The gas sensing process involves complicated and precise adsorption mechanisms, and the selection of the right material is mainly based on "guess-and-check" procedures, which necessitates the search for a more systematic approach to discover optimum materials with required specifications. Herein, we report the use of ab initio first-principles methods to expedite the process of finding the material with the highest potential compared to in-lab trial and error. We focused on the NO2 adsorption mechanism of Cu-, Pt- and Ti-doped single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). Modelling the isolated NO2 molecule indicated the formation of a band gap between the 3π* HOMO and 5σ* LUMO levels, which were found to be the electronic states primarily involved in the bonding process. Metal doping decreased the system stability and altered the SWCNT structure. NO2 exposure caused the transfer of electrons to the gas molecules, thereby enhancing the p-type conductivity of the M-SWCNT structure. The highest charge transfer to the NO2 molecule was observed for Ti-SWCNTs (0.456 eV), while the lowest was found for Cu-SWCNTs (0.351 eV). Ti-SWCNTs exhibited the highest stability and sensitivity as a potential NO2 gas sensing material out of the 3 investigated metal dopants.


This book provides a comprehensive look at all levels of teaching and learning, especially for those interested in discovering how to provide activities that will enhance reflective practices in teaching and enable students' learning. This collection investigates PhD supervision, an intervention program in writing practices, developing mindfulness in diverse student cohorts, and the application of online practices. The value of this collection is not only the specific content of each study but also the willingness of all contributors to share their outstanding practice in ways that others may replicate within their own future teaching experiences. The mandala designed for the cover of this collection is by Australian artist Belinda Allen, who depicts this cyclic metacognitive action as a metaphor for reflection practice and critical reflection. The authors hope this collection provides the reader with the motivation to develop self-efficacy not only within their students, but also within themselves and their learning communities. The editors, Kathryn Coleman and Adele Flood, have gathered writers from across disciplines who employ reflective practice strategies in their teaching. Academics and teachers provide readers not only with a variety of approaches but they also interweave theory with examples of learning opportunities, as well as personal and/or collaborative activities that can be adapted to any learning space.


During extravasation, tumor cells adhere to the endothelial cell lining before transmigrating across the endothelial lining and basement membrane barrier. Ultimately, they invade the surrounding stroma to form new microcolonies.

In this study, we have developed a microfluidic chip that resembles the blood vessel microenvironment by mimicking the basement membrane, the endothelial lining in the blood circulatory system and its surrounding connective tissue. To achieve this, a polydimethylsiloxane, PDMS microfluidic device was reproduced using replica moulding of a master fabricated by photolithography. This chip consisted of two microchannels separated by a row of microgaps. One of the microchannels was used to represent the blood capillary and the other microchannel was coated with Type I Collagen to represent the surrounding tissue. The row of microgaps was coated with Matrigel and lined with human microvascular endothelial cells, HMEC to represent the basement membrane and endothelial lining barrier respectively.

With this device, it was found that the expression of pmaxGFP into HepG2 cells did not affect their migratory performance. However, the presence of the Matrigel and HMECs were found to significantly reduce the percentage of HepG2 cells migrating across the microgaps, suggesting the importance of their inhibitory role during cancer metastasis.


[1] Tide effects on the structure of the near-field Changjiang River plume and on the extension of the far-field plume have often been neglected in analysis and numerical simulations, which is the focus of this study. Numerical experiments highlighted the crucial role of the tidal forcing in modulating the Changjiang River plume. Without the tidal forcing, the plume results in an unrealistic upstream extension along the Jiangsu coast. With the tidal forcing, the vertical mixing increases, resulting in a strong horizontal salinity gradient at the northern side of the Changjiang River mouth along the Jiangsu coast, which acts as a dynamic barrier and restricts the northward migration of the plume. Furthermore, the tidal forcing produces a bidirectional plume structure in the near field, and the plume separation is located at the head of the submarine canyon. A significant bulge occurs around the head of the submarine canyon and rotates anticyclonically, which carries a large portion of the diluted water toward the northeast and merges into the far-field plume. A portion of the diluted water moves toward the southeast, which is mainly caused by tidal rectification. This bidirectional plume structure is more evident under certain wind conditions. During the neap tide with the reduced tidal energy, the near-field plume extends farther offshore, and the bulge becomes less evident. These dynamic behaviors are maintained and are fundamentally important in the region around the river mouth even under the summer monsoon and the shelf currents, although in the far field the wind forcing and shelf currents eventually dominate the plume extension.


In the past few years, with many organisations providing web services for business and communication purposes, large volumes of XML transactions take place on a daily basis.
In many cases, organisations maintain these transactions in their native XML format due to its flexibility for xchanging data between heterogeneous systems. This XML data
provides an important resource for decision support systems. As a consequence, XML technology has slowly been included within decision support systems of data warehouse
systems. The problem encountered is that existing native XML database systems suffer from poor performance in terms of managing data volume and response time for complex
analytical queries. Although materialised XML views can be used to improve the performance for XML data warehouses, update problems then become the bottleneck of using
materialised views. Specifically, synchronising materialised views in the face of changing view definitions, remains a significant issue. In this dissertation, we provide a method for XML-based data warehouses to manage updates caused by the change of view definitions (view redefinitions), which is referred to as the view adaptation problem. In our approach, views are defined using XPath and then modelled using a set of novel algebraic operators and fragments. XPath views are integrated into a single view graph called the XML Fragment
Materialisation (XFM) View Graph, where common parts between different views are shared and appear only once in the graph. Fragments within the view graph can be selected
for materialisation to facilitate the view adaptation process. While changes are applied, our view adaptation algorithms can quickly determine what part of the XFM view graph is affected.
The adaptation algorithms then perform a structural adaptation to update the view graph, followed by data adaptation to update materialised fragments.


The epigenetic modification of 5-hydroxymethylcy-tosine (5hmC) is receiving great attention due to its potential role in DNA methylation reprogramming and as a cell state identifier. Given this interest, it is important to identify reliable and cost-effective methods for the enrichment of 5hmC marked DNA for downstream analysis. We tested three commonly used affinity-based enrichment techniques; (i) antibody, (ii) chemical capture and (iii) protein affinity enrichment and assessed their ability to accurately and reproducibly report 5hmC profiles in mouse tissues containing high (brain) and lower (liver) levels of 5hmC. The protein-affinity technique is a poor reporter of 5hmC profiles, delivering 5hmC patterns that are incompatible with other methods. Both antibody and chemical capture-based techniques generate highly similar genome-wide patterns for 5hmC, which are independently validated by standard quantitative PCR (qPCR) and glucosyl-sensitive restriction enzyme digestion (gRES-qPCR). Both antibody and chemical capture generated profiles reproducibly link to unique chromatin modification profiles associated with 5hmC. However, there appears to be a slight bias of the antibody to


The conventional wisdom is that mortality falls when the economy temporarily improves and increases when it weakens. This strong apriori belief has engendered substantial attention to be paid to analyses indicating a countercyclical variation in deaths and excessive scepticism to countervailing evidence. However, this view is beginning to change as recent research, often using more sophisticated methodological designs than earlier studies, commonly finds that fatalities rise during economic upturns. =Increasing Mortality During Expansions of the US Economy, 1900–1996' by Jose Tapia Granados1 contributes to this new understanding by showing that the secular decline in US mortality accelerates during economic recessions and slows or reverses in expansions. His analysis utilizes time-series data on total deaths, as well as age-specific and cause-specific mortality.


Trace elements (elements that constitute less than 0.1 wt.% of the analyzed sample) are important tracers for a great variety of processes in many research areas, such as biochemistry, medicine, semi-conductor and nano-technology, environmental science and geosciences (e.g., Anita et al. [2002]; Becker et al. [2004]; Barbante et al. [2004]; Tibi and Heumann [2003]). Accordingly, much scientific effort and financial resources are raised to develop new high-performance analytical techniques and methods for trace element analysis. In geosciences, the capabilities of trace elements analytics have not been used to its full potential because of the complex matrix of the analyzed samples (rocks) and the time consuming procedure to obtain high-quality trace element data by isotope dilution. Accordingly, the aim of this study is to develop of a new, easy-to-use and fast ID-method for the simultaneous determination of many trace elements in geological materials. In addition, the application of this new technique to the analysis of ocean island basalts (OIB) revealed that evolution of geochemical mantle heterogeneities (HIMU, EM-1, EM-2) is far more complex than perviously thought.
In the first part of this thesis, a multi-element technique for the simultaneous determination of 12 trace element concentrations in geological materials by combined isotope dilution (ID) sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SF-ICP-MS) following simple sample digestion is presented. The concentrations of additional 14 other trace elements have been obtained using the ID determined elements as internal standards. This method combines the advantages of ID (high precision and accuracy) with those of SF-ICP-MS (multi-element capability, fast sample processing without element separation) and overcomes the most prevailing drawbacks of ICP-MS (matrix effects and drift in sensitivity). Trace element concentration data for the geological reference material BHVO-1 (n = 5) reproduce to within 1-3% RSD with an accuracy of 1-2% relative to respective literature data for ID values and 2-3% for all other values. To test the overall performance of the method the technique has been applied to the analysis of 17 well-characterized geological reference materials from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the Geological Survey of Japan (GSJ) and the International Association of Geoanalysts (IAG). The sample set also includes the new USGS reference glasses BCR-2G, BHVO-2G, and BIR-1G, as well as the MPI-DING reference glasses KL2-G and ML3B-G and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) SRM 612. Most data agree within 3-4% with respective literature data. The concentration data of USGS reference glasses agree in most cases with respective data of the original rock powder within the combined standard uncertainty of the method (2-3%), except the U concentration of BIR-1G, which shows a three times higher concentration compared to BIR-1.

