PURPOSE
To examine the effects of acute caffeine supplementation on physical performance during fitness testing and activity during simulated games in basketball players.

METHODS
A double-blind, counterbalanced, randomized, crossover study design was followed. A total of 14 professional male basketball players ingested a placebo (sucrose) and caffeine (6 mg·kg-1 of body mass) in liquid form prior to completing 2 separate testing sessions. Each testing session involved completion of a standardized 15-minute warm-up followed by various fitness tests including 20-m sprints, countermovement jumps, Lane Agility Drill trials, and a repeated-sprint-ability test. Following a 20-minute recovery, players completed 3 × 7-minute 5-vs-5 simulated periods of full-court basketball games, each separated by 2 minutes of recovery. Local positioning system technology was used to measure player activity during games. Players completed a side-effects questionnaire 12 to 14 hours after testing.

RESULTS
Players experienced significant (P < .05), moderate-very large (effect size = -2.19 to 0.89) improvements in 20-m sprint, countermovement jump, Lane Agility Drill, and repeated-sprint-ability performance with caffeine supplementation. However, external workloads completed during simulated games demonstrated nonsignificant, trivial-small (effect size = -0.23 to 0.12) changes between conditions. In addition, players reported greater (P < .05) insomnia and urine output after caffeine ingestion.

CONCLUSIONS
Acute caffeine supplementation could be effective to improve physical performance during tests stressing fitness elements important in basketball. However, acute caffeine supplementation appears to exert no meaningful effects on the activity completed during simulated basketball games and may promote sleep disturbances and exert a diuretic effect when taken at 6 mg·kg-1 of body mass in professional players.


During the summers of 1962 and 1963 the Geologisch en Mineralogisch Instituut of Leiden University and the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie at Leiden carried out a joint exploration of the geology, oceanography and biology of Ria de Arosa, a fiord-like bay in northwestern Spain, north of Vigo. These investigations were not confined to the Ria proper, but also included the affluent rivers like the Rio Ulla and Rio Umia. These explorations will be continued in 1964. In July 1963 a specimen of a peculiar isopod was found by the oceanographic party when exploring the Rio Ulla, a river emptying in the northeastern corner of the Ria de Arosa. This find caused the biologists to give more attention to the locality where the animal was caught and many more specimens were obtained there during a trip specially organized for the purpose. A study of the collected material revealed that the isopods are Valvifera belonging to the subfamily Mesidoteinae of the family Idoteidae. However, they could not be fitted into any of the known genera of this subfamily and consequently are described here as constituting a new genus and species. The facts that (1) the species is not rare in the type locality, (2) the specimens are of good size, measuring up to 15 mm, and (3) they inhabit a habitat which is neither unusual nor difficult to explore, make it difficult to understand why the present form has not been discovered before. As the type locality is not very close to any big harbour, it seems unlikely that the species has been accidentally introduced there from somewhere else. A thorough exploration of other brackish waters along the European southwest coast may show that the species also occurs elsewhere in that area.


The abundance and spatial distribution of mercury in soil samples covering nearly the whole of China (c. 9 million km2) were obtained by the China Geochemical Baseline (CGB) project from 2008 to 2015. From the data and maps, it was found that the Hg contents both in the top (0–25 cm) and deep soil (below 100 cm or C-horizon) of the karst area in southwestern China are richer than that of any other geographical landscape areas. Median Hg values for this karst area are 113 and 90 µg/kg respectively (n = 126), in the top and bottom soils, much higher than the corresponding data of 26 and 18 µg/kg for the entire country (n = 3380). This regional-scale high Hg distribution is due mainly to high Hg geochemical backgrounds in bedrock and soil formation on limestone. A large-scale epithermal metallogenic domain developed in southwestern China and the extensive distribution of Lower Cambrian black shale in southwest China led to a high Hg geochemical background for parent rocks of soils. The chemical weathering of carbonate minerals and the geochemical behaviour of Hg in the epigenetic environment result in Hg enrichment by ferric oxides, iron hydroxide and organic carbon in limestone soils. Human activities mostly result in local-scale Hg anomalies, but have little effect on this regional-scale anomaly.


This thesis conducts an analysis of the effects of reducing the mineral oil tax reimbursement scheme for the Norwegian short-sea shipping and fisheries sectors. An important contribution of this study is to review this measure in a wide context based on the Norwegian governments' principles and goals relating to climate, environment and its goals for the short-sea shipping and fisheries sectors. Based on the dynamics of supplyand demand elasticities for the sectors, the likely tax-incidence determined. The tax incidence is in turn used to discuss and contrast the different outcomes of the tax increase for the sectors. Costs are expected to rise by at least 2.2 % for the short-sea shipping sector and 0.9 % for the fisheries sector. This increase will fall on the vesseland ship-owners based on the tax incidence. In terms of the principles and goals for environmental taxes the effort is found to be a step in the right direction, but falling short of estimates of the social cost of carbon. The tax is found to be better for the fishing industry than the short-sea sector. Short-sea has environmental benefits over its closest competitors and the tax increase may shift volume to other modes of transport. Thus the measure may result in increased emissions from transport. Both effects undermine the goals for the short-sea sector. For fisheries sector some goals may be achieved with regards to profitability, reduced overcapacity/redundancy and investment in new technology. This may reduce emissions in the long run, but not in the short run because of perfectly inelastic supply due to fishing quotas. Going forward the reimbursement scheme should be held constant for the short-sea shipping sector at least until other sector goals are achieved. For the fisheries sector however, the reduction of the reimbursement should continue.


This newsletter provides updates on research, news and events related to spirituality and health, including educational resources and funding opportunities. Please forward to colleagues or students who might benefit. Our goal is to create a community of researchers, clinicians, clergy, and laypersons interested in spirituality and health and keep them informed and updated. An EVENTS CALENDAR concludes the newsletter and describes spirituality and health related presentations happening at Duke and around the world. This is your newsletter and we depend on you to let us know about research, news, and events in this area.


Cohesionless soil is used in many vibration-isolating structures. Understanding the dynamic behavior of these materials within vibration-isolating structures is crucial to improve the performance of these structures. This dissertation focuses on two vibration isolation strategies using cohesionless soil. Data was taken of experimental models of footings for tables with vibration-sensitive equipment and existing cohesionless soil filled pits. Experimental data and analytical modeling were used to design a finite element (FE) model that can predict the dynamic behavior of both the footing and pit structures. Parametric studies of footings and pits were undertaken and key parameters of the performance of each were considered. Design suggestions were then made for footings supporting instrumentation tables and filled pits.


Color image of war ships at sea. In the foreground is a boat with "PT 34" painted on it, shining a light and speeding forward. In the background, a ship is sinking as explosive flames rise from it. Other ships and flames can be seen in the distance on the left.


In just 24 lessons of one hour or less, you will be able to create a fully functional website using Adobe Dreamweaver CS4. Using a straightforward, step-by-step approach, each lesson offers background knowledge along with practical steps to follow, allowing you to learn the essentials of using Dreamweaver from the ground up. Full-color figures and clear step-by-step instructions visually show you how to use Dreamweaver. Quizzes and Exercises at the end of each chapter help you test your knowledge. Notes, Tips, and Cautions provide related information, advice, and warnings.Learn how to Use Dreamweaver CS4 to create simple or advanced web pages Create forms to collect information from users at your site Organize your site with templates and libraries Make Cascading Style Sheets work for you Craft an interactive website Display data efficiently with tables Dress up your site with Flash files and other multimedia Insert scripted functionality by using Behaviors Add Ajax controls using the Spry framework JavaScript libraries Customize and extend Dreamweaver Upload your website to a server with Dreamweavers built-in FTP capability


The polymorphic alleles of the human ABO‐Secretor locus (FUT2 or Se) show high heterogeneity and overt ethnic specificity. To provide additional data for analysis to elucidate the origins of populations, we have investigated the allelic polymorphism of FUT2 in 40 unrelated Tibetan and 53 Tamang individuals from Nepal, 42 Indonesian individuals from Surabaya, and 55 Uygur individuals from Urumqi, using DNA sequencing. In Tibetan, Tamang and Indonesian populations, the frequency of a nonfunctional allele, se357,385, which is found only in Asian populations, was 0·638, 0·509 and 0·631, respectively. In Uygur, the se428, which is common in Caucasian populations, and the se357,385 consisting of two common nonfunctional FUT2 alleles, had frequencies of 0·3 and 0·145, respectively. The fixation index (FST) based on genetic differentiation was obtained pairwise among the four populations in this study and six populations in our previous studies. The results suggested that genetic differentiation among Tibetan, Tamang, Indonesian and East Asian populations is very low, while the distribution feature of the FUT2 alleles in the Uygur population implied an admixture of European with Asian. The distribution of nonfunctional alleles at the FUT2 locus provided further evidence of human migration among the Asian populations.


What would leadership standards look like if developed through a lens and language of equity? We engaged with a group of 40 researchers, practitioners, and community leaders recognized as having expertise on equity in education to address this question. Using a Delphi technique, an approach designed to elicit expert feedback and measure convergence around a question of interest, these leaders participated in three rounds of data gathering. In Rounds One and Two, the 40 participants described and then rated leadership practices they believed to be most likely to mitigate race, class, and other group-based disparities between dominant and nondominant students. In Round Three, 14 of these experts participated in focus group sessions, using the findings from the first two rounds to ultimately converge around 10 high-leverage leadership practices for equity. Findings highlight the importance of leadership centered on countering systemic and structural barriers that maintain disparities, with implications for leadership preparation, policy, and tools to support organizational leadership for equity.


