius live in different spatial niches, and that A. carbo inhabits deeper waters. The ratio between the sulcus and otolith areas (S:O) was low compared to other fish species, which suggests that the hearing capacity of Aphanopus spp. is adapted to low frequency sound. This adaptation may be related to the oceanographic conditions in which these species live, and in particular to the characteristics of sound transmission in the "SOFAR channel".


Sleep disturbance is a very common problem for cancer patients that has largely not been addressed in the clinical intervention literature. Mindfulness meditation has demonstrated clinical benefits for a variety of patient populations in other areas of functioning. This study examined the effects of an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program on the sleep quality of a heterogeneous sample of 63 cancer patients. Overall sleep disturbance was significantly reduced (p < .001) and participants reported that their sleep quality had improved (p < .001). There was also a significant reduction in stress (p < .001), mood disturbance (p = .001), and fatigue (p < .001). The associations among these changes and implications for improving quality of life of cancer patients are discussed.


Macroeconomic instability has been increasingly considered as a factor lowering average income growth and, in this way, is a factor slowing down poverty reduction. But it can also result in slower poverty reduction for a given average rate of growth, due to poverty traps, often examined at the microeconomic level. Testing a model of poverty change on a panel of data for more than 80 countries from 1981 to 2005, we find that income instability results in a lower poverty reduction for a given growth. It reflects a distributional effect not fully captured by a change in the Gini coefficient.


We investigate the direct and inverse magnetocaloric effect in Ni45.5Mn43.0In11.5 Heusler alloy ribbons comparing the results obtained for the as-quenched sample with the ones after different annealing procedures. An enhancement and shift of the entropy maximum to near room temperature is observed in all annealed samples. A remarkable magnetocaloric effect is observed in samples with short-time treatment (10 minutes) and at the lowest annealing temperature. We show that the suppressing of uncompensated martensitic transition and thermal hysteresis are both influenced by the heat treatment. Also, an improvement on Curie's temperature is observed and, at low magnetic field, it has been risen up to 310 K. Our results demonstrate that the martensitic transformation is highly sensitive to the applied magnetic field and also to the annealing treatment, which means that the magnetocaloric effect can be tuned showing different behaviors for each sample.


Prediction of the enemy's intention is a main issue of threat analysis, and, hence, will be an important part of the C2-systems of tomorrow. A technique that can be useful for this kind of predictions is Bayesian networks (BNs). We have developed a BN for prediction of the enemy's tactical intention, and the implemented BN has been integrated into a ground target simulation framework. The general problem of how to find appropriate prior distributions for BNs has been addressed by developing a tool for data collection, which may make it easier to come up with appropriate prior distributions, by learning conditional probability tables from collected cases, i.e. parameter learning


While direct replications such as the ''Many Labs'' project are extremely valuable in testing the reliability of published findings across laboratories, they reflect the common reliance in psychology on single vignettes or stimuli, which limits the scope of the conclusions that can be reached. New experimental tools and statistical techniques make it easier to routinely sample stimuli, and to appropriately treat them as random factors. We encourage researchers to get into the habit of including multiple versions of the content (e.g., stimuli or vignettes) in their designs, to increase confidence in cross-stimulus generalization and to yield more realistic estimates of effect size. We call on editors to be aware of the challenges inherent in such stimulus sampling, to expect and tolerate unexplained variability in observed effect size between stimuli, and to encourage stimulus sampling instead of the deceptively cleaner picture offered by the current reliance on single stimuli.


Stream power–based models of bedrock landscape development are effective at producing synthetic topography with realistic fl uvial-network topology and three-dimensional topography, but they are diffi cult to calibrate. This paper examines ways in which fi eld observations, geochronology, and digital elevation model (DEM) data can be used to calibrate a bedrock landscape development model for a specifi c study site. We fi show how uplift rate, bedrock erodibility, and landslide threshold slope are related to steady-state relief, hypsometry, and drainage density for a wide range of synthetic topographies produced by a stream power–based planform landscape development model. Our results indicate that low uplift rates and high erodibility result in low-relief, high drainage density, fl uvially dominated topography, and high uplift rates and low erodibility leads to high-relief, low drainage density, mass wasting–dominated topography. Topography made up of a combination of flchannels and threshold slopes occurs for only a relatively narrow range of model parameters. Using measured values for hypsometric integral, drainage density, and relief, quantitative values of bedrock erodibility can be further constrained, particularly if uplift rates are independently known. We applied these techniques to three sedimentary rock units in the western Transverse Ranges in California that have experienced similar climate, uplift, and incision histories. The 10 Be surface exposure datincision of initially low-relief topography there occurred during the last ~60 k.y. We estimated the relative dependence of drainage area and channel slope on erosion rate in the stream power law from slope-area data, and inferred values for bedrock erodibility ranging from 0.09 to 0.3 m (0.2–0.4) k.y. –1 for the rock types in this study area.


Since the early 1990s, language policy and planning (LPP) has undergone significant theoretical shifts in how it understands policy, concurrent with corresponding shifts in understandings of language, and particularly language use, more broadly. This paper draws on recent developments within linguistics that understand language from the perspective of Vygotskian sociocultural theory, and the role of language and other sociocultural artefacts in the mediation of human activity and social practice. The purpose of this discussion is to consider the potential of sociocultural theory as the basis for a broader meta-theoretical framework to understand the interrelationship between macro and micro analyses of policy and practice within LPP. The paper concludes with a consideration of the issues this raises for methodology in the study of LPP, as well as the implications for the practice of LPP itself.


We investigate the equilibration of an isolated macroscopic quantum system in the sense that deviations from a steady state become unmeasurably small for the overwhelming majority of times within any sufficiently large time interval. The main requirements are that the initial state, possibly far from equilibrium, exhibits a macroscopic population of at most one energy level and that degeneracies of energy eigenvalues and of energy gaps (differences of energy eigenvalues) are not of exceedingly large multiplicities. Our approach closely follows and extends recent works by Short and Farrelly (2012 New. J. Phys. 14 013063), in particular going beyond the realm of finite-dimensional systems and large effective dimensions.


Current reforms in the public sector are characterized by the introduction of businesslike incentive structures, in particular the introduction of "pay for performance" schemes in public institutions. However, the public sector has some specific characteristics, which might restrict the naive adoption of pay for performance. Our article analyzes whether the impact of pay for performance on performance is bound to conditions, and if this is the case, under which conditions pay for performance has a positive or a negative effect on performance. We explore this contingency in a meta-analytic review of previous experimental studies on the effects of pay for performance on performance. We further show why pay for performance sometimes negatively affects personal efforts. With an experimental vignette study we demonstrate (a) that motivation is likely to be a key influence on the effect of performance-related pay on performance, and (b) that pay for performance is generally more costly as it appears because it almost always produces hidden costs of rewards. Our findings help to explain the modest success of pay for performance in the public sector.


Background
Despite being recommended in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) guidelines, the use of invasive management within specific risk groups continues to be debated. This study examines the change in the use of invasive management in ACS by patient risk and the associated change in mortality within Australia over the last 17 years.

Methods
Pooled cohorts derived from five ACS registries (ACACIA, CONCORDANCE, GRACE, Snapshot-ACS, and Predict) spanned from 1999 to 2015. After excluding patients without a final diagnosis of ACS (n = 4460), enrolled outside Australia (n = 1477) and without an enrolling year (n = 4), 15 912 patients were analysed. Data was stratified across three time periods (1999-2004, 2005-2009, and 2010-2015) using clinical risk characteristics (age, ACS diagnosis, biomarker elevation, and GRACE score) to monitor change in practice.

Results
Over the 17-year period, the use of invasive management increased (4073/6863 (59.3%) cases [1999-2009] vs. 6670/8706 (76.6%) cases [2010-2015]). Invasive management accounted for improvements in mortality in intermediate- and high-risk groups (intermediate risk: 14% (95% CI 1-66%) [1999-2009] vs. 49% (95% CI 2-59%) [2010-2015]; high risk: 24% (95% CI 6-42%) [1999-2009] vs. 48% (95% CI 19-76%) [2010-2015]). Patients receiving no angiography compared with interventional management had worse outcomes (1999-2004 1.55 HR [95% CI 1.36-1.80], P < 0.0001 vs. 2010-2015 1.90 HR [95% CI 1.45-2.51], P < 0.0001).

Conclusions
Clinical practice in ACS has changed over the last 17 years with positive outcomes seen with invasive management among high-risk patients. Unfortunately, a considerable burden of mortality remains in patients managed medically, highlighting a need for more focused strategies that improve care and outcomes in this group.


The use of a fundamental parameter method for effecting matrix corrections in quantitative x-ray spectrochemical analysis is described. A versatile computer program calculates composition directly from measured intensities. Variations in the basic approach are employed in the analysis of a series of sulfide and oxide samples. The Applied Research Laboratories multi-channel x-ray quantometer (MXQ) is briefly described.


