This paper will introduce the audience to an international initiative underway to improve access to online journals in agriculture in the developing countries. AGORA (Access to Global Online Research In Agriculture) is a collaborative project of FAO, CGIAR, the World Health Organization and Cornell University's TEEAL project, along with major scientific publishers. AGORA is based on TEEAL (The Essential Electronic Agricultural Library) and modeled after the World Health Organization's HINARI (Health InterNetwork Access to Research Initiative). The ultimate goal of AGORA is to increase the quality and effectiveness of agricultural and environmental science research in low-income countries and, in turn, to improve food security. By providing access to the scholarly literature of agriculture and environmental sciences, researchers and decision makers in developing countries will have access to the work of the global scientific community and be better able to incorporate proven scientific knowledge into their research. AGORA will provide access to online content through a portal to be built especially for the project. The AGORA portal ultimately will fulfill the multiple information transfer functions so necessary to information delivery in the developing countries. In this first phase, AGORA will build a core platform providing access to online scientific journals in agriculture and related environmental and social sciences. The AGORA program team is working closely with publishers and agricultural database producers to build an excellent online collection of agricultural material, which will be made available either for free or at very low cost. In order to provide reference and technical support, libraries and librarians around the globe will be enlisted. We envision a 24x7 multi-language virtual reference/technical support service with agricultural libraries around the world contributing to the service. We also envision a "train the trainer" program, where librarians throughout the developing world will receive training in the use of the system and thus be prepared to pass that knowledge along to other trainers and end-users. This aspect of the program may offer an opportunity for U.S. land grant libraries to provide assistance with AGORA. While the possibility of obtaining access to online journals is greeted enthusiastically, some barriers to delivering online information in developing countries still exist. TEEAL undertook an Internet readiness survey in February 2002. This presentation will discuss some of the results of that study and the implications for delivery of information in the developing countries. We hope that, like TEEAL several years ago, AGORA will be the next program to revolutionize access to agricultural information in the developing countries. This presentation will introduce the USAIN audience to the many facets of this initiative.


One of the nine instruments on-board the polar-orbiting environmental satellite ENVISAT is the Global Ozone Monitoring by Occultation of Stars (GOMOS) instrument. This paper presents validation results of GOMOS ozone profiles (v6.0a) from comparisons to microwave radiometer, balloon ozonesonde and lidar measurements worldwide. Thirty-one instruments/ launch-sites at twenty-five stations ranging from the Arctic to the Antarctic joined in this activity. We identified 3,713 useful collocated observations that were performed within an 800-km radius and a maximum 20hours time difference of a satellite observation, for the period June 2002 and March 2003. These collocated profiles were compared and the results were analyzed for possible dependencies on several geophysical (e.g., latitude) and GOMOS observational (e.g., star characteristics) parameters. In a dark atmospheric limb the GOMOS data agree very well with the correlative data and between 20- to 61-km altitude their differences only show a small (2.5%) insignificant negative bias with a standard deviation of about 14%. This conclusion is demonstrated to be independent of the star temperature and magnitude, and the latitudinal region of the GOMOS observation.


In particular, the study was designed to investigate and explore rural upper secondary students' attitudes towards learning English as a second language with regards to the contents of the attitude, context and individual variable in Sarawak. In addition, the study also sought to explore the relative significance of the language attitudes thus identified. Mixed- method was chosen with the implementation of cross-sectional survey and semi structured interviews. Cluster sampling set out with a total of 70 Form 4 students from 3 selected rural secondary schools in Sarawak. Data obtained was analysed by using SPSS software while the interviews were transcribed to refine the findings. The findings from this study indicated that the students have an excellent knowledge on the importance of English language even though they agreed that their mother tongue/ first language interfere when they speak English. In addition, study also discovered the relative significance of the language attitudes thus identified as the result indicated that the irregular use of English also related to the uncertainty of the thoughts about learning English as a second language. Keywords: Attitude; Rural; Upper secondary students; ESL


Objectives: A few studies on small patient series have investigated the relationship between gastroesophageal reflux and bronchial responsiveness as expressed by exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB), with non-conclusive results. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the presence of acid in the oesophagus may influence EIB. Methods: 45 patients with bronchial asthma underwent spirometry, exercise challenge on bicycle ergometer and 24 h oesophageal pH monitoring. Subjects with EIB (Forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1)) percentage decrease after exercise (ΔFEV1) ⩾15%, n  =  28) were retested after a 2 week treatment course with omeprazole 40 mg/daily. Exercise at baseline was performed at the same time as oesophageal pH monitoring. Results: In basal condition, there was no difference in FEV1, acid exposure time or number of refluxes measured during 24 h pH monitoring between patients with and without EIB. There was no relationship between spirometry results and ΔFEV1 on one hand, and parameters of gastroesophageal reflux on the other. Nine patients with EIB (31.0%) and six patients without EIB (37.5%) had one or more episodes of GER during exercise challenge, without significant differences between the two groups. After gastric acid inhibition by omeprazole, ΔFEV1 did not change significantly. Conclusions: The results indicate that acid in the oesophagus, or its short-term inhibition by proton pump inhibitors, has no influence on exercise-induced bronchoconstriction.


We recently showed that Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) recurrent neural networks (RNNs) outperform state-of-the-art deep neural networks (DNNs) for large scale acoustic modeling where the models were trained with the cross-entropy (CE) criterion. It has also been shown that sequence discriminative training of DNNs initially trained with the CE criterion gives significant improvements. In this paper, we investigate sequence discriminative training of LSTM RNNs in a large scale acoustic modeling task. We train the models in a distributed manner using asynchronous stochastic gradient descent optimization technique. We compare two sequence discriminative criteria – maximum mutual information and state-level minimum Bayes risk, and we investigate a number of variations of the basic training strategy to better understand issues raised by both the sequential model, and the objective function. We ob-tain significant gains over the CE trained LSTM RNN model using sequence discriminative training techniques.


Beginning in the summer of 2000, California experienced serious energy supply problems, sharp increases in wholesale (and retail) electricity and natural gas prices, and isolated blackouts. In response to the rapidly worsening electricity situation in California in late 2000, the state set, as an initial goal, the reduction of the state's peak demand for the summer of 2001 by 5,000 megawatts. To meet this goal, the governor and legislature took a variety of steps to enhance supply, encourage rapid voluntary reductions in demand, and provide incentives for actions that would result in load reductions. Three bills-Assembly Bill 970, Senate Bill X1 5 and Assembly Bill X1 29-allocated roughly $950 million for consumption and demand reduction programs. The governor also enacted a variety of additional measures, including the Flex Your Power (media awareness and direct business involvement) campaign, requirements for retail sector outdoor lighting reductions, and toughening of energy efficiency building codes. There were, in fact, significant reductions in electricity demand in California during the summer of 2001 and the large number of expected supply disruptions was avoided. To understand the nature of these demand reductions and the motivations for consumer response, Washington State University (WSU) undertook a study for the California Energy Commission (CEC) focusing on conservation behavior in the residential, commercial, and agricultural sectors. The research presented in this report represents an exploration of the response of commercial and institutional organizations to the California energy situation and the unique set of influences that existed during this time. These influences included informational messages and media attention, program interventions, price changes, and external triggering events (e.g., blackouts). To better understand the effects of these influences on organizational response to the energy situation, we conducted 84 semi-structured interviews with members of commercial and institutional organizations (many of which participated in three different California Energy Commission Programs) and with 21 key informants representing program managers, administrators, and aggregators as well as a small number of energy service providers and utilities. Separate reports examine the consumer response in the residential and agricultural sectors.


OBJECTIVE
To determine whether caregiving grandparents are at an increased risk for depressive symptoms.

DATA SOURCE
National sample (n=10,293) of grandparents aged 53-63 years in 1994, and their spouse/partners, who took part in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS).

STUDY DESIGN
Grandparents were surveyed in 1994 and resurveyed every two years thereafter, through 2000. Over that period, 977 had a grandchild move in or out of their home. These grandparents served as their own controls to assess the impact of having a grandchild in the home. Data Extraction. Depressive symptoms were measured using an abbreviated form of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale, scored 1-8, with a score > or =4 associated with depression "caseness".

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS
At the time of the 1994 interview, 8.2 percent of grandparents had a grandchild in their home. However, there was substantial variation across demographic groups (e.g., 29.4 percent of single nonwhite grandmothers, but only 2.0 percent of single white grandfathers had a grandchild in residence). The impact of having a grandchild in the home varied by grandparent demographic group, with single grandparents and those without coresident adult children experiencing the greatest probability of elevation in depressive symptoms when a grandchild was in residence. For example, single nonwhite grandmothers experienced an 8 percentage point increase in the probability of having a CES-D score > or =4 when a grandchild was in their home, compared to when a grandchild was not in their home, controlling for changes in health care, income, and household composition over time (95 percent CI=0.1 to 15.0 percentage points).

CONCLUSIONS
Grandparents have a greater probability of elevated depressive symptoms when a grandchild is in their home, versus when a grandchild is not in their home. Single women of color bear a disproportionate burden of the depression associated with caring for grandchildren. Since an increasing number of grandparents function as a de facto safety net keeping their grandchildren out of formal foster care, identifying strategies to support the health and well-being of caregiving grandparents is an emerging priority.


Lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) have recently attracted great interest owing to their high theoretical energy density (2500 kW kg−1) and low cost and the environmental friendliness of sulfur as the active species at the cathode. However, rapid capacity fading restricts practical application of LSBs. Despite the encouraging progress achieved, this issue still needs to be further addressed. Herein, we report a novel cathode structure based on nano-wall-array Mn3O4 which shows excellent cycle and rate performances. In such a cathode, the Mn3O4 nano-wall arrays function as "nano reservoirs" for sulfur confinement so that the cathode can yield a high-rate (2C) initial (∼593 mA h g−1) and reversible capacity (∼355 mA h g−1, 60% retention after 3000 cycles). We also show, by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic and electrochemical analyses, that Mn3O4 as a sulfur-hosting oxide is better than conventionally used MnO2; this is because the former shows better chemical stability in the electrolyte when binding with polysulfides, giving rise to long-lasting suppression of polysulfide shuttle. Our work demonstrates that building a nano-wall array structure of Mn3O4 is an effective strategy to improve lithium–sulfur cathode performance, and for the first time, we propose and show that the stability of polar materials in the electrolyte is a crucial factor that determines the cycle performance of polar materials/S electrodes.


One of the factors that limits the scale, performance, and sophistication of distributed applications is the difficulty of concurrently executing them on multiple distributed computing resources. In part, this is due to a poor understanding of the general properties and performance of the coupling between applications and dynamic resources. This paper addresses this issue by integrating abstractions representing distributed applications, resources, and execution processes into a pilot-based middleware. The middleware provides a platform that can specify distributed applications, execute them on multiple resource and for different configurations, and is instrumented to support investigative analysis. We analyzed the execution of distributed applications using experiments that measure the benefits of using multiple resources, the late-binding of scheduling decisions, and the use of backfill scheduling.


The "staples thesis" argues that institutions in a given region could be explained by the nature of production of its prevailing staples, whereby slavery is likely to emerge in "slave-conducive" crops, such as cotton, rice, and sugarcane. This paper evaluates the thesis using a unique natural experiment from nineteenth-century rural Egypt, the cotton boom that occurred because of the American Civil War in 1861-1865. Historical evidence suggests that the cotton boom marked the emergence of the short-lived institution of large-scale agricultural slavery in Egypt's Nile Delta, where all slaves were imported from East Africa, before the abolition of slavery in 1877. Employing the newly digitized Egyptian individual-level population census samples from 1848 and 1868, I find that cotton-favorable districts witnessed greater increases in household's slaveholdings and the share of slave-owning households between 1848 and 1868 than less favorable districts. Those districts also witnessed greater increase in the population share of free local immigrants. I examine several potential mechanisms of these effects, namely, crossdistrict differences in the relative scarcity of free local labor and inter-crop differences in economies of scale and skill-intensity (results on mechanisms are not complete).


We demonstrate carbon nanotube (CNT)-incorporated optical nonlinear devices employing the interaction of CNTs with the evanescent field of propagating light in fibers for both passive mode-lockers of high-power fiber lasers and Kerr switches. We achieve 6.5-nJ picosecond output pulses as well as ≫20-dB switching extinction ratio with the proposed scheme.


Copied photographic print. Black and white. Enlargement of August, Joseph, and Alvin Bauer and Edward Schurr in a wagon and buggy with horses. Image is an enlarged, copied photographic print of image 5 (2002.10.05). Image of a farm scene with barn in middle distance, two outbuildings and buggy in distance. In front of barn is a white team of two horses pulling a wagon. A man sits atop of the wagon. A darker team of two horses pulls the buggy. Seated in the buggy are two men and a baby. People in the buggy are identified as August Bauer, Joseph C. Bauer, and Alvin Bauer (three generations of Bauers). Man in the wagon is identified as Edward Schurr. Photograph was taken on the August Bauer farm. Circa 1905-1907. Sticker along with the image reads: "Enlargement – from picture of August Bauer farm. He was married to Anna Buchmann. Farm at Blue Grass, ND. In buggy, 3 generations – August Bauer, son – Joseph Bauer, grandson – Alvin Bauer. On wagon, Edward Schurr – son of Joseph Schurr. Edward – 1891-1981, buried at Fargo, ND/ Picture circa 1905-1907." Courtesy of Alvina Schurr Collection, 2002.10, GRHC.


AUTOMOBILE AIR BAG INFLATION SYSTEM USING PRESSURIZED CARBON DIOXIDE by Bart Adams A novel air bag inflator based on the evaporation of liquefied carbon dioxide was developed. A detailed qualitative model was established on the basis of an extensive experimental study. An integrated quantitative model of this inflator was constructed. The system was studied by discharging the inflator into a tank and measuring pressure and temperature evolution (0-50 ms). The dispersion of the two-phase spray during inflation was investigated by high-speed cinematography. The optimal storage pressure of the liquid CO2 was found to be 2000 psig (at 22 °C). Two distinct inflator behaviors were identified. First, at conditions corresponding to an initial entropy below the critical point, a two-phase evaporating spray was ejected from the inflator into the tank. Second, at an initial entropy above the critical point, the inflation sequence constituted the expansion of a real gas without a significant phase transformation. The minimal flow section in the nozzle was found to control the dynamics of this new inflator. To prevent the formation of solid CO2 during inflation, small amounts of organic liquids were added to the inflator. A significant increase in tank temperature was observed, resulting in a profound improvement in performance. An explanation for the influence of organic liquids was developed based on a 'layered evaporation model'. The qualitative model was based on the interaction of the flashing process with the two-phase outflow from the inflator. This interaction was manifested in two different waves, namely a forerunner and an evaporation wave which controlled the evacuation of the two-phase mixture from the inflator. The latter was predominantly dispersed according to classical atomization mechanisms. The generated droplets evaporated partially by consuming their own internal energy and by interacting with tank gases. The characteristics of the condensate were evaluated by a detailed thermodynamic analysis. The quantitative description of the inflator involved the development of a transient one-dimensional, two-fluid model. Preliminary simulations show excellent agreement with the expected results. The tank model was formulated on the basis of an empirical correlation for the atomization process, coupled with a simple droplet evaporation model, followed by a model for the mixing of real gases. AUTOMOBILE AIR BAG INFLATION SYSTEM USING PRESSURIZED CARBON DIOXIDE


Over the past 40 years, great strides have been made in reducing poverty among the elderly in most rich countries. Pensioner poverty, however, has not been eradicated, especially in the Anglo-speaking nations. Poverty rates among older women are much higher than those for older men and much higher in the United States compared to other nations. In general, poverty rates rise with both age and changes in living arrangements, though living alone has a greater effect for women. Poverty rates among older women are highest among the divorced, widowed, and never married (all of which are also expected to rise significantly over the next decades). The challenge is to design retirement benefit systems that guarantee a minimum standard of living for all elderly women, while also preserving incentives for self financed retirement.


Fragmentation is a practical tool suggested in this paper to bring about societal inclusion. Indeed, this is not a novel idea. Kenya has joined the league of practitioners of decentralisation, a system of governance that involves fragmentation. One of the objectives is to achieve national unity. The evil observed today is that decentralisation has brought about broadened separation. The aim of this paper is to highlight how decentralisation as a practical mechanism ought to unite. This is a possible solution to the challenge of inclusion. The end sought is a better society where unity, peace and justice abound. The paper will tackle three spheres of inclusion: social, political and economic which are dealt with separately but in essence they are interlinked with each other. In each of these areas, the paper will illustrate how fragmentation has achieved inclusion.


These notes and essays are typical of the sixth-form history work which had remained largely unchanged since the introduction of A level in 1951. Students were required to read and digest notes which were then discussed in class. Exams consisted of a series of single sentence essay questions to which students were required to respond in around 45 minutes. Topics included are Italian and German unification, the rise of Hitler and Nazi Germany and British political history in the nineteenth century. The work is decorated with the student's own cartoons and graffiti.


Triplet-polaron quenching (TPQ) is a major cause of the efficiency loss at large current densities in phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes. The nature of the interaction process is presently not well understood. In this paper, we study TPQ due to F\"orster-type triplet-polaron interactions in energetically disordered organic semiconductors with a Gaussian polaron density of states. A continuum theory, which neglects the spatial inhomogeneity and energetic disorder, is from a kinetic Monte Carlo approach shown to correctly predict that the effective steady-state TPQ rate coefficient ${k}_{\text{TPQ,eff}}$ depends only sensitively on the polaron diffusion in a rather narrow range of diffusion coefficients. However, in this regime, significant discrepancies between the two approaches are found, in particular for realistic values of the TPQ-F\"orster radius, around 3 nm, and for systems with strong energetic disorder. Both approaches show that ${k}_{\text{TPQ,eff}}$ is not constant but can depend on the polaron density and the electric field. Various methods for deducing the TPQ mechanism from experiment are discussed, including an approach which utilizes the shape of the time-dependent photoluminescence after pulsed illumination.


Synopsis It is well understood that to develop wagon wheels with higher abrasion resistance, fracture toughness, and fatigue resistance, steels with lower amounts of inclusions need to be used. Clean steels are produced with technologies that minimize the amount of inclusions in the microstructure. The demand for cleaner steels is high, and lowering of non-metallic oxide inclusions and controlling their morphology, composition, and size distribution is vital. Reduction of residual impurity elements such as sulphur, phosphorus, hydrogen, nitrogen, and trace elements is essential in the production of cleaner steel. Material cleanliness is vital for fatigue endurance, since oxide inclusions may act as stress concentrators and initiation points for fatigue cracks. To better understand the relationship between the cleanliness and toughness of the 34inch cast wagon wheels, two samples of different levels of cleanliness were supplied for investigation. This paper presents the results of metallurgical analysis using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS), and mechanical tests for the pearlitic high-performance cast rail wagon wheel (identified as Class B) that are currently being used. The Charpy V-notch impact test results for the three samples from wagon wheels were compared. With the aid of SEM/EDS analysis system, non-metallic inclusions in these steels were detected, and it was possible to determine the position, size, shape, and composition of each particle. Alumina and manganese sulphide inclusions could be identified as the dominant inclusion types in the investigated samples. Fracture surface analysis of the Charpy specimen with high inclusions indicated that transgranular cleavage was the predominant fracture mode. Fractography of fracture surfaces of Charpy impact test samples also showed improvement of toughness properties on the clean sample.


