Pakistan was born as the creation of elite Urdu-speaking Muslims who sought to govern a state that would maintain their dominance. After rallying non-Urdu speaking leaders around him, Jinnah imposed a unitary definition of the new nation state that obliterated linguistic diversity. This centralisation — 'justified' by the Indian threat — fostered centrifugal forces that resulted in Bengali secessionism in 1971 and Baloch, as well as Mohajir, separatisms today.

Concentration of power in the hands of the establishment remained the norm, and while authoritarianism peaked under military rule, democracy failed to usher in reform, and the rule of law remained fragile at best under Zulfikar Bhutto and later Nawaz Sharif.

While Jinnah and Ayub Khan regarded religion as a cultural marker, since their time theIslamists have gradually prevailed. They benefited from the support of General Zia, while others, including sectarian groups, cashed in on their struggle against the establishment to woo the disenfranchised.

Today, Pakistan faces existential challenges ranging from ethnic strife to Islamism, two sources of instability which hark back to elite domination. But the resilience of the country and its people, the resolve of the judiciary and hints of reform in the army may open.


This article describes how one of the hottest trends in urban mass transit is the bus. Not the old-fashioned bus lines, cities all over the world are switching to bus rapid transit (BRT), which is a modern transit system that combines the flexibility of buses with the speed, comfort and reliability of rail. With BRT, buses run frequently in exclusive lanes, offering local and express services. Small, technologically advanced stations replace of the traditional bus stop, vending machines sell fares, slightly elevated platforms make boarding easier, and monitors wired into a Global Positioning System (GPS) network tell waiting commuters exactly when the next bus will arrive. Sixteen systems were completed world-wide last year, and 49 more are under construction. Cities in the United States (U.S.) and Australia have built BRT systems, but so far there is generally less demand in developed countries. The trend appears to be most popular in the developing world, especially Asia and Latin America. BRT will be an important option for transit systems in the future, especially in cities where transit demand is high and budgets are tight. The city considered to have the most successful, and first, BRT system is Curitiba, Brazil, with 2.26 million passengers a day and 45 miles of lanes. From three bus corridors in the late 1970s, the system has grown to six lanes, all added in combination with zoning and land-use policies that promoted industrial and residential development. The adoption of BRT has been slow in the U.S., in part because cars are so prevalent, and because commuters who use public transit have shown a preference for rail. But difficulties in funding new rail projects may make BRT more attractive in the future.The director of the National BRT Institute at the Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida, in Tampa says there will be less dollars available from the federal government for rail, so there will be an increase in BRT because you can build up to 10 BRT lines for the cost of one light-rail line. To date, five U.S. cities use BRT for parts of their public-transit systems. Los Angeles has a BRT system that comprises about 14 miles; Cleveland, seven miles; and Eugene, Ore., four miles. Eight to 10 other systems are under consideration, including routes in San Francisco and Chicago, according to the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy. But BRT critics say that just because the systems are successful in Latin America and Asia doesn't mean they're the best option in the U.S. because rail has a proven record of being able to take people out of their cars and buses do not.


By the 1960s-70s, most Western commentators agreed that Japan had rehabilitated itself from World War II, in the process becoming on the whole a reliable member of the international community. From the late 1970s onwards, however, as Japan's economy continued to rise, this premise began to be questioned. By the late 1980s, a new 'Japan Problem' had been identified in Western countries, although the presentation of Japan as a dangerous 'other' was nevertheless familiar from past historical eras. The term 'Japan-bashing' was used by opponents of this negative view to suggest that much of the critical rhetoric about a 'Japan Problem' could be reduced to an unwarranted, probably racist, assault on Japan.

This thesis argues that the invention and popularisation of the highly-contested label 'Japan-bashing', rather than averting criticism of Japan, perversely helped to exacerbate and transform the moderate anti-Japanese sentiment that had existed in Western countries in the late 1970s and early 1980s into a widely disseminated, heavily politicised and even encultured phenomenon in the late 1980s and 1990s. Moreover, when the term 'Japan-bashing' spread to Japan itself, Japanese commentators were quick to respond. In fact, the level and the nature of the response from the Japanese side is one crucial factor that distinguishes 'Japan-bashing' in the 1980s and 1990s from anti-Japanese sentiment expressed in the West in earlier periods.

Ultimately, the label and the practice of 'Japan-bashing' helped to transform intellectual and popular discourses about Japan in both Western countries and Japan itself in the 1980s and 1990s. Moreover, in doing so, it revealed crucial features of wider Western and Japanese perceptions of the global order in the late twentieth century. Debates about Japan showed, for example, that economic strength had become at least as important as military power to national discourses about identity. However, the view that Western countries and Japan are generally incompatible, and share few, if any, common values, interests or goals, has been largely discarded in the early twenty-first century, in a process that demonstrated just how constructed, and transitory, such views can be.


Abstract Full-spectrum dependent types promise to enable the development of correct-by-construction software. However, even certified software needs to interact with simply-typed or untyped programs, be it to perform system calls, or to use legacy libraries. Trading static guarantees for runtime checks, the dependent interoperability framework provides a mechanism by which simply-typed values can safely be coerced to dependent types and, conversely, dependently-typed programs can defensively be exported to a simply-typed application. In this article, we give a semantic account of dependent interoperability. Our presentation relies on and is guided by a pervading notion of type equivalence, whose importance has been emphasized in recent work on homotopy type theory. Specifically, we develop the notions of type-theoretic partial Galois connections as a key foundation for dependent interoperability, which accounts for the partiality of the coercions between types. We explore the applicability of both type-theoretic Galois connections and anticonnections in the setting of dependent interoperability. A partial Galois connection enforces a translation of dependent types to runtime checks that are both sound and complete with respect to the invariants encoded by dependent types. Conversely, picking an anticonnection instead lets us induce weaker, sound conditions that can amount to more efficient runtime checks. Our framework is developed in Coq; it is thus constructive and verified in the strictest sense of the terms. Using our library, users can specify domain-specific partial connections between data structures. Our library then takes care of the (sometimes, heavy) lifting that leads to interoperable programs. It thus becomes possible, as we shall illustrate, to internalize and hand-tune the extraction of dependently-typed programs to interoperable OCaml programs within Coq itself.


The known mossflora of the small West Indian island Saba (870 m in altitude) consists to date of 48 species, while the neighbouring island St. Eustatius (600 m) has 40 species. The two islands have 27 species in common. Widely distributed neotropical species dominate at all elevations, while wide-tropical (i.e. pantropical) species are found mainly at middle elevations (300-600 m). Species with smaller geographical distributions (southern neotropical, Caribbean) are restricted to higher elevations (above 600 m). An attempt has been made to determine the relation between mosses and the plant communities, encountered along the altitudinal gradient, by calculating "association values", based on the results of random collecting. Four classes of association values have been distinguished: class A: very characteristic; class B: characteristic; class C: moderately characteristic; and class D: non-characteristic species. It appears that eight plant communities on both islands harbour one or more moderately to very characteristic species. Neckeropsis undulata is the only very characteristic species. It occurs in the evergreen seasonal forest on St. Eustatius. The results are compared with Guadeloupe, Martinique, Puerto Rico, Guyana and Suriname. Finally, a key to the species is included.


To facilitate the workshop as a place for cooperative learning is a technique to support dialogues among participants of the workshop. The results of research and analysis on participants' intrinsic motivation are as follows. 1. Participants' intrinsic motivations are grown and their consciousness and ability to act are changed by supporting their dialogues with emphasis on their competency and autonomy. 2. Nine learning activities are developed with respect to each of three layers in the learning steps. The more participants achieve learning activities, the more they grow and change in their consciousness and activities.


The objective of the current work was to evaluate the effect of drinking water with various levels of total dissolved solids (TDS) and betaine supplementation on the performance and gene expression of betaine-homocysteine S-methyltransferase (BHMT) in broiler chickens. In a completely randomized design with a 3×2 factorial arrangement, chicks were assigned to six treatments with four replicates and 15 chicks per each. The treatments were included of three levels of total dissolved solids (400, 2.000 and 3.500 ppm) and two levels of betaine supplementation (0 and 0.2% of diet). Weight gain decreased and feed conversion ratio and water intake increased as TDS of water increased. Betaine supplementation had no effect on weight gain and water intake during the grower period, but had a significant effect on gain and feed conversion ratio in the finisher period. Mortality rate and excreta moisture content increased as TDS of water increased. Excreta moisture content decreased with betaine supplementation. Gene expression of BHMT decreased significantly with increases in TDS level and betaine supplementation increased its expression (28 folds) as compared with the non-additive group. It was concluded that consumption of drinking water with higher than 2.000 ppm TDS adversely and betaine supplementation positively affect the performance of broiler chickens. The lowest feed conversion ratio was seen in chicks fed 400 and 2.000 ppm TDS with betaine supplementation.


