Comparison of entropy (state entropy [SE] and response entropy [RE]) with the bispectral index (BIS) during propofol sedation in monitored anaesthesia care (MAC) was carried out in patients undergoing hand surgery. Thirty candidates for elective hand surgery were pre-medicated with midazolam 0.06 mg/kg and atropine 0.01 mg/kg. Sedation was induced with intravenous propofol and fentanyl was also administered. The Modified Observer's Assessment of Alertness/Sedation Scale (MOAA/S) was used to determine sedation level and pain was maintained at < 4 on a 0-10 verbal rating scale. The BIS, entropy, MOAA/S and pain values were recorded before initiation of sedation (control), during initiation of sedation, during surgery, and for 30 min after the end of surgery and anaesthesia. On initiation of sedation, entropy decreased more rapidly than BIS. At 10 min after initiation of sedation, the mean ± SD values for MOAA/S, BIS, RE and SE were 3.00 ± 0.36, 85.45 ± 0.15, 74.00 ± 0.60 and 72.02 ± 0.12, respectively. During recovery, BIS and RE and SE increased in parallel with MOAA/S. It is concluded that entropy monitoring is as reliable as BIS monitoring in MAC.


A life-course account of the pathways to adult social exclusion for children born in 1958 is explored. We identify the pervasive childhood factors, associated with a wide range of adult disadvantage, and specific life-course domain antecedents. Childhood disadvantage has more powerful legacies for women than for men: pathways to social exclusion are gendered. Experiences of disadvantage between ages 16 and 23 relate as closely to outcomes at age 33 as at age 23. The excess legacy of childhood disadvantage for women is mediated through lone motherhood. There are strong continuities and interconnections across the life-course in the legacies of earlier disadvantage. Unemployment or divorce between ages 23 and 33 promote disadvantage at age 33 and the legacies of divorce are more powerful for women. The implications for our understanding of the processes of social exclusion and the need for policy responses tailored according to lifetime patterns of disadvantage are discussed.


Background and Purpose— Little is known in regard to cerebral arterial reocclusion after successful thrombolysis. In the absence of arteriographic information, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) rt-PA Stroke Trial investigators prospectively identified clinical deterioration following improvement (DFI) as a possible surrogate marker of cerebral arterial reocclusion after rt-PA–induced recanalization. Also, we identified any significant clinical deterioration (CD) even if not preceded by improvement. This observational analysis was designed to determine the incidence of DFI and CD in each treatment group, to identify baseline or posttreatment variables predictive of DFI or CD, and to determine any relationship between DFI, CD, and clinical outcome. Methods— DFI was defined as any 2-point deterioration on the NIH Stroke Scale after an initial 2-point improvement after treatment. CD was defined as any 4-point worsening after treatment compared with baseline. All data were collected prospectively by investigators blinded to treatment allocation. A noncontrast brain CT was mandated when a 2-point deterioration occurred. All cases were validated by a central review committee. Results— DFI was identified in 81 of the 624 patients (13%); 44 were treated with rt-PA and 37 were treated with placebo (P =0.48). DFI occurred more often in patients with a higher baseline NIH Stroke Scale score. CD within the first 24 hours occurred in 98 patients (16% of all patients); 43 were given rt-PA and 55 were given placebo (P =0.19). Baseline variables associated with CD included a less frequent use of prestroke aspirin and a higher incidence of early CT changes of edema or mass effect or dense middle cerebral artery sign. Patients with CD had higher rates of increased serum glucose and fibrin degradation products, and they also had higher rates of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage and death. Patients who experienced either DFI or CD were less likely to have a 3-month favorable outcome. Conclusions— We found no association between DFI, CD, and rt-PA treatment, and no clinical evidence to suggest reocclusion. Deterioration was strongly associated with stroke severity and poor outcome and was less frequent in patients whose stroke occurred while they were on aspirin.


More than three decades ago, Jacobs and Levy introduced the idea of disentangling stock returns across numerous factors. They identified the relationships between individual stock returns and firm characteristics using a cross-sectional analysis and examined the benefits of using the resulting time series of returns to the disentangled factors for return forecasting. Some years later, an alternative factor model proposed by Fama and French made use of time-series factors based on portfolio sorts (examples of these time-series factors include the return differences between small- and big-capitalization stocks and between high- and low-book-to-price stocks). Recently, Fama and French found that the cross-sectional approach using firm characteristics is better able to explain stock returns than the time-series approach based on portfolio sorts. This article compares models that use cross-sectional factors across firm characteristics with models that use time-series factors based on portfolio sorts and discusses the benefits and challenges of the cross-sectional approach for investment management. TOPICS: Factor-based models, statistical methods, security analysis and valuation, equity portfolio management Key Findings ▪ More than three decades ago, the authors pioneered a cross-sectional approach to factor modeling that disentangled the unique contributions of numerous factors to the pricing of individual stocks. ▪ A time-series approach using portfolio sorts has dominated the asset pricing literature, but cross-sectional analysis using firm characteristics has greater explanatory power for stock returns and helps practitioners address one of the most fundamental issues in investment management: understanding and predicting the returns of individual stocks. ▪ The authors revisit disentangling returns using a cross-sectional model, compare factor models using cross-sectional factors with those using time-series factors, and discuss the benefits and challenges of cross-sectional models.


Photograph of a large group of schoolchildren with their teacher in front of the 6th Ward School House in Ft. Worth, Texas in 1893. There are twenty-five boys, seventeen girls and one teacher. Some of the boys are seated or kneeling in the front row and the girls are taking up most of the middle row, standing. The boys are wearing knickers and jackets with boots and the girls are wearing dresses with jackets. There is a very large wooden door and arched doorway behind the group.


Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of dental erosion and its associated risk factors among 9-14 yearold children with orthodontic braces.
Methods: This cross-sectional survey was performed by calibrated examiners in a random sample of 447 patients (250 - boys and 197 - girls). Clinical examination was done for dental erosion using the diagnostic criteria of Eccles and the Index of O'Sullivan to record the distribution of the dental erosion. A self-administered questionnaire was developed to record information about consumption of drinks. The analyses were performed using SPSS software 16.
Results: Overall significant difference in the prevalence of dental erosion was seen in all the factors except age group. The most frequently affected surface was the incisal or occlusal edge (43.2%). The results showed that males, children who consumed carbonated drinks, fruit juice and those who had habit of swimming had more dental erosion.
Conclusions: Dental erosion is a major public health problem especially among children with orthodontic cases. The prevalence of erosion is commonly associated with carbonated drinks and swimming. So, orthodontists should offer preventive care and promote a healthier lifestyle by education to children, who are at increased risk of dental erosion.


The terahertz regime has until recently been some what neglected due to the difficulty of generating and measuring terahertz radiation. Terahertz time domain spectroscopy has allowed for affordable and broadband probing of this frequency regime with phase sensitive measurements (chapter 3). This thesis aims to use this tool to add to the knowledge of the interactions between electromagnetic radiation and matter specifically in regard to plasmonics. This thesis covers several distinct phenomena related to plasmonics at terahertz frequencies. The generation of terahertz radiation from metal nanoparticles is first described in chapter 4. It is shown that the field strength of the plasmon appears to relate to the strength of the generated field. It is also shown that the power dependence of the generated terahertz radiation is not consistent with the optical rectification description of this phenomenon. An alternative explanation is developed which appears more consistent with the observations. A simple model for the power dependence is derived and compared to the experimental results. In chapter 5 the parameters that make good plasmonic materials are discussed. These parameters are used to assess the suitability of semiconductors for terahertz surface plasmon experiments. The Drude permittivity of InSb is measured here, leading to a discussion of terahertz particle plasmons in chapter 6. Finite element method modelling is used to show some merits of these over optical particle plasmons. This also includes a discussion of fabrication methods for arrays of these particles. Finally, chapter 7 is a discussion of so called spoof surface plasmons. This includes some experimental work at microwave frequencies and an in depth analysis of open ended square hole arrays supported by model matching method modelling. Perfect endoscope effects are discussed and compared to superlensing. The thesis ends with a brief conclusions chapter where some of the ideas presented are brought together.


This study invesitgates a selection of hard news articles in isiZulu that were published in the newspaper Ilanga within the framework of genre theory. The study invokes in particular the orbital structure approach to the organisation of the structure of hard news articles advanced by White (1997) in analysing the isiZulu articles. Hard news reports are typically associated with eruptive violence, reversals of fortune and socially significant breaches of the moral order. Hard news reports are distinguished in terms of two types, namely those reports which are primarily grounded in a material event such as an accident, natural disaster, riot, or terrorist attack, and those reports grounded in a communicative event such as a speech, interview, or press release. The research in this study presents an analysis of four articles in isiZulu of each of these two types. The analysis of the isiZulu articles presents support for White's view that both types of hard news reports exhibit the same generic structure, a mode of textual organisation unique to mass media which gives hard news its textual distinctiveness. Both types hard news reports achieve their informational and rhetorical objectives through a non-linear, orbital structure in which dependent 'satelites' elaborate, explain, contextualize and appraise a textually dominant nucleus.