Natamycin is a naturally occurring antifungal agent used to inhibit the growth of moulds and yeasts. Characteristics such as low effective concentrations, broad applicability and neutral flavour impact make this compound an ideal preservative. Although widely used in the global food industry, natamycin is forbidden in wine in the European Union (EU). It is a permitted wine additive in South Africa, although export wines must comply with EU standards. Germany in particular implemented strict measures to prevent wines containing natamycin from entering their market. Sensitive analytical methodologies with the capacity to regulate this segment of the wine export industry are therefore required. Here we report on the development of a simple, robust and fast liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometric (LC-ESI-MS/MS) method for the determination of natamycin in wine. Sample cleanup involves dilution followed by direct elution of natamycin from aminopropyl SPE cartridges. Recoveries are better than 80% relative standard deviation (RSD < 10%), while the limit of detection (LOD) of the method is 0.0003 mg/L, which renders it compliant with EU standards. The method also yields qualitative information for positive compound identification. The degradation of natamycin in wine was also studied and kinetic parameters are reported in this matrix for the first time. The activation energy for the decomposition reaction is ~80 kJ/mol and the half-life under normal wine storage conditions is in the order of 20 days. As in the wine matrix, natamycin in aqueous calibration standards are labile, necessitating regular preparation and cold storage of standard solutions to ensure accurate quantitation.


The pozzolanic reaction of a natural zeolite-rich tuff and portlandite was investigated by means of IR spectroscopy. The zeolite tuff consisted mainly of Ca-rich clinoptilolite. A detailed analysis of the changes in the bonding environment during reaction presented by the IR spectra showed that the vibrations assigned to the reactant phases were progressively consumed and implied that Si-rich environments were preferentially depleted. The contemporaneous appearance and rise of vibration bands characteristic for calcium-silicate-hydrates and calcium-aluminate-hydrates demonstrated the formation of reaction products. Changes in bonding environment were spatially visualized by means of synchrotron-IR microspectroscopy. Promising results showed the distribution of reactants and reaction products and allowed to analyze spatial trends in IR-vibration frequencies. A shift in calcium-silicate-hydrate mean peak position from 972 to 968 cm −1 indicated a decrease in silicate chain length with increasing distance from the clinoptilolite-matrix interface.


We present arguments and evidence against the hypothesis that a large impact or airburst caused a significant abrupt climate change, extinction event, and termination of the Clovis culture at 12.9 ka. It should be noted that there is not one single Younger Dryas (YD) impact hypothesis but several that conflict with one another regarding many significant details. Fragmentation and explosion mechanisms proposed for some of the versions do not conserve energy or momentum, no physics-based model has been presented to support the various concepts, and existing physical models contradict them. In addition, the a priori odds of the impact of a >4 km comet in the prescribed configuration on the Laurentide Ice Sheet during the specified time period are infinitesimal, about one in 10 15 . There are three broad classes of counterarguments. First, evidence for an impact is lacking. No impact craters of the appropriate size and age are known, and no unambiguously shocked material or other features diagnostic of impact have been found in YD sediments. Second, the climatological, paleontological, and archeological events that the YD impact proponents are attempting to explain are not unique, are arguably misinterpreted by the proponents, have large chronological uncertainties, are not necessarily coupled, and do not require an impact. Third, we believe that proponents have misinterpreted some of the evidence used to argue for an impact, and several independent researchers have been unable to reproduce reported results. This is compounded by the observation of contamination in a purported YD sample with modern carbon.


Ice expansion ramparts 2 mi S. of Plover Point on South Arm of Yellowstone Lake were formed by expansive force of lake ice during intense thaws. Width of the Arm (1 1/2 mi) is within limits necessary for ice to maintain competence for shoreward thrusting. Wind-induced ice thrust forces are unlikely here, but were observed May 20, 1960, forming ramparts on windward northern shores of the lake which were exposed to optimum fetch. The South Arm ramparts are sinuous in plan and located both above normal summer strand lines and in drowned positions as much as 60 ft out from them. The latter stand 6 ft above rock-veneered bottoms and formed during winter low-water stage. Simplicity and singularity of the ramparts suggests that conditions for their formation have not often occurred, Following Hobbs, an expectable genetic sequence is: 1) Freezing of lake ice; continued chilling with concomitant formation of tension cracks; widely fluctuating temperatures. 2) Water freezes in cracks increasing potential ice volume; 3) Sudden marked warming is communicated to bare ice expanding it to new and greater volume; ice thrusts onto shore if competent.


To determine the relative importance of atmospheric deposition and stormwater runoff as nitrogen sources to Sarasota Bay, Florida, we examined dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentrations and d15N compositions of rainwater and stormwater runoff. Rainwater collected in Sarasota, Florida, had ammonium concentrations of 2.1–29.0 µmol L−1 in the summers of 1999 and 2000. Corresponding rainwater nitrate concentrations were 3.7–56.0 µmol L−1. Rainwater ammonium Δ15N values were −11.6‰ to −0.3‰, and nitrate Δ15N values were −5.1 to +3.8 over the 2‐yr period. Decreases on the order of 50% in ammonium concentration and Δ15N enrichments as great as 124‰ relative to rainwater ammonium were typically observed in the evolution of rainwater into stormwater. Stormwater Δ15NH4 values were +7 to +18‰. Nitrate (NO3) concentrations were typically elevated in stormwater relative to rainwater, although this trend was not statistically significant, and Δ15N values were generally slightly enriched in stormwater. Rainfall phosphate (PO4) concentrations were always low (≪2.1 µmol L−1), whereas stormwater consistently had elevated PO4 concentrations (up to 13.8 µmol L−1). 15N‐enriched N in the environment has generally been interpreted as an anthropogenic signal (wastewater and agricultural runoff). Our results will require the broadening of that interpretation to include stormwater DIN.


[1] The measuring complex and Database of Borok Geophysical Observatory (branch of the Schmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth, Russian Academy of Sciences) are considered as the example of the application of information technologies in geophysical observation. The measuring complex of the observatory and the basic types of observation are described. Specificity of information technologies for all stages of working with geophysical data, including logging, processing, storage and access to them, are discussed. Principles of design of digital data logging systems and networks, their architecture and the software are presented. Methods and programs of raw data processing (both to store and to simplify access to the data), architecture and software of the database are explained. Various methods to access geophysical data, caused by various methods of data storage are characterized. Access via Internet, as the most universal, operative and convenient for users, is considered. The experiences of Borok Geophysical Observatory in the international networks of magnetic observatories are described. INDEX TERMS: 1555 Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism: Time variations: diurnal to decadal; 1560 Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism: Time variations: secular and longer; 1594 Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism: Instruments and techniques; 3304 Atmospheric Processes: Atmospheric electricity; KEYWORDS: Borok Geophysical Observatory, INTERMAGNET, magnetic observatories, information technologies in geophysical observation, geomagnetic data.


Purpose: To develop a phase‐matched DTS technique to allow tomographic verification of moving targets simultaneous to VMAT delivery.Methods: This study proposes to verify moving targets by comparing phase ‐matched reference DTS (Ref ‐DTS) generated from simulation 4DCT to corresponding on ‐board DTS (OBI ‐DTS) acquired during VMAT delivery. The 4D Digital Extended Cardiac Torso (XCAT) Phantom was used for demonstration. A normal patient breathing pattern was input into the XCAT phantom to generate on ‐board CBCT projections, simulation 4DCT, average intensity projection (AIP) of the 4DCT and free ‐breathing CT (FBCT).These simulation CT sets (FBCT, AIP and 4DCT) were used to project digitally reconstructed radiographs(DRRs):DRR ‐FBCT and DRR ‐AIP (both with no respiratory phase information), and DRR ‐4DCT matched to phases of onboard projections. These DRR sets were further used to reconstruct three Ref ‐DTS sets: Ref ‐DTS ‐FBCT, Ref ‐DTS ‐AIP, and phase ‐matched Ref ‐DTS ‐4DCT. Each Ref ‐DTS set was compared with OBI ‐DTS (generated from on ‐board projections) to identify relative differences between both. To quantitatively assess the feasibility of comparing each Ref ‐DTS set with OBI ‐DTS for target verification, the simulation CT sets were shifted by a given amount to simulate target motion/setup variation, and the resulting Ref ‐DTS sets were registered to OBI ‐DTS automatically. The accuracy of target verification was evaluated by the discrepancies between simulated and registered shifts. Results: For a 1mm discrepancy criterion between simulated and registered shifts, the success rates between OBI‐DTS /Ref‐DTS‐FBCT, OBI‐DTS /Ref‐DTS‐AIP, and OBI‐DTS /Ref‐DTS‐4DCT registrations are 14.3%, 28.6%, and 100% for 2mm shifts, 0%, 14.3%, 100% for 5mm shifts, and 42.9%, 28.6%, 100% for 10mm shifts, respectively. Conclusions: The simulation study indicated that the phase‐matched Ref‐DTS‐4DCT technique considerably improved the target verification accuracy than that provided by non‐phase‐information Ref‐DTS‐FBCT or Ref‐DTS‐AIP. Therefore, it has the potential to validate VMAT treatment of moving targets. (Research partially supported by grant from Varian Medical Systems) Research partially supported by grant from Varian Medical Systems.


Coated materials are encountered on a daily basis, and are a part of almost everything manufactured today. Despite their ubiquity, investigations on their chemical functionality and structure still provide interesting research potential. This dissertation investigates two kinds of coatings, polymeric and self-assembled monolayers (SAMs).

The polymeric coatings investigated are in the form of photoresists that are used to create substrates for laser ablation. Adjusting the composition of the photoresists leads to the formation of unique structures during this laser ablation. Another application of photoresists that was studied is the creation of transferable microstructures on a flexible substrate. These microstructures, in the form of arches, are created using multiphoton absorption polymerization.