High NaCl elevates activity of the osmoprotective transcription factor TonEBP/OREBP by increasing its phosphorylation, transactivating activity, and localization to the nucleus. We investigated the possible role in this activation of phospholipase C-γ1 (PLC-γ1), which has a predicted binding site at TonEBP/OREBP-phospho-Y143. We find the following. (i) Activation of TonEBP/OREBP transcriptional activity by high NaCl is reduced in PLC-γ1 null cells and in HEK293 cells in which PLC-γ1 is knocked down by a specific siRNA. (ii) High NaCl increases phosphorylation of TonEBP/OREBP at Y143. (iii) Wild-type PLC-γ1 coimmunoprecipitates with wild-type TonEBP/OREBP but not TonEBP/OREBP-Y143A, and the coimmunoprecipitation is increased by high NaCl. (iv) PLC-γ1 is part of the protein complex that associates with TonEBP/OREBP at its DNA binding site. (v) Knockdown of PLC-γ1 or overexpression of a PLC-γ1-SH3 deletion mutant reduces high NaCl-dependent TonEBP/OREBP transactivating activity. (vi) Nuclear localization of PLC-γ1 is increased by high NaCl. (vii) High NaCl-induced nuclear localization of TonEBP/OREBP is reduced if cells lack PLC-γ1, if PLC-γ1 mutated in its SH2C domain is overexpressed, or if Y143 in TonEBP/OREBP is mutated to alanine. (viii) Expression of recombinant PLC-γ1 restores nuclear localization of wild-type TonEBP/OREBP in PLC-γ1 null cells but not of TonEBP/OREBP-Y143A. (ix) The PLC-γ1 phospholipase inhibitor U72133 inhibits nuclear localization of TonEBP/OREBP but not the increase of its transactivating activity. We conclude that, when NaCl is elevated, TonEBP/OREBP becomes phosphorylated at Y143, resulting in binding of PLC-γ1 to that site, which contributes to TonEBP/OREBP transcriptional activity, transactivating activity, and nuclear localization.


The objective of this thesis was to investigate the synthesis of well defined star polymers utilising
controlled radical polymerisation techniques for potential use as viscosity modifiers in Engine oils.
Recent developments in the characterisation of star polymers using multi-detector GPC was
investigated by first synthesising a series of star polymers using a core-first technique and ATRP.
Core-first initiators were used to initiate the polymerisation of PMMA star polymers which were
then analysed using multi-detector GPC. Using Zimm and Stockmayer theory the functionality, f,
(number of arms) of the resultant star polymer was estimated over the MWD of the polymer using
GPC with in-line viscometry. A variation in functionality with molecular weight was seen, which
disagrees with the limited other literature in the field.
The GPC technique was then used to determine the functionality of star polymers synthesised using
RAFT polymerisation and an arm-first technique to yield star PMMA with a high Mw and PDI. Varying
the divinyl species and the ratio of [crosslinker] to [macroRAFT agent] was seen to control the
functionality and molecular weight of the star formed. Varying the amount of monomer present at
the point of crosslinking was seen to have little contribution to the star polymer formed when the
ratio of [MMA] to [macroRAFT agent] was under 10.
Switching RAFT agents from 2-cyanoprop-2yl dithiobenzoate (CPDB) to an oil soluble
trithiocarbonate, for the RAFT polymerisation of long chain alkyl methacrylate gave hybrid
polymerisation kinetics. Through a monomer feed system, controlling the ratio of [monomer] to
[RAFT agent] throughout the reaction, polymers of narrow PDI were synthesised and subsequently
crosslinked to form oil soluble star polymers.
Applying the techniques used for the synthesis of core-crosslinked star polymers using RAFT
chemistry to different area of polymer chemistry, glycopolymers; a series of linear mannose and
galactose bearing glycopolymers have been synthesised. Trimethylsilyl propargyl methacrylate (TMSPgMA) has been polymerised to varying DP, between 20 and 200, using CPDB as the RAFT
agent. Subsequent deprotection of the propargyl groups has yielded a series of alkyne bearing linear
polymers. Using a CuAAC reaction to "click" mannose and galactose azide to the polymer scaffolds
yielded well defined sugar bearing polymers. A P(TMSPgMA) macroRAFT agent was crosslinked using
different crosslinkers to giving a high molecular weight, alkyne bearing, star polymer.


Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. The etiopathogenesis of premature CVD is not fully understood, but recently interferon-alpha (IFNα) has been implicated as a contributing factor. Since IFNα has been associated with both disease activity and endothelial dysfunction in lupus patients, we aimed to determine whether IFNα has direct effects on human aortic endothelial cell (HAoEC) function in vitro. We studied the function of IFNα2b-treated HAoECs in terms of cell proliferation, capillary-like network formation, and nitric oxide (NO) generation. Changes in gene expression were also analyzed using an exon gene array. IFNα2b regulated the expression of 198 genes, including recognized interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs). Gene ontology analysis showed over-representation of genes involved in antigen presentation and host response to virus but no significant changes in clusters of genes recognized as important in endothelial cell activation or dysfunction. HAoEC proliferation, tubule formation, and NO bioavailability were unchanged, suggesting that IFNα in isolation does not have a direct impact on aortic endothelial cell function.


Background: Gentamicin-induced-acute kidney injury (AKI) is a multifaceted phenomenon which previously linked to the oxidative stress only. Vinpocetine prevents reactive free radical generation which contributed in reduction of damage. Therefore, objective of the present study was to investigate the renoprotective effect of vinpocetine on gentamicin-induced-AKI in rats. Methods: Thirty Sprague Dawley Male rat were divided into three groups. Control group (n = 10): Rats treated with distilled water + intra-peritoneal injection of normal saline 2 ml/kg/day. Gentamicin group (n = 10): Rats treated with distilled water + intra-peritoneal injection of gentamicin 100 mg/kg/day. Vinpocetine group (n = 10): Rats treated with vinpocetine + intra-peritoneal injection of gentamicin 100 mg/kg/day. Blood urea and serum creatinine were estimated by auto-analyzer. Serum malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), Neutrophil Gelatinase Associated Lipocalin (NGAL), kidney injury molecules (KIM-1), and Cystatin-c were measured by ELISA kit methods. Results: Vinpocetine led to significant renoprotective effect on gentamicin induced-AKI through amelioration of blood urea and serum creatinine compared with gentamicin group P < 0.01. Vinpocetine improved oxidative stress through reduction of MDA serum level and elevation of SOD significantly compared with gentamicin group P = 0.001 and P = 0.03, respectively. Indeed, vinpocetine reduced glomerular and renal tubular injury via reduction of inflammatory biomarkers including KIM-1, NGALand Cystatin-c sera levels significantly P < 0.01 compared to gentamicin group. Conclusions: Vinpocetine leads to significant attenuation of gentamicin-induced-AKI through modulation of oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory pathway.


Subcritical transition to turbulence has been proposed as a source of turbulent viscosity required for the associated angular momentum transport for fast accretion in Keplerian disks. Previously cited laboratory experiments in supporting this hypothesis were performed either in a di erent type of flow than Keplerian or without quantitative measurements of angular momentum transport and mean flow profile, and all of them appear to su er from Ekman e ects, secondary flows induced by nonoptimal axial boundary conditions. Such Ekman e ects are expected to be absent from astronomical disks, which probably have stress-free vertical boundaries unless strongly magnetized. Aims. To quantify angular momentum transport due to subcritical hydrodynamic turbulence, if exists, in a quasi-Keplerian flow with minimized Ekman e ects. Methods.We perform a local measurement of the azimuthal-radial component of the Reynolds stress tensor in a novel laboratory apparatus where Ekman e ects are minimized by flexible control of axial boundary conditions. Results.We find significant Ekman e ects on angular momentum transport due to nonoptimal axial boundary conditions in quasi-Keplerian flows. With the optimal control of Ekman e ects, no statistically meaningful angular momentum transport is detected in such flows at Reynolds number up to two millions. Conclusions. Eithermore » a subcritical transition does not occur, or, if a subcritical transition does occur, the associated radial transport of angular momentum in optimized quasi-Keplerian laboratory flows is too small to directly support the hypothesis that subcritical hydrodynamic turbulence is responsible for accretion in astrophysical disks. Possible limitations in applying laboratory results to astrophysical disks due to experimental geometry are discussed.« less


The major effect of all intrauterine devices (IUD) is to induce a local inflammatory reaction in the endometrium whose cellular and humoral components are released into the uterine cavity. This inflammatory reaction has a variable effect on the reproductive strategy of the species studied. For example, this foreign body reaction can be localized within the uterus of rodents; and in farm animals it can have striking extrauterine effects. Thus, the action of IUDs in humans cannot be discerned from animals. In humans, copper ions released from Cu-IUDs enhance the inflammatory response and reach concentrations in the luminal fluids of the genital tract that are toxic for spermatozoa and embryos. In women using the IUD, the entire genital tract seems affected, at least in part, because of luminal transmission of the fluids that accumulates in the uterine lumen. This affects the function or viability of gametes, decreasing the rate of fertilization and lowering the chances of survival of any embryo that may be formed, even before it reaches the uterus. Studies on the recovery of eggs from women using IUDs and from women not using contraception show that embryos are formed in the tubes of IUD users at a much lower rate compared with nonusers. This is believed to be the major action of IUDs. Therefore, the common belief that the major mechanism of action of IUDs in women is through destruction of embryos in the uterus (i.e., abortion) is not supported by the available evidence. In Cu-IUD users, it is likely that few spermatozoa reach the distal segment of the fallopian tube, those that encounter an egg may be in poor condition. Thus, the few eggs that are fertilized have little chance for development and their possibility for survival in the altered tubal milieu become worse as they approach the uterine cavity.


