Policy makers frequently voice concerns that carbon pricing could impair economic development in the short-run, especially in low-income countries such as Uganda. We estimate a quadratic almost ideal demand system (QUAIDS) for energy and food items to assess how consumers' welfare, energy and food demand, as well as nutritional intake, can be expected to react to a carbon price of US$40/ton. The results suggest overall progressive welfare effects in the range of 0.1 – 4.9% across the population. We further observe declines in the demand for electricity, kerosene and transport in the range of 4 – 20%, with concomitant shifts within food consumption baskets, due to complementarities with cooking fuels, and income effects. Heterogeneous demand responses across expenditure terciles and rural-urban areas reveal significant disparities in food and calorie consumption as well as protein and micronutrient intake due to carbon pricing. The bottom third of households exhibit nutritional declines of up to 16%, while middle-class urban households witness increases by around 9%. Complementary social protection policies in conjunction with carbon pricing could ease potentially adverse effects on economic development outcomes in Uganda.


Latin American countries embraced liberal democracy as the antidote to the past ills of military dictatorships, human-rights abuses and extreme poverty. Yet, more than twenty years on, states are still embroiled in armed combat with rebels who export their violence and traffic drugs across borders, threatening to draw neighbouring states into conflict with one another. Throughout the region, there is a tendency to supplement diplomatic action with military posturing. As ideological rivalries reassert themselves and competition for resources increases, so does the risk that political confrontation may once again get out of hand and destabilise regional relations. The regional security architecture is not well-suited to controlling these risks, and neither the US nor rising power Brazil is playing the role of regional mediator. Though few incidents have escalated into war over the last two decades, the shifting regional power balance, together with a rise in authoritarian government and growth in defence spending, give cause for concern. This Adelphi analyses the sources of inter-state conflict in Latin America and the potential policy options to tackle the region's cycle of instability.


This section covers research published during the calendar year 2013 on mixing and transport processes. The review covers mixing of anaerobic digesters, mixing of heat transfer, and environmental fate and transport.


COV2HTML is an interactive web interface, which is addressed to biologists, and allows performing both coverage visualization and analysis of NGS alignments performed on prokaryotic organisms (bacteria and phages). It combines two processes: a tool that converts the huge NGS mapping or coverage files into light specific coverage files containing information on genetic elements; and a visualization interface allowing a real-time analysis of data with optional integration of statistical results. To demonstrate the scope of COV2HTML, the program was tested with data from two published studies. The first data were from RNA-seq analysis of Campylobacter jejuni, based on comparison of two conditions with two replicates. We were able to recover 26 out of 27 genes highlighted in the publication using COV2HTML. The second data comprised of stranded TSS and RNA-seq data sets on the Archaea Sulfolobus solfataricus. COV2HTML was able to highlight most of the TSSs from the article and allows biologists to visualize both TSS and RNA-seq on the same screen. The strength of the COV2HTML interface is making possible NGS data analysis without software installation, login, or a long training period. A web version is accessible at https://mmonot.eu/COV2HTML/ . This website is free and open to users without any login requirement.


Abstract Objective : To compare the effectiveness over three years of chiropractic and hospital outpatient management for low back pain. Design : Randomised allocation of patients to chiropractic or hospital outpatient management. Setting : Chiropractic clinics and hospital outpatient departments within reasonable travelling distance of each other in 11 centres. Subjects : 741 men and women aged 18-64 years with low back pain in whom manipulation was not contraindicated. Outcome measures : Change in total Oswestry questionnaire score and in score for pain and patient satisfaction with allocated treatment. Results : According to total Oswestry scores improvement in all patients at three years was about 29% more in those treated by chiropractors than in those treated by the hospitals. The beneficial effect of chiropractic on pain was particularly clear. Those treated by chiropractors had more further treatments for back pain after the completion of trial treatment. Among both those initially referred from chiropractors and from hospitals more rated chiropractic helpful at three years than hospital management. Conclusions : At three years the results confirm the findings of an earlier report that when chiropractic or hospital therapists treat patients with low back pain as they would in day to day practice those treated by chiropractic derive more benefit and long term satisfaction than those treated by hospitals.


Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) is defined as cessation of menstruation with associated elevation of gonadotropin levels as a result of decreased ovarian function before the age of 40. The incidence of POI is 1% in women prior to age 40, and 0.1% prior to age 30. There is evidence of a strong genetic component associated with POI. However, the gene mutations/variations influencing POI still remain uncharacterized. NR5A1, a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, is a key transcriptional regulator of genes involved in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal steroidogenic axis. Newborn mice deficient in NR5A1 lack both gonads and adrenal glands and have impaired expression of pituitary gonadotrophins. NR5A1 is also expressed in multiple cell types in the fetal, postnatal, prepubertal and mature ovary. Until 2008, 18 NR5A1 mutations were described in the human. Three of these were identified in individuals with adrenal insufficiency, two associated with 46,XY disorders of sex development (DSD) and the third a 46,XX female with conserved ovarian function. Other mutations were associated with various anomalies of testis development with no evidence of adrenal failure. We have identified further 19 mutations in NR5A1 including mutations in four familial cases having individuals with 46,XY DSD as well as POI. A further analysis of 25 sporadic cases of POI revealed two additional mutations. Functional analysis revealed that each mutant protein had altered transactivational properties on gonadal promoters. These data reveal novels insights into the role of NR5A1 in ovarian developmental and function and indicate that mutations of the NR5A1 gene may be a significant cause of human ovarian insufficiency. © 2010 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.


Data sparsity due to missing ratings is a major challenge for collaborative filtering (CF) techniques in recommender systems. This is especially true for CF domains where the ratings are expressed numerically. We observe that, while we may lack the information in numerical ratings, we may have more data in the form of binary ratings. This is especially true when users can easily express themselves with their likes and dislikes for certain items. In this paper, we explore how to use the binary preference data expressed in the form of like/dislike to help reduce the impact of data sparsity of more expressive numerical ratings. We do this by transferring the rating knowledge from some auxiliary data source in binary form (that is, likes or dislikes), to a target numerical rating matrix. Our solution is to model both numerical ratings and like/dislike in a principled way, using a novel framework of Transfer by Collective Factorization (TCF). In particular, we construct the shared latent space collectively and learn the data-dependent effect separately. A major advantage of the TCF approach over previous collective matrix factorization (or bifactorization) methods is that we are able to capture the data-dependent effect when sharing the data-independent knowledge, so as to increase the over-all quality of knowledge transfer. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of TCF at various sparsity levels as compared to several state-of-the-art methods.


If we are to promote urban sustainability and resilience, social-ecological knowledge must be better integrated in urban planning and design projects. Due to gaps in the two cultures of thinking that are associated with the disciplines of ecology and design, such integration has, however, proven to be challenging. In mainstream practice, ecologists often act as sub-consultants; they are seldom engaged in the creative and conceptual phases of the process. Conversely, research aiming to bridge the gap between design and ecology has tended to be dominated by a relatively static and linear outlook on what the design process is, and what it could be. Further, few concrete examples of the co-production of ecological and design knowledge exist. In this paper, we give an account of a transdisciplinary design proposal for Albano Resilient Campus in Stockholm, discussing how design—seen as a process and an assemblage of artifacts—can act as a framework for co-producing knowledge and operationalizing concepts of resilience and ecosystem services. Through a design-based and action-oriented approach, we discuss how such a collaborative design process may integrate ecological knowledge into urban design through three concrete practices: (a) iterative prototyping; (b) generative matrix models; and, (c) legible, open-ended, comprehensive narratives. In the conclusion, we sketch the contours of a social-ecological urbanism, speculating on possible broader and changed roles for ecologists, designers, and the associated actors within this framework.


The renewable energy resources such as wind power have recently attracted more researchers' attention. It is mainly due to the aggressive energy consumption, high pollution and cost of fossil fuels. In this era, the future fluctuations of these time series should be predicted to increase the reliability of the power network. In this paper, the dynamic characteristics and short-term predictability of hourly wind speed and power time series are investigated via nonlinear time series analysis methods such as power spectral density analysis, time series histogram, phase space reconstruction, the slope of integral sums, the ��− �� method, the recurrence plot and the recurrence quantification analysis. Moreover, the interactive behavior of the wind speed and wind power time series is studied via the cross correlation, the cross and joint recurrence plots as well as the cross and joint recurrence quantification analyses. The results imply stochastic nature of these time series. Besides, a measure of the short-term mimic predictability of the wind speed and the underlying wind power has been derived for the experimental data of Spain's wind farm.


