The Up-C is an increasingly popular form of IPO that generates significant tax benefits as compared to a traditional IPO. These tax benefits, which are the driving force behind the Up-C, have generally gone uncontested and are achieved by taking a form over substance approach to the Up-C for tax purposes. Governmental officials had never directly addressed the Up-C until recently when the SEC issued an interpretive letter (the Up-C Letter) condoning a substance over form approach to the Up-C for purposes of SEC Rule 144. As a result of the Up-C Letter, owners in an Up-C get the best of both worlds by inconsistently taking a form over substance approach for tax purposes and a substance over form approach for securities law purposes.

This Article analyzes whether this disparate treatment of the Up-C is justified from either a technical or policy perspective. It argues that the Up-C Letter supports using a substance over form approach to the Up-C for both securities and tax law purposes because the technical arguments for using a substance over form approach to the Up-C are essentially identical in both the tax and securities law contexts. This matters because if the IRS were to follow the SEC's substance over form approach to the Up-C, the pre-IPO owners' tax benefits would be all but eliminated. This Article also explores the possibility that the disparate treatment of the Up-C could be defended because the policy objectives of the applicable securities and tax law doctrines are different.


: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused large changes in consumer spending, including how people make their payments. We use data from a nationally representative survey of U.S. consumers collected before COVID in 2018 and 2019 and during COVID in 2020 to analyze changes in consumer payment behavior during the pandemic. We find that compared with their payment behavior in 2019, consumers had shifted some of their purchases from in person to online by fall 2020, significantly lowered their use of cash for purchases, and shifted their person-to-person (P2P) payments away from paper (cash and checks). Those changes are consistent with what we might expect, as many people were less able or willing to shop in person. The adoption of electronic P2P increased, especially the use of payment apps such as PayPal, Venmo, and Zelle. Consumers who worked exclusively from home during COVID made significantly higher shares of their payments online or through mobile devices and were less likely to use cash at all compared with those who worked at least partly in person, even after we control for income and education levels. In contrast, payment-behavior changes that took place from 2018 to 2019 were smaller in magnitude and largely insignificant, suggesting that COVID likely accelerated any longer-term trends. Although it is too soon to determine whether these changes will persist for the longer term, we observed them several months after the onset of the pandemic, so they certainly were not just temporary shifts.


Antenna, Radome, and RCS measurement systems rely on high-fidelity positioner systems to provide high-precision positioning of measurement articles. The industry currently relies on linear PID control techniques in current, velocity, and position control loops on individual axes to drive the positioners. Recent control advancements have been made in the use of position feedback devices, brushless DC motors, VFD AC motors, and multi-drive torque-biased actuation along with high-speed computing in all digital controllers. Current advanced control techniques including open-loop error correction and multi-axis global error compensation have been implemented to improve positioner accuracy. Here, an assessment is conducted on the viability of advanced control techniques in similar positioner industries to provide insight into the potential future control and capabilities of positioning systems in the RF measurement industry. Candidate advanced techniques include closed-loop error compensation using laser feedback devices to provide superior positioning accuracy. Input-shaping and feedforward model-based techniques could help suppress dynamic vibrations and nonlinear behavior to improve dynamic tracking for improved continuous-measurement scanning accuracy. Gain scheduling and sliding-mode control could provide improved motion over a wider range of conditions to maintain scanning


The research was carried out on the effects of soil erosion in Fakai Local Government Area of Kebbi State. The data for the research were collected through structured questionnaires. A total of 60 respondents were selected and interviewed in accordance with the study objectives. However, simple percentages and frequency distribution were used to analyze the data. The research examined and identified the extent to which soil erosion problems affected the farmers in the study area, and suggested dependable solutions towards alleviating the problems. The findings revealed that water erosion was the most prevalent agent (rill erosion) that caused much havoc in farming activities. The research also showed that, government/ other agencies assisted farmers in minimizing or alleviating the destructive effects of soil erosion in the area.


BACKGROUND
The reported overall risk of deep venous thrombosis in gynaecological surgery ranges from 7 to 45%. Fatal pulmonary embolism is estimated to occur in nearly 1% of these women. Pharmaceutical interventions are one possible prophylactic measure for preventing emboli in women undergoing major gynaecological surgery. Agents include unfractionated heparin (low -dose and adjusted-dose), low-molecular-weight heparins, heparinoids and warfarin.

OBJECTIVES
The objective of this review was to evaluate the effectiveness of warfarin, heparin and aspirin in preventing thromboembolism after major gynaecological surgery.

SEARCH STRATEGY
We searched the Cochrane Menstrual Disorders and Subfertility Group trials register (searched 15 August 2003), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (Cochrane Library issue 2, 2003), MEDLINE (1966 to April 2003), EMBASE (1985 to April 2003), and CINAHL (1982 to April 2003). References from relevant articles were searched and authors contacted where necessary. In addition we contacted experts in the field for unpublished works.

SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomised controlled trials of heparins, warfarin or aspirin to prevent thromboembolism after major gynaecological surgery were eligible for inclusion.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Thirty-three trials were identified in the initial search. On careful inspection only eight of these met the inclusion criteria. Trials were data extracted and assessed for quality by at least two reviewers. Data were combined for meta-analysis using odds ratios for dichotomous data or weighted mean difference for continuous data. A random effects statistical model was used.

MAIN RESULTS
The meta-analysis of heparin versus placebo found a statistically significant decrease in the number of DVTs in both the all women group (including those with and without malignancy) (OR 0.30, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.76) and the subgroup of only women with malignancy (OR 0.30, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.89). There was no significant difference in the incidence of PE. Oral warfarin reduced DVT when compared to placebo in all women (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.86) and in women with malignancy (OR 0.18, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.87). Meta-analyses of UH and LMWH showed no statistical difference in any comparison. No studies compared aspirin alone to placebo, heparin or warfarin. There was a statistically significant increase in injection site haematomas associated with heparin compared to placebo (OR 0.30, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.89).

REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS
Women, undergoing major gynaecological surgery and without contraindications to anticoagulants should be offered thromboprophylaxis. Evidence suggests that UH and LMWH are equally as effective in preventing DVT and the one trial available suggests that warfarin is as effective as UH. There is no evidence as yet to suggest that warfarin, heparin or aspirin reduce incidence of PE.


One of the most compelling, yet little known stories of race relations in the twentieth century is the account of blacks who chose to leave the United States to be involved in the Soviet Experiment in the 1920s and 1930s. Frustrated by the limitations imposed by racism in their home country, African Americans were lured by the promise of opportunity abroad. A number of them settled there, raised families, and became integrated into society. The Soviet economy likewise reaped enormous benefits from the talent and expertise that these individuals brought, and the all around success story became a platform for political leaders to boast their party goals of creating a society where all members were equal.In "Blacks, Reds, and Russians", Joy Gleason Carew offers insight into the political strategies that often underlie relationships between different peoples and countries. She draws on the autobiographies of key sojourners, including Harry Haywood and Robert Robinson, in addition to the writings of Claude McKay, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Langston Hughes. Interviews with the descendents of figures such as Paul Robeson and Oliver Golden offer rare personal insights into the story of a group of emigrants who, confronted by the daunting challenges of making a life for themselves in a racist United States, found unprecedented opportunities in communist Russia.


As organizations increase their offshore software development efforts, they must develop new methods and models for handling the vast amount of knowledge involved in these projects. Successful knowledge management and transfer is considered key to the success of contemporary organizations. When transferring knowledge to other operating units of a multi national company, the overall goal is to successfully implement the knowledge sent to the receiver. Cultural differences however, can interfere with successful knowledge management intentions. This paper investigates storytelling as a tool to transfer knowledge between global corporate units. A case study on how this instrument is used to communicate knowledge between a German and an Indian IT company gives first insights into factors that influence implementation success.


Nuclear DNA is probably organized into loops by attachment to a sub-structure in vivo. When HeLa cells are lysed in Triton and 2M NaCl the resulting nucleoids contain naked DNA which is supercoiled so the loops must remain intact. We have attempted to identify sequences responsible for attaching these loops to the nuclear sub-structure by progressively detaching DNA with various nucleases. Fragments at the 5' end of the ribosomal RNA locus, and a variety of transcribed and repeated sequences, are shown to lie relatively close to attachment points. This implies that sequences cannot be arranged randomly. However no "attachment sequence" could be identified.


Invention problem-solving is associated with essential expenses of labour and time, which is spent on the procedures of search and ordering of necessary knowledge, on the generation of probable variants of projected systems, on the analysis of offered ideas and decisions and understanding their perspectives. This article outlines the results of the developments in the field of computer-supported invention. The majority of attention is paid to the problem of computer-aided designing in the initial stages, where synthesis of new technical systems is carried out. Computer-aided construction of new technical systems is based on using data and knowledge bases of physical effects and of technical decisions as well as different heuristic systematisation procedures. The synthesis of functional principles for technically new systems is carried out by using expert knowledge, which requires the application of AI methods and methods of decision-making theory for the task of invention. The considered approach has been used for synthesis of new technical systems with different functional purposes and has shown high efficiency in computer-aided construction.


Considerable work has been undertaken over the last two decades toward a phylogenetic classification of the epacrids (Epacridoideae, Ericaceae). Generic level relationships have been resolved in all major clades, except for the Styphelia-Astroloma clade (tribe Styphelieae). With the aim of providing a foundation for a forthcoming generic revision of this clade, phylogenetic relationships and historical biogeographic patterns were investigated using parsimony, maximum likelihood, Bayesian inference and Bayesian relaxed-clock analyses of four chloroplast DNA markers (rbcL, matK, trnH-psbA, atpB-rbcL) and the nuclear-encoded ribosomal Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS). With the aim of identifying new morphological synapomorphies to support the phylogenetic groups, a representative pollen survey within the Styphelieae, broadly sampling the Styphelia-Astroloma clade, was carried out to document the diversity of pollen types and morphology. These characters were optimised on the estimated molecular phylogeny to investigate their evolutionary patterns in the clade. Finally, to better understand the genetic variation at shallow phylogenetic branches and the possible factors driving diversification in the Styphelia-Astroloma clade, genetic structure in the Leucopogon conostephioides species complex was investigated using NeighborNet, Bayesian clustering, and Neighbor joining and parsimony phylogenetic analyses of Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) data.