Organizations increasingly recognize the need to adopt a process orientation as a means of approaching challenges such as globalization, Enterprise Systems implementations or alternative improvement perspectives. A comprehensive understanding of the operational capacity to support and extend BPM strategies is critical to this endeavour. To this end, organizations require appropriate frameworks, which assist in identifying and evaluating their BPM capabilities. The development of maturity models has long been recognized as a means of assessing capabilities within a given domain. However, due to the idiosyncratic structure of many of the more than 150 available maturity models they can not be translated into tools that are embraced and applied by practitioners. To address this issue, the Delphi technique has been adopted during the development of a maturity model for Business Process Management. This paper presents the design and conduct of the Delphi Study series including the major outcomes being definitions of the six factors critical to BPM (i.e. Strategic Alignment, Governance, Methods, Information Technology, People and Culture) and the identification of capability areas whose measurement is seen to be necessary for assessing the maturity of these factors.


A passive TE/TM mode polarization splitter based on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer is demonstrated. Insertion loss of 1.5 db and extinction ratios of /spl minus/19 dB for TE and /spl minus/15 dB for TM have been measured at 1510-nm wavelength. The device attains large optical bandwidth employing a pair of multimode interference (MMI) couplers and a wavelength-tolerant birefringent structure.<<ETX>>


For a claimant to receive restitution for the unjust factor of a failure of basis, the traditional rule requires the failure to be total. However, recent case law has questioned whether this requirement is still necessary. This article examines the current law to show that adherence to the total failure rule has been abrogated by several exceptions. After a careful analysis of the reasons for the rule, and the reasons for allowing recovery on a partial failure, it is argued that a better approach would be to allow recovery on a partial failure of basis where counter-restitution can be made of any received benefit and where restitution would not upset the contractual allocation of risk.


The end of this decade is marked by a paradigm shift of the industrial information technology towards a pay-per-use service business model known as cloud computing. Cloud data storage redefines the security issues targeted on customer's outsourced data (data that is not stored/retrieved from the costumers own servers). In this work we observed that, from a customer's point of view, relying upon a solo SP for his outsourced data is not very promising. In addition, providing better privacy as well as ensuring data availability, can be achieved by dividing the user's data block into data pieces and distributing them among the available SPs in such a way that no less than a threshold number of SPs can take part in successful retrieval of the whole data block. In this paper, we propose a secured cost-effective multi-cloud storage (SCMCS) model in cloud computing which holds an economical distribution of data among the available SPs in the market, to provide customers with data availability as well as secure storage. Our results show that, our proposed model provides a better decision for customers according to their available budgets.


The Four '89s and Civilizational Transformation by Global Citizens The evolutionary and world historical events of 1989 - the massacre at Tiananmen Square and the fall of the Berlin Wall - brought about an end to the East-West Cold War, the collapse of socialist systems, and the Persian Gulf War. After plunging into a simultaneous worldwide recession, the world began to pressure Japan as a great power to clarify its role and direction in a new age of international society. We will soon stand at the crossroads of history. The year 1989 proved to be a historical turning point both for postwar world history and for contemporary history, which began after World War I and was crystallized in the political arena as Lenin versus Wilson. Taking a macroscopic view of the "four '89s" in history, the year 1989 is the fourth instance, following 1689 with the Bill of Rights in England, 1789 with the Declaration of Human Rights in France, and 1889, which witnessed the Second International and Japan's Meiji Constitution. From this perspective, the current turning point, at the fin de siecle, may imply a comprehensive reevaluation of modern history at least since the Industrial Revolution and perhaps since Columbus as a problem of civilizational transformation by global citizens. We have reached a critical juncture where the progress of modern civilization is destroying both nature and human beings due to excessive development. Following this trajectory of modern history, the fourth '89 revealed itself as a historical moment that reaffirmed civil liberties, universal human rights, democracy, and respect for the individual. It also made clear that socialism itself could not be revived unless it were reformulated in the context of modern democracy. In addition, 1989 initiated a revision process of the Charter of the United Nations and its peacekeeping operations by redefining its mission in terms of "coercing peace through military force" and "oppression and development of the South by the North." Linked with this was the campaign to amend Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution [which states categorically that the Japanese people will "forever renounce war as a sovereign right" as well as the "threat or use of force as a means of settling international disputes"]. These developments are currently being played out in the formative process of the New World Order, which has been led since the Gulf War by the U.N. Security Council (the U.S., Britain, France, Russia, and China) and the Group of 5 or G5 (the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, and Japan). Collapse of the Contemporary Socialist Countries and the Catastrophe in the Capitalist World The postwar socialist systems were shaped within the Cold War structure by the infamous balance of nuclear terror and were transformed into the opposite of a supposedly ideal socialism; the project collapsed. This collapse was attributable to the distorted quantitative expansion of "productive power" by a state-owned or state-operated centralized economy that gave priority to "munitions industrialization" via the military-industrial complex and to the swollen bureaucracies characteristic of the Communist dictatorial "states." The global dissolution of the socialist structure gave rise to boisterous and flippant, though temporary, pronouncements on "the victory of capitalism," "the victory of liberal democracy," and "the end of history." However, reality set in as the global economy was hit by worldwide recession, compounded by the hellish worldwide eruption of regional conflicts over ethnicity, minority rights, religion, language, customs, culture, and values. The contemporary capitalist world-system - which is controlled economically and politically by the transnational corporations, the IMF, GATT, the World Bank, members of the Security Counsel (PS), and the Summit (G7) - is manifesting several severe structural problems: a critical exacerbation of the gap between North and South and the development of an ecological and environmental crisis. …


BACKGROUND
One-third of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients treated with biological therapy show lack of response. The use of predictive biomarkers to identify responders to treatment may provide guidance in optimising treatment strategies and reduce unnecessary side effects and costs.

OBJECTIVE
To test the ability of myeloid-related proteins (MRP)8/14 protein complexes, an endogenous TLR-4 receptor agonist, to predict and monitor response to biologics in RA patients.

METHODS
170 RA patients treated with adalimumab (n=86), infliximab (n=60) or rituximab (n=24) were categorised into clinical responders (n=123) and non-responders (n=47). MRP8/14 serum complexes were measured at baseline, and 4 and 16 weeks after initiation of treatment and related to response outcome.

RESULTS
Before initiation of treatment, responders showed significantly higher MRP8/14 protein complex levels compared with non-responders in each prospective cohort (p=0.010, p=0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). Logistic regression analysis showed that having high MRP8/14 baseline levels increased the odds of being a responder by 3.3 up to 55. In responders to adalimumab or infliximab treatment, MRP8/14 levels decreased after 4 weeks of treatment by 46% and 60% and after 16 weeks by 61% and 68%, respectively. In contrast, MRP8/14 levels were stable in non-responders. In patients treated with rituximab, MRP8/14 levels decreased by 59% after 16 weeks in responders and increased by 89% after 16 weeks in non-responders.

CONCLUSION
Serum concentrations of MRP8/14 protein complex are a promising biomarker to predict response to biological therapy in active RA patients at baseline and could be used to monitor response to treatment across different mechanisms of action.


Background: Lectin pathway mediates complement activation, which is activated by many microorganisms. This study aimed at determining the serum levels of mannose-binding lectin (MBL) in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, assessing its relationship to antiuberculosis treatment response, and comparing them with a control group. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on patients with pulmonary tuberculosis during 2012 and 2013 in South West of Iran. PPD-ST-negative individuals were selected as controls from healthy relatives of patients. Serum MBL levels were measured using ELISA kit (Human MBL HK323, Hycultbiotech Company, Netherlands). All patients were followed- up for response to treatment. We applied Mann-Whitney and Fisher's exact tests and used SPSS Version 17 software for statistical analysis. Results: The study included 62 patients as the case group and 63 noninfected TB patients as the control group. The MBL (ng/mL) in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (median = 1012) was significantly (p= 0.037) higher than that of the control group (median= 296.2). No significant difference was found in the MBL level (ng/mL) between patients with response to antituberculosis treatment (median= 1012) and patients with treatment failure (median= 798.9) (p= 0.84). Conclusion: MBL may be involved in the pathogenesis of tuberculosis and in the low values that are protective against tuberculosis, and it seems that it has no effect on the antituberculosis treatment response.


[1] A series of 10 advanced very high resolution radiometers (AVHRRs) flown on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s polar-orbiting satellites for over 20 years has provided data suitable for many quantitative remote sensing applications. To be useful for geophysical research, each radiometer must be accurately calibrated, which poses problems in the AVHRR reflectance channels because they have no onboard calibration. Previous studies have shown that values of the reflectance channel calibrations, accurately measured during preflight, change abruptly immediately after launch and then change slowly during the satellite's lifetime. The presence of the dual-gain reflectance channels on the current series of AVHRRs also complicates the application of previous calibration techniques. A technique is presented here for calibrating the AVHRR dual-gain reflectance channels using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) data. This method employs selective criteria to reproduce a laboratory type calibration where instrument counts observed by AVHRR are matched to reflectances measured by MODIS on a pixel by pixel basis for coincident and co-located scenes. Unlike AVHRR, MODIS employs onboard calibration of its reflectance channels. The goal here was to explore the utility of using MODIS to calibrate the new dual-gain reflectance channels of the AVHRR. The AVHRRs in the NOAA-KLM series of spacecraft employ a dual-gain approach to increase the sensitivity to dark scenes. Traditional methods using radiometrically stable targets to calibrate the reflectance channels of AVHRR typically do not provide data for both gain settings. The data from two scenes that met the over-pass criteria are analyzed. The regression of the MODIS reflectances versus the AVHRR counts for these scenes were able to produce calibration slopes and intercepts in both the low and high gain regions. The reflectance differences using the MODIS-derived calibration compared to preflight calibration are well within the expected behavior of the AVHRR during its first year in orbit. Comparison with reference ch1 and ch2 reflectance values from NOAA 9 for a Libyan Desert Target were within 5% of those using the MODIS-derived calibration. While the determination of the absolute accuracy this approach needs further study, it clearly offers the potential for calibration of the AVHRR dual-gain reflectance channels.