1. We examine collective action in the food system of the Canadian Maritimes to determine its effect on the resilience and adaptive capacity of food producers, distributors, retailers and governance institutions. 2. Our data suggest that beyond their immediate benefits for their participants, ex pressions of collective action generate higher-level impacts which often translate into drivers of adaptive capacity. 3. Drawing on a metaphor from urban design, we suggest that collective action should be considered a desire line for food systems adaptation: rather than build ing adaptation strategies based on top-down design, collective action emerges from farmers' needs and capacities to build financial resilience, enhance human and social capital and strengthen institutional agency within the system. lines,


This paper is a practical design and implementation of an electronic Computerized Gate control and Identification System. It is computer-based Identification System can be used in any types of gates, not only for control but also for identification. Generally in telecommunications, identification, friend or foe (IFF) is an identification system designed for command and control. It enables military and national (civilian-located ATC) interrogation systems to identify aircraft, vehicles or forces as friendly and to determine their bearing and range from the interrogator. Our designed system can operate as stand alone or interfaced with a complete control system for the protecting, monitoring, alarm, guard etc. The system can control and display information of incoming at gate and allow certain preset privilege to each one, or for a group of them. The designed system use control key board or using a remote control and the system respond to the input from the gate comer input by open or not the gate and give certain audio output predetermined for each expected comer, by this way the people inside the building as example or the observers will be able to recognize and distinguish the incoming person by the gate. The designed system can prevent the comer to the gate from access unless the right store code is entered, also it can let the comer access only for certain specific previously determined time, or prevent at certain conditions or stop completely in case of danger. The system is powered by 220V Ac supply available in all building, and also can operate by 12V dc battery. Further, it was demonstrated that the program is used in actual work for the system to the microcontroller type16F84A. The software is preferred for design using software PIC Basic for microcontroller. This Program is a window based Software and friendly user. To enhance the system, different techniques can be employed such as camera day or night, passive infrared detector, flex or pressure sensor, the output from enhanced module is taken via USB port for monitoring purpose and through a relay used as one of the controls to the microcontroller type 16F84A which will result in the required action. KeywordsIFF; Safety and protection; Gate Control; Signal Processing; Sensors


Title of dissertation: DYNAMICS OF SLENDER, FLEXIBLE STRUCTURES Nicholas Vlajic, 2014 Dissertation directed by: Professor Balakumar Balachandran Department of Mechanical Engineering Dynamics of slender beam-like structures subjected to rotational motions is studied experimentally, numerically, and analytically within this dissertation. As the aspect ratio of beam-like structures is increased (i.e., as the structures become slender), the structure can undergo large elastic deformations, and in addition, the torsional and lateral motions can be strongly coupled. Two different paradigms of rotor systems are constructed and used to investigate coupled torsional-lateral motions in slender rotating structures. The first rotor model is a modified version of the classical Jeffcott rotor, which accounts for torsional vibrations and stator contact. Analysis and simulations indicate that torsional vibrations are unlikely to exist during forward synchronous whirling, and reveal the presence of phenomena with high-frequency content, such as centrifugal stiffening and smoothening, during backward whirling. The second rotor model is a nonlinear distributed-parameter system that has been derived with the intent of capturing dynamics observed in an experimental apparatus with slender, rotating structures. Nonlinear oscillations observed in the experiments contain response components at frequencies other than the drive speed, a feature that is also captured by predictions obtained from the distributed-parameter model. Further analysis of the governing partial-differential equations yields insights into the origins (e.g., nonlinear gyroscopic coupling and frictional forces) of the nonlinear response components observed in the spectrum of the torsion response. Slender structures are often subject to large deformations with pre-stress and curvature, which can drastically alter the natural frequencies and mode shapes when in operation. Here, a geometrically exact beam formulation based on the Cosserat theory of rods is outlined in order to predict the static configuration, natural frequencies, and mode shapes of slender structures with large pre-stress and curvature. The modeling and analysis are validated with experiments as well as comparisons with a nonlinear finite element formulation. The predictions for the first eight natural frequencies are found to be in excellent agreement with the corresponding experimentally determined values. The findings of this dissertation work have a broad range of applications across different length scales, including drill strings, space tethers, deployable structures, cable supported structures (e.g., bridges and mooring cables), DNA strands, and sutures for non-invasive surgery to name a few. DYNAMICS OF SLENDER, FLEXIBLE STRUCTURES


State highway agencies are increasingly intersted in using recycled asphalt shingles (RAS) in hot mix asphalt (HMA) applications, yet many agencies share common questions about the effect of RAS on the performance of HMA. Previous research has allowed for only limited laboratory testing and field surveys. The complexity of RAS materials and lack of past experiences led to the creation of Transportation Pooled Fund (TPF) Program TPF-5(213). The primary goal of this study is to address research needs of state department of transportation (DOT) and environmental officials to determine the best practices for the use of recycled asphalt shingles in HMA applications. Agencies participating in the study include Missouri (lead state), California, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Federal Highway Administration. The agencies conducted demonstration projects that focused on evaluating different aspects (factors) of RAS that include RAS grind size, RAS percentage, RAS source (post-consumer versus post-manufactured), RAS in combination with warm mix asphalt (WMA) technology, RAS as a fiber replacement for stone matrix asphalt (SMA), and RAS in combination with ground tire rubber (GTR). Field mixes from each demonstration project were sampled for conducting the following tests: dynamic modulus, flow number, four-point beam fatigue, semi-circular bending, and binder extraction and recovery with subsequent binder characterization. Pavement condition surveys were then conducted for each project after completion. The demonstration projects showed that pavements using RAS alone or in combination with other cost saving technologies (e.g., WMA, RAP, GTR, SMA) can be successfully produced and meet state agency quality assurance requirements. The RAS mixes have very promising prospects since laboratory test results indicate good rutting and fatigue cracking resistance with low temperature cracking resistance similar to the mixes without RAS. The pavement condition of the mixes in the field after two years corroborated the laboratory test results. No signs of rutting, wheel path fatigue cracking, or thermal cracking were exhibited in the pavements. However, transverse reflective cracking from the underlying jointed concrete pavement was measured in the Missouri, Colorado, Iowa, Indiana, and Minnesota projects.


J Cassano

Ms J Cassano, McMaster Children's Hospital, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; email@example.com

What are adolescents' perceptions of a teen support group for cancer?

Qualitative descriptive study.

A paediatric oncology treatment centre in Ontario, Canada.

Purposeful sample of 11 adolescents 14–20 years of age (mean age 16 y, 55% men) who had cancer and were part of a teen support group.

Adolescents participated in individual interviews lasting 20–45 minutes. Interviews were tape recorded, transcribed, coded, and analysed for themes; field notes were also analysed. To increase trustworthiness, researchers analysed data individually and then had group discussions to arrive at a common meaning of the data.

2 themes described adolescents' perceptions of a teen support group for cancer: (1) satisfying elements and (2) challenges . (1) Satisfying elements involved 3 subthemes. (a) Talking to others who "just know." Adolescents with cancer felt an instant connection and comfort level with same-age peers who had similar experiences. They found it easier to discuss cancer-related topics within the group than with friends who did not have cancer. Discussions provided support when adolescents …


Mucus overproduction is an important feature of chronic inflammatory airway diseases including cystic fibrosis, chronic bronchitis, bronchiectasis and severe asthma. Inhaled drugs are often delivered to such diseased airways where mucus hypersecretion is likely to alter the deposition pattern of the drug particles, encouraging more central deposition where more mucus is present than in the airways of the periphery. The effect of the mucus on drug absorption is poorly understood, since there are few in vitro systems capable of modeling the effect of mucus on drug permeability. This project aims to characterize and develop selected lung cell lines as potential models of the airways to study drug permeability in the presence of mucus, whilst also using these models to study potential adverse effects of drug treatment in the airways. Currently there is no published work on drug permeability studies in the presence of mucus, using the chosen lung cell lines.


The increasing body of evidence which has emerged from the Netherlands over the past fifteen or so years, not least the wealth of data produced by the two surveys, shows that the guidelines have been extensively breached and that there has been a marked lack of control by the authorities. Yet the disturbing reality of inadequate control still seems lost on many. As we saw in the Introduction to this book, even one of the Justices of the US Supreme Court who was referred to the leading exposes of Dutch practice nevertheless thought that the picture from the Netherlands was still unclear and that further evidence was needed. Why such hesitation given the mass of disturbing evidence already in the public domain? One reason is that the Dutch (and non-Dutch) supporters of VAE have often, not surprisingly, placed a misleadingly benign interpretation on the evidence. They have persistently sought to portray the Dutch experience in the best possible light, denying or at least downplaying its negative aspects. This is predictable but not productive and has inevitably served to muddy the waters. In particular, anyone who had uncritically read the benign interpretation of the data either by Professor Van der Maas or by the Remmelink Commission could be forgiven for thinking that VAE was under effective control. Van der Maas and Remmelink As we have seen, Van der Maas concluded that his surveys showed that decision-making by Dutch doctors was of high quality and that they were prepared to account for their conduct.


Scleropyrum pentandrum (Dennst.) Mabb belongs to the family Santalaceae and grows along the margin of evergreen to semi-evergreen forests. The present study was designed to investigate mineral composition, cytotoxic and anticariogenic potential of S. pentandrum leaves. The mineral content in powdered leaf material was estimated by using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The methanol extract was tested for anticariogenic activity against 24 oral isolates of Streptococcus mutans by Agar well diffusion method. Cytotoxic activity of extract was determined by brine shrimp lethality bioassay against the brine shrimp Artemia nauplii. Among the principal elements, high potassium content followed by calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. Among trace elements, iron was detected in high concentration followed by manganese, zinc and copper. The extract was found to cause inhibition of oral bacterial isolates in a dose dependent manner. The diameter of inhibition zone formed was in the range of 1.7 to 2.3cm and 1.3 to 2.0cm at extract concentration of 20mg/ml and 10mg/ml respectively. The lethality of extract against brine shrimps in terms of mortality of shrimps was directly proportional to the concentration of the extract and highest mortality (33%) was observed at 1000μg/ml concentration. Phytochemical screening of extract revealed the presence of alkaloids, saponins, tannins and glycosides and these phytoconstituents could be responsible for the observed anticariogenic and cytotoxic potential of the extract. Further studies on characterization of active components in the extract and their bioactivities are to be carried out.