The creation of a patterned SAMs substrate with the potential application as a microarray was explored. Photolithography and soft lithography approaches were tested to create these amine-functionalized surfaces. In addition, silicon nitride surfaces were investigated as a suitable substrate for alkylphosphonate SAMs. A variety of surface techniques including sum frequency generation and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were employed to study these surfaces and ultimately the presence of a multilayer, more than one monolayer, was found.


In 1850 the unlettered reformer Sojourner Truth published a narrative of her life in bondage, which she dictated to Garrisonian abolitionist Olive Gilbert. In explaining that she was excising certain information from Sojourner's story, Gilbert wrote that "our heroine" endured "a long series of trials," which were not "for the public ear by their very nature." Hence, the Narrative of Sojourner Truth was silent on particular travails of slavery, "from motives of delicacy" and fear that "relation of them might inflict undeserved pain on some now living." If Sojourner's Narrative appeared "tame" to the reader, Olive Gilbert added, it was "not for want of facts," but from "various motives suppressed." In 19th-century language, Gilbert was explaining that she purposely omitted sexual improprieties. Such coded expressions in Sojourner's 1850 Narrative leaves much unsaid when compared to the explicit sexual admissions in formerly enslaved Harriet Jacobs's life story, which appeared over a decade later. On the eve of the Civil War, Jacobs published Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Written by Herself with editorial "advise and assistance" from noted abolitionist author Lydia Maria Child. Indeed, Child's name, not Jacobs's appeared on the title page. "I am well aware," wrote Child, "that many will accuse me of indecorum for presenting these pages to the public; for the experiences of this intelligent and much injured woman belong to a class which some call delicate subjects, and others call indelicate." Jacobs herself admitted that certain details of her life should only be whispered "into the ear of a very dear friend."(1) Both narratives of female bondage invoke a literary genre similar to normative, sentimental novels. They are also within the melodramatic style of most antislavery autobiographies, complete with classic physical and emotional brutality, a transforming experience, a heroic slave mother, and the subject finding her voice--all overseen by the white editor, in these cases a female reformer. (2) Nonetheless, literary scholars in particular tend to dismiss the Narrative of Sojourner Truth in comparison to Jacobs's life story. Hazel V. Carby's Reconstruction Womanhood has an excellent chapter on slave women and mistresses, which does not mention Sojourner's Narrative. Nor does Frances Smith Foster's Witnessing Slavery. Jean Fagan Yellin is among a few exceptions. She wrote that the outspoken 19th-century activist, Sojourner Truth, "articulated her autonomy in all major ways but one. Conspicuously absent from her speeches, her Narrative, and her Book of Life is any discussion of sexuality." This, observed Yellin, is in contradistinction to Harriet Jacobs, who publicly admitted her sexual indiscretions. Some years ago, Jean Yellin rescued, authenticated, and historicized Jacobs's largely forgotten story, which Jacobs wrote under the pseudonym of "Linda Brent." There is no question, as there was for many years, about the validity and authorship of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. However, because Sojourner Truth dictated her life story, recounted northern rather than southern slavery, and because she was not openly revelatory on sexuality, her Narrative is often ignored, accused of being too sanitized, and even declared a secondary rather than a primary source of information. (3) In the process of researching for Sojourner's biography, my examination of her historical background confirms the accuracy of her early life as written in her Narrative, and the significance of her story as a primary source for referencing black bondage in the rural North. Nonetheless, the absence of a discussion of sexuality in Sojourner's Narrative, compared to Jacobs openly confronting the issue, warrants deeper exploration, but certainly not dismissal of Sojourner's story. Moral imperatives and coded historical meaning of sexual representations should be strongly considered as influencing the writing of both narratives. …


Background Dietary diversity can play an important role in providing essential nutrients for both mother and fetus during pregnancy. This study aimed to assess the factors associated with dietary diversity during pregnancy in the western hill region of Nepal. Methods A cross-sectional study of 327 pregnant women was conducted in an urban municipality of Baglung district in the western hill region of Nepal. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect information on household demographic and socioeconomic status, food taboos, household food security status, nutrition-related knowledge in pregnancy, and women's empowerment. Women consuming ≥5 of 10 food groups in the past 24 hours were defined as consuming a diverse diet using the Minimum Dietary Diversity Score for Women (MDD-W) tool. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate crude odds ratio (cOR) and adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to understand factors associated with dietary diversity. Results Almost 45% (95% CI: 39.6–50.4) of the participants did not consume a diverse diet and the mean dietary diversity score was 4.76 ± 1.23. Multivariable analysis revealed that women with greater empowerment (aOR = 4.3, 95% CI: 1.9–9.9), from wealthier households (aOR = 5.1, 95% CI: 2.7–9.3), joint families (aOR = 2.7, 95% CI: 1.4–5.1), employment (aOR = 2.2, 95% CI: 1.2–4.1), and had adequate nutrition knowledge (aOR: 1.9, 95% CI 1.1–3.4) had higher odds of dietary diversity. Conclusion Along with socioeconomic status, women's empowerment and nutrition knowledge were modifiable risk factors that should be considered as targets for programs to improve women's health during pregnancy.


Graphene is currently one of the most extensively studied materials because it displays a number of unique structural and electronic properties. A variety of methods are currently available for the growth of graphene; however, few are viable for large scale, cost-effective production of high quality graphene. Here, a novel growth process for few layer graphene using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and a commercial iron nanopowder catalyst is described. This method is readily scalable so it can be used to produce a large volume of graphene sheets. Graphene sheets made from this process were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Raman spectroscopy shows that the product consists of few layer graphene sheets. This is the first reported method of utilizing nanoparticles to synthesize graphene by a CVD process, which typically produces multiwalled carbon nanotubes. A possible mechanism for the formation of graphene by this modified CVD process is discussed.


We document five stylized facts of economic growth. (1) The "residual" rather than factor accumulation accounts for most of the income and growth differences across nations. (2) Income diverges over the long run. (3) Factor accumulation is persistent while growth is not persistent and the growth path of countries exhibits remarkable variation across countries. (4) Economic activity is highly concentrated, with all factors of production flowing to the richest areas. (5) National policies closely associated with long-run economic growth rates. We argue that these facts do not support models with diminishing returns, constant returns to scale, some fixed factor of production, and that highlight the role of factor accumulation. Empirical work, however, does not yet decisively distinguish among the different theoretical conceptions of "total factor productivity growth." Economists should devote more effort towards modeling and quantifying total factor productivity.


Founded in the final years of the Enlightenment, the Louvre--with the greatest collection of Old Master paintings and antique sculpture assembled under one roof--became the model for all state art museums subsequently established. Andrew McClellan chronicles the formation of this great museum from its origins in the French royal picture collections to its apotheosis during the Revolution and Napoleonic Empire. More than a narrative history, McClellan's account explores the ideological underpinnings, pedagogic aims, and aesthetic criteria of the Louvre. Drawing on new archival materials, McClellan also illuminates the art world of eighteenth-century Paris.


Backgrounds and Objectives Combinations of local anesthetics and opioids are frequently used during spinal and epidural analgesia for the relief of labor pain. This combination allows for a dose-sparing effect which may reduce potential side effects or toxicity. The precise nature of the interaction between opioids and local anesthetics in the clinical setting, i.e., additivity versus synergism, has not been established. This trial was designed to utilize a validated technique of analysis of drug interactions, isobolography, to investigate this interaction. Methods One hundred healthy laboring patients at term receiving a combined spinal and epidural technique were divided into nine groups as follows: intrathecal sufentanil 2, 5, or 10 μg (2 mL volume) and epidural saline (10 mL); epidural bupivacaine 5, 12.5, or 25 mg and intrathecal saline (2 mL volume); or combination of 1, 2.5, and 5 μg intrathecal sufentanil plus 2.5, 6.25, or 12.5 mg epidural bupivacaine, using similar volumes, respectively. All drugs were administered in a randomized, double-blind fashion. Pain relief scores were assessed 20 minutes after drug injection, and isobolographic analysis was utilized to determine the nature of the interaction. Results The ED50 of intrathecal sufentanil alone was 2.3 μg (95% CI 1.7-3.2), and the ED50 for epidural bupivacaine was 24 mg (95% CI 12-50). The combined sufentanil and bupivacaine fractional dose ED50 (in fractions of the single-dose ED50 values) was found to be approximately one-third and one-tenth of the single drug fractional dose, respectively; sufentanil 0.85 μg (0.36) and bupivacaine 2.2 mg (0.09). The duration of analgesia was nearly equivalent in all sufentanil-alone groups (83, 102, and 99 minutes); a dose-response effect was more apparent in the bupivacaine group (35, 42, and 74 minutes; P = .006) and the combination group (60, 79, 101 minutes; P = .028). Isobolography showed the combination dose to lie well within the area of synergism; however, the 95% confidence limits cross the line of additivity thus a pure additive interaction cannot be excluded. Conclusions Markedly reduced doses of these drugs in combination can be used to provide adequate analgesia during labor compared with either single drug alone.


Biomolecule-nanoparticle hybrids have proven to be one of most promising frontiers in biomedical research. In recent years, there has been an increased focus on the development of hybrid lipid-nanoparticle complexes (HLNCs) which inherit unique properties of both the inorganic nanoparticles and the lipid assemblies (i.e. liposomes, lipoproteins, solid lipid nanoparticles, and nanoemulsions) that comprise them. In combination of their component parts, HLNCs also gain new functionalities which are utilized for numerous biomedical applications (i.e. stimuli-triggered drug release, photothermal therapy, and bioimaging). The localization of nanoparticles within the lipid assemblies largely dictates the attributes and functionalities of the hybrid complexes and are classified as such: (i) liposomes with surface-bound nanoparticles, (ii) liposomes with bilayer-embedded nanoparticles, (iii) liposomes with core-encapsulated nanoparticles, (iv) lipid assemblies with hydrophobic core-encapsulated nanoparticles, and (v) lipid bilayer-coated nanoparticles. Herein, we review the properties of each hybrid and the rational design of HLNCs for biomedical applications as reported by recent investigations. Future directions in advancing and expanding the scope of HLNCs are also proposed.