In the second part of this thesis, this new method is used to determine the trace element concentrations of basaltic samples form the ocean islands St. Helena, Gough and Tristan da Cunha. The results are used to test the validity of established models concerning the trace element systematics of mantle heterogeneities. Since the early 1990's, recycling of altered oceanic crust together with small amounts of 'pelagic' and 'terrigeneous' sediments has become somewhat of a paradigm for explaining the geochemical and isotopic systematics in global OIB. The vastly increased number of data in the literature, in addition to new high-precision trace element data on samples from St. Helena, Gough, and Tristan da Cunha presented here (altogether more than 300 analyses from basalts from 15 key islands), reveals that the trace element systematics in enriched mantle (EM)-type OIB are far more complex than previously thought. In contrast to EM basalts, HIMU (high μ; μ = 238U/204Pb) basalts have remarkably uniform trace element characteristics (systematic depletion in Cs, Rb, Ba, Th, U, Pb, Sr, and enrichment of Nb, Ta relative to La), which are adequately explained by being derived from sources containing subduction-modified oceanic crust. EM-type basalts have La/Th, Rb/Ba, and Rb/K ratios similar to those in HIMU-type OIB, but at the same time, also share some common characteristics that distinguish them from HIMU basalts (e.g., high Rb/La, Ba/La, Th/U, Rb/Sr, low Nb/La, U/Pb, Th/Pb). EM-type OIB also have far more variable very incompatible elements contents (Cs, Rb, Ba, Th, U, Nb, Ta, La) and are less depleted in Pb and Sr than HIMU-type OIB. In addition, each suite of EM-type basalts carries its own specific trace element signature that must ultimately reflect different source compositions. Consequently, although the compositional similarities between HIMU and EM-type basalts suggest that their sources share a common precursor (subducted oceanic crust), their compositional differences can only be explained if EM sources have a more complex evolution and/or contain an additional component compared to HIMU sources. This additional component in EM basalts is likely to originate from a common, although to some degree compositionally heterogeneous, reservoir. Possible candidates are marine sediments; but they do not, at the same time, provide a plausible explanation of the isotopic bimodality in EM-type basalts (EM-1 and EM-2) because the parent/daughter ratios in marine sediments are unimodally distributed. Similar to the bimodal isotopic compositions in EM basalts, the continental crust is composed of two broadly compositionally different parts: the upper and lower continental crust. Relative to the upper continental crust, the lower continental crust is similarly enriched in very incompatible elements, but has systematically lower Rb/Sr, U/Pb, Th/Pb, and higher Th/U ratios. Thus, over time, the upper and lower continental crust evolve along distinct isotopic evolution paths but retain their complex trace element characteristics, similar to what is observed in EM-type basalts worldwide. It is therefore propose here that recycling of oceanic crust together with variable proportions of lower continental crust (scrapped off from the overlying continental crust during subduction at erosive plate margins) and upper continental crust (either in the form of sediments or eroded continental crust) provides a possible explanation for the trace element and isotope systematics in EM-type ocean island basalts.


The provision of effective and safe contraception during the postnatal period is an important aspect of maternal care. There is still a high unmet need for modern contraception postpartum. The postnatal ward is not the most appropriate setting to discuss future contraception for the first time; however it should be discussed at the latest in the first week postpartum and a future contraceptive plan needs to be established by week four as women may be fertile before the return of their menstrual cycle.
Breastfeeding can prevent pregnancy based on natural postpartum infertility due to the suppression of ovulation and guidelines to improve the efficacy of breastfeeding as a contraceptive method were developed. The World health Organization provides evidence-based recommendations (World Health Organisation (WHO) Medical Eligibility Criteria (MEC) to ensure that patients with medical conditions are fit to use a particular method and can safely select the most appropriate method of contraception. Breastfeeding, modern contraceptive methods, sterilisation and emergency contraception should be considered in all cases.
There are concerns about the possible hormonal effects of combined hormonal contraceptives on the suppression of quality and quantity of milk production as well as possible absorption by the infant. The increased risk of thromboembolism postpartum is also of concern when using COCs and it is recommended that the earliest date to commence is 21 days postpartum if there are no other risk factors for the development of VTE.
Women should receive written information on contraceptives, provided with detailed advice about possible side-effects, including the availability of emergency contraception if needed and a follow-up appointment should be arranged.


This study attempted to improve upon a previously reported route to room-temperature metallization of a polyimide substrate. The silver(I)-triflate complex used to dope the polymer was replaced with a silver(I)-hexafluoroacetylacetone complex to remove the possibility that residual triflic acid would compromise the structural integrity of the polymer film. The results were initially very promising, showing conductivity and reflectivity values comparable or improved with the new complex versus the old. Furthermore, cracking observed with the triflate films did not occur. The conductivity was modeled as a function of several parameters allowing the entire metallization process to be optimized. Though macroscopic characterization suggested the two films were similar in nature, microscopy revealed significant differences between films from the two complexes. SEM showed a more textured surface for the Ag-HFA, suggesting more nucleation sites. TEM, however, showed that the Ag-HFA films have thin silver layers, indicating that some silver remains unreduced. Thus, it appears that there is a ligand effect in this process, and hence many new silver complexes and salts can now be studied.


Using Monte Carlo simulations the interaction of a nanometre-sized, spherical Janus particle (a particle with two distinct surface regions of different functionality, in this case showing amphiphilic behaviour) with an ideal fluid interface is studied. In common with previous simulations of spherical, isotropic particles, the range of the nanoparticle-interface interaction is significantly larger than the nanoparticle radius due to the broadening of the interface due to capillary waves. For a uniform particle (an isotropic particle with one surface characteristic) the stability of the particle at a liquid interface is decreased as the affinity for one liquid phase is increased relative to the other; for large affinity differences the detachment energies calculated from continuum theory become increasingly accurate. For a symmetric Janus particle (where the two different surface regions are of equal area), the presence of the particle at the interface becomes more stable upon increasing the difference in affinity between the two faces, with each face having a high affinity for the respective liquid phase. In the case studied here, where surface tension between the A-region of the particle with the A-component is identical to the surface tension between the B-region and B-component, the interaction is symmetric with respect to the nanoparticle interface separation. The particle is found to have a large degree of orientational freedom, in sharp contrast to micrometre-sized colloidal particles. Comparison with continuum theory shows that this significantly overestimates the detachment energy, due to its neglect of nanoparticle rotation; simulations of nanoparticles with fixed orientations show a considerably larger detachment energy. As the areas of the surface regions become asymmetric the stability of the Janus nanoparticle is decreased and, in the case of large differences in affinities of the two faces, the difference between detachment energies from simulation and continuum theory diminishes.


The Brazilian scientific production has grown significantly in the last decades due to the success and growth of the postgraduate studies system. There was an increase in the number and diversity of scientific journals of the public health area in the 1990s. The main source of government funding for national scientific journals is through grants of MCTI / CNPq / CAPES / MEC. This is   direct transfer of financial resources to the scientific journals. In the period from 2000 to 2018 there was a real increase in CNPq's investments in ST ST&I actions until 2014, starting this year there was a decrease in investments, approaching the amounts invested at the beginning of the millennium. The main line of action of CNPq is the financing of scholarships in the country and abroad. Research funding accounted for less than 30% of the funds invested in this period. The publishing support is part of CNPq's line of research promotion, and among the modalities that form this line of action, it is responsible for the smallest portion of the investment. Considering the total investments made by CNPq, the portion allocated to the editorials grants is less than 1% of the total funds invested. Editorial grants represented 0.06% of the total invested resources in 2018. It should be mentioned that in the period from 2000 to 2018 there was an increase in demand for editorial grants, resulting in a restriction of the volume of resources received by each scientific journal.
The main patrons of the collective health journals are educational and research institutions and ABRASCO, which is the scientific society of the area. These institutions contribute in a variety of ways to the sustainability of journals through the financing of physical, computer or personnel infrastructure.
The absence of charge for publication of articles (APC) is a strategy of national journals to face competition with high impact foreign journals. Only two journals currently charge for the publication of articles. However, funding difficulties still persist, and journals often use supplementary publications with results from large national surveys, with rigid peer review as a complementary mechanism to finance their activities.


We develop stochastic variants of the wellknown BFGS quasi-Newton optimization method, in both full and memory-limited (LBFGS) forms, for online optimization of convex functions. The resulting algorithm performs comparably to a well-tuned natural gradient descent but is scalable to very high-dimensional problems. On standard benchmarks in natural language processing, it asymptotically outperforms previous stochastic gradient methods for parameter estimation in conditional random fields. We are working on analyzing the convergence of online (L)BFGS, and extending it to nonconvex optimization problems.