Abstract Population increase has drawn attention to the need in cities for easily accessible and attractive public spaces that will promote interaction regardless of gender, age, ethnicity and religious belief. This paper focuses on the role urban cemeteries play in a culturally and religiously diverse society. Norway is described as an increasingly secularised society. Immigration and transmigration, on the other hand, have brought a revived interest in religion and interreligious interaction. We explore two questions that relate to the cemetery as a public shared urban space: The first concerns the need for communities of all faiths and none to access burial space that meets their need. The second relates to the appropriateness of using cemetery as amenity space in a multicultural context. Diverse qualitative methods have been used; a focus group interview with participants from different religious and life-philosophy communities, interviews with key informants representing various religious communities and with visitors in two cemeteries in Oslo in 2014. The findings imply that there is a commonality that bridges differences: sharing human compassion. These sites have a potential in stimulating intercultural and interreligious encounters. Their special character as open shared urban sites can increase understanding and acceptance of each other's difference and hereby render strangeness and differences harmless.


In this paper we give a brief overview of a heuristic method for approximately solving a statistical digital circuit sizing problem, by reducing it to a related deterministic sizing problem that includes extra margins in each of the gate delays to account for the variation. Since the method is based on solving a deterministic sizing problem, it readily handles large-scale problems. Numerical experiments show that the resulting designs are often substantially better than one in which the variation in delay is ignored, and often quite close to the global optimum. Moreover, the designs seem to be good despite the simplicity of the statistical model (which ignores gate distribution shape, correlations, and so on). We illustrate the method on a 32-bit Ladner-Fischer adder, with a simple resistor-capacitor (RC) delay model, and a Pelgrom model of delay variation.


Cadmium (Cd) is carcinogenic and a well-established human health risk. Epidemiological and experimental studies have demonstrated that Cd is associated with breast cancer. We reported previously that Cd promoted breast cancer cell growth. Whether Cd treatment also causes epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and progression to metastasis in breast epithelial cells is unknown. The dissertation described here investigated the effect of Cd in breast cancer progression. Noncancerous breast epithelial MCF10A cells, non-metastatic HCC 1937 and HCC 38 cells, and metastatic MDA-MB-231 cells were treated with 1 or 3 μM Cd for 4 weeks. The increase in the expressions of N-cadherin and vimentin but decrease in the expressions of E-cadherin and claudin-1 indicated that these epithelial cells were transformed to mesenchymal-like upon prolonged Cd treatment. Treatment of MCF10A-Zcad and MDA-MB-231-Zcad cells with 1 or 3 μM Cd showed the suppression of E-cadherin transcription and an increase in the translation of ZEB-1, suggesting that transcription factors were involved in the EMT process. The accumulation of Snail in the nucleus of cells treated with Cd for 4 weeks confirmed that Cd affected the expression of the EMT regulator. Inhibition of transcription by actinomycin D eliminated the Cd-induced Snail accumulation. However, inhibition of nuclear export by leptomycin B had an additive effect on Cd-induced Snail expression. Based on these results, it appears that Cd induces EMT in breast epithelial cells by modulating the transcription of Snail. The effects of Cd on metastasis-associated phenotypes were investigated in MDA-MB-231 cells. Treatment of the metastatic cells with 1 or 3 μM Cd for 1-6 h resulted in cell spreading. The activation of integrin β1, FAK, Src, and Rac1 indicated the involvement of integrin signaling in Cd-induced cell spreading. Treatment with 1 or 3 μM Cd also inhibited GSK3β and induced T-cell factor/lymphoid enhancer factor (TCF/LEF) transcription, suggesting the involvement of Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Furthermore, treatment with 3 μM Cd for 4 weeks increased β-catenin expression, resulting in enhanced TCF/LEF transcription. Prolonged Cd treatment elevated the expression of integrin α5 and β1, paxillin, and vimentin. This indicated cytoskeleton remodeling leading to malignancy, as evidenced by enhanced matrix metalloprotease 2/9 (MMP2/9) secretion and cell invasion. Furthermore, prolonged Cd treatment increased cell growth rate. Together, these results suggest that Cd alters integrin and β-catenin signaling involved in regulation of cytoskeleton and enhances cancer cell migration, adhesion, invasion, and proliferation.


Extensive neutron texture analysis of extruded AI-Cu composites was conducted in order to investigate the influence of material composition as well as various processing conditions (extrusion temperature, heat treatment) on the texture development in both phases. Texture changes in cold extruded and subsequently heat treated samples were investigated up to 400C. Moreover, the texture of a series of cold extruded samples was compared with that of warm extruded samples. It was found that the recrystallization behaviour of the two metals differs and that the stacking fault energy has a large influence on the recrystallization texture.


Online research is perhaps the most obvious but also the most difficult of research methods. What is Online Research? is a straightforward, accessible introduction to social research online. The book covers the key issues and concerns for all social scientists, with sections on research design, ethics and good practice. Short, clear case studies are used throughout to allow students to see examples of the research in practice. Wide ranging and interdisciplinary, What is Online Research Methods? shows researchers how to engage in the online environment in innovative ways, and points the way forward for future research.


Dedicated to my mother, Betty H. Carter Without whom none of it would have been possible And in memory of my father, Bobby R. Carter Preface In the nineteenth century, geophysics and empire building developed in tandem. As a result, empirical science could utilize the imperial structure to conduct research on a worldwide scale. Scientific motives for such studies included the need to confront both weaknesses in the inductive approach to science as well as the reality of new scientific fields that could only be studied globally. In Britain and the United States, the interaction of science and state allowed a range of geophysical projects to develop. In both countries, scientists had to find ways to overcome the difficulties that made their governments hesitant to support such ventures. In Britain, John Herschel and Edward Sabine provided a crucial connection between the philosophical, political and social elements that made this research possible. At Herschel's instigation, colonial observatories were added to the British venture for an Antarctic expedition known as the Magnetic Crusade, initiating a worldwide system of physical observatories conducting a coordinated series of continuous observations. The British system expanded to include new outposts in America as well as throughout the British domains. As a result, new sciences such as geomagnetism and meteorology developed more fully than they could have when only local observations were available, I argue that the empire provided a setting where universal science could be practiced and legitimized, helping both to overcome the inherited problems of the inductive method and setting up a system by which scientists could study interconnected phenomena on a global scale. Acknowledgments There are many people who assisted me at various stages in the production of this book and to whom I am indebted. First, I would like to thank my graduate advisor Seymour Mauskopf, for suggesting the original idea for this study and reading through countless drafts of chapters. I also thank the other members of my dissertation committee: Alex Roland, Cynthia Herrup (who suggested the title) and Michael McVaugh for their input and comments. As the son of an archivist, I must acknowledge the people who helped me the most in finding the sources that I needed. The staff at the National Archives (formerly the Public Record Office) in Kew and the Manuscript Department at St. Andrews University Library were invaluable. Specifically, I must express my gratitude to Tara Wegner at the Harry Ransom Center in Austin, Solveig Berg at the Institutt for Teoretisk Astrofysikk in Oslo and Marc Rothenberg at the Smithsonian Institution for all of their help. Additionally, I am grateful to John Herschel-Shorland for kindly granting permission to copy materials from the Herschel archives. Finally, I am thankful for the assistance of Mary McDonald of the American Philosophical Society and the anonymous reviewers of my manuscript for working with me on revisions of the text over the last two years. List of Abbreviations APS American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia BL British Library Add.-Additional Manuscripts DAB Dictionary of American Biography DNB Dictionary of National Biography DSB Dictionary of Scientific Biography DU Duke University FC Faraday Correspondence (James, ed.) ITA Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics, Oslo JHF Joseph Henry Papers (Rothenberg, ed.) NLS National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh FRO Public Record Office, London (now National Archives) BJ1 - Kew Observatory Papers BJ2 - Ross Papers BJ3 - Sabine Papers BJ7 - Fitzroy Papers BJ9 - Meteorological Department Papers RGO - Royal Greenwich Observatory Papers RS Royal Society, London HS - Herschel Papers MM - Miscellaneous Manuscripts Sa - Sabine Papers Te - Terrestrial Magnetism Archive SAUL St. …


NH03614 CL' (Reg. No. CV-1051, PI 653833) hard red winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was developed cooperatively by the Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station and the USDA-ARS and released in 2008 by the developing institutions and the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station and the Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Station. In addition to researchers at the releasing institutions, USDA-ARS researchers at Manhattan, KS and St. Paul, MN participated in the development of NH03614 CL. NH03614 CL was selected from the cross 'Wesley' sib//'Millennium' sib/'Above' sib that was made in the spring of 1997 to develop new herbicide-tolerant cultivars. NH03614 CL was selected using the bulk breeding method as an F 3:4 line (F 3 -derived line in the F 4 generation) in 2001, and in 2003 was assigned experimental line number NH03164. NH03614 CL was released primarily for its herbicide tolerance to imadazolinone compounds which control many previously diffi cult-to-control weeds in wheat production systems, and for its superior adaptation to rainfed wheat production systems in Nebraska, Wyoming, South Dakota, and counties in adjacent states.


In this study we examine how the perception of layoff as a violation of a psychological contract can vary depending upon one's perception of employer contractual obligation. We also investigate how perceptions of layoffs vary depending on whether one is focusing on his/her own layoff or the layoff of someone else. Survey results from 81 layoff victims reveal that respondents perceive their own layoff as a breach of contract more than they do the layoff of someone else. In addition, respondents who believe strongly in employee self reliance perceive their own layoff as less of a contract breach. Ideas for future research and implications for managers are discussed in our conclusions.


In Missionary Expatriate Effectiveness, John Farquhar Plake examines how Pentecostal missionaries adjust to foreign cultural environments and become proficient at their work abroad. Through an interdisciplinary lens, Plake examines predictors of expatriate effectiveness in 949 missionaries working in 127 nations.