The financial and accounting information plays a growing role in society and the current economy. The press, whether specialized or not, publishes more and more information disseminated by firms on their performance and risk. Yet although the amount of information grows over time, the question of its quality has been no study of the legislature or the financial regulator. This literature review aims to present the results of studies on the subject. These studies show evidence that the readability of the accounting and financial documents is very low.


Abstract In order to investigate content and localization of arsenic in natural fluorapatite, a micro-Raman spectroscopic study was carried out on As-rich fluorapatite crystals from the volcanic region of Mt. Calvario (Mount Etna, Italy). The crystals, from both the unaltered lavas and the metasomatized rocks, show a pure fluorapatite composition in the core, but an arsenic content of up to 15 wt.% As 2 O 5 in the rim of the crystals from the altered lavas. [AsO 4 ] 3– ⇔ [PO 4 ] 3– substitutions are proposed on the basis of chemical analysis performed with Electron Microprobe (EMP), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM-EDS), and Raman spectroscopy. Micro-Raman investigations carried out on the same crystals studied by EMP show a large band, anomalous for fluorapatite, near 860 cm –1 , where chemical microanalyses revealed high contents of As 2 O 5. The Raman broad band near 860 cm –1 is produced by the vibrational modes of [AsO 4 ] 3– tetrahedra. No evidence of arsenate phase crystallization was found, therefore it is proposed that [AsO 4 ] 3– groups substitute for [PO 4 ] 3– groups in the apatite structure. Through μ-Raman spectroscopy, it has been possible to relate the iron content revealed by chemical analysis to magnetite in the fluorapatite from the unaltered lava, and to hematite inclusions in the inner core of the fluorapatite from metasomatized areas.


The Iranian revolution of 1979 promised to bring freedom and equality, but as soon as one group gained power, it turned out to be oppressive of both its political opposition and women. This resulted in the formation of a large Iranian diaspora bound together by its hatred for the Iranian regime. Years of suppression in the 1980s in Iran resulted in a deep gap between Iranians living inside and out- side Iran. During the 1990s, however, cross-border relationships started to change as a result of two major factors: transnational activities and the influence of cyber- space. This paper focuses on the paradoxes of transnational connections in local protest with a focus on the women's movement. We show both how transnational links have empowered women activists in Iran and how they have led to new dan- gers at the local level. We also reveal how support from the Iranian diaspora can be patronizing as well as supportive.


Scots pines (Pinus sylvestris L.) in the inner-Alpine dry valleys of Switzerland have suffered from increased mortality during the past decades, which has been caused by longer and more frequent dry periods. In addition, a proceeding replacement of Scots pines by pubescent oaks (Quercus pubescens Willd.) has been observed. In 2003, an irrigation experiment was performed to track changes by reducing drought pressure on the natural pine forest. After nine years of irrigation, we observed major adaptations in the vegetation and shifts in Scots pine fine root abundance and structure. Irrigation permitted new plant species to assemble and promote canopy closure with a subsequent loss of herb and moss coverage. Fine root dry weight increased under irrigation and fine roots had a tendency to elongate. Structural composition of fine roots remained unaffected by irrigation, expressing preserved proportions of cellulose, lignin and phenolic substances. A shift to a more negative δ13C signal in the fine root C indicates an increased photosynthetic activity in irrigated pine trees. Using radiocarbon (14C) measurement, a reduced mean age of the fine roots in irrigated plots was revealed. The reason for this is either an increase in newly produced fine roots, supported by the increase in fine root biomass, or a reduced lifespan of fine roots which corresponds to an enhanced turnover rate. Overall, the responses belowground to irrigation are less conspicuous than the more rapid adaptations aboveground. Lagged and conservative adaptations of tree roots with decadal lifespans are challenging to detect, hence demanding for long-term surveys. Investigations concerning fine root turnover rate and degradation processes under a changing climate are crucial for a complete understanding of C cycling.


The purpose of this study is to assess the potential of technology for improving language education. A review of the effectiveness of past and current practices in the application of information and communication technology(ICT) in language education and the availability as well as capacities of current ICTs was conducted. The review found that existing literature on the effectiveness of technology uses in language education is very limited in four aspects: a) The number of systematic, well-designed empirical evaluative studies of the effects of technology uses in language learning is very small, b) the settings of instruction where the studies were conducted were limited to higher education and adult learners, c) the languages studied were limited to common foreign languages and English as a foreign or second language, and d) the experiments were often short-term and about one or two aspects of language learning (e.g., vocabulary or grammar). However the limited number of available studies shows a pattern of positive effects. They found technology-supported language learning is at least as effective as human teachers, if not more so.


Decay heat removal in a nuclear plant is very important, and the performance of a decay heat removal system in a plant is a critical factor for the plant safety. In designing the decay heat removal system, a passive-type system is usually more difficult than an active-type system, and there can be additional restrictions in designing plant systems for passive decay heat removal to secure a sufficient natural-circulation head. If one can devise a decay heat exchanger that can enhance buildup of the natural-circulation head during an accident, the restrictions on designing the systems related to the decay heat removal can be relaxed and a better plant design can be attained. To meet this necessity, a design concept of an improved decay heat removal heat exchanger, IDINHX, was devised for a pool-type liquid-metal reactor (LMR). Its performance was evaluated, and the physics related to the core cooling in a pool-type LMR was investigated. During an accident, the core exit temperature usually peaks twice. The first peaking reflects the early-phase cooling capacity of a system, and the second peaking reflects the late-phase or long-term cooling capacity. The physics of the first peaking are more complex than that of the second peaking and, consequently, designing against the first peaking is more difficult. Based on the investigation results, ways to control the first peaking are suggested.


Random dynamic stress of a railway vehicle caused by track irregularity need to be calculated accurately in order to predict the railway vehicle's fatigue life. It is usually described as the function of mileage. Since the traditional analysis method of this issue is complicated and very time consuming, in this paper, an efficient approach based on Pseudo Excitation Method (PEM) and Finite Element Model (FEM) is developed. By using the proposed approach, the stress power spectral density (PSD) of the railway vehicle contains some specific structures can be calculated conveniently, the related statistical parameters of the coupled vehicletrack system can be obtained accurately as well. The reliability of the proposed approach is verified by comparing with a field test, in which the stress of the front and the rear traction beam of a metro car body is measured. It was proved that the simulation results of the proposed method are in good agreement with the test results, both on the value of magnitude and distribution trend, the relative error of the stress Root Mean Square (RMS) is less than 20% in general, mostly within 10%.


Wenger Corporation has manufactured orchestra shells for educational and professional spaces for over 30 years. This paper will present the design philosophy behind the Wenger line of acoustic shells. Pros and cons of standardized equipment versus custom design and manufacture will be discussed. Also, the methodology behind the design and development of the Diva Acoustic Shell and many of its innovative features will be examined.


Plant parasitic nematodes belonging to the family Hoplolaimidae Filipjev, 1934 have global distribution in agricultural soils and uncultivated lands. Over 400 species have described so far of which 10-12 species are profuse in their distribution in different parts of the world like America, Africa, Asia and Australia. The majority of the hoplolaimid species are found in soil closely associated with plant roots in a wide assortment of habitats. Species of the genus Helicotylenchus Steiner, 1945 comprise one of the most common and consistent components of hoplolaimid population attacking agricultural crops under diverse climatic and edaphic conditions. Under the present taxonomic studies of the family Hoplolaimidae, up-to-date lists (1995) of the total number of species, belonging to eleven genera viz., Helicotylenchus Steiner, 1945; Hoplolaimus Daday, 1905; Rotylenehus Filipjev, 1936; scutellenchus Andrassy, 1958; Aorolaimus Sher, 1963; Aphasmatylenchus Sher, 1965; Antarctylus Sher, 1973; Pararotylenchus Baldwin & Bell, 1981; Rotylenehulus Linford & Oliveira, 1940; Acontylus Meagher, 1968 and Senegalonema Germani, Luc & Baldwin, 1984, have been provided. Rotylenchoides valdeclarus, Williams, 1983 and Rotylenchoides whiteheadi Ganguly & Khan, 1987 have been shifted under genus Helicotylenchus as H. valdeclarus (Williams, 1983) n. combination and H. whiteheadi (Ganguly & Khan, 1987) n. combination. A diagnostic compendium of the genus Helicotylenchus prepared for the diagnosis of Helicotylenchus species, with pertinent morphometric data derived from the original descriptions or subsequent redescriptions, have been provided for nominal species of Helicotylenchus in tabular form to facilitate the identification of species. The tabular key is based on 16 diagnostic characters and illustrations of female anterior and posterior regions of the 196 valid species.

Under the present studies of Hoplolaimid nematodes of Pakistan many extensive surveys (1989-1995) of different regions were carried out and about 800 soil and root samples were collected from cereals, vegetables, fruit, herbaceous plants and other crops of economic importance. The analysis of these samples has revealed a large number of nematode species belonging to the family Hoplolaimidae. Among these, nine new species and eleven known species have been described and redescribed respectively. The new species include: Helicotylenchus discocephalus Firoza & Maqbool, 1993; H. microtylus Firoza & Maqbool, 1993; H. meloni Firoza & Maqbool, 1994; H. striatus Firoza & Maqbool, 1994; H. arcuatus n.sp., H. lemoni n.sp., Hoplolaimus tabacum Firoza, Nasira & Maqbool, 1990; Rotylenchus capsicumi Firoza & Maqbool, 1991 and R. goldeni Firoza & Maqbool, 1993. The 11 known species Le., Helicotylenchus abunaamai Siddiqi, 1972; H. arachisi Mulk & Jairajpuri, 1974; H. falcatus Eroshenko & Nguen Vu Thanh, 1981; H. oscephlus Anderson, 1979; H. platyurus Perry, Darling & Thorne, 1959; H. seshadrii Singh & Khera, 1979; H. willmottae Siddiqi, 1972; Hoplolaimus aegypti Shafiee & Koura, 1969; Rotylenchus dalhousiensis Sultan & Jairajpuri, 1979; R. himprus (Sultan, 198u) Fortuner, 1981 and R. jagatpurensis Sultan, 1984 have been redescribed and illustrated as first records in Pakistan.