ABSTRACT A new species of Marginella Lamarck, 1799 is described from the Early Pleistocene of the Messina Strait area, M. seguenzai n. sp. The remarkable variability in shell size and shape required a preliminary morphometric analysis, which provided evidence of a single species. This is the last known representative of the genus Marginella in the Mediterranean, today highly diverse in the tropical and subtropical shallow waters of West Africa, up to about 28°N. The genus Marginella was thought to have disappeared from the Mediterranean and the adjacent Atlantic after the Early Pliocene, due to early cooling phases. Anyway, Marginella seguenzai n. sp. was a deep water species, and its extinction was most probably due to the loss of psychrosphere, in the Early Pleistocene, rather than to climatic deterioration. The remarkable closeness between the new species and a deep water living species, endemic to three seamounts in the NE Atlantic, suggests a common origin for both species. High productivity seems to have been a key factor in the Mediterranean distribution of Marginella, either in shallow and deep waters.


We present new generalizations of Olson's theorem and of a consequence of Alon's Combinatorial Nullstellensatz. These enable us to extend some of their combinatorial applications with conditions modulo primes to conditions modulo prime powers. We analyze computational search problems corresponding to these kinds of combinatorial questions and we prove that the problem of finding degree-constrained subgraphs modulo $2^d$ such as $2^d$-divisible subgraphs and the search problem corresponding to the Combinatorial Nullstellensatz over $\mathbb{F}_2$ belong to the complexity class Polynomial Parity Argument (PPA).


In the age of Big Data, the tools of information visualization offer us a macroscope to help us make sense of the avalanche of data available on every subject. This book offers a gentle introduction to the design of insightful information visualizations. It is the only book on the subject that teaches nonprogrammers how to use open code and open data to design insightful visualizations. Readers will learn to apply advanced data mining and visualization techniques to make sense of temporal, geospatial, topical, and network data. The book, developed for use in an information visualization MOOC, covers data analysis algorithms that enable extraction of patterns and trends in data, with chapters devoted to "when" (temporal data), "where" (geospatial data), "what" (topical data), and "with whom" (networks and trees); and to systems that drive research and development. Examples of projects undertaken for clients include an interactive visualization of the success of game player activity in World of Warcraft; a visualization of 311 number adoption that shows the diffusion of non-emergency calls in the United States; a return on investment study for two decades of HIV/AIDS research funding by NIAID; and a map showing the impact of the HiveNYC Learning Network. Visual Insights will be an essential resource on basic information visualization techniques for scholars in many fields, students, designers, or anyone who works with data.


Lecturers using tablet PCs with specialised pens can utilise real-time changes in lecture delivery via digital inking. We investigated student perceptions and lecturer experiences of tablet PC lectures in large-enrolment biomedicine subjects. Lecturers used PowerPoint or Classroom Presenter software for lecture preparation and in-lecture pen-based inking. Using surveys and lecturer interviews, students and lecturers were asked to reflect on their tablet PC lectures in comparison to non-tablet lectures that used prepared images and a laser pointer. Quantitative survey responses suggested that students felt that the tablet lectures were more interesting, that they were more capable of keeping up with the lecturer, and they enhanced their understanding of the lecture content. Qualitative analysis of written comments indicated that students appreciated the real-time writing and drawings, particularly because these were visible on lecture recordings. When reflecting on their non-tablet lectures, most lecturers used the pen-based writing, drawing and highlighting tablet functions and reduced lecture pace and content for their tablet lectures.  Long-term tablet use led to lecturers making more use of digital inking, with less use of prepared images. Our results support the idea that tablet PC-supported lectures are conducive to improved management of cognitive load via reduced lecture pace and content.


The fragment molecular orbital (FMO) method interfaced with effective fragment potentials (EFP), denoted by FMO/EFP, was developed and applied to polypeptides solvated in water. The structures of neutral and zwitterionic trialanine immersed in water layers of 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5 and 5.0 A were investigated by performing FMO/EFP geometry optimizations at the RHF/cc-pVDZ level of theory. Using the optimized geometries, the relative stability of the hydrated zwitterionic and neutral structures is discussed structurally and in terms of energetics at the second-order Moller-Plesset theory (MP2)/cc-pVDZ level.


Metaphor plays a prominent role in political rhetoric, often used to simplify complex issues and encourage familiarity with various topics (Mio, 1997). Its persuasive and manipulative uses in political discourse are also well documented (Charteris-Black, 2005). Studies of political discourse based on Lakoff and Johnson's (1980) Conceptual Metaphor Theory are numerous; however, little metaphor research has been completed in the New Zealand political context. Theexploratory study outlined in this paper addresses this need through an investigation of the metaphorical representation of social welfare and its beneficiaries in New Zealand political discourse. A corpus of texts is collected and analysed using the Metaphor Identification Procedure(MIP) (Pragglejaz Group, 2007), and corpus-wide patterns are refined into a systematic metaphor framework (Cameron, 2008). Journeymetaphors, being the most frequent example of figurative language identified, are held to be central to the language of reform in New Zealand, supported primarily by metaphorsof mobility and health. The goal of the Government's reform journey is identified as a state of employment, and barriers to arrival at this destination are framed as mobility and health issues. Such metaphorsare considered discriminatory, portraying beneficiaries and the social welfare system in a particularly negative light.


The growth of laser-induced nanocarbons, referred to here as laser-induced nanocarbon (LINC) for short, directly on polymeric surfaces is a promising route toward surface engineering of commercial polymers. This paper aims to demonstrate how this new approach can enable achieving varied surface properties based on tuning the nanostructured morphology of the formed graphitic material on commercial polyimide (Kapton) films. We elucidate the effects of tuning laser processing parameters on the achieved nanoscale morphology and the resulting surface hydrophobicity or hydrophilicity. Our results show that by varying lasing power, rastering speed, laser spot size, and line-to-line gap sizes, a wide range of water contact angles are possible, i.e., from below 20 deg to above 110 deg. Combining water contact angle measurements from an optical tensiometer with LINC surface characterization using optical microscopy, electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy enables building the process–structur–property relationship. Our findings reveal that both the value of contact angle and the anisotropic wetting behavior of LINC on polyimide are dependent on their hierarchical surface nanostructure which ranges from isotropic nanoporous morphology to fibrous morphology. Results also show that increasing gap sizes lead to an increase in contact angles and thus an increase in the hydrophobicity of the surface. Hence, our work highlight the potential of this approach for manufacturing flexible devices with tailored surfaces.


Sediments collected from Bomu and Oginigba rivers were treated according to recommended standards and subsequently analyzed for heavy metals and further tested with index models. The results showed that all the metals examined were higher than the recommended upper limits in sediments by China and USEPA except lead in the Oginigba River and cadmium in both rivers. In both rivers, all the metals, copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr) and zinc (Zn) fell within the category of heavily polluted, lead (Pb) in the sediment from the Oginigba River was moderately polluted and cadmium (Cd) showed no indication of contamination/pollutionin any of the sediments from the rivers. The order of the concentration of the heavy metals in the sediments was Zn> Ni > Cr >Cu>Pb>Cd. Contamination factor (Cf) analysis showed that the sediments from both rivers were free from Cd pollution, slightly polluted with Cu and Cr and moderately polluted with Ni, Zn and Pb. Pollution load index (PI) results showed that Bomu River sediments were moderately polluted while Oginigba river sediments were slightly polluted by the metals. Geo-accumulation index (I-geo) measurements showed that sediments from both rivers are free from pollution by the metals. Ecological risk factor and ecological risk assessment of the sediments from both rivers indicated that both aquatic environments are free from ecological risk. However, the results suggested that there is the possibility of a near future or long run pollution. Therefore, adequate measures should be put in place to monitor thes environments.


The goal of this research is to present an analytical model of nanostructures and study the effects of their geometry on the performance of micro channels. The pressure drop experienced by micro channels is of interest as it presents a limit on forced convection heat transfer. This work will demonstrate how the presence of nanostructures alleviates pressure drop and results in enhanced cooling capabilities. Multiple transient analyses were performed in ANSYS FLUENT to ascertain performance characteristics of microchannels without the presence of hydrophobic nanostructures. The results were compared to the analytical model developed in this study.


First published in 2002, the landmark Psychotherapy Relationships That Work broke new ground by focusing renewed and corrective attention on the substantial research behind the crucial (but often overlooked) client-therapist relationship. This thoroughly revised edition brings a decade of additional research to the same task. In addition to updating each chapter, the second edition features new chapters on the effectiveness of the alliance with children and adolescents, the alliance in couples and family therapy, real-time feedback from clients, patient preferences, culture, and attachment style. The new editon provides "two books in one"-one on evidence-based relationship elements and one on evidence-based methods of adapting treatment to the individual patient. Each chapter features a specific therapist behavior that improves treatment outcome, or a transdiagnostic patient characteristic (such as reactance, preferences, culture, stage of change) by which clinicians can effectively tailor psychotherapy. All chapters provide original, comprehensive meta-analyses of the relevant research; clinical examples, and research-supported therapeutic practices by distinguished contributors. The result is a compelling synthesis of the best available research, clinical expertise, and patient characteristics in the tradition of evidence-based practice. The second edition of Psychotherapy Relationships That Work: Evidence-Based Responsiveness proves indispensible for any mental health professional. "An intriguing issue that has fascinated therapy researchers and practicing clinicians alike has been the question of how therapy works. Acknowledging the findings that therapy techniques do indeed contribute to the change process, this empirically based volume convincingly documents the very important role that the therapy relationships plays as well. It is a timely and comprehensive contribution that is relevant for both clinicians and researchers." -Marvin R. Goldfried, Ph.D., President, Society of Clinical Psychology (APA Division 12) and Distinguished Professor, Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University


Through the provision of digital tools, government institutions aim to counter the growing alienation of citizens towards institutional politics and overcome traditional barriers of participation. However, as yet this approach has not shown the desired effects of increasing public participation in political decision-processes. In an attempt to encourage more citizens to make use of e-participation tools, some of these platforms hope to use the leverage and motivational effects of games by incorporating game-inspired elements. This research provides an overview of the current practice of applying gamification in public participation as well as preliminary insights into the effects of this approach. We review a selection of commercial applications as well as research projects, for which we list the included game elements and a critical discussion of the approach. Our results show that most projects focus on communicating accomplishments to users that are based on their quantity of participation. While little work has yet analyzed the concrete effects of individual game elements, up to now evaluations have mostly focused on the acceptance of specific gamified public participation platforms. The contribution of this research is twofold. Firstly, it offers relevant insights for the design of future e-participation platforms. Secondly, this work helps to establish a common terminology for game research.