Executive Summary Three theories-resource dependency theory, transaction cost theory, and strategic choice theory-offer alternative, often conflicting, explanations of why new ventures choose strategic alliances, along with prescriptions for how best to structure the alliance. This paper investigates if the purported motives, as stated by the firm, form the basis for the structure of the alliance. The sample for this research consisted of 189 high-technology new ventures issuing an IPO during 1989-1995 and met the following conditions: independent startup with less than 10 years from incorporation to IPO date, and at least 3 years of sales. The final sample was 189 firms with 394 alliances. A predictive discriminant analysis was used to see if the underlying propositions are valid; that is, if firm's motivation for an alliance can be used for predicting alliance structure. The theories regarding firm motivation to form alliance were reliable predictors of alliance structure. Introduction There is little doubt that strategic alliances are changing the way American business operates from big companies to small (Lavie, 2002). Strategic alliances and partnerships have become more and more visible as well as an increasingly important means for companies to rapidly expand capabilities, reach new markets, and develop critical new service offerings (Kaplan & Hurd, 2002; Neill, Pfeiffer, & Young-Ybarra, 2001). And, there has been an explosion of articles, both academic and mainstream, describing these alliances and their motives (Lavie, 2002). For purposes of this paper, we will define strategic alliances as any long-term, formal linkage between organizations that offers actual or potential strategic advantage to both organizations (Jarillo, 1988; Olleros & Macdonald, 1988; Silverman & Baum, 2002). These linkages or governance structures include a wide range of alliance structures have emerged involving both equity structures and non-equity structures (Das & Teng, 2002). Equity arrangements refer to structures that include some form of ownership such as minority investment of one firm in the other or joint ventures. Non-equity arrangements refer to long-term contracts or agreements with no ownership involved such as supply, manufacturing, marketing, and technology exchange and licensing agreements and cooperative R&D. And while the literature has described these linkages and suggested when and how strategic alliances should be used, very little evidence exists as to whether these theories are being applied in practice. Three competing theories, Resource Dependency, Transaction Cost and Strategic Choice suggest both reasons why firms enter into strategic alliances or their motivations for these alliances and how best to structure the strategic alliance. But, little research has been done focusing on the connection between motivation and structure. All three theories suggest this connection exists, but this has yet to be tested. This paper will further develop the theory in this area. Specifically this paper will focus on whether the motives for the alliance impact the choice of governance structure. Initial public offerings of 189 firms issued between the years 1986 and 1994 were studied to determine the use of strategic alliances by high technology new ventures (firms less than 10 years old). Content analysis was performed on the IPOs for several variables including new venture motivation for the alliance and the governance structure of the alliance. Predictive discriminant analysis was used to determine if indeed these three theories were useful in predicting alliance formation. Literature Review Three theories -resource dependency theory, transaction cost theory, and strategic choice theory -offer alternative explanations of why new ventures choose strategic alliances, along with prescriptions for how best to structure the alliance. These three theories, while often cited in the literature, actually offer conflicting advice to practitioners about how best to structure an alliance. …


Legal language is an integral and foundational party of our social reality, but it is underrepresented in interdisciplinary, critical linguistic analyses. This is perhaps because language is more objective and formulaic than media texts, which can be more subjective and emotive (Kjaer and Palsbro, 2008). In this paper, I demonstrate how a corpus-based critical discourse analysis of legal language can expose hidden traces of the underlying ideologies of text creators, while demonstrating how identity can be performed in legal texts. Research is based on a half-million-word corpus of annual reports by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Key semantic domain analysis (Rayson, 2008) is used to identify the most salient themes in the legal texts compared to reference corpora of general written English, indicating areas for closer analysis. Results show that legal language can be subjective and emotive. The semantic field of 'crime' is an expected key, but concordance analysis shows ideological skew in discursive construction of crimes/victims. For instance, 'rape'/'sexual assault' co-occurs with female victims, whereas 'torture'/'outrages upon personal dignity' co-occurs with males. Automated semantic categorization of collocates of Tribunal also indicate differing patterns in self-presentation. Early reports are dominated by discourse of progress/achievement while later reports are concerned with reputation/global perception. Critical analyses of large bodies of legal language are relatively rare, but extremely culturally relevant. Legal descriptions of crimes/perpetrators/victims are powerful and sometimes subjectively skewed. Further, self-representation of powerful legal bodies and their conceptualizations of 'success' and 'failure' in establishing/enforcing law will have lasting impacts on human rights.


DNA marker analysis was used to determine the varietal identity of Petite Sirah in public collections and commercial vineyards in California. Twenty-one vines analyzed from public collections at the University of California at Davis included accessions labeled Petite Sirah, Durif, Syrah and Serine. Fifty-three vines from 26 private Petite Sirah vineyards in four California counties were also analyzed. Several accessions each of Durif, Peloursin, and Syrah obtained from Montpellier, France and an accession of Pinot noir from the University of California at Davis were used as controls for varietal identification. Samples were analyzed with four to eight simple sequence repeat (SSR) DNA markers. Some samples were first analyzed with four DNA probes to detect restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs). Davis accessions labeled Petite Sirah were found to include vines that we determined to be Durif, Peloursin, Syrah, and Pinot noir. Accessions labeled Durif9 included vines identical to Durif and Peloursin. The Syrah accessions were identical to the Syrah controls. The Serine accession was found to be Pinot noir. Forty-nine of the 53 Petite Sirah vines from private vineyards were identical to Durif. Four vines, from three vineyards in two counties, were Peloursin. Comparison of the SSR genotypes of Durif and Peloursin indicates that Durif is probably a seedling of Peloursin as reported and cannot be a selection of Peloursin (as also reported). The other parent of Durif is most probably Syrah. SSR genotypes of Durif, Peloursin, and Syrah at 25 loci are consistent with this relationship and likelihood analysis of SSR allele frequencies supports the relationship with a very high degree of probability.


Being a non-invasive and relatively safe technique, photothermal therapy has attracted a lot of interest in the cancer treatment field. Recently, nanostructure technology has entered the forefront of cancer therapy owing to its ability to absorb near-infrared radiation as well as efficient light to heat conversion. In this study, key nanostructures for cancer therapy including gold nanoparticles, magnetite iron oxide nanoparticles, organic nanomaterials, and novel two-dimensional nanoagents such as MXenes are discussed. Furthermore, we briefly discuss the characteristics of the nanostructures of these photothermal nanomaterial agents, while focusing on how nanostructures hold potential as cancer therapies. Finally, this review offers promising insight into new cancer therapy approaches, particularly in vivo and in vitro cancer treatments.


We consider the iterated belief change that occurs following an alternating sequence of actions and observations. At each instant, an agent has some beliefs about the action that occurs as well as beliefs about the resulting state of the world. We represent such problems by a sequence of ranking functions, so an agent assigns a quantitative plausibility value to every action and every state at each point in time. The resulting formalism is able to represent fallible knowledge, erroneous perception, exogenous actions, and failed actions. We illustrate that our framework is a generalization of several existing approaches to belief change, and it appropriately captures the non-elementary interaction between belief update and belief revision.


For mainstream services to meet the necds of an increasingly diverse population, a shift from a 'one size fits all' Eurocentric treatment approach is nccessary. Inspired by the research efforts in the UK to better understand the discrepancies in service use and experience of Black and ethnic minority service users, the present study aimed to learn from Ghanaian colleagues and to give a voice to their experience and expertise. The project hoped to gain an understanding of Ghanaian mental health professionals' experiences of working in a culture where traditional or spiritual explanations for experiences that are classified as mental illness by Western psychiatric approaches are common; specifically, their knowledge of alternative health beliefs and practices, the challenges associated with working with this client group with Western approaches and the strategies they employed to minimise these challenges. In a cultural centre of traditional African beliefs, thc project aimed to explore the process of marrying two drastically different worldviews. Theoretical sampling was used to select participants that could offer rich and relevant data, and qualitative inclusion criteria made experience a priority (community psychiatric nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists and charity workers were included in the sample). The data was thematically analysed according to the procedure of Braun and Clarke (2006). Analysis revealed the Ghanaians' ability to occupy multiple worldviews and explored health beliefs relating to mental illness. The data provides an insight into the challenges and complexities associated with delivering mainstream health care in a culture underpinned by traditional beliefs, and presents data that shines a spotlight on the way Ghanaian mental health professionals work psychologically with this client group. The findings are considered in relation to the British research that documents the challenges facing the UK with regard to improving service engagement, and experience of services, for Africans living in the UK. Clinical implications are discussed.


Black box variational inference (BBVI) with reparameterization gradients triggered the exploration of divergence measures other than the Kullback-Leibler (KL) divergence, such as alpha divergences. In this paper, we view BBVI with generalized divergences as a form of estimating the marginal likelihood via biased importance sampling. The choice of divergence determines a bias-variance trade-off between the tightness of a bound on the marginal likelihood (low bias) and the variance of its gradient estimators. Drawing on variational perturbation theory of statistical physics, we use these insights to construct a family of new variational bounds. Enumerated by an odd integer order $K$, this family captures the standard KL bound for $K=1$, and converges to the exact marginal likelihood as $K\to\infty$. Compared to alpha-divergences, our reparameterization gradients have a lower variance. We show in experiments on Gaussian Processes and Variational Autoencoders that the new bounds are more mass covering, and that the resulting posterior covariances are closer to the true posterior and lead to higher likelihoods on held-out data.


