The complexity of integrated circuits requires a hierarchical design methodology that allows the user to divide the problem into pieces, design each piece independently, and assemble the pieces into the complete system. The design hierarchy brings out composition problems, problems that are a property of the assembly as a whole, not of one single instance in the hierarchy.
Recent research has produced tools that automate part of the composition task--the logical connection of the pieces. However, these tools do not ensure that signals driven over these connections will be driven sufficiently to give reasonable cycle speed of the resulting chips. It is easily possible to specify an assembly in which a small-sized gate is required to drive an enormous load. Parasitic capacitance of the wiring made automatically by the logical connection tool can be the dominant source of delay, so assembly tools can actually worsen the performance of the circuit and hide this fact from the designer.
When required to make large circuits, automated layout tools such as PLA generators can blindly make layouts that give abysmally poor performance. Here again, the delay is in a part of circuit that the designer did not specify, so it is hidden. Finding and correcting these problems is a difficult and time-consuming task in integrated circuit design, and one that consumes vastly more people's time and computer time than the simple assembly of the chip.
The task of guaranteeing that circuits meet performance specifications has been left mainly to the designer. Computer aided design has provided analysis tools, tools that tell the designer the performance statistics of the current design. It is then the designer's burden to interpret the performance statistics and use them as guides to make changes in the circuit.
This thesis views performance optimization as an electrical composition task. Poor performance as a result of mismatched loads on devices in a problem of composition and should be corrected by the composition tool. Such a tool is presented in this thesis--a program that automatically sizes transistors in a symbolic description of a chip to match the load the transistors are driving. The results are encouraging: they show that delays can be cut by a factor of two in many current designs.


In an 18 mo study antibiotic containing mastitic milk was collected from infected cows and fermented naturally for a minimum of 7 days at ambient temperature. Fermentation of antibiotic containing mastitic milk increased titratable acidity from 0.209% to 0.650% and decreased pH from 7.02 to 5.48. Fermentation decreased crude protein from 3.7% to 3.5% and increased NPN (% TN) from 6.0% to 8.4%. Penicillin was detected at a concentration of 1.2 IU/ml in the first milk after treatment and 0.01 IU/ml when fermented. Species of pathogenic or~anisms isolated from fresh and fermented milk were Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus dysgalactiae, Proteus species, Pseudomonas species, Enterobacter species and ~lebsiella species. Holstein calves were fed either fermented antibiotic containing mastitic milk or whole milk for 6 wk then fed only dry feed for an additional 2 wk. Calf growth and dry feed intake was not different between treatments for the 8 wk trial. Female calf weights at 3, 6, . and 12 mo of age were similar for both treatments. During the first 4 wk of the trial feed intake, minimum, and mean temperature accounted for 25.8% of the variation in body weight gain. From 5 to 8 wk of age and overall dry feed intake accounted for 38.7% and 44.6% of the variation in body weight gain. Fermented antibiotic mastitic milk treatment calves experienced 294% more scour and respiratory problems and 50% less mortality than the control treatment. Feeding fermented antibiotic containing mastitic milk appeared to be an acceptable alternative milk source for newborn dairy calves without significant effect on weight gain or feed in~ake, but health problems were more frequent. TABLE OF CONTENTS PART I. FEEDING VALUE OF FERMENTED ANTIBIOTIC CONTAINING MASTITIC MILK FOR HOLSTEIN CALVES IHTRODUCTION LITERATURE REVIEW Importance of ·a Herd Replacement Rearing Program Factors Influencing Postnatal Calf Rearing Success Importance of Colostrum ... Utilization of Surplus Colostrum Fresh and Frozen Colostrum. Naturally Fermented Colostrum Additives to Control Colostrum Fermentation Importance of Bovine Mastitis. Utilization and Preservation of Surplus Antibiotic Containing Hastitic Milk MATERIALS A.i.~D METHODS Milk Preparation Pretreatment of Test Animals Experimental Procedure Milk Sample Collection and Analysis .. Statistical Analysis RESULTS A..~D DISCUSSION •.. Fermented Antibiotic Containing ~!asti tis Milk Calf Growth Parameters Page


To understand the restoration potential of degraded habitats, it is important to know the key processes and habitat features that allow for recovery after disturbance. As part of the EU (Horizon 2020) funded MERCES project, a group of European experts compiled and assessed current knowledge, from both past and ongoing restoration efforts, within the Mediterranean Sea, the Baltic Sea, and the North-East Atlantic Ocean. The aim was to provide an expert judgment of how different habitat features could impact restoration success and enhance the recovery of marine habitats. A set of biological and ecological features (i.e., life-history traits, population connectivity, spatial distribution, structural complexity, and the potential for regime shifts) were identified and scored according to their contribution to the successful accomplishment of habitat restoration for five habitats: seagrass meadows, kelp forests, Cystoseira macroalgal beds, coralligenous assemblages and cold-water coral habitats. The expert group concluded that most of the kelp forests features facilitate successful restoration, while the features for the coralligenous assemblages and the cold-water coral habitat did not promote successful restoration. For the other habitats the conclusions were much more variable. The lack of knowledge on the relationship between acting pressures and resulting changes in the ecological state of habitats is a major challenge for implementing restoration actions. This paper provides an overview of essential features that can affect restoration success in marine habitats of key importance for valuable ecosystem services.


Oreochromis mossambicus is a highly successful invader of aquatic ecosystems due to its adaptable life history, trophic flexibility, ability to tolerate extreme and often unfavourable environmental conditions and maternal care of offspring. Upon introduction to areas outside of its natural range, these characteristics often give O. mossambicus a competitive advantage over indigenous fishes. Accordingly, O. mossambicus may have deleterious impacts on aquatic communities. Since nonindigenous O. mossambicus populations were first observed in Western Australia in the Gascoyne/Lyons River system (ca 25°S) in 1981, the species has spread north to the Lyndon and Minilya Rivers (ca 23°S), and south to the Chapman River (ca 28°S). There is a high probability of further range expansions of this cichlid in Western Australia due to natural dispersal and human-mediated translocation. Adult and juvenile O. mossambicus consumed primarily detritus and vegetal matter, though juveniles collected from the Gascoyne River were carnivorous. There was no demonstrable dietary overlap between O. mossambicus and the carnivorous and omnivorous sympatric species in the Chapman and Gascoyne Rivers. However, a statistically significant dietary overlap was noted between O. mossambicus and the native species Craterocephalus cuneiceps and Hypseleotris aurea in the Lyons River. Anecdotal observations of agonistic behaviour by breeding male O. mossambicus indicated that such behaviour was mainly directed towards other breeding males. The semi-arid climate of the Indian Ocean (Pilbara) Drainage Division results in the reduction of riverine habitats to small isolated pools during extended dry periods. Thus, in these restricted environments resource competition may occur between O. mossambicus and indigenous species.


In what was described as 'one of the most difficult cases' that had come before it, the Singapore Court of Appeal in ACB v Thomson Medical Pte Ltd ('ACB') recognised, for the first time, the loss of genetic affinity as an independent head of loss that would allow a plaintiff to recover damages in a claim for wrongful fertilisation. In ACB, the Court of Appeal dismissed the claim for upkeep costs of raising the child from birth to maturity, and instead identified the loss of genetic affinity as the real harm for which damages should be awarded to compensate for the mistaken use of sperm from an unknown third party. An interesting aspect of ACB was how the Court of Appeal grappled with policy considerations as the basis for its decision. The influence of policy considerations in ACB raises the question of whether the decision runs contrary to the long-standing view that there is little room for public policy reasoning in private law adjudication. In this article, the author argues that the Court of Appeal's decision in ACB was correctly made as it rightly embraced policy considerations in rejecting the upkeep claim and focused on the value of biological relationships in recognising an interest in genetic affinity.


We describe the synthesis and characterization of a family of diblock copolymers with 5 units of a dihexyloxy-phenylenevinylene block (OHPV) connected to a series of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chains of different average lengths (12, 45 and 115 PEG units: OHPV5-b-PEG12, OHPV5-b-PEG45, OHPV5-b-PEG115). All three polymers underwent self-assembly in ethanol, a good solvent for the PEG units, but poor for the OHPV segment. The nature of the structures formed depends sensitively on the length of the PEG block. OHPV5-b-PEG115 formed long fiber-like micelles of uniform width, whereas OHPV5-b-PEG45 formed fragile broad ribbons. We also obtained thin ribbons with OHPV5-b-PEG12 but they tend to fold and twist upon themselves. The structures obtained were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), as well as by wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). In addition, their photophysical properties were examined by UV-vis, steady state fluorescence and fluorescence decay measurements. The results of these experiments indicate that the OHPV groups pack differently in the fiber-like micelles of OHPV5-b-PEG115 than in the lamellar structures formed by OHPV5-b-PEG45.


The United States and Japan are jointly developing and deploying an integrated advanced regional missile defense system meant to counter threats from North Korea. North Korea possesses a large and diversified arsenal of shortand medium-range missiles that could strike Japanese cities and military bases in the event of a crisis and cause measurable damage. The missile defense system currently in place provides strong kinematic defensive coverage over Japanese territory. However, in general, the offense enjoys a strong cost advantage. It is impractical to deploy as many defensive interceptors as there are offensive missiles, which, in turn, limits the efficiency of missile defenses. It should be understood that regional missile defenses in the Asia-Pacific are neither capable nor expected to provide 100% defense. Rather, their goal is to provide sufficient capability to bolster deterrence and, should deterrence fail, to provide enough defense in the initial stages of a crisis to protect vital military assets. Additionally, U.S. and Japanese forces apparently also need to develop a better command and control architecture to operate the Asia-Pacific regional missile defense system. Finally, while the system is meant to defend only against regional threats, China has argued that the system might in the future be able to intercept Chinese ICBMs, thereby diluting its strategic deterrent against the United States. Maintaining effective defenses against North Korea while reassuring China will be one of the major challenges the U.S. and Japan face in their missile defense endeavor.