Portfolio managers are often challenged with difficult decisions in balancing the distribution of limited resources, particularly across groups of buildings of varying attributes, such as age, size, function, and states of physical condition and functional obsolescence. These complex decisions require insight into the correlations (or relationships) between a multitude of physical and financial attributes. Budget constraints compel the managers to prioritize the resource allocations, which requires the development of a compelling business case to support the skewed distribution of the funds to certain facilities and critical assets during particular fiscal years. This paper presents a methodology that draws upon a matrix correlation tool that has been used to help municipalities establish a defensible resource distribution amongst civic departments, motivated by the public good rather than profit incentive. While the weightings for the variables will differ based upon the owners' objectives (either in the public sector or private sector), the principles of matrix correlations apply to all real estate sectors, including municipal, commercial, industrial and institutional.


The northern Antarctic Peninsula has recently exhibited ice-shelf disintegration, glacier recession and acceleration. However, the dynamic response of land-terminating, ice-shelf tributary and tidewater glaciers has not yet been quantified or assessed for variability, and there are sparse data for glacier classification, morphology, area, length or altitude. This paper firstly classifies the area, length, altitude, slope, aspect, geomorphology, type and hypsometry of 194 glaciers on Trinity Peninsula, Vega Island and James Ross Island in 2009 AD. Secondly, this paper documents glacier change 1988–2009. In 2009, the glacierised area was 8140±262 km 2 . From 1988–2001, 90% of glaciers receded, and from 2001–2009, 79% receded. This equates to an area change of −4.4% for Trinity Peninsula eastern coast glaciers, −0.6% for western coast glaciers, and −35.0% for ice-shelf tributary glaciers from 1988–2001. Tidewater glaciers on the drier, cooler eastern Trinity Peninsula experienced fastest shrinkage from 1988–2001, with limited frontal change after 2001. Glaciers on the western Trinity Peninsula shrank less than those on the east. Land-terminating glaciers on James Ross Island shrank fastest in the period 1988–2001. This east-west difference is largely a result of orographic temperature and precipitation gradients across the Antarctic Peninsula, with warming temperatures affecting the precipitation-starved glaciers on the eastern coast more than on the western coast. Reduced shrinkage on the western Peninsula may be a result of higher snowfall, perhaps in conjunction with the fact that these glaciers are mostly grounded. Rates of area loss on the eastern side of Trinity Peninsula are slowing, which we attribute to the floating ice tongues receding into the fjords and reaching a new dynamic equilibrium. The rapid shrinkage of tidewater glaciers on James Ross Island is likely to continue because of their low elevations and flat profiles. In contrast, the higher and steeper tidewater glaciers on the eastern Antarctic Peninsula will attain more stable frontal positions after low-lying ablation areas are removed, reaching equilibrium more quickly.


Financial literacy which is generally defined as the proficiency to understand finance, should be a matter of concern for all of us. Many factors serve as predictors of financial literacy, such as gender, participant's major, class, and rank, not to mention demographic factors including information on age, family status, geographical
location, work and income.Other factor that also play an important role is financial literacy education.This study intends to test the student's level of understanding of the basic concepts of finance consisted of: 1) General Knowledge of Personal Finance, 2) Savings and Loans, 3) Insurance, and 4) Investment, as well as examine the effect of GPA, courses, and gender on the level of financial literacy. This research is conducted in Economic Faculty in State Islamic University of Sultan Syarif Kasim Riau, in Indonesia.In this study, it is found that GPA
does not have significant influence on the level of financial literacy.Furthermore, this study also discovers that there is no differences between gender and course on the level of financial literacy.


Fires regularly occur in New Zealand wetlands, affecting ecological indicators and conservation values such as native plant species richness. Following a small fire at the Kaituna Wetland, Bay of Plenty, foliage cover was measured and biodiversity indices determined on eight occasions over 48 months. Visual percentage estimation of species cover in six height classes showed that grasses (especially naturalised exotic species) were early colonists, although plots were subsequently dominated by the exotic Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) and the native common twig rush (Machaerina rubiginosa). At 48 months, there were 14 exotic vascular species in burnt plots compared to 10 in unburnt plots; conversely 10 native species were found in burnt plots, compared to 18 in unburnt plots. Mean species richness, Shannon-Weiner diversity, and total vegetation cover increased in the burnt quadrats over time, with exotic plant species having a greater relative increase in these measures than native species. Without proactive management, fire does not confer conservation benefits to the Kaituna Wetland. Disturbance events such as fires can be used as natural experiments to measure restoration and rehabilitation initiatives post-perturbation.


The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a pleiotropic nuclear factor that was originally recognized as a "master" of xenobiotic metabolism but demonstrated recently to be a vital regulator of many normal physiological events. Understanding of the mechanism of action of AhR-targeted compounds, as represented by polyphenols (the greatest source of xenobiotic AhR modulators in the human diet) is of critical importance for the development of polyphenol-based nutraceutical strategies or the prevention of AHR-mediated toxicity associated with polyphenol intake. In this review, based on studies conducted over the past decade, we summarized the modes of function of polyphenolic AhR modulators. Furthermore, we made a brief mechanistic synopsis of the pharmacological/therapeutic use of polyphenols as AhR antagonists, selective AhR regulators and dual AhR/ER modulators, and underscored their potential in the prevention/treatment of common human diseases/disorders. Additionally, interesting subjects for further mechanistic investigations on polyphenolic AhR modulators have been provided.


Following the already proved models the sustainable planning culture is endangering several methods directed towards the needs of tenants in the existing post-war housing stock. The case-study of our project is the renewal of the multi stored building in the housing estate Metalna, Maribor/Tezno (1949). It is based on the sustainable renovation principle for the quality of sustainable housing in functional, technological and environmental point of view. According to it, the idea of the project was to improve the functionality of the building as well as of individual housing units. One of the main goals was to introduce the variety of space and typology of individual housing units. Beside, there was an intention to rebuild and redesign the green area, especially the problems of parking and playground for children. On the other hand, the project is introducing the low-energy renovation principle including new technologies, structural elements and materials. Two scenarios of technological renewal were suggested. The first one was a classical one using additional thermal insulation of the building envelope and fitting of new structural elements such as windows, doors, balconies, windbreaks etc. (Renewal 1). The second scenario, however, included the sunspace construction used as a new passive solar structural element, modifying the envelope (Renewal 2). The energy efficiency of the suggested scenarios were calculated according to the procedures given in EN 832 standard considering the attached sunspace as integral part of the building in first case and as a passive solar object adjacent to the thermal envelope of the building in the second case. The results show that the last case yields the most energy efficient renewal of the existing residential building.


This study reports the design, synthesis, and calcium channel modulatory activity evaluation of a series of 14 novel fused 1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives. The molecular design of the compounds was based on modifications of nifedipine, which is a calcium channel blocker. The compounds were achieved by one-pot microwave-assisted reaction of 4,4-dimethyl-1,3-cyclohexanedione, 5-chlorosalicylaldehyde/3,5-dichlorosalicylaldehyde, an appropriate alkyl acetoacetate, and ammonium acetate in ethanol according to a modified Hantzsch reaction. The structures of the compounds were confirmed by spectral methods and elemental analysis. To evaluate their relaxant activities, the maximum relaxant response (E$_{\max})$ and pD$_{2}$ values of the compounds and nifedipine were determined on isolated rat aorta rings. The obtained results indicated that all compounds produced concentration-dependent relaxation on the rings possibly due to the blockade of calcium channels. The E$_{\max}$ values (a measure of efficacy) of five compounds were higher than those of nifedipine.


This thesis aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a formal language (Finite State Process) automated verification tool (Labelled Transition System Analyser) at finding and resolving errors in design models of software. FSP is used to model the Lift Problem from a specification refined by validation. The specification is mapped to a finite state domain and tested for errors - in the mapping, in the understanding of the initial requirements, in the accuracy of the initial requirements, and in the concurrency properties of the identified co-operating entities. Exposition of errors refines (validates) the initial description, and drives their resolution giving rise to an evolutionary corrected model; upon exit of iterative analysis this is mapped to UML behavioural diagrams forming Implementation Specifications.


George Molnar came to see that the solution to a number of the problems of contemporary philosophy lay in the development of an alternative to Hume's metaphysics. This alternative would have real causal powers at its centre. Molnar set about developing a thorough account of powers that might persuade those who remained, perhaps unknowingly, in the grip of Humean assumptions. He succeeded in producing something both highly focused and at the same time wide-ranging. He showed both that the notion of a power was central and that it could serve to dispel a number of long-standing philosophical problems. Molnar's account of powers is as realist as any that has so far appeared. He shows that dispositions are as real as any other properties. Specifically, they do not depend for their existence on their manifestations. Nevertheless, they are directed towards such manifestations. Molnar thus appropriates the notion of intentionality, from Brentano, and argues that it is the essential characteristic of powers. He offers a persuasive case for there being some basic and ungrounded powers, thus ruling out the reducibility of the dispositional to the non-dispositional. However, he does allow that there are non-power properties as well as power properties. In this respect, his final position is dualistic. This is contemporary metaphysics of the highest quality. It is a work that was almost complete when its author died. It has been edited for publication by another specialist in the subject, Stephen Mumford, who has also provided an introduction that will allow non-specialists to become acquainted with the issues. David Armstrong, one of the greatest living metaphysicians and personal friend of George Molnar, has provided a Foreword.