The monophyly of the Styphelia-Astroloma clade is strongly supported. Within this clade twelve well-supported lineages were resolved: Group I (Astroloma sensu stricto (s.s.), Group II and III (Styphelia sensu lato (s.l.)), Group IV (Leucopogon rotundifolius + L. cuneifolius), Group V (Leucopogon s.l. pro parte (p. p.)), Group VI (Styphelia s. s.), Group VII (Leucopogon s.l. p. p.), Group VIII (Leucopogon conostephioides complex), Group IX ('Stomarrhena'), Group X (Leucopogon s.l. p. p.), Group XI (Leucopogon blepharolepis + L. sp. Moore River), and Group XII (New Caledonian Styphelia s. l.). On the basis of these results, the genus Stenanthera is reinstated, and Astroloma baxteri A.. ex DC. and Leucopogon melaleucoides A.Cunn. ex DC. are transferred to the genera Brachyloma Sond. and Cunn Acrothamnus Quinn respectively.

The improved resolution of the phylogenetic relationships within Styphelieae provided the background for historical biogeographical studies. The origins and evolutionary relationships of the New Zealand Styphelieae were investigated because they epitomise the controversies on the biogeographic history of the New Zealand biota. Cyathodophyllum novaezelandieae (early Miocene, 20-23 million years (Ma)) constitutes evidence for the antiquity of the Styphelieae in New Zealand. Yet the extant species in the tribe are thought to be very closely related to or conspecific with Australian taxa, which suggests recent trans-Tasman origins. The results of parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses indicate that the sister taxa for each of the extant species of New Zealand Styphelieae is from Tasmania or the east coast of mainland Australia; except for Acrothamnus colensoi for which its sister is from New Guinea. Bayesian relaxed-clock analyses using direct and secondary fossil calibration methods suggest that all of the New Zealand lineages diverged from their non-New Zealand sisters within the last 7 Ma. Time discontinuity between C. novae-zelandiae and the origins of the extant New Zealand lineages indicates that the fossil and extant Styphelieae in New Zealand are not related. The relative dating analysis showed that to accept this relationship, it would be necessary to accept that the Styphelieae arose in the early-mid Mesozoic (210-120 Ma), which contradicts multiple lines of evidence on the age of angiosperms. Therefore, the results do not support the hypothesis that Styphelieae have been continuously present in New Zealand since the early Miocene. Instead they suggest a historical biogeographical scenario in which the lineage to which C. novaezelandiae belongs became extinct in New Zealand, and the extant New Zealand Styphelieae are derived from Australian lineages that recolonised (presumably by long distance dispersal) no earlier than the late Miocene to Pliocene.

Three different types of pollen were found in the representative pollen survey: 1) pseudomonads, present in all the species sampled within the Styphelia-Astroloma clade as well as in Monotoca, Oligarrhena and Leucopogon s.s.; 2) A-type (permanent tetras with variable sterility), observed in Acrothamnus, Acrotriche, Conostephium, Leptecophylla, Pentachondra involucrata, Stenanthera and Needhamiella pumilo; and 3) T-type (regular tetrads), present in Brachyloma, Lissanthe, and Pentacondra pumila. Pollen type records for the tribes Epacrideae, Cosmelieae, Prionoteae and Richeeae consist of regular tetrads. True regular monads were not recorded in Styphelieae.

Pseudomonads are universally distributed in the Styphelia-Astroloma clade.The taxonomic utility of pollen type in the clade is therefore limited. Conversely, pollen morphological characters such as exine ornamentation, number of pores and size of the mature tetrads show a variation that is consistent with the phylogenetic groups and seem promising to support a genus-level phylogenetic classification of the Styphelia-Astroloma clade. Moreover, these characters are potentially useful for a more accurate identification of pollen fossils in the Epacridoideae.

The phylogenetic analyses heightened further questions about the taxonomic significance of the morphological and the genetic diversity within the phylogenetic groups (I - XII). One of the groups that required additional examination was the Leucopogon conostephioides complex (group VIII).

Leucopogon conostephioides is a broadly circumscribed species with a wide distribution in Western Australia. The pattern of variation in the L. conostephioides complex is more consistent with the presence of several currently unrecognised, segregate taxa rather than with a single, highly variable species. NeighbourNet, Bayesian clustering and Neighbor joining and parsimony phylogenetic analyses of AFLP data from 52 individuals revealed four distinctive genetic groups that correspond to the four putative taxa sampled (Leucopogon conostephioides, L. sp. 'short style', L. sp. 'Biffid Eneabba' and L. sp. 'Cockleshell Gully'). Hence, the genetic differentiation is congruent with the morphological variation observed in the species complex. While some individuals presented genetic admixture, the lack of morphological intermediates and of individuals appearing at the intersection of two splits on the NeighbourNet analysis suggest that this is due to retention of ancestral genetic elements rather than ongoing gene flow between populations. Potential reproductive barriers contributing to the genetic isolation are modifications in floral morphology, disparities in flowering times and edaphic isolation as a consequence of different soil type preferences. Both morphology and genetic structure within the L. conostephioides complex indicate that these groups are evolutionarily distinct and they should be recognised as different taxa.


A novel D2Q9 lattice Boltzmann scheme based on the relaxation of central moments is presented. Differently from previous efforts, here we introduce a non-orthogonal basis of moments which relax to a discrete local equilibrium. Under these choices, our proposed model recovers exactly the BGK collision kernel if a unique relaxation rate is adopted. Numerical tests involving well-consolidated canonical problems highlight the excellent properties of the algorithm in terms of accuracy, convergence and stability. Moreover, our formulation shows an intelligible derivation and a simple practical implementation.


Procreation was an important moral and religious issue and aphrodisiacs were sought to ensure both male and female potency. Sexual dysfunction is an inability to achieve a normal sexual intercourse, including premature ejaculation, retrograded, retarded or inhibited ejaculation, erectile dysfunction, arousal difficulties (reduced libido), compulsive sexual behavior, orgasmic disorder, and failure of detumescence. The introduction of the first pharmacologically approved remedy for impotence, Viagra (sildenafil) in 1990s caused a wave of public attention, propelled in part by heavy advertising. The search for such substances dates back millennia. An aphrodisiac is an agent (food or drug) that arouses sexual desire. The hunt for natural supplement from medicinal plants is being intensified mainly because of its fewer side effects. In this review, we have mentioned the pharmacologically tested (either in man or animal or in both) aphrodisiac plants, which have claimed for its uses.


Wildland fire is an important disturbance agent in forests of the American Northwest. Historical fire suppression efforts have contributed to an accumulation of fuels in many Northwestern forests and may result in more frequent and/or more severe wildfire events. Here we investigate the extent to which atmospheric and climatic variability may contribute to variability in annual area burned on 20 National Forests in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis was used to identify coherent patterns in area burned by wildfire in the Pacific Northwest. Anomaly fields of 500-hPa height were regressed onto the resulting principal-component time series to identify the patterns in atmospheric circulation that are associated with variability in area burned by wildfire. Additionally, cross-correlation functions were calculated for the Palmer drought severity index (PDSI) over the year preceding the wildfire season. Parallel analyses based on superposed epoch analysis focused only on the extreme fire years (both large and small) to discriminate the controls on extreme years from the linear responses identified in the regression analyses. Four distinct patterns in area burned were identified, each associated with distinct climatic processes. Extreme wildfire years are forced at least in part by antecedent drought and summertime blocking in the 500-hPa height field. However the response to these forcings is modulated by the ecology of the dominant forest. In more mesic forest types antecedent drought is a necessary precondition for forests to burn, but it is not a good predictor of area burned due to the rarity of subsequent ignition. At especially dry locations, summertime blocking events can lead to increases in area burned even in the absence of antecedent drought. At particularly xeric locations summertime cyclones can also lead to increased area burned, probably due to dry lightning storms that bring ignition and strong winds but little precipitation. These results suggest that fuels treatments alone may not be effective at reducing area burned under extreme climatic conditions and furthermore that anthropogenic climate change may have important implications for forest management.


BACKGROUND Little is known about pathogen-specific humoral immunity after chimeric antigen receptor–modified T (CAR-T) cell therapy for B cell malignancies. METHODS We conducted a prospective cross-sectional study of CD19-targeted or B cell maturation antigen–targeted (BCMA-targeted) CAR-T cell therapy recipients at least 6 months posttreatment and in remission. We measured pathogen-specific IgG against 12 vaccine-preventable infections and the number of viral and bacterial epitopes to which IgG was detected ("epitope hits") using a serological profiling assay. The primary outcome was the proportion of participants with IgG levels above a threshold correlated with seroprotection for vaccine-preventable infections. RESULTS We enrolled 65 children and adults a median of 20 months after CD19- (n = 54) or BCMA- (n = 11) CAR-T cell therapy. Among 30 adults without IgG replacement therapy (IGRT) in the prior 16 weeks, 27 (90%) had hypogammaglobulinemia. These individuals had seroprotection to a median of 67% (IQR, 59%–73%) of tested infections. Proportions of participants with seroprotection per pathogen were comparable to population-based studies, but most individuals lacked seroprotection to specific pathogens. Compared with CD19-CAR-T cell recipients, BCMA-CAR-T cell recipients were half as likely to have seroprotection (prevalence ratio, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.18–1.25) and had fewer pathogen-specific epitope hits (mean difference, –90 epitope hits; 95% CI, –157 to –22). CONCLUSION Seroprotection for vaccine-preventable infections in adult CD19-CAR-T cell recipients was comparable to the general population. BCMA-CAR-T cell recipients had fewer pathogen-specific antibodies. Deficits in both groups support the need for vaccine and immunoglobulin replacement therapy studies. FUNDING Swiss National Science Foundation (Early Postdoc Mobility grant P2BSP3_188162), NIH/National Cancer Institute (NIH/NCI) (U01CA247548 and P01CA018029), NIH/NCI Cancer Center Support Grants (P30CA0087-48 and P30CA015704-44), American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, and Juno Therapeutics/BMS.