ObjectivesHigh tension is the leading cause of the increased risk of mortality among family caregivers (FCGs), resulting in inadequate care and abandonment of the patient. Spirituality promotion is a sense of mastery and control and strength to endure the stressors of illness. To the best of our knowledge, no tool is available for investigating the current spiritual state of the FCG and identifying the need for spiritual intervention in Iran. Therefore, the present study aimed to identify the level of independence of patients with chronic disease and to explore the concept of spirituality and psychometric of related scale, namely, caregiver's spiritual empowering scale (CSES).Materials and MethodsThis study used a multiphase mixed-method approach and was conducted from June 2016 to August 2018 in the southwestern region of Iran. The cross-sectional surveys of activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) were conducted on people with chronic diseases (n = 389) in the first phase. In the second phase, the exploratory sequential mixed method was applied for content analysis study (n = 26) and psychometric of CSES in FCG (n = 395).ResultsThe caregivers' age was within the range of 17-74 years (42 Mean ± 12SD). Based on the results of ADL IADL, 87% and 99.5% of patients were dependent or in need of help. In the qualitative study phase, four main categories emerged in the context of "Empowering spirituality". The reliability and validity of CSES including 12 items loaded one a single factor were confirmed based on the content validity ratio >0.45, content validity index >0.78, kappa coefficient >0.75, impact score > 1.5, α = 0.92, interclass correlation coefficient = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.90-0.92, r = 0.57, P = 0.000, standard error of the mean = 1.64, and KaiserMeyer-Olkin index = 94, P < 0.001.ConclusionsIn general, spiritual empowerment is essential as a low-cost and effective method in increasing the dependence of people with chronic diseases and the risk of burnout in FCG. Accordingly, the CSES is considered a valid and reliable instrument for measuring the status of empowerment spirituality in informal caregivers and the effectiveness of interventions.


A crucial element to ensure the success of a project is the community's engagement in it: in other words, the participation of individuals, communitybased organisations and institutions that would be affected by the endeavour is vital to its success. Studies suggest that strong community participation during a programme's development and implementation is more likely to assure its long-term viability. There has been a proliferation of academic programmes that embrace community involvement, service-learning and volunteerism flowing from the understanding that community engagement constitutes one of the core functions in South African higher education. Universities attempt in their own ways to engage students in various projects and programmes to make them aware of the role that a university has to play in the social and economic development of the surrounding community. This paper reports on the lessons and prospects emanating from free attitude interviews (FAI) with five mathematics and science students, members of a non-governmental organisation (Pula) and a number of beneficiaries. Findings indicate that it is essential to craft a common purpose between the university, NGOs and beneficiaries. Youth educators also indicated that they derived a heightened sense of accomplishment when addressing challenges experienced by their peers.


Ants-based routing algorithms have attracted the attention of researchers because they are more robust, reliable, and scalable than other conventional routing algorithms. Since they do not involve extra message exchanges to maintain paths when network topology changes, they are suitable for mobile ad-hoc networks where nodes move dynamically and topology changes frequently. As the number of nodes increases, however, the number of ants (i.e., mobile agents or control messages) also increases, which means that existing algorithms have poor scalability. In this paper, we propose a scalable ant-based routing algorithm that keeps the overhead low while keeping paths short. Our algorithm uses a multistep TTL (Time To Live) scheme, an effective message migration scheme, and an efficient scheme for updating the probability of packet forwarding. Simulation experiments have confirmed that our proposed algorithm can establish shorter paths than the conventional ant-based algorithm with the same signaling overhead. key words: ant algorithms, MANET, routing, scalability


This literature review examines articles regarding the parasomnias; nightmares, night terrors and sleepwalking. The defining characteristics of each parasomnia, correlations between the parasomnias and comorbidity with other psychiatric diagnoses are evaluated. Findings indicate that while there is a substantial genetic influence in early experience of these sleep disorders, late adolescent onset or early adult onset is more correlated to additional psychopathology. The parasomnias as a whole are mostly comorbid with anxiety. Stress and life events played a major role in the event of each of the parasomnias. Night terrors are by far the most devastating of the parasomnias with the highest indications for psychopathology and behavioral violence. The general assumption is that the parasomnias are usually harmless but research defines a different picture. Self medication is often involved in an attempt to cope. Numerous case reports of self injury, injury to others, death and even murders while experiencing parasomnias behoove the therapeutic community to understand their potentially serious nature.


ABSTRACT The year 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of the elucidation of the process of plant organ growth at the cellular level by Julius Sachs (1870). In this Addendum to a Review Article in Molecular Plant, we describe this fundamental discovery and argue that the etiolated grass coleoptile still represents the system of choice for the experimental analysis of auxin (indole-3-acetic acid, IAA)-action. With reference to the phenomenon of 'tissue tension', we discuss the acid-growth hypotheses of IAA-induced wall loosening and the process of vacuolar expansion, respectively. IAA-mediated elongation appears to be independent of wall acidification, and may be regulated via the secretion of glycoproteins into the outer epidermal wall, whereby turgor (and tissue) pressure provides the 'driving force' for growth. As predicted by the "acid growth-hypothesis", the fungal phytotoxin Fusicoccin (Fc) induces organ elongation via the rapid secretion of protons. We conclude that "cell elongation" can only be understood at the level of the entire organ that displays biomechanical features not established by single cells. This systems-level approach can be traced back to the work of Sachs (1870).


We evaluated the potential of using a compact, high-power quantum cascade laser (QCL) in the 5.7-μm wavelength range for less-invasive laser angioplasty, by observing the effects of QCL irradiation on cholesteryl oleate thin films and a porcine thoracic aorta. We compared the results obtained using QCL with those obtained using nanosecond pulsed laser by difference-frequency generation (DFG laser) at a wavelength of 5.75 μm. The QCL irradiation melted the cholesteryl oleate thin films after irradiation for 5-30 s at an average power density of 40 W/cm. On the other hand, the porcine thoracic aorta was not damaged after irradiation for 1-5 s at 40-50 W/cm. This result demonstrates that QCL selectively react with cholesteryl oleate without damaging the porcine thoracic aorta. The QCL induced more thermal damage than the DFG laser under irradiation conditions that gave comparable ablation depths. This finding demonstrates the potential of achieving less-invasive, selective treatment of atherosclerotic plaques using QCL in the 5.7-μm wavelength range, although the pulse structure of the QCL requires improvement to prevent thermal damage to a normal artery.


In a society the tax climate is determined by the interaction between taxpayers and tax authorities. In a 'service and client' climate, taxpayers do not expect authorities to automatically suspect them of being tax evaders. Evidence suggests that recognising good tax behaviour with strategies of rewards has a positive effect on voluntary tax compliance. Principles derived from the cognitive evaluation theory predict that when feelings of competence are affirmed and this is accompanied by a sense of autonomy it can enhance the intrinsic motivation for an action. The present research surveyed the attitudes and beliefs of taxpayers involved in small business on being rewarded for tax compliance. Results were corroborated with the principles of the cognitive evaluation theory and it was found that that the principles of the theory are applicable to rewarding tax compliance behaviour.


This study focuses on how the tradition of mumming in County Fermanagh is defined.
Several factors have contributed to the processes of redefinition mumming has been subjected
to. The violent conflict, which is agreed to have erupted in the province of Ulster in 1969,
played an integral role in the severe decline of mumming around this period. In the 1980s, it
was revived and mumming groups became a common sight around Christmas time, in local
towns and villages. This continued until the 2000s. However, at present there remains only
one mumming group practicing the tradition in Fermanagh: The Aughakillymaude (ACK-LAMAD)
Mummers. This thesis explores how mumming has been redefined by both the
mummers and the audience.
Throughout the thesis, it is argued that while social practices are viewed as possessing
longevity and immutability both time and context act to change and define them. mumming
exists on the margins of Irish cultural activity. There are no academic departments established
to study it, no dedicated archives to store its history, nor are there rules or regulations to bind
its existence. Its continuation depends on those involved redefining the tradition. The
mummers eke out a space for it through touristic and non-touristic avenues, by framing the
tradition as unconventional and marginal. The study challenges notions of the audience, the
commodification of tradition, masking, the ability to speak about conflict, reviving a tradition,
and the musician. By doing this, it examines how a tradition which exists without any
formalities to govern it continues to be redefined and practiced on the margins of Irish cultural
activity.