Fructosyltransferase was produced by a strain of Rhodotorula, isolated from flowers collected in the costal Atlantic Forest located in Southern Brazil and screened according to its ability to produce the enzyme. The production was carried out in submerged fermentation and subsequently purified using the following three procedures: alcohol precipitation, Q-Sepharose ion-exchange chromatography and ultrafiltration. The studies of fructooligossacaride production were carried out in a batch stirred reactor using sucrose as the substrate and 5 UTF mL−1 of fructosyltransferase at pH 4.5 and 50 °C. Since the industrial application of this enzyme does not require a highly purified enzymatic solution, the enzyme kinetics were comparatively performed using both partially purified (only alcohol precipitated enzyme) and purified (using all steps specified above) enzyme. The kinetics showed a characteristic Michaelis–Menten behavior with substrate inhibition effects at high sucrose concentrations (up to 70% w/v). Additionally, glucose competitive inhibition relating to the sucrose, 1-kestose and nystose uptakes were verified. An inhibitory effect was also noticed with high concentrations of fructose (over 50%) but considered meaningless since the fructose concentration is always low in the actual medium reaction. The hydrolyzing activity over nystose was found to be significant, so it was included in the mathematical model. The initial values for the kinetic constants, Km, Vm and Ki, for each substrate were obtained, and then fine-tuned by simulations, after a parameter sensitivity analysis was carried out. The model predictions fitted well the experimental data, either for the purified or partially purified enzyme, while a different set of adjusted parameters was used in each case. Model predictions for FOS production deviated by not more than 5% in both cases, so they can be used for bioreactor designs.


In this paper we show that bending a finite volume hyperbolic d-manifold M along a totally geodesic hypersurface Σ results in a properly convex projective structure on M with finite volume. We also discuss various geometric properties of bent manifolds and algebraic properties of their fundamental groups. We then use this result to show in each dimension d Ê 3 there are examples finite volume, but non-compact, properly convex d-manifolds. Furthermore, we show that the examples can be chosen to be either strictly convex or non-strictly convex.


This action plan provides guidelines for preservation of the endangered plant Elatine hexandra (Six-stamened Waterwort) in Sweden. The action plan is a proposal, not a legally binding document.Elatine hexandra is a small, aquatic or amphibious, vascular herb in the family Elatinaceae. In Sweden, it usually appears as a summer annual on the very edge of freshwater lakes or streams. Some populations have over-wintering individuals that occur at depths well below the ice-cover. Typically, the habitat is a moderately wave exposed littoral with inorganic, silty-sandy substrate, covered with a thin layer of mud. The lake habitats have clear water, a near neutral pH and may rep-resent one of the two lake types that are included in the habitat directive, i.e. "Oligotrophic waters containing very few minerals of sandy plains" and "Oligotrophic to mesotrophic standing waters with vegetation of the Littorelletea uniflorae and/or of the Isoeto-Nanojuncetea".The species has been found in approx. 55 Swedish lakes or running waters since 1980. With a few exceptions, the occurrences are restricted to river basins of southwest Sweden with outlets in Skagerrak and Kattegat (County Administration Boards of Varmland, Vastra Gotaland, Jonkoping, Halland and Kronoberg). In the Swedish red list Elatine hexandra is classified as Endangered (EN).The main threats include deteriorating water quality. Eutrophication, acidification and brownification (increase in water color and dissolved organic matter) have adverse effects on growth and reproduction of the species. Other threats include exploitation of shorelines and water level regulations. The action plan proposes measures against deteriorating water quality in lakes with known occurrences of Elatine hexandra. Further, it points out the need for revision and ecological considerations of present water level regulations. Other suggestions aims to increase the conservation awareness among land owners, nature resource managers and municipality planners. These suggestions include production and spread of an information folder and implementation of conservation related information in the database WISS (Water Information System Sweden). WISS is an open information tool used in the planning cycle of river basin management. Finally, the action plan proposes additional investigations of the distribution in lakes and of the presence in seed-banks, as well as field studies on how growth and reproduction is affected by water regulations. With help of these results, lakes suitable for restoration measures can be selected. The action plan is valid for the period 2013-2018 and the costs are estimated to approx. 1 430 000 SEK


The best practical test of color vision is the printed polychromatic, typified by the Ishihara. Its flaw is that, being calibrated to a standard illuminant which is required for actual testing, it becomes undependable with deviations from this standard. In practice the standard is rarely provided, because it requires special artificial installations which are rarely available or even appreciated as a necessity. Hence, improper illumination is the rule rather than the exception, and accounts for the passing of 50 percent of color defectives in the Navy, for example. The present report, the first of a projected series, discusses solely the basic technical aspects of a new polychromatic printed test for red-green deficiency which retains stability and diagnostic integrity under a range of illumination far wider than that encountered in testing under natural or artificial sources, from minus-blue to 14,000°K. With this, testing may be done in disregard of composition of illuminant. Thus a source of error is eliminated which has seriously impaired the utility of what is otherwise the most desirable type of practical test.


One of the main advantages claimed for software design patterns is improved team communication. This paper reports on an experiment that tests this hypothesis. Team communication among pairs of designers with and without design pattern knowledge is observed in a maintenance setting and analyzed by protocol analysis. The results indicate that shared pattern knowledge leads to a more condensed explanation phase and a balanced give-and-take among team members during design work.


While Daytime Running Lights (DRLs) are proven to increase vehicle conspicuity during various times of the day, their safety effectiveness is still debatable. This study utilized various statistical techniques and a field study to assess the impact of the compliance rate, and the penetration of the Daytime Running Lights (DRLs) technology on the safety efficacy of regulatory headlight use signs. Daytime head-on and opposite sideswipe multivehicle crashes for Daytime Running Lights and non-DRLs equipped passenger vehicles on mountainous rural two-way highway sections with and without regulatory headlight use signs were examined in a matched case control design. Preliminary analysis showed that only 23% of vehicles involved in crashes on the study sections were equipped with DRLs. Although results from the odds ratios and ratios of odds ratios indicated some safety benefits of the headlight use signs, the safety benefits were statistically insignificant. The study concluded that the low compliance rate of 12% affected the safety effectiveness of the regulatory headlight signs. Transportation agencies should have different considerations when evaluating the safety effectiveness of complianceand behavioral-based countermeasures.


History establishes that even before the advent of modern media, erroneous climate messages were disseminated to the public. A folk belief captured by the phrase 'rain follows the plow' (RFTP) is a prime example of such misinformation. This belief, popular in the late nineteenth century, maintained that cultivation of arid lands in the United States beyond the 100th meridian west would boost precipitation, creating a climate more favourable for farming. Encouraged by this narrative, homesteaders cultivated arid lands west of the meridian. Rain did not follow the plough and many farms in the Great Plains failed. RFTP was also invoked in South Australia in support of agricultural settlement north of Goyder's Line, a geographical boundary delineating the limits of reliable rainfall in the colony. This article revisits the origins of the doctrine and places RFTP messaging in its historical context by examining articles and poetry published in American and Australian settlement-era newspapers. The results of two newspaper database surveys reveal that a number of historical RFTP stories and an environmental poem with religious overtones appeared first in US newspapers and were later republished in newspapers throughout Australia. One of the surveys also reveals that, from 1876 to 1898, reports of parliamentary discussions or debates referencing the slogan were published in South Australia. The dissemination of inaccurate climate information in settlement-era America and Australia is discussed in relation to a proposed conceptual framework based upon contemporary theories of science communication that might provide a basis for the analysis of historical science


It is becoming increasingly more common to use culture expanded human mesenchymal
stem cells (hMSCs) in regenerative medicine due to their low incidence in vivo.
However, their successful application is hampered by a lack of selective markers to
positively identify the expanded multipotent cells. This study aimed to characterise
STRO-1 antigen as a potential biomarker of multipotency on cultured bone marrow
derived hMSCs. In an attempt to identify the nature of this antigen, two techniques
were implemented: peptide phage display technology and a microarray based approach.
Changes in the expression of STRO-1 were investigated during culture expansion of
hMSCs. STRO-1 expression positively correlated with cellular morphology and
multilineage potential, whereby senescent cells down-regulated STRO-1 antigen and
exhibited decreased adipogenic and osteogenic potential. Furthermore, STRO-1 was
found to be heterogeneously expressed on hMSC populations and enrichment followed
by lineage specific induction of the STRO-1BRIGHT fraction resulted in enhanced
adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation potential. The expression of STRO-1 antigen
was further characterised as a marker of differentiation, whereby differentiating cells
were found to down-regulate STRO-1. A cellular hierarchy in hMSC population was
therefore proposed based on STRO-1 status, with the highest STRO-1 expressive cells
representing the multipotent subset. In an attempt to identify the epitope that STRO-1
IgM antibody recognised, peptide phage display technology was used as solid and liquid
phase panning systems but the approach yielded no promising peptide candidate.
Subsequently, comparative gene expression microarray analysis of osteosarcoma cell
lines (143B, CAL72, G-292, HOS, MG-63, Saos-2 and U-2-OS) was implemented and
a list of eight potential candidate genes encoding STRO-1 antigen was selected.
This work ultimately led to the identification of putative cancer stem cells (CSCs) in
seven osteosarcoma cell lines initially based on STRO-1 expression. With MG-63
strongly expressing STRO-1, the maintenance of MSC-like properties by STRO-1
expressing cell lines was investigated. A heterogeneous pattern of osteogenic
differentiation was observed between and within the cell lines. Closer inspection
revealed a cellular hierarchy comprising of holoclones and paraclones, with the
holoclones representing the putative CSCs in osteosarcoma. Overall, this thesis
addressed the fields of regenerative medicine as well as oncology by proposing STRO-1
antigen as a marker of multipotency on hMSCs and osteosarcoma holoclonal cells as the
putative cancer stem cell targets for anti-cancer drug development.