Several decades (1940s–2011) of prospecting and collecting of mammalian fossils from late Eocene strata of the White River Formation in Kings Canyon, a high-altitude (∼2,500 m; 8,200 ft) paleovalley incised into the Medicine Bow Mountains near the Wyoming–Colorado border, have produced a significant faunal assemblage that includes at least 14 species (in 13 families). Research by others suggests that Kings Canyon was at least at its present-day elevation during late Eocene time. Study of the fossil vertebrates, therefore, provides a rare glimpse into a late Eocene, high-altitude mammalian fauna. Here, we describe the Kings Canyon fauna that includes: the lagomorph Megalagus ; the rodents Ischyromys , Cylindrodon, Pelycomys , and Paradjidaumo ; the carnivore Hesperocyon ; the artiodactyls Archaeotherium , Bathygenys , Poabromylus, Pseudoprotoceras , and Leptomeryx ; and the perissodactyls Mesohippus , Megacerops , and Rhinocerotidae. The mammalian fauna corroborates the Chadronian (late Eocene) age of the White River Formation in Kings Canyon suggested by others. The co-occurrence of Megalagus brachyodon , Leptomeryx speciosus , and Pseudoprotoceras longinaris suggests a middle to late Chadronian age. Several taxa reported here represent geographic range extensions. Leptomeryx speciosus and Poabromylus are extended south from Wyoming, while the discovery of Bathygenys alpha at Kings Canyon represents the first known occurrence of this species in Colorado (otherwise known from Wyoming, Montana, and Texas). Ranges of Cylindrodon , Hesperocyon , and Archaeotherium are extended slightly westward from northeastern Colorado. Similar to the late Chadronian-aged Florissant fauna from central Colorado, geographically and faunally the Kings Canyon fauna appears to be near the border between the Great Plains and Rocky Mountain Provinces defined by others. Also, like Florissant, the Kings Canyon fauna seems consistent with weakened faunal provinciality during Chadronian time.


Abstract Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by decreased air flow and is associated with abnormal chronic inflammation in the airways and extensive tissue remodeling. Matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP7) is produced primarily by the epithelium of many organs, including the lungs. A functional MMP7 –181A>G (rs11568818) promoter polymorphism influences the binding of nuclear regulatory proteins modulating the transcription of the gene. In this study, we genotyped 191 patients with COPD for MMP7 –181A>G single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and 215 control subjects using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method and explored the role of that polymorphism as a risk factor for COPD. There were no differences in the genotype and allele distribution of the MMP7 –181A>G SNP between the COPD patients and control groups (p = 0.341 and p = 0.214). However, the carries of the G allele (AG and GG genotypes), appeared to develop COPD significantly earlier than those with the AA genotype (61.01 ± 10.11 vs. 64.87 ± 9.00 years, p = 0.032). When the genotype distribution was studied only in the groups of patients (n = 76) and controls (n = 106) younger than 60 years, we found significantly higher frequency of the carriers of the G allele in COPD patients than in the controls, determining about a 3-fold higher risk for COPD [odds ratio (OR) –3.33, 1.36-8.14, p = 0.008 for GG, and OR = 2.91, 1.38-6.13, p = 0.005 for AG+GG]. Based on our results, the MMP7 –181A>G promoter variant may influence early development of COPD. This effect could be attributed to the increased production of the enzyme resulting in enhanced airway wall protein degradation and injury.


2 * Abstract: This article offers an insight into the lives of individuals who are repeat victims of antisocial behaviour (ASB). Drawing on data derived from 15 case stud- ies, the authors demonstrate the plight that such victims endure on a daily basis. The research reveals that a number of victims feel abandoned by their communi- ties and the authorities and, how for many, there is an overwhelming sense of being "trapped" within their own homes. The article also offers evidence to support previ- ous claims that police crime data only captures a small proportion of the actual number of incidents of ASB that occur. We conclude by proposing an emphasis on individual and community responsibility and suggest that by adopting a radical moral communitarian approach ASB could be reduced as part of rebuilding communities.


The Austrian biologist Paul Kammerer (1880-1926) would by now be long forgotten if Arthur Koestler had not published 'The case of the Midwife toad', in which he depicted Kammerer as a victim of the paradigm battle between neo-Darwinists and Lamarckists. Kammerer is still on the scientific agenda, with at least 10 publications since 2005. The question is still out if Kammerer fabricated his scientific results or not. In this paper we provide the evidence that Kammerer consistently faked experimental results. We show (1) that the design of his experiments could never have produced the results that he claimed, (2) that the assumptions he made about the developmental biology of the species he studied are falsified by recent research, and (3) that the specimens he showed as proof for the success of his experiments came from nature.


This paper focuses on the use of Long Term Evolution (LTE) broadband system in coexistence with currently deployed Professional Mobile Radio (PMR) communication systems. The coexistence capabilities are analyzed using of an LTE like based system with Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) and Filter Bank MultiCarrier (FBMC) physical layers. Obtained results show that, in order to achieve the LTE-PMR coexistence, we need to filter the synthesized OFDM signal. This filtering is made to protect the PMR (TETRA, TETRAPOL, TETRA TEDS standards, etc.) systems by reducing the sidelobes levels due the use of modulated OFDM scheme. On the other hand, the FBMC signal fits perfectly the LTE-TEDS harmful interference protection requirements starting from the minimum frequency offset allowed by the TEDS standard mask. This can be explained by the fact that a good frequency localization is achieved by the prototype filter used in the FBMC scheme.


Context: Induction of labour is a useful obstetric intervention, yet it is underutilized in Africa. Recommendations for practice may reduce its unmet need. Objective: This study aims to determine labour induction success rates and identify predictors of outcome. Study Design, Setting and Patients: This was a retrospective, descriptive, cross-sectional study of 104 women who had induction of labour at the University College Hospital, Nigeria. Main Outcome Measures: Primary outcomes were vaginal delivery within 24 hours and caesarean delivery. Analyses were done by Chi-square tests, t-tests and logistic regression. Results: Labour induction rate was 12.7%; most were performed on account of post-dated pregnancies and pre-labour rupture of membranes. Forty-six, (44.2%) had vaginal delivery within 24 hours whereas induction failed (i.e. caesarean delivery) in 38 (36.5%). The mean duration of the process was 12.0 ± 6.6 hours with misoprostol, 8 hours less than with oxytocin (P < 0.01). Misoprostol was significantly more likely to result in delivery within 24 hours in comparison to extra-amniotic transcervical catheter for ripening (P = 0.02, OR = 5.1, 95% CI = 1.2-21.1), and to oxytocin for induction (P = 0.03, OR = 6.5, 95% CI = 1.2-36.3), respectively. Adverse effects were infrequent and comparable with either method. Conclusion: Success rate needs to be improved upon. Higher parity, later gestation and misoprostol ripening or induction are associated with successful outcomes. It is recommended that clients′ experience may be improved by commencing misoprostol cervical ripening the night before induction and administering the medication orally rather than vaginally.


Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) presents a complex pathophysiology characterized by pulmonary activated coagulation and reduced fibrinolysis. Despite advances in supportive care of this syndrome, morbidity and mortality remains high, leading to the need of novel therapies to combat this disease. Focus these therapies in the inhibition of ARDS development pathophysiology is essential. Beneficial effects of anticoagulants in ARDS have been proved in preclinical and clinical trials, thanks to its anticoagulant and anti-inflammatory properties. Moreover, local administration by nebulization in the alveolar compartment increases local efficacy and does not produce systemic bleeding. In this review the coagulation and fibrinolytic pathway and its pharmacological targets to treat ARDS are summarized.


We propose the neural programmer-interpreter (NPI): a recurrent and compositional neural network that learns to represent and execute programs. NPI has three learnable components: a task-agnostic recurrent core, a persistent key-value program memory, and domain-specific encoders that enable a single NPI to operate in multiple perceptually diverse environments with distinct affordances. By learning to compose lower-level programs to express higher-level programs, NPI reduces sample complexity and increases generalization ability compared to sequence-to-sequence LSTMs. The program memory allows efficient learning of additional tasks by building on existing programs. NPI can also harness the environment (e.g. a scratch pad with read-write pointers) to cache intermediate results of computation, lessening the long-term memory burden on recurrent hidden units. In this work we train the NPI with fully-supervised execution traces; each program has example sequences of calls to the immediate subprograms conditioned on the input. Rather than training on a huge number of relatively weak labels, NPI learns from a small number of rich examples. We demonstrate the capability of our model to learn several types of compositional programs: addition, sorting, and canonicalizing 3D models. Furthermore, a single NPI learns to execute these programs and all 21 associated subprograms.


The fisheries and limnology of Bontanga and Libga reservoirs in northern Ghana were studied with the objective of generating information to support the development, management and sustainable use of their fisheries to enhance the socio-economic status of riparian communities. Using gill nets of various mesh sizes, fishes were sampled monthly and individually identified, weighed and measured for standard and total lengths. Water samples were taken monthly and analysed for physico-chemical parameters. In the Bontanga Reservoir, 21 species belonging to 18 genera and 10 families were encountered. Four families, namely Clariidae, Cichlidae, Cyprinidae and Clarotidae constituted almost 83% of the fishery while Clarias anguillaris, Auchenoglanis occidentalis, Barbus macrops and Sarotherodon galileus were the major species. In the Libga Reservoir, 36 species, representing 27 genera and 15 families, were obtained. Two families, namely Mochokidae and Centropomidae constituted almost 67% of the fishery resources while Synodontis gambiensis and the Nile perch, Lates niloticus, were the dominant species. The fish diversity of the Bontanga Reservoir was lower than that of the Libga reservoir. Carnivorous fishes were dominant in Bontanga Reservoir while fishes of forage feeding habits were the major feeding group in Libga Reservoir. The forage-carnivore ratios of 1.60 and 2.12 for Bontanga and Libga reservoirs, respectively, suggest a suitable ecological balance between carnivorous fishes and their prey populations. The estimated potential fish yield per year for the Bontanga Reservoir (67 tons) was higher than that of the Libga Reservoir (4.7 tons) mainly due to its larger size although the productivity per hectare for Libga Reservoir was slightly higher. Both reservoirs were well oxygenated all year-round with relatively high oxygen demanding substances and slightly acidic from June to October. The Bontanga Reservoir was characterized by a strikingly high ionic content. The nutrient level and the mean productivity of the Bontanga Reservoir were slightly lower than those of the Libga Reservoir.


