The post-Cold War era, with its redrawn European topographies and renegotiated political and cultural alliances, has witnessed the return of Central European Jews to the screen in fiction features, documentary and experimental films, and new media. A younger generation of filmmakers devoted to speaking out on the Holocaust and its aftermath is opening vibrant new spaces of dialogue among historians, literary and scholars, as well as within the framework of families and audiences. By articulating unresolved questions of Jewish identity, memory and history, their work both extends and interrogates prior narratives and visual representations. My presentation compares recent films by several filmmakers with regard to the contested meanings of Jewish identity; issues of gender and the filmmaker's voice and subject position; the contextualization of historical evidence; and innovative modes and genres of cinematic representation.


A biosensor based on sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (SOB) for detection of toxic chemicals in water was developed. SOB are acidophilic microorganisms that get their energy through the oxidation of reduced sulfur compounds in the presence of oxygen to produce sulfuric acid. The reaction results in an increase in electrical conductivity (EC) and a decrease in pH. The bioassay is based on the inhibition of SOB in the presence of toxic chemicals by measuring changes in EC and pH. The effect of different physical factors such as HRT, inorganic sulfur (S°) particle size, and temperature on detection of Cr(6+) was studied. The detection of Cr(6+) (50 ppb) was improved by decreasing the hydraulic retention time (HRT) from 30 to 10 min and increasing S° particle size from 1 to 4.75 mm. Detection time was shorter at 30 °C compared to 45 °C and the SOB were active over a wide range of temperatures with a maximum temperature for growth at 45 °C. This novel biosensor is simple, highly sensitive to low Cr(6+) concentrations (50 ppb), and also minimizes detection time. The present findings can be applied to the proper continuous screening of water ecosystem toxicity.


Objectives To explore pregnant women's acceptance of microbicides for reproductive tract infections (RTIs). Methods To date, we have analysed interview transcripts of 15 women in their third trimester who participated in a qualitative study on microbicide acceptability for treatment and prevention of bacterial vaginosis (BV) and role of partners in decision-making regarding product use. Interviews were coded for relevant themes. Women (mean age = 25.5; range = 21–30) were recruited from a clinic serving an inner-city minority population. Results While few women reported BV history, most did not spontaneously provide specific BV knowledge. Most participants strongly endorsed treatment of any infection during pregnancy, however, responses to prevention ranged from ambivalence to strong support. Many women would make a decision based on perception of risk/benefit to the baby. Other themes included: (1) side effects; (2) effectiveness; (3) perceived personal risk for RTI; (4) general investment in personal health. Some women seemed to have difficulty understanding prevention, and many felt greater clarity about microbicide use for treatment. Many viewed barriers (i.e., leakage, remembering, inserting) as easy to manage since they already used panty-liners, thought product use could be incorporated into daily routines and thought partners could help. Treating an active infection trumped barriers; this was less clear for prevention use. The decision regarding product use was viewed as belonging to the woman; partners were perceived as supporting what is best for the baby. Conclusions Women in a NYC pre-natal clinic enthusiastically support the use of microbicides for RTIs. In order for this enthusiasm to lead to adoption, women need to be well-informed about the RTI, its consequences and risk/benefit of use. As barriers are likely to be greater in the absence of a current infection, a greater understanding and emphasis of the need versus the risk will be required for prevention use.


Following a general description and analysis of the fundamental criteria for the dynamic design concerning dynamic stiffness, strength and environment issues, it is considered that the natural characteristics of the dynamic system and the dynamic responses of the system subject to various dynamic loads are two key critical issues in the dynamic design. Therefore, for the dynamic design of a LNG tank filled with liquid and operated on seaway, it is necessary to accurately predict its natural characteristics and dynamic response considering fluid structure interactions. To address these two key issues in the dynamic design stage, the developed computer software based on a mixed displacement–pressure finite element model to complete fluid-structure interaction analysis is introduced. An integrated internal liquid-tank-external water interaction system investigated by numerical simulations is summarised to consider the two issues involving the dynamic design of LNG tanks. The five studied cases include: i) 50% filled LNG liquid in a fixed rigid tank, ii) elastic tank only, iii) 50% filled LNG liquid-elastic tank interaction, iv) empty elastic tank-external sea water interaction and v) internally 50% filled LNG liquid-elastic tank-external sea water interaction. The calculated results are compared to reveal the coupling effects on the dynamic design of LNG tanks. To further demonstrate the effects of the natural characteristics affected by different interactions on the dynamic responses involving the dynamic strength, stiffness and vibration environment problems considered in dynamic design, the numerical simulations of the studied systems subject to regular sea wave excitations and earthquake excitations are carried out. The dynamic displacements for stiffness analysis, the dynamic stress for strength analysis and vibration level for dynamic environment analysis are presented and discussed. Guidelines provided in this paper maybe useful for dynamic designs of LNG tank operating in complex marine environments.


The housing question is back on the agenda in Germany. House rents in urban areas in particular, where the vast majority of habitants are renters, are on the rise since the outbreak of the global financial and economic crisis in 2007/08. The first part of the article articles discusses David Harvey's notion of the secondary circuit of capital in order to provide a politico-economic theory for a better understanding of the economic base of these processes. Harvey's central argument is that the flow of money capital in search of investment opportunities is "switched" into the sphere of real estate in times of overaccumulation. The second part of the article provides empirical data on construction activities, buying and selling of built environment and the development of land prices, including speculation, in Germany that all point in the same direction: the secondary circuit is gaining in importance in the past ten years. Further, the data shows the geographical unevenness of these processes, as most activities are located in major cities.


Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is caused by defects in the nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathway. NER removes helix-distorting DNA lesions, such as UV–induced photodimers, from the genome. Patients suffering from XP exhibit exquisite sun sensitivity, high incidence of skin cancer, and in some cases neurodegeneration. The severity of XP varies tremendously depending upon which NER gene is mutated and how severely the mutation affects DNA repair capacity. XPF-ERCC1 is a structure-specific endonuclease essential for incising the damaged strand of DNA in NER. Missense mutations in XPF can result not only in XP, but also XPF-ERCC1 (XFE) progeroid syndrome, a disease of accelerated aging. In an attempt to determine how mutations in XPF can lead to such diverse symptoms, the effects of a progeria-causing mutation (XPFR153P) were compared to an XP–causing mutation (XPFR799W) in vitro and in vivo. Recombinant XPF harboring either mutation was purified in a complex with ERCC1 and tested for its ability to incise a stem-loop structure in vitro. Both mutant complexes nicked the substrate indicating that neither mutation obviates catalytic activity of the nuclease. Surprisingly, differential immunostaining and fractionation of cells from an XFE progeroid patient revealed that XPF-ERCC1 is abundant in the cytoplasm. This was confirmed by fluorescent detection of XPFR153P-YFP expressed in Xpf mutant cells. In addition, microinjection of XPFR153P-ERCC1 into the nucleus of XPF–deficient human cells restored nucleotide excision repair of UV–induced DNA damage. Intriguingly, in all XPF mutant cell lines examined, XPF-ERCC1 was detected in the cytoplasm of a fraction of cells. This demonstrates that at least part of the DNA repair defect and symptoms associated with mutations in XPF are due to mislocalization of XPF-ERCC1 into the cytoplasm of cells, likely due to protein misfolding. Analysis of these patient cells therefore reveals a novel mechanism to potentially regulate a cell's capacity for DNA repair: by manipulating nuclear localization of XPF-ERCC1.


Healthcare organizations are currently facing increasing pressure to improve productivity and to reduce costs while at the same time the demand for hospital services is growing. In these organizations, many processes are executed which are highly variable, complex, and lengthy in duration. For these processes high demands exist with regard to the in-time scheduling of tasks and the efficient coordination of multiple people involved in these tasks. When diagnosing and treating a patient a doctor typically proceeds in a step-by-step way in order to decide about the next steps to be taken. In order to provide optimal care for patients we focus on the support of organizational healthcare processes by workflow technology. Organizational healthcare processes capture the organizational knowledge which is necessary to coordinate interoperating healthcare professionals and organizational units. Based on process definitions, Workflow Management Systems (WfMSs) are able to manage the flow of work in these processes such that individual workitems are done at the right time by the proper person resulting in a more efficient and effective process execution. In order to identify limitations to current WfMSs, a large case study has been performed. In this case study a representative healthcare process of the AMC hospital in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, is implemented in multiple WfMSs. This exercise revealed two important shortcomings. First, contemporary WfMSs offer workitems to users via specific worklists. At an arbitrary point in time, resources can select workitems from this list without having a schedule in mind. However, the effective execution of workitems is often tied to the availability of multiple scarce resources. This requires that an appointment-based approach is utilized when scheduling the workitems performed by these resources. For these appointments, enough time needs to be reserved in which they can be performed in order to prevent the need for rescheduling. However, current WfMSs do not provide support for the calendar-based scheduling of workitems such that they are performed by one or more resources and at a specified time. Therefore, in this thesis, we focus on augmenting existing WfMSs with calendar-based scheduling support. Second, the process of diagnosing or treating a patient typically consists of the execution of a number of smaller workflow fragments (e.g. lab tests or a visit to a doctor) that run in conjunction with each other. Although these workflow fragments execute independently from each other, a certain ``magnetic force'' exists between them. Such a collection of workflow fragments can best be characterized as separate workflows which are weakly-connected and that interact with each other. Additionally, these workflows need to be able to deal with different levels of granularity. In other words, we are dealing with weakly-connected interacting lightweight workflows. To date, contemporary WfMSs do not offer support for weakly-connected interacting lightweight workflows which can cope with different levels of granularity. Therefore, in this thesis, we focus on augmenting existing WfMSs with inter-workflow support. The two previously mentioned issues require the extension of existing WfMSs with different functionalities. Although WfMSs are widely used in practice and are large and complex systems which provide a wide range of functions, to date, there is no accepted development approach for the configuration of WfMSs and construction of specific functionality added to these systems. Similar, there has been minimal consideration for testing the capabilities of the developed WfMS and validating its operational performance. Therefore, in this thesis, we focus on a development approach in which first a conceptual model is defined which is a complete and formal (i.e. executable) specification of the WfMS to be developed. Afterwards, the same model is used for the development, testing, and validation of the operational performance of the new WfMS. The work presented in the thesis is demonstrated by a concrete application of the proposed development approach. A detailed conceptual model has been developed describing the behavior of a WfMS augmented with both calendar-based scheduling support and inter-workflow support. This conceptual model serves as basis for the subsequent implementation of the system. Furthermore, for the WfMS extended with calendar-based scheduling support, the conceptual model has also been used for investigating the reliability of the implemented system and to investigate its operational performance by means of computer simulation.