The low-back pain has demonstrated to be a common finding among athletes and particularly the overload in the lumbar column resulting from a strength or isometric resistance involvement of muscles of this segment as result of the muscular fatigue has been considered as important etiological factor for its development. In this context, tests used for the training evaluation of the lumbar spinae erector muscles are emphasized. In the present study, the analysis of the strength and isometric resistance parameters was used with the objective of evaluating responses of these muscles during maximal and sub-maximal voluntary isometric contractions (MVIC) in two situations: with fatigue and without fatigue induced by isometric exercise performed until exhaustion. Nine male healthy volunteers performed MVIC before and after vertebral column extension exercises supporting 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% of the MVIC. In each one of these situations, the electromyographic signal (EMG) of the iliocostalis and multifidus muscles as well as the strength level generated in the MVIC were recorded. Muscular fatigue was identified through the MVIC values decrease verification and median frequency (MF) of the EMG signals obtained after isometric exercise. The results demonstrated that while the strength was able to evidence muscular fatigue, the MF demonstrated in a statistically significant way the iliocostalis and multifidus muscles fatigue, and the multifidus muscles presented a higher muscular fatigue level. Interestingly, loads between 5% and 20% of the MVIC induced the same level of muscular fatigue. Thus, although the strength generated during vertebral column extension after isometric exercise-induced exhaustion remains unchanged, probably due to the action of accessory muscles, the overload on the vertebral column is developed as result of the vertebral column stability involvement resulting from the muscular fatigue identified after isometric exercise.


This essay discusses the troubled relationships, both intellectual and intimate, of nineteenth-century essayist Thomas Carlyle to understand why Ralph Waldo Emerson and other contemporaries decide to forgive him, while despising his ideas. Coming to terms with the intensity of their affection was also to admit that their forgiveness was inappropriate to their principles and beliefs. Thinking through forgiveness as a kind of convexity, or dispersal of focus, the essay asks what it means to object, but love anyway, and what the challenge of forgiving Carlyle says about the logic, and the relevance, of their judgments.


The securities regulation landscape has changed dramatically in recent years. Federal laws have increasingly preempted the regulatory power of states, while at the same time expanding the universe of securities offerings that are not subject to registration at the federal level. These political and policy choices reflect a balancing of two sometimes competing goals: protecting investors and facilitating capital formation. While policies centered on preemption and deregulation may reduce the cost of capital, these may also lead to more pervasive securities fraud. Any resulting increase in fraudulent practices is likely to disproportionately affect small securities offerings that are local in nature, for which the deterrent effect of private securities litigation and public enforcement is weaker. This places unsophisticated and non-wealthy investors, those less able to absorb financial losses, at a disproportionate risk of fraud. From a broader economic viewpoint, the social welfare implications of such fraudulent securities offerings may be significant even when the amounts involved in each individual transaction appear to be relatively trivial to the casual observer.This Article identifies and theorizes this under-regulation of small-scale securities transactions that results from the confluence of federal preemption and the weakness of traditional enforcement mechanisms that are better suited to large-scale fraud. This Article is also the first to identify and analyze the economic and policy implications of two existing and potential trends in state regulation that might mitigate this state of affairs. In the last two decades, a growing number of states have broadened the remedies available to their securities commissioners in administrative actions to include the ability to request or order restitution on behalf of injured investors. The second trend is at a more nascent stage. Recently, some states have experimented with public insurance-type schemes that allow defrauded investors to recover a portion of their losses. The renewed emphasis on compensating victims of fraud highlighted by these developments is encouraging, but more states need to follow suit. To that end, this Article makes a series of normative suggestions to improve the effectiveness of these state legislative responses and to promote their more widespread adoption.


Most music we hear comes to us via a recording medium on which sound has been stored. Such remoteness of music heard from music made has become so commonplace it is rarely considered. Musical Performance: A Philosophical Study considers the implications of this separation for live musical performance and music-making. Rather than examining the composition or perception of music as most philosophical accounts of music do, Stan Godlovitch takes up the problem of how the tradition of active music playing and performing has been challenged by technology and what problems this poses for philosophical aesthetics. Where does does the value of musical performance lie? Is human performance of music a mere transfer medium? Is the performance of music more expressive than recorded music? Musical Performance poses questions such as these to develop a fascinating account of music today. musicians - but via some recording medium on which sound has been stored.


The influence of the physical activity environment in the home and at work on cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and objectively-measured physical activity has not been extensively studied. We recruited 147 women with a (mean ± SD) age of 54 ± 7 years and without evidence of chronic disease. The physical activity environment was assessed by self-report (Assessing Levels of PHysical Activity or ALPHA questionnaire), CRF using a submaximal step test, usual physical activity using combined heart rate and accelerometry, as well as by a validated questionnaire (Recent Physical Activity Questionnaire). Summary scores of the home environment and the work environment derived from the ALPHA questionnaire were positively correlated with CRF after adjustment for age (r = 0.18, p = 0.03 and r = 0.28, p < 0.01, respectively). Women owning a bicycle or having a garden (which may prompt physical activity) had higher CRF; those with a bicycle at home also had a higher physical activity energy expenditure. Similarly, women who had access to fitness equipment at work had higher CRF. In conclusion, these results provide new insights into potential environmental influences on physical capacity and physical activity that could inform the design of physical activity promotion strategies.


This book restores to us an understanding that was once settled in the "moral sciences": that there are propositions, in morals and law, which are not only true but which cannot be otherwise. It was understood in the past that, in morals or in mathematics, our knowledge begins with certain axioms that must hold true of necessity; that the principles drawn from these axioms hold true universally, unaffected by variations in local "cultures"; and that the presence of these axioms makes it possible to have, in the domain of morals, some right answers. Hadley Arkes restates the grounds of that older understanding and unfolds its implications for the most vexing political problems of our day.The author turns first to the classic debate between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. After establishing the groundwork and properties of moral propositions, he traces their application in such issues as selective conscientious objection, justifications for war, the war in Vietnam, a nation's obligation to intervene abroad, the notion of supererogatory acts, the claims of "privacy," and the problem of abortion.


Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a common cause of sudden cardiac death. Much of the disease is not completely understood, which makes treatment and prevention difficult. Many researchers are using technology, such as advanced imaging techniques and finite element analysis, to better understand the disease. While there is much progress being made to look at the analysis of actual excised diseased arteries, there is still not a standardized model to predict the future of any one lesion. The purpose of this study is to explore the possibility of creating a standardized model to predict the mechanical stability of the fibrous cap due to lipid content in atherosclerotic lesions.


Domain origin of Minangkabau is divided into three Luhak known as Luhak Nan Tigo. This region is the center of Minangkabau cultures. The three Luhak are located in West Sumatera. Those areas also have a diversity of ethnicity, religious, and customs. This study aims to formulate the factors which support social integration of Minangkabau community. By using descriptive qualitative approach, the informants of this research are the elements of regional leaders, youth leaders, custom leaders, religious leaders and ordinary citizens. Techniques of data collection was observation, interviews, and documentation. The result of the research found that the strong traditions that still make Minangkabaupeople to feel a unity, their customary laws in Minangkabau region makes the people feel protected and not be afraid to break the rules of the customs. Customary laws become a life principle of social life at the same guidelines with the aim of creating security, discipline and creating a virtuous society and noble characters.


The determination of formation constant of Binary Complexes(ML) , where M = La(III), Pr(III), Sm (III), Gd (III) And Dy (III) and L = Vitamin-U have been carried out using Irving- Rossotti titration technique in aqueous media at 25 ± 0.1oC temperature . The ionic strength μ = 0.2M was held constant using sodium per chlorate as an electrolyte. The stability constant s of trivalent lanthanide vitamin-U complexes were calculated and explained. The mechanism, through which Protonation and complex formation takes place, has been suggested.


The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of hydrated lime addition methods as filler replacement on fatigue performance of Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA). Three types of addition methods of hydrated lime were introduced namely dry HL on dry aggregate and saturated surface aggregate above 3% and slurry HL on dry aggregate, ordinary Lime stone powder was reduced by three HL percentage (1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 %). The effect of different methods were investigated on the fatigue properties of HMA using, third-point flexural fatigue bending Test. Pneumatic Repeated Load System (PRLS) was carried out to establish the effect of hydrated lime on the fatigue failure criteria and to select the proper hydrated lime application methods on fatigue behavior of HMA mixtures. The fatigue functions for asphalt mixture with hydrated lime are obtained and compared, and it confirm that the fatigue property of asphalt mixture can be improved using all methods and the addition methods were exhibited different optimality for the result due to its effect . The test results were carried out through the performance analysis using Vesys 5W (2003) to study the long term effectiveness of hydrated lime effect.