The main subject of this thesis was the investigation whether or not the magnetoresistance behavior of single nanostructured magnetic nanowires senses directly the magnetization reversal processes.
The nanowires are prepared by means of a combination of electron beam lithography (EBL) and electron beam evaporation. Using a special two step EBL process nonmagnetic gold contacts can be attached precisely to the nanowires. Thus a magnetic influence of the reversal processes of the nanowires by the contact structures can be excluded. The single nanowires are in general 40 µm long and the Co film thickness is 30 nm whereas the width of the wires is varied between 100 nm and 10 µm. To avoid surface oxidation the Co wires are covered in situ with a 2 nm thick Pt layer. The resistance is measured using a AC 4 point probe resistance measurement technique with a precision of about 5*10^(-6).
As the resistance behavior of the nanowires depends on the magnetic as well as on the structural properties numerous investigations are carried out. The structure and morphology was investigated by means of different scanning probe techniques as e.g. SEM, AFM, STM and using TEM as well as electron diffraction. We reveal a polycrystalline structure of the Co nanowires with a mean grain size of about 7 nm. The crystal structure of the Co is mainly hcp. SQUID investigations of Co nanowire gratings reveal approximately rectangular shaped hysteresis loops. From this a saturation magnetization of 1385 kA/m results which fits very well to the literature value. The imaging of the domain structure using Kerr microscopy and MFM reveals that the magnetization is oriented in plane during the whole magnetization reversal process and that domain walls of the Neel type occur. Dependent on the wire width a transition from a multidomain remanent domain configuration (w>=2µm) to a monodomain remanent domain configuration (w<=1µm) has been observed. The domain structures confirm the magnetization processes deduced from the magnetoresistance measurements taking the anisotropic magnetoresistance into account.
The transversal magnetoresistance reflects a coherent rotation of the magnetic moments independent on the wire width. This reversal mechanism can be excluded in the case of the longitudinal magnetoresistance. In this measurement geometry we observe different reversal mechanisms depending on the wire width. Small wires reverse magnetically by end nucleation of a vortex like domain wall and moving of this structure through the wire. For wide wires the reversal process is due to the formation of complex domain structures. These different magnetization reversal mechanisms are confirmed by means of Kerr-microscopy and Monte Carlo simulations. The wire widths dependence of the coercive field shows a 1/w-behavior independent on the various methods that have been used for the investigations, e.g. magnetoresistance, SQUID, stray field measurements as well as Monte Carlo simulations, and can be explained by demagnetising effects and shape anisotropy.
From angular dependent investigation of the magnetoresistance a combination of both reversal mechanisms reflected by the transversal and the longitudinal resistance can be deduced.
Quantitativ analysis of the magnetoresistance behavior shows the high sensitivity of the resistance measurements to sense the magnetization reversal process in comparison to the imaging methods used. Furthermore these quantitative analyses shows that an additional resistance contribution besides the anisotropic magnetoresistance has to be taken into account. However, this does not influence the interpretation of the magnetization reversal processes.


For millennia, people of all cultures have decorated the surfaces of their domestic, religious, and public buildings. Earthen architecture, in particular, has been, and continues to be, a common ground for surface decoration, such as paintings, sculpted bas-relief, and ornamental plasterwork. This volume explores the complex issues associated with preserving these surfaces. Case studies from Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas are presented. The publication is the result of a colloquium held in 2004 at Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, co-organized by the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) and the National Park Service (NPS). The meeting brought together fifty-five conservators, cultural resource managers, materials scientists, engineers, architects, archaeologists, anthropologists, and artists from eleven countries to present recent conservation work and discuss possibilities for future research and collaboration. Divided into four themes - Archaeological Sites, Museum Practice, Historic Buildings, and Living Traditions - the papers examine the conservation of decorated surfaces on earthen architecture within these different contexts. It is part of the "Getty Conservation Institute Symposium Proceedings" series.


This popular casebook, through the selection of classic and modern cases, provides an excellent tool for teaching students the common law foundations of the criminal law and modern statutory reform, including the Model Penal Code. Along the way, the casebook considers modern controversies (e.g., "shaming" punishment, rape law, self-defense by battered women, euthanasia, the role of culture in determining culpability), and creatively uses literature (e.g., examining insanity through Edgar Allen Poe's The-Tell Tale Heart) and even "brain teasers" to confront (as the Preface states) "the Big Questions ...that philosophers, theologians, scientists, and poets, as well as lawyers, have grappled with for centuries." Professor Stephen Garvey (Cornell) joins the casebook beginning with this new edition.The Sixth Edition, as in the past, includes some new cases, as well as updates in the notes that bring current issues of criminal law to the fore. New Power Points have been added to the casebook companion website. For more information and additional teaching materials, visit the companion site .


This paper investigates the use of the word 'face' in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Turkish and Chinese so as to trace the meaning of the concept in the two languages and cultures. The study describes the occurrence of the lexeme in five semantic/pragmatic domains in novels dating from the turn of the twentieth century, a period that corresponds to an acceleration in modernisation movements. Two conclusions are drawn from the comparison of face in Turkish and Chinese, and noteworthy similarities and differences are shown. The interpersonal and the emotional domains cover a wide usage area but form mirror images of each other in terms of the frequency of the tokens. Yet, the Chinese novels reveal more metapragmatic discourse on talk. This is interpreted as face forming a profound emic notion in Chinese culture, which encompasses both relational management and the social worth of the person, while the Turkish novels suggest that it is an "idiom" primarily employed for describing relational management style.


Several developments in international trade in services impact strongly on developing countries: First, the world-wide diffusion of information technologies (IT) has created new export opportunities for developing countries in IT services. Second, the recently proclaimed Millennium Development Goals for poverty reduction can only be attained if key services are provided more efficiently in developing countries - particularly through the liberalization of service imports. Third, in the ongoing Doha Development Round (DR) of trade negotiations, developing countries are asked to formally commit to liberalizing their service imports under the terms of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). Developing countries will benefit from liberalizing service imports if liberalization enhances competition on the supply side. This is typically the case for producer services, such as domestic and international transport, financial services, and telecommunications. The lifting of restrictions on the market access by foreigners (including through direct investment) will often improve service quality or lower prices and thereby enhance the international competitiveness of downstream industries. In Doha Development Round negotiations, therefore, developing countries may find it useful to commit to liberalizing imports of producer services. By contrast, the benefits of import liberalization are less clear for some consumer services where supply is subject to network monopolies (e.g., water and energy distribution) or demand is constrained by poverty (health care, education). Here, achieving a socially optimal level of supply may require carefully calibrated government policies, possibly with international donor support. For developing countries, such sectors should not be priority areas for commitments on service imports under the GATS. Most service exports by developing countries, especially IT services transmitted electronically, face few import barriers in industrialized countries. However, under the GATS, service exports may also be delivered through temporary movement of natural persons, e.g., developing country nationals working in industrialized countries without becoming residents there. If Doha Development Round negotiations were to increase opportunities for such temporary labor migration, the benefits to developing countries could be huge.


Value innovation is a key in developing competitive advantage in most industries. Value innovation is both related to the physical products and accompanying value-adding services. Logistics has evolved from an order qualifier – that is a necessity – to an order winner. Increased focus on the consumer and co-creation with the consumer as a vital partner lead to alignments and rethinking of the channel structure. The supply chain evolves into a demand chain! Deeper knowledge about the why, how, and when of consumer buying behaviour is a main ingredient in demand chain thinking, and the starting point in designing and developing segmented demand chains in the fashion market. These chains are built on partnership and trust oriented relationships. The game of power is increasingly replaced by the game of trust. This is a necessity when the competition shifts from rivalry between companies to rivalry between chains. In this position paper we discuss visions of the fashion future, and how to develop innovative concepts that deliver added value to the consumer. The "old school" of distribution economy, and the concept of convenience, are the basic theoretical grounds, and we argue that innovations could be reached when investing in consumer insights and closer relationships in the demand chain.


Contaminated groundwater resulting from pyrite oxidation of acid sulfate soils (ASSs) is a major environmental problem in coastal Australia. A column test was carried out for an extended period with recycled concrete to study the efficiency of the reactive materials for neutralizing acidic groundwater. Results show that the actual acid neutralization capacity of the recycled concrete could decrease to less than 50% of the theoretical value due to armoring effects. Nevertheless, the performance is good as a spot treatment in ASS Terrain using a near-zero cost waste product. Based on the test results and site characterization, a permeable reactive barrier (PRB) with recycled concrete was designed and installed in ASS terrain on the Shoalhaven River floodplain, southeastern, Australia in October 2006. The performance of the PRB was studied over two and half years to assess the potential of recycled concrete (1) to neutralize the groundwater acidity and (2) to remove the dissolved heavy metals such as iron and aluminum from in situ acidic groundwater. To date, performance monitoring of the PRB shows that recycled concrete can successfully improve the pH of groundwater from acidic to mildly alkaline. In addition, it successfully removes groundwater iron and aluminum. Results reported here also reveal a slow decrease in the performance of the PRB due to armoring effects probably caused by precipitation of iron and aluminum on the surface of the reactive recycled concrete materials.


Making the wrong study choice can lead to dissatisfaction, lack of engagement and ultimately withdrawal from university study. The research project entitled: 'What should I study? Improving tertiary pathways by improving support for prospective students' has explored the ways in which Year 12 students decide what to study and how they are supported by universities and secondary schools as they make this decision. Findings suggest that they need to understand more about their curriculum choices during the application process in order to make more suitable enrolment choices. Examining this research in terms of how Year 12 students learn about higher education curriculum options will facilitate a discussion about how study choice research can inform curriculum transformation.


In order to treat patients in accordance with their preferences as much as possible, you have to know what these preferences are. In our study we tried to resolve a part of the question what people want at the end of life in close connection to Advance Directives (ADs), because these documents are a mean to make one's preferences known. As research population a representative sample of the Dutch population (n=1402) and a cohort of people who own an AD (n=5836) were used. In written questionnaires, the participants were asked about their treatment preferences in two hypothetical scenarios, one concerning an advanced stage of cancer and the other concerning an advanced stage of dementia. The treatments included artificial feeding and hydration, resuscitation, antibiotics and artificial respiration. The results show that the preferences of the majority of people who own ADs are consistent with the document. However for some standard ADs, given out by patient organisations, this is not the case. Owners of the most common standard ADs and the general population are both more inclined to forgo treatment, but the former are more explicit. Also people distinguish between the different scenarios and treatments. Besides the results regarding people owning an AD, the authors will present how certain background characteristics, ideas and experiences with regard to the end of life are related with preferences to forgo or continue treatment.