Charlton Issues and responses to The Local Plan Part 2 which have helped build a variety of policies to guide future Planning decision making processes.


Urban sources, wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), untreated wastewater (not connected to WWTPs), and especially combined sewer overflow systems (CSS) including stormwater are major pathways for microplastics in the aquatic environment. We compile microplastics emission data for the Baltic Sea region, calculate emissions for each pathway and develop emission scenarios for selected polymer types, namely polyethylene (PE)/polypropylene (PP) and the polyester polyethylene terephthalate (PET). PE/PP and PET differ with respect to their density and can be regarded as representative for large groups of polymers. We consider particles between 20–500 μm with varying shapes. The emission scenarios serve as input for 3D-model simulations, which allow us to estimate transport, behavior, and deposition in the Baltic Sea environment. According to our model results, the average residence time of PET and PE/PP in the Baltic Sea water body is about 14 days. Microplastics from urban sources cause average concentrations of 1.4 PE/PP (0.7 PET) particles/m2 sea surface (20–500 μm size range) in the Baltic Sea during summer. Average concentrations of PET, resulting from urban sources, at the sea floor are 4 particles/m2 sediment surface during summer. Our model approach suggests that accumulation at the shoreline is the major sink for microplastic with annual coastal PE/PP and PET accumulation rates of up to 108 particles/m each near emission hot-spots and in enclosed and semi-closed systems. All concentrations show strong spatial and temporal variability and are linked to high uncertainties. The seasonality of CSS (including stormwater) emissions is assessed in detail. In the south-eastern Baltic, emissions during July and August can be up to 50% of the annual CSS and above 1/3 of the total annual microplastic emissions. The practical consequences especially for monitoring, which should focus on beaches, are discussed. Further, it seems that PET, PE/PP can serve as indicators to assess the state of pollution.


Many Mäori researchers have mahitoi skills. Mahitoi, arts and the production of art, is where a concept takes physical form, and is brought into the physical realm by mahiäringa. The mahitoi practitioner is the conduit. When the practitioner is also the researcher and vice versa, these vernaculars can enrich each other, and structure the work. Setting research writing practice beside mahitoi practice also lends theoretical and analytical frameworks that could be useful for mahitoi practitioners making the transition to academic research. In this article, I focus on mahitoi as the scaffolding for theoretical analysis and writing frameworks across the arts. I demonstrate how I came to design the framework within the film theory context when it became apparent that postcolonial and Kaupapa Mäori theories did not meet the needs of my research and analysis.


The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) released the Blue Ribbon Panel (BRP) report on clinical preparation and partnerships for improved student learning, in November 2010. The report stresses the need for candidates to "blend practitioner knowledge with academic knowledge as they learn by doing" (NCATE, 2010, p. ii), stressing the importance of clinical preparation and P-12 partnerships in teacher preparation. The NCATE BRP Report calls for the transformation of teacher education through the application of clinical practice. Teacher candidates must have additional opportunities to "blend practitioner knowledge with academic knowledge as they learn by doing" (NCATE, 2010, p. ii). In order to ensure consistency in teacher preparation programs, the panel identified 10 design principles with clear strategies that facilitate the creation of clinically based teacher preparation programs. The 10 design principles for clinically based teacher preparation programs, as defined by NCATE (2010), are illustrated in the program that has been developed by the Education Division of the University of Pikeville, a private university situated in central Appalachia, in the east-most county in Kentucky. As clinical experiences –such as student teaching– are restyled, institutions must employ design principles and research to create learning experiences that focus on collaboration, co-teaching, and data-driven practice. This paper describes how these ideas have been implemented in the University of Pikeville's education program and how they specifically relate to the ten principles laid out in the BRP Report (2010). The clinical elements of this program have evolved over several years in tandem with state regulations and current scholarship. The program is moving toward better serving teacher candidates in the program as it embraces new guidelines for teacher training. Co-teaching models, where both the cooperating teacher and teacher candidate share instructional responsibilities, provide greater opportunities for novices to learn from practice and increased student achievement.


Excerpt] An important aspect of U.S. efforts to maintain and improve economic competitiveness is the existence of a capable scientific and technological workforce. A major concern of the 110th Congress may be regarding the future ability of the U.S. science and engineering base to generate the technological advances needed to maintain economic growth. Discussions have centered on the quality of science and mathematics education and training and on the scientific knowledge of those students entering other disciplines. Even students pursuing nonscientific and nonmathematical specialities are likely to require basic knowledge of scientific and technological applications for effective participation in the workforce. Charges are being made that many students complete high school scientifically and technologically illiterate.


ObjectivesThe use of hospitalists is increasing. Hospitalists have been associated with reductions in length of stay and associated costs while not negatively impacting outcomes. We examine care for stroke patients because it requires complex care in the hospital and has high post discharge complications. We assessed the association of care provided by a hospitalist with length of stay, discharge destination, 30-day mortality, 30-day readmission, and 30-day emergency department visits. MethodsThis study used the 5% Medicare sample from 2002 to 2006. Models included demographic variables, prior health status, type of admission and hospital, and region. Multinomial logit models, generalized estimating equations, Cox proportional hazard models, and propensity score analyses were explored in the analysis. ResultsAfter adjusting models for covariates, hospitalists were associated with increased odds of discharge to inpatient rehabilitation or other facilities compared with discharge home (Odds Ratio, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.07-1.43 and Odds Ratio, 1.34; 95% CI 1.05-1.69, respectively). Mean length of stay was 0.37 days lower for patients in hospitalist care compared to nonhospitalist care. This reduction in length of stay was not appreciably changed after adjusting for discharge destination. Hospitalist care was not associated with differences in 30-day emergency department use or mortality. Readmission rates were higher for patients in hospitalist care (Hazard, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.11-1.52). ConclusionsHospitalists are associated with reduced length of stay and higher rates of discharge to inpatient rehabilitation. The higher readmission rates should be further explored.


"Early Modern German Literature" provides an overview of major literary figures and works, socio-historical contexts, philosophical backgrounds, and cultural trends during the 350 years between the first flowering of northern humanism around 1350 and the rise of a distinctly middle-class, anti-classical aesthetics around 1700. Recent scholarship has significantly revised many traditional assumptions about the literature of this period, starting with a reassessment of the canon. The notion of "literature" has expanded to include a much wider range of texts than before, such as broadsheets, illustrated books, emblem books, travelogues, demonological treatises, and letters.Greater attention to the cultural and social phenomena that affect literary production has led to hitherto neglected areas of research, including the culture of learning and learnedness; the idea of authorship; the relationship between the intellectual elite and the state and other political authorities and institutions; the development of the family; gender dichotomy; and, the early formation of an educated, urban middle class. In an introduction and twenty-seven essays on specific but broadly-based topics of seminal importance to the period, written by leading specialists from North America, the United Kingdom, and Germany, this pathbreaking volume reflects this state-of-the-art research.Contributors include: Klaus Garber, Graeme Dunphy, Renate Born, Stephan Fussel, Scott Dixon, Wilhelm Kuhlmann, Max Reinhart, Joachim Knape, Hans-Gert Roloff, Erika Rummel, John Alexander, Peter Hess, Andreas Solbach, Peter Daly, Helen Watanabe-O'kelly, Jill Bepler, Gerhart Hoffmeister, Steven Saunders, Jeffrey Chipps Smith, Wolfgang Neuber, Gerhild Scholz Williams, Anna Carrdus, John L. Flood, Laurel Carrington, Theodor Verweyen, and John Roger Paas. Max Reinhart is professor of German at the University of Georgia.


Women and men utilize spaces differently and have differential access to resources because of norms and values attached to certain places. In fisheries, the contributions of women are either overlooked or considered less valuable compared to those of men. Women often assume more traditional and supporting roles and attach lesser economic values to their activities. These gender dimensions were analyzed as part of the project on the sea ranching of sandfish (Holothuria scabra) in the Province of Guimaras, Philippines. The project was initiated by the SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department (AQD) and supported by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) in 2015-2017 with a two-fold aim of enhancing the population of H. scabra stocks while providing a supplemental livelihood to the coastal communities reliant on fishery resources. The study highlighted the importance of analyzing the roles of women and men in the fisheries sector for the management of sandfish and other fishery resources in the intertidal zone.


Studies have shown that the town of Libby, Montana and surrounding forested areas have been contaminated with Libby amphibole asbestos (LA) by activity from the vermiculite mine located northeast of Libby. The mine was in production from the 1920s until its closing in 1990. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) created the operable units (OU) within the superfund site due to the LA contamination. In addition to the work completed in this research, previous studies have shown that there is an exposure pathway for the United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (USFS) personnel tasked with forest maintenance in and around the Tubb gulch OU3 area. Tree bark, duff, and soil composite samples were collected to characterize the LA contamination in the Tubb Gulch area west of the mine. Composite samples were analyzed first by polarized light microscopy (PLM) (for bark and duff) and second by transmission electron microscopy for all media sources (TEM). The objective was to determine if PLM analysis could be used as a primary analytical tool for bark and duff sampling, since TEM is considerably more expensive and takes longer for the laboratory analysis. Fifteen positive composite samples that were initially analyzed via PLM were selected for further analyses via TEM for bark and duff media types. Bark sampling results revealed positive TEM values in 14 of 15 (93%) of the samples and duff sampling results revealed positive TEM values in 15 of 15 (100%) of the samples. These data suggest that PLM analysis may be a reliable initial analytical screening method. Since the LA concentrations for bark were expressed as fibers per surface area of bark and the LA concentrations for duff were expressed as fibers per gram, statistical correlation analyses could not be performed. A further limitation with this assessment is that bark and duff samples revealing non-detect values via PLM analysis were not selected for TEM analysis; therefore, the potential for false negative results via PLM was not assessed. The results of this study were valuable in further characterizing the Tubb Gulch area. All bark and duff composite samples revealed the presence of asbestos structures via TEM with the exception of one bark sample. Based on these source media results, there is a potential for LA exposure to USFS personnel or members of the public when working or recreating in the Tubb Gulch area. It is important to note that the results did not follow a concentration gradient in that some of the lowest concentrations were detected closest to the mine. These data suggest that LA contamination was dispersed not only from the mining activities but during transportation of the vermiculite concentrate to Libby and to the train loading facility.