The expression of OsFRDL4 encoding an Al-induced citrate transporter is enhanced by a 1.2-kb insertion in the promoter region in rice. High aluminum (Al) tolerance of rice (Oryza sativa) is controlled by multiple tolerance genes, but the regulatory mechanisms underlying the differential expression of these genes are poorly understood. Here, we investigated the factors regulating the expression of OsFRDL4, a gene encoding a citrate efflux transporter involved in Al-induced citrate secretion from the roots. Analysis with chromosome segment substitution lines derived from cv Nipponbare (high OsFRDL4 expression) and cv Kasalath (low OsFRDL4 expression) revealed that the differential expression of OsFRDL4 is responsible for the quantitative trait locus for Al tolerance detected previously on chromosome 1. Comparison of the OsFRDL4 gene structure in cv Nipponbare and cv Kasalath showed that there was no difference in the position of the transcriptional start site, but a 1.2-kb insertion showing high similarity to the solo long terminal repeat of the retrotransposon was found in the promoter region of OsFRDL4 in cv Nipponbare. This insertion showed higher promoter activity and contained nine cis-acting elements for ALUMINUM RESISTANCE TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR1 (ART1). However, this insertion did not alter the spatial expression or cellular localization of OsFRDL4. Furthermore, this insertion was found in most japonica varieties but was largely absent from indica varieties or wild rice species. These results indicate that the 1.2-kb insertion in the OsFRDL4 promoter region in japonica subspecies is responsible for their higher expression level of OsFRDL4 due to the increased number of cis-acting elements of ART1. Our results also suggest that this insertion event happened at the initial stage of domestication of japonica subspecies.


When he died in 1937, destitute and emotionally and physically ruined. H.P. Lovecraft had no idea that he would come to be regarded as the godfather of the modern horror genre, nor that his work would influence an entire generation of writers, including Stephen King and Anne Rice. Now, at last, the most important tales of this distinctive American genious are gathered in one volume by National Book Award-winning author Joyce Carol Oates. Combining the nineteenth-century gothic sesibility of Edgar Allan Poe with a daring internal vision, Lovecraft's tales foretold a psychically troubled century to come. Set in a meticulously described, historically grounded New England landscape, his harrowing stories explore the collapse of sanity beneath the weight of chaotic events. Lovecraft's universe is a frightening shadow world where reality and nightmare intertwine, and redemption can come only from below. In her preceptive and penetrating introduction, Oates, herself a virtuoso of the Gothic style, explains how Lovecraft's singular talents fused the supernatural and mundane into a terrifying complex, exquisitely realized vision.


We devise a novel surface-only approach for simulating the three dimensional free-surface flow of incompressible, inviscid, and linearly magnetizable ferrofluids. A Lagrangian velocity field is stored on a triangle mesh capturing the fluid's surface. The two key problems associated with the dynamic simulation of the fluid's interesting geometry are the magnetization process transitioning the fluid from a non-magnetic into a magnetic material, and the evaluation of magnetic forces. In this regard, our key observation is that for linearly incompressible ferrofluids, their magnetization and application of magnetic forces only require knowledge about the position of the fluids' boundary. Consequently, our approach employs a boundary element method solving the magnetization problem and evaluating the so-called magnetic pressure required for the force evaluation. The magnetic pressure is added to the Dirichlet boundary condition of a surface-only liquids solver carrying out the dynamical simulation. By only considering the fluid's surface in contrast to its whole volume, we end up with an efficient approach enabling more complex and realistic ferrofluids to be explored in the digital domain without compromising efficiency. Our approach allows for the use of physical parameters leading to accurate simulations as demonstrated in qualitative and quantitative evaluations.


Abstract. We present a numerical model of the ocean that couples a three-stream radiative transfer component with a marine biogeochemical–ecosystem component in a dynamic three-dimensional physical framework. The radiative transfer component resolves the penetration of spectral irradiance as it is absorbed and scattered within the water column. We explicitly include the effect of several optically important water constituents (different phytoplankton functional types; detrital particles; and coloured dissolved organic matter, CDOM). The model is evaluated against in situ-observed and satellite-derived products. In particular we compare to concurrently measured biogeochemical, ecosystem, and optical data along a meridional transect of the Atlantic Ocean. The simulation captures the patterns and magnitudes of these data, and estimates surface upwelling irradiance analogous to that observed by ocean colour satellite instruments. We find that incorporating the different optically important constituents explicitly and including spectral irradiance was crucial to capture the variability in the depth of the subsurface chlorophyll a (Chl a) maximum. We conduct a series of sensitivity experiments to demonstrate, globally, the relative importance of each of the water constituents, as well as the crucial feedbacks between the light field, the relative fitness of phytoplankton types, and the biogeochemistry of the ocean. CDOM has proportionally more importance at attenuating light at short wavelengths and in more productive waters, phytoplankton absorption is relatively more important at the subsurface Chl a maximum, and water molecules have the greatest contribution when concentrations of other constituents are low, such as in the oligotrophic gyres. Scattering had less effect on attenuation, but since it is important for the amount and type of upwelling irradiance, it is crucial for setting sea surface reflectance. Strikingly, sensitivity experiments in which absorption by any of the optical constituents was increased led to a decrease in the size of the oligotrophic regions of the subtropical gyres: lateral nutrient supplies were enhanced as a result of decreasing high-latitude productivity. This new model that captures bio-optical feedbacks will be important for improving our understanding of the role of light and optical constituents on ocean biogeochemistry, especially in a changing environment. Further, resolving surface upwelling irradiance will make it easier to connect to satellite-derived products in the future.


The article deals with interrelations of voice, body and technology in popular music from a musicological perspective. It is an attempt to outline a systematic approach to the history of music technology with regard to aesthetic aspects, taking the identity of the singing subject as a main point of departure for a hermeneutic reading of popular song. Although the argumentation is based largely on musicological research, it is also inspired by the notion of presentness as developed by theologian and media scholar Walter Ong.
The variety of the relationships between voice, body, and technology with regard to musical representations of identity, in particular gender and race, is systematized alongside the following cagories: (1) the "absence of the body," that starts with the establishment of phonography; (2) "amplified presence," as a signifier for uses of the microphone to enhance low sounds in certain manners; and (3) "hybridity," including vocal identities that blend human body sounds and technological processing, whereby special focus is laid on uses of the vocoder and similar technologies.


Multiple sclerosis, a chronic immune-mediated disease of the central nervous
system, is considered an autoimmune disease. Statins are safe cholesterol-lowering
drugs and have immunomodulatory effects, ranging from reducing migration across the blood brain barrier to neuroprotective functions. To establish the immunological effects of 80mg daily of simvastatin, a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial of 140 secondary
progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) patients was set up, with screening visits at months 0, 6, 12 and 24. The effects of several parameters were investigated
on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), their function, the molecules involved in antigen presentation, lymphocyte regulation, and adhesion.
Initially, the need for age-matched controls was demonstrated, due to age-dependent effects on various molecules associated with regulatory T cells, T
cell proliferation, and CD49d expression on monocytes. Subsequently, PBMCs from SPMS patients compared with healthy controls showed decreases in CD4+CD25+, TGFβ and IL-10 expression, and the Th2 and Th17 T cell
populations, while the regulatory CD4+FoxP3+ T cell population increased.
Finally, 24 months of simvastatin treatment failed to demonstrate any major changes in the immune cells of SPMS patients, although the drug appeared to have a stabilizing effect on certain molecules. When comparing the
simvastatin- to placebo-treated patients PBMCs these displayed increases in MAC-1 and HLA-DR expression on monocytes and CD40L and IL-4 expression on lymphocytes. Some of these changes were transient, whereas monocyte HLA-DR and T cell IL-4 expression increased at 24 months,
suggesting simvastatin treatment can lead to long-term immunomodulatory changes. Additionally, an inhibitory effect of simvastatin in vitro was demonstrated on expression of CXCR3 and migration of mononuclear (THP-1) cells. Although statins induce significant effects in vitro, such effects were fewer with simvastatin therapy in SPMS patients.


The Australian zebra finch, Taeniopygia guttata, is a widely used model organism, yet few studies have compared domesticated and wild birds with the aim of examining its relevance as an evolutionary model species. Domestic and wild broods hatch over approximately 4 and 2 days, respectively, which is important given that nestlings can fledge after as little as 12 days, although 16–18 days is common. We aimed to evaluate the extent to which the greater hatching asynchrony in domestic stock may effect reproductive success through greater variance in size hierarchies, variance in within-brood growth rates, and partial brood mortality. Therefore, by simultaneously controlling brood sizes and experimentally manipulating hatching intervals in both domesticated and wild birds, we investigated the consequences of hatching intervals for fledging success and nestling growth patterns, as well as trade-offs. Fledging success was similarly high in domestic and wild broods of either hatching pattern. Nonetheless, between-brood analyses revealed that domestic nestlings had significantly higher masses, larger skeletal characters, and longer wings than their wild counterparts, although wild nestlings had comparable wing lengths at the pre-fledging stage. Moreover, within-brood analyses revealed only negligible differences between domestic and wild nestlings, and larger effects of hatching order and hatching pattern. Therefore, despite significant differences in the hatching intervals, and the ultimate size achieved by nestlings, the domestication process does not appear to have significantly altered nestling growth trade-offs. The present study provides reassuring evidence that studies involving domesticated zebra finches, or other domesticated model organisms, may provide reasonable adaptive explanations in behavioural and evolutionary ecology.


This paper develops a multi-country multi-sector general equilibrium model, integrating high-frequency electricity dispatch and trade decisions, to study the effects of electricity transmission infrastructure (TI) expansion and renewable energy (RE) penetration in Europe for gains from trade and carbon dioxide emissions in the power sector. TI can benefit or degrade environmental outcomes, depending on RE penetration: it complements emissions abatement by mitigating dispatch problems associated with volatile and spatially dispersed RE but also promotes higher average generation from low-cost coal if RE production is too low. Against the backdrop of European decarbonization and planned TI expansion, we find that emissions increase for current and targeted year-2020 levels of RE production and decrease for year-2030 targets. Enhanced TI yields sizeable gains from trade that depend positively on RE penetration, without creating large adverse impacts on regional equity.