Purpose

As a critical and intimate form of inquiry, ethnography remains close to lived realities and equips scholars with a unique methodological angle on social phenomena. This paper aims to explore the potential gains from an increased use of ethnography in social enterprise studies.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors develop the argument through a set of dualistic themes, namely, the socio-economic dichotomy and the discourse/practice divide as predominant critical lenses through which social enterprise is currently examined, and suggest shifts from visible leaders to invisible collectives and from case study-based monologues to dialogic ethnography.

Findings

Ethnography sheds new light on at least four neglected aspects. Studying social enterprises ethnographically complicates simple reductions to socio-economic tensions, by enriching the set of differences through which practitioners make sense of their work-world. Ethnography provides a tool for unravelling how practitioners engage with discourse(s) of power, thus marking the concrete results of intervention (to some degree at least) as unplannable, and yet effective. Ethnographic examples signal the merits of moving beyond leaders towards more collective representations and in-depth accounts of (self-)development. Reflexive ethnographies demonstrate the heuristic value of accepting the self as an inevitable part of research and exemplify insights won through a thoroughly bodily and emotional commitment to sharing the life world of others.

Originality/value

The present volume collects original ethnographic research of social enterprises. The editorial develops the first consistent account of the merits of studying social enterprises ethnographically.


The performance drivers of family firms have spawned considerable research interest. Almost exclusively this research has relied on independent sets of explanatory variables in linear analyses. These analyses mask the complex interdependencies that are likely to exist among key success factors, leading to faulty theory and misspecified implications for practice. As treatment, the authors propose a configuration approach to family firm performance that accounts for complex interdependencies among entrepreneurial, innovation and family influence conditions. Using a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis of a sample of 129 Finnish family firms, the authors identify sufficient conditions with regard to the existence or absence of antecedent conditions to family firm performance. These conditions include entrepreneurial orientation, exploration and exploitation activities that form causal paths towards family firm performance. To enrich the analysis, the authors theorize and empirically analyse how these conditions might differ in family firms with high and low levels of family influence. They deepen the current understanding of configurations that promote the performance of family firms, offer important implications for theory and practice, and set new directions for future research on the strategic management of family firms. The results are also virtually identical and insensitive to change across subjective and objective performance measures.


Selective expression of murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) immediate-early (IE) genes leads to the presentation by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecule Ld of a peptide derived from MCMV IE protein pp89 (Reddehase, M.J., J. B. Rothbard, and U.H. Koszinowski. 1989. Nature (Lond.). 337:651). Characterization of endogenous antigenic peptides identified the pp89 peptide as the nonapeptide 168YPHFMPTNL176 (del Val, M., H.-J. Schlicht, T. Ruppert, M.J. Reddehase, and U.H. Koszinowski. 1991. Cell. 66:1145). Subsequent expression of MCMV early genes prevents presentation of pp89 (del Val, M., K. Munch, M.J. Reddehase, and U.H. Koszinowski. 1989. Cell. 58:305). We report on the mechanism by which MCMV early genes interfere with antigen presentation. Expression of the IE promoter-driven bacterial gene lacZ by recombinant MCMV subjected antigen presentation of beta-galactosidase to the same control and excluded antigen specificity. The Ld-dependent presence of naturally processed antigenic peptides also in nonpresenting cells located the inhibitory function subsequent to the step of antigen processing. The finding that during the E phase of MCMV gene expression the MHC class I heavy chain glycosylation remained in an Endo H-sensitive form suggested a block within the endoplasmic reticulum/cis-Golgi compartment. The failure to present antigenic peptides was explained by a general retention of nascent assembled trimolecular MHC class I complexes. Accordingly, at later stages of infection a significant decrease of surface MHC class I expression was seen, whereas other membrane glycoproteins remained unaffected. Thus, MCMV E genes endow this virus with an effective immune evasion potential. These results also indicate that the formation of the trimolecular complex of MHC class I heavy chain, beta 2-microglobulin, and the finally trimmed peptide is completed before entering the medial-Golgi compartment.


Carnal hermeneutics claims that the body makes sense of the world by making distinctions and evaluating those distinctions in a non-predicative mode. This article makes the case that ludohermeneutics can be enriched by attending to the way in which the body makes sense of digital games and advances carnal hermeneutics as a way of theorising this process. The article introduces carnal hermeneutics, argues for its relevance to ludo-hermeneutics, and outlines three examples of how carnal hermeneutics can be used to theorise sense-making in digital games. The first example demonstrates the capacity for touch-screen games to put us in a new relationship with the image. The second example shows how generic control schemas can take on new meanings in different games. The third example shows how marketing of game controllers draws on conventional attitudes to touch to make digital game touch meaningful.


Moral nativism is a theory of moral cognition which holds that significant elements of human moral psychology are innate. In this invited chapter for The Oxford Handbook of Moral Psychology, I first summarize the intuitive turn in recent moral psychology and explain its significance for moral nativism. Drawing on an analogy to language, I then outline two principal arguments for moral nativism: the argument for moral grammar and the argument from the poverty of the moral stimulus. After making some terminological clarifications and correcting some popular misconceptions, I then review some of the most significant research supporting moral nativism, including empirical studies of compassion, empathy, and altruistic motivation in humans and other primates; the intuitive jurisprudence of young children; the emergence of moral cognition in human infants and toddlers; the neurocognitive foundations of moral judgment; and human moral universals. The chapter concludes by locating moral nativism within a broader historical and scientific context, including ancient philosophy (e.g., Plato's Meno), Enlightenment rationalism (e.g., Descartes' Treatise on Man), evolutionary theory (e.g., Darwin's Descent of Man), and the modern cognitive science of innate knowledge.


Building on approaches that adopt what might be called a 'relational' approach to poverty, and using recurring case-studies from India, this paper examines poverty as an outcome of the historical and contemporary dynamics of capitalism – including processes of accumulation, dispossession, differentiation and exploitation; but equally, considers the social mechanisms, categories and identities which perpetuate inequality and facilitate relations of exploitation. The paper adopts an approach (drawing on Charles Tilly) that combines an examination of exploitation with Weberian ideas of social closure. In this way, the paper aims to show that 'adverse incorporation' and 'social exclusion' are not alternative or competing frameworks: the excluded are simultaneously dominated and excluded.A second aim is to integrate a multi-dimensional understanding of power – as domination, patronage, and political representation – into the analysis of poverty, drawing on the work of Steven Lukes, Pierre Bourdieu, and Arjun Appadurai; and a third aim is to see how incorporating power can help analyse different approaches to poverty reduction ranging from anti-poverty programmes and political decentralisation to mainstream party political processes.In developing the argument the paper focuses on the interlocking circumstances of chronically poor cultivators living in deforested uplands, indebted migrant casual labourers on the urban fringes, and the social identities of adivasis and dalits ('tribals' and 'untouchables') subordinated in Indian society. This both highlights particular spatial and social inequalities in India, and reflects on the cultural construction of power; its effects on material well-being and agency, and on the opportunities and constraints in struggles for political representation.


In order to increase the illumination uniformity of the position-sensitive detector (PSD) in a sensing optical system, an optimization method is introduced in this paper. The ratio of the oblique ray section to the paraxial ray section is adjusted by circular and annular obscurations with different parameters; thus, the relative illumination on the image plane can be optimized. In our case, the size and position of the circular and annular obscurations are optimization variables. The result shows illumination uniformity on a PSD is enhanced from the original 12%-69.7%, and the precision is greatly improved. The method in this paper is proved to be effective and low cost and to have potential in many other applications.


This article discusses the methodological challenges of a service delivery survey in Khayelitsha, a township in Cape Town, South Africa. The survey aimed to gain a better understanding of the relationship between citizen participation and the environmental challenges facing residents in this urban area. Khayelitsha is a township prone to violence. Encountering violence during fieldwork can alter the way researchers execute research, yet this often remains unacknowledged in 'objective social science', especially in probability sampling. The article examines the effects of the risk felt by researchers on the research method employed in quantitative surveys. It shows that deliberating on this aspect of the research process is both necessary and useful, especially in terms of recognising the need to factor fear or uncertainty into the ways in which research processes unfold.


