Landscape architects play an important role in Hawai'i by specifying the nature of plants that are used in landscape projects which, in turn, affects what is grown locally by landscape nurseries. Invasive species used in landscape projects impact not only the native environments, but the economic stability of an entire industry. As a response to these issues of invasive species and native plant endangerment, the Endangered Species Acts 73 and 236 of the Hawai'i State Legislature mandate the use of native plants in design of public projects. This study surveyed landscape architects in and identified an increase in the use of native plants in landscape projects. Limitations to native Hawaiian landscape plants in 2010 were similar to those reported in a survey conducted in 1999; lack of material availability and knowledge of appropriate maintenance practices continue as the major constraints. Principal sources of native plants and of information about these plants include specialized nurseries, books, and Cooperative Extension agents and specialists. The landscape industry should receive increased investments to expand its capacity to propagate native plants and provide information pertaining to their care and use in landscape design. Landscape architects will be able to successfully specify native plants at their full potential only after the market overcomes the limitations of an insufficient availability of both plants and information pertaining to their use in the landscape.


The microwave backscatter properties of surf zone waves are analyzed using field observations. By utilizing a preexisting, independent, water surface discrimination technique, the microwave returns were extracted along individual waveforms and the data from shoaling (steepening) waves, surf zone breaking waves, and remnant foam were separated and quantified. In addition, a wave tracking analysis technique allows the returns to be examined on a wave-by-wave basis as individual waves progress through the shoaling zone and break on a nearshore sand bar. Normalized radar cross sections (NRCS), polarization ratios, Doppler spectra, and scatterer velocities were collected using a dual-polarized, X-band radar operating at lower grazing angles than previously reported (1°–3.5°). The results indicate that the maximum NRCS levels are from the active breaking portions of the wave and were consistently about −20 dB, regardless of radar polarization, azimuth angle, wave height, or wind speed. In addition, breaking waves induce broadening of the Doppler spectra and mean scatterer velocities that correlate well with the carrier wave celerity. Analysis of the polarization ratios suggest that the active breaking portions of the wave are depolarized but that higher polarization ratios (>0 dB) are found on the leading edges shoreward of the active breaking portions of the waves, which indicates a clear distinction between two scattering regimes. These results are consistent with scattering from a very rough surface that is being mechanically generated by the breaking process, showing a good agreement with the expected grazing angle dependency of a Lambertian scatterer.


Kaye Webb, a journalist with no publishing experience, burst into the world of children's books in 1961 and changed the face of children's publishing forever. Her child-like enthusiasm and shrewd business mind led her to become Puffin's most successful editor and the genius behind the Puffin Club, which opened up the exciting world of authors and books to children across Britain. But whilst Kaye's professional life had worked out beautifully, her private life had been the reverse. Kaye had two husbands before her marriage to the artist Ronald Searle, and the torment of his sudden and shocking departure never left her. Yet to the outside world Kaye Webb remained passionate and unstoppable. This is the unknown story of the woman who brought the joy of books to children everywhere whilst battling the emotional pain that plagued her private life.


Remarkable growth and structural transformation in a number of developing Asian countries in the period after World War II have earned them the reputation for being "models" of successful development. Among the factors that contributed to their success were macroeconomic and regulatory policies that permitted them to finance that transformation without experiencing high inflation or balance of payments difficulties and ensure that growth was accompanied by human development advance. This article identifies a set of key policies that contributed to that success, examines the ways in which they did so, and assesses the degree to which they can inform policy in other Asian contexts in a period when much has changed in the national and international economic environment.


College students' implicit theories (or mindsets) about intelligence can affect not only their motivations toward learning, but also their cognitive habits and behaviors while learning thus impacting academic achievement. In this paper we describe learning experiences we used with our learning community to 1) introduce students to the concept of implicit theories (mindsets) about intelligence, 2) encourage them to move toward growth mindsets rather than fixed mindsets about their abilities to learn, 3) challenge them to identify learning as more than memorization and recall, and 4) hold them accountable for doing the work of the mind (meaningful and mindful effort) required for learning. Questionnaires given at the beginning and again at the end of the semester revealed increases in students' self-reported knowledge of mindset about intelligence and the effect it has on their abilities to learn, about the impact meaningful and mindful effort has on learning, and about the meaning of effort. More important, students also reported positive changes in behaviors as they took more responsibility for their own growth and development by practicing the work of the mind. Leaders of learning communities can use this set of learning experiences to help their students achieve even more academic success.


Half of U.S. 50-year-olds will experience a nursing home stay before they die, and a sizable fraction will incur out-of-pocket expenses in excess of $200,000. Surprisingly, only about 10 percent of individuals over age 62 have private long-term care insurance (LTCI), and many applicants are denied coverage by insurers because they are frail. This paper proposes an equilibrium optimal contracting framework that features demand-side frictions due to Medicaid and supply-side frictions due to adverse selection, market power and administrative costs of paying claims. We find that low LTCI take-up rates and rejections among poor individuals are due to Medicaid. Supply-side frictions, however, are responsible for rejections among frail affluent individuals, and both types of frictions matter for those in the middle class. JEL classification: D82, D91, E62, G22, H30, I13


The theme of so-called Europarties generally has been analysed from two main different points of view: one stressing on the party parliamentarian organisations (the Eurogroups) and one focusing on transnational federations (Parties at European Level) (Hix and Lord 1997, Kreppel 2002, Marks and Steenbergen 2004). The aim of my thesis is the empirical application of the theoretical framework of organisation and functioning of the extraparliamentarian federation to the case of the European Left. The first chapter of the thesis is devoted to define the object of the analysis. In literature a persistent lack of clarification in the use of terms such as Europarties, supranational parties, European party federations and Eurogroups still exists. This confusion is not longer acceptable after the approval of the EU regulation 2004/2003 that fixes the term of Political Party at European Level to define the European party federations. The analysis of these parties has been conducted from two different points of view. The first is based on an organisational approach. The well-known theory of cartel party, by Peter Mair and Richard Katz (1995), divides party organisation in three faces: the party in institutions (Party in Central Office/PPO);the extraparliamentarian structures (Party in Central Office/PCO); the membership and base units (Party on the Ground). This party organisation leads to a growing autonomy (stratarchy) of each part towards the others (Carty 2006). This model seems to function well for those parties operate at European level. Using this approach we can interpret the process of institutionalisation of Parties at European Level as the application of PCO concept in the European domain. Eurogroups and National Parties would be identified respectively with party in Public Office and with Party on the Ground. In this view the expression "Europarty" should be used to identify the amount of relations amongst these three faces. In this optical this work tries to define the ideal typical organisation of the Political Party at European Level, devoting particular attention to its bodies (congress, council of national leaders, executive board, and president), reporting the data of funds received from European Parliament and describing the growing role of the political foundations at European level. Parties at European level are then analyzed also along a functionalist approach, that is how parties perform their role of mediation between public institutions (the State) and society (the citizens). In classic literature (Bryce 1921, Schattschneider 1942, Neumann 1956, King 1969, Sartori 1976) the main party functions are: interests' articulation and aggregation, vote structuring, political communication and citizens' education, development and organization of citizens' participation, and policy-making. In the analysis of these variables, chiefly on the review of the political parties at European level having lost much power in managing these functions. It seems they have devoted much power to the other faces of Europarty: National Parties and Eurogroups. Before facing the real application of ideal typical framework to the empirical case of the European Left, the first historical efforts of coordination of the alternative Left have been reconstructed. The first and the second Labour and Socialist Internationals were the earliest organisations to promote the cooperation of national groups, movements, trade union and parties at the international level. For this it can be said that Left parties have been the first partied to face with the problems related to international cooperation. After the critical juncture of the Russian Revolution a split occurred inside the Left parties' family creating the apparently incurable dichotomy between the socialdemocratic and reformist Left and the other Left, nicknamed, according to different point of view, as Alternative, Extreme, Radical, Revolutionary, etc… At the beginning the coordination of this not-reformist Left has been directly managed by the Soviet Communist Party and by the Soviet Government. During the 70s the experiment of Eurocommunism tried to find a "third" way between Soviet Communist and pro-west Socialdemocracy. Only after the fall of the Soviet Union the Alternative Left succeded in creating its autonomous and not-governmental forms of coordination. In 1991 the New European Left Forum has been the first loose not-institutional attempt to coordinate again these parties. In 1994 the Eurogroup of the Ghauce Unitaire Europeenne – Nordic Green Left (GUE-NGL) has been the first institutional coordination in the European Parliament. These organisations have bene the first steps towards the foundation of the Party of the European Left (EL) whose break-in in the European political system has been promoted just by some parties that were used to meet each other in these two preceding organisations. After having described the formation process of the European Left, in the third chapter, the general framework described in the first chapter, has been applied on the empirical case. Thus I have analyzed the party organizational structure and the functions' performing of the European Left, taking care of the different party bodies and pointing out their real functioning. These studies have been carried out through the analysis of the official story (i.e. party Statutes, internal Regulations and financial budgets) and the interviews of privileged observers (EL President, members of internal bodies, party employees, etc…). In the analysis of budget I have stressed that only a minor part of the party expenses are dedicated to the organization and the strengthening of the relationships between the EL and the European citizens. Rather the largest part of funds is devoted to the organisation of meeting (of party organs or with other organisations or movements). This is also at the basis of what I have discovered in analyzing the EL role in performing party functions as they have been described in the first chapter. The main point I have stressed out is the general lack of contacts with the European citizens. This poor performance of the European Left is not only due to the common behavior of political parties at European level that devolve much power and many functions directly to Eurogroups and, especially, to National Parties. That is also reinforced by the fact that only a part of the national parties involved in the Cofederal Group of GUE-NGL are actually members of the Party of the European Left. This weak overlapping amongst parties of the same political family causes the feeble capacity of inclusivity and the partial presence of the EL in the European countries (some important countries are not covered by EL because the chief national Left party of the country is not EL member). This differentiation of parties' behavior towards such an institutional supranational coordination is a symptom of huge and relevant divisions inside the political family EL would aim to represent. The state of division in the Alternative Left is significantly higher than in the other political families. Such a situation has motivated the fourth and last part of the thesis in which political lines of different political subgroups of Left parties are analysed. Previously the political positions of European Left (through the official positions in electoral platforms, statutes, congress thesis) have been divided in some issues: economy and job policy, civil rights and freedoms, environment, international relations and peace, alliances' strategy and relation with other parties, EL cultural heritage and the historical judgment over the East-European regimes. These positions, analysed thought a qualitative approach, are confronted with those of several groups of Left parties (taken mainly from the electoral platforms for the European elections). The first is composed by the member parties of European Left. Then there are the political positions and strategies of the observer parties of EL, those of the so-called "communist" parties (the orthodox communists), those of the members of the Nordic Green Left Association (one of the official sub-group of GUE-NGL), those of the AntiCapitalist Left (of Trotskyist origins), and those of parties without any international affiliation that I define as "cani sciolti" (mavericks). These bilateral confrontations lead to some conclusions. For example the different positions on the East-European regimes is the key reason of not-affiliation of the "communists" to the EL (the Hungarian Communist Party has left the EL in the April 2009 just criticizing the EL position towards "Eastern experience"). Again for example NGLA and EL are divided especially over the idea of Europe: the EL (and EL parties) is pro-integrationist while the Nordic (Scandinavian) parties are strongly Eurosceptic. Without going on describing all the differences it is important to conclude this abstract affirming that the differences in more concrete policy field (as the Economic and labour policy, the environmental policy, the questions of civil rights, and the question of peace and opposition to war) are not so important for the political divisions within the Alternative Left parties. The idea of Europe, the strategy of alliances (at European and nation level) and, quite surprisingly, the judgment over real socialism in Eastern Europe are the main element of different international affiliation for the Alternative Left parties of the European Union.