In addition to these, twelve nematode species of this group which were reported earlier, have been redescribed giving morphometric data and illustrations for the first time in Pakistan which include: Helicotylenchus conicephahus Siddiqi, 1972; H. crenacauda Sher, 1966; H.digonicus Perry, Darling & Thorne, 1959 ; H.dihystera (Cobb, 1893) Sher, 1961; H. egyptiensis Tarjan, 1964; H. erythrinae (Zimmermman, 1904) Golden, 1956; H. indicus Siddiqi, 1963; H. microdorus Prasad, Khan & Chawla, 1965; H. pseudorobustus (Steiner, 1914) Golden, 1956; Hoplolaimus tylenchiformis Daday, 1905; Rotylenchus buxophilus Golden, 1956 and Rotylenchulus parvus (Williams, 1960) Sher, 1961. Moreover, some of the important hoplolaimid species of common occurrence viz., Helicotylenchus dihystera(Cobb, 1893) Sher, 1961, Hoplolaimus indicus Sher, 1963 and H. columbus Sher, 1963 have also been redescribed with the help of SEM. About 120 new host records of some of the hoplolaimid species have also been given. Numerical threshold for the infection and control experiment using plant extracts on H. dihystera have also been carried out. H. dihystera has been found pathogenic to brinjal, tomato and wheat with an inoculation of 1,000 nematodes per 250 g soil per plant while datura leaf extract gave maximum mortality (80%) of this species as compared to calotropis (70%) and neem (40.6%) respectively.


When it comes to motivating teenagers towards energy awareness, new approaches need to be considered. One such is the use of pervasive games connected to the players own energy consumption. Earlier work has confirmed this to be a highly effective approach. The question however remains if post game effects on behavior can be achieved. In this paper we try to answer this by trying out a slightly different design compared to previous work. The hypothesis is that a more casual game play and a richer learning interaction enabled by building the game on a real time sensor system could stimulate more lasting effects. Electric consumption data after the 7 days evaluation on a test group of 15 players shows tentative indications for a persistent post game effect compared to the control group of 20 households. Findings also show a statistically significant positive change in the players' attitude towards saving energy compared to the same group. Findings, at the same time, also indicate a negative effect on the player's attitude toward environmental questions in general.


Public protests have become armed events, with protesters and counter-protesters openly carrying firearms – generally pursuant to state law. Many view the presence of firearms at protest events as wholly incompatible with the exercise of First Amendment free speech and assembly rights. Although the Supreme Court has yet to decide whether there is a Second Amendment right to openly carry firearms in public, all but a small handful of states in the U.S. provide some legal protection for open carry. Taking the law as it currently stands, this Article provides the first comprehensive assessment of the options available to officials who seek to regulate open carry at public protests. It considers a number of measures, from bans on open carry during protest events, to measures aimed at armed private militias, to more limited restrictions on the place or manner of open carry. The Article assesses these and other regulatory alternatives from the perspective of both the First Amendment and the Second Amendment. It generally rejects First Amendment arguments for protecting, or limiting, open carry at public protests. The Article also concludes that a number of measures restricting open carry at protest events would likely satisfy current interpretations of the Second Amendment. Finally, using our long experience with public First Amendment rights as a rough guide, the Article considers the primary factors that will likely influence the nature and scope of the public Second Amendment.


The teaching and learning of statistics has impacted the curriculum in elementary, secondary, and post-secondary education. Because of this growing movement to expand and include statistics into all levels of education, there is also a considerable interest in how to teach statistics. For statistics concepts that tend to be very difficult or abstract, many researchers have recommended using computer simulation methods (CSMs), but there have been very few empirically and theoretically based studies related to student achievement using these methods. The purpose of this study was to determine whether using CSMs enhanced student understanding of abstract statistics concepts for students enrolled in an introductory course. Based on a theoretical framework of how students learn statistics, the preliminary results of this study indicate some evidence that these methods may improve student understanding of


The coupled propagation of two electromagnetic waves in plasma is studied in order to find the conditions for induced transparency. This means unattenuated propagation of the waves through plasma which is overdense, and thus opaque, for one (or both) of them. This is made possible by a modulation of the refractive properties of the plasma, due to a relativistic increase in the electron mass, or to a variation in electron density caused by longitudinal plasma oscillations driven by the ponderomotive potential associated with the beat of the waves. Starting from a relativistic fluid description, we make an Ansatz containing two transverse monochromatic electromagnetic plane waves, and longitudinal plasma oscillations at the sum and difference of their frequencies. For weakly relativistic intensities we derive coupled dispersion relations, which take into account the polarization of the waves and the nonlinearities with respect to both their amplitudes. This serves to explore the conditions for induced transparency and the modes of propagation.


Heliconius butterflies provide good examples of both homoploid hybrid speciation and ecological speciation. In particular, examples of adaptive introgression have been detected among the subspecies of Heliconius timareta, which acquired red color pattern elements from H. melpomene. We tested whether the introgression of red wing pattern elements into H. timareta florencia might also be associated with incipient reproductive isolation (RI) from its close relative, H. timareta subsp. nov., found in the eastern Andes. No choice experiments show a 50% reduction in mating between females of H. t. subsp. nov. and males of H .t. florencia, but not in the reciprocal direction. In choice experiments using wing models, males of H. timareta subsp. nov. approach and court red phenotypes less than their own, whereas males of H. t. florencia prefer models with a red phenotype. Intrinsic postzygotic isolation was not detected in crosses between these H. timareta races. These results suggest that a color pattern trait gained by introgression is triggering RI between H. timareta subsp. nov. and H. t. florencia.


Serum folate and vitamin B12 levels have been measured in 101 patients with depressive illness. Subnormal folate levels (2.5 ng./ml. or less) were found in 24 per cent and subnormal vitamin B12 levels (150 pg./ml. or less) in 2.2 per cent of patients. Thirteen patients(14.4 per cent) had low vitamin B12 levels (200 pg./ml. or less). Patients with subnormal folate levels were found to have significantly higher depressive scores, and significantly lower validity scores on the Marke-Nyman Temperament Scale, both on admission and on discharge. Subnormal folate levels could be a consequence of dietary deficiency or could possibly be causal of depression through interference with tyrosine or tryptophan hydroxylation.


Objective: This study documented the prevalence and antecedents of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use in a university student sample. We extend previous research by documenting changes in CAM use in the past decade. Participants: Participants were 519 college students at a large public university. Methods: Participants were administered questionnaires: CAM and Herbal use surveys, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), Modern Health Worries (MHW) and the Subjective Health Complaints. Results: Overall, 60% of the participants had used at least one type of CAM and 70% had used at least one herbal substance in the past 12 months. Hierarchical regression determined that increased age and MHWs were significant predictors of overall CAM use. Increased age and pseudoneurological symptoms predicted herbal use. Exploratory factor analysis and additional regressions revealed additional information about predictors of specific types of CAM and herb use. Conclusion: CAM use has remained at a consistently high level in undergraduates.


Chloride is often used as a conservative tracer to estimate groundwater recharge rates in arid and semiarid regions. Relationships between Cl− depth profiles and vadose zone stratigraphy have revealed new information on the behavior of this dissolved constituent in pore waters of heterogeneous materials. We measured pore‐water Cl− in loess deposits of the eastern Palouse region in northern Idaho, where multiple sequences of buried soils extend to ∼20 m depth. Three cores were collected to bedrock at summit, side slope, and valley positions. Pore‐water Cl− distribution, clay content, soil strength, and secondary Mnd/Fed ratios were measured to identify relationships between natural tracer migration and vadose zone stratigraphy. Characterization of deep strata revealed complex sequences of extremely dense paleosol fragipans interstratified with less dense leached horizons. Abrupt changes in Cl− concentration reflect boundaries between these stratigraphic units that display contrasting physical and morphological properties. Results illustrate that loess stratigraphy influences vadose zone water movement in the Palouse. In addition, Cl− depth profiles can be used as indicators of deep stratigraphy across various landscape positions.


Information technology (IT) has permeated many fields and aspects of - modern society such as education, business, health and entertainment. It provides users with innovative and powerful products which were unimagined decades ago. The Internet is one of the most wonderful and powerful IT developments. The introduction of the Internet has brought new areas such as e-commerce, e-health and e-learning. Thus the instrumental role of IT is unquestionable in this digital age. However, from a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) perspective, IT is socially situated and its role and impacts cannot be divorced from its socio-cultural context. CDA is an interdisciplinary approach which studies linguistic and social issues in relation to social discourse with a main aim to examine how social power permeates and controls discourses and consequently creates social inequality and injustice. As IT is closely linked to its social discourse, its use and value are embedded in social structures and processes which are organized through institutions and practices such as political system, business, education and the media, each of which is located in and structured by a particular discussive field. There are different social groups with competing discourses and they can exert power to use IT to their advantage. The challenge to IT experts, educators and IT users is not about the instrumental power that IT has brought to them. The real challenge is how to use it wisely to enhance humanity.