AIM
Over 60% of Japanese people hope to die at home; hence, assisting clients in achieving this outcome is an important responsibility of home care providers. This study investigated the effects of nurses' relational coordination with physicians on clients' place of death in home visiting nursing (HVN) agencies.

METHOD
Secondary analysis of a public survey conducted in 2015 by local governments in Kurume city, Fukuoka prefecture, Western Japan. Manager nurses from 17 HVN agencies provided data about themselves and their relational coordination with community physicians and 85 deceased clients.

RESULTS
Among 85 deceased clients, 52 (61.2%) had died at home. Four regression models showed significant positive effects of HVN nurse managers' relational coordination on clients' home death (the odds ratios (95% CI) were 2.488 (1.442-4.293), 2.111 (1.014-4.396), 2.562 (1.409-4.658) and 2.275 (1.079-4.796) in models 1-4, respectively.

CONCLUSION
Measuring relational coordination among HVN nursing managers and physicians indicated readiness for home death among HVN clients in an agency or community.


The modern theory of demand which underlies much of economic analysis of consumer behavior is based on the premise that consumption goods are pure and do not involve risks. However, that is clearly not the case where concerns about food safety are involved. The awareness of linkages between consumption of foods and adverse health effects indicates the need for a new framework for investigating demand for food and food safety, and for guiding the appropriate government response to achieve optimal regulation of food safety levels. We develop such a framework and show that when safety is endogenous to the consumer's decision over a consumption bundle, perfect safety is not optimal. There are several implications of the model. Empirical analysis based on conventional demand theory may lack predictive power due to model misspecification and the unobserved survival probability function. Furthermore, if markets are perfectly competitive and consumers accurately informed about safety risk, there is no need for government regulation. However, when markets are not perfectly competitive, and answer is less clear-cut. And, risk differentiation may become a new basis for acquiring and exercising market power.


In the present investigation, effect of ceramic/graphite addition on the dry sliding wear behavior of copper-based hybrid composites have been assessed at three different normal loads of 9.81, 19.62 and 29.43 N. Wear test is performed by using pin-on-disc test rig at sliding speeds of 1.30 and 1.84 m/s under ambient conditions. The copper-based hybrid composites are successfully synthesized by using stir casting route. The samples are characterized by various techniques such as X-rays diffraction (XRD), high resolution-scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive analysis of X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX). Microstructural investigations reveal the presence of the WC, TiC and graphite particles in the hybrid composites. It is observed that graphite reinforced hybrid composite shows better wear resistance than hybrid composite without graphite addition. In all the cases cast copper specimen shows highest wear rate. The observed friction and wear behavior have been explained on the basis of the presence tribofilm on the worn surface. Microstructural characterization of the worn surface and wear debris show that the mechanism of wear is primarily adhesive and oxidative in case of cast copper, where as it is a mix of adhesive and abrasive wear in case of hybrid composites. Wear debris analysis also helps to understand the wear mechanism involved during dry sliding.


In the present study, shear lag induced failure of slotted end tension connections is considered for circular hollow section members in stainless steel. The failure of slotted end tension connections is mostly governed by fracture near the slotted end where local peak stress concentrations develop due to shear lag. Within the connected region, shear lag causes the unconnected circumferential region of the hollow section to lag behind the welded region in resisting the axial tensile forces. An experimental program carried out on 10 slotted gusset plate welded stainless steel circular member end connections is first described. The results obtained from the test program are critically examined and compared with currently available design guidance for slotted gusset plate welded tubular end connections. It is noted that no specific rules exist in international specifications on structural stainless steel which cover the design of such connections. Therefore, the results of this study are compared with the design rules for carbon steel. It is suggested that present requirements for such connections in carbon steel may be different if applied to stainless steels.


Rapid accumulation of empirical studies in behavioral finance calls for a unified and consistent theoretical synthesis. Instead of building up a behavioral theory of economics directly, we present the entropy theory of mind, which is an economic theory of mind. Then we integrate the value and cost of information processing into the overall picture in economic decision making. The entropy theory of mind includes a theory of judgment, which provides a common framework to integrate behavioral and informational theories of investment. The theory of judgment provides a quantitative link between investors' judgment and their trading activities. It offers a simple and unified understanding of major patterns in market activities and investor behaviors. As an application, a simple mathematical model based on the entropy theory of mind is constructed to understand many empirical patterns related to the cycles of momentum and reversals in asset markets. During various phases of the cycles, trading volumes and trading behaviors of investors of different sizes often show distinct characteristics. It has been a long standing challenge to describe the multiple patterns simultaneously from a quantitative theory. In this paper, we show that the predictions derived from the model are consistent with the multiple empirical patterns of trading volumes and investor activities at the different phases of the cycle of momentum and reversal.


The use of natural colors in food is gaining importance because the number of synthetic
colorants approved for use in food is legislatively restricted. There is only one type of
betacyanin i.e. betanin has been approved as natural food colorant (E-162) and almost
entirely obtained from the red beet. Thus, in this study Hylocereus polyrhizus fruit, as an
alternative source of betacyanin pigments was investigated to meet the ever-increasing
commercial demand. Two solvent extraction systems were investigated to determine the
efficiency of solvents in recovering color pigments from pulp of Hylocereus polyrhizus
fruit. Individual betacyanin pigments were identified according to High-performance
liquid chromatographic analysis. Quantitative and qualitative differences were
determined in betacyanin composition of each concentrated extract. Betanin,
phyllocactin, hylocerenin and their respective isomers with different ratios were the
major betacyanin components of Hylocereus polyrhizus fruits. From solvent system
selection, the aqueous ethanolic system was found more effective than ethanol in
recovering betacyanins. The alteration of betanin:phyllocactin peak area ratio in ethanolic assay revealed the lower stability of phyllocactin that resulted deacylation and
betanin formation. Enzymatic treatment method was optimized by means of highest
yield of pigment in concentrated extract. Betacyanin retention was monitored in a range
of different enzyme dosage (0.1%-2% w/v). The color characteristic of concentrated
extracts from solvent extraction assays and enzymatic treatment were compared and
monitored along with red beet colorant by using CIELAB system. Chroma (C*) value
was strongly influenced by applied extraction methods. The two extracts obtained from
the pulp of fruits by solvent extraction assay provided color tint (ho) close to the red beet
color. Tonality of color extracts from the skin and enzyme-treated shifted into an intense
purple color and due to their chroma value displayed darker color. These findings
revealed that composition of betacyanin pigments in Hylocereus polyrhizus fruit
displayed wider color spectrum compare to red beet. Application of betacyanins in
Hylocereus polyrhizus fruit could have considerable potential for development to be
employed in the food industry.


How has globalization – a set of connected processes that lead to a greater interaction capacity in the international system – affected military planners at the beginning of the 21st century? Over the years globalization has transformed social trends, and national and foreign policies. Its consequences for military strategy, i.e. policy-makers' conception of how to employ military force to achieve political objectives, however, has been comparatively neglected. The goal of this article is to fill that gap by empirically tracing the ways in which army planners in the United States and Europe have thus far grappled with globalization. The article has four main findings. First, I show that the resource dependence approach in organizational theory provides a useful analytical framework to conceptualize army planners and army organizations as strategic actors who can choose among different ways to respond to their globalizing transnational environment, which potentially puts their relevance into question. Second, the evidence shows that army planners have perceived, and have reacted to, changes in the interaction capacity of the international system insofar as they appreciate that land power is not immune from globalization's influence. Third, while political and military strategists perceive the growing interconnectedness of the international system, they react in different ways: some dismiss it as irrelevant, others focus on only one of its dimensions (like technology), while others disagree on how much it matters. Fourth, land power adaptations to the stresses and strains of a globalized international system have both international/transnational and domestic implications.


This study applied the Multi-Dimensional analysis used by Biber (1988) to examine the functional parameters of essays. Co-occurrence patterns were identified within an essay corpus (n = 1529) using linguistic indices provided by Coh-Metrix. These patterns were used to identify essay groups that shared features based upon situational parameters. Results revealed that the linguistic features reliably co-occurred according to the parameters. Namely, four dimensions were interpreted and associated with essay quality, prompt, and grade level. Confirmatory analyses revealed that the dimensions reliably distinguished among the parameters. Results provide insight into the situational parameters that affect writing, and the extent to which essays vary among and between themselves. The results have important implications for composition pedagogy, writing assessment, and writing theory.


Several previous studies have pointed out the need for the use of a more robust statistical methodology in order to gain a better understanding of all forms of fraud. In this paper, we studied the aetiology of fraud proposed by Cressey (1973) by examining two models that incorporated rationalisation into causal relationships within a fraud commission model and hence of a fraud risk model. A sample of 122 Indonesian respondents, who had ever encountered any forms of fraud, was used to test two theory based structural equations models. Because of the poor fit of the two theoretical models to the data as shown by the SRMR index and because the path between rationalisation and commission of fraud was found to be non-significant, an exploratory research process was used to derive a further model. The outcome of this process was the introduction of additional paths into the second theoretical model. This model was tested using another sample of 122 respondents and produced a good fit to the data. Significant direct and indirect drivers of commission of fraud were identified and these extended the theory and introduced the consideration of a wider range of fraud risk factors for the global audit profession. Collusion was perceived to be the strongest direct influence on commission of fraud with a lesser effect arising from opportunity for fraud and a final direct influence arising from the avoidance of justice. In addition, organisational orientation was perceived to provide another indirect influence on the commission of fraud. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings.