Abstract This paper examines high-frequency (0.1-0.5 cph) internal waves, waves previously characterized by the Garrett and Munk spectral fits (GM72, GM75, GM79) as being vertically symmetric propagating waves (or equivalently "smeared" standing modes—GM72). Coherences at large vertical separations measured with deep sea moorings show significant differences from the GM79 predictions. The differences can be explained by modifying the purely propagating model to one that includes the spectral truncation and phase locking associated with a spectrum of standing modes. A model consisting of only standing modes, however, is also inadequate, whereas a more general spectral model, which effectively allows both propagating waves and standing modes, is not. These results show that much of the simplicity of the GM79 spectral fit can be attributed to lack of spectral resolution in the set of measurements to which the GM models were fit. The GM79 simplicity is not an intrinsic property of the internal wave field.


Frameworks that create synergies across disciplines provide a powerful means for learning by relating concepts from the different fields that are usually difficult to grasp individually. We discuss the design of the BeatTable, a microworld that uses the relation between mathematics and music to engage learners in using ratios and proportions to create rhythms and learn about musical composition. The BeatTable is a physical table with a digital environment that can be controlled by tangible instruments, and through immediate auditory and visual feedback makes salient the relationships between math and music. With a low-floor, high-ceiling design philosophy, BeatTable provides learners the opportunity to build on their conceptions about music and to practice and hone their use of ratios and proportions. We present what our design choices, the technology used, and a description of initial user feedback.


Brief perfusion of heart with calcium-free medium renders myocardial cells calcium-sensitive so that readmission of calcium results in uncontrolled Ca2+ entry and acute massive cell injury (calcium paradox). We investigated the hypothesis that polyamines may be involved in the mediation of abnormal Ca2+ influx and cell damage in the calcium paradox. The isolated perfused rat heart was used for these studies. Calcium-free perfusion promptly (less than 5 min) decreased the levels of polyamines and the activity of their rate-regulating synthetic enzyme, ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), and calcium reperfusion abruptly (less than 15-180 s) increased these components. alpha-Difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), a specific suicide inhibitor of ODC, suppressed the calcium reperfusion-induced increase in polyamines and the concomitant increase in myocardial cellular 45Ca influx, loss of contractility, release of cytosolic enzymes, myoglobin, and protein, and structural lesions. Putrescine, the product of ODC activity, nullified DFMO inhibition and restored the calcium reperfusion-induced increment in polyamines and the full expression of the calcium paradox. Putrescine itself enhanced the reperfusion-evoked release of myoglobin and protein in the absence of DFMO. Hypothermia blocked the changes in heart ODC and polyamines induced by calcium-free perfusion and calcium reperfusion and prevented the calcium paradox. These results indicate that rapid Ca2+-directed changes in ODC activity and polyamine levels are essential for triggering excessive transsarcolemmal transport of Ca2+ and explosive myocardial cell injury in the calcium paradox.


We present several new algorithms for multiagent reinforcement learning. A common feature of these algorithms is a parameterized, structured representation of a policy or value function. This structure is leveraged in an approach we call coordinated reinforcement learning, by which agents coordinate both their action selection activities and their parameter updates. Within the limits of our parametric representations, the agents will determine a jointly optimal action without explicitly considering every possible action in their exponentially large joint action space. Our methods differ from many previous reinforcement learning approaches to multiagent coordination in that structured communication and coordination between agents appears at the core of both the learning algorithm and the execution architecture.


This paper reports generation of sub-5-ps Fourier-transform limited optical pulses from a 1.55-µm gain-switched single-mode distributed-feedback laser diode via nanosecond electric excitation and a simple spectral-filtering technique. Typical damped oscillations of the whole lasing spectrum were observed in the time-resolved waveform. Through a spectral-filtering technique, the initial relaxation oscillation pulse and the following components in the output pulse can be well separated, and the initial short pulse can be selectively extracted by filtering out the short-wavelength components in the spectrum. Short pulses generated by this simple method are expected to have wide potential applications comparable to mode-locking lasers.


This paper describes the proposals for a limit-state formulation of a new South African code for the design of steel buildings. During the development of this approach a number of anomalies and potential sources of confusion became apparent in ensuring consistency with the British interpretation of limit-state principles, as embodied in the South African concrete code. A framework is provided for a critical evaluation of the inflexibility in the present practice, and an alternative formulation is identified. The recommended approach to load combinations and conditions of overturning and stress reversal in the propsed code is also discussed.


Although the ADA has changed the built architecture of America and dramatically increased the visibility of disabled people, it has not meaningfully increased disability employment rates. And the statute continues to provoke a backlash. Disability rights advocates and sympathizers offer two principal stories to explain this state of affairs. One, the "lost-bipartisanship" story, asserts that disability rights were once an enterprise broadly endorsed across the political spectrum but that they have fallen prey to the massive rise in partisan polarization in the United States. The other, the "legal-change-outpacing-social-change" story, asserts that the ADA was essentially adopted too soon—that the legislative coalition came together to pass the law before society as a whole was ready for it, leading to a backlash. There is something to be said for both stories. But the most important point is what connects them. The ADA was a bipartisan achievement largely because the efforts to pass the statute—in a brilliant tactical move—skirted difficult arguments about justice. Instead, they relied explicitly on a discourse of costs and benefits—and they relied implicitly on a discourse of charity and pity. But as soon as the ADA was adopted and the burdens imposed by it became apparent, the cost-benefit and charity/pity discourses reached their limit in providing support for the statute. To secure support for disability rights in the future, advocates will need to rely on a discourse of justice. And that will require renewed efforts at social, and not just legal, change.


Low income countries often offer tax incentives to induce foreign investment, but the effectiveness of these measures may he limited by the domestic tax practices of investors' high income home countries. Most high-income countries provide a tax credit for the amount of tax paid to a foreign jurisdiction on the international profits of resident companies or individuals. Where no tax, or reduced tax, is paid to the foreign jurisdiction because of a tax incentive, the result is that the investor pays the same amount of tax they would have paid in the absence of the tax incentive, but simply pays a larger proportion of it to the resident (high income) state. In other words, the tax incentive offered by the low income country has operated as a revenue transfer from the treasury of the low income state to the treasury of the high income state. A tax sparing provision, included in a tax treaty negotiated between the two countries, preserves the tax incentive by reducing the tax owed to the high income country by the amount of tax that would have been paid to the low income country, but for the tax incentive. In theory, by incorporating tax sparing provisions into tax treaties with low income countries, high income countries assist those countries in their efforts to attract investment by protecting their ability to offer effective tax incentives. However, there has been much debate over whether these provisions are effective in practice. The author outlines the history of tax sparing provisions in Canada, Australia, the U.K. and the U.S., and illustrates the early reluctance of these countries to follow the recommendations of international bodies regarding tax sparing. The OECD has opposed these incentives and has concluded they have long term shortcomings: they are vulnerable to abuse, may erode tax bases and may fail to achieve their purported goal: attracting investment to low income countries. The author argues that despite some recent empirical evidence to the contrary, tax sparing provisions are ineffective in preserving tax incentives designed to attract foreign investment. She concludes that tax sparing provisions used to support tax incentives are an ill designed mechanism through which to improve social and economic conditions in low income countries. Cognizant that some low income countries will continue to seek tax sparing provisions in their tax treaties, the author recommends design features of those provisions that should maximize their contribution to the development of the low income countries while minimizing the potential for their abuse.