HISTORIC ENGLAND, United Kingdom, 2015. Paperback. Book Condition: New. 276 x 219 mm. Language: English . Brand New Book. Stonehenge is arguably the greatest prehistoric monument in western Europe; as a World Heritage Site it ranks in significance with such sites as the Acropolis of Athens, the Pyramids of Giza, Great Zimbabwe and Machu Picchu. Stonehenge sits at the heart of a landscape rich in other monuments and remains of the Neolithic period and Bronze Age that are also part of the World Heritage Site. Recent research by English Heritage s landscape archaeologists within the Stonehenge World Heritage Site has led to the identification of previously unknown sites and, perhaps even more importantly, the re-interpretation of known sites, including Stonehenge itself. This work has been carried out alongside recent and on-going independent research initiatives conducted by a number of academic institutions, involving international co-operation. This book presents the most significant findings of the English Heritage research and shows how it integrates with the results of work undertaken by colleagues in other research bodies. It traces human influence on the landscape from prehistoric times to the very recent past and presents an up-to-date synthesis of the results of recent fieldwork. It...


The purpose of this article is to present the results from a review of literature on geography excursions and field studies and to discuss their development over time, focusing on purpose, content, method, and execution. The scope was limited to Swedish and Anglo-Saxon literature, produced after the year 1900. The results show that excursions and field studies have since long been important methods in school teaching, not only in the subject geography. One of the purposes of using excursions and field studies in teaching is to facilitate the learning process of pupils and students. Several authors arguing that learning improved when the objects are studied in the real world. We can see that a continuous process of change has altered contents as well as conduction of the excursions. The previous instrumental orientation has moved toward more pupil-participating work methods. Today preparation is a keyword in most texts on excursions, and the perspectives have been broadened.


This influential opinion by famed jurist Oliver Wendell Holmes [5], Jr. was copied by courts throughout the United States. For over sixty years, courts refused to recognize a cause of action on behalf of a child who died before or after birth as a result of injuries suffered in the womb [6] because the fetus [7] was considered legally a part of its mother and thus did not possess personhood [8]. This policy changed after the decision in Bonbrest v. Kotz in 1946.


Dietary supplements are used by at least 40% of athletes, and depending on the sport, up to 100%. Often multiple supplements are taken in higher than normal doses. Both competitive and recreational athletes take supplements, though sometimes for different reasons. Some take them to support a poor quality diet; others take supplements because they simply feel that an ordinary diet, even a good one, is unable to provide the necessary nutrients in adequate quantity. Female endurance athletes frequently supplement their diet with extra iron, with natural losses exacerbated by hard training, menses and often a low intake of iron-rich red meat. Nutritionists and dieticians usually recommend whole food solutions to these and other problems first, but some are now starting to accept the use of low dose vitamin and mineral supplements as a way to prevent deficiencies.
Dietary supplements can be categorised according to several classifications like type, accessibility, utility or scientific merit. Even if a well-monitored daily diet should allow athletes to meet their nutritional needs, in some cases, the use of supplements can be beneficial to support a high level of physical activity. However, athletes and their medical staff should be aware of potential adverse analytical findings following supplement contamination.
In conclusion, to avoid problems associated with the consumption of dietary supplements, athletes should balance the risks and benefits of these products and consult a nutritionist or dietician for expert advice on the appropriate use of supplements.


MHD Modeling in Complex 3D Geometries: Towards Predictive Simulation of SIHI Current Drive Christopher James Hansen Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Professor Thomas R. Jarboe Aeronautics & Astronautics The HIT-SI experiment studies Steady Inductive Helicity Injection (SIHI) for the purpose of forming and sustaining a spheromak plasma. A spheromak is formed in a nearly axisymmetric flux conserver, with a bow tie cross section, by means of two semi-toroidal injectors. The plasma-facing surfaces of the device, which are made of copper for its low resistivity, are covered in an insulating coating in order to operate in a purely inductive manner. Following formation, the spheromak flux and current are increased during a quiescent period marked by a decrease in the global mode activity. A proposed mechanism, Imposed Dynamo Current Drive (IDCD), is expected to be responsible for this phase of quiescent current drive. Due to the geometric complexity of the experiment, previous numerical modeling efforts have used a simplified geometry that excludes the injector volumes from the simulated domain. The effect of helicity injection is then modeled by boundary conditions on this reduced plasma volume. The work presented here has explored and developed more complete computational models of the HIT-SI device. This work is separated into 3 distinct but complementary areas: 1) Development of a 3D MHD equilibrium code that can incorporate the non-axisymmetric injector fields present in HIT-SI and investigation of equilibria of interest during spheromak sustainment. 2) A 2D axisymmetric MHD equilibrium code that was used to explore reduced order models for mean-field evolution using equations derived from IDCD theory including coupling to 3D equilibria. 3) A 3D time-dependent non-linear MHD code that is capable of modeling the entire plasma volume including dynamics within the injectors. Although HIT-SI was the motivation for, and experiment studied in this research, the tools and methods developed are general — allowing their application to a broad range of magnetic confinement experiments. These tools constitute a significant advance for modeling plasma dynamics in devices with complex boundary geometries.


We present a model-based methodology to conduct an ex post evaluation of monetary policy decisions, by testing whether alternative policy decisions could have brought a Pareto improvement in terms of inflation and output volatilities. This involves simulations of counterfactual scenarios under alternative monetary policy shocks, and computation - for each such simulation - of the root mean square (RMS) of the inflation and output gaps during and following the evaluated year. It is then possible to compare the actual RMS with simulation-based frontiers, with each frontier reflecting different constraints on interest rate volatility, which can be viewed as a third objective variable. The actual RMS is also compared with the counterfactual RMS that would have been obtained under the case of no policy shocks. Such comparisons enable testing whether monetary policy shocks were "ex post efficient." The methodology is implemented in an evaluation of Bank of Israel policy decisions during the years 2001–11. The implementation shows several distinct sets of years: years in which actual RMSs were close to the efficient frontiers and years in which they were distant from them; years in which monetary policy shocks led to an absolute improvement in economic outcomes (by reducing the RMSs of both inflation and output gaps) or an absolute deterioration; and years in which policymakers faced a trade-off between all three objective variables or between a subset of the variables. For most evaluated years, the results seem qualitatively robust, considering the uncertainty in the historical shocks extracted, as well as in alternative definitions for the output gap.


Soils contain many kinds of inorganic and organic particles with at least one dimension in the nanoscale or colloidal range (<100 nm). Well-known examples are clay minerals, metal (hydr)oxides, and humic substances, while allophane and imogolite are abundant in volcanic soils. Apparently, only a small proportion of nanoparticles in soil occur as discrete entities. Organic colloids in soil, for example, are largely associated with their inorganic counterparts or form coatings over mineral surfaces. For this reason, individual nanoparticles are difficult to separate and collect from the bulk soil, and extraction yields are generally low. By the same token, the characterization of soil nanoparticles often requires advanced analytical and spectroscopic techniques. Because of their large surface area and the presence of surface defects and dislocations, nanoparticles in soil are very reactive towards external solute molecules. The focus of research in recent years has been on the interactions of nanoparticles with environmental pollutants and on their impact on the movement, fate, and bioavailability of contaminants.


IZA DP No. 14443 JUNE 2021 Bombing and the Two Vietnams The Vietnam War occurred when Vietnam was divided into two states with contrasting institutions. North Vietnam was characterized by a command economy under a stable political regime, whereas South Vietnam experienced a market economy and prolonged political instability. This paper uses this context to investigate the heterogeneous effect of childhood bombing exposure on health in adulthood. On average we found negative long-term effects on adult height and body mass index among the South Vietnamese population, while their counterparts in the North were barely affected. We argue that this heterogeneity is most likely attributable to the interplay of institutions and bombing. JEL Classification: I15, O15, I31, H56, N35, N45


Bloodshed connected with Mexican drug cartels, how they emerged, and their impact on the United States is the subject of this frightening book. Savage narcotics-related decapitations, castrations, and other murders have destroyed tourism in many Mexican communities and such savagery is now cascading across the border into the United States. Grayson explores how this spiral of violence emerged in Mexico, its impact on the country and its northern neighbor, and the prospects for managing it. Mexico's Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) ruled in Tammany Hall fashion for seventy-nine years before losing the presidency in 2000 to the center-right National Action Party (PAN). Grayson focuses on drug wars, prohibition, corruption, and other antecedents that occurred during the PRI's hegemony. He illuminates the diaspora of drug cartels and their fragmentation, analyzes the emergence of new gangs, sets forth President Felipe Calderon's strategy against vicious criminal organizations, and assesses its relative success. Grayson reviews the effect of narcotics-focused issues in U.S.-Mexican relations. He considers the possibility that Mexico may become a failed state, as feared by opinion-leaders, even as it pursues an aggressive but thus far unsuccessful crusade against the importation, processing, and sale of illegal substances. Becoming a 'failed state' involves two dimensions of state power: its scope, or the different functions and goals taken on by governments, and its strength, or the government's ability to plan and execute policies. The Mexican state boasts an extensive scope evidenced by its monopoly over the petroleum industry, its role as the major supplier of electricity, its financing of public education, its numerous retirement and health-care programs, its control of public universities, and its dominance over the armed forces. The state has not yet taken control of drug trafficking, and its strength is steadily diminishing. This explosive book is thus a study of drug cartels, but also state disintegration.