Water is an important component of vegetation canopies and the timely monitoring of vegetation moisture status is very useful for agricultural drought assessment and forest fire prediction. Currently, the retrieval of vegetation water content (VWC) is mainly based on spectral indices. However, the different performances under varying conditions make the evaluation of spectral indices very necessary. In previous studies, the determination coefficient (R 2), mean square error (MSE) and root mean square error (RMSE) were widely used for the evaluation of spectral indices. However, using these constants as evaluation criteria, the performance of spectral indices was the same within a wide range and thus could not be precisely described. In this study, the sensitivity function was introduced to investigate the strength of the spectral indices to VWC estimation based on LOPEX (Leaf Optical Properties EXperiment) data set. Equivalent water thickness (EWT) and fuel moisture content (FMC), both FMC based on fresh weight (FMCw) and FMC based on dry weight (FMCd), were used to indicate vegetation moisture status. According to the results, the major conclusions are as follows: (1) the sensitivity of spectral indices to VWC is not a constant but a function of VWC; (2) for each VWC indicator, the spectral indices show varying performances at different moisture levels, which can provide reference for spectral index selection while monitoring the vegetation moisture status; and (3) besides, the sensitivity of the same spectral index to different vegetation moisture indicators is not the same and the comparative study indicates that spectral indices are much more sensitive to EWT than FMCw and FMCd.


The electromagnetic theory of optical second-harmonic generation from small spherical particles comprised of centrosymmetric material is presented. The interfacial region where the inversion symmetry is broken provides a source of the nonlinearity. This response is described by a general surface nonlinear susceptibility tensor for an isotropic interface. In addition, the appropriate weak bulk terms for an isotropic centrosymmetric medium are introduced. The linear optical response of the sphere and the surrounding region is assumed to be isotropic, but otherwise arbitrary. The analysis is carried out to leading order in the ratio of (a/λ), the particle radius to the wavelength of the incident light, and can be considered as the Rayleigh limit for second-harmonic generation from a sphere. Emission from the sphere arises from both induced electric dipole and electric quadrupole moments at the second-harmonic frequency. The former requires a nonlocal excitation mechanism in which the phase variation of the pump beam across the sphere is considered, while the latter is present for a local-excitation mechanism. The locally excited electric dipole term, analogous to the source for linear Rayleigh scattering, is absent for the nonlinear case because of the overall inversion symmetry of the problem. The second-harmonic field is found to scale as (a/λ)3 and to be completely determined by two effective nonlinear susceptibility coefficients formed as a prescribed combination of the surface and bulk nonlinearities. Characteristic angular and polarization selection rules resulting from the mechanism of the radiation process are presented. Various experimental aspects of the problem are examined, including the expected signal strengths and methods of determining the nonlinear susceptibilities. The spectral characteristics associated with the geometry of a small sphere are also discussed, and distinctive localized plasmon resonances are identified.


Abstract The Raman spectra of Rb2KLuF6 elpasolite crystal have been studied in a wide temperature range, including two phase transitions: from the cubic phase to the tetragonal phase and then to the monoclinic phase. The results of an analysis of the temperature dependences of the parameters of spectral lines are in good agreement with the thermodynamic data on the phase transitions. The analysis of Raman spectra shows that the transition from cubic to tetragonal phase is a second-order transition and the transition from the tetragonal to the monoclinic phase is a weak first-order transition.


Social media sites (e.g., Twitter) have been used for surveillance of drug safety at the population level, but studies that focus on the effects of medications on specific sets of individuals have had to rely on other sources of data. Mining social media data for this in-formation would require the ability to distinguish indications of personal medication in-take in this media. Towards that end, this paper presents an annotated corpus that can be used to train machine learning systems to determine whether a tweet that mentions a medication indicates that the individual posting has taken that medication at a specific time. To demonstrate the utility of the corpus as a training set, we present baseline results of supervised classification.


Epilepsy is a very common neurological disease in childhood, with a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency. In pediatric epileptic population, treatment with antiepileptic drugs influence bone metabolism, reducing bone mass and levels of serum vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency may cause rickets and osteomalacia, resulting in a higher fracture risk and an increased incidence of osteoporosis in adult life. Vitamin D monitoring and supplementation is important in the management of epileptic children on long-term antiepileptic drugs. There are a few studies in literature related to the effects of vitamin D supplementation in epileptic children, concluding that the effects in these children differ from that in healthy population. Most studies recommend the prescription of vitamin D supplementation; however there is still a debate regarding the optimal level of vitamin D supplementation and its exact impact on bone mineralization.


ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified longstanding concerns about mounting levels of corporate debt in the United States. This article places the current conjuncture in its historical context, analysing corporate indebtedness against the backdrop of increasing corporate concentration. Theorising leverage as a form of power, we find that the leverage of large non-financial firms increased in recent decades, while their debt servicing burdens decreased. At the same time, smaller firms experienced sharp deleveraging alongside increasing debt servicing costs. Crucially, smaller corporations also registered severe losses over this period, while large corporations remained profitable, and in fact doubled their net profit margins from the early-1990s to the present. Taken together, the results from our mapping exercise uncover a series of dramatic changes in the financial fortunes of large versus smaller firms in recent decades, a phenomenon we refer to as the great debt divergence. We explain this divergence with reference to the dynamics of power in the era of 'shareholder capitalism', and we argue that the US political economy in the post-COVID 19 world is likely to resemble the pre-COVID 19 one, only with more market turmoil, more concentration, more inequality, and even less investment.


Real Time Kinematic (RTK) is a system that utilises Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) to provide accurate positioning in real time. The contribution of the troposphere, the ionosphere and local effects, such as receiver noise and multipath are the most significant error sources affecting network RTK measurements We show how measurements with network RTK are affected by these different error sources under varying circumstances such as time of year or time of the day, network infrastructure, satellite systems and processing techniques We find that, for Scandinavian conditions, the effect of the ionospheric spatial variability on network RTK measurements is greater during nighttime than during daytime. The effect is also largest in the months October and November and smallest in the months of June and July. A densification of the reference network from 70 km to 35 km between the reference stations results in improved measurements. The error in the measured vertical position coordinate is reduced from 26 mm to 17 mm. The access to new GNSS reduces error in the measured vertical position coordinate from 26 to 21 mm. By using the L3-combination, the contribution from the ionosphere is reduced to virtually zero. However, this has been at the expense of the local errors


Miss Marple senses danger when she visits a friend living in a Victorian mansion which doubles as a rehabilitiation centre for delinquents. Her fears are confirmed when a youth fires a revolver at the administrator, Lewis Serrocold. Neither is injured. But a mysterious visitor, Mr Gilbrandsen, is less fortunate - shot dead simultaneously in another part of the building. Pure coincidence? Miss Marple thinks not, and vows to discover the real reason for Mr Gilbrandsen's visit.


In "Ambassadors in Overalls: Mexican Guest Workers and the Future of Labor," Matt Garcia explores this the legacy of the Bracero Program, a bilateral agreement initiated in 1942 between the United States and Mexico that invited male Mexican nationals to do mostly farm labor in California and throughout the rest of the nation. Presumed to have ended in 1964, Garcia explores how guest worker programs of this type have continued to the present in multiple forms and in numerous countries. In the United States, they are often proposed as a solution to the problem of our broken immigration system in spite of a record of failure to ensure safe and fair working conditions for participants. Increasingly, Garcia argues, these programs are shaping the way we all live, work, and belong in this world.


The risk perceived by investors is crucial in the decision to invest, in particular when it concerns a foreign country. The risk associated to any (foreign) investment is a multi-faceted element given that it reflects many aspects that are relevant to (foreign) investors, such as the level of transparency, corruption, rule of law, governance, etc. In this paper we consider the level of economic freedom, as provided by the "Heritage Foundation", for the most recent years, in order to analyse how is this measure of risk related to the inward foreign direct investment performance index, as provided by the UNCTAD. Given the subjectivity of risk an appropriate methodology consists on using fuzzy logic clustering, which is applied in the paper in order to verify how different the MENA region is from the set of EU-member states. The results show that economic freedom and inward FDI are positively associated, in particular in the cluster of countries that present a higher economic freedom. Of particular interest is the result that some MENA countries belong to the same cluster of most of the EU-countries.