Bowen, Wayne H. Spain and the American Civil War. Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press, 2011. xii + 188 pages. Cloth, $40.00. Historian Wayne H. Bowen's Spain and the American Civil War promises to "address a major deficiency in the historical literature of the American Civil War" by establishing the potential for Spanish support for the Confederate States of America that could have altered the outcome of the conflict (p. 7). In describing a reviving mid-nineteenth century Spain as an "ideological soul-mate" to the American South, Bowen strives to show a linkage that makes Spain a much more compatible candidate for an alliance with the Confederacy than either Britain or France (p. 95). Acknowledging that much ink has been spent deservedly on British and French influence on the Civil War, Bowen wishes to elevate a neglected Spanish component to a more prominent position. He does appreciate, however, that Spain remained at the time of the American conflict a weak third to the powerful British Empire and the France of Napoleon III and hence deferred every major decision concerning the war to one or both of those governments. Bowen's discussion thus follows a pattern of Spain intimating intervention then subsequently yielding to either an overt or tacit veto by London or Paris. Bowen devotes the first third of his book to the struggles of Spain in the decades preceding the American Civil War. He does this in part to revisit the context of controversy that existed between Washington and Madrid in the first half of the nineteenth century and in part to establish Madrid's dream of reasserting itself as a major power--an effort that climaxed during the Civil War years. After sketching U.S.-Spanish diplomatic wrangles associated with Florida, the Mexican War, and Cuba, Bowen develops the conditions and leadership under which Spain moved to reawaken its long-dormant influence in the Atlantic world. Highlighting the role of Prime Minister Leopoldo O'Donnell, Bowen describes a "brief economic and imperial renaissance" based to some extent on the effective war waged against Morocco, expansion into Africa, and investment in a Spanish naval buildup (p. 44). The 1860s are introduced with a brief discussion of the tripartite intervention in Mexico, which illustrated Madrid's subservience to London and Paris. Despite efforts to restore the glory of Spain, the kingdom remained "a very short man proclaiming himself tall" (p. 37). The concession that Madrid only claimed to be "tall" during the critical period of potential intervention in the American Civil War is at odds with Bowen's assertion that Spain could have changed the course of the conflict. By the time Spain joined Britain in abandoning the French in the Mexican adventure in the first year of the American war, any substantive impact it might have had on the Confederate cause was all but moot. …


A dynamic hierarchical web-based portal was created to house a suite of webbased supply chain management applications. The portal was designed in a hierarchical manner to match the structure of large companies. Administrators of the the portal have the ability to form the portal in such a way to mimic the existing structure of their company. Access rights to the applications in the portal may be granted or denied per division and the users of the portal are placed in these divisions based on their duty in the company. In addition, users are granted roles which dictate their ability to modify how the portal behaves. This thesis covers the client-side portion of the portal which includes the user interface and several client/server interfaces. The client-side was built with the Adobe Flex SDK and the Flash Builder 4 IDE, which connects to a ASP.NET MVC 3 back end and a MSSQL database. The code was internationalized to be able to plug in a localized language resource file. Unit tests were written with FlexUnit to test the code before deployment.


The concept of a screening mass is a powerful tool to simplify the intricate physics of in-medium test charges surrounded by light charge carriers. While it has been successfully used to describe electromagnetic properties, its definition and computation in QCD is plagued by questions of gauge invariance and the presence of non-perturbative contributions from the magnetic sector. Here we present a recent alternative definition of a gauge invariant Debye mass parameter following closely the original idea of Debye and H\"uckel. Our test charges are a static heavy quark-antiquark pair whose complex potential and its in-medium modification can be extracted using lattice QCD. By combining in a generalized Gauss-Law the non-perturbative aspects of quark binding with a perturbative ansatz for the medium effects, we succeed to describe the lattice values of the potential with a single temperature dependent parameter, in turn identified with a Debye mass. We find that its behavior, as evaluated in a recent quenched lattice QCD study, deviates from that in other approaches, such as hard-thermal-loop perturbation theory or from electric field correlators on the lattice. In particular around the phase transition its values tend to zero significantly faster than at weak-coupling.


Anhedonia, inability to experience pleasure from rewarding or enjoyable activities, is the prominent symptom of depression that involves dysfunction of the reward processing system. Both genetic predisposition and life events are thought to increase the risk for depression, in particular life stress. The cellular mechanism underlying stress modulating the reward processing neural circuits and subsequently disrupting reward-related behaviors remains elusive. We identify the VTA-BLA-NAc pathway as being activated by sex reward. Blockade of this circuit induces depressive-like behaviors, while reactivation of VTA neurons associated with sexual rewarding experience acutely ameliorates the impairment of reward-seeking behaviors induced by chronic restraint stress. Our histological and electrophysiological results show that the VTA neuron subpopulation responding to restraint stress inhibits the responsiveness of the VTA dopaminergic neurons to sexual reward. Together, these results reveal the cellular mechanism by which stress influences the brain reward processing system and provide a potential target for depression treatment.


The extent to which the earliest anatomically modern humans in Africa exhibited behavioral and cognitive traits typical of Homo sapiens sapiens is controversial. In eastern Zaire, archaeological sites with bone points have yielded dates older than 89(-15)+22 thousand years ago by several techniques. These include electron spin resonance, thermoluminescence, optically stimulated luminescence, uranium series, and amino acid racemization. Faunal and stratigraphic data are consistent with this age.


The departure from the Modigliani-Miller conditions, due for instance to market incompleteness, asymmetric information or taxation, tends to increase the importance of indirect channels by which monetary policy affects the level of economic activity in emerging market economies (EMEs). The bank lending channel highlighted by Bernanke and Blinder (1988) is a prominent example of such indirect effect of monetary policy. In this study we investigate how the bank lending channel acts above and beyond the traditional money channel that most macroeconomic models emphasize. We find that, particularly in EMEs with high bank reliance, changes in the volume of bank credit are important drivers of fixed capital formation. Using micro-level bank balance sheet data, we then show how monetary policy and sovereign risk premia affected bank credit growth in EMEs between 2001 and 2013. We find that both, changes in the monetary policy stance and changes in risk premia have had significant effects on credit volumes. Furthermore, we show that these effects tend to affect smaller banks more strongly. Our results suggest that the accommodative monetary policies that have been seen recently were contributing factors to the rapid expansion of credit in many EMEs.


The paper reflects on the relationship between the understanding of human activity which Marx expresses in Capital and the theoretical model of activity offered by an influential contemporary variant of Activity Theory. The paper argues that this variant departs significantly from Marx's conception of human activity and its role in what he calls the 'labour process'. In particular, Activity Theory has failed to distinguish between the labour process and the valorization process, a distinction which is fundamental to Capital and to Marx's theoretical and political perspective more generally. The paper also argues that this conceptual conflation is also evident in the theoretical discourse of the founders of the Activity Theory tradition. The paper goes on to consider the theoretical and practical implications of this departure from the method and conclusions of Capital.


Living organisms dependent on water and oxygen for their existence face the major challenge of faithfully maintaining their genetic material under a constant attack from spontaneous hydrolysis and active oxygen species and from other intracellular metabolites that can modify DNA bases. Repair of endogenous DNA base damage by the ubiquitous base-excision repair pathway largely accounts for the significant turnover of DNA even in nonreplicating cells, and must be sufficiently accurate and efficient to preserve genome stability compatible with long-term cellular viability. The size of the mammalian genome has necessitated an increased complexity of repair and diversification of key enzymes, as revealed by gene knock-out mouse models. The genetic instability characteristic of cancer cells may be due, in part, to mutations in genes whose products normally function to ensure DNA integrity.


Abstract Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) are the best characterized ion channels representing the Cys-loop receptor superfamily. AChRs have all the machinery to recognize the neurotransmitter ACh and other agonists such as nicotine, and to transduce the agonist-induced conformational changes into the opening of the intrinsic cation channel. The gating machinery couples ligand binding, located at the extracellular portion, to the opening of the ion channel, located at the transmembrane region. The interface between the extracellular and the transmembrane domains is considered one of the most important structural and functional features for the process of gating. And finally, in the prolonged presence of agonists, the AChR becomes desensitized. Several drugs affect the functioning of these receptors. Among them, positive allosteric modulators (PAM) have acquired importance since are novel drugs for several neurological diseases. PAMs do not bind to the orthostetic binding sites but allosterically enhance the activity elicited by agonists by increasing the gating process and/or by decreasing desensitization. Instead, negative allosteric modulators (NAMs) produce the opposite effects. Interestingly, this negative effect is similar to that found for another class of allosteric drugs, i.e. non competitive antagonists (NCAs). However, the main difference between both categories of drugs is based on their distinct binding site locations. Although both NAMs and NCAs do not bind to the agonist sites, NACs bind to sites located in the ion channel, whereas NAMs bind to nonluminal sites. Interestingly, PAMs and NAMs might be developed as potential medications for the treatment of several diseases involving AChRs including, dementia-, skin-, and immunological-related diseases, drug addiction, and cancer. More exciting is the potential combination of specific agonists with PAMs. However, we are still in the beginning of understanding how these compounds act and how these drugs can be used therapeutically.