In "Rome and Jerusalem: The Clash of Ancient Civilizations", Martin Goodman explores the history of a titanic struggle whose repercussions are still felt today. In 70CE, after four years of Jewish rebellion, Roman legions devastated the great city of Jerusalem. Sixty years later, its ruin was completed when Emperor Hadrian built a new city on top of it that Jews were forbidden even to enter. In this highly acclaimed book, Martin Goodman examines the background and course of this titanic conflict - from the political ambitions of Roman military leaders to the spread of Christian influence through the empire - and its lasting consequences. "In this remarkable book Martin Goodman casts a truly fresh eye over well-known figures and events". ("History Today"). "Important and powerfully expressed...The best available general account of a turning point not just in the history of the Roman Empire but also in the development of the modern West". (Simon Goldhill, "The Times Higher Education Supplement"). "Should be read by anyone seeking seriously to understand modern Middle Eastern tangles ...a lucid account of ancient tragedy". (Diarmaid MacCulloch, "Guardian"). "Splendid ...an important book, on a difficult subject : the reason why Romans sought to destroy the Jews and Judaism completely. Only one man would have written it". (Paul Johnson, "Tablet"). Martin Goodman has divided his intellectual life between the Roman and Jewish worlds. He has edited both the "Journal of Roman Studies" and the "Journal of Jewish Studies". He has taught Roman History at Birmingham and Oxford Universities, and is currently Professor of Jewish Studies at Oxford.


Various kinds of media and metadata, such as pictures, videos, and geo-location, can be attached to emergency reports to the police using dedicated platforms, social networking sites, or general communication apps such as WhatsApp. Although potentially a very useful source of information for law enforcement agencies, this also raises considerable concerns regarding surveillance and privacy in public spaces: It exhorts citizens to establish a supervisory gaze over anyone, at any time, and anywhere. This chapter analyses these concerns using theories from surveillance studies. It considers the (surprisingly high) applicability of panoptical theories by Foucault and others to the effects of increased visibility of citizens in public spaces. This analysis importantly reveals how discriminatory tendencies might be introduced and exacerbated. Attention is then paid to Deleuze's 'societies of control' and related notions such as database surveillance, surveillance assemblages, and predictive policing. This analysis shows that the enrichment of emergency reports with media and metadata from smartphones can pressurize people into conformity, erode the presumption of innocence, and diminish societal trust. Furthermore, this process will disproportionality affect already disadvantaged groups and individuals. Policy makers are advised to implement enriched emergency reports carefully.


A stunning book on kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with precious metals to highlight its history beautifully.
 A broken pot is made whole again, and within its golden repair we see a world of meaning. Kintsugi is the art of embracing imperfection.
 In Western cultures, the aim of repair has been to make the broken item 'as good as new'. Kintsugi on the other hand, is a Japanese art that leaves an obvious repair – one that may appear fragile, but which actually makes the restored ceramic piece stronger, more beautiful, and more valuable than before. Leaving clear, bold, visible lines with the appearance of solid gold, it never hides the story of the object's damage.
 Kintsugi traces memory, bringing together the moment of destruction and the gold seams of repair through finely-honed skills and painstaking, time-consuming labour in the creation of a new pot from the old. There is a story to be told with every crack, every chip. This story inevitably leads to kintsugi's greatest strength. an intimate metaphoric narrative of loss and recovery, breakage and restoration, tragedy and the ability to overcome it. A kintsugi repair speaks of individuality and uniqueness, fortitude and resilience, and the beauty to be found in survival. Kintsugi leads us to a respectful and appreciative acceptance of hardship and ageing.
 Author Bonnie Kemske explores kintsugi's metaphorical power as well as exploring the technical and practical aspects of the art, meeting with artists and ceramists in Japan and the US to discuss their personal connection to this intricate technique. With the inclusion of diary entries, personal stories, and in-depth exploration of its origin and symbolism, this book shows kintsugi's metaphoric strength as well as its striking aesthetic, making it a unique and powerful art form that can touch our lives.


In most of the Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries railways have played, throughout history, a key part in the economic development maintaining a dominant role in transporting freight and passengers at low costs. During the last 50 years, the road transport in the region as throughout the world has expanded rapidly due to the aggressive development of the automobile industry. African governments have invested mainly in road infrastructure improvement, neglecting railways. The liberalization in road transport and the slow response of railways to adapt to the new market conditions resulted in dramatic traffic decline in rail transport. By 1990 most of the Sub-Saharan African railways were in virtual bankruptcy, requiring permanent cash injection and large investments in infrastructure and rolling stock. To address the crisis, many governments have considered concessions as a solution, and between the mid-1990s and 2010 most of the railways were concessioned. Currently, more than 70 percent of the rail transport activities in the region (excluding South Africa) are managed by private operators. The World Bank Group (IDA and IFC) has supported most concession processes through grants and loans, investing since 1996 more than one billion dollars to support the efforts of the governments and private operators. The recommendations suggested in the present document are based on a comprehensive approach for improving the performance of the railway sector in parallel with the enhancement of the governance of the transport sector. The rhythm of implementation of such a complex set of recommendations may vary from country to country depending on local conditions and will require, in any case, a long period of time. Nevertheless, the dramatic status of the railway transport sector in SSA requires rapid actions. In this respect, the present work includes a selected list of most urgent recommendations to be implemented in the first stage. The way ahead for improving the performance of railways in Sub-Saharan Africa is a complex endeavor that cannot be achieved without the strong involvement of the private sector.


Aminoacyl tRNA synthetase–interacting multifunctional protein 1 (AIMP1) has been reported to have antitumor effects in various tumor models. However, mechanisms by which AIMP1 ameliorates tumorigenesis are not well understood. As NK cells are a major cell type involved in antitumor activities and AIMP1 is known to activate professional APCs, we determined whether AIMP1 induced NK cell activation directly or via these APCs. AIMP1 induced the expression of surface activation markers on murine NK cells in total splenocytes, although AIMP1 did not directly induce these activation markers of NK cells. The inductive effect of AIMP1 on NK cell activation disappeared in macrophage-depleted splenocytes, indicating that macrophages were required for the AIMP1-induced activation of NK cells. Furthermore, coculture experiments showed that AIMP1 activated NK cells in the presence of isolated macrophages, but failed to activate NK cells when cultured alone or with dendritic cells or B cells. Although AIMP1 significantly promoted TNF-α production by macrophages, the secreted TNF-α partially affected the NK cell activation. Transwell cocultivation analysis revealed that direct contact between macrophages and NK cells was required for the AIMP1-induced NK cell activation. In addition, AIMP1 significantly enhanced cytotoxicity of NK cells against Yac-1 cells. Furthermore, the in vivo administration of AIMP1 also induced NK cell activation systemically with a macrophage-dependent manner. Importantly, AIMP1 dramatically reduced the lung metastasis of melanoma cells, which was mediated by NK cells. Taken together, our results show that AIMP1 induces antitumor responses by NK cell activation mainly via macrophages.


Purpose: Aurora kinase A (Aurora-A) is known to regulate genomic instability and tumorigenesis in multiple human cancers. The underlying mechanism, however, is not fully understood. We examined the molecular mechanism of Aurora-A regulation in human ovarian cancer. Experimental Design: Retrovirus-mediated small hairpin RNA (shRNA) was used to silence the expression of Aurora-A in the ovarian cancer cell lines SKOV3, OVCA432, and OVCA433. Immunofluorescence, Western blotting, flow cytometry, cytogenetic analysis, and animal assay were used to test centrosome amplification, cell cycle alteration, apoptosis, DNA damage response, tumor growth, and genomic instability. Immunostaining of BRCA2 and Aurora-A was done in ovarian, pancreatic, breast, and colon cancer samples. Results: Knockdown of Aurora-A reduced centrosome amplification, malformation of mitotic spindles, and chromosome aberration, leading to decreased tumor growth. Silencing Aurora-A attenuated cell cycle progression and enhanced apoptosis and DNA damage response by restoring p21, pRb, and BRCA2 expression. Aurora-A was inversely correlated with BRCA2 in high-grade ovarian serous carcinoma, breast cancer, and pancreatic cancer. In high-grade ovarian serous carcinoma, positive expression of BRCA2 predicted increased overall and disease-free survival, whereas positive expression of Aurora-A predicted poor overall and disease-free survival (P < 0.05). Moreover, an increased Aurora-A to BRCA2 expression ratio predicted poor overall survival (P = 0.047) compared with a decreased Aurora-A to BRCA2 expression ratio. Conclusion: Aurora-A regulates genomic instability and tumorigenesis through cell cycle dysregulation and BRCA2 suppression. The negative correlation between Aurora-A and BRCA2 exists in multiple cancers, whereas the expression ratio of Aurora-A to BRCA2 predicts ovarian cancer patient outcome. Clin Cancer Res; 16(12); 3171–81. ©2010 AACR.