SummaryRecently, a variety of gravity observations in Antarctica has become available through extensive e orts of airbornesurveys. Aircrafts serving as multi-instrumentation platforms provide measurements on gravity, bedrocktopography, ice surface topography and ice thickness. Collected datasets are valuable in terms of resolution andhomogeneity, which make them suitable for studying regional geoid determination in selected Antarctic regions.Within this context the German joint project VISA provided an excellent database for improving the regionalgeoid by combining gravity and topographic data from aerogeophysical observations with long-wavelength informationfrom global gravity eld models. Using the remove-compute-restore technique in conjunction withleast-squares collocation a regional geoid for Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica, will be presented. A signalthreshold of up to 6 m added to the global model that was used as a basis can be expected. The accuracy ofthe regional geoid will be estimated to be at the level of 15 cm.Citation: J. Muller, S. Riedel, M. Scheinert, M. Horwath, R. Dietrich, D. Steinhage, H. Anschutz, W. Jokat(2007), RegionalGeoid and Gravity Field from a Combination of Airborne and Satellite Data in Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica { OnlineProceedings of the 10th ISAES, edited by A.K. Cooper and C.R. Raymond et al., USGS Open-File Report 2007-xxx, ExtendedAbstract yyy, 1-4.IntroductionThe new datasets provided by the satellite missions CHAMP, GRACE and GOCE (to be launched by theend of 2007) enable a homogeneous determination of the gravity eld. Furthermore, in the polar regions icesurface heights could be determined in a similar quality by ICESat. These new satellite data shall be validatedand densi ed by the German joint project VISA (Validation, Densi cation and Interpretation of Satellite Datafor the Determination of Magnetic Field, Gravity Field, Ice Mass Balance and Structure of the Earth Crust inAntarctica, uitilizing Airborne and Terrestrial Measurements) of TU Dresden and AWI Bremerhaven.For this purpose western and central Dronning Maud Land (DML), East Antarctica, were chosen as areaof investigation. Airborne as well as terrestrial observation campaigns were carried out to provide appropriatedatasets on height and height changes, gravity and gravity changes, magnetics, glaciology and seismology. Incombination with the satellite data these measurements will be applied to yield more detailed models of thegravity eld and the regional geoid, of the crustal structure and litosphere dynamics and of the dynamics andmass balance of the Antarctic ice sheet in the working area.Observation campaignsBetween 2001 and 2005 four airborne observation campaigns and two terrestrial observation campaigns werecarried out in western and central DML in order to conduct geodetic and geophysical measurements (Fig. 1,left). The scienti c program of the aerogeophysical campaigns for the observation of the gravity eld, magnetic eld, ice surface height and ice thickness (Radio Echo Sounding (RES)) contains more than 350 ight-hourswith a line-spacing between 10 and 20 kilometers. The terrestrial eld work took place at two di erent areas,during the season 2003/04 at Schirmacher Oasis - Potsdam Glacier - Wohlthat Mountains and one year later(season 2004/05) at Heimefrontfjella - Kirwanveggen. GPS and seismometer stations on bedrock were installed,kinematic GPS pro les, relative gravimetry on ice and ground penetrating radar (GPR) measurements werecarried out as well as samplings of rn cores and snow pits (Anschutz et al., 2007; Anschutz et al., 2006;Scheinert et al., 2005; Nixdorf et al., 2004).Regional Geoid ImprovementCombining satellite observations from CHAMP and GRACE with terrestrial data, high-resolution models ofthe Earth gravity eld have been obtained. Latest examples of these combination models are EIGEN-CG03C, EIGEN-GL04C (Forste et al., 2005; Forste et al., 2006) and GGM02C (Tapley et al., 2005). In Antarctica, thedetermination of the global gravity eld is problematic becausen due to the remoteness (often inaccessibility)and harsh conditions the terrestrial gravity data coverage features very large gaps. Only for a few smallerregions ground-based or airborne measured gravity was included into the combination. In order to improve theterrestrial gravity coverage and to determine the Antarctic geoid, the IAG Commission Project 2.4 "AntarcticGeoid" (chaired by M. Scheinert) was set into action, which is closely linked to SCAR Expert Group on GeodeticInfrastructure in Antarctica (GIANT) project 3 "Physical Geodesy". An overview on the situation is given in(Scheinert, 2005), and the strategy of regional geoid improvement is discussed in (Scheinert et al., 2007b) for thePrince Charles Mountains region, East Antarctica (PCMEGA), as well as for Palmer Land, Antarctic Peninsula(Scheinert et al., 2007a).Within this context, the VISA observation campaigns de-Figure 2: Free-air Anomalies (preliminary resultswith a spatial resolution of 14 kilometers)scribed above provide an excellent database for the validationof the gravity eld and, more importantly, for the determinationand improvement of the regional geoid. Fig. 2 showspreliminary results for the free-air anomalies derived from airbornemeasurements over the western and central DML witha resolution of 14 kilometer (Riedel and Jokat, 2007). Comparedwith the subglacial topography (Fig. 3, left panel) thestrong correlation between these two datasets is clearly visible.The right panel of Fig. 3 shows the ice surface heightin the area of investigation. The datasets of Fig. 3 a ord toderive the ice-thickness, which will be needed in addition tothe subglacial topography for the computation of an improvedgeoid. The high resolution of these datasets make them muchmore suitable than BEDMAP data (Lythe et al., 2000), whichwere a valuable source of information prior to the VISA radarobservations in DML.Especially in Antarctica problems occur when satellite observationsfrom CHAMP and GRACE up to a certain spherical harmonic degree (typically 120) should be combined with terrestrial data. Geophysically extrapolated gravity anomalies do not necessaily reect the actualgravity eld in Antarctica, though they are inevitable to provide a globally complete data coverage neededfor the solution of the closed surface integrals. For this reason, shorter wavelength information (higher thanspherical harmonic degree 120) is unreliable for most Antarctic areas (Fig. 1, right). This evinces when comparingthe gravity anomalies from EIGEN-GL04C for a harmonic window (degrees 121 to 360) (Fig. 1, right)with the free-air anomalies derived from VISA airborne measurements (Fig. 2). While a higher correlation canbe seen near the coastline, it diminishes in the southern part of DML.For the calculation of the regional geoid the remove-compute-restore technique (RCRT) was applied, whichis discussed in detail e.g. in (Forsberg and Tscherning, 1997) and (Sjoberg, 2005) and which was also usedin the PCMEGA case (Scheinert et al., 2007b). In the remove step, a long-wavelength part (predicted by aglobal gravity eld model) and a short-wavelength part (predicted by topography) are removed from the originalgravity data. In the compute step, the obtained band-pass ltered gravity anomalies are transformed into geoidheights, using least-squares collocation in this study. Least-squares collocation o ers the advantage of providingerror estimates for the resulting geoid. After having carried out the compute step, the long-wavelength part andthe short-wavelength part are restored in the geoid. For the computations, we could make use of the programpackage GRAVSOFT (Forsberg et al., 2003; Tscherning, 1974), which o ers a variety of tools for the geodeticgravity eld modelling.ConclusionCombining gravity and topographic data from VISA aerogeophysical campaigns with a global gravity eldmodel a regional geoid for Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica, will be presented. Studies in other regionsof Antarctica (Scheinert et al., 2007a; Scheinert et al., 2007b) have shown that a signal threshold of up to 6 mto the global gravity eld model that was used as a basis can be expected when comparing the improved geoidwith the global model up to spherical harmonic degree 120. The accuracy of the regional geoid is estimated tobe at the level of 15 cm. Considering the current data situation in Antarctica, the accuracy level of 1 dm is arealistic and appropriate goal for this area of the world. The data coverage in Antarctica will most likely besubject to major improvements when further airborne surveys are carried out. The International Polar Year2007/ 2008 provides a reasonable framework for international and interdisciplinary cooperation in that eld.SCAR-GIANT project 3 "Physical Geodesy" and IAG Commission Project 2.4 "Antarctic Geoid" work towardsthe goal of closing the gaps in the gravity data coverage and at improving the geoid in Antarctica.


This paper reports on a study aimed at developing an improved understanding of the support needs of international students. Using a case study approach at one Australian university, a three stage data collection process was adopted: interviews with key support service providers in the university, student focus groups, and a large-scale survey. Emphasis was placed on identifying the issues that are significant to international students in terms of their study experience, the services they consider as valuable and the factors that contribute to take-up. The findings reveal that, while most respondents felt that the range of support services provided is appropriate, current services could be improved by offering a more student-centred service structure and delivery. Issues identified as influencing service use include the institutional culture, perceived importance and awareness of services, the quality of information provided about those services, ease of access, timeliness of service provision and cost.


Travel writing is currently the focus of one aspect of Translation Studies that views the process of rewriting of other cultures as a form of translation. This paper considers how some British women travellers in the post-colonial period represent the Other in their texts as voices in dialogues that are purportedly genuine conversations. It discusses both the techniques used to include these conversations in the text, and the rhetorical and ideological effect these have on the reader. We will argue that, because of the special nature of travel writing in the "target culture", where it plays the role of a privileged text offering an insider view of the "source culture", the travel writer who attempts to document the speech of members of the source culture is operating as a kind of translator.


The Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes, Flavourings and Processing Aids (CEF) of the EFSA was requested to consider evaluations of flavouring substances assessed since 2000 by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (the JECFA), and to decide whether further evaluation is necessary, as laid down in Commission Regulation (EC) No 1565/2000. The present consideration concerns a group of 10 tetrahydrofuran derivatives and one furanone derivative evaluated by the JECFA at the 63rd meeting in 2004. This revision is made due to additional toxicity data have become available for anhydrolinalool oxide (5) [FL-no: 13.097]. The substances were evaluated through a stepwise approach that integrates information on structure-activity relationships, intake from current uses, toxicological threshold of concern, and available data on metabolism and toxicity. The JECFA concluded all the 11 tetrahydrofuran derivatives at step A3. The Panel agrees with the application of the Procedure as performed by the JECFA for 10 of the 11 substances. For the remaining substance [FL-no: 13.097] the Panel did not find that it could be metabolised to innocuous products and should accordingly be evaluated via the B-side of the Procedure scheme. A no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) of 52 mg/kg body weight was derived from a 90-day study in rats and compared with an exposure estimate of 0.9 μg/ capita / per day for anhydrolinalool oxide a margin of safety of 3.5 × 106 was calculated. Accordingly, the Panel agrees with the JECFA conclusion 'No safety concern at estimated level of intake as flavouring substances' based on the maximised survey-derived daily intake (MSDI) approach. The specifications for the materials of commerce have also been considered and for all 11 substances, the information is adequate.


This article explores the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in aiding personalized engagement marketing—an approach to create, communicate, and deliver personalized offerings to customers. It proposes that consumers are ready for a new journey in which AI is a tool for endless options and information that are narrowed and curated in a personalized way. It also provides predictions for managers regarding the AI-driven environment on branding and customer management practices in both developed and developing countries.


Many in the library world are embracing sustainability initiatives in an effort to better serve our communities and planet. In this article the author explores the need to integrate preservation within the broader approach to library sustainability, as well as the challenges presented by sustainable preservation practices. The author addresses concerns including reducing the amount of waste produced, recycling options, and availability of environmentally friendly supplies through the presentation of a case study. In addition, the article further explores the complexities of sustainable preservation by promoting continued discussion on finding the balance between accepted preservation best practices and emerging trends in sustainable solutions.