Seamus Heaney's new collection starts 'in an age of bare hands and cast iron' and ends 'as the automatic lock / clunks shut' in the eerie new conditions of a menaced twenty-first century. In their haunted, almost visionary clarity, the poems assay the weight and worth of what has been held in the hand and in the memory. Images out of a childhood spent safe from the horrors of World War II - railway sleepers, a sledgehammer, the 'heavyweight silence' of cattle out in rain - are coloured by a strongly contemporary sense that 'anything can happen' and other images from the dangerous present - a journey on the underground, a melting glacier - are fraught with this same anxiety. But District and Circle, which includes a number of prose poems and translations, offers resistance as the poet gathers his staying powers and stands his ground in the hiding places of love and excited language. In a sequence like 'The Tollund Man in Springtime' and in several poems which 'do the rounds of the district' - its known roads and rivers and trees, its familiar and unfamiliar ghosts - the gravity of memorial is transformed into the grace of recollection. With more relish and conviction than ever, Seamus Heaney maintains his trust in the obduracy of workaday realities and the mystery of everyday renewals: again the growl Of shutting doors, the jolt and one-off treble Of iron on iron, then a long centrifual Haulage of speed through every dragging socket. (from 'District and Circle').


This chapter reviews the behavior of financial asset prices in relation to consumption. The chapter lists some important stylized facts that characterize U.S. data, and relates them to recent developments in equilibrium asset pricing theory. Data from other countries are examined to see which features of the U.S. experience apply more generally. The chapter argues that to make sense of asset market behavior one needs a model in which the market price of risk is high, time-varying, and correlated with the state of the economy. Models that have this feature, including models with habit-formation in utility, heterogeneous investors, and irrational expectations, are discussed. The main focus is on stock returns and short-term real interest rates, but bond returns are also considered.


This study is designed to observe the clinical efficiency of Castellani solution for the treatment of granular myringitis (GM). We have included 20 patients among which 15 men and 5 women of mean age, 49.7 years; range, 9–77 years; they were diagnosed with GM and treated with Castellani solution. Topical treatment using Castellani solution and otoendoscopy of tympanic membrane were performed and the follow-up period ranged from 3 to 72 months and the mean follow-up period was 14.4 months. 13 patients showed complete resolution of GM after treatment with Castellani solution. However, one patient had a persistent, small, wet lesion residual lesion. Topical application of Castellani solution is a simple and effective treatment for GM. This study confirms the use of Castellani solution for treatment of granular myringitis.


AIM: In recent years, the Wnt signalling pathway has been implicated in epithelial ovarian cancer and its members have potential as diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic targets. Here we investigated the role of two Wnt receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), ROR1 and ROR2, and their putative ligand, Wnt5a, in ovarian cancer. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry for ROR2 was performed in a large patient cohort, including benign controls, borderline tumours and epithelial ovarian cancer. In addition, siRNA was used to silence ROR1, ROR2 and Wnt5a individually, and together, in two ovarian cancer cell lines, and the effects on cell proliferation, adhesion, migration and invasion were measured. RESULTS: ROR2 expression is significantly increased in ovarian cancer patients compared to patients with benign disease. In vitro assays showed that silencing either receptor inhibits ovarian cancer cell migration and invasion, and concurrently silencing both receptors has an even stronger inhibitory effect on proliferation, migration and invasion. CONCLUSIONS: ROR2 expression is increased in epithelial ovarian cancer, and silencing ROR2 and its sister receptor ROR1 has a strong inhibitory effect on the ability of ovarian cancer cells to proliferate, migrate and invade through an extracellular


Chile has different types of soil and climate conditions that favor a wide range of agricultural activities that can
generate potential atmospheric contamination like greenhouse gases (GHG). Nevertheless, the contribution of
agricultural soils to atmospheric emissions has yet to be measured in Chile. The aim of this study was to assess
seasonal variability of CO2 and N2O effluxes in situ from a volcanic ash-derived soil under different agronomic
management practices. Gas samples were obtained from headspaces of non-fixed closed chambers in an annual
crop rotation under a no-till system in an Andisol in southern Chile (36° S). Two N-sources (NH4+ and NO3-) and
ammonium fertilization plus two lime doses (0.5 and 1 Mg ha-1) were considered for soil treatments Effluxes of
CO2 and N2O were determined periodically for 1 yr, and soil variables, such as temperature, water, and mineral N
content, were recorded. Results showed that CO2 effluxes respond to a seasonal pattern. No effect was evidenced
when considering crop management practices with a maximum of 53.2 ± 8.5 kg CO2-C ha-1 d-1 in the wet fall period
and a minimum of 9.7 ± 2.1 kg CO2-C ha-1 d-1 for summer, fall dry period, and winter. N2O efflux was highly variable
throughout the year and showed no influence of treatments or season variability with a mean of 0.95 kg N2O-N ha-1
yr-1. Soil mineral N variations are not related to GHG effluxes as a single variable. Results indicate that an Andisol
under a no-till system in southern Chile has a low N2O emission potential, and higher CO2 emissions are mainly
produced in wet seasons (wet fall and/or spring).


The central question of the Arab Spring - what democracies should look like in the deeply religious countries of the Middle East - has developed into a vigorous debate over these nations' secular identities. But what, exactly, is secularism? What has the West's long familiarity with it inevitably obscured? In "Questioning Secularism", Hussein Ali Agrama tackles these questions. Focusing on the fatwa councils and family law courts of Egypt just prior to the revolution, he delves deeply into the meaning of secularism itself and the ambiguities that lie at its heart. Drawing on a precedent-setting case arising from the family law courts - the last courts in Egypt to use Shari'a law - Agrama shows that secularism is a historical phenomenon that works through a series of paradoxes that it creates. Digging beneath the perceived differences between the West and Middle East, he highlights secularism's dependence on the law and the problems that arise from it: the necessary involvement of state sovereign power in managing the private spiritual lives of citizens and the irreducible set of legal ambiguities such a relationship creates. Navigating a complex landscape between private and public domains, "Questioning Secularism" lays important groundwork for understanding the real meaning of secularism as it affects the real freedoms of a citizenry, an understanding of the utmost importance for so many countries that are now urgently facing new political possibilities.


Positive psychology (PP) is commonly associated with the theory and research of positive psychological qualities, positive states, and positive aspects of life. Yet, in reality, it includes some of the most difficult, painful, and challenging experiences that are commonly encountered during the course of a lifetime. This article offers an overview of PP and explores the emergence of second wave positive psychology (SWPP), a field concerned with the philosophical and conceptual complexities of the notion of "positive," and considers the dialectical nature of flourishing through the dynamic interplay of both positive and negative experiences.


Within global capitalism it can be observed that within the Internet and the network society more broadly, are rarely considered from the perspective of temporality; that is, beyond the neo-liberal efficiency mantra that 'faster is always better'. Temporal acceleration has become an autonomous logic within electronic networks, one generated through capitalist competition, with little or no thought to its wider effects. I argue that the acceleration associated with the Internet is in fact a profoundly problematic issue across social, cultural and, especially, political realms. Through the articulation of a political economy of temporality, I maintain that it is necessary to 'temporalize' the Internet and its processes, to bring under more social democratic control its developmental trajectory. To this end, I will speculate upon the need for a bi-cameral Internet; a social and commercial network communications system that makes the social relation to time, and the technological mediation of that relation, a central element of its future functioning. Conceptions of limit, measure, equilibrium, which ought to determine the conduct of life are, in the West, restricted to a servile function in the vocabulary of technics. Simone Weil, The Iliad, or The Poem of Force , 1939/2005: 16.


The Feature-Oriented Requirements Modelling (FORM) combines the requirement engineering style structuring of requirements documents with the feature-orientation of the Feature Oriented Software Development, resulting in a feature-oriented model of the functional requirements of a system-under-development (SUD). A feature is a distinguishable unit of added value to the SUD. The objectives of FORM are to model features as independent modules, to allow the addition of new features with minimal changes to the existing features, and to enable automatic generation and checking of properties like correctness, consistency, and non-determinism. FORM structures requirements into three models: a domain model, a collection of behavioural models, and a collection of functional models. A feature is modelled by a distinct behavioural model. This dissertation evaluates FORM by applying it to a new application that can be thought of in terms of features, namely an online trading system (OTS) that receives requests from customers about buying or selling securities on a stock market. The OTS offers variability in terms of the types of orders that customers can request, (e.g. market order, limit order and stop order). The case study revealed six deficiencies of the FORM notation, three of which were easily overcome. The dissertation presents the results of the case study, resolutions to three of the six deficiencies, and an outline of an approach to resolve the other three deficiencies.