BETTY JUNE AND HER FRIENDS. By Lena B. Ellingwood. New York, Cincinnati, Chicago, Boston, Atlanta: American Book Company. There is nothing more interesting in the schoolbook world today than the rivalry' of authors, artists and publishers in making books with almost the same name, with the same plan, different only 10 the genius of author and artist and expenditure of publishers. "Betty June and Her Friends" and their experiences with animals has a .companion book as near like this as two peas in a pod, and each has the most beautiful illustrations imaginable and no school can decently use one without the other. Indeed, we like each better because of the rivalry.


Abstract This article shows how large-scale commercial farmers, individually and collectively, are responding to land and water reform processes in the Thukela River basin, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. With a high degree of innovative agency, commercial farmers have effectively executed four strategies, enabling them to adapt and use their access to resources to neutralize multiple water reform efforts that once promised to be catalysts for inclusive change in the post-apartheid era. It is likely that policy alone will not facilitate the envisioned transformation, if local practices are not sufficiently understood and anticipated by the governmental officials charged with the implementation of water reform processes.


AbstractA single feed compact microstrip antenna is proposed in this paper. Two L slits are introduced at right side of the patch. For the proposed antenna resonant freque ncies are obtained at 3.48 GHz, 4.34 GHz and 5.65 G Hz with bandwidth of 19 MHz, return loss –20.2 dB, 42.6 MHz , return loss -30.5 dB and bandwidth of 39.2 MHz, r eturn loss -20.2 dB respectively. The size of the antenna has been r educed by 66 % when compared to a conventional micr ostrip patch.


Descriptive studies of international migration typically rely on measures of migrant stocks and migration rates to assess migration patterns. In this paper, we propose a third alternative. Using harmonized data on age-specific migration flows from and to countries in the European Union (EU) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) from 2002-2007, we estimate the waiting time of international migration, i.e., the total time lived by migrants in receiving countries, on average, given period migration and mortality schedules. The results provide a window into the temporal dynamics of international migration in Europe, which are increasingly relevant given recent expansions of the EU.


The Altimetric Bathymetry from Surface Slopes (ABYSS), which is the proposed science payload on the International Space Station (ISS), is a Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory-developed flight-proved delay-Doppler phase-monopulse radar altimeter capable of measuring ocean surface slope in the 6-200-km half-wavelength frequency band range with an accuracy of 0.5 mu rad , with autonomous gimbal control to compensate for the ISS structural motions. This measurement allows an improved mapping of the global bathymetry, enabling a wide range of scientific research works and applications. The nonrepeat ISS orbital ground track is ideal for ABYSS. This letter describes a simulation study on the effects of the Earth's gravity field and other errors, including thermal bending of the ISS, on the orbit determination of the altimeter instrument antenna phase center location, fulfilling the science objectives of ABYSS. Our study concluded that the error due to mean gravity field is no longer limiting due primarily to the recent Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment gravity modeling and that the ABYSS/ISS radial orbit slope error budget in the presence of various force and measurement model errors is estimated at the 0.2-mu rad root-sum-squared (RSS) level, which satisfies the ABYSS orbit accuracy science requirement to provide an improved mapping of global bathymetry.


Given the potential long-term outcomes of poorly developed mathematical skills, there is a need to understand the emergence and development of these skills in the context of improving educational experiences and ensuring better outcomes for preschoolers. The purpose of this article is to describe preliminary reliability and validity evidence supporting the Preschool Numeracy Indicators (PNIs), which are tasks for the assessment of number skills during the preschool years. Results from a sample of 3- to 6-year-old children (N = 163) attending preschool and Head Start programs revealed (a) evidence of test-retest reliability, (b) evidence that the four PNIs measure the same construct, (c) evidence of age-related differences in PNIs scores, and (d) evidence that the PNIs demonstrate external relations with scores from three test batteries measuring mathematics and number skills and other preacademic skills. Implications focus on the use of the PNIs for screening purposes, and future research is described.


Abstract. Anthropogenic emissions of CO2 to the atmosphere have
modified the carbon cycle for more than 2 centuries. As the ocean
stores most of the carbon on our planet, there is an important task in
unraveling the natural and anthropogenic processes that drive the
carbon cycle at different spatial and temporal scales. We contribute
to this by designing a global monthly climatology of total dissolved
inorganic carbon (TCO2), which offers a robust basis in
carbon cycle modeling but also for other studies related to this
cycle. A feedforward neural network (dubbed NNGv2LDEO) was configured
to extract from the Global Ocean Data Analysis Project version 2.2019
(GLODAPv2.2019) and the Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) datasets the relations between TCO2 and a set of variables
related to the former's variability. The global root mean square
error (RMSE) of mapping TCO2 is relatively low for the two
datasets (GLODAPv2.2019: 7.2 µmol kg−1; LDEO:
11.4 µmol kg−1) and also for independent data,
suggesting that the network does not overfit possible errors in
data. The ability of NNGv2LDEO to capture the monthly variability of
TCO2 was testified through the good reproduction of the
seasonal cycle in 10 time series stations spread over different
regions of the ocean (RMSE: 3.6 to
13.2 µmol kg−1). The climatology was obtained by
passing through NNGv2LDEO the monthly climatological fields of
temperature, salinity, and oxygen from the World Ocean Atlas 2013 and
phosphate, nitrate, and silicate computed from a neural network fed
with the previous fields. The resolution is 1∘×1∘ in
the horizontal, 102 depth levels (0–5500 m), and monthly
(0–1500 m) to annual (1550–5500 m) temporal resolution, and it is
centered around the year 1995. The uncertainty of the climatology is low
when compared with climatological values derived from measured
TCO2 in the largest time series stations. Furthermore, a
computed climatology of partial pressure of CO2
(pCO2) from a previous climatology of total alkalinity and
the present one of TCO2 supports the robustness of this
product through the good correlation with a widely used pCO2
climatology (Landschützer et al., 2017). Our TCO2
climatology is distributed through the data repository of the Spanish
National Research Council (CSIC; https://doi.org/10.20350/digitalCSIC/10551,
Broullón et al., 2020).


In addition to the stable isotope 9Be, Be is also formed as two cosmogenic isotopes of interest to earth scientists. Cosmogenic Be is formed primarily in the stratosphere from cosmic-ray spallation of oxygen and nitrogen, but some is produced in the troposphere and in situ on the surface of the earth. Production of cosmogenic Be was hypothesized by Peters (1955). Soon after, naturally occurring 7Be was identified in precipitation by Arnold and Al-Salih (1955) and essentially concurrently and independently by Goel et al. (1956). 10Be (T1/2 = 1.5 × 106 yr) was first detected by Arnold (1956) in marine sediment cores. The 10Be/7Be production ratio is approximately 0.5 (Lal and Peters 1967).

After its formation in the atmosphere, cosmogenic Be adsorbs electrostatically to aerosols that may be washed out by precipitation and delivered to ecosystems. The amount of cosmogenic Be that reaches the surface of the earth is a function of production rate (cosmic-ray intensity), stratosphere-troposphere mixing, circulation and advection within the troposphere, and efficiency of removal from the troposphere (wet and dry deposition) (Feely et al. 1989). Since the discovery of cosmic-ray produced Be, numerous researchers have gathered data on its (1) production, (2) fluxes to the oceans and terrestrial ecosystems, (3) distribution and inventory in soils, snow, sediments, and vegetation, and (4) geochemical behavior. In 1955, Peters suggested that the relatively long half-life of 10Be could make it useful for quantifying Tertiary sedimentation rates and other surficial processes. The focus of this chapter is the short-lived radionuclide 7Be (T1/2 = 53.12±0.07 days; Jaeger et al. 1996). Due to its short half-life, relative ease of measurement, and well-defined source term, 7Be serves as a useful tool for tracing and quantifying environmental processes on the …


Peatlands are becoming increasingly important in the context of climate change because they store large amounts of carbon, but information regarding the exact amount of carbon is scarce. In their natural state (as mires), they sequester and store organic carbon (Corg), but they emit CO2 when drained. In calculating Corg storage, little attention has been paid to the fact that many peatlands have been intensively drained and used for more than 200 years, such that their soil characteristics have changed. Recent estimates of peatland carbon storage are based on simplified data for peat thickness, bulk density and Corg content. This paper offers an alternative method for estimating the amount of carbon stored which takes into account peatland type and secondary soil development. Peatlands that originated as different hydrogenetic mire types (HGMTs) store different amounts of carbon due to stratigraphical differences. It is estimated that 430 Mt of Corg is stored in peatlands belonging to the three dominant HGMTs in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (north-east Germany), and that percolation-mire peatlands store up to ten times more Corg than water-risemire peatlands. It is also demonstrated that gyttja soils make a significant contribution to Corg storage in terrestrialisation-mire peatlands; thus, after peats, these are the next most important soils for Corg stocks.