We have measured stellar photometry from deep Cycle 7 Hubble Space Telescope/WFPC2 imaging of the dwarf irregular galaxy Sextans A. The imaging was taken in three filters: F555W (V; eight orbits), F814W (I; 16 orbits), and F656N (Hα; one orbit). Combining these data with Cycle 5 WFPC2 observations provides nearly complete coverage of the optically visible portion of the galaxy. The Cycle 7 observations are nearly 2 mag more sensitive than the Cycle 5 observations, which provides unambiguous separation of the faint blue helium-burning stars (BHeB stars) from contaminant populations. The depth of the photometry allows us to compare recent star formation histories recovered from both the main-sequence stars and the BHeB stars for the last 300 Myr. The excellent agreement between these independent star formation rate (SFR) calculations is a resounding confirmation for the legitimacy of using the BHeB stars to calculate the recent SFR. Using the BHeB stars we have calculated the global star formation history over the past 700 Myr. The history calculated from the Cycle 7 data is remarkably identical to that calculated from the Cycle 5 data, implying that both halves of the galaxy formed stars in concert. We have also calculated the spatially resolved star formation history, combining the fields from the Cycle 5 and Cycle 7 data. The star-forming regions are found in three major zones of the galaxy. One of these zones is extremely young, consisting of only a single star-forming region that is less than 20 Myr old. Two of these zones are associated with high column density neutral gas, while the third, and oldest, is not. Our interpretation of this pattern of star formation is that it is an orderly stochastic process. Star formation begins on the edge of a gas structure and progressively eats away at the cloud, breaking it up and inducing further star formation. A more quantitative analysis of the star formation process must await a larger sample of galaxies with spatially resolved star formation histories to allow correlation studies with the physical properties of the galaxy.


In Scotland, as in many countries, the relationship between research, policy and practice has been complicated, not least because of the multiple stakeholders involved in the change process. This interpretive study focuses on Assessment is for Learning (AifL), a centrally-funded development programme (2002-2008) established to address concerns raised in reviews of assessment practice and intended to create a coherent system of assessment for pupils aged 3-14 in Scottish schools. AifL's central aspiration was to learn from previous experience of curriculum and assessment development and develop evidence-based national policy and practice in assessment which met the needs of all stakeholders. The study explores the policy messages communicated, and considers how policy communities can influence the relationship between national policy and practice in assessment.

The design of the AifL programme was influenced by research on both assessment and transformational change. A crucial feature of the change process was the opportunity it provided for local contextualisation through the engagement of local education authorities, a group perceived as particularly important in ensuring the long term sustainability of the programme. AifL co-ordinators were appointed to take forward this important role in all 32 local authorities in Scotland but, although they shared a title, background experience and the nature of their appointment meant that this was not a homogenous group. Through analysis of interviews with AifL co-ordinators in seven Scottish local authorities, the study sought to explore the process of change and, in particular, what policy imperatives such as 'local contextualisation' actually mean in practice. It considered co-ordinators' background experience, their perception of their role and the direction of assessment development within their local authority.

The study has been conducted from an insider standpoint and the small-scale nature of the study allowed exploration of contextualization through narratives revealing individual perspectives. It raised several issues for, while the study had intended to explore approaches to building capacity and discern the impact of difference on national policy, the narratives themselves altered its direction. What emerged from this further illustrates the complexity of change for, although national assessment policy reinforced AifL, the study revealed that prevailing concerns with accountability had compromised its realisation. Whilst AifL had recognised that changing assessment practice required reform of the system as a whole, local contextualisation focused on formative assessment in classrooms to the comparative neglect of other functions of assessment. Other policy legislation had led to systems and structures for accountability in local authorities which placed persistent demands on teachers, so that identified tensions in assessment remained largely unresolved. To address conflicts between what are currently two separate streams of activity and improve the validity of the school evaluation process, assessment literacy generally and alignment of support and improvement roles specifically require further development.

The study indicated that national reform initiatives dependent on local contextualisation must not only appreciate the multiple perspectives of stakeholders as AifL attempted to do, but also seek to expose and address competing priorities, underlying hierarchies and the influence of individuals with specific agendas. Policy messages should be clear and unambiguous taking account of relevant research findings and, crucially, must be reinforced in behaviours which reflect discourse and text. These conclusions may have implications for Curriculum for Excellence, a major reform of the Scottish curriculum. Much can be learned from what AifL managed to achieve - and more from what has been learned from the experience.


Geitlerinema is a dominant benthic filamentous cyanobacterium found in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea. We investigate the diversity of Geitlerinema strains isolated from Thailand using morphological and molecular characterization. No morphological differences were observed in the Geitlerinema isolates. Nucleotide sequencing and phylogenetic analyses of the 16S rDNA, the 16S–23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer (16S–23S ITS) and the cpcB-cpcA intergenic spacer (cpcB-cpcA IGS) showed that the marine Geitlerinema isolates belong to a single cluster that includes marine Geitlerinema sp. Flo1 and Geitlerinema sp. PCC7105 but is distinct from a type species, Geitlerinema splendidum and Geitlerinema strains which were recently transferred to the genus Anagnostidinema. From our results, it is confirmed that marine Geitlerinema differs from true freshwater Geitlerinema and is proposed to be a new genus in Oscillatoriales. In addition, using random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD), the marine Geitlerinema isolates in this study could be classified into eight clades; however, this classification revealed no correlation with the geographic locations.


This paper examines the current state of intra-ASEAN trade under the preferential regime of the AFTA. It partly addresses some data problems and employs a gravity model to arrive at alternative ways of gauging the importance of preferences in the absence of data on the actual utilisation of AFTA preferential tariffs. Our results show that although the range of products where AFTA might have an influence is limited, preferences seem to matter when the differential margin between the MFN and preferential tariff rates reaches a critical amount, allowing regional exporters to cover the costs of requesting preferences. However, at very high differential margins, the significance of AFTA preferences seems to wane. This indicates either the presence of non-tariff measures which prevent traders from exploiting the huge tariff discounts offered by the AFTA, and or, the propensity of ASEAN to extend high preferences on products where little or no intra-ASEAN trade takes place.


The mineralogy and occurrence of gold varies in a systematic manner in volcanic-hosted massive sulfide deposits of eastern Australia. In deposits where it is concentrated with zinc at or near the top of the massive sulfide deposit, gold occurs in auriferous arsenopyrite and pyrite in the center of the lens, and electrum of variable fineness (300-900) in the baritic top of the lens. The former occurrence results from precipitation of the gold into the lattice of arsenopyrite and coprecipitation of submicroscopic gold grains in arsenic-poor pyrite. The latter occurrence results from direct precipitation of electrum from thio complexes owing to the decrease in a (sub H 2 S) caused by dilution and oxidation as hydrothermal fluids mix with seawater.In deposits where gold is concentrated with copper at the base of the sulfide lens and in the stringer zones, the gold occurs as electrum of high fineness (750-1,000) or as gold tellurides that are commonly associated with chalcopyrite and/or pyrite. This occurrence is caused by the direct precipitation of gold from chloro complexes owing to an increase in pH or a decrease in temperature as the hydrothermal fluids move up through the sulfide body.Gold in auriferous pyrite is readily mobilized during deformation. As the pyrite fractures, gold migrates via solution-precipitation mechanisms to cracks and grain boundaries to form electrum by combination with silver, which is released from sulfide minerals in a similar manner. With increasing stress the electrum is released from pyrite to recrystallize with other easily remobilized minerals such as galena. During this process, electrum grain size increases.Thermodynamic modeling of the variation in electrum fineness shows good agreement with variations measured in massive sulfide ores. For gold transported as a thio complex, the predicted fineness of 190 to 990 for temperatures of 200 degrees to 300 degrees C and typical volcanogenic fluids matches the observed variation in deposits of the Zn-Au association. The very high finenesses observed in deposits of the Cu-Au association can be modeled assuming gold chloro complex transport and high Ag/Au ratios in the hydrothermal fluids.