The aim of this case series is to report on the effect of MiS, a new laser therapy device which uses two synchronized emissions with 905 nm and 808 nm wavelengths, pulsed and continuous, respectively, with high peak power, in the management of neuropathic pain. A total of 43 patients (mean age: 53 years, from 23 to 85 years) presenting neuropathic pain associated to different anatomical areas, such as cervical zone, spine, foot/ankle, hand/ wrist, shoulder, elbow, hip and knee were treated with laser therapy by MiS. Pain (VAS score) and functionality (therapist evaluation) were evaluated at the end of treatment. The severity of pain decreased over time and was lower at the end of treatment. MiS laser therapy demonstrated to be safe and effective in patients affected by neuropathic pain and represents a valuable tool for the management of these patients.


Polynomial programming, a class of non-linear programming where the objective and the constraints are multivariate polynomials, has attracted the attention of many researchers in the past decade. Polynomial programming is a powerful modeling tool that captures various optimization models. Due to the wide range of applications, a research topic of high interest is the development of computationally efficient algorithms for solving polynomial programs. Even though some solution methodologies are already available and have been studied in the literature, these approaches are often either problem specific or are inapplicable for large-scale polynomial programs. Most of the available methods are based on using hierarchies of convex relaxations to solve polynomial programs; these schemes grow exponentially in size becoming rapidly computationally expensive. The present work proposes methods and implementations that are capable of solving polynomial programs of large sizes. First we propose a general framework to construct conic relaxations for binary polynomial programs, this framework allows us to re-derive previous relaxation schemes and provide new ones. In particular, three new relaxations for binary quadratic polynomial programs are presented. The first two relaxations, based on second-order cone and semidefinite programming, represent a significant improvement over previous practical relaxations for several classes of non-convex binary quadratic polynomial problems. The third relaxation is based purely on second-order cone programming, it outperforms the semidefinite-based relaxations that are proposed in the literature in terms of computational efficiency while being comparable in terms of bounds. To strengthen the relaxations further, a dynamic inequality generation scheme to generate valid polynomial inequalities for general polynomial programs is presented. When used iteratively, this scheme improves the bounds without incurring an exponential growth in the size of the relaxation. The scheme can be used on any initial relaxation of the polynomial program whether it is second-order cone based or semidefinite based relaxations. The proposed scheme is specialized for binary polynomial programs and is in principle scalable to large general combinatorial optimization problems. In the case of binary polynomial programs, the proposed scheme converges to the global optimal solution under mild assumptions on the initial approximation of the binary polynomial program. Finally, for binary polynomial programs the proposed relaxations are integrated with the dynamic scheme in a branch-and-bound algorithm to find global optimal solutions.


We report on a new method based on speckle size analysis and devoted to particle aggregation measurements. The experimental measurements give the speckle size variation during a salt aggregation process of polystyrene microspheres. The measurements are taken at a fixed monomer concentration, varying the salt concentration. Moreover, we applied this technique to follow blood platelet aggregation, usually monitored with a visible light transmittance photometer (aggregometer). Aggregation process was induced by ADP (adenosine diphosphate) addition, then we measured the speckle size variation versus time at two different ADP concentrations.


Abstract. We present a compact and versatile cryofocusing–thermodesorption unit, which we developed for quantitative analysis of halogenated trace gases in ambient air. Possible applications include aircraft-based in situ measurements, in situ monitoring and laboratory operation for the analysis of flask samples. Analytes are trapped on adsorptive material cooled by a Stirling cooler to low temperatures (e.g. −80 °C) and subsequently desorbed by rapid heating of the adsorptive material (e.g. +200 °C). The set-up involves neither the exchange of adsorption tubes nor any further condensation or refocusing steps. No moving parts are used that would require vacuum insulation. This allows for a simple and robust design. Reliable operation is ensured by the Stirling cooler, which neither contains a liquid refrigerant nor requires refilling a cryogen. At the same time, it allows for significantly lower adsorption temperatures compared to commonly used Peltier elements. We use gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC–MS) for separation and detection of the preconcentrated analytes after splitless injection. A substance boiling point range of approximately −80 to +150 °C and a substance mixing ratio range of less than 1 ppt (pmol mol−1) to more than 500 ppt in preconcentrated sample volumes of 0.1 to 10 L of ambient air is covered, depending on the application and its analytical demands. We present the instrumental design of the preconcentration unit and demonstrate capabilities and performance through the examination of analyte breakthrough during adsorption, repeatability of desorption and analyte residues in blank tests. Examples of application are taken from the analysis of flask samples collected at Mace Head Atmospheric Research Station in Ireland using our laboratory GC–MS instruments and by data obtained during a research flight with our in situ aircraft instrument GhOST-MS (Gas chromatograph for the Observation of Tracers – coupled with a Mass Spectrometer).


This document is the report of the thesis "Normative thinking on wastewater treatment plants". This
thesis was born from the interest of the author in Artificial Intelligence (A.I.). Having done all the subjects
related with AJ. that the Barcelona School of Informatics (FIB) offers, I asked the teachers of my favorite ones
for a thesis related with the A.I. . Ulises Cortes and Juan Carlos Nieves offered me this interesting thesis based
on a doctoral thesis of environmental sciences done by Montse Aulinas [23]. The proposed work implied
theoretical research, a working implementation and a real life domain to work with. I accepted without any
doubt.
Aulinas's thesis proposed a multi-agent based system to manage the problems caused by the industrial
wastewater discharges in rivers. She discussed that, by the use of intelligent agents in the managing process
of wastewaters, there could be an important increase in the quality of the river water and in the efficiency
from the organizational point of view. To do that she proposed a group of agents, which would take the roles
of the most important entities in the process of wastewater discharges, from industries to the agencies in
charge of controlling them, in order to represent all the involved parts. It is obvious that, for the agents to be
able to work rationally, they need to interact with the laws they are subject too That is the main issue this
thesis deals with.
Based on a real world doma in, this thesis proposes a way to make those laws to be comprehensible for
agents. It will discuss a methodology for analyzing, specifying, implementing and testing those laws, in a
generic way that can be applied to any normative environment.
The goals of this thesis are,
To obtain a generic and complete specification syntax for analyzing laws and norms, prove that
specification with an implementation of reallaws applied to the given doma in and
To develop a prototype where the norms implementation can be tested using a possible real
scenario.


Patient: Male, 49 Final Diagnosis: Type 2 diabetes Symptoms: — Medication: — Clinical Procedure: — Specialty: Endocrinology and Metabolic Objective: Unusual clinical course Background: Type 2 diabetes is a well described extra-hepatic manifestation of hepatitis C infection (HCV). Eradication of HCV has led to improvements in insulin resistance but to date has not been shown to induce remission of diabetes. Case Report: We report a case of a 49-year-old man with HCV and a 2-year history of T2DM on oral agents. He was initially treated with peg-interferon/ribavirin (peg-IFN/rib) but did not achieve a HCV treatment response. Four years later he was retreated with peg-IFN/rib plus an HCV protease inhibitor (boceprevir). His HbA1c at the start of treatment was 7.9%. Antiviral response to HCV-therapy correlated with a significant improvement in glucose control without a change in diabetes therapy or improvement in adherence. He achieved a sustained virological response and within a year of completing antiviral therapy he no longer required medical therapy for diabetes. Two years after the completion of HCV treatment, the patient has maintained an HbA1c of 5.8% without any diabetes medications. Conclusions: This case provides evidence of the important relationship between HCV and diabetes and highlights the potential reversibility of glucose abnormalities with successful eradication of HCV. Increased awareness of this association may improve detection of undiagnosed HCV infection, identify patients with reversible causes of diabetes, guide therapeutic decisions for HCV treatment, and improve outcomes in patients with both diseases.


The purpose of the study was to determine (a) types of marketing strategies, (b) perceived success of marketing strategies, (c) importance of marketing strategies, (d) amenities offered to consumers, and (e) negatives (problems) in marketing strategies by bed and breakfast owners/operators. A questionnaire to assess areas of concern covered in the research questions was developed. The questionnaire contained closed- and open-ended questions, with nominal, interval, and ratio levels of measurement. The sampling frame included the 1,140 bed and breakfast owners/operators listed in the Texas Hotel Occupancy Tax Accounts Report, first quarter, 1998, as interpreted for this study. A sample of 775 of this population was randomly chosen, using a random numbers table. A response rate of 36% was obtained.


The class Reptilia belongs to phylum Chordata. This group forms a large community of the land vertebrates. However, they remain relatively under-examined. Roll et al. (2017) studied the global distribution of more than 10,000 reptiles. Nearly194 reptilian species have been reported from Pakistan (WWF, n.d.). Five protected parks were studied from February 2008 to May 2010. Dhirkot Nature Reserve (DNR), Banjosa Nature Reserve (BNR), Tolipir National Park (TNP), Pir Chanasi National Park (PCNP) and Pir Lasura National Park (PLNP) were considered. Fifteen species of reptiles were observed in TNP. Ten species of reptiles were recorded from PCNP. Ten species of reptiles were confirmed from DNR, including 6 species of snakes. The present study could collect the evidence on the presence of 14 reptile species distributed under different habitat conditions of BGR. The total number of species of reptiles recorded in PLNP during the study was 24.