This is an extension of three previous papers dealing with dimers on rectangular lattices (one, two, and three dimensions). The technique presented in the first paper in this series continues to be fruitful for dimers on plane triangular lattices. Entropy, isothermal compressibility, constant pressure heat capacity, and molecular freedom per dimer at close packing are obtained exactly for lattices infinite in one direction and finite in the other. Observations made in the third paper of the series concerning molecular freedom per dimer at close packing on rectangular lattices are used to extrapolate our results to infinite plane triangular lattices. At close packing, the molecular freedom per dimer on an infinite plane triangular lattice is calculated to be 2.356 527... in agreement with the value obtained by Nagle. Based on our earlier findings, the value of 2.356 527... was used to obtain the analytic fit for the thermodynamic quantities in terms of the normalized number density.


PURPOSE
To compare the susceptibility of crystallins from various animal species to formation of light scattering elements after proteolysis by calpain II enzyme (EC 126.96.36.199).

METHODS
Lens, total soluble proteins from: 12-day and 4-week old rat, fetal and adult bovine, 16-day embryonic and 10-week chicken, and young human cortex and nucleus were proteolyzed by either endogenous lens calpain or addition of purified calpain II for 24 h followed by incubation for up to 11 days. Absorbance of light at 405 nm estimated light scattering by crystallins; SDS-PAGE and 2D-electrophoresis assessed proteolysis on the crystallins.

RESULTS
Most rapid light scattering occurred with total soluble proteins from young rat lens, either after adding purified calpain or by activating endogenous lens calpain with calcium. (Only rat lens showed activation of endogenous calpain II.) beta-crystallin polypeptides from rat, bovine, human, and to a more limited extent, chick lens were partially proteolyzed by addition of purified calpain II. In spite of this proteolysis, total soluble proteins from chicken, bovine, and human lenses showed no obvious light scattering by action of calpain. Crystallins from older rat lens showed approximately 50% of the light scattering displayed by crystallins from younger rats after 3 days, but only when purified calpain was added.

CONCLUSIONS
Our results indicate an unusually high susceptibility of crystallin polypeptides from young rat lens to formation of light scattering elements after limited proteolysis. Thus, young rat lens provides a unique opportunity to investigate how properties of crystallins influence the development of light scattering found in cataract.


Cognitions influence recovery from activity limitations. In this study we aimed to independently test, compare and combine the common sense self-regulation model (CS-SRM) and social cognitive theory (SCT) in predicting recovery from activity limitations due to acute injury. Measures were gathered at two time points 5–6 weeks apart. The sample consisted of 146 university students (Mean age: 21.86, SD: 4.83, 62% female) with a heterogeneous range of injuries that limited their participation in physical activity. The dependent variable was recovery from activity limitations (Physical Functioning – Short Form-36). The predictor variables were measured using the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire and SCT items designed according to theoretical recommendations. Time-line (TL) and self-efficacy (SE) were significant predictors of recovery in a multivariate analysis, controlling for reported pain at Time 1. A combined model including the best predictors from both models, TL (β = −0.25, p < 0.05, R 2 change = 0.17, p < 0.01) and SE (β =0.31, p < 0.05, R 2 change = 0.05, p < 0.05), accounted for a significant amount of the variance in recovery from activity limitations. A combination of key variables from both models may be particularly useful for understanding the cognitive factors that influence recovery from activity limitations.


Commingled yarn has been developed in order to overcome the difficulties that are experienced when thermoplastic materials are impregnated to reinforce composite materials. Braid is one of the preforming techniques in the reinforcement configuration of composite materials. In this article, tensile properties of thermoplastic braided composites with commingled yarn as structural members are discussed. It is clear that the molding of thermoplastic braided composites with commingled yarn could be performed in compara tively low molding pressure and short holding time. The middle-end-fiber and axial fiber were used to raise the tensile strength of thermoplastic braided composites. Thermoplastic braided composites with the commingled yarn-using glass fiber bundle as middle-end- fiber and axial fiber—had superior tensile properties.


An RNAi-based screen reveals that the energy-sensing protein AMPK is acetylated by p300 and deacetylated by HDAC1. Although best known for their regulation of the reversible acetylation of lysine residues on histone proteins, lysine acetyltransferases (KATs) and deacetylases (KDACs) also modify many nonhistone proteins that are involved in cellular processes such as metabolism. To investigate the functional specificity and substrates of individual KDACs, Lin et al. performed an RNA interference (RNAi)–based screen in a cultured human cell line by individually targeting 12 critical KDACs and examining the effects of KDAC knockdown on gene expression with microarrays. The authors validated more than 800 genetic interactions, and gene ontology analysis showed that genes affected by KDAC knockdown included those that encoded products involved in the regulation of cell cycle control and metabolism. The authors also identified enzyme-substrate relationships between KDACs and their targets, which were validated with in vitro deacetylation assays. One such relationship was that between HDAC1 and the energy-sensing protein adenosine monophosphate–activated protein kinase (AMPK). AMPK is phosphorylated and activated by the kinase LKB1 in response to stresses such as glucose deprivation, and it targets downstream proteins to regulate metabolism. The authors found that HDAC1, but not other KDACs, deacetylated the catalytic subunit of AMPK, and they identified p300 as the major acetyltransferase for AMPK. Acetylation and phosphorylation of AMPK were inversely correlated, and acetylation of AMPK inhibited its activation and that of its downstream targets. Deacetylation of AMPK increased its physical interaction with LKB1 and led to increased phosphorylation and activation of AMPK. Together, these data suggest that HDAC1 plays an important regulatory role in metabolism by controlling the activation of AMPK in response to nutrient deprivation. The authors suggest that use of similar RNAi-based screens and gene interaction analyses may reveal other specific KDAC-substrate relationships that might be targeted therapeutically. Y.-y. Lin, S. Kiihl, Y. Suhail, S.-Y. Liu, Y.-h. Chou, Z. Kuang, J.-y. Lu, C. N. Khor, C.-L. Lin, J. S. Bader, R. Irizarry, J. D. Boeke, Functional dissection of lysine deacetylases reveals that HDAC1 and p300 regulate AMPK. Nature 482, 251–255 (2012). [PubMed]


Facing the challenges of large amounts of data generated by various companies (such as Facebook, Amazon, and Twitter), cloud computing frameworks such as Hadoop are used to store and process the Big Data. Hadoop, an open source cloud computing framework, is popular because of its scalability and fault tolerance. However, by frequently writing and reading data from the Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS), Hadoop is quite slow in many applications. Apache Spark, a new cloud computing framework developed at AMPLab of UC Berkeley, solves this problem by caching data in memory. Spark develops a new abstraction called resilient distributed dataset (RDD) which is both scalable and fault-tolerant. In this thesis, we describe the architecture of Hadoop and Spark and discuss their differences. Properties of RDDs and how they work in Spark are discussed in detail, which gives a guide on how to use them efficiently. The main contribution of the thesis is to implement the PageRank algorithm and Conjugate Gradient (CG) method in Hadoop and Spark, and show how Spark out-performs Hadoop by taking advantage of memory caching.


In the Big Data era, where variety is the most dominant dimension, the RDF data model enables the creation and integration of actionable knowledge from heterogeneous data sources. However, the RDF data model allows for describing entities under various contexts, e.g., people can be described from its demographic context, but as well from their professional contexts. Context-aware description poses challenges during entity matching of RDF datasets—the match might not be valid in every context. To perform a contextually relevant entity matching, the specific context under which a data-driven task, e.g., data integration is performed, must be taken into account. However, existing approaches only consider inter-schema and properties mapping of different data sources and prevent users from selecting contexts and conditions during a data integration process. We devise COMET, an entity matching technique that relies on both the knowledge stated in RDF vocabularies and a context-based similarity metric to map contextually equivalent RDF graphs. COMET follows a two-fold approach to solve the problem of entity matching in RDF graphs in a context-aware manner. In the first step, COMET computes the similarity measures across RDF entities and resorts to the Formal Concept Analysis algorithm to map contextually equivalent RDF entities. Finally, COMET combines the results of the first step and executes a 1-1 perfect matching algorithm for matching RDF entities based on the combined scores. We empirically evaluate the performance of COMET on testbed from DBpedia. The experimental results suggest that COMET accurately matches equivalent RDF graphs in a context-dependent manner.