Manganese (Mn) neurotoxicity in adults can result in psychological and neurological disturbances similar to Parkinson's disease, including extrapyramidal motor system defects and altered behaviors. However, virtually nothing is known regarding excess Mn accumulation during central nervous system development. Developing rats were exposed to a diet high in Mn via maternal milk during lactation (PN4-21). The high Mn diet resulted in changes in hematological parameters similar to those seen with iron (Fe) deficiency in dams (decreased plasma Fe; increased plasma transferrin [Tf]) and pups (decreased hemoglobin [Hb] and plasma Fe; increased plasma Tf and total iron binding capacity). Mn-exposed pups showed an increase in brain Mn, chromium, and zinc concurrent with a decrease in brain Fe. In conjunction with the altered transport and distribution of essential metals within the brain, there was enhanced protein expression of the divalent metal transporter-1 (DMT-1) and transferrin receptor (TfR) overall in the brain; there was a general increase in each region analyzed (cerebellum, cortex, hippocampus, midbrain, and striatum). Neurochemical changes were observed as an increase in gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and the ratio of GABA to glutamate, indicating enhanced inhibitory transmission in the brain. The results of this study demonstrate that developing rats undergo alterations in the transport and distribution of essential metals translating to neurochemical perturbations after maternal exposure to a diet supplemented with excess levels of Mn.


Fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) exposed to extremely elevated temperature is of great concern in tunnel structures, for example. In this paper a theoretical and experimental study on behavior of FRC as the material for tunnel linings being subjected to fire of 1200C in duration of 2 hours is to be carried out. Theoretical considerations on this problem are presented in terms of free hexagon method and start with the experiments presented hereinafter. The procedure assumes a "soft contact" between hexagonal particles, i.e. springs simulate either tensile and shear contacts in the normal concrete or FRC, where fibers over-bridge possible cracks appearing during cooling process after removing the source of fire. Since the structure is loaded only by change of temperature and no other type of loading is considered (volume weight of the system is neglected), the "soft contact" is fully sufficient to describe the mechanical behavior of the material The formulation of the problem involves the change of porosity, degree of saturation of water, bulk modulus, and other relevant quantities appearing in the physical processes taking part in the FRC. Both the lining and surrounding rock are modeled by free hexagons; their mechanical properties are described by boundary elements. Formerly, the mechanical characteristics inside of the hexagonal elements were uniform during the processes envisaged. Now, the particles changes the properties according to the state equations and the interfaces obey also nonlinear laws, which are described by changing coefficients in generalized Mohr-Coulomb law. The results from numerical procedure are compared with accessible experimental data and the mechanical properties of the material are tuned accordingly.


3',5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) is the best studied intracellular second messenger. Adenylyl cyclase (AC) catalyses the synthesis of cAMP from ATP following the stimulation of a G protein coupled receptor (GPCR), and its degradation is catalysed by cAMP phosphodiesterases (PDEs) to allow cessation of signal. cAMP can act to bring about a multitude of varying and often opposing cellular responses, which depend on the stimulus received by the GPCR, the cell type, the cell cycle stage, and the complement of downstream effector molecules within that cell. The cAMP PDE subfamilies express multiple splice variants, which possess unique N-termini and non-redundant functional roles. By virtue of this, they are targeted to specific and discrete subcellular locations, where they may form highly specific interactions with scaffold proteins and other enzymes. Here, in these discrete locales, PDEs act to hydrolyse local cAMP, thereby underpinning the spatial and temporal compartmentalisation of cAMP gradients. This fine-tuned balance of synthesis and degradation is paramount for the dynamic cellular responses to extracellular stimuli, allowing differing signal transduction cascades to occur simultaneously in the crowded macromolecular environment of the cell. The compartmentalisation of cAMP signalling is, thus, essential for maintaining cellular homeostasis, and is subject to perturbation in various diseases, including prostate cancer (PC).

Despite the wealth of literature implicating cAMP signalling in the progression of PC, little work has been done on the expression or function of PDE splice variant in this disease. Our group, in collaboration with Philips Research and the Prostate Cancer and Molecular Medicine (PCMM) group in the Netherlands, set out to investigate the changes in cAMP signalling during PC progression by studying the expression of cAMP PDE isoforms, with the aim of identifying a novel PC biomarker, as the current standard biomarker (PSA) is not disease-specific and leads to much over-diagnosis and over-treatment of otherwise non-life threatening prostate tumours. Interestingly, we found PDE4D7 to be dramatically downregulated as PC progresses from an androgen sensitive (AS) to an androgen insensitive (AI) state, and, indeed, this enzyme is showing promise as a novel, disease-specific PC biomarker.

In this thesis, I report my efforts to characterise a function of PDE4D7 within prostate cancer. Firstly, I report the raising of a novel highly specific PDE4D7 antibody and describe the differential expression of this isoform, at the protein level, between AS and AI PC cell models. I present evidence to suggest that PDE4D7 mediates PC cell growth and migration, and that its loss may play a role in PC progression. I propose that an altered epigenome plays a role in the downregulation of PDE4D7 expression. I then report on the raising of a novel phospho-specific antibody and present evidence to show that PDE4D7 is regulated by PKA phosphorylation within its unique N-terminal region, and that this event confers negative regulation on enzyme activity. Finally, I describe my endeavours to elucidate a PDE4D7 protein-protein interaction that may help transduce PDE4D7-specific signals and maintain the enzymes cellular location.


Handbook of the Biology of Aging, Eighth Edition, provides readers with an update on the rapid progress in the research of aging. It is a comprehensive synthesis and review of the latest and most important advances and themes in modern biogerontology, and focuses on the trend of ?big data' approaches in the biological sciences, presenting new strategies to analyze, interpret, and understand the enormous amounts of information being generated through DNA sequencing, transcriptomic, proteomic, and the metabolomics methodologies applied to aging related problems. The book includes discussions on longevity pathways and interventions that modulate aging, innovative new tools that facilitate systems-level approaches to aging research, the mTOR pathway and its importance in age-related phenotypes, new strategies to pharmacologically modulate the mTOR pathway to delay aging, the importance of sirtuins and the hypoxic response in aging, and how various pathways interact within the context of aging as a complex genetic trait, amongst others. Covers the key areas in biological gerontology research in one volume, with an 80% update from the previous editionEdited by Matt Kaeberlein and George Martin, highly respected voices and researchers within the biology of aging disciplineAssists basic researchers in keeping abreast of research and clinical findings outside their subdisciplinePresents information that will help medical, behavioral, and social gerontologists in understanding what basic scientists and clinicians are discoveringNew chapters on genetics, evolutionary biology, bone aging, and epigenetic controlProvides a close examination of the diverse research being conducted today in the study of the biology of aging, detailing recent breakthroughs and potential new directions


Here we present the biostratigraphic and chronostratigraphic framework of a number of selected diatomaceous laminated intervals from the Crotone Basin (Calabria, Southern Italy). These layers, which we consider correlative to the Eastern Mediterranean Sapropel Layers, range in age from the early Piacenzian to the Gelasian, and show surprising thicknesses, suggesting that they were probably laid down in a landlocked, overfed basin. Specifically, a thick laminite from the surroundings of Cropani (Catanzaro) can be ascribed to nannofossil biozone MNN 16a and planktonic foraminifera biozone MPL 4b (lower Piacenzian) according to the Mediterranean calcareous plankton biostratigraphic zonations. Two laminites from the "Muto" Section (Botricello-Cutro road, Crotone), belong to MPL 5a and MNN 16b/17 Zones (upper Piacenzian). A very thick laminite from the "Timpone dell'Inferno" badland area (near Termine Grosso, Catanzaro), belong to MPL 5b and MNN 18 Zones (middle-upper Gelasian). These biostratigraphic constraints provide a first contribution to a comprehensive paleoenvironmental reconstruction.


E-education plays an important role in improving access to knowledge for the present and the next generation society. New and emerging technologies give the possibility to educators to reach individuals and communities in numbers and in manners that were in the past unimaginable. Nevertheless, capacity without content is useless; e-education involves -if not always at least in most of the cases- the use of pre-existing copyrighted works. The 'e-educational institution' has two options: either to seek license from the copyright owner or to rely on the existing copyright exceptions or limitations. Obtaining license is not always easy due to difficulties in locating the copyright owner, due to the unreasonable process or terms and due to delays in getting a timely response. On the other hand it is questionable whether the existing limitations or exceptions do cover all the uses of the copyrighted works during -or for- the e-education activities. The aim of this paper is to present the relevant copyright exceptions or limitations and to analyze whether and to what extent these copyright exceptions, designed for the 'analogue' world and for the traditional 'face-to-face' education could be also applied in the digital world and in the 'e-education'. The analysis will not be restricted only to exceptions and limitations specifically designed for education purposes but also others that they can be used in this regard, such as the quotation exception and the exception in favour of libraries. Most importantly though the three-step-test will be scrutinized in order to decide whether the limitation for 'e-education' purposes could successfully pass this test. Basis for this analysis will be the international and the community legal framework, and some selected national laws. Exploring the issue of the relevant exemptions and limitations mention will be made to the technological protection measures that are applied to works. Finally, the question of contractual overridability will be explored, i.e. the intersection between contractual agreements between the rightholders and the users and the teaching exception.