Have you heard the expression "if you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there?" We know the importance of having course objectives and lesson plans, but non-formal activities, such as displays and field trips, are often designed without a clear map outlining goals and objectives. An activity is conducted, but without ever clearly pinpointing what the desired educational goal is, or how to get there. In conducting the 'Mylo's Animal Barn', an agricultural literacy barn that is held at the Dodge County Fair in Nebraska, I have been guilty of failing to plan for the educational goals. At times, my motto was "if I have it, they will learn". The majority of the educational materials that were distributed ended up in trash cans without ever being read. The milk shakes for the milk mustaches melted, as the activity took place during a slow time at the fair. The by-products display was nice, but few people stopped to look at it. The list goes on. Where was my "road" map? I have now begun to pay more attention to the educational aspects of the experience. Who is going? Visitors to Mylo's Animal Barn, vary greatly in age, from infants to senior citizens. The experience and agricultural knowledge of the audience also varies greatly. John H. Falk (in Eberbach, 1997) suggests that a learning experience must focus on a specific target audience, while considering all within the audience range. You need to provide an experience that will be satisfying to the lowest common denominator, typically children. You're missing the boat in a family experience, however, if you merely speak to the lowest common denominator. What ultimately makes it a satisfying intergenerational experience is if there are layers of information and experience that are as satisfying to adults as they are to children (Falk, as cited in Eberbach, 1997, p. 7). Where are we going? After you have decided who is going, the next step in planning any trip is determining where you are and where you want to go. The same is true here. A needs assessment should identify the gaps between the learners' current and desired proficiencies as perceived by the learner and others; that is, it should help define the "what is" and "what should be" (Galbraith, 1990). Determine what the audience currently knows, and what you want them to know. For example, theme days for Mylo's Animal Barn are based on the agricultural commodities grown in Dodge County. The goal of the barn was to increase the agricultural literacy of people primarily living within Dodge County. Therefore, the desired proficiencies primarily focus on alfalfa, corn, soybeans, beef, and swine. Additionally, the objective is to expand the knowledge base, therefore activities related to international agriculture, non-conventional livestock, and entomology are included. How will I get there? The itinerary, or instructional package, should consist of educational goals, activities, needed materials and resources, and evaluation methods. The contact time and audience must be taken into consideration when designing the learning experience. The contact time in Mylo's Animal Barn, for example, varies greatly, from simply walking through the barn - in route to another destination - to spending several minutes or several hours in the barn. Selecting and setting educational objectives should draw heavily from a needs assessment; however, other sources can contribute to the process. A learning objective is the intended or desired outcome and proficiency level that the learner should obtain as a result of participating in the educational experience. Learning objectives may focus on knowledge, skill, or attitude enhancement or a combination of the three to reach the desired outcomes (Galbraith, 1990). It is necessary to develop specific learning objectives to ensure that agricultural literacy remains the focus of non-formal agricultural literacy activities. …


One reason that business cycle turning points are hard to understand and predict may be that economists typically employ linear models, while a growing body of research suggests that many economic variables interact in a nonlinear fashion. This study measures the contribution of changes in military spending to business cycles. It uses data at the state level, which offer the advantages of a great diversity and volume of data relative to the aggregate, and a framework capable of capturing nonlinear and asymmetric relationships.> The results suggest that military spending is a significant determinant of economic activity at the state level, with a modest impact on most states and a sizable impact on those with a large exposure to the military sector. The transmission of military spending changes to personal income (and to employment) appears to be nonlinear and asymmetric, with large cutbacks having proportionally larger responses than either large contract awards or small changes.


The history of an important newspaper is almost by definition a political, economic, and social history of the region it serves as well as the human drama of the people whose visions, talents, and labors shaped it over the years. Jack Claiborne combines these elements in The Charlotte Observer , a narrative that traces the development of the largest newpaper in the Carolinas from Reconstruction to the present. A business-oriented paper from the outset, the Observer began as a four-page, single-sheet publication, printed and folded by hand and distributed mostly by train. Today its huge presses print, cut, count, and fold more than 230,000 copies daily and 270,000 on Sundays for distribution by truck to mountain towns and coastal resorts as well as the sprawling neighborhoods of Charlotte. The rise of the Observer mirrors the rise of Charlotte as the Carolinas' largest trading, manufacturing, financial, and distribution center, and the evolution of the surrounding Piedmont countryside from an area of rolling farms and cotton fields to a dispersed urban region of manufacturing and commerce. In telling the Observer 's story, Claiborne also recounts the birth and death of its formal rival, the evening Charlotte News (1888-1985). The story documents the Observer 's embrace of the New South creed as it emerged as one of North Carolina's most influential newspapers and the voice of its industrial interests. Like Charlotte and the surrounding region, which were shaped by such men as Zebulon Vance, James Duke, Henry Belk, and Cameron Morrison, the Observer bears the imprint of many personalities, from pioneer industrialist D. A. Tompkins and the eloquent, outspoken editor J. P. Caldwell, to John S. and John L. Knight, leaders of the national company that owns the modern Observer . Spiced with vignettes of those and others who shaped and guided the paper, Claiborne's account captures the clash of ambition and personality that marked the paper's rise. The death of editor J. P. Caldwell in 1911 touched off a five-year struggle for power until the paper was purchased by Curtis Johnson, who built it into a large and highly profitable enterprise. Johnson's death in 1950 precipitated another five-year struggle, resulting in the paper's purchase by the Knights and their appointment of ""Pete"" McKnight as editor. Under McKnight the paper abandoned its rigid conservatism to become an advocate of social change across the South. Originally published in 1986. A UNC Press Enduring Edition - UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.


Finite Volume Particle Method was successfully used to predict fluid flow behavior for 2-D simulations. In this paper, we present a FVPM which is applicable for 3-D solid mechanics simulations. This method features rectangular top-hat kernels for computing the interaction vectors exactly and efficiently. We employed this method to solve the elasto-plastic constitutive equations. To validate the model, we study the impact of rigid spherical particle to the solid surface with different velocities and compare the residual stress and plastic deformation with the FEM solutions.


Since the 1970s, tulpas have been a feature of Western paranormal lore. In contemporary paranormal discourse, a tulpa is a being that begins in the imagination but acquires a tangible reality and sentience. Tulpas are created either through a deliberate act of individual will or unintentionally from the thoughts of numerous people. The tulpa was first described by Alexandra David-Neel (1868–1969) in Magic and Mystery in Tibet (1929) and is still regarded as a Tibetan concept. However, the idea of the tulpa is more indebted to Theosophy than to Tibetan Buddhism. This article explores the murky origins of the tulpa to show how the concept emerged from a dialogue between East and West in which Theosophical metaphysics were combined with terms adapted from Tibetan Buddhism.


This narrative inquiry investigates how ten people in management positions in a Singapore institution of higher learning (IHL) learn and how they develop their professional identities. Learning is defined as sense or meaning making (Bruner, 1990; Greenfield, 2004; Mezirow, 2000; Simkins, 2005; Weick, 1995) and development of professional identity is defined as how these ten people in management construct meaning in narratives of their life and professional experiences (Connelly and Clandinin, 1999; Olesen, 2001 ).The uncertainties and complexities of a rapidly changing external environment make sense and meaning making vital in leadership and management in education. Research questions relate to how meaning is constructed of significant learning experiences over time; the internal mental structures or frames of reference used to construct meaning; and the internal dialectics involved in meaning construction. Narrative constructions of significant learning experiences over time obtained in in-depth interviews of ten people in management positions in the research site were analysed using a synthesis of narrative analysis approaches relevant to the research questions. Narrative analysis of the narrative constructions showed the construction of a distinct self by each interviewee and the development of agency over time. Frames of reference used in meaning construction comprised inter-related dimensions of cognition, affect and conation and were found to be adaptable in different contexts. The internal dialectics of meaning construction involved an "outside-in" process of internalisation of knowledge and an "inside-out" process of self construction. Research findings also showed the inter relationships of the development of consciousness and self-responsibility in agency development in narrative constructions; how self-construction is involved in meaning construction, the use and adaptation of frames of reference in different contexts, and the internal dialectics of meaning making. Implications of the research findings for practice include the need to use narratives and create contexts for learning from experience to focus student learning, staff professional development and management development in higher education on the development of consciousness and self-responsibility; and self-construction in agency development, the use and adaptation of frames of reference and internal dialectics of meaning making.


PURPOSE
To develop a validation framework for markerless tumor trajectory estimation algorithms and use this framework to optimize markerless tumor trajectory estimation in cone beam CT (CBCT) projections.

METHODS
Fiducial markers implanted in and near the tumor in six lung cancer patients were segmented in CBCT projections and the 3D marker trajectories were reconstructed. A correction based on the tumor position in the reconstructed CBCT, the tumor-to-marker displacement (T-M) was added to the marker trajectory to generate the reference tumor trajectory. Four combinations of T-M based on two marker segmentation methods and two tumor position measurement methods were evaluated. Since T-M is expected to be fairly stable from day to day, optimal T-M was evaluated based on day-to-day variability. For markerless tracking, three means of generating templates for 2D registration (a cylindrical template, expanded gross tumor volume (Ex-GTV), and Ex-GTV with padding to override non-target edges (padded template)) were compared using the validation framework. A constraint method was also implemented to regularize the 2D registration.