New ESA missions dedicated to the observation of the Earth from space, like the gravity-gradiometry mission GOCE and the radar altimetry mission CRYOSAT 2, foster research, among other subjects, also on inverse gravimetric problems and on the description of the nature and the geographical location of gravimetric signals. In this framework the GEMMA project (GOCE Exploitation for Moho Modeling and Applications), funded by the European Space Agency and Politecnico di Milano, aims at estimating the boundary between Earth's crust and mantle (the so called Mohorovicic discontinuity or Moho) from GOCE data in key regions of the world. In the project a solution based on a simple two layer model in spherical approximation is proposed. This inversion problem based on the linearization of the Newton's gravitational law around an approximate mean Moho surface will be solved by exploiting Wiener-Kolmogorov theory in the frequency domain where the depth of the Moho discontinuity will be treated as a random signal with a zero mean and its own covariance function. The algorithm can be applied in a numerically efficient way by using the Fast Fourier Transform. As for the gravity observations, we will consider grids of the anomalous gravitational potential and its second radial derivative at satellite altitude. In particular this will require first of all to elaborate GOCE data to obtain a local grid of the gravitational potential field and its second radial derivative and after that to separate the gravimetric signal due to the considered discontinuity from the gravitational effects of other geological structures present into the observations. The first problem can be solved by applying the so called spacewise approach to GOCE observations, while the second one can be achieved by considering a priori models and geophysical information by means of an appropriate Bayesan technique. Moreover other data such as ground gravity anomalies or seismic profiles can be combined, in an efficient way, to gridded satellite data in order to obtain better results. The research has to be firstly performed on case studies where existing data allow the calibration of the approach. Among other things this project represents a careful study of the prior weighting of different information sources, including the rather qualitative geological information.


Theoretically, the concepts of energy, entropy, exergy and embodied energy are founded in the fields of thermodynamics and physics. Yet, over decades these concepts have been applied in numerous fields of science and engineering, playing a key role in the analysis of processes, systems and devices in which energy transfers and energy transformations occur. The research reported here aims to demonstrate, in terms of sustainability, the usefulness of the embodied energy and exergy concepts for analyzing electric devices which convert energy, particularly the electromagnet. This study relies on a dualist view, incorporating technical and environmental dimensions. The information provided by energy assessments is shown to be less useful than that provided by exergy and prone to be misleading. The electromagnet force and torque (representing the driving force of output exergy), accepted as both environmental and technical quantities, are expressed as a function of the electric current and the magnetic field, supporting the view of the necessity of discerning interrelations between science and the environment. This research suggests that a useful step in assessing the viability of electric devices in concert with ecological systems might be to view the magnetic flux density B and the electric current intensity I as environmental parameters. In line with this idea the study encompasses an overview of potential human health risks and effects of extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF EMFs) caused by the operation of electric systems. It is concluded that exergy has a significant role to play in evaluating and increasing the efficiencies of electrical technologies and systems. This article also aims to demonstrate the need for joint efforts by researchers in electric and environmental engineering, and in medicine and health fields, for enhancing knowledge of the impacts of environmental ELF EMFs on humans and other life forms.


This report gives an overview of the materials in the Archive of Estonian Dialects and Finno-Ugric Languages (AEDFUL) at the Institute of the Estonian Language (IEL). The AEDFUL holds the world's largest collection of Estonian dialect examples as well as many other materials on other Finno-Ugric languages. Materials in the AEDFUL have been collected by researchers from the IEL and the Mother Tongue Society during the 20th century. All the Estonian dialect areas as well as all of the Finnic languages are represented in written and/or recorded form. Especially large amounts of language materials have been collected for Livonian, Ingrian, and Votic. At the beginning of the 21st century when active collecting work ended, a new era began focused on digitization and making these materials publicly available. At present, electronic databases and dictionaries are available via the Internet.


Nursing initiatives that improve the quality of care and help people lead healthier lives can serve as a guide for Congress and the Obama administration as they seek to transform our current health care system. Nurses have created model programs in acute care, primary care, and public health settings that are improving the health status of individuals and communities. These initiatives are expanding access, improving quality, promoting prevention, and driving down costs, and they have gained recognition from consumer groups, insurers, physicians, states, and the federal government. This brief profiles innovative programs that have been designed, led, or implemented by nurses; it draws out their policy implications; and it highlights the perspectives of leading health policy experts.


Note: 41st Annual Meeting, APS Division of Plasma Physics, Seattle, Washington, USA, November 1999, Bull. of APS Reference CRPP-CONF-1999-014 Record created on 2008-05-13, modified on 2017-05-12


The availability of multimedia information has been increased dramatically with the advent of video broadcasting on handheld devices. But with this availability comes problems of maintaining the security of information that is displayed in public. ISMA Encryption and Authentication (ISMACryp) is technologies for video content protection in DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting- Handheld), the TV system for portable handheld devices. The ISMACryp is encoded with H.264/AVC (advanced video coding), while leaving all structural data as it is. Two modes of ISMACryp are available; the CTR mode (Counter type) and CBC mode (Cipher Block Chaining) mode. Both modes of ISMACryp are based on 128-bit AES algorithm. This paper deals with AES-CTR mode. AES algorithms are more complex and require larger time for execution which is not suitable for real time application like Live TV, Video chatting or Video conferencing on handheld device. The proposed system aims to gain a deep understanding of video data security on multimedia technologies and to provide security for real time video applications using selective encryption for H.264/AVC. Five level of security proposed in this paper based on the content of NAL unit in Baseline Constrain profile of H.264/AVC. The selective encryption in different levels provides encryption of intra-prediction mode, residue data, inter-prediction mode or motion vectors only. Experimental results shown in this paper described that fifth level which is ISMACryp provide higher level of security with more encryption time and the one level provide lower level of security by encrypting only motion vectors with lower encryption time without compromise on compression and quality of visual content. This encryption scheme with compression process with low cost, and keeps the file format unchanged with some direct operations supported. Simulation was being carried out in Matlab.


The purpose of this work is to examine critically the use of criminal sanctions in the enforcement of environmental law in South Africa. The two principal issues considered are, first, whether criminal sanctions are the best enforcement instrument and, if not, what alternative enforcement tools exist. Second, the thesis considers ways in which the use of criminal sanctions can be made more effective in those cases where it is found that criminal sanctions do have a role to play. In determining the object of criminal law in the context of environmental regulation, it is concluded that the primary aim is deterrence. The question that this raises is whether deterrence can adequately be achieved through use of alternatives to the criminal sanction. A comprehensive analysis of South African environmental legislation reveals an overwhelming reliance on the command and control approach to regulation, with criminal sanctions being used in almost all cases as the primary enforcement mechanism. It is argued that there are several shortcomings of criminal law that militate against its use as the default enforcement mechanism and the conclusion reached is that they should be reserved for the most serious contraventions of the environmental law. The thesis examines several viable alternatives to criminal sanctions, both administrative and civil, and makes recommendations as to how these can be used effectively instead of criminal sanctions. Following this initial conclusion, the focus then shifts onto how the use of criminal sanctions can be improved in those (serious) cases for which they should be reserved. It is agued, first, that the use of strict criminal liability is not necessary. This is followed by an examination of vicarious and corporate liability where recommendations are made for ways in which these aspects can be improved. The issue of sentencing environmental crime is then considered and it is argued that penalties are largely adequate but suggestions are made as to innovative sentencing options. Finally, several procedural improvements are put forward. In conclusion, a model enforcement chapter for environmental legislation is mooted, taking into account the various recommendations made in the course of the thesis.


This study reports on a novel methodology using the V‐scope to quantify elbow and shoulder movement in young children with obstetric brachial plexus palsy (OBPP), and the intra‐and interreliability of this method. The V‐scope, a portable, inexpensive movement analysis system, was configured in an L‐shape, with two transmitting towers placed on the floor and one 1.35m off the ground. These towers received ultrasonic pulses from buttons that were placed over standardized landmarks of the child's trunk, chest, and upper limb. Two physiotherapists (a paediatric and a generalist) facilitated the maximum range of active elbow flexion/extension and shoulder abduction/flexion in 30 children with OBPP (18 females, 12 males; age range 6mo‐4y 7mo; mean age 2y 6mo [SD 1y 2mo]). Assessments were conducted on two occasions, one week apart. The V‐scope was found to be feasible to use by a specialist and a generalist physiotherapist, demonstrating moderate to high reliability coefficients, small measurement errors, and lack of missing data. The pediatric physiotherapist was more reliable in measuring elbow and shoulder movement compared with the generalist physiotherapist, which suggests that the same experienced, pediatric physiotherapist should assess elbow and shoulder movement across all occasions of testing.