Although competition has been an ideological beacon of economic governance ever since the birth of the Union, it has largely been an internal affair. External competition from foreign producers has failed to be factored into antitrust scrutiny. On the contrary, the government, through its trade policies such as antidumping remedies, has often hampered foreign competition to protect domestic producers at the expense of all the benefits that foreign competition might bring to the economy. Antidumping remedies tend to create a legal cartel: they fix the import prices and generate non-price predation by petitioners. However, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)'s potential antitrust mission over trade remedies is severely obstructed by a judicially created antitrust immunity labeled the "Noerr-Pennington doctrine." As a legal reincarnation of political pluralism under the Warren court, this doctrine expansively immunizes antidumping petitioners from any antitrust investigations over their potentially trade-restraining behaviors. Against this backdrop, I argue in this Article that the failure to allow antitrust oversight when implementing trade remedies should be rectified by means of judicial and administrative intervention. I do not propose herein a repealing of the current antidumping statute: such a drastic measure would be politically infeasible in the current protectionist atmosphere of Congress. Instead, I take a more modest yet realistic stance: sanitizing antidumping remedies by bringing certain abusive behaviors in the antidumping proceeding, such as deliberate misrepresentations of facts and data, under antitrust disciplines. In order to prevent such abuse of antidumping remedies by rent-seekers, courts should interpret the currently narrow definition of the sham exception broadly enough to effectively foreclose non-price predation. At the same time, the FTC, under its vested antitrust authority, should reinforce its surveillance and enforcement activities to guard against the abuse of trade remedies by domestic producers. In the long-term, these targeted judicial and administrative interventions will eventually lead the public, and legislators alike, to rethink the antidumping statute itself.


The research presents a study of ethnic homophily, i.e. the tendency of agents to be connected to similar others, in the school context. It uses two observations of the complete social network of a cohort of Swedish students (n=115) in a secondary school. The study analyses the scope of the selective attachment and the student's possible motivations to seek similarity, as well as its interrelation to homophily induced by structural organization or foci. It focuses in the interrelation between the individual motivation to seek similarity and how the context of opportunity is organized. Sociometric data was collected during a school year and the model is based in crosscuts of the friendship network. Homophily in respect to ethnic origin was found in the first time point, with students making connections within the in-group. The effect of ethnic homophily seems to decrease between the time points, with evidence of an effect of structural constraints that gained importance over time. Results suggest that organisational divisions in classrooms play a decisive role in the pattern of friendship connections in the school


A relational approach is proposed which provides a framework for connecting levels of analysis/phenomena relevant to narrative identity. Because it is grounded in a systemic relational metanarrative, the relational approach does not preference any one level. Small story and big story are both viewed as integral to the larger identity project. A third analytic level, the middle story, is suggested as a bridge between small and big story. As one example of the approach, systemic analyses of narrative stability for two university students are presented, based on interviews conducted over four years. These analyses conceptually connect middle-level processes with big stories and illustrate principles of circular causality. The final portion of the paper discusses implications and requirements of the relational approach, and other ways that it might be applied.


This experiment was carried out at the University Farm, Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand during April 2011 to September 2012. The work aimed to study effect of stocking rate of Thai-Esaan native beef cattle carried out under "cut and carry" and alternate grazing methods with respect to beef cattle growth performance and the changes in botanical composition of grass-legume mixture regime of the pastureland. Korat soil series (Oxic paleustults) was used. The experiment was laid in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with 3 replications and each replication had 2 heads of Thai-Esaan native beef cattle. The experiment consisted of 4 treatments, i.e. T1 (control, "cut and carry" method) had 0.25 rai/head, T2 had a grazing area of pastureland of 0.25 rai/head, T3 had a grazing area of pastureland of 0.50 rai/head and T4 had a grazing area of pastureland of 0.75 rai/head (1 hectare = 6.25 rai). The results showed that Korat soil series (Oxic Paleustults) is a poor fertility soil with an average pH value of 5.5 and most of the available soil nutrients (NPK) were relatively low. Total dry weights of grass plus legume before grazing were highest for T4 than the rest. This result was also found at the end of the experimental grazing period. Crude protein yields were highest with T3 followed by T4, T2 and least with T1 with mean values of 1,789, 1,740, 1,370 and 951 kg/ha, respectively. Feed intake values were highest with T4 followed by T3, T2 and least with T1 with the mean values of 5.65, 4.95, 3.85 and 3.43 kg/head/day, respectively. The difference was large and highly significant (P < 0.01). Average daily live weight gained was higher for T3 and T4 than T2 and T1 with values of 414, 456, 257 and 190 g/day, respectively. The percentages of total fat in rumen were higher for T3 and T4 than T2 and T1 with values of 0.06, 0.05, 0.02 and 0.02, respectively. The difference was large and statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conjugated linoleic acid values of total fat were highest with T4 followed by T3, T2 and T1 with the values of 1.50, 1.12, 0.17 and 0.11%, respectively. The difference was large and statistically significant. Alternate grazing methods significantly affected dry matter yields, botanical composition changes of the pastureland, and the beef cattle performance and also conjugated linoleic acid in the rumen of the beef cattle. Optimum stocking rate of 0.5 rai/head of T3 was the best recommended treatment for Korat soil series (Oxic Paleustults).


Abstract Western Turkey's extension-related Cumaovası volcanic rocks (Lower Miocene, 17 Ma) are excellent examples of silicic eruptions. The sub-aerial silicic volcanism at Çubukludağ Graben between İzmir and Kuşadası in west–central Anatolia is mainly in the form of rhyolite domes, lava flows and pyroclastic deposits. The initial features of volcanism derived from phreatomagmatic explosive eruptions from silicic magma that came into contact with lake waters during Neogene times. Most of the volcanic succession represents pyroclastic density currents (PDCs), known as the Kuner ignimbrite. The deposits are fine grained and laminated at the base and pass laterally and vertically into deposits displaying well-developed traction structures, soft sediment deformation and/or erosion channels in the NE part of the region. Alternate deposits of massive, diffusely stratified lapilli and ash are the main products of the later explosive stage. Massive lithic breccias forming the top of the sequences are the proximal facies of the PDCs. The lava phase mainly consists of rhyolite extruded as dome and fissure eruptions of lavas, aligned along NE–SW-trending faults as well as from extensional cracks that are nearly perpendicular to the main graben faults. Considering the tectono-stratigraphical aspects and geochemical nature of the study area, we propose that the Cumaovası silicic volcanism was produced by extension-related crustal melting during the Late–Early Miocene period (17 Ma).


Intermediate phases in two non-ionic polyoxyethylene surfactantiD20 systems - nonaethylene glycol mono (1 1-oxa-14,18,22,26-tetramethylheptacosyl) ether (C30E09) and hexaethylene glycol n-hexadecyl ether (C15E05) have been studied. Both systems have a rhombohedral mesh phase with the space group symmetry R3m, and model calculations show this phase to consist of hexagonally arranged pores in a surfactant bilayer. The formation of this phase is driven by the need to introduce curvature into the interface as the temperature decreases and hydration of the ethylene oxide headgroups
increases.
In the C30E09 system a small angle neutron scattering study on a 42 wt.% sample has allowed the epitaxial relationship between the lower temperature hexagonal (H1) phase and the mesh intermediate phase, with the (10) planes of the H 1 phase becoming the (001) planes of the mesh phase.
The concentration interval of 48 - 62 wt.% of the C 1 6E06 system has been studied using optical microscopy, 2H nuclear magnetic resonance, and small angle scattering in order to establish the detailed phase behaviour. On cooling from the
lamellar phase, the phase sequence observed is defected lamellar, mesh intermediate, Ia3d cubic, and hexagonal plus gel. On heating from the hexagonal plus gel phase region, the intermediate and cubic phase observed upon cooling is replaced by an Ia3d cubic phase region. The mesh intermediate forms when the water filled defects of the higher temperature defected lamellar phase correlate between the surfactant layers. The C16E06 system has been perturbed by the inclusion of either the shorter chain surfactant hexa-ethylene glycol mono n-dodecyl ether (C12EO6) or the oil octadecane (C 1 81-138). The addition of C12E05 promotes aggregate structures with more curved interfaces, and the intermediate mesh phase is eliminated in favour of the Ia3d cubic phase. The addition of C181-138 swells the surfactant bilayers and promotes flatter
interfaces, but does not stabilise the intermediate phase, as only small additions of oil suppress this phase.


A simple and efficient inkjet printing technology is developed for molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), one of the most attractive two‐dimensional layered materials. The technology effectively addresses critical issues associated with normal MoS2 liquid dispersions (such as incompatible rheology, low concentration, and solvent toxicity), and hence can directly and reliably write uniform patterns of high‐quality (5–7 nm thick) MoS2 nanosheets at a resolution of tens of micrometers. The technology efficiency facilitates the integration of printed MoS2 patterns with other components (such as electrodes), and hence allows fabricating various functional devices, including thin film transistors, photoluminescence patterns, and photodetectors, in a simple, massive and cost‐effective manner while retains the unique properties of MoS2. The technology has great potential in a variety of applications, such as photonics, optoelectronics, sensors, and energy storage.


The developments of immunoassay methods for the early stage diagnosis of
tuberculosis (TB) are described. These went through two different routes, one
through flow injection analysis (FIA), and the other using
immunochromatography methodology. The design of a simple longwavelength
fluorescence detector to serve the above purposes has also been
described.
The FIA immunoassay methods involve immobilising antibodies on to beads,
either directly or through protein A based solid phases. The beads are then
packed into a micro-column reactor for incorporation into the FIA system. In
this case reactor-bound molecules are eluted from the system by a change of
pH, thus limiting the available fluorophores to those that are reasonably
fluorescent in acid solution. Sandwich (reagent excess) assays have been
investigated. A couple of long wavelength (600-800) fluorophores have been
studied. The bead injection option has also been investigated.
The immunochromatographic method uses a lateral flow system and a
sandwich (two-site) immunometric assay. Capture antibodies are immobilised
on a coated membrane matrix at a pre-determined position and the antigen is
analysed after binding to a fluorescence-labelled antibody. Both fluorescent
latex preparations and conventional fluorescent labels have been used and
compared. The strips are simply immersed in a small volume of sample to
start the analysis. The chromatographic step is rapid and extremely simple.
The fluorescence detector is fitted with a motor-driven sample holder to allow
the length of the immunochromatographic strip to be scanned. The detector
utilises a diode laser light source, optical filters in the emission beam and a
miniaturised photomultiplier. It can be easily modified for the FIA, and can
readily be adapted to operate from batteries, so is suitable for field use.