Cardiac troponins (cTns) T and I are exclusively expressed at high concentrations in cardiac muscle and have emerged as the preferred biomarker in the universal definition of myocardial infarction (MI). With the recent introduction of high-sensitivity (hs) assays, diagnostic sensitivity for earlier detection of MI has substantially improved. However, lowering the diagnostic cut-off has increased the detection of myocardial injuries in various non-acute coronary syndrome (ACS) conditions, which are not related to myocardial ischemia, leading to rising difficulties in diagnosing MI in clinical situations. Several approaches, such as serial sampling and incorporation of relative or absolute δ-changes, have been proposed to overcome the limitation of decreased sensitivity for MI diagnosis with hs-cTn assays. Current consensus for rapid rule-in proposes a 20% increase within 3 or 6h when baseline cTn levels are elevated. In the case of negative baseline values, relative increases ≥50% above the 99th percentile were found to be adequate to improve accuracy of MI diagnosis. Besides improved diagnostic accuracy for myocardial injury, even minor cTn elevations provide important prognostic information, and increased levels of cTn are associated with adverse outcomes in both the ACS and non-ACS condition, irrespective of whether the underlying cause is an acute or chronic illness. Thus, it is highly likely that lowering the diagnostic cut-off with even more sensitive assays might improve risk stratification in both conditions.


During the 1950s through the 1970s, Hans Orthner and Fritz Roeder, two German neurologists from Göttingen, developed a sophisticated technique to perform functional stereotactic surgery with outstanding accuracy. They introduced direct air ventriculography performed in the same surgical session as the ablative stereotactic procedure. For individualized surgical targeting, Orthner prepared a stereotactic atlas (>60 brains) with an ingenious brain-slicing device, the Göttinger macrotome. Brains were grouped based on similarity of six different head and ventricle measurements. A brain cluster representing the best match for a patient was selected for stereotactic targeting. Stereotactic lesions were tailored in an individual manner and shaped by stringing together multiple small coagulations following intraoperative test stimulation. This was achieved from a single probe trajectory by using well-engineered string electrodes with calibrated curving and involved laborious calculations. Only high-frequency thermocoagulation was regarded as appropriate for lesioning. With this meticulous technique, the most advanced stereotactic procedures were performed, including bilateral pallidotomy that ultimately could be restricted to the ansa lenticularis and ventromedial hypothalamotomy, the most delicate stereotactic operation performed to date. Outside Göttingen, this technique has only been used by Prof. Dieter Müller in Hamburg, Germany. This elaborate stereotactic approach is widely unknown and deserves to be discussed in a historical context.


The number of potentially dangerous equipment that has completed its established operational time, but is still being used, is permanently increasing. Therefore there is a problem of its further operations. A decision to continue to operate power-generating plants, when the initial resource of the equipment's working time is ended, and its further operation without considerable expenditures on repair and the diagnostic of a metal state is possible only with the help of long-term research of metal in power-generating plants. Only a complex of research techniques can estimate the real state of a construction. In the article problems connected with the definition of operation reliability of steam pipeline elbows are investigated. Different areas of an elbow were researched. Results of a microstructure analysis, and mechanical characteristics (time history) research of an elbow metal are presented. Also results of calculation of an elbow on low - cyclic thermal fatigue are presented.


Premixed flours for infant porridge are increasingly produced and sold in developing countries to complement continued breastfeeding. Such complementary food (CF) products have known efficacy against malnutrition in children from 6 to 24 months of age, but ingredient ratios and production processes may vary. This study provides the first systematic measurement of their actual nutrient composition. We purchased samples of 108 premixed CF products in 22 low- and middle-income countries, and commissioned blind laboratory measurement of each product's macronutrients and micronutrients. We compared measured contents to nutrient claims on their packaging and to CF standards from the Codex Alimentarius, the Super Cereal Plus product used in nutrition assistance programs, and the Lutter and Dewey (2003) recommendations, as well as our own modeled nutrient requirements for a healthy breastfed child. Actual densities are significantly different from nutrient claims for protein (p = .013) and fat (p = .000). Only 15% of samples met two of the three benchmarks for fat, 32% met the most stringent protein standard, while only 22% met them for iron, and 21% for zinc. The median healthy child consuming breast milk plus enough of these solid foods to meet energy needs would experience deficits of zinc at 6 months, iron at 6 and 9 months, and dietary fat from 12 months of age. In summary, premixed CF products can provide adequate nutrient density but usually do not, revealing the need and opportunity for independent monitoring and quality assurance to help grain millers making premixed foods maintain uniform ingredient ratios and production practices.


PURPOSES
To establish the in silico ocular pharmacokinetic modeling for eye drops, and to simulate the dose regimen for FK962 in human choroid/retinal diseases.

METHODS
Pharmacokinetics for FK962 in vivo was performed by a single instillation of drops containing 0.1% 14C-FK962 in rabbit eyes. Permeation of FK962 across the cornea, sclera, and choroid/retina was measured in vitro. Neurite elongation by FK962 was measured in cultured rat retinal ganglion cells. Parameters from the experimental data were used in an improved in silico model of ocular pharmacokinetics of FK962 in man.

RESULTS
The mean concentration of FK962 in ocular tissues predicted by in silico modeling was consistent with in vivo results, validating the in silico model. FK962 rapidly penetrated into the anterior and posterior segments of the eye and then diffused into the vitreous body. The in silico pharmacokinetic modeling also predicted that a dose regimen of 0.0054% FK962 twice per day would produce biologically effective concentrations of FK962 in the choroid/retina, where FK962 facilitates rat neurite elongation.

CONCLUSIONS
Our in silico model for ocular pharmacokinetics is useful (1) for predicting drug concentrations in specific ocular tissues after topical instillation, and (2) for suggesting the optimal dose regimens for eye drops. The pharmacodynamics for FK962 produced by this model may be useful for clinical trials against retinal neuropathy.


Hypertension is a common chronic health problem worldwide due to contributing factors such as obesity, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet and changes in lifestyle. The standard of care for hypertension in South Africa is prescription medication, as well as a stepwise programme; this treatment approach is for the treatment of hypertension according to severity using diuretics, beta-blockers, vasodilators in a stepwise progressive manner. In South Africa, traditional herbal medicines have been used to treat many ailments especially hypertension. Garlic and African olive has been reported as herbal medicines that have anti-hypertensive properties and may be used to control hypertension, either individually or in combination. The objective of this study is to 1) prevalence of these traditional herbal medicines will be investigated and 2) determine the prevalence of garlic and/ or African olive use among hypertensive patients lieu of/or in combination with prescription medication. The study design was cross-sectional, comprising of two phases. Phase one was the administration of questionnaires concerning the participants' demographics, medical/clinical history, chronic illness and traditional herbal treatment. One hundred and eighty participants from Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiological study (PURE) cohort were administered questionnaires. Of the 180 participants, 139 indicated that they are hypertensive, 30 hypertensive participants were selected to participate in the in-depth interviews. Phase two was divided into two parts which were detailed interviews including in-depth interviews and a focus group discussion. The focus group discussion was conducted with a convenience sample of 10 hypertensive patients who were available on the day of data collection. The questionnaire data was analysed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and the interviews and focus group discussion was analysed using thematic content analysis. The results show that the participants with hypertension who are on prescription medication are also using traditional herbs, garlic and African olive as part of a dualistic health care treatment for their hypertension. The use of garlic is more prevalent than the use of African olive, as African olive was not well known among the participants. The results will facilitate in the acknowledgment of traditional herbal medicine use for hypertension, as either a home remedy for (other) chronic conditions or treatment in combination with prescription medication. It also highlights the necessity to educate participants and healthcare providers in the use of traditional herbal medicine. Furthermore, healthcare workers needs to be trained about THM and should also be obligated to ask about traditional herbal medicine among their patients.


The drastic change of fluid density in the reactor core of a supercritical water-cooled reactor (SCWR) gives rise to a concern about density-wave stability. Using a single-channel thermal-hydraulic model, stability boundary maps for the U.S. reference SCWR design have been constructed for both steady state and sliding pressure startup conditions. The supercritical water flow in the reactor core has been simulated using a three-region model: a heavy fluid with constant density, a mixture of heavy fluid and light fluid similar to a homogeneous-equilibrium two-phase mixture, and a light fluid, which behaves like an ideal gas or superheated steam. Two important nondimensional numbers, namely, a pseudosubcooling number Npsub and an expansion number Nexp, have been identified for the supercritical region. The stability map in the supercritical region is then plotted in the plane made of these two numbers. The U.S. reference SCWR design operates in a stable region with a large margin. Sensitivity studies produced results consistent with the findings of the earlier research done for the subcritical two-phase flow. During the sliding pressure startup of the SCWR, a two-phase steam-water mixture at subcritical pressure will appear in the reactor core. A nonhomogeneous (e.g., drift-flux) nonequilibrium two-phase flow model was applied. The characteristic equation was numerically integrated, and stability boundary maps were plotted on the traditional subcooling number versus phase change number (or Zuber number) plane. These maps have been used to develop a sliding pressure SCWR startup strategy avoiding thermal-hydraulic flow instabilities.