The 3 September 2016 M w 5.8 Pawnee earthquake in northern Oklahoma is the largest earthquake ever recorded in Oklahoma. The coseismic deformation was measured with both Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar and Global Positioning System (GPS), with measureable signals of order 1 cm and 1 mm, respectively. We derive a coseismic slip model from Sentinel‐1A and Radarsat 2 interferograms and GPS static offsets, dominated by distributed left‐lateral strike slip on a primary west‐northwest–east‐southeast‐trending subvertical plane, whereas strike slip is concentrated near the hypocenter (5.6 km depth), with maximum slip of ∼1  m located slightly east and down‐dip of the hypocenter. Based on systematic misfits of observed interferogram line‐of‐sight (LoS) displacements, with LoS based on shear‐dislocation models, a few decimeters of fault‐zone collapse are inferred in the hypocentral region where coseismic slip was the largest. This may represent the postseismic migration of large volumes of fluid away from the high‐slip areas, made possible by the creation of a temporary high‐permeability damage zone around the fault.


Computational simulations have provided evidence that the use of linguistic cues as group markers plays an important role in the development of linguistic diversity shortcite (Nettle & Dunbar, 1997; Nettle, 1999). Other simulations, however, have contradicted these findings (Livingstone & Fyfe, 1999; Livingstone, 2002). Similar disagreements exist in sociolinguistics (e.g. Labov, 1963, 2001; Trudgill, 2004, 2008a; Baxter et al., 2009). This paper describes an experimental study in which participants played an anonymous economic game using an instant-messenger-style program and an artificial 'alien language'. The competitiveness of the game and the frequency with which players interacted were manipulated. Given frequent enough interaction with team-mates, players were able to use linguistic cues to identify themselves. In the most competitive condition, this led to divergence in the language, which did not occur in other conditions. This suggests that both frequency of interaction and a pressure to use language to mark identity play a significant role in encouraging linguistic divergence over short periods, but that neither is suffi cient on its own.


The expression of Sry in the undifferentiated, bipotential genital ridges of mammalian XY fetuses initiates testis development and is hypothesized to do so by directing supporting cell precursors to develop as Sertoli cells and not as granulosa cells. To directly test this hypothesis, transgenic mice expressing EGFP under the control of the Sry promoter were produced. After establishing that the transgene was expressed in fetal gonads similarly to endogenous Sry, the spatial and temporal expression of the Sry-EGFP transgene was investigated in developing gonads by using confocal microscopy and immunofluorescent histochemistry. This analysis indicated: (1) Sry is first expressed in cells located centrally in the genital ridge and then later in cells located at the cranial and caudal poles, (2) Sry is expressed exclusively in pre-Sertoli cells in the urogenital ridge, and (3) Sertoli and granulosa cells develop from a common precursor. These results support the hypothesis that Sry initiates testis differentiation by directing the development of supporting cell precursors as Sertoli rather than granulosa cells. Furthermore, the Sry expression pattern explains the nonrandom distribution of testicular and ovarian tissue in mammalian ovotestes.


We present line-strengths and kinematics from the central regions of 32 galaxies with Hubble types ranging from E to Sbc. Spectral indices, based on the Lick system, are measured in the optical and near-infrared (NIR). The 24 indices measured, in conjunction with models of the effects of varying abundance ratios, permit the breaking of age/metallicity degeneracy, and allow estimation of enhancements in specific light elements (particularly C and Mg). The large range of Hubble types observed allows direct comparison of line-strengths in the centres of early-type galaxies (E and S0) with those in spiral bulges, free from systematic differences that have plagued comparisons of results from different studies. Our sample includes field and Virgo cluster galaxies. For early-type galaxies our data are consistent with previously reported trends of Mg2 and Mgb with velocity dispersion. In spiral bulges we find trends in all indices with velocity dispersion. We estimate luminosity-weighted ages, metallicities and heavy-element abundance ratios (enhancements) from optical indices. These show that bulges are less enhanced in light (α-capture) elements and have lower average age than early-type galaxies. Trends involving age and metallicity also differ sharply between early and late types. An anticorrelation exists between age and metallicity in early types, while, in bulges, metallicity is correlated with velocity dispersion. We consider the implications of these findings for models of the formation of these galaxies. We find that primordial collapse models of galaxy formation are ruled out by our observations, while several predictions of hierarchical clustering (merger) models are confirmed.


We examine how differences in language models, learned by different data-driven systems performing the same NLP task, can be exploited to yield a higher accuracy than the best individual system. We do this by means of experiments involving the task of morphosyntactic word class tagging, on the basis of three different tagged corpora. Four well-known tagger generators (hidden Markov model, memory-based, transformation rules, and maximum entropy) are trained on the same corpus data. After comparison, their outputs are combined using several voting strategies and second-stage classifiers. All combination taggers outperform their best component. The reduction in error rate varies with the material in question, but can be as high as 24.3 with the LOB corpus.


The trend in the contemporary society for accountability calls for the evaluation of extension services. Extension service providers should be saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that farmers are continually satisfied with services being delivered. In enhancing farmers' loyalty and confidence, extension feedback is becoming increasingly paramount. Customer satisfaction survey remains an essential tool for measuring the quality of services and outcome of programmes. The purpose of the study was to determine the quality related to innovation dissemination and teaching as perceived by farmers inthe adoption of new agricultural technologiesin Amathole District Municipality. Thespecific objectives of the study were to: describe how assessments of quality of Extension services differ by gender and the outcomes of the experiences with Extension services. Amathole district Municipality was used as the study population. The entire survey was carried out using a continuous sequence of contacts. A total of 900 useable surveys were pooled for the study. Farmers' gender was found to be linked with Extension service satisfaction and outcomes. However, females appear to have overall satisfaction with service delivery than males. The implication of this is that males are less likely to cultivate confidence and loyalty in extension services in Amathole district. Following these findings, concerted effort is required to improve extension services in the area by integrating more holistic participatory approaches to enhance equal involvement of male and female farmers in needs assessment, programme planning, designing, delivery and the full recognition of indigenous knowledge system.


Compiling four-hundred-plus unique works of art, this volume traces the shifts and developments in conceptual artist John Baldessari's work from 1975-86. It covers his photo-based works such as the "Strobe," "Word Chain," and "Pathetic Fallacy" series from 1975; the "Violent Space" and the seminal "Concerning Diachronic/Synchronic Time: Above, On, Under (With Mermaid)," from 1976; and the "Blasted Allegories" series from 1977-78, which drew heavily from the artist's vast collection of photo stills taken from commercial television. In the 1980s, Baldessari's art took a different direction, beginning with the expansive "Fugitive Essays" triptychs from 1980 and leading to 1982's photographic interpretations of Grimm's Fairy Tales. Building on these themes, Baldessari began producing a body of work that was inspired in part by dreams, psychology, film, and popular culture. Ensuing works were more formal, elaborate, and large-scale. From 1984 to 1986 Baldessari created a number of works that employed his soon-to-be-signature colored discs painted over people's faces in the photos. An introductory essay will provide a close reading of selected works and a historical context for understanding Baldessari's art from this period. A detailed chronology and exhibition history and bibliography are also included. This is the second of a projected four-volume catalogue raisonne.


The Amazon video homepage is the primary gateway for customers looking to explore the large collection of content, and finding something interesting to watch. Typically, the page is personalized for a customer, and consists of a series of widgets or carousels, with each widget containing multiple items (e.g., movies, TV shows etc). Ranking the widgets needs to maximize relevance, and maintain diversity, while simultaneously satisfying business constraints. We present the first unified framework for dealing with relevance, diversity, and business constraints simultaneously. Towards this end, we derive a novel primal-dual algorithm which incorporates local diversity constraints as well as global business constraints for whole page optimization. Through extensive offline experiments and an online A/B test, we show that our proposed method achieves significantly higher user engagement compared to existing methods, while also simultaneously satisfying business constraints. For instance, in an online A/B test, our framework improved key metrics such as customer streaming minutes by 0.77% and customer distinct streaming days by 0.32% over a state-of-the-art submodular diversity model.


Heterozygosity for a deficiency for the entire zeste-white region of the X chromosome of Drosophila melanogaster females causes both reduced recombination and increased nondisjunction. The location of the dosage-sensitive sites responsible for these two meiotic defects has been studied by use of a set of deficiencies that subdivide the region. Recombination is reduced when the zw7-zw11 region is present in one dose, while nondisjunction is increased only if the doses of both the zw8-zw10 and zw6-zw11 segments are reduced. Examination of trans heterozygotes of two deficiencies explicitly demonstrates the compound nature of the meiotic dose effect and further delimits the location of the proximal disjunctional site to the zw12-zw11 interval. In inversion/deficiency heterozygotes, reduced dose of the zw8-zw10 region alone, without reduced dose of the proximal site, yields increased nondisjunction, suggesting that the proximal element that affects disjunction is the same as that which affects recombination. Thus, the zeste-white region contains at least two dosagesensitive loci that affect meiosis: reduced dosage of one locus, in the zw7-zw11 interval, causes reduced recombination; reduced dose of another, in the zw8-zw10 region, increases the probability that nonexchange chromosomes will nondisjoin. A slight effect on the regional distribution of exchange may also be a property of the zw8-zw10 region locus, but could be an effect of yet another locus or of structural heterozygosity. The implications of these results for understanding meiotic control and the prospects for further analysis of the structure of the zeste-white interval are considered.