When many Americans think of George S. Patton, they conjure the image of George C. Scott. Yet the movie could only tell a compressed version of Patton's remarkable life. This book presents the full complexity of one of America's most famous generals. Patton began as a young man from a privileged background and loving family. He struggled to overcome what was probably a learning disability to gain entrance into West Point, and began a storied career as a soldier, one that would lead him into confrontations in Mexico, the Argonne Forest in World War I, and virtually everywhere in the European Theatre of World II, where his world renown exploded. Along the way, he found time to become a devoted family man, as well as an expert horseman and fencer. He even represented the United States in the Olympics. This book also includes a thorough bibliography of print and electronic sources to aid further research. A timeline plots the key events in Patton's life and career. Accessible to students and general readers, this biography looks at Patton the soldier and Patton the man, and is perfect for those interested in the general's life, World War II, and the U.S. military in the early and mid-20th century.


The incorporation of experimentally-determined constraints into structure-prediction methods based on energy minimization leads to both improved selectivity with empirical potential functions and structure determination with far fewer constraints than are required for distance-geometry calculations. Some methods will be described for using both distance and angle constraints with the hierarchical minimization algorithm. The simulation is based on a combination of Monte Carlo Simulated Annealing and Genetic Algorithm techniques which are integrated into a single framework. The selection cycle of the genetic algorithm is carried out at the same temperature as the mutations, or alternatively the crossover cycle can be considered as a type of Monte Carlo trial move, such that each temperature annealing step corresponds to a new generation. The sequence is divided up into segments, and the mutation step consists of replacing an entire segment with a choice from a pre-selected list. This list is in turn constructed from a list of smaller segments, and the number of overall conformations can thus be pruned at each level of selection. Results will be shown for test cases using a small number of flexible distance constraints used as an additional term in the potential, and for restrictions placed on backbone dihedral angles used as an additional screening criterion for constructing trial moves.


In the face of unimaginably violent systems, our most vulnerable bodies — sick, disabled, unable to rise from bed — offer the resistance of imperative vulnerability. What can we learn from the body that cannot help but fail? How can porosity perform treachery within entrenched opressions? What kind of reading and relationship to text can enrich relationship instead of inscribing boundaries between us? What does it mean to accept the unacceptable, and what kind of power becomes available when we submit to forces larger than ourselves? How might we take refuge in discomfort, and in the process refuse the stale comforts offered by hyper-capitalist economics and white supremacy?
 Static Palace, a collection of linked essays, weaves the writer's experiences of chronic illness and activism under Trump rule to explore the possibility that arises from circumstances we often perceive as ruin: hopeless political systems, disabled bodies, narratives that stutter and do not complete themselves, the devastation of climate change. Spurred by the writer's diagnosis with endometriosis and accompanying chronic conditions — which occurred immediately following the 2016 US Presidential Election — Static Palace is especially relevant in the context of rising fascism, pandemics, and the decay of social services and support networks.
 A direct engagement with the patchwork, fragmented brain of digital life and sick brain, Static Palace is part lyric essay and part cultural criticism: it pulls from current events, including Black-led resistance movements and disability justice activism, and cites contemporary thinkers on gender, feminism, care, critical race, and disability studies towards an artful treatment of crisis and community. Its concerns move toward connection and inter-being. By threading a wide variety of theories and politics through the personal, Fridman seeks a fertile integrity through — and with — subjectivity. We witness a mind making, culling, and attempting to stave off isolation through intertextual and interpersonal conversation. This work complicates the meaning of belonging, family and tribe, challenges our impulses toward narrative resolution, and offers a nuanced understanding of interdependent being and thought.


Mark Pauly offers a fresh and interesting way to consider the confusing and increasingly contentious matter of tax-exemption policy for nonprofit health care organizations. He makes several important points including: (a) that governmental policies on matters seeming unrelated to health care-criteria for tax exemptions in this case-can have important consequences for the health care system, (b) that changes in tax policy may require reallocations of hospitals' resources in unanticipated ways that bear careful advance consideration, and (c) that the future of nonprofits in health care will be affected by political processes and their own behavior, an argument that I myself made in these same pages a few years ago (Gray 1992). Along the way, Pauly illustrates some policy paradoxes and dilemmas that face the nonprofit sector in health care today. In the current political and competitive health care environment, it is difficult to dispute the advice with which Pauly concludes: nonprofit institutions would indeed be wise to define and document their "community benefit" activities to satisfy their critics. These critics, it should be noted, have diverse motivations. Some are seeking only to develop consistent and responsive tax policy in a field that is undergoing rapid change. Some, as Pauly notes, seek to use tax policy to achieve ends that policymakers have been unable to achieve more directly. Some are trying to improve their competitive position: the investor-owned health care companies who have entered the field and then contend that nonprofits' tax benefits create an uneven playing field may be similar to people who purchase homes near airports and then complain about the noise, but the health care companies have more political influence. Because of this mix of motives and the magnitude of the stakes, the tax-exemption policy debate in health care has taken on some characteristics that are worthy of note and careful consideration. I will concentrate on these in this commentary. Health-Centric Tax Policy Health care has become a distinct field of public policy, with its own institutions, focal governmental programs, interest groups and professional societies, academic and scholarly activities, and modes of discourse. The field has a kind of insularity that enables analysts and policy advocates to view the tax-exemption question for health care organizations as though it can be answered completely within a health care frame of reference. I have some culpability here, because an example of this health-centric approach to tax exemption policy can be seen in the report of the Institute of Medicine's Committee on ForProfit Enterprise in Health Care, to which Pauly refers several times. As director of the IOM study, I participated in the Committee's discussions and drafted much of the report. In discussing the "indigent care problem," the report suggested that "more consideration should be given to ensuring that hospitals and other notfor-profit institutions that receive charitable contributions and that benefit from a tax exemption provide public goods in the form of uncompensated care, unprofitable standby capacity, unsponsored research, or institutionally subsidized educational activities" (Institute of Medicine 1986, page 196).(1) In 1989, after having become thoroughly steeped in health policy in a decade at the IOM, I became the director of Yale University's Program on Nonprofit Organizations, a research center concerned with nonprofits generally. My awareness grew about the enormous variety of nonprofit organizations in the United States, about the disputed rationale for nonprofits' tax exemptions (Simon 1987), and the long tradition of thought that held that the existence of a third sector, distinct from (though hardly independent of) government and business was an important distinguishing characteristic of American society. It is from that perspective that my commentary is written. …


The quinazoline scaffold is found in the chemical structure of many marketed drugs used in CNS disorders as antidepressants, anxiolytics, or hypnotics. Also, the carbamate ester derivatives have different certain therapeutic actions, such as hyp-notic or parasympathomimetic ones. We have obtained new 4(3H)-quinazolinones by bringing together in the same structure the quinazoline nucleus and carbamate ester group. The compounds named Q1–Q5 were characterized by measuring the melting points, by determining the infrared and NMR spectra, and by elemental analysis. The pharmacological tests evidenced that the compounds have a very low acute toxicity, lethal doses being >2000 mg/kg bw. The compounds had different actions observed in forced swimming test (FST), tail suspension test (TST), or elevated plus maze (EPM), probably influenced by the presence of different radicals on the nucleus. Thus, Q1 with a nitro group in structure manifested the highest antidepressant effect, showing a reduction of immobilization time in FST and TST. On the other hand, Q3 and Q5, with two groups methoxy, respective ethoxy, had a slight anxiolytic effect, highlighted by an increase of the time spent in open arms and a decrease of the time spent in closed arms of EPM.


The batch cooling crystallization of an industrial active pharmaceutical ingredient that exhibits a needle-like habit was investigated. A model of the time variations of key physical properties of particles (crystal size distribution CSD and specific area) was designed using an approach based on the simple population balance equation. The experiments were monitored thanks to three in-situ process analytical sensors (Mid-IR spectroscopy, in-situ microscopy and laser backscattering). Primary and secondary surface nucleation mechanisms as well as growth of the main crystal dimension (length) were described resulting in a six parameter model. The model roughly represents the effects of different cooling strategies on the supersaturation profile, the CSD and the specific area of the final particles. First, a very weak primary nucleation occurs leading to an initial population of a few large crystals. A second population of crystals is generated afterwards through secondary nucleation mechanisms. The particles issued from the second burst of nucleation largely dominate (in mass and in number) the final overall population. Second, two important features of the crystallization process are outlined, which are commonly observed during the industrial crystallization of APIs (Active Pharm. Ing.) in impure mother liquors.


Surface temperature, upper‐air temperature, and ocean heat content data are used to constrain the distributions of the parameters that define three climate system properties in the MIT Integrated Global Systems Model: effective climate sensitivity, the rate of ocean heat uptake into the deep ocean, and net anthropogenic aerosol forcing. Five different surface temperature data records are used to show that the resulting parameter distribution functions are sensitive to the dataset used to estimate the likelihood of model output given the observed climate records. Estimates of effective climate sensitivity mode and mean differ by as much as 1 K between the datasets, with an overall range of 1.2 to 5.3 K. Ocean effective diffusivity distributions are poorly constrained by any dataset. The overall range of net aerosol forcing values, −0.19 to −0.83 Wm−2, is small compared to other uncertainties in climate forcings. Transient climate response (TCR) estimates derived from these distributions range between 0.87 and 2.41 K and the shapes of individual TCR distributions depend on the surface dataset. Understanding the differences in parameter distributions and climate system properties derived from them is critical for understanding the full range of uncertainty involved in climate model calibration and prediction results.