Abstract. The impact of climate change and its relation with evapotranspiration was evaluated in the Duero River Basin (Spain). The study shows possible future situations 50 yr from now from the reference evapotranspiration (ETo). The maximum temperature (Tmax), minimum temperature (Tmin), dew point (Td), wind speed (U) and net radiation (Rn) trends during the 1980–2009 period were obtained and extrapolated with the FAO-56 Penman-Montheith equation to estimate ETo. Changes in stomatal resistance in response to increases in CO2 were also considered. Four scenarios were done, taking the concentration of CO2 and the period analyzed (annual or monthly) into consideration. The scenarios studied showed the changes in ETo as a consequence of the annual and monthly trends in the variables Tmax, Tmin, Td, U and Rn with current and future CO2 concentrations (372 ppm and 550 ppm). The future ETo showed increases between 118 mm (11 %) and 55 mm (5 %) with respect to the current situation of the river basin at 1042 mm. The months most affected by climate change are May, June, July, August and September, which also coincide with the maximum water needs of the basin's crops.


The UENPS (Union of European Neonatal Perinatal Societies) has become a Society of increasing importance in Europe and internationally and this is further confirmed by the recent admission of National Society of Neonatologist of Russia as a member. Compared to other European Societies and/or Bodies, the UENPS is known for being the Union of National Perinatology and Neonatology Societies. At the current time, the UENPS represents 28 countries, approximately six million neonates a year and over 600 million European citizens. The creation of an online neonatal and dynamic journal within the editorial world, such as the Journal of Pediatric and Neonatal Individualized Medicine (JPNIM, www.jpnim.com), founded by a group of Perinatologists with a strong vocation and broad European and international experience, has become an opportunity to seize and develop in the interests of the health of neonates and the UENPS itself. In the 3rd International UENPS Congress in Oporto in November 2012, the Board of Directors and the extended Shareholders' Assembly unanimously and enthusiastically approved JPNIM as the official UENPS journal.


Following recent telecommunications mergers, local (mostly municipal and county) governments and the federal government are fighting over who should determine whether cable television systems must make their facilities available to unaffiliated providers of high-speed ("broadband") Internet service. This intergovernmental dispute is only the latest in a series of such clashes regarding competition and communications policy. A brief review of the policy suggests that substantively, local open-access requirements are not yet warranted. However, the economics of federalism, primarily that the relevant markets are local, indicates that local governments should have the right to choose these policies, perhaps erroneously. Federal preemption could prevent learning from multiple independent local "experiments." The best case for limiting local authority is if it is only the exploitation of opportunistic ability to extract nationwide rents in exchange for approving transfer of the incumbent's cable franchise to an acquiring firm. Key Words: Federalism, Internet, regulation, vertical integration JEL Classification Numbers: H1, L5, L1 We find that the welfare change from increasing NHS output could easily be negative, particularly when extra spending is financed by distortionary taxes. In contrast, expanding private health care is always efficiency-improving in our simulations. In our central estimates, increasing private health care by a pound's worth of output produces an efficiency gain of 55 pence, but increasing national health output produces a net efficiency loss of 32 pence per pound! One reason for these results is that increasing the output of rationed health care has ambiguous effects on the total deadweight losses from waiting costs, but these costs unambiguously fall when the private health sector expands. Financing policies by user fees avoids the efficiency costs of raising distortionary taxes, and it also produces efficiency gains by reducing waiting lists. In fact, increasing national health care output produces an overall efficiency gain in most of our simulations, rather than an efficiency loss, when the policy is financed by higher user fees rather than by distortionary taxes. Still, the policy is generally less efficient than a user fee–financed increase in private health care.


The focal aim of this study was to investigate the recipes as professional genres in Ghanaian and foreign contexts, in terms of their schematic structures and linguistic features. Using Swales' (1990) rhetorical approach to genre analysis, the study examined 20 recipes from well-known cookbooks. The analysis and discussion of the cross-cultural study pointed to three key findings. First, it was revealed that recipes are organised in six core moves. These are recipe title, serving details, ingredients list, methods, serving suggestions and additional notes. While additional notes and nutritional value per serving were frequently used in foreign recipes, they rarely occurred in Ghanaian recipes. Second, in terms of the textual space allocated to each move, the study revealed that the method was allocated much textual space (44.7%) whereas the recipe title was allotted the least textual space (1.1%). Third, as regards the lexico-grammatical features, it was revealed that the dominant lexico-grammatical feature in recipes from both data sets was imperative verbs. The study contributes to the genre theory and serves as an impetus for further research.


* Best practices for production, encoding, and integration* Build custom video players for web and mobile use* Apply transparency and effects with After EffectsDesign and develop video applications with Flash Professional CS3. In quick primer chapters, you'll get the best practices for shooting video for Flash distribution and the basics of how to design Flash applications for compelling user experiences. Subsequent chapters demonstrate the integrated use of Flash Professional with Dreamweaver, Device Central, and After Effects in practical tutorials. Annotated ActionScript 3 code gives you the facility to build your video applications.In 27 progressive tutorials, you'll acquire practical experience in the cutting edge techniques for:* Encoding single files, batch files, and embedding cue points in video.* Customizing FLVPlayback components* Building Flash Video players from scratch to include cue points, full screen events, and current playback time* Applying transparency, masks, and effects to enhance Flash Video.* Looping Flash Video continuously or in creative combinations* Embedding Flash Video in HTML pages for web deployment* Integrating Flash Video with XML, closed caption text, and JavaScript* Preparing video for streaming servers and mobile devices including a Flash Lite application with device videoThe companion DVD-ROM contains project media for all 27 tutorials that teach the nuts and bolts of implementing video in Flash applications on web pages and on alternative devices.


The primary reaction pathways in the photochemistry of nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons under specific laboratory conditions are briefly summarized. In addition, photochemical data is presented for 2-nitronaphthalene, 1-nitronaphthalene, and 2-methyl-1-nitronaphthalene in cyclohexane and acetonitrile solutions under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. It is shown that molecular oxygen significantly reduces the photodegradation quantum yield of 1-nitronaphthalene and 2-methyl-1-nitronaphthalene by 63% and 81%, respectively, whereas 2-nitronaphthalene is photoinert in both solvents under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. In addition, it is proposed that recombination of the aryl and nitrogen (IV) dioxide geminate radical pair within the solvent cage or internal conversion of an initially formed intramolecular charge transfer state may play an important role in the fraction of excited molecules that returns to the ground state in 1-nitronaphthalene and 2-methyl-1-nitronaphthalene. Scavenging of radical species by molecular oxygen and the generation of singlet oxygen in high yield are proposed to contribute to the photochemistry of these nitro-naphthalene derivatives in solution.


Our studies of the yeast ubiquitin-proteasome pathway have uncovered a number of general principles that govern substrate selectivity and proteolysis in this complex system. Much of the work has focused on the destruction of a yeast transcription factor, MAT alpha 2. The alpha 2 protein is polyubiquitinated and rapidly degraded in alpha-haploid cells. One pathway of proteolytic targeting, which depends on two distinct endoplasmic reticulum-localized ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes, recognizes the hydrophobic face of an amphipathic helix in alpha 2. Interestingly, degradation of alpha 2 is blocked in a/alpha-diploid cells by heterodimer formation between the alpha 2 and a1 homeodomain proteins. The data suggest that degradation signals may overlap protein-protein interaction surfaces, allowing a straightforward steric mechanism for regulated degradation. Analysis of alpha 2 degradation led to the identification of both 20S and 26S proteasome subunits, and several key features of proteasome assembly and active-site formation were subsequently uncovered. Finally, it has become clear that protein (poly) ubiquitination is highly dynamic in vivo, and our studies of yeast de-ubiquitinating enzymes illustrate how such enzymes can facilitate the proteolysis of diverse substrates.


The influence of dosing sequence of lime and alum as a coagulant in the treatment of soft humic waters (requiring pre-alkalinisation of raw water) was studied. The experiments show that the traditional dosing order, i.e. pre-alkalinisation first and coagulant second, might give worse results in comparison with the reversed order, i.e. coagulant dosing followed by pre-alkalinisation. The influence of aggregation time on residual coagulant and UV absorbance was also studied.


Photograph of apron made from floral cotton sewn by Marjorie Bligh in the 1940s. This gay floral apron, with its diamond-hemmed panels, resembles Marjorie's famous aprons fashioned from men's ties. However, this one was made in the 1940s from oddments of cotton dress fabric. In 2011, it was purchased from Marjorie Bligh by writer Danielle Wood, who says: "Though it is a treasure, I have no intention of putting the apron away for best – I am going to wear it, especially when baking cakes."(Danielle Wood). "Marjorie Bligh is Tasmania's queen of the household scene. Often referred to as "Australia's Mrs Beeton" or "Tasmania's Mrs Beeton", she was born Marjorie Pearsall, in 1917, in the Tasmanian midlands township of Ross. In her self-styled career as a housewife superstar, she married three times and produced six books on cooking, home economics, craft, history and gardening. She published her signature household manual under all three of her married names: Marjorie Blackwell, Marjorie Cooper and Marjorie Bligh. A pioneer recycler, Marjorie has for several decades been renowned for her spirited campaign against useful resources being poured into landfill. Famous for never wasting a thing, she has converted thousands of used pantyhose and plastic shopping bags into reusable items. It has long been rumoured that Marjorie was an inspiration for Barry Humphries' Dame Edna Everage.
Marjorie lives in Devonport in a house that incorporates a small museum where she displays her handcrafts, scrapbooks and other treasures. She is 94 years old." [Danielle Wood 2011]