Abstract Measuring change resulting from healthcare interventions is critical to evaluating their usefulness. The choice of outcome measure is an important part of such evaluations and is driven by assumptions about what is likely to change and how best to capture this. Despite its importance, forensic mental health has paid little attention to determining which are the best measures of outcome. This study used a panel of relevant professionals to (i) assess the relative importance of different areas of potential outcome measurement and (ii) evaluate specific instruments used currently as outcome measures in forensic mental health research. Although a wide range of potential outcomes were endorsed as appropriate, few corresponding instruments have been used consistently. Only three psychiatric instruments deemed by our panel as feasible, relevant and psychometrically adequate have been used in five or more studies (the Beck Depression Inventory; the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, and the Symptom Checklist-90–Revised). Significant measurement gaps were noted in areas such as social and emotional functioning. Although instruments exist that could capture most areas, none were sufficiently developed for routine use as outcomes. Further research to develop robust, sensitive and diverse outcome measures is needed. This is an essential precursor to extending the evidence base for forensic mental health interventions.


Patricia Graham is one of America's most esteemed historians of education, formerly Dean of Harvard's Graduate School of Education and Director of the National Institute of Education. In this informative volume, Graham offers a vibrant history of American education in the last century. Drawing on a wide array of sources, from government reports to colorful anecdotes, Graham skillfully illustrates Americans' changing demands for our schools, and how schools have responded by providing what critics want, though never as completely or as quickly as they would like. In 1900, as waves of immigrants swept the nation, the American public wanted schools to assimilate students into American life, combining the basics of English and arithmetic with emphasis on patriotism, hard work, fair play and honesty. In the 1920s, the focus shifted from schools serving a national need to serving individual needs; education was to help children adjust to life. By 1954 the emphasis moved to access, particularly for African-American children to desegregated classrooms, but also access to special programs for the gifted, the poor, the disabled, and non-English speakers. Now Americans want achievement for all, defined as higher test scores. The public largely ignored colleges until after World War II when research received international recognition and enrollments grew. Throughout the narrative, we meet the passionate educators, scholars and journalists who drove particular agendas, and we also meet Graham's own family, starting with her immigrant father's first day of school and moving through her experiences as a teacher. Invaluable background in the ongoing debate on education in the United States, this book offers an insightful look at what the public has sought from its educational institutions, what educators have delivered, and what remains to be done.


Thinking Politically brings together a series of remarkable interviews with Raymond Aron that form a political history of our time. Ranging over an entire lifetime, from his youthful experience with the rise of Nazi totalitarianism in Berlin to the denouement of the cold war, Aron meditates on the threats to liberty and reason in the bloody twentieth century. Originally published as The Commuted Observer, this volume provides one of the fullest accounts available of the dramatic events of the "short century," which began with the pistol shot in Sarajevo in 1914 and ended with the collapse of the Ideological monsters whose deadly nature Aron had ruthlessly exposed for a half-century. In addition to the interviews published in the original edition. Thinking Politically incorporates three interviews never before published in book form. This supplemental material clarifies Aron's role as a voice of prudential reason in an unreasonable age and allows unparalleled access to the principal influences on Aron's thought. The volume concludes with "Democratic States and Totalitarian States," an address by Aron to the French Philosophical Society as well as the accompanying debate with Jacques Maritaln, Victor Basch, and other intellectuals. Thinking Politically serves as an ideal gateway into Aron's reflections, and offers a superb single-volume introduction to the major events and conflicts of the twentieth century. It will be a welcome addition to the libraries of political theorists, historians, sociologists, philosophers, and citizens wishing to understand the political and intellectual currents of the age.


The variational autoencoder (VAE) is a powerful generative model that can estimate the probability of a data point by using latent variables. In the VAE, the posterior of the latent variable given the data point is regularized by the prior of the latent variable using Kullback Leibler (KL) divergence. Although the standard Gaussian distribution is usually used for the prior, this simple prior incurs over-regularization. As a sophisticated prior, the aggregated posterior has been introduced, which is the expectation of the posterior over the data distribution. This prior is optimal for the VAE in terms of maximizing the training objective function. However, KL divergence with the aggregated posterior cannot be calculated in a closed form, which prevents us from using this optimal prior. With the proposed method, we introduce the density ratio trick to estimate this KL divergence without modeling the aggregated posterior explicitly. Since the density ratio trick does not work well in high dimensions, we rewrite this KL divergence that contains the high-dimensional density ratio into the sum of the analytically calculable term and the lowdimensional density ratio term, to which the density ratio trick is applied. Experiments on various datasets show that the VAE with this implicit optimal prior achieves high density estimation performance.


Abstract Outside southern Africa little attention has been given to the lively debates, particularly within South Africa, about migration, economic integration, racism/xenophobia and exclusion. After the collapse of apartheid the Southern African Development Community (sadc) developed initiatives on regional co-operation on population movement in a far-reaching 1995 Draft Protocol on Free Movement. However, the post-apartheid South African state was concerned solely with free trade and, with the support of other regional players, managed to halt the Protocol. The processes of neoliberal regional integration, socioeconomic transformations, poverty and inequality, as well as the political turmoil in countries of the sub-Saharan region, have resulted in growth of migration to South Africa. The post-apartheid regime has made full use of the ancien regime's authoritarian legal migration instruments, while migrant workers from neighbouring countries, many undocumented, are exploited by employers, repressed by the police and immigration authorities and treated with suspicion. This paper focuses on the processes of localised and globalised racialisation of migrant workers in South Africa, which have allowed it to treat the question of free movement, migration and integration more or less in the image of Europe. The 'rainbow nation' seems to be racialising and excluding the 'xenos' based on the apartheid legacy's treatment of migrant black labour. Moreover, the myth of the 'weak state' serves to cover up the power of capital, which is benefiting from the drive to informalisation and the irregular/undeclared work of undocumented workers. Trade unions have failed to organise migrant workers, initially reacting defensively, but now increasingly recognising that migrant workers must be incorporated in the movement and their rights defended for the benefit of all workers. If trade unions look at the European and US experience they will find similar dilemmas but also strategies for incorporation in the unions. Finally the paper looks at future challenges beyond racialisation and xenophobia.


Abstract In this paper the stress field in the proximity of a circular (cylindrical) inclusion is considered. The conditions for in-plane plastic flow in the matrix are examined from a classical elasticity solution obtained by Goodier. Elementary cases are considered such as remote loading ranging from pure tensile and pure shear to equibiaxial tension. For proportional loading, it is argued that the upper bound to the shakedown limit is always twice the elastic limit; therefore, within the limits of our assumptions, if the elastic stress concentration for the equivalent stress is greater than two, there is a possibility of cyclic plasticity before bulk yielding, which means that possibly an arbitrarily large plastic strain can cumulate with increasingly high risk of exhaustion of ductility and void nucleation or detachment of the interface. Consequently, conditions under which it is possible to reach twice the elastic limit before full-scale yielding are shown in the Dundurs plane representing all possible combinations of elastic parameters. Following these lines, it is shown that there is no possibility of cyclic plasticity under remote shear; there is a limited area of the Dundurs plane for tension, including the hole case; finally, in the equibiaxial limiting case, cyclic plasticity is always possible for any combination of elastic properties.


Redshift is a key quantity for inferring cosmological model parameters. In photometric redshift estimation, cosmologists use the coarse data collected from the vast majority of galaxies to predict the redshift of individual galaxies. To properly quantify the uncertainty in the predictions, however, one needs to go beyond standard regression and instead estimate the full conditional density f(z|x) of a galaxy's redshift z given its photometric covariates x. The problem is further complicated by selection bias: usually only the rarest and brightest galaxies have known redshifts, and these galaxies have characteristics and measured covariates that do not necessarily match those of more numerous and dimmer galaxies of unknown redshift. Unfortunately, there is not much research on how to best estimate complex multivariate densities in such settings. Here we describe a general framework for properly constructing and assessing nonparametric conditional density estimators under selection bias, and for combining two or more estimators for optimal performance. We propose new improved photo-z estimators and illus- trate our methods on data from the Sloan Data Sky Survey and an application to galaxy-galaxy lensing. Although our main application is photo-z estimation, our methods are relevant to any high-dimensional regression setting with complicated asymmetric and multimodal distributions in the response variable.


A significant drawback of the symmetry set evaluation for a 2D shape using the wave diffusion process1 is its slow execution time caused, in large part, by the diffusion step. We first recall the need for a diffusion process. A parallel implementation of the wave diffusion algorithm on a transputer network is presented. A faster alternative approach to detect the symmetry set, which we call the normal transform, and which is similar to the wave propagation mechanism, is described.


This paper proposes an epistemological model based on cybernetic principles and activity theory to interpret two levels of problems that are intertwined in our social-economic system, namely the liveability and sustainability problems. In the first part of the paper, important principles and concepts from related fields of cybernetics and activity theory are introduced for later construction of a model. In the second part, a model is constructed based on the introduced concepts. To validate the proposed model, the current economic crisis is studied in the third part. An important contribution of the proposed model is a theoretical understanding of the two levels problems, and how to construct macro social-economical policies to avoid similar crisis in the future.


By considering fluxes on D7 branes and explicitly computing their back-reaction on the geometry with and without a black hole, we show how the UV divergence of Klebanov-Strassler model can be regulated. Using the form of the metric and fluxes in the extremal and non-extremal limit, we compute the on-shell gravity action including the localized sources up to linear order in perturbation parameter g_sM^2/N, g_sN_f where N,M and N_f are units of D3,D5 and D7 charges in the dual gauge theory. Using the gravitational description, we show how the gauge theory undergoes a first-order Hawking-Page like phase transition and compute the critical temperature T_c. Finally, we obtain the equation of state for the gauge theory by computing thermodynamic state functions of the black hole and exhibit how black holes in deformed cone geometry can lead to results that are qualitatively similar to lattice QCD simulations.