The Bush Tragedy opens up the black box of the plane-crash presidency of George W. Bush to examine the political wreckage of a period in America's history rapidly drawing to a close. How did a man of such evident flaws and limited abilities find himself in the position of the most powerful man in the world? How and why did half of America fall for Bush before falling out with him? But this book is not a litany of Bush's misdeeds or a personal indictment. Amongst the wreckage of Bush 43 Jacob Weisberg finds a series of relationships: familial, personal, political and historical. Weisberg analyses Bush through these relationships, looking at how Bush 43 has defined himself in response to the failures and accomplishments of Bush 41, his idolisation of Ronald Reagan, and his devout Christianity that has led to widely condemned policy decisions that have fundamentally changed the role and position of the United States in the modern world. This original interpretation of Bush also studies seriously the much-mocked language that he uses as a political tool, helping to carve out the vision of himself as a wartime leader. In the run-up to the presidential elections, this is the starting point for a worldwide debate about undoing the damage. The Bush Tragedy is a razor-sharp character study of one of the most controversial presidents in American history.


We describe a landscape scale non-linear discrete choice spatial optimisation model for identifying cost-effective strategies for achieving environmental goals. Spatial heterogeneity and configuration issues such as fencing costs, patch sizes and network linkages are explicitly accounted for and quasi-optimal allocations are determined using simulated annealing. Applications of the model being developed with New South Wales Catchment Management Authorities are discussed. These focus on targeting investments in revegetation to control dryland salinity and erosion and provide biodiversity benefits whilst minimising direct and opportunity costs. We compare our approach with alternate investment approaches.


This paper develops a Mirrlees (1971) framework with heterogeneous agents to analyze optimal redistributive taxes, optimal provision of public goods and the marginal cost of public funds (MCF). Standard MCF measures are shown to suffer from three defects: i) The MCF for the (non-individualized) lump-sum tax is generally not equal to one. ii) The MCF for distortionary taxes is not directly related to the marginal excess burden. iii) MCF measures for both lump-sum and distortionary taxes are highly sensitive to the choice of the untaxed numéraire good. These problems are caused by using the private rather than the social marginal value of private income to calculate the MCF, and disappear by using the social marginal value of private income. Moreover, by allowing for redistributional concerns, the marginal excess burden of distortionary taxes equals the marginal distributional gain at the optimal tax system. MCF therefore equals one, both for lump-sum and distortionary taxes, and the modified Samuelson rule should not be corrected for the marginal cost of public funds.


In the last few years, the use of wireless networks has been growing exponentially in many situations of our daily life. They are implemented in very different environments and are used for a wide range of applications. This reality is reflected in the information published in the CISCO barometer [1][2]. The incorporation of wireless technology allows, by taking advantage of broadband connections through xDLS or cablemodem, with the speed these have acquired, the incorporation of wireless devices which extend coverage with lower costs, while providing users with mobility. With the goal of proving the said growth, and analyzing the characteristics of these networks, we performed a study, using the wardriving technique in the city of La Plata. Similar studies have been performed around the world, some with the main goal of evaluating the security status of these networks [3][4]. This article describes our wardriving experience in the city of La Plata, capital city of the province of Buenos Aires, describing the tasks performed, the tools used and the results obtained.


The Loma Prieta earthquake of October 17, 1989 created significant property damage and social disruption in the Sand Francisco Bay Area. Initial government estimates formulated a few weeks after the event indicated that over 22,000 residential structures, 1,567 businesses, and 137 public buildings in the area of impact were destroyed or sustained significant damage (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 1990). Approximately 10,000 persons lost their homes as a result of the earthquake. Early reports estimated that direct economic loses ranged between $6 and $10 billion (Monroe, 1989; Earthquake included declines in tourism revenues, losses due to business interruption, and retail sales declines resulting from disruptions in the regional transportation system.


This article aims to restart the debate on trade remedies by offering new perspectives on the fundamental defects of the current trade remedy regime and by proposing a bold yet feasible roadmap for reforms. This article focuses on antidumping, the linchpin of trade remedies. While antidumping is being justified as a safety valve for protectionist pressures, I argue in this article that antidumping is a faulty safety valve in that it provides arbitrary levels of protection for petitioners, results in undue uncertainties for respondents, and has too low a threshold for activation. I further demonstrate that antidumping exacerbates democracy deficit in trade policy, as the mechanical formulas used for calculating antidumping duties deprive the trade remedy process of the democratic participation that is essential for seeking consensus and compromises on trade protectionism. I propose to replace antidumping with a new country-specific safeguard that has a heightened injury standard and a mandatory public interest clause. I argue that this country-specific safeguard comports with the policy objectives of trade remedies and is politically feasible. The global safeguard currently in use, by contrast, cannot provide the kind of trade protection demanded by users of antidumping. Finally, I argue that once the country-specific safeguard is adopted, countervailing duties should be subsumed under the country-specific safeguard as well.


Introduction Palliative Care was introduced to Uganda in 1993, with the development of Hospice Africa Uganda providing a clinical service together with education and research. Palliative medicine Specialist Registrars have been undergoing placements at Hospice Africa Uganda for many years, gaining experience in palliative medicine in a resource-limited setting as well as contributing to clinical care, education and research. With the development of the hospital palliative care team at Makerere University and Mulago hospital in 2008, there was an opportunity for healthcare professionals, specialist registrars in particular, to gain experience in hospital based palliative care in a resource-limited setting. Description An opportunity arose for a year's out of programme (Specialist Palliative Medicine Registrar) experience in the palliative care unit, part of the department of medicine, in the main government teaching hospital in Kampala. This provided opportunities for clinical experience in a resource-limited setting as well as experience in palliative care education, including teaching undergraduate and postgraduate medical and nursing students as well as some curriculum development. There was also an opportunity for contributing to the unit's research portfolio. Lessons Learnt There is a need to be very organised and plan things well in advance, especially if the experience is to be recognised for training. Conclusion This placement provides a great opportunity for trainees in palliative medicine to gain experience in many different areas of the curriculum, particularly in research, training and management. It also provides significant learning opportunities in developing a hospital-based palliative care service. Some of the experience can be used towards fulfilling the requirements of the specialist registrar training, but it is more of an opportunity to contribute to the development of palliative care services locally, nationally and internationally in a resource-limited setting.


Rehabilitation interventions play a vital role especially in most post-stroke care. Many rehabilitation robotic devices have been designed and developed to assist many individuals suffering from stroke or similar disabling illness and living with reduced mobility of the arms, hands and other joint. However, these devices remain unmanageable to use by the patients alone not only because they are cumbersome to use but also due to their weights, fix and non-portable characteristics, and so on. Here for elbow joint rehabilitation, we investigate and propose a novel exoskeleton soft robotic arm, which is wearable, lightweight and portable so that it would allow patients to perform repetitive motion therapy more often with a greater intensity in their homes and relevant to their daily activities. The proposed arm consists of various novel pneumatic Muscle Actuators (pMA) capable of bending in contrary to traditional pMA. Analysis, design, integration and characterisation of the proposed arm are presented and geometrical and numerical models are obtained. Various experiments revealed its behaviour and the relationship among pressure, length, force, and bending angle in different setups such as isotonic and isometric. The nonlinear, time varying and intractable dynamic of the constructed prototype demanded the design and development of an appropriate closed loop controller for adhering to target rehabilitation profiles. As proof of the concept a Model Reference Adaptive Control (MRAC) was designed and results were presented. By achieving design objectives, this study shows that the proposed portable exoskeleton has the ability to offer more effective intense rehabilitation therapies at home without the need to therapists and with a lower cost.


It is a pleasure to present this special issue covering subjects related to applying cloud computing to bioinformatics, biomedicine, and health, including solutions to area problems and architectural adaptation of cloud systems to fit those problems. The special issue includes papers selected from the workshops C4Bio 2014 and CCGrid-Health 2014 that, after further extension and additional review, were selected for publication. C4Bio 2014 and CCGrid-Health 2014 were held in Chicago, during May 26-29th 2014 within the framework of the 14th IEEE/ACM International Symposium on Cluster, Cloud and Grid Computing (CCGrid 2014). The special issue begins with the review paper "Cloud Computing in Healthcare and Biomedicine". Calabrese and Cannataro explore the current academic and commercial cloud-based solutions developed in the healthcare and biomedicine domains, designed in order to satisfy the specific needs (e.g. massive scalable computing and storage, data sharing, on-demand access anytime and anywhere) in these fields. Subsequently, the paper summarizes main issues regarding the use of Cloud Computing in healthcare and biomedicine. The article "Selected Approaches and Frameworks to Carry out Genomic Data Analysis on the Cloud", by Church and Goscinski, examines commonly used cloud-based genomic analysis services, introduces the approach of exposing data as services and proposes two new solutions, namely HPCaaS and Uncinus, which aim to automate service development, deployment process and data provision. By comparing and contrasting these solutions, the authors identify key mechanisms of service creation, execution and data access required to support non-computing specialists employing clouds. Ahmad, Hasan, and Siddique propose to formally reason about molecular pathways of Zsyntax based deduction using the HOL4 theorem prover and developing a biologist friendly graphical user interface. "On the Formalization of Zsyntax with Applications in Molecular Biology" shows additionally a use case with the formal analysis of cancer-related molecular pathway, i.e., TP53 degradation and metabolic pathway, known as Glycolysis. The article "Accelerating Comparative Genomics Workflows in a Distributed Environment with Optimized Data Partiotioning and Workflow Fusion", by Choudhury et al., discusses different strategies for alleviating the computational constraints experienced by several data-intensive bioinformatics applications, presenting a workflow-based framework to parallelize the compute-intensive tasks of genome alignment and variant calling, the two most important stages in most comparative genomics applications. This framework provides workflow fusion to merge multiple sequential workflows into a single optimized workflow that benefits from caching, eliminating choke points, and stacked partitioning. In "Performance Comparison and Tuning of Virtual Machines For Sequence Alignment Software", Estrada et al. explore the performance cost of virtualization for the fast growing application domain of genomics to inform the feasibility of running an NGS pipeline in a cloud, and in doing so consider two prevalent short-read sequence alignment programs, BWA and Novoalign. They execute these applications in three separate open-source system virtualization solutions (KVM hypervisor, Xen paravirtualized hypervisor, and Linux Containers) and compare the runtime in each environment against the runtime of the same system without virtualization and measure the relative performance of each hypervisor, presenting tuning suggestions for cloud implementors and users. The article "Extending XNAT towards a Cloud-based Quality Assessment Platform for Retinal Optical Coherence Tomographies", by Jansen et al., presents a platform designed for automatic quality assessment of retinal OCTs and provided as a cloud-based service employing OpenStack. It extends the image management platform XNAT by services to calculate and store quality measures. It is also extensible regarding new quality measure algorithms, allowing the developer to upload, compile and test code for the system's architecture. Finally, the paper "A Tool for Managing the X1.V1 Platform on the Cloud", by Marzini et al., proposes a framework for managing the execution of the X1.V1 platform on the Cloud. This framework enables an easy, quick, and secure management of the Cloud resources allocation and reallocation to X1.V1 Virtual Machines, in order to enhance the platform performance, optimize resource utilization and, consequently, reduce the whole services cost. We would like to thank all the reviewers for their effort, cooperation, and valuable feedback and all the authors who submitted papers to C4Bio 2014 and CCGrid-Health 2014 and to this Special Issue.