Telomeres are nucleoprotein complexes comprised of tandem arrays of repetitive DNA sequence that serve to protect chromosomal termini from inappropriate degradation, as well as to prevent these natural DNA ends from being recognized as broken DNA (double-strand breaks) and triggering of inappropriate DNA damage responses. Preservation of telomere length requires telomerase, the specialized reverse transcriptase capable of maintaining telomere length via template-mediated addition of telomeric repeats onto the ends of newly synthesized chromosomes. Loss of either end-capping function or telomere length maintenance has been associated with genomic instability or senescence in a variety of settings; therefore, telomeres and telomerase have well-established connections to cancer and aging. It has long been recognized that oxidative stress promotes shortening of telomeres, and that telomerase activity is a radiation-inducible function. However, the effects of ionizing radiation (IR) exposure on telomeres per se are much less well understood and appreciated. To gain a deeper understanding of the roles, telomeres and telomerase play in the response of human cells to IRs of different qualities, we tracked changes in telomeric end-capping function, telomere length, and telomerase activity in panels of mammary epithelial and hematopoietic cell lines exposed to low linear energy transfer (LET) gamma(γ)-rays or high LET, high charge, high energy (HZE) particles, delivered either acutely or at low dose rates. In addition to demonstrating that dysfunctional telomeres contribute to IR-induced mutation frequencies and genome instability, we reveal non-canonical roles for telomerase, in that telomerase activity was required for IR-induced enrichment of mammary epithelial putative stem/progenitor cell populations, a finding also suggestive of cellular reprograming. Taken together, the results reported here establish the critical importance of telomeres and telomerase in the radiation response and, as such, have compelling implications not only for accelerated tumor repopulation following radiation therapy but also for carcinogenic potential following low dose exposures as well, including those of relevance to spaceflight-associated galactic cosmic radiations.


The conditional value of a stationary random process, given the level-upcrossing of another dependent stationary random process, is considered. Assuming that both processes are weakly non-Gaussian, an analytical approximation for the related conditional distribution is derived. It is based on a trivariate Edgeworth expansion truncated to non-Gaussian terms of lowest order, to which Rice's formula is then applied. As an application, the effect of level-upcrossing conditioning in second-order ocean waves is investigated. Upcrossing events are monitored for the sea surface elevation. The conditional distributions of different kinematic variables, given upcrossing, are considered for different sea-state configurations. Predictions from the analytical model are compared with numerical data obtained from Monte Carlo experiments. It is found that the analytical approximation provides conditional mean and variance in good agreement with numerical data, although moderate discrepancies appear for the sea states with the most severe wave cambers. Regarding the conditional skewness, given upcrossing, results are mixed, with significant discrepancies between the analytical approximation and numerical estimates, in a number of cases. An Edgeworth-type approximation is also provided for the upcrossing frequency and compared with Monte Carlo estimates; this analytical estimate is found to be accurate over a wide range of crossing levels.


Abstract This paper describes our experience of introducing a structured format for students requesting formative feedback on draft work. Initially the aims were to encourage the development of selfassessment skills in distance-learning students and to develop the dialogue between student and tutor. In 2013 we considered the benefits of this initiative could be applied to campus based students with a similar profile. The experiences of staff involved in this process were collated and the advantages and challenges recorded. Our experience confirms this process results in high quality, specific and consistent feedback which can impact on students' success in summative assessment. The development of trust in the process results in useful dialogue and increased self-esteem as students gain confidence in their critical-thinking skills. An unexpected benefit shows students utilise the process to express anxieties about, not only their studies, but personal and work challenges, thereby enabling us to provide additional support. The most challenging aspect for tutors is the time required to provide feedback in this format. This process highlights distinct benefits for students and in our view these outweigh the issue of tutor time, but resources need to be addressed before it can be used effectively for larger cohorts.


Evolutionary algorithms (EAs) are a large family of heuristic optimization algorithms inspired by natural phenomena, and are often used in practice to obtain satisficing instead of optimal solutions. In this work, we investigate a largely underexplored issue: the approximation performance of EAs in terms of how close the obtained solution is to an optimal solution. We study an EA framework named simple EA with isolated population (SEIP) that can be implemented as a single- or multi-objective EA. We present general approximation results of SEIP, and specifically on the minimum set cover problem, we find that SEIP achieves the currently best-achievable approximation ratio. Moreover, on an instance class of the k-set cover problem, we disclose how SEIP can overcome the difficulty that limits the greedy algorithm.


This paper highlights the connection between the International Criminal Court's Office of the Prosecutor and the field of transitional justice. This overlapping relationship is ultimately based on the common ambition of preventing international crimes in conflict-affected states. The paper's specific focus is on how to improve the OTP's existing language and discourse through an accompanying transitional justice vocabulary, in order to help enhance the prevention mission. It firstly appraises how that mission is translated into the OTP's institutional objective to maximise its preventive impact, and identifies how it is currently beset with complexities that have not been adequately addressed. It then considers the current conceptual attraction to legalism within OTP language, declarations and pronouncements, and explores the limitations and negative consequences. Legalism is critically a theoretical dogma ill-equipped at capturing the social and political complexities of domestic societies shaped by conflict and post-conflict momentums. Given this, any purported preventive impact of the OTP is significantly reduced. In light of the prevailing arguments, conceptual and substantive evidence will justify the OTP as a transitional justice actor in those situations shaped by and demanding it. Therefore the paper makes the case for the OTP to adopt an accompanying transitional justice focus within its language and discourse. Through adopting a multifaceted and reasoned case for its prosecution decision-making in conflict-affected situations, the OTP could better dovetail itself into inclusive domestic transitional justice strategies. This would allow a more local and domestic contestation of ICC prosecutions including a fuller assessment as to how and why they contribute to a range of transitional reforms on the ground. In so doing the OTP could fully integrate and join-up its justice mandate with domestic transitional agendas, and ultimately help establish the social and political forces necessary to prevent future crimes.


Ever-increasing population and ever-proliferating demand for variety and choice together with a marked preference in favor of deliberate under-utilization of resources as well as deprecation of thrift have exposed the available reserves of natural resources to the danger of depletion. The culture based on the market economy has made the people concerned only about producing and consuming more, with their eyes closed to the indiscriminate exploitation of resources and dumping of the obnoxious byproducts into the environment. There is now abundant scientific evidence that humanity is living unsustainably. The environment is gradually becoming more overstressed; trophic chains and various biogeochemical cycles in the nature are being interrupted; ecological services are becoming disturbed. People now are transforming ecosystems throughout the world at a faster and more extensive pace than any other time in human history. In this milieu, this paper observes that bringing human use of natural resources within sustainable limits will require a major collective effort. There is a need to sensitize the people, especially the supposed and potential 'creative core', to direct their efforts to a serious thinking and action to change our present preoccupation with an unsustainable development towards sustainable development. The roles of other stakeholders and volunteer-involving organizations are no less important. sustainable development requires changes in institutions, more specifically the habits of thought and action, to opt for and adopt the new paradigm of development, to change the taste and liking regarding consumption, to think of social priorities and obligation vis-a-vis the personal ones and so on. Attitudinal changes, the alteration of the world view and the habits of thought, are only possible by a proper and holistic educational planning and an efficient governance of the academia, the government departments and the law-making and law-protecting framework of our society. The paper highlights the role of the 'creative core' and good governance, but the intelligentsia, especially in the less developed nations where social consciousness is dominated by the myopic personal agenda, will not be effective unless the monitoring of the entire program of development is efficient. The people must, therefore, come forward. But, while social consciousness is weak and dormant, this requirement pushes us into the vicious circle. This vicious circle is the real trap and obstacle to sustainable development.


Background: Adnexa masses include ovarian masses, fallopian tubes and surrounding connective tissues and are among the most important and common disorders of women's science. The aim of this study was to investigate the levels of serum ESR and CRP changes along with CA- 125 in patients with adnexal tumors. Methods: This research was a crosssectional study. The statistical population consisted of all patients who referred to Imam Khomeini Hospital of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences during 12 months from September 2016 to September 2017 with diagnosis of adnexal mass and undergoing surgery. The sample size was 100 people who were selected through convenience sampling method. The method of data collection was such that a blood sample was taken from all patients who were candidates for adnexa masses surgery and kept at room temperature for 30 min and then centrifuged for 10 min at 4000 rpm. Data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U test, correlation coefficient and logistic regression analysis. Results: The findings showed that elevated levels of CA125, ESR and CRP were not significantly correlated with tumor type and could not be used for screening alone. However, in cases of malignant tumors, its increased levels may indicate a higher staging of the tumor. Conclusion: According to the results, evaluation of the level of tumor marker CA125 and inflammatory markers of ESR and CRP in malignant tumor can be used to determine appropriate diagnostic therapeutic measures. Key words: Adnexal masses, CA125, C-reactive protein, Erythrocyte sedimentation rate.


This paper documents a little-noticed feature of US labor markets—very large variation in the labor supply of married women across cities. We focus on cross-city differences in commuting times as a potential explanation for this variation. We start with a model in which commuting times introduce non-convexities into the budget set. Empirical evidence is consistent with the model's predictions: Labor force participation rates of married women are negatively correlated with the metropolitan area commuting time. Also, metropolitan areas with larger increases in average commuting time in 1980–2000 had slower growth in the labor force participation of married women.