Capital mitigation specialists are critical members of the capital defense team. Their job involves investigating the life history of the defendant in order to develop a comprehensive defense against execution at the sentencing phase of a capital trial. To develop the life history of the defendant, capital mitigation specialists must uncover as much information as they can about the defendant from the defendant's family, friends, and virtually any other person in the defendant's life. This Article examines the role of mitigation specialists who have formal social work training, exploring how legal ethics and world views they experience on capital defense teams interact with ethical norms and world views they learn as social workers. By understanding how ethical norms and world views from law and social work interact, this Article strives to ensure that interdisciplinary capital defense teams anticipate and resolve ethical conflicts in order to safeguard the capital defendant's constitutional right to effective assistance of counsel.


textabstractIn Chapter One we described the development of live kidney donation. Currently, live donor
kidney transplantation is the best solution to attack the persistent organ shortage in the
Western World. Because of this shortage live kidney donation is still interesting over fifty years
after Joseph Murray and Rene Kuss performed the first live kidney donor transplantations.
The revival of live kidney donation in the 1990s still continues. Developments in immunosuppressive
therapy, crossing the blood barrier, intelligent logistic solutions, improvements of
peri-operative care and last but not least less invasive surgical techniques all attribute to the
successes of live kidney donor transplantations. In this thesis we focused on the latter aspect,
but one have to keep in mind that improvements in surgical and peri-operative care of the
donor can only exist within a solid system providing screening of potential donors, selection
of transplant candidates and accurate medical treatment of the recipients.

In the United States Ratner and colleagues introduced laparoscopic donor nephrectomy in
1995. This technique has greatly revolutionized live kidney donation. Presently the majority
of live kidney donors is operated on using a (modified) laparoscopic approach. However, the
introduction of minimally invasive surgery has also encouraged refinement of open techniques.
Most studies up to now aimed to prove the feasibility of a new surgical technique for
live kidney donation. In this thesis, we compared these novel techniques, therewith addressing
short term surgical outcomes, quality of life, costs and transplant outcome.


Spike deconvolution based on Wiener filter theory usually has the desired output as a zero-lag spike, which works well for wavelets of minimum phase. In this paper, the algorithm that extends the standard spiking deconvolution to mixed-phase wavelet is presented. The optimal output spike has a time delay, determined from the projection matrix, and forms an optimal time-delay spiking deconvolution. The application of this algorithm to physical model measurements shows that this technique is efficient for the case when the wavelet is well determined.


A rat bioassay technique was employed to determine the localization and properties of the angiotensinase activity present in kidney homogenates of anesthetized rats. The angiotensinase activity per gram of renal cortex was four times greater than renal papilla or medulla. The complete destruction of proximal renal tubular cells by mercuric chloride resulted in losses of cortical angiotensinase activity averaging 40% of control values. The destruction of cells of both the proximal and distal renal tubules by sodium potassium tartrate caused a 90% reduction in angiotensinase activity. Marked reductions in cortical angiotensinase activity were measured in rats injected with meralluride 2 hours previously. The addition of meralluride to in vitro systems of normal rat kidney homogenates caused similar depressions of angiotensinase activity. The presence of reduced glutathione in the reaction media interfered with the ability of meralluride to inhibit angiotensinase and enhanced the activity of this enzyme to greater than normal levels in the absence of the mercurial. Ammonium ion in a concentration of .18 m inhibited angiotensinase activity of renal cortical homogenates by a moderate degree. When both meralluride and ammonium were present in the homogenate system their effects to depress angiotensinase appeared additive.


In lithospheric-scale strike-slip fault zones, upper crustal strength is well constrained from borehole observations and fault rock deformation experiments, but mantle strength is less well known. Using peridotite xenoliths, we show that the upper mantle below the San Andreas fault system (California, USA) is dry and its maximum resolved shear stress (5–9 MPa) is similar to the shear strength of the upper, seismogenic portion of the fault. These results do not fit with any existing lithospheric strength profile. We propose the "lithospheric feedback" model in which the upper crust and lithospheric mantle act together as an integrated system. Mantle flow controls displacement and loads the upper crust. In contrast, the upper crust controls the stress magnitude in the integrated system. Crustal rupture transiently increases strain rate in the upper mantle below the strike-slip fault, leading to viscous strain localization. The lithospheric feedback model suggests that lithospheric strength is a dynamic property— varying in space and time—in actively deforming regions.


UNLABELLED
Organized introduction of prophylactic human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination can reduce the burden of cervical cancer in developing countries. One of the most effective ways is through a national school-based program. Information on teachers is therefore important since this group may have a disproportionate influence in the success of any implementation.

OBJECTIVE
To assess teachers' knowledge and perception of HPV, cervical cancer and HPV vaccine prior to commencing a school-based HPV vaccination program in a multiethnic, predominantly Muslim country. Factors associated with acceptability of the vaccine were identified.

METHOD
A bilingual questionnaire was applied to 1,500 secondary school teachers from 20 urban schools in Malaysia. Data collected were analyzed using SPSS version 17.

RESULTS
1,166 questionnaires were returned. From this group, 46.1% had never heard of HPV while 50.9% had never had a pap smear. However, 73.8% have heard of the HPV vaccine with 75% agreeing to have it. 96% considered themselves religious with 79.8% agreeing to have the vaccine.

CONCLUSIONS
A national school-based HPV immunization program can be implemented effectively in a multiethnic, cultural and religious country despite limited knowledge of HPV-related pathology among teachers. In addition, the perception that religion has a negative influence on such a program is unwarranted.


The main issue is the organization of firms when different degrees of labor participation are taken into account. We start reviewing the literature on the LM firm. We then consider a less radical labor participation, i.e., the Aoki firm. We survey extensions of the Aoki's firm to the case of market uncertainty, where also the question of the optimal allocation of the shut down decision is tackled, when shareholders are not able to maximize the total payoff accruing to both workers and owners. By and large, it appears that the degree of labor participation in decisions and rent sharing in a firm is not a settled question, even though it seems to depend on the respective degree of firm specificities of production factors.


The prevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi infection was evaluated in Berilo, Minas Gerais (MG), Brazil, from January to July 1997. A serological survey using the indirect immunofluorescence test (IFT) in dried blood collected on filter-paper was performed in a sample of 2,261 individuals. The overall prevalence rate of T. cruzi infection was 18%, and reached 50% in individuals older than 30 years from rural areas. The percentage of seropositivity was 0.17% among individuals younger than 10 years old, suggesting that vectorial transmission is controlled in the area. A decrease in prevalence rates among people born after 1960 and 1970 was observed and this appears to be correlated with the beginning of control programs. A reduction in T. cruzi infection rates was observed when comparing our results with the rates estimated in a serologic study carried out in Berilo in 1983.


This paper elaborates the approach of using ontologies as a conceptual base for enterprise architecture (EA) descriptions. The method focuses on recognising and modelling business critical information concepts, their content, and semantics used to operate the business. Communication genres and open and semi-structured information need interviews are used as a domain analysis method. Ontologies aim to explicate the results of domain analysis and to provide a common reference model for Business Information Architecture (BIA) descriptions. The results are generalised to model further aspects of EA.


This study investigates whether plasma extracts previously demonstrated to have natriuretic and antinatriferic activity have effects on vascular reactivity of rat cremaster arterioles. Plasma from hydropenic and saline-loaded dogs was subjected to Diafiltration, and eluted on a strong cation exchange column (SCX). The effects of intraarterial injections of various column fractions on constrictor responses to repeated injections of 33.3 ng of norepinephrine (NE) were used to indicate changes in vascular responsiveness in third order cremaster arterioles. SCX fraction I (void volume) from saline-loaded dogs (FI-S) caused an increase in constrictor response to NE of 101%. Increased vascular responsiveness peaked at 40 minutes and remained significantly elevated (p less than 0.05) for 130 minutes. Fraction I from plasma of hydropenic dogs (FI-H) and fraction III from plasma of saline-loaded dogs (FIII-S) did not increase vascular responsiveness to NE. FI-S shifted the dose response curves for NE, arginine vasopressin, and angiotensin II parallel and to the left relative to control by a factor of 3.05-, 2.95-, and 5.63-fold, respectively, at the 50% constrictor dose. Systemic injections of FI-S, but not FI-H, caused a 10 mm Hg rise in blood pressure at 50 minutes, and blood pressure was significantly elevated for 30 to 90 minutes after injection (p less than 0.01). These data demonstrate a vascular-sensitizing factor in FI-S. The factor appears in the same chromatographic fraction previously demonstrated to contain natriuretic, antinatriferic, and digoxin-like activity. The correlation of these activities with salt loading suggests they are due to the same substance, which may be the putative natriuretic hormone.