Australian teachers are required to teach students from diverse cultures, and preservice teachers are reported to feel culturally unprepared. The Australian Government's New Colombo Plan aims to increase pre-service teachers' cultural competency by providing funding for cultural and educational experiences in the Asian-Pacific region. This paper reports on the impact a short-term cultural immersion programme in Cambodia had on the development of cultural competence for ten pre-service teachers. The programme included visits to Cambodian schools and a university, and cultural immersion activities such as Khmer lessons and visiting cultural icons. The cultural competency framework was used to analyse the impact of the programme on pre-service teachers' cultural competence before, during, and after the programme. Findings show that the programme had a significant impact upon meaning-making as the pre-service teachers reflected upon their experiences in Cambodia. The use of focus groups was found to be powerful, supporting pre-service teachers in a safe environment to learn from each other. The article contributes to the growing interest in the effectiveness of immersion programmes in enhancing the development of cultural competency in pre-service teachers. Recommendations include evaluation of the long-term impact of such programmes on pre-service teacher cultural competence.


It is well known that in the case of a regular domain the solution of the time-harmonic Maxwell's equations allows a discretization by means of nodal finite elements: this is achieved by solving a regularized problem similar to the vector Helmholtz equation. The present paper deals with the same problem in the case of a nonconvex polyhedron. It is shown that a nodal finite element method does not approximate in general the solution to Maxwell's equations, but actually the solution to a neighboring variational problem involving a different function space. Indeed, the solution to Maxwell's equations presents singularities near the edges and corners of the domain that cannot be approximated by Lagrange finite elements.A new method is proposed involving the decomposition of the solution field into a regular part that can be treated numerically by nodal finite elements and a singular part that has to be taken into account explicitly. This singular field method is presented in various situations such as electri...


The objective of this paper is to present the operating and hedging analysis of a hydroelectric system in a non-hydro dominated market using a specifically-developed tool for operating and contracting decisions. Hydropower companies are likely to face stochastic inflows, spot prices, and forward prices, during their operation. The objective of the tool is to maximize expected revenues from spot and forward market trading, considering suitable indicators of the company risk aversion. We benchmark the implemented risk indicator of required minimum revenues in the optimization tool using financial risk indicators, such as value at risk, conditional value at risk, and the risk premium of a utility function. This portfolio management problem, which includes physical and financial assets, is formulated as a stochastic revenue maximization problem under a specified risk aversion constraint. The company risk aversion is apprehended by penalizing reservoir operation and derivative instruments contracting decisions policies that lead to financial performances that are violating the required minimum revenues at the end of a predefined profit period. A hybrid stochastic dynamic programming (SDP)/stochastic dual dynamic programming (SDDP) formulation is adopted to solve this large-scale optimization problem


In this study, heat transfer coefficient and the bubble diameter during pool boiling of pure water, pure ethanol and water-ethanol solutions on a horizontal tube in an atmospheric pressure is examined. Experiments are accomplished for different mole fraction of ethanol in water and in heat flux of 5-103 .The results reveal that heat transfer coefficient increases by increasing heat flux for pure water and pure ethanol and the combination of these two liquids. The heat transfer coefficient in the solution except for ethanol molar concentration of 0.04 is less than those in single component substances at the same heat flux. Also the heat transfer coefficient for azeotrope molar concentration y an error about 6% is almost equal to ideal heat transfer coefficient. Finally, the results are analyzed by Genetic Algorithm and a new model is presented to calculate the heat transfer coefficient of the water-ethanol solution.


Background/Context Scholars have described American culture in recent decades as narcissistic, manifested by displays of self-absorption tantamount to a pathological syndrome that has reached epidemic proportions. An education reform movement that is highly critical of public schools, teachers, and students has simultaneously emerged, espousing a wide array of seemingly disconnected innovations and punitive sanctions. Prior efforts to critically analyze these reform efforts have focused on the historical workings of power and knowledge by supporting reflective, emancipatory knowledge and action while overlooking the insights offered by psychoanalytic theory. Consequently, the impact of education policies on the identities of teachers and the personal relationships between teachers and students has not been thoroughly or sufficiently understood. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study This article represents a tentative step toward understanding the social and psychological underpinnings of education reform in the United States during the last quarter century. The reform movement is interpreted as being rooted in specific psychological processes associated with narcissistic parenting. Psychoanalytic concepts are employed to illustrate how educators and the general public have become accomplices in their own subjugation. A review of literature that addresses narcissistic parenting yielded eight characteristic behavioral patterns: expectations of perfection in children, particularly with regard to intellect; a grandiose sense of superiority and entitlement; relentless fault-finding; projection of personal fantasies onto children; an absence of empathy for children and their needs; a preoccupation with control; conditional approval; and a well-intentioned view of their own self-centered motives and insensitive actions as being beneficial for children. These conceptual formulations provided a basis for examining proposals and policies found in the National Commission on Excellence in Education's 1983 report, A Nation at Risk, and provisions of the more recent No Child Left Behind legislation. Research Design This analytic essay uses a review of the literature, including psychoanalytic research on narcissism and narcissistic parenting as well as contemporary critical theory related to education reform, to examine arguments and policies evidenced in A Nation at Risk and No Child Left Behind. Conclusions/Recommendations A prevailing "narcissistic education policy style" is posited, which denies the true learning needs of students; disempowers classroom teachers and schools by undermining trust in self and others; and reproduces narcissistic dynamics within the culture. Elements of an alternative education policy more focused on the needs of students are proposed, along with a call to recognize the right of children to be treated with the respect accorded to fully formed human beings.


Linux has several mechanisms for relaying information about the system and applications to the user. Some examples include printk and other syslog events, evlog, ltt, oprofile, etc. Each subsystem has its own method for relaying information from the kernel to user space. Some of these mechanisms have difficulties, e.g. logging of printk messages is unreliable. In addition to selected difficulties, the replication of code and maintenance is undesirable. In this paper we describe a high-speed data relay filesystem that satisfies the buffering requirements of the above subsystems while providing a unified, efficient, and reliable relay mechanism. relayfs allows subsystems to log data efficiently and safely using lockless technology that is designed to scale well on multiprocessor systems. relayfs includes the flexibility to be expanded should other subsystems need additional services, but has a simple design intended to meet the needs of currently available subsystems. In this paper we discuss the architecture, implementation, and usage of relayfs. relayfs uses channels that allow data to be directed to a suitable buffer or buffers for the subsystems that allocated the channel. We describe the kernel API and file naming conventions, address init-time issues, and discuss performance trade-offs available using relayfs. Finally we demonstrate how existing subsystems use relayfs to log their data.


A time-dependent approach employing a four-phase concentric cylinder model has been developed to predict the response of metal matrix composites (MMCs) subjected to thermomechanical loadings in which both plastic and creep responses of the composites are considered. The progressive development of plasticity in the matrix phase is determined using the deformation theory of plasticity while the creep deformation of this phase is estimated using the Bailey-Norton equation with an Arrhenius-type expression for the time-dependent creep coefficient. The model is applied to SCS-6/Ti-β21S composite to study the evolution of the stress and strain states in the constituents of the composite during initial cool-down and subsequent thermal cycles. The model is then employed to examine the influence of several critical parameters on the composite internal stress and strain states. These parameters include the thickness of the equivalent composite media, the type of fiber coating material, the thickness of the reaction zone, cooling rate during initial cool-down, and the kinetics of creep process during thermal cyclic loading. Results of these applications indicated that the process-induced thermal stresses in the matrix phase can be relaxed due to creep following initial cool-down from fabrication. This stress reduction is enhanced at a slower cooling rate. Comparison of different fiber coating materials shows that the use of carbon coating induces compressive stress state in the brittle interfacial region. TiB2-coated fibers, however, are found to be less affected by the growing interphase thickness in preserving the compressive radial stress component in the matrix and the interphase zone. Furthermore, it is found that the matrix activation energy for creep, Q, is history-dependent and can be correlated with the level of creep strain accumulated in the matrix phase. In addition, the residual thermal stresses induced in the matrix phase during initial cool-down can be relaxed by the application of subsequent thermal cycles.


Since the invention of Laser (in 1960) and low loss optical fiber (in 1966) [1], extensive research in fiber-optic sensing technology has made it a well-defined and matured field [1]. The measurement of physical parameters (such as temperature and pressure) in extremely harsh environment is one of the most intriguing challenges of this field, and is highly valued in the automobile industry, aerospace research, industrial process monitoring, etc. [2]. Although the semiconductor based sensors can operate at around 500C, sapphire fiber sensors were demonstrated at even higher temperatures [3]. In this research, a novel sensor structure is proposed that can measure both pressure and temperature simultaneously. This work effort consists of design, fabrication, calibration, and laboratory testing of a novel structured temperature compensated pressure sensor. The aim of this research is to demonstrate an accurate temperature measurement, and pressure measurement using a composite FabryPerot interferometer. One interferometer measures the temperature and the other accurately measures pressure after temperature compensation using the temperature data from the first sensor.


Design considerations are presented for pairs of spherically aberrating elements that produce diffractionless beams of high efficiency and nearly constant size and intensity over specified ranges of axial position. An approximate design, assuming an aberration quadratic in radial ray positions, is followed by a final lens (mirror) specification that is verified through meridional ray tracing. This then provides an accurate determination of beam characteristics. Examples are presented that represent a variety of applications. As a design aid, a simple prescription is given for generating families of substantially different Bessel-like beams from any given pair of elements under small changes in element separation. Pattern sizes and ranges are compared with those of Gaussian beams, shadow lengths are examined for Bessel-type beams, and beam efficiencies are fully analyzed.