This article traces the many Sufi subtexts in Bill Viola's video art with a view to better understanding the relationship within his work between the sacred and the individual. Drawing on the theory of the genesis of the individual in anthropological analyses and critical theory, the author analyzes Viola's metaphors and leitmotifs and how the artist tests the limits of knowledge and the self as well as the real in which they are inscribed. ********** This article will explore Bill Viola's practice of video art as a means of re-inscribing art within its oldest known function: locating the spaces of the sacred. Whether he is translating Ibn 'Arabi's hira (bewilderment) into the spinning of a DVD or rendering Wagner's Liebestod into a fall into paradise, Viola uses the oscillation between text, sound, and image as a means of foregrounding the religions purpose of art (Viola, "LOVE/DEATH"). Viola's preoccupations and technique aim at re-endowing contemporary video art with that ability to explore the sacred via the manifestations of the divine in the world, framing his images in texts and ideas drawn from vast corpora of religious and mystical writings. My concern here will be mainly with Viola's use of Sufism, as Viola's engagements with other religious traditions have been successfully traced elsewhere, not least by Viola himself (King; Ten Groetenhuis; Townsend; Madema-Lauter; Viola, Reasons 98-111, 153-72, 282-83). I will argue that Viola's engagement with mysticism and appeal to a pre-avant-garde function of art are related to the understanding of the "rear"--in the Platonic sense of the term, God--to which the privileged paths of access are art and religion rather than science. For Viola, "contemplative vision" is the "original source of mae and balanced art--the original realism" (Viola, Reasons 119; Melcher 19-20). What is at stake is less the status of Viola's art as an 'illustration' of certain Sufi themes than the means be employs to project certain aspects of Sufi practice and belief onto a given space--be it that of an installation or videotape. It is less a question of illustration, therefore, than of adaptation; one might say of translation in the sense of displacement, transference, conveyance across places and media, rendering one language (of the experience of the sacred) into another (of the space that sets off a similar experience in the viewer/participant). Sufism and Individualism By his own account, Viola's turn to mysticism in general, and Sufism in particular, occurred around the time of his stay in Japan in 1980. Having followed the teachings of Daisetz Suzuki, he decided to explore art that would aim at perfecting the self rather than perfecting the world. In an interview with film director Mark Kidel, Viola locates the first tangible results of this shift in his 1983 installation Room for St. John of the Cross (Kidel). However, a cursory glance at his collected writings, Reasons for Knocking at an Empty House, finds a description of an earlier installation, Il Vapore, coupled with an extract from Rumi that provided the inspiration for the piece: Though water be enclosed in a reservoir Yet air will absorb it, for it is its supporter; It sets it free and bears it to its source, Little by little, so that you see not the process. In like manner, this breath of ours by degrees Steals away our souls from the prison house of earth. (Viola, Reasons 38) Whether or not Viola designed Il Vapore to be an 'illustration' of the poem in question is uncertain: What is clear is that the tendency towards mystical modes had been working its way through Viola's psyche for some time before 1983. The interest of mysticism inheres in its making available the discourse and mode of individuality, thereby allowing the mystic to say, 'I' in ways that would not otherwise make sense socially and psychologically. Louis Dumont has made the case for the genesis of the individual in an extra-social space, outside the bounds of society, seeing in the earliest Asian ascetics the first examples of what we would recognize as individuals in a time and place that did not necessarily identify the 'individual' in the modem sense of the term (Dumont 35-81). …


Plasmonic hot carrier generation has attracted increasing attention due to its ability to convert light to electrical energy. The generation of plasmon-induced hot carriers can be achieved via Landau damping in the non-radiative decay process of the plasmonic excitation energy. Localized surface plasmons (LSPs) undergo both radiative and non-radiative decays, while surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) dissipate only via the non-radiative decay. Thus, it is a challenging task to exploit the surface plasmon polaritons for the efficient generation of hot carriers and their applications. In this study, a model hot-carrier-mediated electrocatalytic conversion system was demonstrated using an Au thin film in Kretschmann configuration, which is the representative platform to excite SPPs. AgPt-decorated Au nanobipyramids (AuNBPs) were designed and introduced onto the Au film, creating hot-spots to revolutionize the thin film-based photon-to-carrier conversion efficiency. The glycerol electro-oxidation reaction enabled by such SPP-induced hot carriers was evaluated and exhibited a photon-to-hot carrier conversion efficiency of 2.4 × 10-3%, which is ∼2.5 times enhanced as compared to the efficiency based on the neat Au film.


There is nothing intrinsically musical about a laptop computer, but there has in the past two decades been a rise in popularity of using portable computers to perform music. Computers powerful enough to create music were once exclusive to Universities and music studios. Now computers are as accessible to people as traditional instruments and have fully opened the world of electronic music to the non-musician through the use of graphic interfaces.

This commentary will discuss the relationship between instrumentality and the performance and
composition of electronic music by examining traditional methods of instrumental performance and the relatively modern idea of performing live with a laptop computer. The issue of imperfection will be discussed and how certain 'errors' have become widely acceptable even to the point where
whole genres have arisen entirely from their creation. I will look at the way glitch music began as a genre entirely reliant on the computer for its creation into one that has embraced traditional instrumentation and the idea of performance.

There will be a comparison of the compositional styles of Alva Noto's earlier solo work and his
more recent collaborations, in particular with the Ensemble Modern and the formally trained pianist and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto. The aim of this is to examine whether the inclusion of
instruments or notions of instrumentality in the compositional process has in some way changed
Alva Noto's approach to composing from a visually led (cymatic) process to one that is more
sonically led. This comparison is used as a case study to inform my own work as some works in the
portfolio set out deliberately to explore traditional instrumental playing techniques, whereas others deal with virtuosity within the software environment of Ableton Live.


Abstract Charge transfer between colliding ice particles is measured using a wind tunnel inside a cold room. A cylinder growing by riming in a wind tunnel was used as a target for collisions between 5 and 6 m s−1 with ice spheres of 100-µm diameter. The target temperature was adjusted to simulate different liquid water concentrations. As the target temperature increased, for air temperatures below −18°C, initial positive target charging reversed sign to negative; with a further temperature increase the charging reversed sign again. These measurements, which are relevant to thunderstorm electrification, were carried out with and without riming and results are compared with other works. A novel approach is presented here suggesting a new pair of variables describing the charging.


The principal aim of this project is to study the energy production by solar energy system in close to the consumers and integrated into a microgrid. Microgrids are small-scale versions of today's huge centralized electricity system, where it can generate, distribute and regulate the flow of electricity to consumers. Microgrids are able to feature the latest smart technology that increases efficiency and reliability and to create islands of sustainable energy within the larger grid. The main benefits of microgrids are:

•Microgrids increase power supply reliability.
•Microgrids make it easier to efficiently meet growing consumer demand.
•Microgrids make it possible to deploy clean, renewable energy.

 The report gives an overview of the generator technologies, and discusses the characteristics of a microgrid and the barriers that have to be overcome if microgrids are to be deployed in Australia. A focus of the study is a microgrid of domestic users (housing estate) powered by photovoltaics (PV). In addition, this project will propose a method to evaluate the reliability of customers contracted with microgrid including distributed generators (DG) and power storage devices.

A model of the energy consumption is used to produce typical profiles for the electricity consumption. Focusing on the balance between generation and load, a methodology has been developed to determine the optimum combination of generators and energy storage in the microgrid. It is found that a microgrid consisting of around 3kW (max peak) per household and 50% reduction of the electricity consumption will maintain energy balance on a yearly basis if supplemented by energy storage. The principle conclusion is that microgrids do have real potential to make a major contribution to reducing Green house Gas Emissions from building.


This thesis reports results on magnetic properties of supported cobalt nanostructures. The nanostructures were grown on single crystal metal surface by Molecular Beam Epitaxy in an Ultra High Vacuum chamber. Our experimental setup is based on two in situ measurement techniques. The first is the Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) allowing to investigate the nanostructure morphology. The second, called Surface Magneto-Optical Kerr Effect (SMOKE), probes the magnetism of the nanostructures. By combining the data obtained with both techniques we were able to investigate the magnetism of 2D nanoparticles down to the atomic level. The first aim of the thesis consisted in disclosing the role played by the differently coordinated atoms in determining the Magnetic Energy Anisotropy in 2D nanostructures. To this purpose, we performed experiments on the Co/Pt(111) system, chosen as a model system since the Pt surface is well known to increase the out-of-plane uniaxial anisotropy as well as the magnetic moment of the Co islands. A preliminary work has been devoted to the growth of the Co islands as a function of the deposition and annealing temperatures. As a result, we learned to grow three different island's shapes : ramified, compact and double-layer islands. We then concentrated on the magnetism of these islands. Due to the nonlinear relationship between perimeter length and surface area, we were able to distinguish the different contributions to the anisotropy energy of surface and perimeter atoms. We found that the magnetic anisotropy in 2D Co nanostructures is predominantly due to the low-coordinated edge atoms, for which the anisotropy energy can be as large as 20 times the bulk value. This finding opens new possibilities to separately tune the anisotropy and moment of nanostructures. To exemplify this, and to illustrate once more the role of perimeter atoms, we produced Co island with a non-magnetic Pt core. As expected, these bimetallic islands have identical anisotropy and lower magnetic moment to their equally shaped pure Co counterpart. The second aim we focused on was the investigation of the magnetic properties of ultra-high density arrays of nanostructures created by self-assembly. We chose Co/Au(788) as a model system since the nanoscopic Co dots were found to have a very narrow size distribution and to be placed onto a lattice which is phase coherent on a macroscopic length scale. Moreover, the array has a density of 26 Tdot/in2 which allows the investigation of inter-particle interaction in ultra high density arrays. We showed that the narrow size distribution of the dots corresponds to an unprecedented narrow Magnetic Anisotropy Energy distribution with 35% width at half of the maximum. Moreover, we demonstrated the weak magnetic coupling between the Co dots despite their high density. In parallel to these fundamental researches, we developed a new experimental setup that will replace the current one. We designed a UHV chamber equipped with a homemade variable temperature STM combined with a SMOKE experiment. A quadrupole, focused on the sample, generates a 0.35 T magnetic field. This field is one order of magnitude larger than the present one and can be uniformly rotated in the plane of the quadrupole. Furthermore, the design of the new chamber allows STM imaging in this magnetic field. In this report, we present the adopted solutions as well as the first tests of the components (STM, SMOKE, cryostat).