Argument Using the notion of styles of knowledge we refer to the ways diverse scientific communities claim to produce true knowledge, their understandings regarding the attitudes and values that scientists should have in order to grasp natural and social reality, and the practices and technologies developed within such styles. This paper analyzes scientific and medical enterprises that explored the relationship between environment, population, and society in Colombia between 1850 and 1920. We argue that similar styles of knowledge production were shared in human geography, medical geography, and climatic physiology at the mid-nineteenth century; and that some physicians working in bacteriology and physiology since the 1880s established epistemic boundaries between their work and earlier scientific activities, while others found these distinctions irrelevant. However, the historical actors committed to any of the styles of knowledge production explored in this article agreed on the local specificity of their objects of inquiry, therefore questioning European science. These styles of knowledge production also shaped different ways of perceiving and addressing national problems. Hence, this article is a contribution to the recent literature on both historical epistemology and social and cultural history of science and medicine.


The paper emphasizes the economic performance of the fresh European sea bass production and profitability of related processing to value-added fillets. Croatian annual farmed European sea bass and gilthead sea bream production in amount of 4,000 tones plays only about 1.7% of the World production with mediocre economic benefits for producers. However, product diversification, including processing measures as filleting, vacuuming and smoked processing can ensure additional product value providing long-term strategic orientation for fish-farmers. Seabass filleting, although at the initial phase, can be a modus of value-added production, which protects the producers of the price risk volatility targeting the population averse to the long lasting traditional fish mill preparation. Applied Real Option method can be helpful tool in the situation when the strategic project value includes not just the current economic features but also opportunities related to the basic model. Option approach indicates that seabass filleting triplicate the economic performance with respect to fresh seabass production.


Orchestral musicians are an at-risk population for noise-induced hearing loss. Following strategic approaches to mitigate exposure, many must use earplugs to safeguard their hearing, although reported usage rates are poor. Australia has progressive hearing conservation programs within many of its orchestras, yet little is known of earplug usage rates, abilities with earplugs or self-perceived hearing loss in this population. To help direct and inform future approaches to hearing conservation in Australia's orchestras a questionnaire assessing hearing conservation behaviors and the prevalence of self-perceived hearing loss was distributed. A total of 580 musicians across eight professional orchestras were surveyed, with 367 completed surveys (63%) returned. Eighty percent of respondents reported a risk of hearing damage in the orchestra, 64% used earplugs of some type at least some of the time and 83% found this use difficult/impossible. Forty-three percent reported a hearing loss, including 54% in pit orchestras and 46% of those ≤50 years of age. Brass players were least likely to use earplugs, most likely to report usage difficulties and most likely of those ≤50 years of age to report a hearing loss. While earplug usage rates in Australia are encouraging and may be linked to hearing conservation measures in the orchestras, the widespread difficulty reported with the use of these earplugs, the prevalence of self-reported hearing loss and the continued vulnerability of those most at-risk indicate improvements in both earplug design and further education for musicians are required to progress hearing conservation options for this population.


Recent litigation has put into question the tests for determining the validity of a partnership and one's status as a partner. The seemingly simple questions of whether, for tax purposes, a partnership exists and whether one is a partner require thoughtful, and sometimes complex, analysis to answer. There are two recognized tests for determining whether a partnership exists or whether one is a partner, but what remains uncertain is how these tests relate to each other. Whether applying the subjective test under Culbertson, or the objective test under Section 704(e), the Castle Harbour cases have thus far made clear that where a purported partner's upside and downside are de minimus, such "partner" will not be respected as such for tax purposes.


This thesis is a study of the experiences of four cultural safety lecturers in nursing education in Aotearoa I New Zealand. A review of literature reveals the recent and turbulent evolution of cultural safety. The media which documented this journey in a negative light in the 1990s prompted ministerial inquiries and the publication of the Nursing Council of New Zealand's Guidelines for cultural safety in nursing and midwifery education (1996). Action research methods enabled the participants to implement change in their practice and gain positive personal involvement in the study. Reflective diaries provided the major tool in this process as participants were able to achieve at least one action research cycle by identifying issues, planning action, observing the action and reflecting. The findings of the research revealed that the participants not only coped with every day stressors of teaching but they were also required to formulate knowledge of cultural safety. For the Maori participants their stress was confounded with recruiting and retaining Maori students and macro issues such as commitments to iwi. Lack of support to teach cultural safety was identified to be a key theme for all participants. An analysis of this theme revealed that it was organisational in nature and out of their immediate control. Action research provided a change strategy for participants to have a sense of control of issues within their practice. Recommendations have been made which focus on supporting cultural safety educators to dialogue on a regular basis through attendance at related hui; the introduction of nurse educator programmes; paid leave provisions for cultural safety educators to conduct and publish research so that a body of knowledge can be developed; and that Maori cultural safety educators be recognised for their professional and cultural strengths so that they do not fall victim to burn out.


Constitutional constraints are often designed with crisis in mind: Framers wish to constrain the exercise of power precisely in those circumstances in which policymakers will be tempted to take actions that may violate underlying normative commitments. These constraints are only as strong as the willingness and ability of courts to enforce them though; and because judges care about both themselves and policy outcomes, they are sometimes less than willing to enforce constitutional constraints. Existing scholarship has explored this phenomenon, focusing primarily on the possibility that the weakness of courts may prevent them from effectively policing constitutional boundaries in the face of governments determined to deal with a crisis. We suggest that such strategic judicial retreat may also result from judicial strength. In times of crisis, courts that command significant authority, and are likely to garner compliance with their rulings, confront a quandary that weaker courts can escape: The enforcement of constitutional boundaries may prevent an effective governmental response to a crisis. If judges are sufficiently concerned about the practical consequences of hamstringing a government under these circumstances, they may engage in judicial self-censoring not because they are weak, but because they are strong.


Overexploitation of groundwater (GW) in the recent past is a well-known fact for the Punjab and Haryana region of India, as reported by several studies using satellite-based gravity anomaly from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment mission and also by using observed data. This decline in GW has enforced the Punjab Preservation of Sub-Soil Water Act 2009, and resulted in change in rice irrigation practices over the study region. In this study, a shifting pattern of irrigation practices has been detected during pre- and post-Water Act using high temporal passive microwave radiometer (Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer – Earth Observing System, AMSR-E) and optical data. Multi-year soil moisture data for the period May to September were analysed for the years 2002 to 2011. A shift in the early soil wetness pattern has been observed during 2002 to 2011 in most of the study region. The overall delay in irrigation practices was observed to be 10 ± 4 days over Punjab and Haryana in the pre- and post-Water Act implementation. Multi-temporal passive microwave radiometry was found to be expedient for observing the dynamic pattern of irrigation/agricultural practices over Punjab and Haryana states.


The additive model is one of the most popularly used models for high dimensional nonparametric regression analysis. However, its main drawback is that it neglects possible interactions between predictor variables. In this paper, we reexamine the group additive model proposed in the literature, and rigorously define the intrinsic group additive structure for the relationship between the response variable $Y$ and the predictor vector $\vect{X}$, and further develop an effective structure-penalized kernel method for simultaneous identification of the intrinsic group additive structure and nonparametric function estimation. The method utilizes a novel complexity measure we derive for group additive structures. We show that the proposed method is consistent in identifying the intrinsic group additive structure. Simulation study and real data applications demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method as a general tool for high dimensional nonparametric regression.


Background/Aim: Gastric lymphoma can be primary or secondary, and it comprises <5% of all patients with gastric primary neoplasms. The presenting symptoms of primary gastric lymphoma (PGL) are usually nonspecific and are similar to common upper gastrointestinal disease symptoms. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common subtype, followed by marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT). The present study aims to describe the clinicopathological characteristics of PGL. Patients and Methods: This was a cross-sectional and retrospective study of patients with PGL who were diagnosed in the Department of Oncology/Haematology, Benghazi Medical Centre, from January 2010 to December 2017. Results: A total of 45 cases of PGL were diagnosed. The mean age was 54 years, ranging from 17 to 83 years. The number of male and female patients was 26 (57.5%) and 19 (42.5%), respectively. Abdominal pain was the most common presenting symptom. The gastric antrum was the most common anatomical site of involvement (28 [62%]). DLBCL was the predominant histological subtype (28 [62%]). Serum Helicobacter pylori immunoglobulin G antibodies were raised in 19 (42.2%) patients. Half of the patients were in stage II1 at presentation (according to Lugano staging system). Conclusions: DLBCL and MALT lymphoma were the most common subtypes, and H. pylori infection was found in most of the patients with MALT lymphoma. Despite the clinical presentation being usually nonspecific, most of our patients were diagnosed with stage I or II disease.