RESULTS
The optimal T-M was generated by planning CT to CBCT registration of the target volume along with marker segmentation from the projections. The mean (standard deviation) absolute registration error in five patients using the three different template methods were 5.3 (6.5) mm for the Ex-GTV template, 6.1 (6.4) mm for the cylinder template, and 3.5 (5.0) for the padded template. The 90% error level was 12.4, 13.3, and 7.9 mm for the three methods, respectively. The mean registration error was reduced further to 2.1 (2.5) mm (90% error of 4.3 mm) with the constraint method.

CONCLUSION
A validation framework for markerless trajectory measurement was optimized. The padded template method with constraints agreed best with the implanted marker trajectories. E Weiss receives research support from Varian Medical Systems.


This paper suggests that CLA functions as a method of the between. It is able to do this because it is a hinge concept that allows for structure to be unpacked via method, and also rethought and engaged via a process oriented theory of knowledge. As an organising principle it allows curriculum to be rethought as an agency-structure dialogue that does not just account for the process of the individual, but relies upon it for an integrated learning praxis. Causal Layered Pedagogy (CLP) follows CLA in describing reality as layered and process oriented. It has the potential to transform curricula practice.


This study investigates the causal relationship between inflation and relative price variability in Turkey for the period of January 2003-January 2014, by using panel data. In the study, a Granger (1969) non-causality test in heterogeneous panel data models developed by Dumitrescu and Hurlin (2012) is utilized to determine the causal relations between inflation rate relative price variability. The panel data consists of 4123 observations: 133 time observations and 31 cross-section observations. The results of panel causality test indicate that there is a bidirectional causality between inflation rate and relative price variability by not supporting the imperfection information model of Lucas and the menu cost model of Ball and Mankiw.


In recent years, performative arts in Poland have seen a proliferation of hybrid art installations combining not just different media, but also procedures from the field of academic research, designing new technologies, as well as political action and philosophical inquiries. In this context, post-theatre doesn't have to (and shouldn't) become yet another artistic genre that comes 'after theatre'. Instead, it could define different kinds of spaces for dynamically creating new ways of being in the world and thinking about it. Still, with their attachment to traditional genre-related classifications, critics and art scholars have yet to find a language to precisely describe this kind of post-theatre experiences, taking as their starting point the audience member experience they regard as constitutive. This lack of language is evidenced by few reviews for, and critical assessments of the work of Dead Baitz, a group comprising scholars Agnieszka Jelewska and Michal Krawczak, composer Rafal Zapala, multimedia artist Pawel Janicki and software developer Michal Cichy. It's extremely difficult to write about Dead Baitz's work without taking into account the situated experience of a critic or scholar. The present article aims to fill this gap, while offering a broader reflection on the issue of participation in the latest art installations. However, the starting point for these reflections will be not so much a survey of Dead Baitz's artistic methods as the analysis of the author's own experience of participation in the installations  Post-apocalypsis  (2015) and  Anaesthesia  (2016). By employing the autoethnographic method (Ticineto-Clough) and the findings of contemporary ensemble theory (DeLanda), I'll try to demonstrate taking part in these art installations falls outside the participation theories developed to date (Ranciere, Bourriaud, Bishop). This is because underlying these theories is the tacit assumption that participation in art events is limited to humans. But Dead Baitz installations feature different types of ensembles of human and non-human participants – ensembles which are either absent from, or assigned a marginal role in, the established participation theories. In this context, it seems fitting to speak of cyberparticipation rather than simply participation. Etymologically, the proposed term stems from the prefix 'cyber-', commonly used today. It derives from the Greek adjective  kybernētēs   - the source of the word 'cybernetics', denoting both the helmsman – the one who steers the ship – and the helm. In this understanding of the term, cyberparticipation is relevant not just to digital culture phenomena, but also to the experience of at once controlling and being controlled, which is peculiar to culture in its most recent form.


The aim of the present study was to explore processes potentially implicated in the formation of symptoms of psychopathology. It was hypothesized that the "adaptiveness" of the individual is reflected in stress-related patterns of mood change, cardiac activity, and selective attention. Cognitive adaptiveness to stress was defined by a profile of five personality traits: locus of control, self-efficacy, self-esteem, optimism, and anxiety. The sample consisted of 38 normally functioning university students who were assigned the stress-inducing task of preparing and presenting a speech for evaluation by a panel of "judges". Stress was assessed via a mood questionnaire and heart rate. Selective attention was evaluated using a reaction time computer task in which participants responded to a dot appearing in the spatial location formerly occupied by either a threat or neutral cue (dot probe task). Faster latencies to dot probes replacing threat cues indicate attentional bias to threat. In general, the results supported the hypothesis that individual differences in adaptiveness affect stress reactions in ways that could increase the risk of psychopathology. Specifically, it was found that: (a) individuals low in adaptiveness reported more stress-related mood lowering than those high in adaptiveness, even after differences prior to stress were statistically controlled; (b) low adaptives avoided threat cues more than high adaptives in anticipation of an imminent threat; (c) low adaptives showed more instability in selective attention patterns than high adaptives; and (d) the greater the stress-related physiological arousal, the better the mood in high adaptives. The implications of these findings are discussed in the context of risk and psychopathology.


The issue of greenhouse gas (GHG) stabilization stands on three critical open questions. Namely, what are the impacts deriving from different levels of climate change and their distribution. What are the levels at which GHG concentration should be stabilized in order to avoid unacceptable impacts. And, finally, what are the costs and what are the instruments available to reach such stabilization targets. In the present paper, we address the latter question, in the specific attempt of shedding some light on the debated role of technological progress in lowering the costs of GHG stabilization. In particular, we use an optimal growth climate-economy model, where technical change is endogenously driven by learning by researching and learning by doing. In the model, when an ambitious stabilization target has to be reached, some additional technological innovation and diffusion is induced. The magnitude of this induced effect substantially affects the costs of stabilizing greenhouse gasses and may even make a well-designed climate policy a win-win strategy. A sensitivity analysis on the model crucial parameters is performed to account for structural and parametric uncertainties on learning effects, on the relationship between knowledge accumulation and the energy and carbon intensity of the economic system, and on the crowding out of investments in the energy sector R&D with respect to other research fields.


In common with all composite materials, Aromatic Polymer Composite-2
(APC-2) is inherently expensive and as such any reclaimed material
is potentially extremely valuable. In this work, pieces varying
from 6.35-25.^mm square (0.25-1.Oinch) were cut from APC-2 single
ply prepreg of thickness 0.125mm and compression moulded into panels
150mm square, with the thickness controlled to meet the requirements
of subsequent characterisation. Further work was carried out on
panels of the same dimensions moulded from squares cut from 8 ply
preconsolidated APC-2, the size of these squares ranging from IQ-
25. 4mm square. The flexural, tensile and compressive mechanical
properties, fracture and impact toughness, and creep behaviour of
these composites were determined, as a function of particle size.
Finally, the potential for moulding was assessed. Results from
tensile and flexural tests show that the variations in the tensile
and flexural moduli of the composites increase linearly with particle
size. Using suitable modifications of planar reinforcement theory
to produce a quasi-isotropic theory, an accurate prediction of the
experimental values is possible, from the Modulus Reduction Factor
[MRF]. A similar approach with respect to the experimental strength
can only be made if the mode of failure is known. The fracture toughness
of the composite moulded from single ply prepreg was found to be
greater than that of continuous fibre reinforced APC-2 and increased
with decreasing particle size over the size range examined. Fractographic
analysis of this phenomenon revealed several toughening
mechanisms: Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) rich zones act as crack
arresters; fibre bundle and particle bridging of the crack increase
the work to fracture. Impact toughness is greatly enhanced over
injection moulded composites for similar reasons. The creep property
profile is very promising and shows retention of the creep resistance
of PEEK and carbon fibre. The formability shows a possible opportunity
for component manufacture otherwise impossible at present.


We are investigating the use of flywheels for energy storage. Flywheel devices need to be of high efficiency and an important source of losses is the bearings. In addition, the requirement is for the devices to have long lifetimes with minimal or no maintenance. Conventional rolling element bearings can and have been used, but a noncontact bearing, such as a superconducting magnetic bearing, is expected to have a longer lifetime and lower losses. We have constructed a flywheel system. Designed to run in vacuum this incorporates a 40 kg flywheel supported on superconducting magnetic bearings. The production device will be a 5 kW device storing 5 kWh of retrievable energy at 50000 rpm. The Cambridge University system is being developed in parallel with a similar device supported on a conventional bearing. This will allow direct performance comparisons. Although superconducting bearings are increasingly well understood, of major importance are the cryogenics and special attention is being paid to methods of packaging and insulating the superconductors to cut down radiation losses. The work reported here is part of a three-year program of work supported by the EPSRC.