Heart failure (HF) is an epidemic. Five million people were diagnosed with the disease in 2006 and 550,000 new cases are being reported each year. HF is associated with a decreased quality of life and high mortality rate. It also accounts for 12-15 million office visits and 6.5 million hospital stays each year. Although there is no known cure for HF, understanding the disease and guidelines put forth by the American Heart Association as well as the Heart Failure Society of America, has been shown to decrease mortality, increase quality of life, and decrease hospital admissions. Healthcare workers play a vital role in educating HF patients about the disease, and as such, they themselves should be knowledgeable about what they teach. This study seeks to describe nurses' knowledge of the HF education guidelines in a western Montana hospital. A questionnaire was sent to 196 nurses working in a western Montana hospital testing their knowledge regarding the HF education guidelines. Only one nurse answered all questions correctly. The lowest score attained was 25% and the average score for the entire group was 72%. Demographic data explored was area worked (critical care versus non-critical care), years of experience, and educational preparation. The results of this study demonstrated that nurses working in a western Montana hospital may not be sufficiently knowledgeable regarding the HF education guidelines. Increased education may better prepare nurses to educate patients regarding the HF education guidelines. HF patients who are taught by educated nurses may receive a higher quality of education in which, perhaps, the patients will have a better understanding of their disease and the guidelines to increase quality of life and decrease mortality and hospital admissions rates.


The present work focuses on the forward link of a broadband multibeam satellite system that aggressively reuses the user link frequency resources. Two fundamental practical challenges, namely the need to frame multiple users per transmission and the per-antenna transmit power limitations, are addressed. To this end, the so-called frame-based precoding problem is optimally solved using the principles of physical layer multicasting to multiple co-channel groups under per-antenna constraints. In this context, a novel optimization problem that aims at maximizing the system sum rate under individual power constraints is proposed. Added to that, the formulation is further extended to include availability constraints. As a result, the high gains of the sum rate optimal design are traded off to satisfy the stringent availability requirements of satellite systems. Moreover, the throughput maximization with a granular spectral efficiency versus SINR function, is formulated and solved. Finally, a multicast-aware user scheduling policy, based on the channel state information, is developed. Thus, substantial multiuser diversity gains are gleaned. Numerical results over a realistic simulation environment exhibit as much as 30% gains over conventional systems, even for 7 users per frame, without modifying the framing structure of legacy communication standards.


Many first-year teachers find it difficult to reach the needs of all their students in part, because they feel their college coursework left them ill-prepared for the complexity they face in the classroom. This is particularly true among urban teachers who often face crowded classrooms of diverse students with a wide range of instructional needs. This study is a comparative case study of two University of Connecticut graduates during their first year teaching in urban schools. Using mixed-methods, the study draws on interviews, questionnaires, and videotape data shared as a part of a monthly teacher study group of similar graduates. I also draw on group conversations in which teachers discussed their ability to reach the needs of all of their students as this was related to their preservice coursework. My findings suggest that many first-year teachers feel university coursework failed to help them. One teacher felt it did not help her at all, while the other felt it helped her but she still could not meet all of her students' needs. Many first-year, urban teachers do not feel confident in the classroom as a result of their preparation from coursework. With this lack in confidence, the teachers may be more likely to leave their urban position, and this may contribute to the high turnover of teachers in urban placements.


Gatekeeping and provider choice have become central in health policymaking within the last two decades. This article contributes to the debates in two ways: first, it provides an extended review of evidence on the impact of gatekeeping and provider choice on efficiency, costs, quality, equality and patient empowerment; and second, it empirically analyses regulations and identifies common trends in healthcare reforms in OECD countries since 1990. More than half of the countries analysed have established gatekeeping systems, while a smaller number provides free access to secondary care. The study discovers a trend towards strengthening gatekeeping regulations within free access countries. Free choice of provider is the standard in the OECD, where only a small number of countries restrict provider choice. The article identifies a diverging trend of reforms, with some traditionally restrictive countries offering more provider choice and other countries limiting the choice of providers as a result of managed care reforms.


In part one, I followed the debates and the scholars involved in the big bang of international Begriffsgeschichte. Part 2 takes us from the first encounters between the German and the Anglophone tradition within intellectual history to the more formalized efforts of establishing conceptual history on the international, academic scene. With more scholars joining the debate, the understanding of concepts in language and in context were both broadened and deepened. Case studies from a wider range of European languages added a stronger comparative and transnational perspectives to conceptual history, which would prepare the ground for a conceptual history beyond Europe.


Technology enhanced learning (TEL) research connects Learning Sciences, Educational Psychology, and Computer Science, in order to investigate interventions based on digital technologies in education and training settings. In this paper, we argue that doctoral training activity for TEL needs to be situated at the intersection of disciplines in order to facilitate innovation. For this, we first review the state of disciplinarity in TEL, reviewing existing meta-studies of the field. Then, we survey 35 doctoral education programs in Europe in which doctoral students working on TEL topics are enrolled. Findings indicate that most doctoral schools are associated with a single discipline and offer methodological rather than content-specific modules. TEL-specific content is provided only in exceptional cases, creating a potentially isolating gap between master-level education and scientific conferences. On this background, we argue that cross-institutional doctoral training is important to progress TEL as a field. In this article, we study and share the approach of an international doctoral summer school organized by the European society EA-TEL over the past 15 years. The summer school provides foundational methodological knowledge from multiple disciplines, content-specific topical knowledge in TEL, access to cutting edge scientific discourse, and discussion of horizontal issues to doctoral students. We further provide an analysis of shifting program topics over time. Our analysis of both, institutional as well as cross-institutional doctoral training in TEL, constitutes this paper's core contribution in that it highlights that further integration of perspectives and knowledge is to be done in TEL; together with codification and explication of knowledge in the intersection of disciplines.


This study examines the roles of intrinsic religiosity, quest religiosity and personal moral philosophies (idealism and relativism) as predictors of consumers' ethical beliefs. An online survey was conducted with 500 US consumers to identify these relationships. The results indicate that intrinsic religiosity and quest religiosity lead to negative beliefs regarding unethical consumer actions (actively benefiting from illegal actions, passively benefiting from the mistakes of the seller and actively benefiting from legal but questionable actions) and positive beliefs regarding pro-social actions mediated through idealism. Quest religiosity also leads to positive beliefs regarding unethical consumer actions (passively benefiting from the mistakes of the seller) mediated through relativism. Supplementing these indirect effects, intrinsic religiosity and quest religiosity have direct influences on some, but not all, dimensions of consumer ethics. Considering the mediating roles of idealism and relativism in relation to the effects of religiosity on consumer ethics, policies and practices that enhance idealism and reduce relativism should be supported to encourage ethical consumption.


In this article, we combine the extensive literature on the analysis of life-course trajectories as sequences with the literature on causal inference and propose a new matching approach to investigate the causal effect of the timing of life-course events on subsequent outcomes. Our matching approach takes into account pre-event confounders that are both time-independent and time-dependent as well as life-course trajectories. After matching, treated and control individuals can be compared using standard statistical tests or regression models. We apply our approach to the study of the consequences of the age at retirement on subsequent health outcomes, using a unique data set from Swedish administrative registers. Once selectivity in the timing of retirement is taken into account, effects on hospitalization are small, while early retirement has negative effects on survival. Our approach also allows for heterogeneous treatment effects. We show that the effects of early retirement differ according to preretirement income, with higher income individuals tending to benefit from early retirement, while the opposite is true for individuals with lower income.