Reactive sulfur species (RSS) modulate protein functions via S-polysulfidation of reactive Cys residues. Here, we report that Ca2+/calmodulin (CaM)-dependent protein kinase IV (CaMKIV) was reversibly inactivated by RSS via polysulfidation of the active-site Cys residue. CaMKIV is phosphorylated at Thr196 by its upstream CaMK kinase (CaMKK), resulting in the induction of its full activity. In vitro incubation of CaMKIV with the exogenous RSS donors Na2S n (n = 2-4) resulted in dose-dependent inhibition of the CaMKK-induced phospho-Thr196 and consequent inactivation of the enzyme activity. Conversely, mutated CaMKIV (C198V) was refractory to the Na2S n -induced enzyme inhibition. A biotin-polyethylene glycol-conjugated maleimide capture assay revealed that Cys198 in CaMKIV represents a target for S-polysulfidation. Furthermore, phosho-Thr196 and CaMKIV activity were inhibited by incubation with cysteine hydropersulfide, a newly identified RSS that is generated from cystine by cystathionine-γ-lyase. In transfected cells expressing CaMKIV, ionomycin-induced CaMKIV phosphorylation at Thr196 was decreased upon treatment with either Na2S4 or the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress inducer thapsigargin, whereas cells expressing mutant CaMKIV (C198V) were resistant to this treatment. In addition, the ionomycin-induced phospho-Thr196 of endogenous CaMKIV was also inhibited by treatment either with Na2S4 or thapsigargin in Jurkat T lymphocytes. Taken together, these data define a novel signaling function for intracellular RSS in inhibiting CaMKIV activity via S-polysulfidation of its Cys198 during the response to ER stress.


Developing methods with a low environmental impact for nanoparticle synthesis remains one of the greatest challenges in nanotechnology. In this context, biomimetic and biological methods have emerged as green chemistry alternatives, and also contribute to our understanding of how nanomaterials interact with cellular molecules. Here, we report a phosphate-dependent biomimetic method to synthesize of cadmium sulphide (CdS) QDs at low temperatures, physiological pH and aerobic conditions, using CdCl2 and thiols (L-cysteine, glutathione or mercaptosuccinic acid). Inorganic phosphate (Pi) and cellular phosphorylated intermediates such as adenosine monophosphate, glucose-6-phosphate, glycerol-2-phosphate and fructose-1,6-biphosphate, can trigger CdS QDs synthesis. The produced QDs are cubic phase nanocrystals with a tunable fluorescence (450–700 nm), small size (4–12 nm), and are composed of thiols and Pi. In CdS synthesis, the importance of the phosphate is related to its capacity to release H2S from thiols, a phenomenon associated with its base-properties. Based on the biomimetic method, we developed a Pi-based procedure to synthesize CdS QDs in Escherichia coli. As in the biomimetic procedure, Pi favors QDs-biosynthesis not only by mediating biological generation of H2S, but also by improving Cd2+ cellular uptake. A role for phosphates in the cellular interaction and green synthesis of metal QDs is discussed.


This Essay begins with Max Weber's observation that the condition of the modern world is "disenchanted" and goes on to argue that contesting the notion of disenchantment offers a promising framework for rethinking baseline issues in corporate law and corporate life more generally. After elaborating what disenchantment meant to Weber, this Essay offers two counter-observations. First, the world may not be better off as a result of disenchantment. Second, as an empirical matter the world may not really be "disenchanted" given the substantial number of people who both hold religious beliefs and consistently report that those beliefs influence how they live.Linking these observations to corporate law, the Essay notes that the field of corporate law has been examined from many disciplinary vantage points, including neoclassical and behavioral economics, sociology, history, feminism, and others, but only rarely from the perspective of religious belief. The Essay argues that corporate law scholars should probe the implications for contemporary, highly individualistic theories of corporateness if, in fact, significant numbers of people in the business world - including executives, directors, investors, and employees – remain "enchanted" by religious faith. The issue is not whether people should or should not have such beliefs. What matters is whether, and how, as an empirical matter, various beliefs actually influence, or potentially might influence, behavior in the business arena. Do we really know? Or do we simply make assumptions about human decisionmaking that may be unwarranted. An example is the simplistic assertion that people largely behave in a self-serving fashion. That premise of neoclassical economics is coming under attack from many scholarly quarters. It seems especially suspect when describing people with strong religious convictions. This Essay advocates a more behaviorally realistic understanding of corporate relations. The Essay then develops a number of ways in which religious conviction can positively influence corporate life and theory, whether one wishes simply to understand the corporation or also seeks to reform its conduct. It challenges the simplistic typology of "profit" and "not for profit" organizations, arguing instead for a more pluralistic approach to corporate objectives than the current either/or approach to profit pursuit. To demonstrate that there is space for the influence of religious beliefs in shaping management conduct, the Essay dispels the common notion that shareholder wealth must, legally, be maximized. Beliefs about institutional objectives stem not from law but from markets, social norms and business lore, all of which are malleable. The Essay also contends that introducing religious faith into corporate discourse opens the way to reform unhealthy business practices from within the private sector itself, without relying solely on government regulation as the agent of reform.The overall aim of the Essay is to invite exploration of how the seemingly disparate discourses of religious faith and business enterprises can be examined together. Much religious legal theory addresses the interplay between the individual and the state, while ignoring those intermediary institutions that, while "private," nonetheless wield vast social influence. The corporation is one such institution.


The recent advances in DNA sequencing technology and their many potential applications to Biology and Medicine have rekindled enormous interest in several classical algorithmic problems at the core of Genomics and Computational Biology: primarily, the whole-genome sequence assembly problem (WGSA). Two decades back, in the context of the Human Genome Project, the problem had received unprecedented scientific prominence: its computational complexity and intractability were thought to have been well understood; various competitive heuristics, thoroughly explored and the necessary software, properly implemented and validated. However, several recent studies, focusing on the experimental validation of de novo assemblies, have highlighted several limitations of the current assemblers.
Intrigued by these negative results, this dissertation reinvestigates the algorithmic techniques required to correctly and efficiently assemble genomes. Mired by its connection to a well-known NP -complete combinatorial optimization problem, historically, WGSA has been assumed to be amenable only to greedy and heuristic methods. By placing efficiency as their priority, these methods opted to rely on local searches, and are thus inherently approximate, ambiguous or error-prone. This dissertation presents a novel sequence assembler, SUTTA, that dispenses with the idea of limiting the solutions to just the approximated ones, and instead favors an approach that could potentially lead to an exhaustive (exponential-time) search of all possible layouts but tames the complexity through constrained search (Branch-and-Bound) and quick identification and pruning of implausible solutions.
Complementary to this problem is the task of validating the generated assemblies. Unfortunately, no commonly accepted method exists yet and widely used metrics to compare the assembled sequences emphasize only size, poorly capturing quality and accuracy. This dissertation also addresses these concerns by developing a more comprehensive metric, the Feature-Response Curve, that, using ideas from classical ROC (receiver-operating characteristic) curve, more faithfully captures the trade-off between contiguity and quality.
Finally, this dissertation demonstrates the advantages of a complete pipeline integrating base-calling (TotalReCaller) with assembly (SUTTA) in a Bayesian manner.


In this paper, we will investigate a metal- insulator-semiconductor (MIS) like InGaAs/GaAs doped-channel structure both in theoretical analysis and experiment. First, a charge control model is employed to simulate the basic electronic properties of the doped-channel field-effect transistor (FET). Then, a practical device is fabricated and processed. From the results, we can find that the device shows good transistor characteristics. A high breakdown voltage of 17.4 V, a maximum drain saturation, current of 930 mA/mm, a maximum transconductance of 235 mS/mm, and a very broad gate voltage swing larger than 3V with the transconductance higher than 200mS/mm are obtained for a 2x100 um2 gate-dimension FET. From the comparison, we find that the experiments are in good agreement with the theoretical simulations. The, performances provide a promise of the proposed device to be a good candidate for practical circuit applications.


The Raman spectra of bixbyite, Mn2O3, were measured up to 40 GPa at room temperature. Mn2O3 undergoes a phase transition from the C-type rare earth structure to the CaIrO3-type (post-perovskite) structure at 16–25 GPa. The transition pressure measured in Raman spectroscopy is significantly lower than the pressure reported previously by an X-ray diffraction study. This could be due to the greater polarizability in the CaIrO3-type structure, consistent with high-pressure observation on the CaIrO3 type in MgGeO3, although it is still possible that experimental differences may cause the discrepancy. Unlike the change at the perovskite to CaIrO3-type transition, the spectroscopic Grüneisen parameter does not decrease at the C-type to CaIrO3-type transition. The spectroscopic Grüneisen parameter of the low-pressure phase (C type) is significantly lower than thermodynamic Grüneisen parameter, suggesting significant magnetic contributions to the thermodynamic property of this material. Our Raman measurements on CaIrO3-type Mn2O3 contribute to building systematic knowledge about this structure, which has emerged as one of the common structures found in geophysically important materials.


For nearly two millennia, the Kurds have inhabited a mountainous region known as Kurdistan, a territory including parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran. Within Iraq, Kurds are the second largest ethnic group, comprising 15–20% of the population and constituting the majority of citizens in the provinces of Dohuk, Irbil and Sulaymaniyah. Historic rivalries between Iraqi Kurds and Arabs contribute to current social and political unrest, and pose an even greater challenge to long-term stability in the country. One of the most volatile issues fuelling Kurd-Arab tensions concerns the "Green Line", which on various maps separates Iraq"s Kurdish and Arab populations. Initially established by Saddam Hussein in 1991, the ambiguous boundary has shifted north during Arabisation schemes and south as a result of Kurdish settlement and encroachment. More recently, on 19 March 2003, the Green Line was defined as the area controlled by the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) and recognised by the Iraqi Transitional Government when it passed the Transitional Administrative Law (TAL) in 2004. Although the Iraqi Constitution recognises Kurdistan as a federal region, the precise boundary remains contentious. At stake are the historical ties to the territory along the Green Line, the associated oil reserves, and the status of the symbolic city of Kirkuk. Resolution of the disputed territories along the Green Line, the associated revenue sharing of the oil wealth, and the fate of Kirkuk, constitute a single, complex, multifaceted issue that will have a decisive impact on the future stability, if not integrity, of Iraq.