Research has shown that language teachers' beliefs are often difficult to change through education.  Experiential learning may help, but more research is needed to understand how experiential approaches shape perceptions. This study compares two approaches, conversation partners (CONV) and structured language learning experiences (SLLE), integrated into a course in language acquisition. Participants (n = 32) completed a pre- and post-questionnaire that included: demographic questions, Likert scales on beliefs, ranking of second language acquisition (SLA) factors, and open-ended questions. Results showed differences from pre- to post-questionnaire for both groups for four Likert scale items (e.g., the importance of exact pronunciation) and six language learning factors (e.g., motivation). Further, both groups grew to recognize more factors. Slight differences emerged between groups on two items, the importance of intelligence and dominance in SLA. Qualitative analysis showed that, while CONV reported no changes in beliefs, SLLE reported finding language learning to be more difficult than believed. Further, SLLE wished to have more of the project, while CONV did not.


Abstract Focused-ion-beam/scanning-electron-microscopy (FIB-SEM) tomography has become increasingly important to investigate the three-dimensional (3D) distribution of different phases in inhomogeneous materials. However, quantitative analysis of 3D structures by FIB-SEM tomography requires adequate image segmentation that is typically based on thresholds in the intensity histograms of SEM images. Recently machine learning (ML) segmentation algorithms have emerged with the opportunity to tune the algorithm based on prior knowledge of SEM image contrast. In this work we have performed FIB-SEM tomography of 3D printed nanoporous polymer structures with a special focus on SEM image segmentation and pore size determination. By applying Monte Carlo (MC) simulations, SEM image contrast of the pore/polymer interface was analysed. The performance of several traditional segmentation algorithms on simulated SEM images was found to lead to erroneous results on pore sizes. Training the ML segmentation algorithm by the knowledge obtained from MC simulations yields more reliable segmentation results. Evaluated pore sizes and analysis of further 3D material properties show a strong dependence on the segmentation method, which emphasize the importance of the segmentation process in the 3D reconstruction of FIB-SEM data.


The 2010 WikiLeaks release of 250,000 U.S. diplomatic cables has made it eminently clear that there is a vast gulf between the public face of diplomacy and the opinions and actions that take place behind embassy doors. In At Home with the Diplomats, Iver B. Neumann offers unprecedented access to the inner workings of a foreign ministry. Neumann worked for several years at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he had an up-close view of how diplomats conduct their business and how they perceive their own practices. In this book he shows us how diplomacy is conducted on a day-to-day basis. Approaching contemporary diplomacy from an anthropological perspective, Neumann examines the various aspects of diplomatic work and practice, including immunity, permanent representation, diplomatic sociability, accreditation, and issues of gender equality. Neumann shows that the diplomat working abroad and the diplomat at home are engaged in two different modes of knowledge production. Diplomats in the field focus primarily on gathering and processing information. In contrast, the diplomat based in his or her home capital is caught up in the seemingly endless production of texts: reports, speeches, position papers, and the like. Neumann leaves the reader with a keen sense of the practices of diplomacy: relations with foreign ministries, mediating between other people's positions while integrating personal and professional into a cohesive whole, adherence to compulsory routines and agendas, and, above all, the generation of knowledge. Yet even as they come to master such quotidian tasks, diplomats are regularly called upon to do exceptional things, such as negotiating peace.


In Wireless mesh networks mesh access points MAPs forward traffic wirelessly towards users or Internet gateways. A user device usually connects to the MAP with the strongest signal, as such MAP should guarantee the best quality of service. However, this connection policy may lead to: i unfairness towards users that are distant from gateways; ii uneven distribution of users to MAPs; and iii inefficient use of network paths. We present a new model and solution approach to the problem of assigning users to MAPs and routing the data within the mesh network with the objective of providing max-min fair throughput. The problem is formulated as a mixed-integer linear programming problem MILP. Because of the inherent complexity of the problem, real size instances cannot be solved to optimality within the time limits for online optimization. Therefore, we propose an original heuristic solution algorithm for the resulting MILP. Both numerical comparisons and network simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed heuristic. For random networks, the heuristic achieves 98% of the optimal solution. Network simulations show that in medium-sized networks, the number of users with at least 1Mbit/s minimum end-to-end rate increases by 550% when compared with the classical signal-strength based association. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Each paper needs an abstract of up to 200 words. It should contain the following information: Background/Aims/Objective(s), Methods, Results, Conclusion(s). Footnotes: Avoid footnotes. When essential, they are numbered consecutively and typed at the foot of the appropriate page. Tables and illustrations: Tables and illustrations (both numbered in Arabic numerals) should be prepared on separate pages. Tables require a heading and fi gures a legend, also prepared on a separate page. Due to technical reasons, fi gures with a screen background should not be submitted. When possible, group several illustrations in one block for reproduction (max. size 180 × 223 mm) or provide crop marks. Each illustration must be labelled with its number and the fi rst author's name. B/w halftone and color illustrations must have a fi nal resolution of 300 dpi aft er scaling, line drawings one of 800–1,200 dpi. Figure fi les must not be embedded in a document fi le but submitted separately (see detailed instructions at www.karger.com/phg/). Color illustrations Online edition: Color illustrations are reproduced free of charge. In the print version, the illustrations are reproduced in black and white. Please avoid referring to the colors in the text and fi gure legends. Print edition: Up to 6 color illustrations per page can be integrated within the text at CHF 800.00 per page. Nomenclature, Abbreviations, Symbols and Further Suggestions Human gene symbols: Only offi cial gene symbols of the HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC) are accepted. Authors must obtain or verSubmission Only original papers written in English are considered and should be submitted using the online website at:


This study examines the English language needs of mechanical engineers in Vietnam. A high demand for proficiency in English is increasing in ASEAN countries, including Vietnam. Vietnam in general and the important field of mechanical engineering, in particular, attracts many foreign investors and multinational organisations and this creates plurilingual and pluricultural workplaces where English is used as a lingua franca.  Drawing on sociolinguistic theory, this pragmatic mixed method needs analysis study examines the English language communication needs of Vietnamese mechanical engineers at four workplaces in Vietnam. It investigates the kinds of real-world English skills required by Vietnamese mechanical engineers to function effectively in the workplace, the social factors that affect the use of English and the effects of breakdowns or other issues in communication in English. It draws on needs analysis models which have evolved from English for Specific Purposes, including those devised by Munby (1978) and more recently by The Common European Framework (CEF) Professional Profiles to establish key communicative events. To answer the study's pragmatic questions about language use for practical purposes in the lingua franca, plurilingual and pluricultural workplace it also borrows from the theoretically eclectic model of the Wellington Workplace Project, a model grounded in the first language context (L1), and other more sociological studies of the relationship of language and power in international workplaces.  The study employed questionnaire, semi-structured interview and observation for data collection. Questionnaires were completed by 22 managers of mechanical engineers and 71 professional mechanical engineers. Based on the initial questionnaire analysis, 12 participants from the two groups took part in the follow-up semi-structured interviews. Observations in four worksites provided rich data about the real-world use of English.  The findings indicated a high frequency of English language use and the range of real-world English required by Vietnamese mechanical engineers for a range of communicative events including ordering spare parts, interpreting technical drawing and bidding for contracts. Mechanical engineers needed plurilingual and pluricultural competence to negotiate a range of accent, intonation and idiom in the lingua franca and plurilingual context. Minimal use of functional occupational language was sometimes sufficient for communication for the purpose of 'getting things done', but not always. Communication issues had financial consequences for the company, sometimes disastrous ones. Looking at the findings through the lens of arising communication issues helped to reveal some of the underlying power relationships in the workplace and some negative impacts on workplace solidarity.  These findings demonstrate the urgency of the need for increased English language skills for mechanical engineers in Vietnam and for the wider economy of Vietnam. English was found to function as a source of 'expert power' and in a wider implication this revealed a hidden or 'shadow' power structure within the workplace affected by English language proficiency. People were empowered when they possessed a good level of English, which could help them save not only their own face but also the face of the company.  More positively adaptive communicative strategies helped both mechanical engineers and their managers avoid communication issues. Adapting language for the purpose of 'getting things done' in turn interacted with low and high solidarity relationships. There was arguably an acceptance of a level of rudeness or abruptness in these workplace contexts. A high tolerance for the need to negotiate meaning in what could be described as not only a lingua franca but also a 'poor English' workplace context was sometimes observed. This tolerance sometimes but not always extended to the mobility of plurilingual repertoires such as code-switching, and some code-switching into Vietnamese was also observed on the part of long-term foreign managers. Humour also emerged as a dimension of high solidarity longer-term workplace relationships between Vietnamese mechanical engineers and foreign managers, even when all parties had limited English.  The study argues that understanding why mechanical engineers needed specific types of English and the effect of the social dimensions of this language could help lessen issues in communication. The consequences of miscommunication should be addressed in the English-language training process. Students should be strategically prepared to meet the the high communication demands of the lingua franca and plurilingual workplace which requires both English for technical communication and English for social communication.