The offshore wind sector's trend towards larger turbines, bigger wind farm projects and greater distance to shore has a critical impact on grid connection requirements for offshore wind power plants. This important reference sets out the fundamentals and latest innovations in electrical systems and control strategies deployed in offshore electricity grids for wind power integration. Includes: All current and emerging technologies for offshore wind integration and trends in energy storage systems, fault limiters, superconducting cables and gas-insulated transformers Protection of offshore wind farms illustrating numerous system integration and protection challenges through case studies Modelling of doubly-fed induction generators (DFIG) and full-converter wind turbines structures together with an explanation of the smart grid concept in the context of wind farms Comprehensive material on power electronic equipment employed in wind turbines with emphasis on enabling technologies (HVDC, STATCOM) to facilitate the connection and compensation of large-scale onshore and offshore wind farms Worked examples and case studies to help understand the dynamic interaction between HVDC links and offshore wind generation Concise description of the voltage source converter topologies, control and operation for offshore wind farm applications Companion website containing simulation models of the cases discussed throughout Equipping electrical engineers for the engineering challenges in utility-scale offshore wind farms, this is an essential resource for power system and connection code designers and pratitioners dealing with integration of wind generation and the modelling and control of wind turbines. It will also provide high-level support to academic researchers and advanced students in power and renewable energy as well as technical and research staff in transmission and distribution system operators and in wind turbine and electrical equipment manufacturers.


I INTRODUCTION The despotic ruler of a poor nation borrows extensively from foreign creditors. He spends some of those funds on building statues of himself, others on buying arms for his brutal secret police, and he places the remainder in his personal bank accounts in Switzerland. The longer the despot stays in power, the poorer the nation becomes. Although the secret police are able to keep pro-democracy protests subdued by force for many years, eventually there is a popular revolt. The despot flees the scene with a few billion dollars of his ill-gotten gains. The populist regime that replaces the despot now has to pay the debts to the foreign creditors of the old regime. In effect, the populace suffers the costs of a despotic rule twice: first, when the despot was in power, depleting the resources of the nation and reducing the populace to penury; second, when the creditors whose funding sustained the despot collect payment for the debts of the despot. The foregoing scenario will strike some as unfair. Others might be less sympathetic, invoking the need for the populace to bear collective responsibility for the contractual obligations incurred by the state. The legal rule here, a creature of public international law, is an unforgiving one that supports the notion of strict collective responsibility for state contractual obligations. Governments inherit the debts of prior governments, regardless of their differing characters, philosophies, or populist bona fides. (1) So the ANC-led government in South Africa inherited the debts of the predecessor apartheid regime. Corazon Acquino's populist government in the Philippines inherited the debts of the Marcos dictatorship. The Islamic Revolutionary government in Iran inherited the debts of the Shah. And so on and so forth. Unwilling to pierce the veil of the state entity and to separate the state from its government, sovereign-debt law views the state as strictly liable for debts accumulated by its prior despotic rulers. This situation poses a dilemma for international law that private law has been tackling in a variety of settings: who among the innocent parties should bear the loss created by a culprit that can no longer be held accountable? Surely, neither the creditors nor the populace are the primary "wrongdoers"--they did not steal any money or commit any violation. Still, the greater blameworthiness of the ex-dictator's intentional actions should not blur the different shades of fault for the less-guilty parties. If their relative fault can be compared, it might provide a formula for dividing liability among them. (2) Thus, the purpose of this article is to borrow from a rich private-law tradition to explore the treatment of odious debt as a problem analogous to allocation of liability in private law. The framework this paper adopts is economic. Drawing on the economic analysis of private law, it develops insights as to the structure of an optimal liability scheme. Under this approach, liability is imposed not on the basis of some intrinsic judgment as to the parties' relative blameworthiness, but rather in a forward-looking fashion, on parties who are best suited to take actions to prevent the loss. In addition, liability is imposed on a magnitude tailored to induce an optimal level of precautionary measures. According to this approach, whether the people of a nation should bear responsibility for the debts of their despotic leaders, even when they have no control over those leaders and their borrowing decisions, cannot be resolved merely by invoking presumptions regarding collective responsibility and the legal entity of the state. From an economic perspective, a basic question is whether the people of a nation have cost-effective means to prevent the accumulation of insolvent odious debt. Are they better positioned than the creditors to take such harm-prevention measures? And if both sides--the people of the nation and the creditors--could have taken some steps to reduce the harm, how should liability be tailored to induce them to do so? …


Since heritage is a manifestation of how the past is used in the present, engagement with heritage is a critical indicator of how contemporary hatreds play out, both feeding and feeding off traditions and legacies. Despite its ongoing peace process, Northern Ireland remains a site of dissonant heritages, where sectarian hatred continues to be expressed in societal divisions, often resulting in outright violence. This relationship between current expressions of hatred and the uses of the past present particular issues for heritage professionals. This essay examines a recent example in which these tensions have been made manifest, the inclusion of a painting by Belfast artist Joe McWilliams in the Annual Exhibition by the Royal Ulster Academy at the Ulster Museum in 2015. The painting depicts the performance by a Protestant Orange Order band outside a Roman Catholic Church in Belfast as part of the annual Twelfth of July celebrations. It included a small group of figures wearing white hoods, akin to the Klu Klux Klan's, and Orange sashes. The controversy that the inclusion of this painting in the exhibition sparked illustrates the ways in which the artistic representation of a performed heritage challenges institutional practice in curating dissonance.


Quantitative analysis of tectonic subsidence in Cambrian and Ordovician platform carbonates and associated strata exposed in the Spring Mountains (Nevada) and the Nopah, Funeral, and Inyo Ranges (California) indicates that subsidence associated with this segment of the early Paleozoic passive continental margin is exponential in form, consistent with thermal contraction of the lithosphere following extension. As in other parts of the North American Cordillera, continental separation in the southern Great Basin appears to have taken place between 590 and 545 Ma. These results are not sensitive to uncertainties in stratigraphic thickness, biostratigraphic age control, or paleobathymetry. Uncertainties in the Cambrian time scale lead to predictable variations in the inferred time of onset of thermal subsidence, but they have no effect on the inferred stratigraphic position of the rift to post-rift transition. A younger age for the base of the Middle Cambrian results in a younger inferred age of onset of thermal subsidence accompanied by greater rates of subsidence during the Cambrian, whereas a significantly older estimate of the onset of thermal subsidence can be obtained only if the base of the Middle Cambrian is substantially older than 540 Ma, a possibility that is inconsistent with available data. Results of the subsidence analysis are particularly significant because this is one of the few regions along the length of the North American Cordillera where they can be compared directly to the geologic evidence for syn-rift and post-rift deposition. Basement-involved faulting associated with the Amargosa basin ("aulacogen") ceased during deposition of the Noonday Dolomite, which is thought to be older than 700-680 Ma on the basis of stromatolites of late Riphean affinity. The overlying Johnnie Formation contains supposed Vendian stromatolites (younger than 700-680 Ma). If it is assumed that our results indicate the timing of the final rift to post-rift transition, then either the ages inferred from stromatolites are incorrect or the lithosphere was thinned regionally after deposition of the Noonday. The latter possibility is supported by limited geologic evidence for extension in latest Proterozoic and Early Cambrian time. The lack of appreciable physical evidence for crustal extension after deposition of the Noonday, however, may imply that (1) a uniform extension model for lithospheric thinning is inappropriate for this part of the margin or that (2) some or all of the localities studied are continentward of the hinge zone, and that the observed subsidence is exaggerated by flexural loading in a deeper basin to the west.


Chapter 1 Thinking About American Politics Chapter 2 Political Culture Chapter 3 The Constitution Chapter 4 Federalism Chapter 5 Civil Liberties and Civil Rights Chapter 6 Public Opinion Chapter 7 Participation and Voting in America Chapter 8 Media and Politics Chapter 9 Political Parties Chapter 10 Interest Groups Chapter 11 Congress Chapter 12 The Presidency Chapter 13 The Federal Court System Chapter 14 The Bureaucracy Chapter 15 Domestic and Foreign Policy


In this paper, we consider high-dimensional nonconvex square-root-loss regression problems and introduce a proximal majorization-minimization (PMM) algorithm for these problems. Our key idea for making the proposed PMM to be efficient is to develop a sparse semismooth Newton method to solve the corresponding subproblems. By using the Kurdyka-Łojasiewicz property exhibited in the underlining problems, we prove that the PMM algorithm converges to a d-stationary point. We also analyze the oracle property of the initial subproblem used in our algorithm. Extensive numerical experiments are presented to demonstrate the high efficiency of the proposed PMM algorithm.


An algorithm for simultaneous detection, segmentation, and characterization of spatiotemporal periodicity is presented. The use of periodicity templates is proposed to localize and characterize temporal activities. The templates not only indicate the presence and location of a periodic event, but also give an accurate quantitative periodicity measure. Hence, they can be used as a new means of periodicity representation. The proposed algorithm can also be considered as a "periodicity filter", a low-level model of periodicity perception. The algorithm is computationally simple, and shown to be more robust than optical flow based techniques in the presence of noise. A variety of real-world examples are used to demonstrate the performance of the algorithm.


Congenital erythropoietic porphyria (CEP), also called Gunthers is the rarest of the porphyrias , with a prevalence estimated at 1 in 1,000,000 or less. Only approximately 200 cases of CEP have been reported till now worldwide. CEP affects males and females equally, and occurs in all ethnic groups. Clinically it is a subacute to chronic type of porphyria, defect is expressed in infancy and clinical features such as extreme cutaneous photosensitivity, blistering, scarring , hyper- and hypo pigmentation of photo exposed parts. Haemolytic anaemia with splenomegaly, and retarded growth may also be present. Due to its rarity we are presenting Congenital erythropoietic porphyria with haemolytic anaemia.