Abstract —eLearning is fast becoming part of the life and has huge potential in India. eLearning technologies have great possibilities to spread learning and have the potential to redefine the education delivery mechanism in schools and colleges. However adoption has been slow and driving an eLearning implementation campaign in a diverse country like India is a tough job and requires coordinated efforts not just from the government side but from all the corners of the society. Moreover many of the concept of eLearning and many such courses emanated from western countries and may not be suitable for the typical socio-economic-geographic condition of India. This paper concentrates on the eLearning in Indian education scenario, various eLearning models and makes significant observations which could be critical to embrace eLearning into the existing education system. We also propose an iArchitecture which aims at bridging the gap between the basic building blocks of typical Indian Engineering Education system namely government, school, teachers, students and parents to connect them in a loose but effective and efficient manner. It has the potential to become the defacto standard for the implementation and enhanced adoption of any eLearning system in India. It is intended to support closed loop feedback and monitoring system to support the open learning, supplement blended learning and extends the reach of education to all corners of the society. Key words —eLearning, Education in India, ICT


SOMMARIO: 1. Introduzione - 2. Il caso della minoranza uigura come caso studio, tra identita etnico-religiosa, violazioni dei diritti umani e misure di contrasto all'epidemia di Covid-19 - 3. (segue) in particolare, il problema dei campi d'internamento nello Xinjiang e l'epidemia di Covid-19 - 4. Il contrasto tra le norme internazionali sui diritti umani e le misure adottate nei confronti della minoranza uigura: in particolare, il problema dei campi d'internamento - 5. Il contrasto tra le norme internazionali in materia di diritto alla salute e lotta alle pandemie e le misure adottate nello Xinjiang in tempi di Covid-19 - 6. Conclusioni.
Ethnic-religious minorities in times of Covid-19: China and the Uighur minority, between violations of human rights and violations of the right to health
ABSTRACT: The recent outbreak of Covid-19 that originated in China, has brought the matter of state sponsored persecution of the Uighur minority in Xinjiang to the attention of the international community. The problem of discrimination and persecution of such ethno-religious minority is not new. However, the spread of epidemic, has represented an opportunity for the Chinese national authorities to tighten the measures which have long been adopted against the Uighur minority. This paper aims at highlighting the great impact Covid-19 has had on the repression of Uighur minority since it has led to a dramatic escalation of the systematic violation of human rights which includes not only mass detention in internment camps but also the violation of other fundamental human rights such as the right to health and to access healthcare


Numerous studies have found that many people believe that a provocatively dressed woman is at greater risk for sexual assault and bears some responsibility for her assault if she is attacked. Furthermore, in legal, academic, and public debates about sexual assault the appropriateness of the term 'provocative' as a descriptor of certain kinds of women's clothing is rarely questioned. Thus, there is a widespread but largely unquestioned belief that it is appropriate to describe revealing or suggestive women's clothing as 'provocative' and that women who wear such clothing could provoke sexual assault and harassment from men. Yet it is rarely noted that only women's clothing is described as sexually provocative. Men's clothing, no matter how revealing, is never described as provocative. Why is this the case?This Article challenges the assumption that it is appropriate to describe women's clothing as provocative. Drawing on models of the legal defense of provocation and research on objectification, this article argues that the social interpretation of women's clothing as provocative arises from the privileged social and legal status of men's sexual arousal and the objectification of women's bodies. Continued use of this term thereby normalizes and entrenches deeply problematic attitudes about women's responsibility for men's sexual behavior. These beliefs and attitudes not only affect women's everyday experiences but also have a profound impact on how the law treats the sexual assault and harassment of women. Describing women's clothing as provocative thus reinforces a problematic conception of women's bodies and sexuality that is connected to women's experiences of their bodies, their clothes, and shapes their vulnerability to sexual assault and social and legal attitudes to such attacks.


The present dissertation conducts a comparative study of the dubbing of two American animated TV series, The Flintstones and The Simpsons, in two francophone regions/countries, Quebec and France. Since audiovisual products are complex blends of semiotic signs, in which the interplay between the visuals and the verbal is crucial to the understanding of the product, and since they convey their own cultural world, the study is led along three axes: the verbal/nonverbal dynamics, the language(s) used in the dubbing and cultural references. While most theories rely on either a linguistic or a cultural approach to the dubbing process and product, the present research throws a bridge between both and offers an interdisciplinary analysis.
The dubbed shows are conceived as processes and products of the "contact zones" understood as "… social spaces where cultures meet, clash, and grapple with each other, often in contexts of highly asymmetrical relations of power..." (Pratt 1991: 34). These contact zones create points of tensions inscribed within a power play at the industrial, linguistic and cultural levels. The dubbing industry is conceived as a space of negotiations or a contact zone between the local and the global characterized by power relations. The dubbing process becomes a subversive "Third Space" (Bhabha 1994: 36) in both versions, a space in between the verbal/visual dynamics, language(s) and cultures that generates a semi (in)visible translation.
Ultimately, both versions become rhizomatic (Deleuze and Guattari 1987) entities connecting heterogeneous elements within the dubbing process that blurs the TV series' fixed identities. The translation becomes literally political in The Flintstones through multiple references to Quebec's language policies and figuratively in The Simpsons by featuring a meta-commentary on the state of the dubbing industry as an invisible art. The French version incarnates a limbo place or a Third Space in The Flintstones matching its artificial Third language and, in The Simpsons, evolves towards a more concrete patchwork matching a more 'authentic' language.


The Rho guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase) family member Cdc42 is critical for cell migration. Cdc42 mediates the formation of membrane protrusions such as lamellipodia at the leading edge, and it participates in the polarization of centrosomes in migrating cells. Cdc42 is activated through the binding of GTP, which is facilitated by guanine nucleotide exchange factors. The GTPase-activating protein (GAP) Cdc42GAP catalyzes the hydrolysis of GTP, thus inhibiting Cdc42 activity. However, exactly how Cdc42GAP is regulated to ensure the appropriate abundance of active Cdc42 at the cell's leading edge is unclear. Shen et al. investigated a role for Nudel, a protein that regulates the motor protein dynein, in the regulation of Cdc42GAP. Microscopic analysis showed that NIH 3T3 cells transfected with Nudel-specific RNA interference (RNAi) formed fewer protrusions, migrated less efficiently, and had less polarized localization of centrosomes compared with control cells. Nudel was recruited to the leading edge of migrating cells, where it colocalized with Cdc42GAP. Coimmunoprecipitation experiments confirmed this interaction and showed that Cdc42GAP interacted with either Nudel or Cdc42 but not with both at the same time. Pull-down assays demonstrated that Nudel competed with Cdc42 for binding to Cdc42GAP in a dose-dependent manner. A fluorescence-based assay showed that Cdc42 activation was lower in NIH 3T3 cells transfected with Nudel-specific RNAi than in control cells. Western blotting and microscopic analyses demonstrated that recruitment of Nudel to the leading edge was dependent on its phosphorylation by extracellular signal-regulated kinases. Together these data suggest a critical role for Nudel in cell migration through its binding to the Cdc42 inhibitor Cdc42GAP, thus allowing for increased Cdc42 activity. Y. Shen, N. Li, S. Wu, Y. Zhou, Y. Shan, Q. Zhang, C. Ding, Q. Yuan, F. Zhao, R. Zeng, X. Zhu, Nudel binds Cdc42GAP to modulate Cdc42 activity at the leading edge of migrating cells. Dev. Cell 14, 342-353 (2008). [PubMed]


Electrostatic discharge (ESD) / electrical over stress (EOS) factors cannot be avoided when an organization running daily manufacturing activity. ESD problems are increasing in the electronics industry because of the trends toward higher speed and smaller device sizes which normally these devices are easy to be damaged by ESD. One of the manufacturing company in Malaysia which produces car radio is also facing the same problem. The failure trend related to ESD is become an alarming condition at 0 km (the product still at automotive customer assembly - 0 mileages which the vehicle is not yet sell to end user). In this study, the problem related to ESD and improvement to reduce the failure were conducted. These includes improvements in ESD protection and control which minimize yield losses and 0 km failures, and maintain the company reputation as a supplier of high-quality and reliable products. Findings from this study showed that virtually all materials, even conductors, can be triboelectrically charges. The level of charge is affected by material, speed of contact, separation and humidity. Electrostatic discharge can occur throughout the manufacturing test, handling and operational process. The improvement activity consist of two phases which is 3rd quarter 2009 (July – September) and 4th quarter 2009 (October – November). This followed by the continuous improvement activity take place on the 1st quarter 2010 (January – March). With this improvement, failure trend at customer related to ESD showed a reducing pattern.

 Key words: Electrostatic discharge, electrical over stress, customer complaint.


Recurrent neural networks have been very successful at predicting sequences of words in tasks such as language modeling. However, all such models are based on the conventional classification framework, where the model is trained against one-hot targets, and each word is represented both as an input and as an output in isolation. This causes inefficiencies in learning both in terms of utilizing all of the information and in terms of the number of parameters needed to train. We introduce a novel theoretical framework that facilitates better learning in language modeling, and show that our framework leads to tying together the input embedding and the output projection matrices, greatly reducing the number of trainable variables. Our framework leads to state of the art performance on the Penn Treebank with a variety of network models.


In the recent years there has been growing interest in plant diversity studies in general and floristic studies in particular Illustrations of plants are as old as human civilization and yet, there is ever greater need for good Illustration. Everyone including the specialist, knows that a good Illustration is far superior and more efficient in recognizing plants than lengthy descriptions, or even keys. The present work is a sincere attempt to provide an illustrative key to species of genus Datura Linn . Method includes ,Field study ,Herbarium study & Illustrations based on plant specimens. Besides the time consuming process of correct identification of plant species can be minimized, if such flora is easily accessible available at the nearest reference point.