We discuss the problem of finding the second largest eigenvalue of an operator that defines a reversible Markov chain. The second largest eigenvalue governs the rate at which the statistics of the Markov chain converge to equilibrium. Scientific applications include understanding the very slow dynamics of some models of dynamic glass. Applications in computing include estimating the rate of convergence of Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms. Most practical Markov chains have state spaces so large that direct or even iterative methods from linear algebra are inapplicable. The size of the state space, which is the dimension of the eigenvalue problem, grows exponentially with the system size. This makes it impossible to store a vector (for sparse methods), let alone a matrix (for dense methods). Instead, we seek a method that uses only time correlation from samples produced from the Markov chain itself. In this thesis, we propose a novel Krylov subspace type method to estimate the second largest eigenvalue from the simulation data of the Markov chain using test functions which are known to have good overlap with the slowest mode. This method starts with the naive Rayleigh quotient estimate of the test function and refines it to obtain an improved estimate of the second largest eigenvalue. We apply the method to a few model problems and the estimate compares very favorably with the known answer. We also apply the estimator to some Markov chains occuring in practice, most notably in the study of glasses. We show experimentally that our estimator is more accurate and stable for these problems compared to the existing methods.


In recent years, online tutorials have become well-established tools for the delivery of information literacy training as information professionals continue to seek new and more effective ways to reach audiences. However, the rapid transience of technologies, and the ongoing need to maximise the efficiency of services, mean that the question of how best to exploit the online medium needs further exploration. This paper focuses on a project at the University of Surrey Library to develop a new approach to online instruction. The goals of the project were to explore how the addition of video might create a more engaging user experience, and how the online video tutorial might therefore both improve existing information literacy training as well as offering a 'just in time' point of support. This paper examines the practical challenges involved in creating useful and accessible content and compares different software solutions for producing and editing video, audio, screencasts and subtitles. Further, it also examines the specific issues encountered when using external content, including database modifications and e-copyright issues. Finally, it touches upon the feedback collected so far in order to begin the evaluation of the resource. Using video can maximise the impact of e-learning tools, helping online tutorials to deliver information in a more personal and immediate way. However, when allowing for the time investment in creating and managing such resources, both their role alongside alternative information literacy approaches and their lasting value must be carefully considered.


The 1990 Jeanne Clery Act mandates that U.S. colleges and universities issue reports about certain crimes and notifications about immediate threats. While the intent of these policies is to increase safety, researchers have raised concerns about the effectiveness of mobile notifications, the lack of context and detail in these short messages, and the variety in recipients' interpretations. In this mixed-methods study, we are interested in the relationship between respondents' worry about crime and their perceptions of and reactions to notifications about crime incidents on campus. We use a media studies approach, employing quantitative and qualitative survey questions as well as in-depth interviews with three campus officials to understand the production and reception of notification messages about crime. We find that some respondents seem inattentive to notifications, whereas others appear to overreact, which suggests that the Clery Act might actually decrease safety on college campuses.


We carried out a theoretical investigation on photonic bandgap (PBG) properties of one-dimensional photonic crystals (1D PCs) constructed by our periodically doping metal or semiconductor nanoparticles into polymers with a holographic interference technique. The results reveal not only that both the bandgap width and the midwavelength of the PBG are tunable by the choice of parameters of recording materials and exposure conditions but also that 1D PCs may show an omnidirectional PBG property if the doped nanoparticles are from a higher-refractive-index semiconductor material. Some realistic factors, such as the absorption (in the case of the doped nanoparticles that are from a metallic material) and instability of the holographic recording setup during the exposure process, are also theoretically demonstrated to have no serious bad effect on PBG properties of the 1D PCs fabricated by the method. Our conclusions may open up a robust way for one-step fabrications of three-dimensional PCs, omnidirectional 1D PCs, and other photonic devices by cheap, repeatable, and efficient holography.


Summary Statement Simulation in multiple contexts over the course of a 10-week period served as a core learning strategy to orient experienced clinicians before opening a large new urban freestanding emergency department. To ensure technical and procedural skills of all team members, who would provide care without on-site recourse to specialty backup, we designed a comprehensive interprofessional curriculum to verify and regularize a wide range of competencies and best practices for all clinicians. Formulated under the rubric of systems integration, simulation activities aimed to instill a shared culture of patient safety among the entire cohort of 43 experienced emergency physicians, physician assistants, nurses, and patient technicians, most newly hired to the health system, who had never before worked together. Methods throughout the preoperational term included predominantly hands-on skills review, high-fidelity simulation, and simulation with standardized patients. We also used simulation during instruction in disaster preparedness, sexual assault forensics, and community outreach. Our program culminated with 2 days of in-situ simulation deployed in simultaneous and overlapping timeframes to challenge system response capabilities, resilience, and flexibility; this work revealed latent safety threats, lapses in communication, issues of intake procedure and patient flow, and the persistence of inapt or inapplicable mental models in responding to clinical emergencies.


The archaeological site of Nova Nadezhda is located on a T1 terrace on the right bank of the Maritsa River and on the left bank of its right tributary, the Dermen Dere stream. Comparison of the grain-size and mineral composition of sediments from the site and natural deposits from the Maritsa and the Dermen Dere suggests that the stream recurrently flooded the eastern part of the site in the later prehistory (6th and 5th mill. BC) and later shifted its course to the east. Terrace sediments and later incisions of the Maritsa and the Dermen Dere are obvious in 2D resistivity images.


This paper is conceived at a time when new paradigms are sought for the development of a framework to deal with the problem of forest resources degradation. Deforestation in Bangladesh, has reached an alarming rate in recent years. The forest coverage of Bangladesh is one of the lowest and the deforestation rate is the highest of any country in the world. Coupled with the process of deforestation, flawed afforestration programmes have seriously exposed Bangladesh to environmental vulnerability. Considering this situation various strategies should be taken at different levels. The main objective of this paper is to suggest the possible steps that Bangladesh could halt and reverse the trend of deforestation. An extensive literature review and structured interviews of key informants have been used to collect relevant information to understand the reasons and consequences of forest degradation in the country. Based on the information gathered, this paper suggests some positive steps where the Government could be the main mitigating actor by implementing integrated programmes, which will also ensure mass awareness and wider impact.


International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 372 combined two research topics, slow slip events (SSEs) on subduction faults (IODP Proposal 781A-Full) and actively deforming gas hydrate–bearing landslides (IODP Proposal 841-APL). Our study area on the Hikurangi margin, east of the coast of New Zealand, provided unique locations for addressing both research topics. SSEs at subduction zones are an enigmatic form of creeping fault behavior. They typically occur on subduction zones at depths beyond the capabilities of ocean floor drilling. However, at the northern Hikurangi subduction margin they are among the bestdocumented and shallowest on Earth. Here, SSEs may extend close to the trench, where clastic and pelagic sediments about 1.0–1.5 km thick overlie the subducting, seamount-studded Hikurangi Plateau. Geodetic data show that these SSEs recur about every 2 years and are associated with measurable seafloor displacement. The northern Hikurangi subduction margin thus provides an excellent setting to use IODP capabilities to discern the mechanisms behind slow slip fault behavior. Expedition 372 acquired logging-while-drilling (LWD) data at three subduction-focused sites to depths of 600, 650, and 750 meters below seafloor (mbsf ), respectively. These include two sites (U1518 and U1519) above the plate interface fault that experiences SSEs and one site (U1520) in the subducting "inputs" sequence in the Hikurangi Trough, 15 km east of the plate boundary. Overall, we acquired excellent logging data and reached our target depths at two of these sites. Drilling and logging at Site U1520 did not reach the planned depth due to operational time constraints. These logging data will be augmented by coring and borehole observatories planned for IODP Expedition 375. Gas hydrates have long been suspected of being involved in seafloor failure; not much evidence, however, has been found to date for gas hydrate–related submarine landslides. Solid, ice-like gas hydrate in sediment pores is generally thought to increase seafloor strength, as confirmed by a number of laboratory measurements. Dissociation of gas hydrate to water and overpressured gas, on the other hand, may weaken and destabilize sediments, potentially causing submarine landslides. The Tuaheni Landslide Complex (TLC) on the Hikurangi margin shows evidence for active, creeping deformation. Intriguingly, the landward edge of creeping coincides with the pinch-out of the base of gas hydrate stability on the seafloor. We therefore hypothesized that gas hydrate may be linked to creep-like deformation and presented several hypotheses that may link gas hydrates to slow deformation. Alternatively, creeping may not be related to gas hydrates but instead be caused by repeated pressure pulses or linked to earthquake-related liquefaction. Expedition 372 comprised a coring and LWD program to test our landslide hypotheses. Due to weather-related downtime, the gas hydrate-related program was reduced, and we focused on a set of experiments at Site U1517 in the creeping part of the TLC. We conducted a successful LWD and coring program to 205 mbsf, the latter with almost complete recovery, through the TLC and gas hydrate stability zone, followed by temperature and pressure tool deployments.


The literature on energy efficiency provides numerous examples of apparently profitable technologies that are not universally adopted. Yet according to the standard neoclassical theory of investment, profit-maximizing firms should undertake all investments with a positive net present value. The standard theory also holds that the discount rate for computing the present value of a project should be the return available on other projects in the same risk class, and therefore should not depend on characteristics of the firm. This model as applied to energy-saving investments is tested by examining whether firms'characteristics influence their decision to join the Environmental Protection Agency's voluntary Green Lights program. A discrete choice regression is estimated over a large sample of participating and nonparticipating firms. Missing values in the data matrix are replaced with multiple imputations from a distribution estimated using the expectationmaximization algorithm. The results show that (1) substantial improvements in the power of hypothesis tests can be achieved through maximum-likelihood imputation of missing data, and (2) contrary to the conventional theory, the characteristics of firms do affect their decision to join Green Lights and commit to a program of investments in lighting efficiency.