Abstract. Ship-based Multi-Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy measurements of iodine monoxide (IO) and atmospheric and seawater Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer observations of methyl iodide (CH3I) were made in the Eastern Pacific marine boundary layer during April 2010 as a part of the HaloCarbon Air Sea Transect-Pacific (HaloCAST-P) scientific cruise. The presence of IO in the open ocean environment was confirmed, with a maximum differential slant column density of 5 × 1013 molecules cm−2 along the 1° elevation angle (corresponding to approximately 1 pptv) measured in the oligotrophic region of the Southeastern Pacific. Such low IO mixing ratios and their observed geographical distribution are inconsistent with satellite estimates and with previous understanding of oceanic sources of iodine. A strong correlation was observed between reactive iodine (defined as IO + I) and CH3I, suggesting common sources. In situ measurements of meteorological parameters and physical ocean variables, along with satellite-based observations of Chlorophyll a (Chl a) and Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM) were used to gain insight into the possible sources of iodine in this remote environment. Surprisingly, reactive iodine showed a negative correlation (> 99% confidence) to Chl a and CDOM across the cruise transect. However, a significant positive correlation (> 99% confidence) with sea surface temperature (SST) and salinity instead suggests a widespread abiotic source related to the availability of aqueous iodine and to temperature.


Those who seek to reform our public schools often argue that school performance would improve if only policy and practice were based on evidence. If decision-makers and practitioners paid more attention to research findings, the argument goes, they would make better decisions about improvement strategies and resource allocation, and we would see better results. The belief in this axiom is demonstrated by the increasing frequency with which reformers, educators, and policymakers find it necessary to legitimate their actions with claims that they are "research-based." However, moving beyond rhetoric to actually put this principle into operation turns out to be difficult. This issue of CPRE Policy Briefs looks at findings from the Consortium for Policy Research in Education's study of how central office and school staff in three urban districts made decisions about instructional improvement strategies, and how much weight they gave to evidence. The three districts, in three different states, had enrollments ranging from 50,000 to over 200,000. Leaders in all three districts were addressing the problems common to most urban districts: students' problems associated with living in poverty, low achievement, high mobility, and high dropout rates. Changes in district and school leadership, high teacher turnover, changes in funding, and new state policies compounded the difficulty of improving performance in all three sites. The districts were also working in environments characterized by decentralized decisionmaking, high-stakes accountability, and increasing competition among providers of comprehensive school reform designs and other "research-based" instructional improvement strategies. During our study, we looked at three sets of strategic decisions that each district faced as it tried to improve student performance. The first set of decisions concerned what to do (i.e., which reform design or curriculum to adopt). The next set was deciding how to get it done; how to provide adequate support and coordination; and how to focus people's attention on the desired changes, ensure effective implementation, reduce distractions, and buffer this important work from competing agendas. Finally, there were decisions about scaling up the reforms -the problem of replication. The decision-making process in each case was complicated and the use of evidence to support the ultimate decisions varied considerably. While these categories overlap, they are useful organizers of our findings.


The kinetics and mechanism of Cu-mediated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP)
were investigated with particular emphasis on the ATRP deactivation rate coefficient,
k_deact
. The method of pulsed laser polymerization (PLP) induced by a laser single pulse
(SP–PLP) was applied in conjunction with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) for the
analysis of radical concentration. As the ATRP equilibrium is superimposed on a
conventional radical polymerization scheme, the decay of radical concentration after
instantaneous laser-induced production of an intense burst of radicals occurs as a
consequence of both deactivation and radical-radical termination. The measurement of
k_deact
 thus consists of two steps: First, termination is measured via SP–PLP–EPR for the
Cu-free monomer system. Within a second step, the decay of radical concentration is
monitored with the Cu(II) complex being present.
The novel strategy has been applied to homopolymerizations of butyl acrylate (BA) and
dodecyl methacrylate (DMA). HMTETA, PMDETA and TPMA were selected as the
ligands to Cu. The first two are a linear tri- and a tetradentate ligand, respectively, whereas
TPMA is a branched tetradentate ligand.
In the Cu-free DMA system, the crossover chain length i_c
showed a strong decrease toward
higher temperature. It is the first time that a temperature effect on i_c was observed.
In case of DMA polymerization with TPMA, k_deact was found in close agreement with the
number for the monomer-free model systems, whereas with HMTETA and PMDETA,
k_deact for the polymerizing system was lower by about one order of magnitude which effect
is assigned to steric strain on the polymer chain due to the α-methyl group. The values of
k_deact for BA polymerization are close to the ones determined for the model system.
With BA, an additional reaction channel occurs in which the Cu(I)
 species reacts with
acrylate radicals. Thus, SP–PLP–EPR experiments on BA in the presence of an ATRP Cu

catalyst were performed and the produced Cu(II)
 species was detected. In addition, timeresolved
spectra
were
recorded.
The
results
suggest
that
the
formation
of
organometallic

species
mainly
depends
on the ligand
to
Cu
and is
enhanced
for
highly
active
catalysts.


This article reports on a case study that investigated the implementation of New Zealand early childhood education (ECE) beliefs in a kindergarten in China and its implications. The study used a process of document analysis and individual interviews with teachers and parents to collect data. The incorporation of "Western" education approaches is not a new phenomenon in China. This paper uses empirical findings to highlight new concerns regarding this ongoing practice. It analyses the tensions emerging when a foreign curriculum and pedagogy are imported into a local setting without consideration of social and cultural contextual factors. It further scrutinises how imported and global beliefs and practices are responsive to, and sustain, valuable local knowledge that has been embraced and enacted for generations.


Students of the policymaking process are familiar with the fashion in which the policies underlying crisis-driven legislation are gradually eroded during the implementation process. A substantial body of administrative-law scholarship stands for the proposition that policymaking in administrative agencies is not confined to the formal structures of administrative law as envisioned by the drafters of the Administrative Procedure Act. This article suggests that in this era of deep divisions over the proper role of government in society, high-stakes rulemaking has become a "blood sport" in which regulated industries, and occasionally beneficiary groups, are willing to spend millions of dollars to shape public opinion and influence powerful political actors to exert political pressure on agencies. In addition, the implementation game has attracted a wider variety of players and has spread to arenas that are far less structured and far more overtly political than the agency hearing rooms and appellate courtrooms of the past. Employing as an illustration the Federal Reserve Board's attempt to implement the Durbin Amendment to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, this article suggests some general characteristics of this new model of high-stakes rulemaking, provides some tentative thoughts on the implications of this model for administrative law, and offers some possible responses to the phenomenon aimed at taming some of its least attractive characteristics and at ensuring that it does not further erode public trust in the administrative process.


Creating a professional portfolio is a requirement for most pre-service teachers in Alberta. Little is known, however, about principals' use of applicant portfolios in hiring. In response, researchers conducted an online survey of principals throughout the province. Findings indicate a preference for traditional job application items (e.g., a resume, reference letters, and letter of introduction) and teacher competence indicators (e.g., teacher mentor and school administrator assessments, student assessment methods, and a classroom management plan). Examining attitudes and hiring practices provides direction for creating portfolios that attend to the actual needs and interests of principals in the province, thereby enhancing the employment prospects of new teachers.