It is well established that behavioral sensitization to cocaine is accompanied by increased spine density and AMPA receptor (AMPAR) transmission in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), but two major questions remain unanswered. Are these adaptations mechanistically coupled? And, given that they can be dissociated from locomotor sensitization, what is their functional significance? We tested the hypothesis that the guanine-nucleotide exchange factor Kalirin-7 (Kal-7) couples cocaine-induced AMPAR and spine upregulation and that these adaptations underlie sensitization of cocaine's incentive-motivational properties—the properties that make it "wanted." Rats received eight daily injections of saline or cocaine. On withdrawal day 14, we found that Kal-7 levels and activation of its downstream effectors Rac-1 and PAK were increased in the NAc of cocaine-sensitized rats. Furthermore, AMPAR surface expression and spine density were increased, as expected. To determine whether these changes require Kal-7, a lentiviral vector expressing Kal-7 shRNA was injected into the NAc core before cocaine exposure. Knocking down Kal-7 abolished the AMPAR and spine upregulation normally seen during cocaine withdrawal. Despite the absence of these adaptations, rats with reduced Kal-7 levels developed locomotor sensitization. However, incentive sensitization, which was assessed by how rapidly rats learned to self-administer a threshold dose of cocaine, was severely impaired. These results identify a signaling pathway coordinating AMPAR and spine upregulation during cocaine withdrawal, demonstrate that locomotor and incentive sensitization involve divergent mechanisms, and link enhanced excitatory transmission in the NAc to incentive sensitization.


The biochemical basis underlying the chronotropic and inotropic effects of peptides and amines on the neurogenic heart of the horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus, was investigated. This study focused on the role of cyclic nucleotide and phosphatidylinostiol metabolism in specific actions of amines and peptides endogenous to the Limulus nervous system. Biochemical and electrophysiological analyses of amine and peptide actions on specific cellular targets within the neurogenic heart network were performed to characterize the intracellular mechanisms responsible for the excitatory effects of these neuromodulators. Octopamine and the catecholamines dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine utilize the second messenger cyclic AMP at multiple cellular sites to increase the rate and strength of heart contractions. These amines increase burst rate in the cardiac ganglion by a cAMP-dependent mechanism. Amines also increase cardiac muscle contractility and enhance cardiac neuromuscular transmission by a cAMP-dependent process. Cyclic GMP does not appear to be involved in any of the excitatory actions of amines, although it may play a role in cardiac inhibition. Several proctolin-like and FMRFamide-like peptides are widely distributed in the Limulus CNS and may play a role in the regulation of cardiac output. The peptide proctolin utilizes the phosphatidylinositol second messenger system in its actions on cardiac muscle contractility and excitability. Dopamine may also activate this system, as this amine has several proctolin-like actions on Limulus cardiac muscle. Finally, the FMRFamide-like cardioexcitatory peptide limadrin, like the amines, appears to produce excitation of heart rate by increasing levels of cAMP in the Limulus cardiac ganglion. These results indicate that peptide and amine neuromodulators share several second messenger systems to produce their characteristic responses on the Limulus heartbeat.


Background Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterised by autoimmunity to citrullinated proteins, and there is increasing epidemiologic evidence linking Porphyromonas gingivalis to RA. P gingivalis is apparently unique among periodontal pathogens in possessing a citrullinating enzyme, peptidylarginine deiminase (PPAD) with the potential to generate antigens driving the autoimmune response. Objectives To examine the immune response to PPAD in patients with RA, individuals with periodontitis (PD) and controls (without arthritis), confirm PPAD autocitrullination and identify the modified arginine residues. Methods PPAD and an inactivated mutant (C351A) were cloned and expressed and autocitrullination of both examined by immunoblotting and mass spectrometry. ELISAs using PPAD, C351A and another P gingivalis protein arginine gingipain (RgpB) were developed and antibody reactivities examined in patients with RA (n=80), individuals with PD (n=44) and controls (n=82). Results Recombinant PPAD was a potent citrullinating enzyme. Antibodies to PPAD, but not to Rgp, were elevated in the RA sera (median 122 U/ml) compared with controls (median 70 U/ml; p<0.05) and PD (median 60 U/ml; p<0.01). Specificity of the anti-peptidyl citrullinated PPAD response was confirmed by the reaction of RA sera with multiple epitopes tested with synthetic citrullinated peptides spanning the PPAD molecule. The elevated antibody response to PPAD was abolished in RA sera if the C351A mutant was used on ELISA. Conclusions The peptidyl citrulline-specific immune response to PPAD supports the hypothesis that, as a bacterial protein, it might break tolerance in RA, and could be a target for therapy.


Background: COVID-19 has been causing a high burden of suffering for patients and families. There is limited evidence on the preparedness of Indian palliative care services for the pandemic. Aim: This study aimed to assess the preparedness and capacity of Indian palliative care services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was developed based on prior evidence and international health regulations. It was emailed to the Indian Palliative Care Association members and investigators' professional networks in India. One participant per palliative care service was requested. Descriptive analysis was used. Results: Representatives of 78 palliative care services completed the survey. Three in four services had COVID-19 case definition and adapted their protocols for infection control (75%). About half of the services (55%) reported concerns about achieving appropriate hand hygiene in the community. More than half of the services (59%) had capacity to train nonspecialists for symptom control and psychological support. About half of the services reported that they had plans to redeploy staff (56%) and resources (53%) in the case of outbreaks. Two-fifths of the services used paper records to store an updated contact list of staff (40%) and did not have designated focal contacts for information update (40%). Staff anxiety related to personal infection risk and family care was relatively high (median score = 7 on a 1–10 scale). Conclusion: We recommend the following resource allocation to enable palliative care services to support the Indian health system in delivering essential care in this and future pandemics: (1) infection control, especially in the community; (2) training using existing clinical protocols to strengthen palliative care across the health system; and (3) redeployment plans.


Galaxies can grow through their mutual gravitational attraction and subsequent union. While orbiting a regular high-surface-brightness galaxy, the body of a low-mass galaxy can be stripped away. However, the stellar heart of the infalling galaxy, if represented by a tightly bound nuclear star cluster, is more resilient. From archival Hubble Space Telescope images, we have discovered a red, tidally stretched star cluster positioned ∼5″ (∼400 pc in projection) from, and pointing toward the center of, the post-merger spiral galaxy NGC 4424. The star cluster, which we refer to as "Nikhuli," has a near-infrared luminosity of (6.88 ± 1.85) × 106 L ⊙,F160W and likely represents the nucleus of a captured/wedded galaxy. Moreover, from our Chandra X-ray Observatory image, Nikhuli is seen to contain a high-energy X-ray point source, with L0.5−8keV=6.31−3.77+7.50×1038 erg s−1 (90% confidence). We argue that this is more likely to be an active massive black hole than an X-ray binary. Lacking an outward-pointing comet-like appearance, the stellar structure of Nikhuli favors infall rather than the ejection from a gravitational-wave recoil event. A minor merger with a low-mass early-type galaxy may have sown a massive black hole, aided an X-shaped pseudobulge, and be sewing a small bulge. The stellar mass and the velocity dispersion of NGC 4424 predict a central black hole of (0.6–1.0) × 105 M ⊙, similar to the expected intermediate-mass black hole in Nikhuli, and suggestive of a black hole supply mechanism for bulgeless late-type galaxies. We may potentially be witnessing black hole seeding by capture and sinking, with a nuclear star cluster the delivery vehicle.


SUMMARY Livestock feed is susceptible to contamination from wildlife excreta during on farm storage. Pathogens associated with diseases such as paratuberculosis, salmonella and cryptosporidiosis are present in wild rodent and bird excreta. Feed stores on four farms in the east of Scotland were monitored monthly over the winter of 1998/9 to quantify the levels of wildlife faecal contamination. A mean of 79.9 rodent (95% confidence interval: 37.5–165.9) and 24.9 (14.3–41.7) bird faeces were deposited per m 2 of stored feed per month. It was estimated that individual cattle and sheep could encounter 1626 and 814 wildlife faeces over the winter. A model based on the numbers of infected faeces consumed per annum was used to estimate 'infectious probabilities' ( P inf ) required to account for the reported prevalence of paratuberculosis, salmonella and cryptosporidiosis in sheep and cattle in the east of Scotland in 1998. Based on empirical data for input variables [the number of faeces encountered (F e ), the number ingested (F i ) and the prevalence of infection in wildlife species (I p )], P inf estimates ranged from 1.6 r 10 x 8 for cryptosporidiosis in sheep to 8.2 r 10 x 6 for paratuberculosis in cattle. The model suggested that ingestion of feed contaminated by wildlife faeces could account for the prevalence of all three diseases. Wildlife faecal contamination of stored feed should be given serious consideration as a potential source of infection to livestock.