This longitudinal study analyzes the effect of labor market conditions and welfare policies accompanying the 1990s waivers granted by the federal government and Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-193)on California's welfare caseload. A monthly semilogarithmic rate model is constructed for analyzing and predicting the single-parent welfare caseload from January 1983 to December 1998. The idea underlying this model is that during the study period month-to-month changes in the fraction of the female population ages 15 to 44 who headed a single-parent family and who received welfare were in response to changes in welfare policies and other programmatic and economic factors. The findings suggest that the role of welfare policies in shaping the caseload was modest, whereas the role of the economy was substantial. Key words: caseload; economy; time limits; waivers; welfare reform; work incentives On April 10, 1999, President Clinton announced that since he took office, welfare caseloads consisting of families with children on welfare had fallen by 50 percent or more in 29 states and by about half nationwide. The most recent policy changes intended to reduce welfare caseloads were those under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWOA) of 1996 (P.L. 104-193). On August 22, 1996, President Clinton signed PRWOA into law. This legislation replaced the federal entitlement program of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) with Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). For the previous 60 years, the AFDC program had provided financial assistance to poor families with children who met categorical and income eligibility criteria. In 1998, in response to federal changes under PRWOA, California's AFDC program was replaced by California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs). Along with time limits, this new program implemented substantial work incentives. Before the inception of the PRWOA, a number of states, including California, were granted waivers by the federal government to experiment with a variety of innovative approaches to end welfare dependence. From 1993 to 1997, welfare caseloads decreased in these states by nearly 20 percent, the largest decline in 50 years (Martini & Wiseman, 1997). In light of the goals of the 1996 federal welfare legislation, it is particularly important to determine if, and the extent to which, federal or state policies played major roles in reducing welfare receipt in the context of improving economic conditions, including lower unemployment rates and growing numbers of jobs. California's very severe recession and subsequent vigorous recovery occurred in the midst of its waivers and CalWORKs, creating an excellent domain for teasing apart the effect of policy shifts from the economy in reducing the caseload. This study determined the extent to which earlier waivers and PRWOA as implemented by CalWORKs affected the size of the welfare caseload in California. For this investigation the largest component of the welfare caseload, the single-parent component, is considered for analysis. The AFDC-Family Groups (AFDC-FG) or CalWORKs component mainly serves single-parent families, many of whom do not have labor force experience. Understanding the role that the economy and recent welfare reform policies played in reducing the caseload after the inception of the waivers and PRWOA may foster a better design of future policies. Other research that analyzes the effect of recent welfare reform legislation on welfare caseloads is national, occurred before the implementation of PRWOA, and is in short supply. Yet, state-level rather than national-level analysis is essential because welfare policies and experiences vary drastically from state to state. Findings from the present investigation should have special value for states that were granted work-related waivers similar to the ones granted to California or to states that implemented programs resembling the CalWORKs program. …


For the last few decades the importance of customer orientation for the success of service organisations has been emphasised in the academic and applied literatures. While the importance of the concept remains largely beyond dispute, scholars have suggested various definitions and applications of the concept to enhance service delivery. The purpose of this thesis is to examine an explicit behavioural perspective (COBEH) where the focus is not on an untangle service orientations of employees, but on the extent to which employees engage in direct behaviours specifically designed to benefit customers. This study was designed to examine empirically, for the first time, the nature, impact and development of the COBEH construct. First, the nature of COBEH was examined by a series of employee surveys from various service industries. The construct was examined in relation to the already established organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) construct to determine if and to what extent the constructs are related and predictive of employee service-related behaviours. In this part of the study there were 2693 participants from seven Icelandic service organisations. Secondly, the impact of COBEH was examined by using employee and customer survey data from one of the seven participating service organisations (N=103). Employees' self-reported customer-oriented behaviour was compared with customer perceptions of the corresponding employee performance. Data on employee service performance was provided by two customer surveys including 900 customer responses in each survey. The employee and customer surveys provided a unique opportunity to match employee self-reports and customer perceptions. Thirdly, the development of COBEH was empirically tested by using both the employee and customer surveys where the antecedents of COBEH were examined (N=1190) and the impact of a customer service training programme on COBEH and the suggested antecedents were tested (N=71). Hence, this study addressed a gap in the literature between human resource practices and individual performance and establishes the COBEH construct as a valid and reliable predictor of customer perception of service outcomes. The results presented in this thesis show that the COBEH phenomenon is related to organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) and that contrary to the OCB construct, it is predictive of customers' perceptions. COBEH is constructed of two related but separate sub-dimensions: helping behaviours directed at customers and continuous improvement efforts to enhance service delivery. The results suggest that the type of service may affect the construct's factor structure. The results confirm previous findings regarding the suggested antecedents of COBEH, but provide additional information regarding the differences in the underlying conditions for the two sub-dimensions. Both dimensions are impacted by motivational and capacity factors, but the two sub-dimensions are not a function of the exact same antecedents. A significant interaction was detected between employee willingness and capacity in regards to employee customer-oriented behaviours: as job capacity increases, the impact of employee willingness to engage in efforts on behalf of customers decreases. Organisations wanting to develop customer-oriented behaviours to enhance service delivery must take into consideration differences in the impact of the antecedents on the subdimensions and strategically use selection, socialisation, service training programmes and supportive managerial practices to create the conditions necessary for such behaviours to be cultivated and maintained. Furthermore, the results confirm the positive impact of customer-oriented behaviours on customer service perceptions, establishing the construct as a valid predictor of perceived service quality. It is believed that service delivery through full utilisation of human resources will become the major tool for competitive advances in the coming years. Thus, the importance of the COBEH construct will be enhanced in the new millennium as future examination and application of the construct will aid service organisations in their continuous search for a competitive advantage.


Epidural steroid injections for treatment of sciatica did not confer significant additional benefit over placebo injection in patients who had had symptoms for less than one year. While steroid injections may afford short-term improvements in pain and movement, this beneficial effect was transient, and there was no statistical difference between active and placebo treatments after 4 weeks of follow-up. Treatment of sciatica with epidural steroids has exhibited no significant functional benefit, nor does it reduce the need for surgery. Outcomes varied minimally by injection site across studies, not based on direct comparisons. Lumbar radiculopathy Epidural injection of steroid and pain medication versus placebo


Objective: In children, excessive ingestion of fluoride from different sources including bottled drinking water and flavoured beverages or soft drinks can lead to the development of dental fluorosis. In addition, the pH level of beverages is important. Low pH can cause dental erosion. In this study we explore the fluoride content and pH level of certain popular beverages available in Malaysian supermarkets and hawkers' stalls. Methods: Bottled drinking water and selected popular flavoured packet drinks were purchased from a supermarket and the corresponding flavoured hawkers' drinks, from a hawker's stall in Kuala Lumpur. Fluoride and pH of the beverages were determined using digital fluoride meter and digital pH meter respectively. Results: It was found that fluoride content and pH level vary among the beverages. The mean fluoride content in both packet and hawkers' drinks (7.64±1.88 mg/L, 7.51±1.60 mg/L, respectively) was approximately 7 times higher than the bottled drinking water (1.05±0.35 mg/L). Among the beverages, the tea packet drink was found to contain the highest amount of fluoride (13.02±0.23 mg/L). The mean pH of bottled-drinking water was near neutral (6.96±0.17), but acidic for both supermarket (4.78.00±0.49) and hawkers' drinks (5.73±0.24). The lychee packet drink had the lowest pH level (2.97±0.03). Conclusions: Due to the wide variation of the fluoride content and pH level of the drinks tested in this study, it is recommended that steps should be taken to control the fluoride concentration and pH level in beverages if dental fluorosis and erosion are to be prevented.


This paper examines the Twitter social graph of German politicians and political parties during a time period not potentially biased by nearby elections. Based on a data set of 1,719 politicians across the entire political spectrum of this important country in the EU, two graphs are constructed, which also reflect relationships within and between parties: the follower graph, consisting of all followerfollowee relationships between German politicians, and the "mention graph", which models direct references of politicians to their colleagues. Our main contributions are as follows: First, we analyse these graphs according to several statistics and graph metrics, characterizing political parties according to their collective participation in Twitter. We also investigate the openness for following ideas across political camps, resulting in the discovery of three distinct groups of political parties. We also find that membership in political parties itself explains only little of the variation in the formation of ties. There is also evidence that politicians with less activity exhibit a higher degree of openness than users with active engagement in tweets and discussions. This case study on social media adoption in politics leads to interesting insights into political debate in the information society.


Introduction
Many veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have concomitant respiratory conditions and mental health conditions. We wanted to evaluate the association of mental health diagnoses with respiratory disease diagnoses among post-deployment veterans.

Methods
We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all Afghanistan and Iraq War veterans who were discharged from the military or otherwise became eligible to receive Veterans Health Administration services. The primary exposure was receipt of a mental health diagnosis and the primary outcome was receipt of a respiratory diagnosis as recorded in the electronic health record. We used multivariable adjusted logistic regression to measure the associations of mental health diagnoses with respiratory diagnoses and conducted several analyses exploring the timing of the diagnoses.

Results
Among 182,338 post-deployment veterans, 14% were diagnosed with a respiratory condition, 77% of whom had a concomitant mental health diagnosis. The incidence rates were 5,363/100,000 person-years (p-y), 587/100,000 p-y, 1,450/100,000 p-y, and 233/100,000 p-y for any respiratory disease diagnosis, bronchitis, asthma, and chronic obstructive lung disease diagnoses, respectively, after the date of first Veterans Health Administration utilization. Any mental health diagnosis was associated with increased odds for any respiratory diagnosis (adjusted odds ratio 1.41, 95% confidence interval 1.37-1.46). The association of mental health diagnoses and subsequent respiratory disease diagnoses was stronger and more consistent than the converse.

Conclusion
Many Afghanistan and Iraq War veterans are diagnosed with both respiratory and mental illnesses. Comprehensive plans that include care coordination with mental health professionals and treatments for mental illnesses may be important for many veterans with respiratory diseases.