A group of scientists known as the Group for Scientific Reappraisal of the HIV-AIDS hypothesis created a web site title, Rethinking AIDS. The group behind the web site argues that AIDS is not a sexually transmitted disease. They even question the existence of the virus entity. My analysis is driven by the critical question: Does the web site construct a reality that affectively alters our perception of HIV-AIDS? In order to answer this question, Goodnight and Poulakos 1981 article, Conspiracy rhetoric: from pragmatism to fantasy to public discourse (Western Journal of Speech), will be utilized. Chairperson, Participants at the 13th International AIDS Conference; Comrades, Ladies, and Gentlemen: On behalf of our government and the people of South Africa, I am happy to welcome you to Durban and to our country, stated South African President, Thabo Mbeki on July 9, 2000. Sounds like the start of a normal speech until, Mbeki defended his decision to open the AIDS debate to a dissident group questioning the origins of the disease. Mbeki along with a growing group of biomedical scientists claim the cause of AIDS is still unknown. The dissident group believes AIDS is not a sexually transmitted disease. They believe the disease has toxic causes, and people are dying because they are poisoned to death by anti-viral drugs. The AIDS dissidents even question the existence of a virus entity. These skeptics say the AIDS virus has never been isolated, and the AIDS tests are worthless. What has resulted is a loosely affiliated worldwide network of scientists called the group for scientific reappraisal of the HIV-AIDS hypothesis. They have created a website called Rethinking AIDS found at www.virusmyth.com. The dissidents and their website have the 1 Dettmann: A Rhetorical Analysis of the Rethinking AIDS Website Published by Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato, 2001 potential to transform the way many people look at the topic of AIDS and constitutes the artifact for my analysis. The analysis is driven by the critical question: does the Virusmyth website construct a reality, which may effectively alter our perceptions of the HIV-AIDS hypothesis? So in order for us to better analyze the Rethinking AIDS website we will utilize Thomas Goodnight and John Poulakos, Conspiracy Rhetoric: From Pragmatism to Fantasy in Public Discourse as published in the Fall 1981 edition of the Western Journal of Communication. Goodnight and Poulakos method focuses on how a group can construct a conspiracy that works to change fantasy to reality. This model is justified because it examines how claims that are outside the norm of society attempt to become the norm. Which is exactly what the dissidents are trying to do with their Virusmyth Website. For us to best understand the import of their message, we will first, consider Goodnight and Poulakos method, next use the method to analyze the Rethinking AIDS website, and finally draw some critical implications. First, according to Goodnight and Poulakos, a groups reality, no matter how logical can be altered by the disclosure of opinion leaders. Conspiracy rhetoric begins by exploring two different grounds for rhetorical discourse: the pragmatic and the fantasy. Goodnight and Poulakos describe the pragmatic frame to be True Ideas that we understand to be conventional wisdom, or in other words, the way most of us view reality. For example, most people believe you have to work for a living. The fantasy perspective, on the other hands, is the 2 Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato, Vol. 1 [2001], Art. 3 http://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/jur/vol1/iss1/3 nonconformist belief, or an idea most of us dont accept to be a True Idea. Fantasy viewers think they will win the lottery and thus dont have to work. Goodnight and Poulakos state, Those upholding an unpopular or presumably lunatic point of view may be trying to restructure the way people think. The fantasy perspective is attempting to change the mindset of those with the pragmatic view. After examining Goodnight and Poulakos method, we can now apply it to the Rethinking AIDS website. Now every link on the website argues against our reality, or the pragmatic view we hold. The website is trying to convert our fantasy, their reality, into our reality. The fantasy views of the Rethinking AIDS website challenges the reality of 99 percent of Americans. The reconstruction of reality may be effective, according to Goodnight and Poulakos, by introducing evidence, which conflicts with our current beliefs. The dissident group is constructing viable alternatives to our reality through three rhetorical means: first, through the logos of expert testimony, second, through the ethos of professional journal articles, and finally through the pathos of challenging current medical tests. First, expert testimony is given to show significance. Kary Mullins, a biochemist and 1993 Noble Prize winner in chemistry states, If there is evidence that HIV causes AIDS, there should be a scientific document which either signally or collectively demonstrates the fact, at least with high probability. Peter Duesburrg, Ph.D. of molecular and cell biology at the University of California, Berkley claims, There is no evidence to support the HIV AIDS hypothesis. Instead, the virus is biochemically inactive and harmless, and AIDS is not behaving as a contagious disease. 3 Dettmann: A Rhetorical Analysis of the Rethinking AIDS Website Published by Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato, 2001 Second, the credibility of academia mainstream popularity is being used to advance the claims. The website lists articles being published in highly regarded, peer reviewed scientific journals. Like Peter Langs article found in the Journal of American Medical Association or Dr. Feimmings 1995 article found in the Journal of Acquired Immuno Deficiency. The Virusmyth website extends its credibility by noting HIV dissidents are appearing in the mainstream. According to the website, On January 14, 2000, multi-platinum rock band, the FOO FIGHTERS, staged a Los Angeles benefit concert for the AIDS reappraisal group, raising over $20,000.00. LAs number one radio station KROQ aired a segment with the FOO FIGHTERS stating, on air, the Alive and Well Message that HIV DOES NOT CAUSE AIDS. This is the first time internationally known celebrities have openly supported the AIDS dissidents. Finally, the Virusmyth website works emotional declarations into their construction. The site declares being tested for AIDS is worthless. In fact, the site gives 10 reasons NOT to be tested Including, The doctor will just pressure you to take strong drugs immediately, and even if you test positive you may never become sick. After examining Goodnight and Poulakos method, and applying it to the website, we can now draw some critical implications. Three implications can be drawn about the artifact. First, the use of expert testimony, a standard in conventional wisdom is being used to advance the counterclaims. The dissidents cite Nobel prize winners and scientific journals, not new age spirituals or other sources we can easily discredit. Goodnight and Poulakos state, Typically, the more highly regarded the source, the more credible the message, and the greater the likelihood of persuasion. therefore, the trust in the 4 Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato, Vol. 1 [2001], Art. 3 http://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/jur/vol1/iss1/3 dominant view gradually starts to erode, the ideas of the conspirators become more powerful and appealing, and people start to believe the unusual ideals. Thus, the effect, according to Goodnight and Poulakos, is people start to distrust the doctors who say HIV DOES cause AIDS. They start to believe they dont need to seek medical help and they dont need to be tested for AIDS. Second, is the issue of the effectiveness of the campaign. We cannot accurately determine how many people have been have had their perceptions of reality altered by the Virusmyth website. We do know, however, their effective use of aligning their evidence within classical Aristotelian conceptslogos, ethos, and pathosincreases the potential impact of the rhetoric. The belief HIV causes AIDS may now be seen as less convincing than once thought, perhaps even false. The Virusmyth evidence is effective, because as Goodnight and Poulakos state, inconsistencies of the old evidence occurs and suspicions start to grow. Finally, we must consider the impact the Virusmyth website may have on individuals who are swayed by the discourse. We must note their rhetoric only confronts and challenges the current HIV-AIDS reality. The dissidents through their website do not provide a course of action for the current health crisis. Scientists may not know everything about HIV-AIDS, and some of the current perspectives may not be correctbut what we do know is compelling: Something has infected millions of people, Something has killed tens of thousandsand will kill thousands more, unless continued action is taken. Today, we have examined Goodnight and Poulakos method, applied it to the Rethinking AIDS website, and finally drawn some critical implications. 5 Dettmann: A Rhetorical Analysis of the Rethinking AIDS Website Published by Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato, 2001 Mbeki closed with, On behalf of our government and the people, I wish the 13th International AIDS Conference success. I am confident you have come to these African shores as messengers of hope and because you care. Mbekis view along with others is attempting to change the way society views AIDS. Many argue against the effectiveness of these claims. However, others believe the only way to advance is to question. Professor Walter Gilbert stated, The community


Transient and stable color centers created by optical pumping at 308 nm have been studied in Ce3+:YLiF4. Since the color centers are absorptive at the cerium emission wavelengths, they degrade the Ce3+:YLiF4 laser performance. The color centers are produced following a multiphoton ionization of the Ce3+ ions. Rate equations that incorporate both creation and photobleaching processes are developed to model the observed kinetics and intensity dependence of the color-center density. Measurements of the single-pass gain at 325 nm as a function of the repetition rate of the pump laser are interpreted in terms of the relaxation time of the transient centers.


A full three-dimensional particle tracking system was developed and tested. By using three separate CCDs placed at the vertices of an equilateral triangle, the threedimensional location of particles can be determined. Particle locations measured at two different times can then be used to create a three-component, three-dimensional velocity field. Key developments are: the ability to accurately process overlapping particle images, offset CCDs to significantly improve effective resolution, allowance for dim particle images, and a hybrid particle tracking technique ideal for three-dimensional flows when only two sets of images exist. An in-depth theoretical error analysis was performed which gives the important sources of error and their effect on the overall system. This error analysis was verified through a series of experiments, which utilized a test target with 100 small dots per square inch. For displacements of 2.54mm the mean errors were less than 2% and the 90% confidence limits were less than 5.2μm in the plane perpendicular to the camera axis, and 66μm in the direction of the camera axis. The system was used for flow measurements around a delta wing at an angle of attack. These measurements show the successful implementation of the system for three-dimensional flow velocimetry.


Author(s): Aghajanzadeh, A; English, M; English, C | Abstract: Integrating the agricultural sector into energy demand management incentive programs requires a decision support system for irrigation management – tools to more precisely plan and track water and energy use across the growing season. Balancing on-farm irrigation and energy needs with a dynamic electricity grid is becoming increasingly important to energy users, energy producers and California's energy infrastructure. For irrigators, this means balancing crop water demand during the season against the cost and timing of energy use. This report will outline linkages between irrigation energy demand and the operational imperatives of the electricity grid. It discusses economic opportunities for on-farm energy conservation and electric load shifting and challenges of demand management programs, including: (i) timing of pumping energy use to take advantage of utility Time of Use (TOU) rates; and (ii) responding to Demand Response (DR) events, specifically farms with limited system capacity. This report will also present an overview of an irrigation planning and management tool designed to facilitate participation in demand management programs.


We study the consequences of 'leniency' - reduced legal sanctions for wrongdoers who spontaneously self-report to law enforcers - on corruption, drug dealing, and other forms of sequential, bilateral, illegal trade. We find that when not properly designed, leniency may be highly counterproductive. In reality leniency is typically "moderate," in the sense of only reducing, or at best cancelling the sanctions for the self-reporting party. Moderate leniency may greatly facilitate the enforcement of long-term illegal trade relations, and may even provide an effective enforcement mechanism for occasional (one-shot) illegal transactions, which would not be enforceable otherwise.


Functionalization of polysulfones by using "Click" chemistry is described for the example of a small fluorescent analyte propargylpyrene. First, PSUs were converted to azido-functionalized polymers by successive chloromethylation and azidation. Propargylpyrene was prepared independently as a fluorescent click component. Finally, the azido-functionalized PSUs were coupled with propargylpyrene with high efficiency by copper-catalyzed azide/alkyne click reactions. The final polymers and intermediates at various stages were characterized by 1 H NMR, FT-IR, GPC, UV-Vis, and fluorescence spectroscopy techniques.


Smart City is currently becoming a global issue in the context of better city management. This paper discusses the implementation of Smart City and its effect on better city management. The discussion is based on a literature study comprising best and empirical practices related to the implementation of the idea of Smart City in Indonesia. The discussion focuses on the elements of Smart City, support from structural aspects, infrastructure, supra-structure and its relationship with city management as well. This paper can be the description of the best practices of the implementation of Smart City toward better city management with the Program of Toward 100 Smart Cities in Indonesia and the issue of moving the capital of Indonesia in relation with the need for better City management and the implementation of Smart City.