Surgical image visualization and interaction systems can dramatically affect the efficacy and efficiency of surgical training, planning, and interventions. This is even more profound in the case of minimally-invasive surgery where restricted access to the operative field in conjunction with limited field of view necessitate a visualization medium to provide patient-specific information at any given moment. Unfortunately, little research has been devoted to studying human factors associated with medical image displays and the need for a robust, intuitive visualization and interaction interfaces has remained largely unfulfilled to this day. Failure to engineer efficient medical solutions and design intuitive visualization interfaces is argued to be one of the major barriers to the meaningful transfer of innovative technology to the operating room. This thesis was, therefore, motivated by the need to study various cognitive and perceptual aspects of human factors in surgical image visualization systems, to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of medical interfaces, and ultimately to improve patient outcomes. To this end, we chose four different minimally-invasive interventions in the realm of surgical training, planning, training for planning, and navigation: The first chapter involves the use of stereoendoscopes to reduce morbidity in endoscopic third ventriculostomy. The results of this study suggest that, compared with conventional endoscopes, the detection of the basilar artery on the surface of the third ventricle can be facilitated with the use of stereoendoscopes, increasing the safety of targeting in third ventriculostomy procedures. In the second chapter, a contour enhancement technique is described to improve preoperative planning of arteriovenous malformation interventions. The proposed method, particularly when combined with stereopsis, is shown to increase the speed and accuracy of understanding the spatial relationship between vascular structures. In the third chapter, an augmented-reality system is proposed to facilitate the training of planning brain tumour resection. The results of our user study indicate that the proposed system improves subjects' performance, particularly novices', in formulat-


The use of ePortfolios for recognition of prior learning (e-RPL) and for professional recognition (e-PR) is slowly gaining in popularity in the VET sector however their use is sporadic across educational sectors, disciplines, educational institutions and professions. Added to this is an array of purposes and types of e-RPL and e-PR models and practice. The aim of this paper is to build on the conceptual framework developed by Cameron (2012) for e-RPL and e-PR and to provide case studies for each of the four types developed within this framework: e-PR for Professional Accreditation; e-RPL for Workplace Recognition; e-RPL for Access and; e-RPL for Self Recognition. We use the case studies to explore the four types and the two dimensions or continuums central to the framework. The vertical dimension is a continuum between RPL as process and RPL as product and the second horizontal dimension is a continuum between formal learning contexts and low learner control as opposed to informal learning contexts and high levels of learner control. The case studies have aided the further development of the framework and its theoretical and practical applications.


Optimization techniques may be effective in finding best modeling and shape in reinforced concrete reservoirs to improve their durability, mechanical behavior, particularly avoiding or reducing the bending moments in these structures. RCR are one of the major structures applied for reserving fluids to be used in the networks of drinking water. Usually, these structures have fixed shapes which designed and calculated based on input discharge, conditions of structure topology and place geotechnical with various combinations of static and dynamic loads. In this research, first, the elements of reservoir walls are typed according to the performed analysis; then the range of membrane thickness and the minimum and maximum cross section of consumed bar are determined on the maximum stress. In next phase, based on reservoir analysis and using the algorithm of PARIS connector, the related information are combined with the code for PSO algorithm, an algorithm for swarming search, to determine the optimum thickness of cross sections for reservoir membrane elements and the optimum cross section of consumed bars. Based on very complex mathematical linear models for correct embedding and angles related to a chain of peripheral strengthening membranes, which optimize the structure vibrational, a mutual relation is selected between the modeling software and code for particle swarm optimization algorithm. Finally, the comparative weight of concrete reservoir optimized by peripheral strengthening membrane is analyzed by common methods. This analysis shows 19% decrease for bar weight, 20% decrease for concrete weight and minimum 13% saving for construction costs according to the items of checklist for a concrete reservoir at 10,000m3.


This dissertation addresses the online periodicity mining problem. Periodicity mining is the process of discovering frequent periodic patterns in an attempt towards predicting the future behavior in time series data. The ubiquitousness of sensor devices that generate real-time, append-only and semi-infinite data streams has revived the need for online processing.
We define periodicity mining as a two-step process: discovering potential periodicity rates (Periodicity Detection), and discovering the frequent periodic patterns of each periodicity rate (Mining Periodic Patterns). We propose new algorithms for both online periodicity detection and online mining of periodic patterns. For the latter, the proposed algorithm incrementally maintains an efficient data structure, namely the max-subpattern tree, from which the periodic patterns are discovered. For the periodicity detection, we define two types of periodicities: segment periodicity and symbol periodicity. Whereas segment periodicity concerns the periodicity of the entire time series, symbol periodicity concerns the periodicities of the various symbols or values of the time series. For each periodicity type, we propose an efficient convolution-based periodicity detection algorithm. Furthermore, we propose online periodicity mining algorithms that integrate both periodicity mining steps, and thus are able to discover the periodic patterns of unknown periods. All the proposed online algorithms require only one pass over the time series and no reprocessing of previously seen data. Finally, we address the inevitable problem of the presence of noise in real-world time series data. We propose a new online periodicity detection algorithm that deals efficiently with all types of noise. Based on time warping, the proposed algorithm warps (extends or shrinks) the time axis at various locations to optimally remove the noise.
Experimental studies for all the proposed algorithms are carried out using both synthetic and real-world data. Results show that the proposed algorithms outperform the existing periodicity mining algorithms in terms of the time performance, the accuracy of the discovered periodicity rates and periodic patterns, and the resilience to noise. Real-data experiments demonstrate the practicality of the discovered periodic patterns.


A subset of stem-like cells from bone marrow that are referred to as marrow stromal cells (MSCs) have been shown to be capable of differentiating into osteoblasts, chondrocytes, adipocytes, myocytes, astrocytes and perhaps neurons. Recently, conditions have been developed where human MSCs can be expanded almost without limit in culture without apparently losing their multipotentiality for differentiation. The cells appear to be potentially useful for the repair of extracellular matrix and the central nervous system.


This paper describes the principle and application of a hybrid robust active noise controller (ANC) for reducing broadband noise in acoustic ducts. The proposed ANC system consists of an adaptive controller with filtered-x least mean square (FXLMS) algorithm and a feedback structure with robust synthesis theory for obtaining robust performance and stabilisation. In an active control structure, plant uncertainty is one of the major factors that may affect the performance as well as stability of a system and must be taken into account in controller design. In this study, the controller is designed by frequency domain method and implemented on a digital signal processor (DSP) platform for real time control. Experiments are carried out to evaluate the attenuation performance of the proposed control system for synthetic random noise in an acoustic duct. The experimental results indicate that the proposed hybrid controller is effective in suppressing the undesired broadband noise. Furthermore, characteristic analysis and experimental comparison of adaptive feedforward structure, pure feedback control structure and proposed hybrid structure for reducing the noise in a duct are also presented in this paper.


Background Previous studies investigating prediction of return to play after acute hamstring injury were limited by examining a single postinjury clinical and MRI evaluation. We evaluated the added value of including follow-up clinical evaluation when predicting return to play. Methods A range of clinical and MRI parameters were prospectively investigated for an association with the time to return to play in 90 athletes with MRI positive hamstring injuries undergoing a criteria-based rehabilitation programme. Clinical evaluation was performed within 5 days of injury and 7 days after this initial assessment (follow-up clinical evaluation). The association between possible prognostic parameters and the time to return to play was assessed with a multiple linear regression model. Results Data of 90 athletes were available for analysis. At the first physiotherapy appointment, a combination of three demographic and six clinical variables explained 50% of the variance (±19 days) in the time to return to play. At follow-up assessment (7 days), a combination of 10 clinical and demographic variables explained 97.0% of the variance (±5 days) in time to return to play. In order of importance, the variables were: change in strength during the first week for the 'mid-range' test, peak isokinetic knee flexion torque of the uninjured leg, maximum pain at the time of injury, number of days to walk pain free, playing the sport of football, strength performing the 'inner range' hamstring test at day 1, presence of pain on a single leg bridge at day 7 or its absence during a single leg bridge, delay in starting treatment and percentage of strength in the 'outer range' test compared to the healthy leg. No MRI variables were retained in any of these analyses. MRI variables alone explained 8.6% of the variance—which is unhelpful to players and coaches. Summary The combination of initial and 7-day follow-up clinical evaluation is clinically helpful in predicting time to return to play (±5 days) following acute hamstring injury. MRI offered no useful clinical information regarding return to play duration in this cohort. Trial registration number NCT01812564.


In this review article, the authors integrate the theoretical, empirical, and clinical literature relevant to the phenomenon of college student bereavement. They synthesize information on two theories of mourning that appear to fit well with the experience of bereaved college students with information about the developmental, cohort, and contextual situation of college students. They end the article with an integrated illustration and practical recommendations for counseling psychologists who work with bereaved college students in various capacities within higher education (e.g., administrators, clinicians, educators, and researchers).


While in a classification or a regression setting a label or a value is assigned to each individual document, in a ranking setting we determine the relevance ordering of the entire input document list. This difference leads to the notion of relative relevance between documents in ranking. The majority of the existing learning-to-rank algorithms model such relativity at the loss level using pairwise or listwise loss functions. However, they are restricted to univariate scoring functions, i.e., the relevance score of a document is computed based on the document itself, regardless of other documents in the list. To overcome this limitation, we propose a new framework for multivariate scoring functions, in which the relevance score of a document is determined jointly by multiple documents in the list. We refer to this framework as GSFs---groupwise scoring functions. We learn GSFs with a deep neural network architecture, and demonstrate that several representative learning-to-rank algorithms can be modeled as special cases in our framework. We conduct evaluation using click logs from one of the largest commercial email search engines, as well as a public benchmark dataset. In both cases, GSFs lead to significant performance improvements, especially in the presence of sparse textual features.