Kernel-based learning algorithms work by embedding the data into a Euclidean space, and then searching for linear relations among the embedded data points. The embedding is performed implicitly, by specifying the inner products between each pair of points in the embedding space. This information is contained in the so-called kernel matrix, a symmetric and positive semidefinite matrix that encodes the relative positions of all points. Specifying this matrix amounts to specifying the geometry of the embedding space and inducing a notion of similarity in the input space---classical model selection problems in machine learning. In this paper we show how the kernel matrix can be learned from data via semidefinite programming (SDP) techniques. When applied to a kernel matrix associated with both training and test data this gives a powerful transductive algorithm---using the labeled part of the data one can learn an embedding also for the unlabeled part. The similarity between test points is inferred from training points and their labels. Importantly, these learning problems are convex, so we obtain a method for learning both the model class and the function without local minima. Furthermore, this approach leads directly to a convex method for learning the 2-norm soft margin parameter in support vector machines, solving an important open problem.


Scholarship on monstrosity has often focused on those beings that produce fear, terror, anxiety, and other forms of unease. However, it is clear from the semantic range of the term "monster" that the category encompasses beings who evoke a wide range of emotions. I suggest that scholars have largely displaced first-person accounts of the monstrous and those accounts which do not rely upon horror or anxiety, and I propose a three-category system to correct this displacement. These categories draw from Derrida's notion of the domestication of the monster and Žižek's notion of a "fantasy screen" for the monstrous. These categories encourage further research, both between categories of the monstrous and categories that would not typically fit within this descriptor.


Background Bipolar disorder is a chronic and severe mental health disorder. Early stratification of individuals into subgroups based on age at onset (AAO) has the potential to inform diagnosis and early intervention. Yet, the psychosocial predictors associated with AAO are unknown. Aims We aim to identify psychosocial factors associated with bipolar disorder AAO. Method Using data from the Bipolar Disorder Research Network UK, we employed least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression to identify psychosocial factors associated with bipolar disorder AAO. Twenty-eight factors were entered into our model, with AAO as our outcome measure. Results We included 1022 participants with bipolar disorder (μ = 23.0, s.d. ± 9.86) in our model. Six variables predicted an earlier AAO: childhood abuse (β = −0.2855), regular cannabis use in the year before onset (β = −0.2765), death of a close family friend or relative in the 6 months before onset (β = −0.2435), family history of suicide (β = −0.1385), schizotypal personality traits (β = −0.1055) and irritable temperament (β = −0.0685). Five predicted a later AAO: the average number of alcohol units consumed per week in the year before onset (β = 0.1385); birth of a child in the 6 months before onset (β = 0.2755); death of parent, partner, child or sibling in the 6 months before onset (β = 0.3125); seeking work without success for 1 month or more in the 6 months before onset (β = 0.3505) and a major financial crisis in the 6 months before onset (β = 0.4575). Conclusions The identified predictor variables have the potential to help stratify high-risk individuals into likely AAO groups, to inform treatment provision and early intervention.


A new type of bioelectrochemical system for producing electrical power, called a microbial reverse-electrodialysis cell (MRC), was developed to increase voltages and power densities compared to those generated individually by microbial fuel cells (MFCs) or reverse electrodialysis (RED) systems. In RED systems, electrode overpotentials create significant energy losses due to thermodynamically unfavorable electrode reactions, and therefore a large number of stacked cells must be used to have significant energy recovery. This results in high capital costs for the large number of membranes, and increases energy losses from pumping water through a large number of cells. In an MRC, high overpotentials are avoided through oxidation of organic matter by exoelectrogenic bacteria on the anode and oxygen reduction on the cathode. An MRC containing only five pairs of RED cells, fed solutions typical of seawater (600 mM NaCl) and river water (12 mM NaCl) at 0.85 mL/min, produced up to 3.6 W/m(2) (cathode surface area) and 1.2-1.3 V with acetate as a substrate. Pumping accounted for <2% of the produced power. A higher flow rate (1.55 mL/min) increased power densities up to 4.3 W/m(2). COD removal was 98% with a Coulombic efficiency of 64%. Power production by the individual components was substantially lower with 0.7 W/m(2) without salinity driven energy, and <0.015 W/m(2) with reduced exoelectrogenic activity due to substrate depletion. These results show that the combination of an MFC and a RED stack synergistically increases performance relative to the individual systems, producing a new type of system that can be used to more efficiently capture salinity driven energy from seawater and river water.


The overarching aim of this work was to gather young people's views about web 2.0 technologies. The project was interested in young people's personal use of social media, but also in how they might use these tools in a community or local authority (LA) context, for example, to communicate with other young people, organise meetings and events, express their views, or take part in a youth cabinet or similar representative group. The report provides useful information for LA personnel considering using web 2.0 tools and policy personnel considering future forms of communication within children's services fields. Key findings Web 2.0 technologies were used extensively by the young people featured in the study (all of whom belonged to a youth cabinet or similar group) for personal use, participation in peer discussions and expressing opinions. A small minority did not use these technologies, raising issues about digital inclusion, partly because the technologies required can still be expensive or other barriers to their use. Agencies working to obtain young people's views may need to take steps to address issues of inclusion. Much of the use of these tools takes place in informal or peer-supported contexts. Therefore, a good proportion of the development of e-skills takes place outside schools, colleges and youth groups. Professionals working with young people could perhaps make more use of the informal development of e-skills. Young people are confident and feel safe when using these tools. 'Cyber bullying' and malicious use of texts did exist but were rare, and the young people either knew how to deal with these things themselves, or who they should turn to for advice and support. Overall, there is enormous potential for using web 2.0 technologies to collect the views of young people and therefore involve them in civic duties and local and national democracy. Some LAs have driven this forward through, for example, the use of special council-supported websites (and web editors) enabling young people to discuss and share views on particular topics, and sharing this good practice would be beneficial to all LAs.


Operational risk is defined as the risk of loss resulting from inadequate or failed internal processes, people and systems or from external events. In debt management operations, the categories of risks, such as market risk, credit risk, refinancing risk and liquidity risk, are relatively well known; however operational risk is not. The area has not been given due attention to by government debt managers in developing a risk management framework. A similar conclusion on aspects pertaining to operational risk management is borne out from the early results of the World Bank's assessments using its government Debt Management Performance Assessment (DeMPA) tool. This paper thus, introduces the concepts of operational risk as applied to government debt management (DeM) and attempts to present a framework for debt managers to manage operational risks while undertaking public debt management operations. It draws on existing literature for operational risk management principles and practices that have been formulated by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations (COSO) and the findings of the DeMPAs.


BackgroundHealth information systems have emerged as a major component in our response to the trends of rising demands in health care. The insight being gained from the evaluation of those systems can critically influence the shaping of the response. Summative or formative evaluation of health information systems assesses their quality, acceptance, and usefulness, creates insight for improvement, discriminates between options, and refines future development strategies. But the evaluation of health information systems can be challenging due to the propagation of their impacts through multiple socio-technological layers till the ultimate recipients, their heterogeneity and fast evolvement, and the complexity of health care settings and systems.AimThis thesis tries to explain the challenges of evaluation of health information systems with a narrow down on determining evaluation aspects and to propose relevant solutions. The thesis goes for solutions that mitigate heterogeneity and incomparability, recruit or extend available evaluation models, embrace a wide context of application, and promote automation.MethodThe literature on health information systems evaluation, methods of dealing with heterogeneity in other disciplines of information systems, and ontology engineering were surveyed. Based on the literature survey, the UVON method, based on ontology engineering, was first developed in study 1. The method was applied in FI-STAR, a European Union project in e-Health with 7 use-cases, for summative evaluation of the individual and whole e-health applications. Study 2, extended the UVON method for a formative evaluation during the design phase.ResultsApplication of the UVON method resulted in evaluation aspects that were delivered to the seven use-cases of the FI-STAR project in the form of questionnaires. The resulted evaluation aspects were considered sensible and with a confirming overlap with another highly used method in this field (MAST). No significant negative feedback from the FI-STAR use-case owners (n=7) or the respondents (n=87 patients and n=30 health professionals) was received or observed.ConclusionIn the evaluation of health information systems --possibly also in other similarly characterized systems-- ontology engineering methods, such as the proposed UVON method, can be applied to create a flexible degree of unification across a heterogeneous set of evaluation aspects, import evaluation aspects from other evaluation methods, and prioritize between quality aspects in design phase. Ontologies, through their semantic network structures, can capture the extracted knowledge required for evaluation, facilitate computation of that knowledge, promote automation of evaluation, and accommodate further extensions of the related evaluation methods by adding new features to their network structure.


OBJECTIVE
To explore postgraduate medical trainees' attitudes toward the use of gender-inclusive language.

DESIGN
Self-administered questionnaire.

SETTING
Seven residency training programs at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont., from July 1993 to June 1994.

PARTICIPANTS
Of 225 residents in the programs, 186 responded to the survey, for a response rate of 82.7%. Men and women were equally represented among the respondents.

OUTCOME MEASURES
Categorization of attitudes about the use of language as gender-inclusive or gender-exclusive; characteristics predicting a gender-inclusive attitude.

RESULTS
Factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha (0.90) supported the existence of a construct related to attitudes about language use, the poles of which were categorized as gender-inclusive and gender-exclusive. The authors classified residents with respect to their attitudes to language use from their responses to the questionnaire. In univariate analyses, sex, residency program and country of graduation significantly predicted a gender-inclusive attitude (p < 0.01). Only the first 2 variables were significant in a multivariate model; residency program explained 18% of the variance and sex 3%. Residents in obstetrics and gynecology and psychiatry had the most gender-inclusive attitudes, whereas residents in surgery and anesthesia had the most gender-exclusive attitudes.