Many cloud applications need predictable completion of application tasks. To achieve this, they require predictable completion time for network messages. We identify three key requirements for such predictability: guaranteed network bandwidth, guaranteed per-packet delay and guaranteed burst allowance. We present Silo, a network architecture for public cloud datacenters that offers these guarantees. Silo leverages the fact that guaranteed bandwidth and delay are tightly coupled: controlling tenant bandwidth yields deterministic bounds on network queuing delay. Silo builds upon network calculus to determine how tenants with competing requirements can coexist, using a novel packet pacing mechanism to ensure the requirements are met. We have implemented a Silo prototype comprising a VM placement manager and a Windows Hyper-V network driver. Silo does not require any changes to applications, VMs or network switches. We use testbed experiments and large scale simulations to show that Silo can ensure predictable message latency for competing applications in cloud datacenters.


The northeastern extension of the Altyn Tagh fault, China, beyond the apparently truncated Qilian Shan has been controversial since the recognition of this large left-slip fault. We propose that the Altyn Tagh fault may have been contiguous with the east-northeast to northeast-trending, currently inactive (but apparently active during the Cenozoic) Alxa–East Mongolia fault; the latter truncated the Beishan orogen to the northwest and the Inner Mongolia orogen to the southeast. The Beishan orogen can be correlated with the Inner Mongolia orogen on the basis of the recognition of three offset petrotectonic units and two offset sutures. This correlation requires 400 ± 50 km of left-lateral offset along the Alxa–East Mongolia fault, identical to the slip along the northern segment of the Altyn Tagh fault inferred by P. Molnar and P. Tapponnier. We suggest a two-stage model for fault evolution: during the first stage, 400 km of displacement separated the Inner Mongolia orogen from the originally contiguous Beishan orogen along a continuous Altyn Tagh–Alxa–East Mongolia fault. During the second stage, the Alxa–East Mongolia fault became inactive, and additional offset along the Altyn Tagh fault has been mainly accommodated by shortening of the Qilian Shan and the Qaidam basin. We infer that the first stage of movement along the Altyn Tagh–Alxa–East Mongolia fault system may have begun around Oligocene time; the region transformed to the second stage of fault movement ca. 13–16 Ma, probably because of thinning of the lithospheric mantle beneath northern Tibet. The proposed model suggests that the Derbur fault in northernmost China and beyond is an extension of the Alxa–East Mongolia fault, and has a history of strike-slip movement. The nearly 400 km of offset on the Alxa–East Mongolia fault may have been accommodated mainly by subduction in the Sea of Okhotsk.


Stanley Hauerwas presents an overall introduction to the themes and method that have distinguished his vision of Christian ethics. Emphasizing the significance of Jesus' life and teaching in shaping moral life, The Peaceable Kingdom stresses the narrative character of moral rationality and the necessity of a historic community and tradition for morality. Hauerwas systematically develops the importance of character and virtue as elements of decision making and spirituality and stresses nonviolence as critical for shaping our understanding of Christian ethics.


Linepithema humile has invaded pristine areas in the Western Cape Province, South Africa, displacing important myrmecochorous ant species. The impact of this invasion on the dispersal of six species of elaiosome-bearing seeds varying in size, shape and mass was investigated. Linepithema humile failed to disperse heavy elaiosome-bearing seeds, although it readily removed lighter seeds like those of Polygala myrtifolia. This suggests that areas dominated by small ant species like L. humile would be characterized by low dispersal rates for heavy seeds. Indigenous ants in areas uninvaded and invaded by L. humile did not respond equally well to six elaiosome-bearing seeds. More of the heavier Leucospermum cordifolium than the lighter Podalyria calyptrata and Paranomus reflexus seeds were removed by ants in uninvaded areas. In invaded areas the heavier P. myrtifolia seeds were dispersed more readily than the lighter Agathosma ovata seeds. There was no indication of any specificity in the seed-ant interaction because the introduced ant, L. humile, dispersed smaller seeds. In addition, P. calyptrata, which occurs naturally in the study area, was not taken preferentially to other species of seed by myrmecochorous ants.


How can autonomous technology be used beyond end-customer autonomous driving features? This position paper addresses this problem by exploring a novel autonomous transport solution applied in the automotive logistics domain. We propose that factory-complete cars can be transformed to become their own autonomous guided vehicles and thus transport themselves when being moved from the factory for shipment. Cars equipped with such a system are driverless and use an onboard autonomous transport solution combined with the advanced driver assistance systems pre-installed in the car for end-customer use. The solution uses factory-equipped sensors as well as the connectivity infrastructure installed in the car. This means that the solution does not require any extra components to enable the car to transport itself autonomously to complete a transport mission in the logistics chain. The solution also includes an intelligent off-board traffic control system that defines the transport mission and manages the interaction between vehicles during systems operation. A prototype of the system has been developed which was tested successfully in live trials at the Volvo Car Group plant in Gothenburg Sweden in 2017. In the paper, autonomous transport is positioned in between autonomous guided vehicles and autonomous driving technology. A review of the literature on autonomous vehicle technology offers contextual background to this positioning. The paper also presents the solution and displays lessons learned from the live trials. Finally, other use areas are introduced for driverless autonomous transport beyond the automotive logistics domain that is the focus of this paper.


State-of-the-art neural network architectures continue to scale in size and deliver impressive generalization results, although this comes at the expense of limited interpretability. In particular, a key challenge is to determine when to stop training the model, as this has a significant impact on generalization. Convolutional neural networks (ConvNets) comprise high-dimensional feature spaces formed by the aggregation of multiple channels, where analyzing intermediate data representations and the model's evolution can be challenging owing to the curse of dimensionality. We present channel-wise DeepNNK (CW-DeepNNK), a novel channel-wise generalization estimate based on non-negative kernel regression (NNK) graphs with which we perform local polytope interpolation on low-dimensional channels. This method leads to instance-based interpretability of both the learned data representations and the relationship between channels. Motivated by our observations, we use CW-DeepNNK to propose a novel early stopping criterion that (i) does not require a validation set, (ii) is based on a task performance metric, and (iii) allows stopping to be reached at different points for each channel. Our experiments demonstrate that our proposed method has advantages as compared to the standard criterion based on validation set performance.


This paper presents analysis of the life-cycle costs for individual households and the aggregate energy and economic impacts from potential energy efficiency improvements in U.S. residential furnaces. Most homes in the US are heated by a central furnace attached to ducts for distributing heated air and fueled by natural gas. Electricity consumption by a furnace blower is significant, comparable to the annual electricity consumption of a major appliance. Since the same blower unit is also used during the summer to circulate cooled air in centrally air conditioned homes, electricity savings occur year round. Estimates are provided of the potential electricity savings from more efficient fans and motors. Current regulations require new residential gas-fired furnaces (not including mobile home furnaces) to meet or exceed 78 percent annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE), but in fact nearly all furnaces sold are at 80 percent AFUE or higher. The possibilities for higher fuel efficiency fall into two groups: more efficient non-condensing furnaces (81 percent AFUE) and condensing furnaces (90-96 percent AFUE). There are also options to increase the efficiency of the furnace blower. This paper reports the projected national energy and economic impacts of requiring higher efficiency furnaces in the future. Energy savings vary with climate, with the result that condensing furnaces offer larger energy savings in colder climates. The range of impacts for a statistical sample of households and the percent of households with net savings in life cycle cost are shown. Gas furnaces are somewhat unusual in that the technology does not easily permit incremental change to the AFUE above 80 percent. Achieving significant energy savings requires use of condensing technology, which yields a large efficiency gain (to 90 percent or higher AFUE), but has a higher cost. With respect to electricity efficiency design options, the ECM has a negative effect on the average LCC. The current extra cost of this technology more than offsets the sizable electricity savings.


Background: Epilepsy affects 70 million people worldwide, 80% of whom are in low-and-middle income countries (LMICs). Infections of the central nervous system (CNS) contribute considerably to the burden of epilepsy in LMICs, but the nature and presentation of epilepsy following these infections is not fully understood. We examined if epilepsy foutcomes are associated with the exposure to parasitic infections. Methods: This was a case-comparison study nested in a cross-sectional survey of people with active convulsive epilepsy, with cases as those exposed to parasitic infections, and comparison as those unexposed. Associations of exposure to parasites with clinical and electroencephalographic features of epilepsy were done using a modified mixed effects Poisson regression model across five sites in Africa. Multiplicative and additive scale (RERI) interactions were explored to determine the effect of co-infections on epilepsy features. Population attributable fractions (PAF) were calculated to determine the proportion of severe clinical and electroencephalographic features of epilepsy attributable to CNS infections. Results: A total of 997 participants with active convulsive epilepsy from the five African sites were analyzed, 51% of whom were males. Exposure to parasitic infections was associated with more frequent seizures in adult epilepsy (relative risk (RR)=2.58, 95% confidence interval (95%CI):1.71-3.89). In children, exposure to any parasite was associated with convulsive status epilepticus (RR=4.68, (95%CI: 3.79-5.78), intellectual disabilities (RR=2.13, 95%CI: 1.35-3.34) and neurological deficits (RR=1.92, 95%CI: 1.42-2.61). Toxoplasma gondii and Onchocerca volvulus interacted synergistically to increase the risk of status epilepticus (RERI=0.91, 95%CI=0.48-1.35) in the data pooled across the sites. Exposure to parasitic infections contributed to 30% of severe features of epilepsy as shown by PAF. Conclusions: Parasitic infections may determine features and phenotypes of epilepsy through synergistic or antagonistic interactions, which can be different in children and adults.  Interventions to control or manage infections may reduce complications and improve prognosis in epilepsy.