Patients often present at the pharmacy with complaints of "flu". Although flu is a common illness, the word "flu" is often used loosely to describe general feelings of ill health. However, in many instances, symptoms may be confused with those of an allergy. It is important to know and understand the difference between influenza and allergies such as hayfever, in order to ensure correct diagnosis and offer appropriate therapeutic approaches. This article will review the clinical manifestations of influenza and allergic rhinitis, and highlights the difference between these two illnesses.


Abstract Information Communication Technology (ICT) implementation in Namibian schools is still in its infancy in rural science classrooms at junior secondary school level. The research reported in this paper adapted the Four-in-Balance model that reflects the pillars of the use of ICT in classrooms. In order to explore the extent of the implementation in rural science classrooms of the government ICT Policy for Education, a survey was used to collect science Teachers' level data. Three levels of ICT implementation, viz low, medium and high, were identified. The results show that for management aspects of the ICT Policy the implementation level is high to medium, which contrasts with the low levels of implementation of subject specific ICT resources for pedagogical use, and also with Teachers' negative attitude to the use of ICT. The results might influence policies on ICT use and how ICT is to be used in the future at classrooms level.


A study was designed to investigate the knowledge and perceptions of animal welfare and related legislations among graduating Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine students from the University of Nairobi, Kenya. A questionnaire was designed and administered to assess understanding, poor attributes, good provisions, legislations', knowledge and sources of general information on animal welfare. The percentage responses to the questions before and after the customized lecture series were determined and differences compared using a paired t test. The level of awareness of animal welfare issues among students before and after the customized lectures was 33.11% and 68.03% respectively. Significant differences at p ≤ 0.05 on all the attributes assessed was observed. p=0.0056 on the understanding of animal welfare, p=0.0232 on what constitutes poor animal welfare and p=0.025 on conditions necessary to ensure a state of good animal welfare. A 50% increase in awareness of legislations on  animal welfare was recorded after the lecture series. The major source of information on animal welfare was from the lecture series offered. This study confirms that inclusion of the customized lectures on animal welfare in training veterinary students was effective in promoting awareness on animal welfare. The contents of these lectures should be included in relevant subjects taught to students at the Faculties of Veterinary Medicine. Keywords: Animal welfare, Five freedoms, Legislations, Perceptions.


This paper describes the CSTR entry for the Blizzard Challenge 2009. The work focused on modifying two parts of the Nitech 2005 HTS speech synthesis system to improve naturalness and contextual appropriateness. The first part incorporated an implementation of the Linjencrants-Fant (LF) glottal source model. The second part focused on improving synthesis of prosodic prominence including emphasis through context dependent phonemes. Emphasis was assigned to the synthesised test sentences based on a handful of theory based rules. The two parts (LF-model and prosodic prominence) were not combined and hence evaluated separately. The results on naturalness for the LF-model showed that it is not yet perceived as natural as the Benchmark HTS system for neutral speech. The results for the prosodic prominence modelling showed that it was perceived as contextually appropriate as the Benchmark HTS system, despite a low naturalness score. The Blizzard challenge evaluation has provided valuable information on the status of our work and continued work will begin with analysing why our modifications resulted in reduced naturalness compared to the Benchmark HTS system.


A seismic stratigraphic study of the reprocessed regional lines for the offshore Sarawak area was undertaken with the aim of reviewing the present understanding of the tectonics and the palaeo depositional environments of the Sarawak Basin. The study was integrated with biostratigraphy and wireline log data from the wells drilled throughout the basin. Seven unconformities were identified within the Tertiary sediments and these were used as the markers for the seismic correlations. Where the unconformities become conformable, well data were used to guide the correlation of the conformities. Palaeo-environment maps were generated which document the interaction of tectonics and sediments throughout the basin history. The development of the Sarawak Basin commenced in late Oligocene times with deposition along a coastline running in a NW-SE direction, which is almost perpendicular to the present day coastline. The coastline was oriented to the present day NE-SW during late Miocene times. The study also revealed that the Sarawak Basin was formed as a result of NW-SE trending right lateral fault movement during late Oligo-Miocene times. This dextral movement was responsible for creating the earlier NW-SE coastline and divided the offshore Sarawak area into two sub-basins. Deposition and preservation of coastal plain and shallow marine sediments continued in the eastern area while the western area remained as a 'high' until late Miocene times. The dextral strike-slip movement which controlled the evolution of the Sarawak Basin is sub-parallel to a number of lineaments elsewhere in Sarawak. The timing of movement of these suggests progressive younging in an eastward direction. It is also believed the late structuration of the sediments and the formation of structural traps is linked to these tectonic movements.


Background Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are becoming increasingly popular with smokers worldwide. Users report buying them to help quit smoking, to reduce cigarette consumption, to relieve tobacco withdrawal symptoms, and to continue having a 'smoking' experience, but with reduced health risks. Research on e-cigarettes is urgently needed in order to ensure that the decisions of regulators, healthcare providers and consumers are based on science. Methods ECLAT is a prospective 12-month randomized, controlled trial that evaluates smoking reduction/abstinence in 300 smokers not intending to quit experimenting two different nicotine strengths of a popular e-cigarette model ('Categoria'; Arbi Group Srl, Italy) compared to its non-nicotine choice. GroupA (n = 100) received 7.2 mg nicotine cartridges for 12 weeks; GroupB (n = 100), a 6-week 7.2 mg nicotine cartridges followed by a further 6-week 5.4 mg nicotine cartridges; GroupC (n = 100) received no-nicotine cartridges for 12 weeks. The study consisted of nine visits during which cig/day use and exhaled carbon monoxide (eCO) levels were measured. Smoking reduction and abstinence rates were calculated. Adverse events and product preferences were also reviewed. Results Declines in cig/day use and eCO levels were observed at each study visits in all three study groups (p<0.001 vs baseline), with no consistent differences among study groups. Smoking reduction was documented in 22.3% and 10.3% at week-12 and week-52 respectively. Complete abstinence from tobacco smoking was documented in 10.7% and 8.7% at week-12 and week-52 respectively. A substantial decrease in adverse events from baseline was observed and withdrawal symptoms were infrequently reported during the study. Participants' perception and acceptance of the product under investigation was satisfactory. Conclusion In smokers not intending to quit, the use of e-cigarettes, with or without nicotine, decreased cigarette consumption and elicited enduring tobacco abstinence without causing significant side effects. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01164072 NCT01164072


In its transformation from an agrarian to an industrial economy, the United States saw a fundamental change in the marketing of manufactured goods during the 19th century. Changes in distribution were at least as important as changes in production, as the authors demonstrate in this unique account of the rise of modern marketing. Their focus is on iron, tobacco, railway supplies, and perishable goods, and they show how rising industrial capacity, the concentration of markets, and advancing technology forced new methods of distribution and the decline of independent merchants and wholesalers. By the beginning of the 20th century the outlines of a new economic order had emerged, one in which the modern corporation became the dominant institution. "A splendid study in business history. And it is business history of the best kind, that which relates changes in business organizations and practice to the mainstream of economic development."-Journal of Southern History. "No one before Porter and Livesay has so carefully delineated the transition from the old mercantile to the new industrial world...A good book about an important subject."-Choice.


Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia. No effective pharmaceutical agents exist to halt or slow down the disease progression. There is a tremendous imperative to gain a better understanding of the pathogenesis of AD and to develop effective treatments. This book brings together an international team of experts to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of AD. The most current information on several critical aspects of AD are presented, providing the readers with a broad picture of the underlying neuropathology, genetics, proteomics, risk factors, novel biomarkers, and potential interventions. Chapters 1–5 discuss the underlying AD pathogenesis using genomic and proteomic approaches, linking diverse pathways that can lead to complex metabolic dysfunction. Chapter 6 reviews the potential role of trace metals in AD, while Chapter 7 examines the diversity of Aβ species involved in AD pathology. Chapter 8 discusses the contributions of white matter degeneration in AD. Chapter 9 examines the potential intriguing role of the brain-gut-microbiota axis in mediating AD. Chapters 10 and 11 discuss potential biomarkers for AD, such as deficits in ocular exploration and early language impairments, respectively. Chapters 12–15 examine possible novel preventative and/or therapeutic methodologies such as exercise, optimizing depression therapy, and diverse psychosocial interventions. The book will be of value to clinicians and health professionals caring for patients with AD, and will provide a comprehensive and thought-provoking introduction to young investigators interested in translational aspects of the AD and related dementias.


This article investigates the implications of Australia's prohibition of 'child-abuse material' (including cartoons, animation, drawings and text) for Australian fan communities of animation, comics and gaming (ACG) and slash fiction. It is argued that current legislation is out of synch with the new communicative environment brought about by the internet since a large portion of the fans producing and trading in these images are themselves minors and young people. Habermas's analysis of the conflict between instrumental and communicative rationality is deployed to demonstrate that legislators have misrecognized the nature of the communicative practices that take place within the 'lifeworlds' of fan communities, resulting in an unjust 'juridification' of their creative works. Drawing on Japanese research into the female fandom surrounding 'boys' love' (BL) manga, it is argued that current Australian legislation not only forecloses the fantasy lives of young Australian fans but also harms them by aligning them with paedophile networks. Finally, drawing upon Jean Cohen's paradigm of 'reflexive law' the article considers a possible way forward that opens up channels of communication between regulators, fans, domain host administrators and media studies professionals that would encourage a more nuanced approach to legislation as well as a greater awareness of the need for self-regulation among fan communities.