A high level of
maternal, infant and neonatal mortality occurs in Bangladesh. Certain
childbearing practices lead to a pattern of high-risk fertility as well as
making Bangladeshi women more vulnerable to childbearing risks and adverse
birth outcomes. Women in Bangladesh remain considerably subordinate to men in
almost all aspects of their lives, from education and work opportunities to
healthcare utilisation. The lack of opportunities contributes to the low status
of women within their family and society, and generally poor health outcomes
for both mother and children. This study aims to investigate the low status of
women in relation to the significant amount of adverse reproductive health
outcomes in Bangladesh, examining their autonomy and reproductive health in a
single framework. This thesis examines the nature of the associations between
women's autonomy and reproductive health as measured through high-risk
fertility, high-risk pregnancy and adverse perinatal outcomes. In particular,
the principal aim is to measure the influences of women's autonomy in
decision-making, physical mobility and economic matters on their reproductive
health and outcomes. Furthermore, it also investigates whether the level of
autonomy and reproductive health experiences differ across Bangladesh at local
community and district levels. The present study adopts a quantitative approach and uses
data from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS 2011). A
multilevel approach is applied to investigate the influences of autonomy on the
reproductive health of women and their variations in different locations across
Bangladesh. Multilevel logistic regression models (MLRM) of categorical
response variables, and a causal mediation model (CMM) are used as statistical
tools to analyse the relevant data for each outcome variable: high-risk
fertility, high-risk pregnancy and perinatal mortality. The analysis reveals that in Bangladesh, women have low
levels of autonomy in economic matters. Nearly 90% of women do not have control
of their own economic resources, either their husband or other family member
decides how to spend their earnings. Among the three dimensions of autonomy,
decision-making autonomy of women is found to be the strongest factor
influencing high-risk fertility and maternal healthcare utilisation. Although,
the level of autonomy is found to be significantly associated with high-risk
childbearing practices, it does not have any significant effects on high-risk
pregnancy and perinatal death. Rather, the influence of autonomy on birth
outcomes was transmitted through the pathways of maternal age, parity, birth
interval and use of antenatal care services. It was also found that maternal
healthcare utilisation mediates the relationship between autonomy and high-risk
fertility, high-risk pregnancy and perinatal outcomes. Women's level of
education and place of residence were found to be strong inhibiting factors
influencing these relationships. Lastly, it is found that both the level of
autonomy and reproductive health aspects vary significantly across Bangladesh.


The response of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) leaching to rising temperature and precipitation is hardly known for forest soils on carbonate bedrock. We established field lysimeters, filled with soil from a humus-rich A horizon of a Rendzic Leptosol and detrital dolomite (C horizon) and conducted a two-factorial climate manipulation (control (C), soil warming (H, +4°C), irrigation (I, +50% precipitation), soil warming and irrigation (H+I)) to examine the effects of increased temperature and precipitation on DIC and DOC leaching, soil air CO2 concentrations and soil CO2 efflux. We followed an isotopic approach to assess the biotic and abiotic DIC fractions. Soil warming (H) had no effect on DIC leaching and seepage DIC concentrations. Irrigation (I and H+I) increased annual DIC leaching by almost 100% as a matter of significantly increased seepage DIC concentrations and higher annual drainage. Isotopic partitioning of DIC fluxes suggested biogenic contributions between 60 and 100% and no significant variation with warming or irrigation. Soil warming consistently increased the soil CO2 efflux by >50% independently of irrigation treatment. Soil air CO2 concentrations were not affected by soil warming alone (H). Irrigation (I and I+H) tended to increase subsoil (18 and 32 cm depth) soil air CO2 concentrations, while topsoil (6cm) remained unaffected by irrigation. DIC leaching losses were about 4-5 times higher than DOC leaching losses, which showed a similar treatment response (I and H+I > C and H). Annual DIC leaching amounted to between 20 ± 2 (C) and 39 ± 2 (H+I) g m-2¬, representing ~ 2-5% of the total annual gaseous soil CO2 loss. Our results suggest that climate change, especially changing precipitation, could significantly affect the DIC export from carbonate forest soils, thereby affecting their carbon sequestration potential.


Genomic studies have provided insights into molecular subgroups and oncogenic drivers of pediatric brain tumors (PBT) that may lead to novel therapeutic strategies. Participants of the cohort Pediatric Brain Tumor Atlas: CBTTC (CBTTC cohort), were randomly divided into training and validation cohorts. In the training cohort, Kaplan-Meier analysis and univariate Cox regression model were applied to preliminary screening of prognostic genes. The LASSO Cox regression model was implemented to build a multi-gene signature, which was then validated in the validation and CBTTC cohorts through Kaplan-Meier, Cox, and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analyses. Also, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and immune infiltrating analyses were conducted to understand function annotation and the role of the signature in the tumor microenvironment. An eight-gene signature was built, which was examined by Kaplan-Meier analysis, revealing that a significant overall survival difference was seen, either in the training or validation cohorts. The eight-gene signature was further proven to be independent of other clinic-pathologic parameters via the Cox regression analyses. Moreover, ROC analysis demonstrated that this signature owned a better predictive power of PBT prognosis. Furthermore, GSEA and immune infiltrating analyses showed that the signature had close interactions with immune-related pathways and was closely related to CD8 T cells and monocytes in the tumor environment. Identifying the eight-gene signature (CBX7, JADE2, IGF2BP3, OR2W6P, PRAME, TICRR, KIF4A, and PIMREG) could accurately identify patients' prognosis and the signature had close interactions with the immunodominant tumor environment, which may provide insight into personalized prognosis prediction and new therapies for PBT patients.


OBJECTIVES
To determine the publication rate of abstracts submitted at the national scientific meetings of medical students in Peru between 2002 and 2009, and associated factors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A retrospective cohort was performed; the characteristics of overall abstract submitted were assessed. In addition, whether they were published in scientific journals was determined by way of a search strategy validated using Google Scholar. Crude and adjusted relative risks (RR) were calculated using Poisson regression with robust variance to assess association with the analyzed factors.

RESULTS
532 abstracts were analyzed, 52 (9.8%) of which were published in scientific journals after their presentation at a scientific meeting. All of them were published in Peruvian journals written in Spanish. The most important journal in which they were published was Ciencia e Investigación Médica Estudiantil Latinoamericana (CIMEL) (13/52). The median of publication time was 13 months (range: 0-75). The fact that a student from the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (RR: 5.18; CI95%:2.3-11.6) is the author of the abstract and that the abstract was collaboratively written by students from two universities (RR: 3.64; CI95%:1.1-11.7) are associated factors in the multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONS
The publication rate of abstract submitted at national scientific meetings of medical students in Peru is low. New strategies should be taken, and the existing ones should be reinforced in order to increase the publication rate of the abstract submitted.


Background and Purpose The pathogenesis of mitochondrial disease (MD) involves the disruption of cellular energy metabolism, which results from defects in the mitochondrial respiratory chain complex (MRC). We investigated whether infants with MRC I defects showed ultrastructural changes in skeletal muscle. Methods Twelve infants were enrolled in this study. They were initially evaluated for unexplained neurodegenerative symptoms, myopathies, or other progressive multiorgan involvement, and underwent muscle biopsies when MD was suspected. Muscle tissue samples were subjected to biochemical enzyme assays and observation by transmission electron microscopy. We compared and analyzed the ultrastructure of skeletal muscle tissues obtained from patients with and without MRC I defects. Results Biochemical enzyme assays confirmed the presence of MRC I defects in 7 of the 12 patients. Larger mitochondria, lipid droplets, and fused structures between the outer mitochondrial membrane and lipid droplets were observed in the skeletal muscles of patients with MRC I defects. Conclusions Mitochondrial functional defects in MRC I disrupt certain activities related to adenosine triphosphate synthesis that produce changes in the skeletal muscle. The ultrastructural changes observed in the infants in this study might serve as unique markers for the detection of MD.