This thesis explores lived experiences of women involved in sex work and is comprised of three parts: a literature review, research paper, and critical appraisal. The literature review is a meta-synthesis of the ways women involved in sex work cope with the associated stigma. It synthesised findings from 14 existing qualitative studies, identified through systematic searches of six online databases. Using a meta-ethnographic approach, three themes were identified: 1) denial: 'I do not do sex work'; 2) distancing: 'I do sex work but it's not me', and 3) defending: 'I do sex work but it's not that bad'. Findings identify particular strategies used within the sex work context, emphasising the importance of power and resilience in stigma coping. The research paper explores women's experiences of bonding with their children in the context of sex work. Six women were interviewed and interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to identify four themes accounting for their bonding experiences: 1) the complex process of bonding; 2) 'I never felt like my baby was my baby': the impact of powerlessness on bonding; 3) 'give them the help that they need': the powerful impact of receiving help, and 4) new perspectives of the body and sex work in the light of motherhood. Findings emphasise the complex nature of bonding within this context, particularly highlighting the importance of empowerment and care. Implications for clinical psychology are discussed in relation to both the literature review and the research paper. Finally, the critical appraisal elaborates on some of the ethical and practical issues arising throughout the research, leading to a wider consideration of conducting research within the sex industry, particularly of a sensitive nature.


Screening logs are used for clinical trials to maintain the representativeness and validity of patient recruitment. It is especially critical in the active enrolment phase of a trial. The objectives of this study are: 1) To update the screening and recruitment status and 2) To discuss the challenges in patient recruitment and benefit in using screening log in a multi-centre trial. Methods: Using Microsoft Office Excel (2007), the Central Management Team (CMT) designed a screening log template with fields based on the 2010 Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT). Data were collected with respect to patient information (Screening Date, Last Initial, First Initial, Referral Sources), lesion information (Anatomical Site, Diagnosis), recruitment (Recruitment Status - eligible, ineligible, refusal or not approached; Reasons to each unsuccessful recruitment status), Consent Date, and Baseline CT neck/chest (CT Date, CT Results). Built-in features such as customized dropdown lists with predetermined values were designed to maintain data consistency and text fields were used for detail explanations of scenario encountered. For patient confidentiality, the screening log was anonymous and without any patient identifiers. Screening logs were introduced, distributed, and explained to each Site Coordinator (SC) via Cisco WebEx teleconferencing tool, and were reviewed weekly by the CMT. Descriptive analysis was used for patient recruitment status. Results: From September 2010 to July 2012, six COOLS study sites (Vancouver, London, Toronto (Sunny Brook Hospital), Calgary, Halifax, Winnipeg) have been actively using the screening log. A total of 420 patients are screened with 167 (40%) were identified as ineligible according to the enrollment criteria, including anatomic site, the visibility of the margin of lesions, diagnosis, and tumor size. Among 253 eligible patients, 175 (69%) were consented, 59 (23%) refused to participate, and 19 (8%) are not approached. The main reasons for patient refusal were compliance for scheduled follow-up visits (29, 49%) and unwillingness to fill study forms (8, 14%). The main reasons for patients not been approached were history of not compliance from previous study participation (7, 37%) and scheduling conflict and failure in study referral (4, 21%). Eight consented patients failed to receive assigned treatment due to unavailability of the FV specialists. Issues are identified and communicated with PI and SC in a timely fashion for better solutions. Conclusions: The COOLS trial screening log is implemented to help monitor recruitment activity and quality of the subject screening. It is also a source to examine patient acceptance to the trial and new technology. The tool can be used as a communication channel to bridge a strong network between the CMT and SCs and to understand the strength and weakness of site referral and recruitment. Through early identification of recruitment issues, site-specific strategies can be developed and recruitment goal can be reached. (Supported by the Terry Fox Research Institute (2009-24) and the Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute (CCS-20336). Citation Format: Yi Ping Kelly Liu, Shane X. Duan, Alisa Kami, Sylvia F. Lam, Catherine F. Poh. Recruitment monitoring report of a pan-Canadian multicenter study, the COOLS Trial. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; 2012 Oct 16-19; Anaheim, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Prev Res 2012;5(11 Suppl):Abstract nr A11.


Local linearizations are ubiquitous in the control of robotic systems. Analytical methods, if available, can be used to obtain the linearization, but in complex robotics systems where the dynamics and kinematics are often not faithfully obtainable, empirical linearization may be preferable. In this case, it is important to only use data for the local linearization that lies within a "reasonable" linear regime of the system, which can be defined from the Hessian at the point of the linearization- a quantity that is not available without an analytical model. We introduce a Bayesian approach to solve statistically what constitutes a "reasonable" local regime. We approach this problem in the context local linear regression. In contrast to previous locally linear methods, we avoid cross-validation or complex statistical hypothesis testing techniques to find the appropriate local regime. Instead, we treat the parameters of the local regime probabilistically and use approximate Bayesian inference for their estimation. The approach results in an analytical set of iterative update equations that are easily implemented on real robotics systems for real-time applications. As in other locally weighted regressions, our algorithm also lends itself to complete nonlinear function approximation for learning empirical internal models. We sketch the derivation of our Bayesian method and provide evaluations on synthetic data and actual robot data where the analytical linearization was known.


This paper describes the integral Knowle dge Discovery (KDD) process, including bot h prior expert knowledge and interpretation oriented tools to extract the behavior of a real pilot wastewater treatment plant. Special emphasis is made on the interest of developing postprocessing tools for clustering methods which can help the expert to unde rstand the meaning of the clusters and bridge the important existing gap between Data Mining and effective Decision Support. Traffic Lights Panel (TLP) is presented a s a suitable visual interpretation oriented tool for clustering results. Based on this tool, four typical behaviours are identifi ed in the pilot plant, which have been validated by the experts. Till now, the TLP is manually derived from the clustering results, but i t has been well accepted by the domain experts of several real applications as a very helpful contribution to understand the classes meaning and improve reliable decision-maki ng. Here, a proposal for automatic construc tion of TLP is presented trying to mimic the real process that the analyst perform s to manually build them. A criterion based on conditional Median as a central trend statistics of the variables inside a class is introduced and re fined to gain robustness towards outliers. Both criteria are tes ted and compared with the real target case study. A deep analysis of the advantages and draw backs of the proposed criterion, permitted to better understand the analyst process when manually building TLPs , to identify the scope of the proposal, and to typify some of the situations in which additional conditions are required.


In diagnosis of diseases Ultrasonic devices are frequently used by healthcare professionals. The medical imaging devices namely X-ray, CT/MRI and ultrasound are producing abundant images which are used by medical practitioners in the process of diagnosis . The main problem faced by them is the noise introduced due to the consequence of the coherent nature of the wave transmitted. These noises corrupt the image and often lead to incorrect diagnosis. In general, ECG signals affected by noises such as baseline wandering, power line interference, electromagnetic interference and high frequency noises during data acquisition. In the recent paper we have considered the Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) based wavelet Denoising have incorporated using different Thresholding techniques to remove major sources of noises from the acquired ECG signals. The experimental results shows the significant reduction of White Gaussian noise and it retains the ECG signal morphology effectively. Different performance measures were considered to select the appropriate wavelet function and Thresholding rule for efficient noise removal methods such as Mean Square Error (MSE),Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR) and Percentage Root Mean Square Difference (PRD) . The experimental result shows the db" wavelet and BayesShrink Thresholding rule is optimal for reducing noise in the real time ECG signals.


Environmental crises are distinguished by rapid and largely unexpected changes in environmental quality that are difficult if not impossible to reverse. Examples would be major extinctions and significant degradations of an ecosystem. I argue there are three preconditions for crisis: failures in governance, an ecological system exhibiting a tipping point, and an economy/environment interaction with positive feedbacks. I develop a simple model to illustrate how a crisis may arise, and draw on our knowledge of past and present crises to highlight the mechanisms involved. I then speculate as to whether climate change is indeed a crisis in the making.


Objectives: This study used ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) imaging to evaluate the anterior segment structure and surgical area of patients with open angle glaucoma following a trabeculectomy procedure. Methods: Consecutive patients with primary open angle or pseudoexfoliative glaucoma who underwent a trabeculectomy were included. UBM was used to examine the anatomical parameters of anterior chamber depth, anterior chamber angle, angle opening distance at 500 µm (AOD500), trabecular ciliary process distance (TCPD), iris ciliary process distance, scleral ciliary process angle (SCPA), and ciliary process thickness, as well as the internal ostium opening, ostium-iris distance, and scleral flap dimensions. Bleb morphologies were evaluated qualitatively using the Yamamoto classification and quantitatively according to the presence of drainage from the medial, lateral, and posterior borders. Results: Twenty-five eyes of 23 patients (4 female, 19 male) were included in the study. The TCPD and SCPA measurements were significantly greater in the postoperative third month (1.04±0.12 mm vs 1.09±0.16 mm, p<0.05; 58.6±3.9° vs 60.8±3.8°, p<0.05, respectively). Cases with a longer ostium-iris distance had a significantly greater AOD500, TCPD, and SCPA (p<0.05). Bleb drainage and morphological classification were correlated (p=0.001). Conclusion: UBM is a sound and efficient method to investigate anterior segment variations and the surgical bleb following a trabeculectomy. TCPD and SCPA values increased after surgery.