A project using a computerized concordancing program in combination with a computerized corpus of academic texts to teach academic English is described. It is intended for native speakers and learners of English, and focuses on frequently-used words common to all academic fields. The vocabulary was selected from an academic word list, and consisted of about 250 items used for various functions of academic writing: stating topic; referring to the literature; expressing opinions tentatively; explaining processes used; reporting research of others; linking ideas correctly; and drawing conclusions. The concordancing program was then used to determine frequency of the terms' use. Resulting lists present students with multiple examples of academic vocabulary items in context. Questions concerning word use accompany the lists. Initial student response to the materials indicates that because the mode of presentation is new, some guidelines for use are needed; students should be instructed to: (1) look at the words surrounding the key term, thinking of meaning; (2) familiarize themselves with patterns of language surrounding the term to answer the questions; (3) practice key terms without referring to the concordance; and (4) create their own writing using the terms to fulfill a particular writing function. Contains 11 references. (MSE) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ***********************************************************************


When we examine the quality of life for each individual, several specific dimensions need to be considered. Health conditions and quality of family relationships are critical. When the individual in question is married, his/her marital quality is important. When he/she has a job, subjective assessment of that job is important. Social relationships regarding friends, neighbors, colleagues, relatives, etc. may be critical also. Although the quality of life is more than the sum of qualities of these specific areas of one's life, it is still determined to a great extent by the qualities of these sub-areas, including marital and family relationships (Proulx et al., 2007).


Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate if admission levels of total tau (T-tau) and β-amyloid isoforms 1-40 (Aβ40) and 1-42 (Aβ42) could predict clinical outcome in patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Methods: A total of 105 patients with mTBI [Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) ≥ 13] recruited in Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland were included in this study. Blood samples were drawn within 24 h of admission for analysis of plasma T-tau, Aβ40, and Aβ42. Patients were divided into computed tomography (CT)-positive and CT-negative groups. The outcome was assessed 6–12 months after the injury using the Extended Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOSE). Outcomes were defined as complete (GOSE 8) or incomplete (GOSE < 8) recovery. The Rivermead Post Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire (RPCSQ) was also used to assess mTBI-related symptoms. Predictive values of the biomarkers were analyzed independently, in panels and together with clinical parameters. Results: The admission levels of plasma T-tau, Aβ40, and Aβ42 were not significantly different between patients with complete and incomplete recovery. The levels of T-tau, Aβ40, and Aβ42 could poorly predict complete recovery, with areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.56, 0.52, and 0.54, respectively. For the whole cohort, there was a significant negative correlation between the levels of T-tau and ordinal GOSE score (Spearman ρ = −0.231, p = 0.018). In a multivariate logistic regression model including age, GCS, duration of posttraumatic amnesia, Injury Severity Score (ISS), time from injury to sampling, and CT findings, none of the biomarkers could predict complete recovery independently or together with the other two biomarkers. Plasma levels of T-tau, Aβ40, and Aβ42 did not significantly differ between the outcome groups either within the CT-positive or CT-negative subgroups. Levels of Aβ40 and Aβ42 did not significantly correlate with outcome, but in the CT-positive subgroup, the levels of T-tau significantly correlated with ordinal GOSE score (Spearman ρ = −0.288, p = 0.035). The levels of T-tau, Aβ40, and Aβ42 were not correlated with the RPCSQ scores. Conclusions: The early levels of T-tau are correlated with the outcome in patients with mTBI, but none of the biomarkers either alone or in any combinations could predict complete recovery in patients with mTBI.


The isostatic gravity anomalies have been traditionally used to solve the inverse problems of isostasy. Since gravity measurements are nowadays carried out together with GPS positioning, the utilization of gravity disturbances in various regional gravimetric applications becomes possible. In global studies, the gravity disturbances can be computed using global geopotential models which are currently available to a relatively high accuracy and resolution. In this study we facilitate the definition of the isostatic gravity disturbances in the Vening-Meinesz Moritz inverse problem of isostasy for finding the Moho depths. We further utilize uniform mathematical formalism in the gravimetric forward modelling based on methods for a spherical harmonic analysis and synthesis of gravity field. We then apply both mathematical procedures to determine globally the Moho depths using the isostatic gravity disturbances. The results of gravimetric inversion are finally compared with the global crustal seismic model CRUST2.0; the RMS fit of the gravimetric Moho model with CRUST2.0 is 5.3 km. This is considerably better than the RMS fit of 7.0 km obtained after using the isostatic gravity anomalies.


In Japan, there are many steep mountainous areas and we have local severe rain in the season, thus rock-fall accidents occur in mountain regions year after year. In order to protect an arterial road and the urban areas from the rock-fall accidents, various protective structures had been already constructed. However most of them are made of reinforced concrete and they require huge construction cost. Hence a new economical protective structure has been expected for a long time. From these needs, several high-energy absorption rock-fall nets have been developed. Some of them have specialized shock absorbing device or specialized column which has plastic rotation capacity. On the one hand, wire frame structure (called the wire ring net system) that is composed of interconnected many wire rings of about 30 cm in diameter are predominant in Europe. Because these structures can absorb large kinetic energy of a falling rock due to their deformation capacity, they are introduced from Europe as the highly-effective structures. The wire ring net system is composed of many parts (wire ring, wire rope, supporting post, etc), and it does not require large bases due to its light weight. However, there is no analysis method that can calculate their impact response (dynamic behaviour and energy absorbing capacity), and it has been only confirmed by the full-scale falling weight tests. Although, there are several cases that evaluate the performance by same tests in Japan, the test condition is limited by restriction of test station and its cost. Therefore, this study aims at simulating the impact response of wire ring net system by using the concept of particle method. The following conclusions are obtained from this study. 1) The proposed method can simulate the impact response of the wire ring net system. 2) Fracture of the wire ring net is predicted applying critical strain limit for the material.


The aim of this work is to contribute to the empirical literature on employment-GDP elasticities in four main ways. First, it provides a set of employment-GDP elasticities for a sample of emerging and developing economies, including 11 sub-Saharan countries, based on the GGDC 10-sectors database. Second, it assesses the extent to which manufacturing activities are inclusive compared to the rest of the economy, in terms of employment creation. Third, it explores the determinants of cross-country variations in employment elasticities, both on overall and manufacturing levels, focusing in particular on the role played by structural, institutional and macroeconomic variables. Fourth, the present paper attempts to measure how different the manufacturing elasticity responsiveness is to the same set of explanatory variables, compared to the overall employment elasticity. The key results of the paper can be summarized as follows: (i) Overall point estimates of elasticities typically fall in the 0–1 range, with the majority of them ranging between 0.4 and 0.7. (ii) Elasticities vary considerably across countries and sectors, with manufacturing elasticity outperforming the rest of the economy in low-income countries in sub-Saharan Africa, while it's below average in Latin American and Asian economies. (iii) Structural policies aimed at increasing labor market flexibility and accelerating the process of structural transformation have the same significant and positive impact on both overall and manufacturing employment elasticities. (iv) Macroeconomic policies aimed at reducing macroeconomic volatility have a significant and positive impact on manufacturing elasticity rather than the rest of the economy. We attribute that to the tradability characteristic of manufacturing products that exert pressure over the competitiveness of the domestic fabric and thus the scale of growth translation into employment. (v) Manufacturing activities tend to be more labor-intensive than the rest of the economy when agriculture employment is higher, suggesting that the "stock of unskilled labor in agriculture" feed growth in manufacturing more than the rest of the economy; (vi) The rule of law is a crucial determinant of how much growth is translated into employment. However, the sign of the coefficient is not consistent with the prevailing intuition. Countries with a better governance framework witness a lower elasticity and vice-versa. We argued that rule of law could be capturing the effect of the informal sector, which may allow more flexibility within labor markets. This channel seems to be effective in the manufacturing activities. (vii) Finally, it seems that elasticity at lower growth rates is bigger than elasticity at higher rates, even for the rest of the economy. However, the scale effect in the overall economy is lower than manufacturing. This could be explained by the possible scale economies in the manufacturing sector that outperform the rest of the economy. The automatization process and the substitution effect is more likely to occur in manufacturing than in services, especially considering that the above analysis has been conducted mainly over developing economies where services do not witness high productivity levels and low levels of cost-cuts.


In Japan, the construction industry strongly be needed productivity improvement and increasing the number of new hires due to improvement of working environment. Site manager needs to grasp whether the daily progress is as planned and updates the schedule appropriately for improve site's productivity and safety. In image-based data acquisition approach in japan, there is a problem that learning is insufficient with only global public data, since construction worker in Japan has originality in image feature compare with other countries. In this study, we make original dataset for additional learning firstly. Then we proposed domain-specific algorithms specific to the Japan construction site, including a worker detection and tracking algorithm and a worker action recognition algorithm. As a result, our worker detection showed 87.9% accuracy in same-site evaluation and 77.5% accuracy in cross-site evaluation. Our worker action recognition showed 60.2% mean accuracy. Finally, the method of translation into activity element based on the output value of worker detection was indicated.


The first author and F.Prüfer gave an explicit classification of all Riemannian 3-manifolds with distinct constant Ricci eigenvalues and satisfying additional geometrical conditions. The aim of the present paper is to get the same classification under weaker geometrical conditions.


Allocation of pre-hospital EMS (Emergency Medical Service) resources and effectiveness of emergency medical training are critical to patients. The demands for EMS are expected to increase in the future. By analysing the relationship between emergency response and the survival rates, the effectiveness of EMS resources and competence of personnel were evaluated. In other words, the current EMS resources will be insufficient, and the ratio of busy ambulances will increase. Patients may need to wait for an ambulance. In this paper, indicates that three more ambulances should be added and the priorities of resources to be allocated to suffice future demands are simulated. Through arrangement of extra hours of training, ROSC of patients within the system can be enhanced. Besides, by accelerating the travel speed of ambulances and shortening the average response time to 6.5 minutes, survival rate of patients could be increased and allow the EMS teams to take another 2.6 cases.