Ideology is a word that evokes a variety of sentiments. An ideologue is often thought of as an emotionally overcharged believer who disregards reason and common sense in order to follow a particular set of beliefs. At the same time, having "ideological convictions" is considered by many to be honorable. Social studies teachers and students engage the concept of ideology on a daily basis. Whether teaching about such subjects as the Cold War or considering such issues as the nature of the curriculum, social studies teachers find ideology to be a central part of the curriculum. This is especially true when social studies teachers and students use the World Wide Web. In this article, I will review the history of ideology, the place of ideology in the social studies, and the ideological character of the web. In addition, I will consider a number of ideologically framed social studies-related websites and make instructional suggestions how to use ideologically framed websites in social studies classes. What Is Ideology? The French philosopher Antoine-Louis Claude Destutt de Tracy coined the term ideology in 1796 to describe what he referred to as the "science of ideas" (1) As a science, ideology was (according to Destutt de Tracy) associated with the senses and removed from the "idealism" of ancient Greek and Roman philosophers. Ideology, a product of the enlightenment, was firmly opposed to classical metaphysics. For the most part, this use of the word has been lost to history. Destutt de Tracy and his colleagues were unable to establish ideology as a science because of a number of factors, including the derogatory use of the term by Napoleon Bonaparte. He attacked his political opponents who called for democratic representation in France by calling them "ideologues." The derogatory use of the term "ideologue" continues to this day. Karl Marx was possibly the most famous critic (or proponent, depending on your interpretation) of ideology. He conceived of ideology as a type of "false consciousness" that veiled more fundamental or real historical processes. At the same time, Marx spoke of ideology as a superstructure that could expose the "false ideals" of the material or dominant class. His theory of economic progress suggested that ideology (or ideas about life) and real life interacted in a dialectical way that would advance humans toward a classless society. Postmodern theorists have revived ideology as a conceptual device, using it to explain the occurrence of what might be called "multiple realties." According to some postmodernists, any theory of life would represent not only a valid but also a lived ideology. These varied ideologies then vie for attention in a complex and chaotic world. Outside the realm of philosophy, ideology is generally conceived of as any given set of beliefs. It is this use of the term that has the most relevance in social studies. Ideology and Social Studies Instruction Ideology appears in many areas in social studies, the most obvious in the content of history and civics or government. World and U. S. history courses include content on the historical origins of ideology and the historical and political consequences of ideological commitment. In government courses, students study various political ideologies as competing forms of social life. Beyond content, ideology impinges on curriculum and instruction in a variety of ways. Most important, ideological perspectives influence how specific curricula are developed. We find evidence of the ideological character of curriculum in the recent contentious debate over the national history standards. (2) Ideology may be present in social studies content, but those involved in education often attempt to mask its influence. Publishers go to great lengths to remove ideological overtones from textbooks. In a market as narrow as social studies textbooks, few companies would risk sales by claiming to be driven by a particular ideology. …


In this paper, an outline of the consequences of the increased use of ICT on international corporate taxation, namely on the tax attributes and the scope of taxation, is given. It is argued that the concept of capital export neutrality shall prevail, as it is deemed to be the most appropriate to the changed economic structure. With regard to the tax attributes in the source state, an enlargement of the notion of a permanent establishment in order to shift tax revenues to the source state is not recommendable. Concerning the tax attributes in the residence state, it is shown in how far problems might arise and which alternatives might constitute a solution. As regards the scope of taxation, we recommend that international corporate taxation shall be based on taxation according to the residence principle.


This research is aimed to produce instrumental test as well as anthropometric, biometric measurement and swimming skill with equation model and software. The instrument is used to identify the skill of swimming athletes. The kind of research used is quantitative with development model approach. The sample is taken using quota sampling technique involving 60 people (30 males and 30 females) for the first testing, and 120 people (60 males and 60 females) for second testing. Thus, the total samples include 180 people. The data is analyzed using factor and discriminant analysis with the help of the SPSS software. The result in the period-1 shows that there are 16-item instrumental tests for male and female. The result for period-2 is using factor analysis with the amount 0.60 and contained 16 instrumental items for male and 14 instrumental tests for female participants. The result for period-3 using factor and discriminant analysis is obtained 12 instrumental tests for both males and females. The software that is obtained is FASTI (Fahrur Rozi Swimming Talent Identification).


Since its installation in our country, domestic development theory and practice have been object of diverse assimilation that, at times, contributed to dilute an essential feature of those clusters of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that founded the domestic interest in 1970's: the continuous innovation of products and production processes, possible only by the imprint of cultural factors in the establishment of a socio-institutional environment self-regulated to benefit it. The stage begun in 2003 seems to be at a similar risk: in order to reverse the terrible consequences of the previous decade and achieving a growth with an inclusion, now it assimilates into the social economy trying to go beyond mere social welfares and form a socio/productive mesh based on solidarity and cooperation ties. Beyond the legitimacy of the pose, the precariousness of the underlying setting demonstrates a gap that still separates us from the ideal model, requiring from us to agree seriously with the medium and long term state policy to promote the territorial development according to the contemporary society requirements.


The purpose of this study is to produce a series of conceptual ecological models (CEMs) which represent shallow sublittoral mixed sediment habitats in the UK. CEMs are diagrammatic representations of the influences and processes which occur within an ecosystem. They can be used to identify critical aspects of an ecosystem which may be taken forward for further study, or serve as the basis for the selection of indicators for environmental monitoring purposes. The models produced by this project are control diagrams, representing the unimpacted state of the environment free from anthropogenic pressures. The project scope included the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) predominant habitat type 'shallow sublittoral mixed sediment'. This definition includes those habitats which fall into the EUNIS Level 4 classifications A5.43 Infralittoral Mixed Sediments and A5.44 Circalittoral Mixed Sediments, along with their constituent Level 5 biotopes which are relevant to UK waters. A species list of characterising fauna to be included within the scope of the models was identified using an iterative process to refine the full list of species found within the relevant Level 5 biotopes. A literature review was conducted to gather evidence regarding species traits and information to inform the models. All information gathered during the literature review was entered into a data logging pro forma spreadsheet which accompanies this report. Wherever possible, attempts were made to collect information from UK-specific peer-reviewed studies, although other sources were used where necessary. All data gathered was subject to a detailed confidence assessment. Expert judgement by the project team was utilised to provide information for aspects of the models for which references could not be sourced within the project timeframe. A model hierarchy was developed based on groups of fauna with similar species traits which aligned with previous sensitivity studies of ecological groups. A general model was produced to indicate the high level drivers, inputs, biological assemblages, ecosystem processes and outputs which occur in shallow sublittoral mixed sediment habitats. In addition to this, five detailed sub-models were produced. Each focussed on a particular functional group of fauna within the habitat: 'temporary or permanently attached epifauna', 'mobile epifauna, scavengers and predators', 'suspension and deposit feeding fauna', 'temporary or permanently attached surface dwelling or shallowly buried larger bivalves' and 'small mobile epifauna and tube dwelling crustaceans'. Each sub-model is accompanied by an associated confidence model which presents confidence in the links between each model component. The models are split into seven levels and take spatial and temporal scale into account through their design, as well as magnitude and direction of influence. The seven levels include regional to global drivers, water column processes, local inputs/processes at the seabed, habitat and biological assemblage, output processes, local ecosystem functions, and regional to global ecosystem functions. The models indicate that whilst the high level drivers which affect each functional group are largely similar, the output processes performed by the biota and the resulting ecosystem functions vary both in number and importance between groups. Confidence within the models as a whole is generally high, reflecting the level of information gathered during the literature review. Important drivers which influence the ecosystem include factors such as wave exposure, depth, water currents, climate and propagule supply. These factors, in combination with seabed and water column processes such as primary production, seabed mobility, suspended sediments, water chemistry and temperature and recruitment define and Conceptual Ecological Modelling of Shallow Sublittoral Mixed Sediment Habitats influence the biological assemblages. In addition, the habitat sediment type plays an important factor in shaping the biology of the habitat. Output processes are variable between functional faunal groups depending on the fauna present. Important processes include secondary production, biodeposition, bioturbation, bioengineering and the supply of propagules. These influence ecosystem functions at the local scale such as nutrient and biogeochemical cycling, supply of food resources, sediment stability, habitat provision and in some cases microbial activity. The export of biodiversity and organic matter, biodiversity enhancement and biotope stability are the resulting ecosystem functions which occur at the regional to global scale. Features within the models which are most useful for monitoring habitat status and change due to natural variation have been identified using the information gathered during the literature review, through interpretation of the models and through the application of expert judgement. Features within the models which may be useful for monitoring to identify anthropogenic causes of change within the ecosystem have also been identified. Physical and biological features of the ecosystem have mostly been identified as potential indicators to monitor natural variation, whilst physical features and output processes have predominantly been identified as most likely to indicate change due to anthropogenic pressures.


The organisation and functioning of supply chains constitutes a major issue in contemporary management research. It is true that the way in which various companies will coordinate to supply consumption markets in the best possible way constitutes a key question. Even though the sources of competitive advantage usually refer to successful industrial, commercial and financial strategies, the efforts made by a company to conquer a market can be ruined by recurrent logistical failures. This paper particularly focuses on the relational integration process between supply chain members, whose objective is to improve the level of service quality and reduce the costs. It wishes to propose a measurement scale of relational integration applicable to the specific context of emerging countries, and therefore avoid the rashly use of measurement scales created in the context of Western countries. A research lead with 139 Vietnamese companies in the food industry enables to test and confirm the robustness of the retained measurement scale. Its use may be considered in other emerging countries of South East Asia, for cross-cultural research.


Wikipedia has quickly become one of the most frequently accessed encyclopedic references, despite the ease with which content can be changed and the potential for 'edit wars' surrounding controversial topics. Little is known about how this potential for controversy affects the accuracy and stability of information on scientific topics, especially those with associated political controversy. Here we present an analysis of the Wikipedia edit histories for seven scientific articles and show that topics we consider politically but not scientifically "controversial" (such as evolution and global warming) experience more frequent edits with more words changed per day than pages we consider "noncontroversial" (such as the standard model in physics or heliocentrism). For example, over the period we analyzed, the global warming page was edited on average (geometric mean ±SD) 1.9±2.7 times resulting in 110.9±10.3 words changed per day, while the standard model in physics was only edited 0.2±1.4 times resulting in 9.4±5.0 words changed per day. The high rate of change observed in these pages makes it difficult for experts to monitor accuracy and contribute time-consuming corrections, to the possible detriment of scientific accuracy. As our society turns to Wikipedia as a primary source of scientific information, it is vital we read it critically and with the understanding that the content is dynamic and vulnerable to vandalism and other shenanigans.