As the world has become closer and increasingly connected, business competition becomes more aggressive. As a result, marketing which has evolved for decades becomes so vital that no company can survive without it. Though marketing strategy and manufacturing strategy are organizationally separate in most firms, without a coordination of these two functional entities, an organization's survival in the market could potentially be jeopardized. Research has proved that these dimensions have a significant impact on organizational performance. Yet there is very little research being done from a holistic perspective in examining the fit relationship between marketing, manufacturing, and business strategy. Therefore, this research tries to look at those dimensions from a fit as covariation perspective. A fit model was proposed and exemplified using empirical data collected from Taiwan's top ranking companies in the manufacturing and service industry. Findings showed that the fit between marketing strategy, manufacturing strategy, and strategic orientation has a significant and positive effect on organizational performance.


Extracted from text ... CASE REPORT
Two interesting case reports appeared in the Medical Journal
of Australia recently, both dealing with the management of
obesity. The first is of an overweight 13-year-old girl who went
to her GP with an upper respiratory tract infection. Her mother
remarked that the girl was worried about her weight and was
being teased at school. She was sedentary, with no interests
that included physical activity. Several members of her family
were obese, but there was no family history of disorders associated
with insulin resistance.The girl's weight was 72.6 kg
and her height 161.5 cm, giving her a ..


This paper studies a resource allocation problem where a set of users within a specific region is served by cloud radio access network (C-RAN) structure consisting of a set of base-band units (BBUs) connected to a set of radio remote heads (RRHs) equipped with a large number of antennas via limited capacity front-haul links. User association to each RRH, BBU and front-haul link is essential to achieve high rates for cell-edge users under network limitations. We introduce two types of optimization variables to formulate this resource allocation problem: (i) C-RAN user association factor (UAF) including RRH, BBU and front-haul allocation for each user and (ii) power allocation vector. The formulated optimization problem is non-convex with high computational complexity. An efficient two-level iterative approach is proposed. The higher level consists of two steps where, in each step, one of these two optimization variables is fixed to derive the other. At the lower level, by applying different transformations and convexification techniques, the optimization problem in each step is broken down into a sequence of geometric programming (GP) problems to be solved by the successive convex approximation (SCA). Simulation results reveal the effectiveness of the proposed approach to increase the total throughput of network, specifically for cell-edge users. It outperforms the traditional user association approach, in which, each user is first assigned to the RRH with the largest average value of signal strength, and then, based on this fixed user association, front-haul link association and power allocation are optimized.


Activation and Functionalization of C-H Bonds explores recent developments in the reaction chemistry of solution-phase transition-metal based systems with simple hydrocarbons and with more complex organic molecules. More than 20 internationally leading research groups contributed to this volume, and their chapters cover such topics as fundamental theoretical and mechanistic studies of C-H bond activation by metal complexes, catalytic systems for alkane functionalization, and new applications in synthetic organic chemistry. An introductory chapter offers an overview of stoichiometric and catalytic reactions of C-H bonds with transition metal complexes. The C-H bond is the most widespread linkage in organic chemistry, present in virtually every organic molecule. Unfortunately, C-H bonds are famously resistant to selective chemical transformations. The development of methods for their selective transformations has enormous potential value in fields ranging from the chemistry of fuels (for example, the conversion of methane to methanol) to the synthesis of the most complex organic molecules.


Ideas That Work demonstrates how water, sanitation and personal hygiene (WASH) needs of women survivors of disaster can be addressed to minimise risk to violence that they may otherwise face. It provides a compilation of practical experiences that have attempted to reduce risk to violence against women (VAW) in the provision of WASH facilities in the early response phase of an emergency. Ideas That Work has been developed for use both by WASH engineers as well as emergency personnel dealing with social processes for a more holistic approach to WASH programmes and addresses twin components: delivery of efficient engineering solutions and effective processes for social renegotiation. The result is WASH infrastructure that addresses women's needs in a manner that is dignified and promotes prevention of violence.


Recycling is emerging as an alternative to extraction in many industries and one of the corner stones of the circular economy. In this paper, we assess the role of paper and cardboard recycling on the forest sector, both from an economic and carbon perspective. For that purpose, we model this recycling industry within our forest sec- tor model, in order to relate it to other wood products. As the forest sector has an important potential for climate change mitigation, this model allows us to assess the effects on the resource and the carbon balance of the forest sector. We show that these results are strongly linked to the hypothesis of substitution or complementarity between recycled and wood-pulp.


Groundwater is an important natural resource for Central Texas, providing the sole source of water in many areas, for municipal, domestic, industrial, livestock, and ecological needs. To sustainably manage the groundwater resources it is essential to have data that characterize the hydraulic parameters of the aquifers. This type of data is often not readily available. This document compiles reports of 85 pumping tests conducted in Central Texas and presents key information summarized from each report, including hydraulic parameters such as hydraulic conductivity, transmissivity, and storativity. Location maps of the tests are provided, along with statistical summaries in the form of tables and box plots. The summarized hydraulic data in this report are compared to ranges of published values. The results of this compilation indicate that the highest transmissivity and storativity values are within the Edwards Aquifer, followed by the Middle Trinity, the Lower Trinity, and the Upper Trinity Aquifers. Pumping tests are an important method for determining hydraulic parameters. The data presented in this report will be useful to future groundwater modeling, groundwater availability, and other aquifer studies.


The first main objective of this project was to isolate cellular fibronectin from cultures of skin fibroblasts derived from tuberous sclerosis (TS) patients and normals and to compare their structures, paying particular attention to the content and pattern of carbohydrate (glycosylation). The second main objective of this project was to establish the expression and localisation of glycoproteins fibronectin, laminin and tenascin of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in cultures of skin fibroblasts derived from patients with TS and normal individuals. In order to achieve these objectives, fibroblasts were established from primary cultures of skin explants of patients with TS. Control cells were cultured from skin explants donated by people not known to be suffering from any disorder. The purification of cellular fibronectin was achieved from conditioned medium of skin fibroblasts of TS patients and control fibroblasts using Prosep-gelatin affinity chromatography and gel filtration chromatography techniques.
Analysis of purified cellular fibronectin by high pH anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD) revealed that the carbohydrate portion of the fibronectin molecule was made up of galactose, mannose, glucosamine, galactosamine, sialic acid and fucose. An increased concentration of sialic acid, galactosamine, glucosamine, galactose and mannose was observed in purified fibronectin derived from neck and ungual fibromas of patients with TS. To provide a total increase of carbohydrates more than two fold in comparison to normal fibroblastsderived fibronectin. Purified cellular fibronectin from conditioned medium of fibroblasts grown from skin lesions of different TS patients and from normal skin fibroblasts did not express HNK-1 (anti-leu 7) carbohydrate epitope. Normal skin fibroblasts showed an altered morphology and less confluence when grown on cell culture plates coated with cellular fibronectin derived from TS fibroblasts compared with control fibronectin. This may be a consequence of an altered glycosylation of this protein. The amino acid composition of the purified fibronectin from TS fibroblasts was very similar to that purified fibronectins from normal fibroblasts and to standard commercial plasma and cellular fibronectins.
Laminin and tenascin were partially purified from conditioned cell culture medium demonstrating their synthesis and secretion into the cell culture medium by dermal skin fibroblasts. Expression and distribution of fibronectin, tenascin and laminin by established TS and normal skin fibroblasts using immunofluorescence, ELISA, and flow cytometry techniques were analysed and presented qualitative and quantitatively in this thesis. Increased expression and altered distribution of fibronectin and tenascin were observed in the fibroblasts derived from ungual fibroma lesion of a TS patient, but not in fibroblasts of neck fibroma, forehead plaque lesion or unaffacted skin of TS patients in comparison to control fibroblasts. However, increased expression and altered distribution of laminin were observed in neck fibroma-derived fibroblasts in contrast to fibronectin and tenascin. Laminin expression was not changed in ungual fibroma and forehead plaque lesion-derived fibroblasts in comparison to control fibroblasts. Altered distribution of fibronectin was well observed by immunofluorescence particularly in large cells of ungual fibroma. Similar differences were observed with laminin of cells from neck fibroma of TS patients.
These results suggest the abnormal assembly of ECM in different TS skin lesions. Abnormal migration of cells during early embryonic development and the hardening of tissues associated with TS may result from abnormal assembly of the ECM. Alterations in distribution and structure of these adhesive glycoproteins may cause functional disruption in their binding and interactions with cells and ECM macromolecules. Studies of these changes in the ECM components may contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms involved in the aetiology of hardened tissues of TS.


Blood-based biomarkers represent a less invasive and potentially cheaper approach for aiding Alzheimer's disease (AD) detection compared with cerebrospinal fluid and some neuroimaging biomarkers. Acknowledging that many in the field have made great progress, here we review some of the work that our group has pursued to identify and validate blood-based proteomic biomarkers through both case control and AD pathology endophenotype-based approaches. Our focus is primarily to identify a minimally invasive and hopefully cost-effective blood-based biomarker to reduce screen failure in clinical trials where participants have prodromal or even pre-clinical disease. We summarize some of the key findings and approaches taken in these biomarker studies, while addressing the main challenges, including that of limited replication in the field, and discuss opportunities for biomarker development.


We demonstrate 40 W coherently combined output power in a single diffraction-limited beam from a one-dimensional 47-element array of angled-facet slab-coupled optical waveguide amplifiers at 1064 nm. The output from each emitter was collimated and overlapped onto a diffractive optical element combiner using a common transform lens. Phase locking was achieved via active feedback on each amplifier's drive current to maximize the power in the combined beam. The combining efficiency at all current levels was nearly constant at 87%.