Mouse inbred strains with inherited predisposition and resistance to lung cancer provide a tool for the dissection of the complex genetics of this disease. In the present report, we have crossed the BALB/c with the SWR/J strain and performed whole-genome scanning for loci affecting lung tumor development in their F2 progeny. Both parental strains carry the pulmonary adenoma susceptibility 1 (Pas1) locus, a major locus affecting predisposition to lung cancer in mice. On distal chromosome 18 and on centromere of chromosome 6, we have mapped two pulmonary adenoma resistance loci (Par2 and Par4, respectively), which reduce lung tumor multiplicity strongly, up to 15-fold. Par2 and Par4, however, do not affect lung tumor size, which is instead controlled by an additional locus that we have mapped on the central region of chromosome 4. We designated this locus as "pulmonary adenoma progression 1" (Papg1), because it specifically modifies lung tumor size but not multiplicity. The present results, therefore, provide evidence for the existence of cancer modifier loci acting on specific stages of lung tumorigenesis.


This article represents the analysis of the possibility of the protection of economical, social and cultural human rights in the European Court of Human Rights. It also discloses that there are directly consolidated three economical, social and cultural rights in the European Convention of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, which is the basic instrument in the activities of the Court: a social right – the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of personal interests, an economical right – the right to property and a cultural right – the right to education. A nature of all socioeconomical rights, consolidated in the Convention, is negative in the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights, i. e. they are perceived as freedoms of a person. For example, State's duty of the protection of the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of personal interests does not include a duty to provide financial assistance to individuals seeking to establish an association, or to associations for the better pursuance of their interests. Freedom of association encapsulates freedom of the individual and, more generally, of the society vis-a-vis the State. It is through the activity of freely formed associations that positive effects are expected for the community as a whole. To make associations the receivers of alimonies by the State would turn this model structure upside down. The right to education is also of a negative character. However, this right by it's very nature calls for regulation by the State, regulation which may vary in time and place according to the needs and resources of the community and of individuals. On the other side, the author emphasizes that now the Court applies the Convention in the sphere of social law more actively. This is obviously while analysing case-law of the Court adopted in so called "property cases". This fact allows to hope that social rights will be protected in Europe more effectively than till now. While using the Convention, broader number of social rights may be protected more effectively in the national court systems, and also in the European institutions.


Random quantum circuits have played a central role in establishing the computational advantages of near-term quantum computers over their conventional counterparts. Here, we use ensembles of low-depth random circuits with local connectivity in $D\ge 1$ spatial dimensions to generate quantum error-correcting codes. For random stabilizer codes and the erasure channel, we find strong evidence that a depth $O(\log N)$ random circuit is necessary and sufficient to converge (with high probability) to zero failure probability for any finite amount below the channel capacity for any $D$. Previous results on random circuits have only shown that $O(N^{1/D})$ depth suffices or that $O(\log^3 N)$ depth suffices for all-to-all connectivity ($D \to \infty$). We then study the critical behavior of the erasure threshold in the so-called moderate deviation limit, where both the failure probability and the distance to the channel capacity converge to zero with $N$. We find that the requisite depth scales like $O(\log N)$ only for dimensions $D \ge 2$, and that random circuits require $O(\sqrt{N})$ depth for $D=1$. Finally, we introduce an "expurgation" algorithm that uses quantum measurements to remove logical operators that cause the code to fail by turning them into either additional stabilizers or into gauge operators in a subsystem code. With such targeted measurements, we can achieve sub-logarithmic depth in $D\ge 2$ spatial dimensions below capacity without increasing the maximum weight of the check operators. We find that for any rate beneath the capacity, high-performing codes with thousands of logical qubits are achievable with depth 4-8 expurgated random circuits in $D=2$ dimensions. These results indicate that finite-rate quantum codes are practically relevant for near-term devices and may significantly reduce the resource requirements to achieve fault tolerance for near-term applications.


We still have much to learn about the evolution of taxonomic diversity gradients through geologic time. For example, have latitudinal gradients always been as steep as they are now, or is this a phenomenon linked to some form of Cenozoic global climatic differentiation? The fossil record offers potential to address this sort of problem, and this study reconstructs latitudinal diversity gradients for the last (Tithonian) stage of the Jurassic period using marine bivalves. At this time of relative global warmth, bivalves were cosmopolitan in their distribution and the commonest element within macrobenthic assemblages. Analysis of 31 regional bivalve faunas demonstrates that Tithonian latitudinal gradients were present in both hemispheres, though on a much smaller magnitude than today. The record of the Northern Hemisphere gradient is more complete and shows a steep fall in values at the tropical/temperate boundary; the Southern Hemisphere gradient exhibits a more regular decline in diversity with increasing latitude. Tithonian latitudinal gradients were underpinned by a tropical bivalve fauna that comprises almost equal numbers of epifaunal and infaunal taxa. The epifaunal component was dominated by three pteriomorph families, the Pectinidae, Limidae and Ostreidae, that may be regarded as a long-term component of tropical bivalve diversity. Of the mixture of older and newer "heteroconch" families that formed the bulk of the infaunal component, the latter radiated spectacularly through the Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic to dominate tropical bivalve faunas at the present day. This pulse of heteroconch diversification, which was a major cause of the steepening of the bivalve latitudinal gradient, provides important evidence that rates of speciation may be negatively correlated with latitude. Nevertheless, we cannot exclude the possibility that elevated extinction rates in the highest latitudes also contributed to the marked steepening of bivalve latitudinal gradients over the last 150 Myr. Rates of extinction within epifaunal bivalve taxa appear to have been higher in these regions through the Cretaceous period, but this was largely before any significant global climatic deterioration. Infaunal bivalve clades have had differential success over this time period in the polar regions. Whereas, in comparison with the Tropics, heteroconchs are very much reduced in numbers today, the anomalodesmatans are much better represented, and the protobranchs have positively thrived. We are beginning to appreciate that low temperature per se may not be a primary cause of elevated rates of extinction. Food supply may be an equally important control on both rates of speciation and extinction; those bivalves that have been able to adapt to the extreme seasonality of food supply have flourished in the polar regions.


The study was conducted by using a validated questionnaire and the respondents chosen are those from lowincome status and relatively low level of education in the State of Penang, Malaysia. A total of 65 respondents were interviewed based on participatory approach with an attempt to capture qualitative information with regards to income status, personal living condition and medication-taking behaviour. Majority of the respondents have a good background on drug information. This is given by the number of patients that understand the importance of drug treatment, although in term of application, problems do arise due to forgetfulness, worries of medication side effects and confusions due to multiple medications. This warrants further education from local pharmacists and a subsequent drug awareness program could be organized to overcome these problems faced by the respondents. The respondents also represented common chronic disease pattern among Malaysian, in which around 30% suffers from cardiovascular-related diseases and more than 20% has diabetes. Indeed, more health-awareness campaign is needed to educate the public on the importance of health and disease prevention. This survey found that the specific community in Penang, Malaysia has benefited from the multiple health-awareness programs organized in their area through improved medication-taking behaviour and health-related knowledge. They are aware on the importance of the medications, although there are some respondents that do not have similar view. However, incompliancy is still a problem. Incompliance will lead to medication wastage which will subsequently affect the overall government cost, the environment and most importantly the patients' health outcome. Key words: Low-income community, Health promotion, Awareness of health.


Obstetric anesthesia carries great responsibilities because there are two patients, the mother and the fetus. The purpose of the present study is to compare two doses of Levobupivacaine for spinal anesthesia at elective cesarean section, to determine the best dose that can give mother and fetal hemodynamic stability and a fast anesthesia recovery after the surgery. Method: We conducted a prospective randomized comparative study in 56 patients undergoing cesarean section with spinal dose of Levobupivacaine 6 mg (22 patients) and 10 mg (34 patients), both groups combined with 25 μg of fentanyl. The two doses of local anesthetic were compared with regard to sensory and motor blockade, the need for supplementation epidural, the severity of hypotension and other complications. Result: The 6 mg of levobupivacaine group presents no difference in the incidence of hypotension, bradycardia, nauseas or vomiting compared with the 10 mg of levobupivacaine group, but presents higher incidence of supplementary analgesia and lower mother satisfaction. Conclusions: The combination of 6 mg of levobupivacaine with 25 μg of fentanyl on spinal anesthesia can be an option for short time cesarean section, buy doesn't present a superior profile in side effects over the 10 mg of levobupivacaine with 25 μg of fentanyl combination with worst maternal satisfaction.


This translation of an undisputed classic aims to be both accurate and readable. Tocqueville's subtlety of style and profundity of thought offer a challenge to readers as well as to translators. As both a Tocqueville scholar and an award-winning translator, Arthur Goldhammer is uniquely qualified for the task. In his Introduction, Jon Elster draws on his recent work to lay out the structure of Tocqueville' argument. Readers will appreciate The Ancien Regime and the French Revolution for its sense of irony as well as tragedy, for its deep insights into political psychology and for its impassioned defense of liberty.


Abstract Zoos and public aquaria globally display numerous wild harvested, threatened species. To validate conservation credentials, displays are often associated with research projects, educational interpretation, or conservation-related activities. However, accompanying conservation benefits are rarely assessed. In this study, an approach to evaluate conservation benefits of captive wildlife experiences is modelled by assessing four Australian aquarium displays of the Critically Endangered largetooth sawfish Pristis pristis. Conservation impact scores were calculated for research, education, and conservation-related activities. In a novel approach, sawfish-related education (gaining knowledge, changing attitudes, and intentions to change behaviours) was evaluated using a before and after study design (n = 2 229), and conservation impact scores were calculated using effect sizes. Although visitors to all aquariums demonstrated significant positive attitudinal changes, and at one site gained knowledge, no significant change in behavioural intentions were detected. Educational messages addressing attitudes and behaviours were mostly generalised and untargeted. Formative and ongoing evaluations are needed to develop and maintain targeted and relevant messages. With one exception, research projects and conservation activities were unlikely to contribute substantially to sawfish conservation due to limited support from the aquaria. We recommend that increased support is directed to projects that are targeted towards impactful conservation goals.