Natural killer (NK) cells express many newly identified activating and inhibitory recep - tors that upon engagement by cognate ligands on target tumor cells regulate NK cell anti tumor activity. Recently, several paired NK cell receptor families that include receptors with similar binding specificities but opposite function have been defined. The expression of most important activating receptors, natural killer group 2D (NKG2D), natural cyto - toxic receptors (NCR), DNAX accessory molecule-1 (DNAM1) and activating killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KAR) is often decreased, while the expression of most prominent inhibitory NK cell receptors, killer cell inhibitory immunoglobulin-like recep tors (KIR) and CD94/NKG2A, may occasionally be increased in malignancies. These data indicate that impaired NK cell antitumor response results from NK cell receptor altera tions induced by suppressive factors in the tumor microenvironment, including cytokines, growth factors, enzymes and metabolites, as well as by chronic NK cell receptor engage ment by the tumor. The established alterations in NK cell receptor expression in cancer patients represent potential disease biomarkers and may aid in choosing therapies that upregulate activating or block inhibitory receptor function. Accumulating knowledge of NK cell biology has been helpful in creating novel therapeutic approaches that by release from tumor-influenced immunosuppression potentiate NK cell activity in cancer patients.


This dissertation explores early Greek religion and society through a contextual analysis of the ritual use of terracotta votive figurines in the Early Iron Age, c. 1100-700 BCE. I have compiled the major deposits of terracotta figurines (both zoomorphic and anthropomorphic) from sanctuaries in the Peloponnesos and East Greece, creating a broad typology and chronology applicable to all Geometric terracotta figurines that allows for an in-depth analysis of the use, distribution, and symbolism of this category of votive offering. Terracotta figurines are among the earliest and most abundant figural symbols used in early Greece and offer insight into the evolving religious beliefs and social changes of the period. My diachronic approach to the Early Iron Age highlights the relationship of Geometric ritual to Mycenaean and Archaic traditions and contributes to the ongoing research in Greek religion, sculpture, figurine studies, and gender studies. I conclude my dissertation with a consideration of the relationship between votive, deity, and worshipper, exploring how gender construction and evolving social hierarchies in the Geometric period are reflected in the rituals practiced. This study highlights the elite concerns of figurines and their growing use throughout the Geometric period for encoding social roles in a changing society.


The 60 charter schools operating in New York City have provided a unique opportunity for the New York City Charter Schools Evaluation Project, of which we are a part, to conduct a randomized field trial of the impact of charter schools on student achievement. The study reported here thus differs from virtually all other published research on charter schools in its reliance on experimental methods to determine the schools' effectiveness. In particular, we take advantage of the lottery-based admissions process for charter schools to compare the academic performance of two groups of students: those who wanted to attend a charter school and were randomly admitted and those who wanted to attend but were not admitted and remained in traditional public schools. In this article, we present findings from the first year of what will be a multiyear study. We address two main questions about charter schools in the city. First, who enrolls in New York City's charter schools? And, second, how well are the schools educating students? What we found is that, compared with other students in the traditional public schools, charter school applicants are more likely to be black and poor but are otherwise fairly similar. We also found that charter school students benefit academically from their charter school education. Charter school students in grades 3 through 8 perform better than we would expect, based on the performance of comparable students in traditional public schools, on both the math and reading portions of New York's statewide achievement tests. There is not yet a sufficient number of charter school students in grades 9 through 12 for us to report achievement effects for this group. Data Collection Forty-seven charter schools were operating in New York City in the 2005-06 school year, the most recent for which we have test-score results, and all but five are included in the analysis presented here. Two schools, Manhattan Charter School and South Bronx Charter School for International Cultures and the Arts, are participating in our ongoing study but are not included in the analysis because they do not yet have any students in test-taking grades. One school, Read-Net Bronx Charter School, was in the process of closing in 2005-06. The absence of ReadNet Bronx from our evaluation is likely to have only a small impact on our assessment of student achievement because the school had only two years of test-taking students before it closed. The New York Center for Autism Charter School is not included in the study because it serves a very special population and is not compatible with many elements of the study. The United Federation of Teachers Elementary Charter School has declined to participate in the study so far, but it does not yet have any students in test-taking grades. Charter schools must advertise their availability to all students eligible to attend public schools and are not allowed to select their students from among applicants. Instead, if a charter school in New York receives more applicants than it has places, it must enroll students based on a random lottery. Each spring, charter schools that are oversubscribed hold admissions lotteries. Our study data are collected as follows: First, the information from each charter school application is sent to the New York City Department: of Education for inclusion in its administrative database. This database contains entries for all students who attend New York City's traditional public schools and for all students who attend New York City's charter schools. A contractor for the department uses the maximum amount of information possible--for example, the student's name, birth date, and Social Security number, if available--to match each applicant to a corresponding existing entry in the department's database. The contractor then extracts information on each student's demographic characteristics, enrollment, test scores, and certification for and participation in various programs such as free and reduced-price lunch, special education, and English-language services. …


This
thesis applies data mining in commercial settings in the telecommunications
industry. The research for this thesis has been performed at T-Mobile
Netherlands B.V. and the methods described in some of the chapters have been
also applied in Deutsche Telekom subsidiaries in other countries. We had a rare
opportunity to work on real commercial data sets and have the results of our
research deployed in practice. Throughout this thesis we describe some of the
challenges that data miners (or data scientists) meet when working on business
problems and our solutions to these problems. The complex data sets we were
analyzing contained in certain cases millions of records. In this research we
were using simple methods combined in innovative ways to achieve results that
were either an improvement on how the business was previously solving these
problems or solving important business problems that were not addressed before
in such detail. We address the stages of CRISP-DM (CRoss Industry Standard
Process for Data Mining), and our main focus is on the stages least covered in
literature.


This paper proposes a new receiver architecture for the reception of long range Bluetooth signals. The architecture applies Bluetooth SYNC sequence-based least-square channel estimation combined with FFT-based frequency-domain channel equalization including adapted overlap-add processing. For both algorithms, implementation complexity optimizations are discussed. Extensive simulation results demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed architecture in severe multipath interference conditions, enabling new use cases for existing Bluetooth products as well as new product categories for Bluetooth wireless connectivity technology.


We propose a realistic scheme to construct anomalous Floquet Chern topological insulators using spin-1/2 particles carrying out a discrete-time quantum walk in a two-dimensional lattice. By Floquet engineering the quantum-walk protocol, an Aharonov-Bohm geometric phase is imprinted onto closed-loop paths in the lattice, thus realizing an abelian gauge field---the analog of a magnetic flux threading a two-dimensional electron gas. We show that in the strong field regime, when the flux per plaquette is a sizable fraction of the flux quantum, magnetic quantum walks give rise to nearly flat energy bands featuring nonvanishing Chern numbers. Furthermore, we find that because of the nonperturbative nature of the periodic driving, a second topological number---the so-called RLBL invariant---is necessary to fully characterize the anomalous Floquet topological phases of magnetic quantum walks and to compute the number of topologically protected edge modes expected at the boundaries between different phases. In the second part of this article, we discuss an implementation of this scheme using neutral atoms in two-dimensional spin-dependent optical lattices, which enables the generation of arbitrary magnetic-field landscapes, including those with sharp boundaries. The robust atom transport, which is observed along boundaries separating regions of different field strength, reveals the topological character of the Floquet Chern bands.


In 2020, the United States sought to implement its policy of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific to address the challenge of a rising China. US–China antagonism increased, spurred on by economic tensions and concerns for Beijing's actions with respect to Hong Kong, Taiwan, the South China Sea, and the Uighurs, with all this occurring in the context of the global pandemic. As the Trump administration came to a close, the most pressing question was how the turn to great power competition, which intensified in 2020, would evolve under a Biden administration.


This classic text for MBA programs offers balanced coverage of concepts, methods, and uses of managerial accounting with an increasingly strong emphasis on management decision-making. This approach helps focus on concepts and managerial uses of financial information rather than techniques of cost accounting.
The current edition emphasizes international issues, strategic effects of decisions, ethics, and new management accounting trends. Also emphasized are process improvement, integration of financial reporting issues for management decision-making, and application of managerial accounting tools to the emerging service sector, government, and nonprofits in examples and problem material.


Literature on HIV-related stigma suggests that high levels of stigma are associated with poor medical adherence, depression, and decreased self-esteem. More recent research has focused on the acts of HIV-related discrimination experienced by infected individuals. However, little literature has explored the connection between perceptions of HIV-related stigma, discrimination, and knowledge of legal rights. Thirty-seven HIV-positive adults were surveyed regarding their experiences with HIV-related stigma and discrimination. Participants' knowledge of legal rights concerning HIV-related discrimination was also assessed. Personalized stigma was significantly correlated with reports of discrimination. Thirty-three percent of participants reported they had lost a job, and 25% reported they had to move because of their HIV status. Overall, the majority of participants were relatively informed about the legal rights of HIV-infected individuals. However, 21% believed that a restaurant could refuse to serve a person with HIV. Further analyses revealed that those participants who had high knowledge of legal rights scored significantly lower on the disclosure concerns subscale of the stigma scale and total number of acts of discrimination. Findings indicate the need for education concerning legal rights and that HIV-related stigma and discrimination are still a concern for infected individuals.