In 2010, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (Partiya Karkeren Kurdistan, PKK), Abdullah Ocalan, declared, "The freedom of the Kurdish people can be viewed as inseparably bound to women's freedom."1 This statement emphasizes a core tenet in the reinvention of the PKK's ideology as articulated by Ocalan: the understanding that freedom can only be achieved through the defeat of the patriarchal system. The women of the PKK and its sister organization, the Democratic Union Party (Partiya Yekitiya Demokrat, PYD), represent the embodiment of the PKK's new ideology, attracting international attention following Kurdish efforts to establish an autonomous region of governance in north-east Syria. This article focuses on a case study of the PYD's Syrian Kurdish Women's Protection Units (Yekineyen Parastina Jin, YPJ), and their defence of Kurdish-dominated enclaves in Syria. The analysis demonstrates the agency behind their engagement and the ideology that motivates their resistance to patriarchy in the Middle East. In so doing, the article compares the YPJ's understanding of agency to media representations of YPJ fighters' engagement, in an effort to see beyond the traditional victim/peacemaker articulation of gendered engagement, arguing instead for the need to recognize the politics behind Kurdish women's participation as combatants in the Syrian civil war.


We investigate light propagation in randomly spaced fiber gratings in a single-mode fiber and demonstrate the localization effect. Localization of light in random media resembles that of electrons in disordered solids, resulting from a subtle wave-interference formation. We measured the light transmission after each additional grating fabrication and found an exponential decay that follows the localization theory. Important features of the random array are its similarity to ordered gratings in the transmission and its reflection behavior at the long-array regime. Besides the basic interest in localization in one-dimensional systems, random-grating arrays have potential applications, utilizing the possibility of the fabrication of long structures with strong and broadband reflections.


Taking advantage of the all-sky coverage and broad frequency range of the Planck satellite, we study the Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) and pressure profiles of 62 nearby massive clusters detected at high significance in the 14-month nominal survey. Careful reconstruction of the SZ signal indicates that most clusters are individually detected at least out to R500. By stacking the radial profiles, we have statistically detected the radial SZ signal out to 3 x R500, i.e., at a density contrast of about 50-100, though the dispersion about the mean profile dominates the statistical errors across the whole radial range. Our measurement is fully consistent with previous Planck results on integrated SZ fluxes, further strengthening the agreement between SZ and X-ray measurements inside R500. Correcting for the effects of the Planck beam, we have calculated the corresponding pressure profiles. This new constraint from SZ measurements is consistent with the X-ray constraints from XMM-Newton in the region in which the profiles overlap (i.e., [0.1-1]R500), and is in fairly good agreement with theoretical predictions within the expected dispersion. At larger radii the average pressure profile is slightly flatter than most predictions from numerical simulations. Combining the SZ and X-ray observed profiles into a joint fit to a generalised pressure profile gives best-fit parameters [P0, c500, gamma, alpha, beta] = [6.41, 1.81, 0.31, 1.33, 4.13]. Using a reasonable hypothesis for the gas temperature in the cluster outskirts we reconstruct from our stacked pressure profile the gas mass fraction profile out to 3 x R500. Within the temperature driven uncertainties, our Planck constraints are compatible with the cosmic baryon fraction and expected gas fraction in halos.


Problem statement: Contract Farming (CF) concept is an agreement between buyers and producers, where by producers agree to produce and supply agriculture products according to the agreed quantity, quality, variety, grade, type of packaging and time of delivery. The two parties will mutually agree on the pricing of product, either on a contract price or a market price. Therefore, CF is seen as a tool for fostering smallholder participation in new high-value product markets and improving quality standards, thus increasing and stabilizing smallholder incomes. In Malaysia, CF has been identified as a system capable of stimulating agricultural production and was given a central role in the latest strategy by government to improve the vegetable and fruit production. Approach: The overall objective of this study was to examine CF as the new marketing practice among selected vegetable and fruit suppliers. The specific objectives of the study were: (1) to examine the respondents' perception towards CF; (2) to identify respondents' practices toward the CF and (3) to suggest a policy to ensure the sustainability of CF. Results: Out of 208 of the total respondents selected in the study, 41 suppliers were involved in CF. The data were analyzed using SPSS to describe the respondents' profile and current supply chain practices. At present, the suppliers have a contract agreement with Federal Agriculture Marketing Authority (FAMA) and FAMA has a contract agreement with Hypermarkets. It is presumed that there is a new supply chain network but the contract was not according to the FAO definition. The production and marketing contracts exist in non-formal or mainly verbal agreement. The production contract respondents also did not follow the criteria of CF. Conclusion: Because of this, all the non-formal production contracts in this survey are categorized into marketing contracts. This study concludes with the absence of proper farming contract between farmers and hypermarkets.


Low-rank matrix factorizations arise in a wide variety of applications - including recommendation systems, topic models, and source separation, to name just a few. In these and many other applications, it has been widely noted that by incorporating temporal information and allowing for the possibility of time-varying models, significant improvements are possible in practice. However, despite the reported superior empirical performance of these dynamic models over their static counterparts, there is limited theoretical justification for introducing these more complex models. In this paper we aim to address this gap by studying the problem of recovering a dynamically evolving low-rank matrix from incomplete observations. First, we propose the locally weighted matrix smoothing (LOWEMS) framework as one possible approach to dynamic matrix recovery. We then establish error bounds for LOWEMS in both the matrix sensing and matrix completion observation models. Our results quantify the potential benefits of exploiting dynamic constraints both in terms of recovery accuracy and sample complexity. To illustrate these benefits we provide both synthetic and real-world experimental results.


The quality of AI opponents often leaves a lot to be desired, which poses many attractive challenges for AI researchers. In this respect, Turn-based Strategy (TBS) games are of particular interest. These games are focussed on high-level decision making, rather than low-level behavioural actions. For efficiently designing a TBS AI, in this paper we propose a game AI architecture named ADAPTA (Allocation and Decomposition Architecture for Performing Tactical AI). It is based on task decomposition using asset allocation, and promotes the use of machine learning techniques. In our research we concentrated on one of the subtasks for the ADAPTA architecture, namely the Extermination module, which is responsible for combat behaviour. Our experiments show that ADAPTA can successfully learn to outperform static opponents. It is also capable of generating AIs which defeat a variety of static tactics simultaneously.


Abstract Not Available – First paragraph follows:
Tomato pinworm occurs principally in tropical tomato-growing areas where winters are mild, particularly Florida, the lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas, southern California, and Mexico. It is not an important pest of fresh market and processing tomatoes in California's major growing region of the central San Joaquin Valley, primarily because of the short production season and cold winters. But it has become a major pest of cherry tomatoes in that area, probably as a result of the long production season and cultural practices unique to this crop. Larvae of tomato pinworm (TPW), Kieferia lycopersicella, cahe most serious damage when they enter t the fruit, although they also mine the foliage. Two cherry


The existence of formal IPR laws can be considered a prerequisite for having efficient law enforcement but does not imply efficient enforcement in itself. A simple model is constructed to explain the interplay between the IPR law and human behavior within counterfeiting countries. It shows how a politically monitored IPR enforcement strategy is able to alter formal IPR laws or institutions but might not affect informal institutions, or human morals and behavior, to the same extent, hence barely affecting piracy situation. The model shows the essential role of informal institutions and its sanction mechanisms in the enforcement process. The main obstacle of IPR enforcement is that people are still not convinced that IPR violations are unethical. Religion can be considered an informal institution that might support or hinder formal laws issued with regards to IPR and hence influence de facto enforcement of laws, especially in countries with high piracy rate if a high adherence to religion is found. As the Religion-Loyalty Index (RLI) developed by this study shows, Muslim countries have the highest religiosity level among different religions. Consequently, an investigation of how Islamic jurisprudence views IPR piracy is conducted. As Islam generally prohibits IPR piracy, a set of policy recommendations based on new institutional perspective is presented that can effectively help in minimizing IPR piracy in developing countries in general and Muslim ones in specific.


Excerpt] This report provides data from the past two decades on the size of the U.S. Postal Service's (USPS's) workforce, the number of persons employed by USPS by employment categories, and the number of persons employed by USPS under time-limited contracts. It also analyzes the most salient aspects of these employment data. USPS employs nearly 786,000 persons. Although USPS's workforce size has changed relatively little from 20 years ago, it has dropped 12% in the past decade. The number of career employees declined 8.8% since 1987; however, the number of non-career employees increased 106.5%. Clerks, who staff retail counters at post offices and manually sort mail, dropped more than 31% since 1987. Rural mail delivery carriers, in contrast, grew 84.9%; and building and equipment maintenance personnel and vehicle maintenance personnel grew 28.7% and 14.9%, respectively. This report will be updated at the beginning of each new Congress.


Rapid urbanization generates substantial demand, use, and demolition waste of construction materials. However, the existing top‐down or bottom‐up frameworks combining material flow analysis (MFA) and geographic information system (GIS) tend to underestimate both input and output of construction material flows due to insufficient descriptions of key processes in building construction and demolition. To address this limitation, this study identifies four important and complementary processes—construction, demolition, replacement, and maintenance, and integrates them into an improved framework to capture all material flows. We take Xiamen, a rapidly urbanizing city, as a case study to verify this framework. The results show that ∼40% of material inputs and ∼65% of outputs are underestimated by previous frameworks because they fail to capture material inputs in building maintenance and outputs in construction. These findings indicate a better estimation of such key flows in the modeling framework helps to accurately characterize building material metabolism. Based on systematic counting of material stocks and flows, the improved framework can help design effective policies for urban resource management by explicitly recognizing the spatiotemporal patterns and processes of material metabolism.