CONCLUSIONS
Residents' values are reflected in the language they choose to use. Language use may provide an index of underlying attitudes that may create hostile environments for female trainees.


This thesis describes the development of an experiment for acquiring supersonic film cooling performance data in canonical configurations suitable for code validation. A methodology for selecting appropriate experimental conditions is developed and used to select test conditions in the UMD atmospheric pressure wind tunnel that are relevant to film cooling conditions encountered in the J-2X rocket engine. A new technique for inferring wall heat flux with 10% uncertainty from temperature-time histories of embedded sensors is developed and implemented. Preliminary heat flux measurements on the uncooled upper wall and on the lower wall with the film cooling flow turned off suggest that RANS solvers using Menter's SST model are able to predict heat flux within 15% in the far-field (> 10 injection slot heights) but are very inaccurate in the near-field. However, more experiments are needed to confirm this finding. Preliminary Schlieren images showing the shear layer growth rate are also presented.


A simple method to execute spin algebra computations is presented. It uses the high-level numerical program Scilab and its large and convenient set of linear algebra routines. The techniques thus developed are applied to various nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-related simulations. Static spectra of AB and ABC spin systems are computed. Free precession of single or multispin systems are simulated using the density matrix formalism. Magnetization transfer under simple pulse sequences is examined. Matrices representing product operators are displayed and coherence orders are explained. COSY correlation maps for two and three spins are obtained without approximation. The simulation of a DQF-COSY spectrum, with its eight-step phase program, is explained. Two simple pulsed field gradient experiments are described. Computation times are under 100 s on a 1.66-GHz laptop computer. The approach is elementary, requiring only a basic knowledge of spin quantum mechanics. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Concepts Magn Reson Part A 44A: 114–132, 2015.


This paper approaches work and learning indirectly. It is part of a mixed method longitudinal study that looks at the articulation from Higher National (HN) to part time Higher Education (HE). Since 2003 the Open University in Scotland (OU) has been collecting quantitative and qualitative data on students who have HN qualifications. This paper looks at the experiences of those students and the central place of work in those journeys.

The paper beings with a statistical overview. HN Students that come to the OU tend to be older, the majority are in employment, they tend to reside in more deprived areas, and are often motivated by career aspiration. Their HN qualifications tend to cluster around the applied subjects as do the subjects they chose with the OU (Engineering and Technology, Education, and Health and Social Care). The picture is of widening HE participation in applied subjects.

The paper then looks at the interview data from the 2011-12 study. Choosing a vocational pathway is not always determined by exam results (some had HE entry qualifications), expectations and opportunities are important. Critical incidents at the end of school (births and deaths) were part of that narrative, as were family expectations around the "safe place" provided by vocational pathways, along with the sense that HE study was not for them. Overall participants narrated "bumpy" interrupted transitions between education and employment. Stories that emphasised social and structural barriers, personal autonomy, and stories that seemed to call into question how useful it is to talk about definite transitions between education and employment.

The vocational focus of most HN study means it is normal to regard work as the natural place for learning. This focus on practice means participants think of competence as something that develops formally and informally at and through work after they "qualify". Interviewees seemed to accept that there was no job or role for life. The paper also considers the motivations for engaging in HE study. For these students work remains the principal focus. Just like HN, part-time distance learning is considered a "safe place" as people can balance study and work. "Getting on" or "getting out" feature strongly. For example, participants found themselves in roles that required HE qualifications, and sought the security and "mobility" that aligning their experience with a qualification would bring. Many cited personal factors; they looked back to "missed opportunities" with regret. However, it became apparent that what starts as personal leads to reflections on career progression and change as studies progress. The paper concludes with some reflections on the ways that articulation between HN and part-time study widens participation in HE. For those in work it also destabilises notions of smooth or appropriate transitions, and questions the boundaries between the personal and the professional.


Brain imaging markers have emerged as important tools in the differential diagnosis of dementia. Parameters derived from brain imaging are being intensively examined as potential predictors to identify persons with only mild cognitive losses who face imminent decline and the full dementia syndrome of Alzheimer's disease. As novel disease modifying agents emerge, brain imaging markers also may facilitate drug development and help monitor drug efficacy in clinical settings.


The advent of next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies has revolutionized the field of molecular biology by providing a wealth of sequence data. "Transcriptomics", which aims to identify and annotate the complete set of RNA molecules transcribed from a genome, is one of the main applications of these high-throughput methods. Special attention has been paid in determining the exact position of the 5' ends of RNA transcripts, the transcription start sites (TSSs), and subsequently in identifying the regulatory motifs that are ultimately responsible for governing gene expression. Recently, a novel experimental approach termed dRNA-seq has emerged which enables TSS identification in prokaryotic genomes at a genome-wide scale. While the experimental procedure has reached a point of maturity, the computational downstream analysis of dRNA-seq data is still in its infancy. Analysis of dRNA-seq data was previously done manually, a tedious task that is prone to errors and biases. In order to automate this process we developed a computational tool for accurate and systematic analysis of dRNA-seq data to identify the TSSs genome-wide. In particular, we used a Bayesian framework for TSS calling and a Hidden Markov Model to infer the canonical motifs in the promoter regions of TSSs in order to further capture TSSs that show low evidence of expression. In a second contribution, we exploited the power of next generation sequencing to identify and characterize the expression and processing mechanisms of snoRNAs. SnoRNAs are a particular class of non-protein coding RNAs whose main function is post-transcriptional modification of other non-protein coding RNAs. SnoRNAs carry out their function as part of ribonucleoprotein complexes (RNPs). In order to gain insights into these protein-RNA interactions, we used a technique called PAR-CLIP (Photoactivatable-Ribonucleoside-Enhanced Crosslinking and Immunoprecipitation) that allows the identification of protein-RNA contacts at nucleotide resolution. Using PAR-CLIP data, we were able to demonstrate that snoRNAs undergo precise processing and that many loci in the human genome generate snoRNA-like transcripts whose evolutionary conservation and expression are considerably lower than currently catalogued snoRNAs. Finally, we set out to use small RNA-seq data from the ENCODE project to construct a comprehensive catalog of genomic loci that give rise to snoRNAs. In addition we expanded the current catalog of human snoRNAs and studied the plasticity of snoRNA expression across different cell types. Our analysis confirmed prior observations that several snoRNAs show cell type specific expression, mainly in neurons. A more striking observation was that snoRNA expression appears to be strongly dysregulated in cancers which could lead to the identification of novel biomarkers.


The large variety of plasma shapes produced in the TCV tokamak places unique demands on the plasma facing surfaces. In particular, the central column graphite armour tiles are solicited during the creation of all TCV plasmas and function as power handling surfaces for both limited and diverted discharges. The higher power flux densities accompanying the addition of electron cyclotron heating systems have necessitated a new, optimized, design for these tiles. The optimization process and the subsequent new tile design are described. A basic `two point' model of the scrape-off layer plasma in conjunction with TCV equilibrium reconstructions and a simplified representation of the local magnetic field line geometry are used to impose simulated power flux densities onto a parametric toroidal tile contour. The thermo-mechanical response of the tile is then investigated via full 3-D finite element simulations accounting for the non-linear temperature dependence of the graphite thermal diffusivity and radiation from the tile surface. The final design choice is a compromise between the requirements for adequate power handling for a range of magnetic configurations, the need to protect against tile edge misalignment in the presence of grazing field line angles of incidence and the space restrictions imposed by vacuum vessel design.


This study focused on the correlates and consequences of alcohol consumption in elderly social drinkers. The research examined the effects of moderate levels of alcohol consumption on cognitive and psychological functioning. Specifically, this study examined the applicability of the continuity and specificity hypotheses of alcohol-related cognitive effects to moderate drinking and also tested the effects of alcohol consumption on subjective well-being. The continuity hypothesis espouses a dose-response relationship between high levels of alcohol consumption and cognitive functioning. The specificity hypothesis states that alcohol-related cognitive declines are specific to frontal functions. Theoretically relevant sociodemographic, intellectual and psychosocial variables were also included in the study as control variables and to replicate previous findings. The sample consisted of 124 male and female elderly social drinkers between the ages of 61 and 90. They completed questionnaires on health, extraversion, neuroticism, locus of control, social support, activities, well-being, intelligence and alcohol consumption. Tests of frontal and temporal neuropsychological functions were also completed during two separate sessions. The results from regression analyses indicated the importance of education and gender in predicting lifetime alcohol consumption for elderly social drinkers. No support was found for the continuity and specificity hypotheses of alcohol consumption. As expected, age-related declines were observed for cognitive functioning. Intelligence and good physical health emerged as positive predictors of frontal functioning. Education played a more important role in temporal cognitive functioning. There were no effects of alcohol on subjective well-being for this sample. In line with previous research, well-being was associated with good self-reported physical health, internal locus of control, low neuroticism, and involvement in socially oriented activities. The results also suggested that some demographic variables (age, education, health) and intelligence are of greater importance than personality and other psychosocial variables, in accounting for alcohol consumption levels and cognitive functioning in elderly social drinkers. Limitations of this study including a small sample size and the low levels of alcohol consumption may have influenced the present findings.


This qualitative study investigated the schooling experiences of 20 young Black men who graduated from Douglass Academy, an all-boys public charter secondary school in a large urban city. Specifically, I explore how these students construct meaning from their school experiences and their efforts for academic success. The students articulated two critical components of their school experience that positively shaped their achievement and success: (a) school culture and (b) relationships. The student narratives provide a frame for promoting positive school culture that increases the sense of belonging, educational experiences, and academic aspirations of African American male students.