ABSTRACT On 16 July 2014, two moderate earthquakes with similar body‐wave magnitude ( M B  4.5 and 4.6) and epicentral location occurred within 9 min in the northern Canadian Cordillera (NCC), northwestern Canada. Based on magnitude and waveform similarity, cataloged location, and timing, we refer to them as double earthquakes. In this study, we report their source properties using seismic data from regional and distant networks of broadband seismograph stations. Based on teleseismic depth‐phase modeling and double‐difference relocation, the focal depth for the first earthquake is ∼3.5–4.0  km and for the second, ∼6.5–7.0  km. The distance between the two epicenters is ∼1.6  km, for a total separation of less than 3 km. Moment tensor solutions show reverse slip with a minor strike‐slip component and a moment magnitude M w  4.2 for the first earthquake; the solution for the second earthquake is mainly strike slip with a small reverse‐slip component and a moment magnitude of M w  4.4. We analyze continuous data for one week following the earthquakes using a matched‐filter technique and detect >20 aftershocks with magnitude M L >2.0 that were previously missed in routine network detections. Combined with observed structural fabric, these results suggest that the eastern part of the NCC represents a large and slowly deforming transpressional zone, simultaneously accommodating continuous right‐lateral shearing of the Cordillera and thrusting along the pre‐existing thrust faults of the fold‐and‐thrust belt.


Abstract This article investigates the factors that explain differential individual involvement in political demonstrations. Though the question of who actually participates in (protest) politics is by no means new, the authors build here upon existing literature in social movement studies in order to test some of the existing hypotheses. Reviewing existing research on individual participation in contentious politics, four theoretical arguments used to explain participation differentials were highlighted: the socio-biographical argument pointing to either social centrality or biographical availability; the collective identity process based on the interaction between norms, values, and actions; the network integration argument; and the argument that emotions are in the driver's seat. The article proposes an original analysis based on surveys carried out during nine demonstrations that occurred in Italy between 2011 and 2013 on a variety of issues, some directly related to the economic crisis and the consequent austerity policies, others mainly addressing new social movements claims. Looking at the participation in demonstrations of 1624 protestors, we conclude that social centrality and collective identity formation have higher explanatory power in examining degrees of participation in protest.


Lee, Ju-Eun. 2016. Ditransitive Alternations in Lancashire Variety of Northwest British English. English Language and Linguistics 22.3, 149-168. This paper discusses the Theme-Goal ditransitive construction in Lancashire variety of Northwest British English in comparison with the Double Object construction and the Prepositional Dative construction of all varieties of English. Animacy constraints and verb class restrictions show that the Lancashire Theme-Goal ditransitive is an alternative variant of the Double Object construction which has an applicative structure with caused possession semantics. The paper argues against rightward Goal-shift analyses in favor of a short Theme object shift analysis in deriving the Theme-Goal ditransitive construction from the underlying Double Object structure.


Abstract I describe here a nascent 'Islamic feminist' movement in India, dedicated to the goal of achieving gender equity under Muslim Personal Law. In justifying their demands, these women activists refer neither to the Indian Constitution nor to the universalistic human rights principles that guide secular feminists campaigning for passage of a gender-neutral uniform civil code of personal law, but rather to the authority of the Qur'an—which, they claim, grants Muslim women numerous rights that in practice are routinely denied them. They accuse the male 'ulama of foisting 'patriarchal' interpretations of the Qur'an on the unlettered Muslim masses and assert their right to read the Qur'an for themselves and interpret it in a woman-friendly way. Their activities reflect an increasing 'fragmentation of religious authority' in the globalizing Muslim world, associated with the spread of mass education, new forms of media and transport and a mobile labour force, in which clerical claims to exclusive authoritative knowledge are being questioned by a wide variety of new voices, women's among them. Whether it can ultimately succeed is an open question but the movement is clearly having an impact, even on the clerical establishment itself, insofar as the legal issues it considers most pressing for women are concerned.


Background: Dexmedetomidine is a potent non-opioid analgesic that may enhance analgesia for cataract surgery under topical anaesthesia. This study was undertaken to assess sedation and analgesia provided by dexmedetomidine and evaluating patients' satisfaction. Secondary aims were: (1) To study the effect of dexmedetomidine in decreasing the intraocular pressure. (2) The impact on surgeons' satisfaction. (3) Hemodynamic effects. Methods: We conducted a prospective randomized study on ASA I/II patients presenting for cataract surgery under topical anesthesia. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups: group D received dexmedetomidine premedication 1 mcg/kg over 10 minutes and group C received saline at the same rate. Sedation and pain score, intraocular pressure, patient and surgeon satisfaction score and hemodynamics were monitored and compared. Results: There was a significant increase in sedation assessed by the Ramsay sedation score at all times in group D after receiving dexmedetomidine (p < 0.0001). However, pain scores (numeric rating scale) were similar in both groups (p > 0.05). Dexmedetomidine decreased the intraocular pressure and the difference was statistically highly significant (p < 0.0001). Group D had better patient and surgeon satisfaction score as against group C (p = 0.0001). Noticeably, the incidence of dry mouth was higher in group D. Hemodynamic parameters were well maintained in both groups with no adverse events in either group. Conclusions: Dexmedetomidine can be used safely for cataract surgery under topical anesthesia. Administration of dexmedetomidine was associated with better patient and surgeon satisfaction.


Frivolous patent-infringement claims increase the cost of innovation for small businesses and force them to exit via premature and discounted acquisitions. This study investigates the effect of abusive patent-infringement claims by patent trolls on acquisitions of small firms. I exploit the staggered adoption of anti-patent troll laws in 35 states as a quasi-natural experiment and find that the laws have two effects on acquisitions. First, the number of acquisitions of small businesses by large firms declines after these laws are passed. Second, the anti-troll laws increase the acquisition price for large firms. I find that the market reflects the increased cost of acquisition following the passage of anti-troll laws as measured by the lower acquisition announcement returns. Moreover, I find evidence that large firms increase R&D expenditure after the adoption of state laws. Using a sample of acquisitions that are plausibly unaffected by the state laws, I disentangle alternative explanations such as local economic shocks, industry-wide changes and merger waves. Overall, the findings suggest that the anti-patent troll laws increase the value of small innovative firms.


National capitals play a central role in tourism in a globalised world, but their special qualities – their capitalness – can be elusive. This article argues that tourism representation is at the heart of capitalness and shapes the ways in which capitals and nations are seen. Capitals appeal to visitors with accumulations of heritage and cultural assets, as centres of power and as symbols of national identity, presenting the nation to itself and the outside world. Globalisation, territorial change and the rise of sub-state nationalisms have seen new cities becoming national capitals and established capitals significantly changing their roles. Cities may acquire or aspire to capital status, or have to adapt to a role as a lesser capital – or have to abandon capital status altogether. In doing so, they revise buildings, spaces and cultural assets to emphasise their new status and negotiate contested identities. Tourism is integral to this process as new national symbols are created, existing sites are reinterpreted and revalorised for visitors, and choices are made about how the nation should be represented to the outside world and to itself. Tourism representation reveals how tensions between capitals' cosmopolitan and distinct national roles are played out, how new versions of the national story are developed and how capitalness is contingent on particular national experiences.


This paper presents an experimental demonstration of a basic cell of the quantum-dot cellular automata, a transistorless approach to computation that addresses the issues of device density, interconnection, and power dissipation. The device under study was composed of four metal dots, connected with tunnel junctions and capacitors, and operated at <50 mK. Operation was evidenced by switching of a single electron between output dots controlled by a single electron switching in input dots, demonstrating a nonlinear, bistable response.


The dissertation examines the choice between casual and regular labour contracts in Indian agriculture. In particular, it deals with two relevant decision problems: (i) how an employer chooses between casual and regular contracts and (ii) how a labourer chooses between casual and regular contracts. Several models of contractual choice are developed. In the implicit contract model, regular labour contracts are a means through which risk-neutral employers offer some insurance against the wage and employment fluctuations to labourers, in return for lower wages. In the shirking model, regular contracts are used to perform non-monitorable tasks for which casual contracts are not incentive compatible: regular contracts with wages above the reservation wage act as a device to induce the workers not to shirk in non-monitorable tasks. In the collateral model, regular contracts with advance wage payments provide labourers with a means of using their labour services as a collateral substitute. The time constraint model shows that landless labourers have a comparative advantage in regular labour contracts, because the opportunity cost of precommitting labour time tends to be lower for them. In each of these models, it is shown that casual and regular contracts may coexist in equilibrium. Empirical evidence bearing on these different theories is examined using data from three South Indian villages. The evidence is consistent with the implicit contract model, the collateral model and the time constraint model. However, we find no support for the shirking model. Other relevant aspects of labour contracts are also investigated, including labour force participation decisions, unemployment rates, the relative levels of casual-labour and regular-labour wages, the links between labour and credit contracts, and the determinants of labour demand. The thesis concludes with a discussion of recent trends in the incidence of casual and regular contracts in rural India. The incidence of regular contracts has steadily declined in recent years. We argue that this decline primarily reflects a decline in supply (due, inter alia, to an improvement of credit facilities and an expansion of alternative employment opportunities) rather than a decline of demand.