Eigenvector centrality is a common measure of the importance of nodes in a network. Here we show that under common conditions the eigenvector centrality displays a localization transition that causes most of the weight of the centrality to concentrate on a small number of nodes in the network. In this regime the measure is no longer useful for distinguishing among the remaining nodes and its efficacy as a network metric is impaired. As a remedy, we propose an alternative centrality measure based on the nonbacktracking matrix, which gives results closely similar to the standard eigenvector centrality in dense networks where the latter is well behaved but avoids localization and gives useful results in regimes where the standard centrality fails.


Leukocytes recruited to regions of focal cerebral ischemia may contribute to tissue injury by their ability to promote inflammation. A novel group of drugs, the 21-aminosteroids, have been observed to reduce neurologic damage and vasogenic cerebral edema in animal models of stroke by inhibiting lipid peroxidation. Production of hydrogen peroxide and free radicals by leukocytes during the inflammatory response may contribute to lipid peroxidation and other consequences of free radical-mediated tissue injury. We assessed the effect of U74500A, a 21-aminosteroid, on the generation of hydrogen peroxide by and on the chemiluminescence of stimulated polymorphonuclear leukocytes and monocytes from normal humans. U74500A significantly reduced the generation of hydrogen peroxide by polymorphonuclear leukocytes (p less than 0.001) and monocytes (p less than 0.01) in a dose-dependent manner. Monocyte chemiluminescence was also significantly inhibited (p less than 0.05), but polymorphonuclear leukocyte-associated chemiluminescence was unchanged. Our results indicate that U74500A can reduce the concentration of oxygen metabolites associated with stimulated human leukocytes, and this effect may explain in part how 21-aminosteroids reduce lipid peroxidation, ischemic injury, and vasogenic edema.


The proportion of business ethics literature devoted to accounting and the proportion of academic accounting literature devoted to ethical issues are both small, yet over the past two decades there has been a steady accumulation of research devoted to ethical issues in accounting. Based on a database of more than 500 articles gathered from a wide range of accounting and business ethics academic journals, this paper describes and analyses the characteristics of what has been published in the past twenty years or so. It identifies and explores patterns and trends in publication outlets and the type of research conducted. Furthermore, through a comparison with issues that have been raised in the general business ethics literature, it offers guidance to researchers who intend to take the field of accounting ethics forward using empirical methods.


The thesis is an exploration of the elections and governance in a contemporary Chinese village. It is a qualitative case study of one village in Shandong Province, China, using in-depth interviews with villagers, village candidates, township officials as well as national, provincial, township and village documents. It reveals how the clientelist system functions in and shapes the process of the village elections and governance.

Drawing upon the qualitative data and empirical evidence collected in the field site, the thesis challenges the liberal-democratic view that the implementation of direct village elections and self-governance, which is generally considered to be "village democracy", has empowered villagers to resist the state and may mark the beginning of a bottom-up democratization in China. In contrast, it argues that even procedurally "free and fair" village elections largely fail to deliver meaningful results, and that village governance, although in the name of self-governance, actually continues to be dominated by the Chinese local state. This is because clientelist structures, embodied in vertical patron-client alliances between political elites and villagers, have strongly influenced the actors and functioned to facilitate and supplement the authoritarian control of the state.

The thesis also contests interpretations of village elections and self-governance that stress the state's formal administrative capacity over controlling and manipulating village politics. While it shows some of the formal mechanisms by which township government control village affairs, it demonstrates also that after the implementation of the "village democracy" the state is still able to maintain its authoritarian capacity by taking advantage of the informal clientelist interaction between local state officials and the village elites.


Background: Several accounting scandals have caused a development from rules-based to principles-based regulation. Swedish municipalities follow the principle-based recommendations issued by RKR (The Council for Municipal Accounting). An explicit requirement of component depreciation has been introduced prior to 2014. The principles-based regulatory framework raises some choices regarding the introduction and demands that professional judgments are made. There is some risk that comparability decreases. This risk could be reduced by being inspired by and do similarly to what the previous actors have done. Questions: How do municipalities introduce component depreciation based on the principles-based regulatory framework? What underlying factors affecting the choice and what are the effects of the transition to component depreciation?Purpose: This study aims to create an understanding of how various municipalities' behavior is influenced by the limited guidance that principle-based system gives when component depreciation is being introduced. It also seeks to explain the effects of the transition.Method: The study is based on a qualitative approach in which five in-depth interviews were conducted with five different municipalities. The respondents were selected through a targeted selection depending on how far they have come in the change process.Results and conclusion: The study shows that municipalities primarily choose to use component depreciation for new investments, how the old fixed assets should be handled is somewhat unclear. Furthermore, municipalities tend largely to be inspired by and collaborate with each other. Cooperation takes place but in different ways depending on whether it is a large or small community. Small municipalities often collaborate with each other and are inspired by the larger municipalities, while the larger municipalities cooperate with each other and are inspired by the private sector. Component depreciation gives rise to a need for increased internal cooperation between the various municipal departments


Everyone But Rizzo: Using The Arts To Transform Communities The topic of our meeting has intrigued me personally for many years, going back to my undergraduate days in the Viet Nam War era. My double major of religion and political science should be an indication of this long-term involvement in the matter. I usually tell persons that I had that double major so no one would talk to me at cocktail parties. While I have not completely abandoned the systemic solutions to international conflict we sought in the late 60s and early 70s, I have resolved for myself that it is far more important for theologians, religious educators, and other persons of faith to become engaged in hands-on, interpersonal practices of peacemaking than to focus on creating a constructive "theory" of peace. It no longer makes sense to me to talk about justice, redemption, forgiveness, or duty as universal concepts alone; I believe I am only acting faithfully when I act justly in community, when I engage in practices that empower reconciliation and redemption of relationships, when I model forgiveness, and when I live loyally and in solidarity with others. The task of religion in this process must be working in partnership with persons and institutions to, in Parker Palmer's wonderfully evocative phrase, "create a space where the community of truth is practiced." (Palmer 1998, 90) I have always been engaged in the arts. I began my college education as a music education major at Florida State University and still play my saxophone regularly. Our son and daughter-in-law are musicians. I began writing poetry when I was quite young. While my attempts at drawing more closely resemble something produced by a committee than "art", I have become quite interested in art, sculpture, and (partially because of our campus' connection with Frank Lloyd Wright) architecture. Through our daughter, I have become a student of dance and theatre as well. So, it would come as little surprise to those who know me that I have been drawn to ways in which the arts can help one live faithfully in community. My experience with the arts has convinced me that the arts have a power to transform persons and communities in ways our more typical scientific and assessment-centered approaches to problem-solving cannot. As Jo Salas, one of the founders of "Playback Theatre," has said, "The arts weave our lives with others, not only our contemporaries but our forebears. Through the arts we find and communicate meaning, reassurance, healing, vision: we move toward fulfilling ourselves, individually and as a society." (Salas 2007, 10) My approach to the topic of our Round Table will be to examine three specific communities in which the arts have contributed to healing, reconciling, and redeeming the brokenness that has affected them. The three approaches to be addressed are the Mural Arts Program in Philadelphia, a women's cooperative in Peru that produces fabric sculptures known as arpilleras orcuadros, and a form of non-scripted theatre known as Playback Theatre. I will use a form of postmodern analysis as an organizing as well as a hermeneutical device in addressing the three subjects. A Postmodern Hermeneutical Theology The modern era of theology, philosophy, and social interaction which began with the Enlightenment emphasized human reason freed from the hegemony of church and state, the autonomous self as a knowing subject, the emergence of "consciousness" as a scientific understanding of self and all knowledge, and a top-down, hierarchical flow of authority from "centers" of knowledge. Biblical theologian Walter Brueggemann claims the modern world's focus on reason, universal principles, method, and logic was undergirded by a male, Western, largely-White cultural hegemony. (Brueggemann 1993, 10-11) "Truth" was regarded as having an objective, absolute status that could be accessed by humans through the application of scientific principles of investigation. …


High deformation hardening, low thermal conductivity, high built-up edge tendency of austenitic stainless steels were the main factors that make their machinablity difficult. For determination of the suitable cutting parameters in machining austenitic stainless steel by PcBN cutting tools, the samples which were prepared to be used in the experiment, 300 mm in length and 60 mm in diameter, were dry machined in a numerical control lathe. During experiments, dry turning parameters, such as feed rate, cutting speed and cut depth were investigated. The suitable cutting speed and feed rate were determined according to workpieces surface roughness, cutting tools flank wear. Finally, cutting speed of 160 to 200 m/min, feed rate of 0.06 to 0.08 mm/rev and cut depth of 0.10 mm gave the satisfied results.


A novel method is introduced using to evaluate the quality of thin-film transistor (TFT) array for driving active-matrix display (OLED). By the means of this method, the operation states of the TFT or the defects of TFT can be judged. It is a current testing method with the advantages of fast response, excellent precision, no effect to aperture and no damage to the display array.


This text documents a conference on commercial law in the Middle East, which was jointly organized by the School of Oriental and African Studies, and the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies in London. It was an occasion which brought together contributors from the principal countries in the Middle East as well as United Kingdom lawyers. The conference provided an opportunity to compare how different Islamic legal systems were learning to accommodate the demands of contemporary commerce with Islamic traditions. This collection of papers aims to provide a multi-faceted insight into commercial law and practice in the Middle East.