To assess the groundwater quality of the Paravanar river basin, groundwater data were collected by conventional methods. Hydrogeochemical facies of groundwater of study area reveals fresh to brackish and alkaline in nature. Piper plot shows that most of the groundwater samples fall in the mixed field of Ca-Mg-Cl type. Using GIS mapping technique, major element concentration of groundwater has been interpolated and studied. Groundwater thematic maps on electrical conductivity (EC), hydrogen ion concentration, bicarbonates, chlorides and nitrates were prepared from the groundwater quality data. Different classes in thematic maps were categorized as i) good, ii) moderate and iii) poor with respect to groundwater quality. Northeast and southeast parts of the study area represent the doubtful water class regarding the concentration of EC to represent connate nature of water adjacent to the coast. NNE (North-North-East) and southern parts of the study area have pH ranging from 7 to 8 indicating acidic nature as they were from the weathered Cuddalore sandstone. As northern part of the study area is irrigated, fertilizer used for agriculture may be the source for increase in concentration of nitrates. Chloride clusters in the south central part of the study area from coast up to NLC mines and reveals the chloridization of aquifer in 48 years either due to upwelling of connate water from the deeper aquifer as a result of depressurization of Neyveli aquifer for the safe mining of lignite.


Alterations in expression of various cell-adhesion molecules have been reported in a variety of malignant tissues. However, little is known about how lung adenocarcinomas differ in CAM expression from the normal lung. We analyzed the expression of integrins alpha 1 beta 1 through alpha 6 beta 1, intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1, neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM), and lymphocyte function antigen (LFA)-3, CD44, and the two carbohydrate antigens, Lewisx (Le(x)) and sialosyl-Le-Le(x) of lung adenocarcinoma cells, and compared them with autologous pneumocytes. CAM expression was studied by an immunohistochemical method using monoclonal antibodies, and computerized image analysis was used to quantify the immunoperoxidase-staining intensity. The normal lung alveolar cells strongly expressed the integrins alpha 1 beta 1 and alpha 3 beta 1, and fairly expressed alpha 2 beta 1, alpha 4 beta 1, alpha 5 beta 1, and alpha 6 beta 1. ICAM-1, LFA-3, and CD44 were strongly expressed, whereas NCAM, the Le(x) and sialosyl-Le-Le(x) antigens, were expressed weakly. In contrast, we did not detect expression of the alpha 1 beta 1 integrin on any autologous lung adenocarcinoma cells, and they showed on average a 50% reduction in labeling relative intensity units for the integrin common chain marker beta 1, the specific integrins alpha 3 beta 1, alpha 5 beta 1, and alpha 6 beta 1, and ICAM-1, and LFA-3. Examination of the adjacent small blood vessel endothelium in malignant lung tissues did not reveal any major alterations in CAM expression, the small vessel endothelium of the normal and malignant lung tissues appeared with a similar CAM profile. These results suggest that lung adenocarcioma cells have a lack of alpha 1 beta 1 expression and significant reduction in some other integrin beta 1 and CAM expression in comparison with their autologous pneumocytes. This aberration in CAM expression by the lung adenocarcinoma cells may be involved in their loss of proliferation control and may interfere with leukocyte adhesion to tumor cells, enabling the tumor to escape immunodestruction.


There are many expressions proposed for the permeability of isotropic media based on flow channel and pore size distribution concepts, but there are no such expressions for anisotropic media. In this paper an expression for the permeability of an anisotropic medium is proposed, which has been verified in the laboratory.

The mechanism behind fluid flow through soil was investigated using microscopic computer simulations to propose an expression for macroscopic permeability. The soil was assumed to be a spatially periodic porous medium, and the Navier-Stokes equation was solved using the FEM with appropriate boundary conditions for several different arrangements of the porous medium. The basic variables influencing flow through soil at the microscopic level were identified as specific surface area, void ratio, particle shape, material heterogeneity and the arrangement of particles in a porous medium. A sensitivity analysis was carried out to obtain an expression for the permeability in terms of the above variables.

The corresponding macroscopic variables for the above microscopic variables are average specific surface area, average void ratio, anisotropy, tortuosity due to material heterogeneity, and the arrangement of particles respectively. An expression for the directional permeability is proposed in terms of these variables for the most common occurrence of particles in a porous medium.

For the verification of the proposed equation, the permeability values of a fine-grained sand were measured at different void ratios and were compared with those predicted by the proposed equation. The results show that the predicted permeability values from the proposed equation are very close to the measured values.


The study of controversies is a methodological tool that generates knowledge about the social and political dimensions of science. This approach can be used to understand and explore the topic of organic foods. The present study aimed to analyze the controversies regarding the status of organic foods. We carried out a review of studies published since 1990 in three websites: International Foundation for Organic Agriculture, Soil Association, and Food and Agriculture Organization. The following controversies were identified: 1) effects on human health of the presence of chemical contaminants in organic foods; 2) the quality of organic foods as compared to conventionally grown foods; and 3) price of organic foods. Based on this review, it is possible to conclude that, even though organic foods stand out for their low toxicity, higher durability, and nutritional content of some items, more comparative studies are required to confirm the nutritional superiority of organic foods and to solve the controversies. The discussion must be contextualized within a broad spectrum of health promotion, in which organic farming appears associated with the support for small farming, biodiversity, and local sustainable development, so as to increase offer and demand for organic products at fair prices for individual and institutional consumers.


The aim of color constancy is to remove the effect of the color of the light source. As color constancy is inherently an ill-posed problem, most of the existing color constancy algorithms are based on specific imaging assumptions such as the grey-world and white patch assumptions. In this paper, 3D geometry models are used to determine which color constancy method to use for the different geometrical regions found in images. To this end, images are first classified into stages (rough 3D geometry models). According to the stage models, images are divided into different regions using hard and soft segmentation. After that, the best color constancy algorithm is selected for each geometry segment. As a result, light source estimation is tuned to the global scene geometry. Our algorithm opens the possibility to estimate the remote scene illumination color, by distinguishing nearby light source from distant illuminants. Experiments on large scale image datasets show that the proposed algorithm outperforms state-of-the-art single color constancy algorithms with an improvement of almost 14% of median angular error. When using an ideal classifier (i.e, all of the test images are correctly classified into stages), the performance of the proposed method achieves an improvement of 31% of median angular error compared to the best-performing single color constancy algorithm.


Taking indigeneity and hybridity as opposite theoretical paradigms in the study of religion, this article problematises political discourses and practices that propagate the former view. The post-colonial resurgence of indigeneity is first contextualised with reference to anthropological studies of its political uses in Botswana and Cameroon, and then problematised with reference to its foregrounding in Freedom Park. It is argued that this tendency poses the danger of social fragmentation, discrimination and exclusion in post-colonial African contexts, which is precisely what the South African Constitution and National Policy on Religion and Education intend to prevent.


Southern European countries have come to constitute the most vulnerable external border of the European Union (EU) over the last decade. Irregular migration pressures have been acutely felt on the EU's southern sea borders, and particularly on four sets of islands: Canary Islands (Spain), Lampedusa and Linosa (Italy), Malta, and Aegean Islands (Greece). This quartet is, to a large extent, used as stepping stones by irregular migrants and asylum seekers to reach the European continent. This paper studies the role of these islands as 'outposts' of a framework of externalization. It starts by discussing the notion of externalization and its different facets. It considers how externalization is linked to both fencing and gate-keeping strategies of migration and asylum control. The second part of the paper focuses on the special role of the island quartet with respect to the externalization web cast by national and EU-wide migration policies. It concludes with a critical reflection on the multi-level character of externalization policies and practices that occur both within the EU and between the EU and third countries.


The interpreter of Marx's writings faces the task of reconciling, on the one hand, Marx's frequent explicit condemnations and criticisms of morality and, on the other, the obvious way in which his world-view reflects substantive moral judgments. In this book R. G. Peffer tackles the challenges of finding in Marx's work an implicit moral theory, of answering claims that Marxism is incompatible with morality, and of developing the outlines of an adequate Marxist moral and social theory. Peffer analyzes the moral components of Marx's thought and considers all the major interpretations of his moral perspective; he concludes that Marx is a mixed deontologist who is most committed to a maximum system of equal freedoms, both positive and negative. He then utilizes contemporary metaethical theory to show that Marxism is compatible with morality in general and with the concepts of justice and rights in particular. Peffer proposes a radically egalitarian theory of social justice (which subsumes Marx's own moral theory) and a minimal set of Marxist empirical theses, which together entail the Marxist's basic normative political positions. This book demonstrates that contemporary analytic political philosophy is invaluable for coming to terms with Marxism and that it is only Marx's less abstract empirical theories about classes and class struggle, the dysfunctions of capitalism, and the possibility of creating democratic, self-managing postcapitalist societies that are needed for the development of an adequate Marxist moral and social theory.Originally published in 1990.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.