Based on unique and previously unpublished sources, this book examines in detail the complex, emotional, and difficult movement to remove the National Archives and Records Service from the control of the U.S. General Services Administration. This struggle began almost from the time the National Archives lost its independence in 1950 and culminated during the tenure of Robert Warner as sixth Archivist of the United States. The story is important to the history of the National Archives but also to those interested in the political process, especially as it applies to educational and cultural institutions. The lobbying, overt and covert, the interplay of professional organizations and archivists, librarians, and historians with the executive and legislative branches of the American government are examined in fascinating detail in this often very personal story. It is a study of high drama, bitter disappointments, and ultimate success.


Based on the analysis of available research on students' alternative conceptions about the particulate nature of matter, we identified basic implicit assumptions that seem to constrain students' ideas and reasoning on this topic at various learning stages. Although many of these assumptions are interrelated, some of them seem to change or lose/gain strength independently from one another. Overlapping or competing presuppositions about the structure, properties, and dynamics of matter may be able to coexist at any given level, particularly at intermediate stages of expertise. Our results allowed us to suggest common paths in the transition from naïve through novice to expert along relevant dimensions related to the structure and properties of chemical substances. The identification of these cognitive constraints provides a useful framework that educators can use to better understand and even predict many of their students' learning difficulties. It can also assist in the design and organisation of learning experiences and assessment tools that recognise and take advantage of the most likely trajectories towards expertise (learning progressions) followed by many students.


If $G$ and $H$ are two cubic graphs, then an $H$-coloring of $G$ is a proper edge-coloring $f$ with edges of $H$, such that for each vertex $x$ of $G$, there is a vertex $y$ of $H$ with $f(\partial_G(x))=\partial_H(y)$. If $G$ admits an $H$-coloring, then we will write $H\prec G$. The Petersen coloring conjecture of Jaeger ($P_{10}$-conjecture) states that for any bridgeless cubic graph $G$, one has: $P_{10}\prec G$. The Sylvester coloring conjecture ($S_{10}$-conjecture) states that for any cubic graph $G$, $S_{10}\prec G$. In this paper, we introduce two new conjectures that are related to these conjectures. The first of them states that any cubic graph with a perfect matching admits an $S_{12}$-coloring. The second one states that any cubic graph $G$ whose edge-set can be covered with four perfect matchings, admits a $P_{12}$-coloring. We call these new conjectures $S_{12}$-conjecture and $P_{12}$-conjecture, respectively. Our first results justify the choice of graphs in $S_{12}$-conjecture and $P_{12}$-conjecture. Next, we characterize the edges of $P_{12}$ that may be fictive in a $P_{12}$-coloring of a cubic graph $G$. Finally, we relate the new conjectures to the already known conjectures by proving that $S_{12}$-conjecture implies $S_{10}$-conjecture, and $P_{12}$-conjecture and $(5,2)$-Cycle cover conjecture together imply $P_{10}$-conjecture. Our main tool for proving the latter statement is a new reformulation of $(5,2)$-Cycle cover conjecture, which states that the edge-set of any claw-free bridgeless cubic graph can be covered with four perfect matchings.


Methods to synthesize and assess scientific information for use in policy making range from large models to expert committees, from scenario driven free-form gaming sessions to fast and simple model building workshops. Each method has its own merits and shortcomings in general terms and each is better than the other for a particular set of practical problems. In this paper, a new approach called the policy exercise is presented. The procedural roots of this approach are to be found in free-form gaming, the Adaptive Environmental Assessment and Management (AEAM) technique, and operational gaming. A policy exercise is a flexibly structured process designed to act as an interface between academics and policy makers. Its function is to synthesize and assess knowledge accumulated in several relevant fields of science for policy purposes in light of complex practical management problems. Scenario writing of "future histories" and scenario analysis via the interactive formulation and testing of alternative policies that respond to challenges in the scenarios are at the heart of the policy exercise.

After describing the project background and some special concerns about formulating a procedure for a policy exercise, a general overview is provided to define roles, and some of the rules and activities in the process. Scenarios are the most important building blocks of the policy exercise procedure. Four types are defined and discussed in Section 2. This is followed by a detailed outline of the prccedure through its three phases: preparations, workshop, and evaluation.


Modeling and analysis of metabolic networks is inherently biased by assumptions regarding the intracellular metabolite and flux states. Despite the advanced metabolomics and fluxomics methods at our disposal, the sheer complexity of metabolic networks prevents us from determining their exact operational state. To address this shortcoming, we have developed a novel framework called Flux Directionality Profile Analysis (FDPA) for characterizing systematically all possible intracellular flux and thermodynamic states using available experimental information, such as metabolite concentration measurements and flux split ratios. In the current study, we demonstrated the utility of this framework in elucidating the different physiologically relevant, yet operationally different, functioning states of wildtype E. coli under optimal aerobic growth condition. Using the available information, we explored the set of possible states to identify the most important and consistent internal operational states for interpreting the observed physiology. To that end, we used the ORACLE framework to study the implications of the choice of different operational paradigms by analyzing their effects on control coefficients. Further analysis of the control coefficients allows us to classify the enzymes in terms of their impact across all, or only specific operational configurations. Using this approach, we can knowledgeably identify the right choice of enzyme targets, which shall help us in meeting metabolic engineering specifications.


The incidence of teenage pregnancies is on the increase in many countries. One reason to explain the phenomenon is the tendency among adolescents to engage in unprotected sex notwithstanding the numerous health, socio-economic and educational implications. Parents and adults in the society have therefore the tasks to reverse the trend by changing their attitudes and initiating communication on matters of sex and contraception with their children and adolescents. This would go a long way to change the perception of adolescents on contraceptive knowledge and use.


Recently, the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) through its Training Department (TD) has been advocating gender equality in its programs and activities by making sure that the knowledge gaps and opportunities for women and the youth could be identified as well as their capacity needs in order to attain gender equity in fisheries in the future. In the Resolution on the Future of SEAFDEC: Vision, Mission and Strategies Towards 2030, which was adopted by the SEAFDEC Council of Directors during its Special Council Meeting in November 2017, the Strategies which would be used by SEAFDEC as basis for the development of its programs and activities in the future, included a provision viz: to recognize the importance of small-scale fisheries in the Southeast Asian region, SEAFDEC should promote gender equality in the fisheries and aquaculture sector. Such promulgation had therefore facilitated the adoption by the SEAFDEC Council of Directors during the Fiftieth Meeting of the SEAFDEC Council in March 2018, of the SEAFDEC Strategy "Support for the Integration of Gender Perspectives in Fisheries within SEAFDEC and its Member Countries," which was developed through the SEAFDEC-Sweden Project "Fisheries and Habitat Management, Climate Change and Social Well-being in Southeast Asia." Under such initiative, the SEAFDEC Gender Working Team (GWT) was established comprising technical staff from TD. The activities of the SEAFDEC GWT started with the two-year (2017-2018) regional field study on gender in fisheries in collaboration with partners, which aims to explore the gender patterns in coastal and marine resources management in the Southeast Asian region. Initially implemented in Cambodia, Myanmar, and Thailand, the study intends to collect field data to be used in analyzing the gender issues as well as the structural causes of gender inequities and inequalities in the fisheries sector of Southeast Asia.


The Shadow Tracer is a nerve-jangling, fast-paced new thriller from the Edgar Award-winning writer, M. G. Gardiner When someone wants to find you badly enough, vanishing is no longer an option. Sarah Keller is a young single mother living in Oklahoma with her five-year-old daughter, Zoe. Her day job is to hunt out people on the run and bring them to justice. So imagine how it looks when a school bus accident sends Zoe to the ER and tests reveal Sarah can't be Zoe's mother. Sarah has been living a lie for years and finally the truth is coming out. Who is she? Who were Zoe's parents? And why does Zoe's identity bring the FBI down on Sarah's tail in mere minutes? The FBI is the least of her worries, though. Sarah needs to keep Zoe off the grid, but with a sinister religious cult also on the trail, where on earth can they hide? Something deadly lurks in Sarah's past and its resurfacing brings terror to all it touches. Fans of Jeffery Deaver and Andrew Gross will love this slick page-turner of a thriller. Praise for M.G. Gardiner: "The next suspense superstar". (Stephen King). "Stephen King is absolutely right. M.G. Gardiner is an astonishing writer...I couldn't turn the pages fast enough". (Tess Gerritsen). "Edgar Award-winner Gardiner steadily ratchets up the suspense in this taut stand-alone tale". (Booklist). M G Gardiner was born in Oklahoma and raised in Santa Barbara, California. She graduated from Stanford University and Stanford Law School. She practiced law in Los Angeles and taught writing at the University of California Santa Barbara. She's a former collegiate cross-country runner and a three time Jeopardy! champion. She lives with her family near London. She has won many awards for her writing, including the 2009 Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original, the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award for Best Procedural Novel and the 2012 Audie Award for Thriller/Suspense audiobook of the year.


In this paper, we present the first incremental parser for Tree Substitution Grammar (TSG). A TSG allows arbitrarily large syntactic fragments to be combined into complete trees; we show how constraints (including lexicalization) can be imposed on the shape of the TSG fragments to enable incremental processing. We propose an efficient Earley-based algorithm for incremental TSG parsing and report an F-score competitive with other incremental parsers. In addition to whole-sentence F-score, we also evaluate the partial trees that the parser constructs for sentence prefixes; partial trees play an important role in incremental interpretation, language modeling, and psycholinguistics. Unlike existing parsers, our incremental TSG parser can generate partial trees that include predictions about the upcoming words in a sentence. We show that it outperforms an n-gram model in predicting more than one upcoming word.