The use of biologging instruments has greatly improved our understanding of the behaviour, physiology and ecology of free-ranging marine mammals. However, handling wild animals and attaching instruments to streamlined bodies can cause stress and potentially influence behaviour and swimming/diving energetics. The goals of this study, undertaken on Bouvetøya, were (1) to determine if the first trip to sea after instrumentation is representative of subsequent trips in lactating Antarctic fur seals, to explore potential handling effects and assess possible biases in having multiple short-duration deployments (inflating N, using a limited number of tags) and (2) to evaluate potential effects of two different instrument combinations (SMRU satellite data relay loggers and very high frequency radio transmitters versus Wildlife Computers time–depth recorders and very high frequency radio transmitters) on trip durations, dive parameters, female body condition and pup growth. Handling did not appear to have any effects on the parameters studied; data from the first and second trips did not differ significantly. This implies that multiple short-term deployments are unlikely to result in biased data in this species. Instrument type did have measurable effects; time-at-sea was greater and pup growth was lower for pairs in which mothers carried bulkier instruments. This suggests that instrument streamlining is important to avoid negative impacts and that bulkier equipment should be deployed on lactating females with caution and only for short periods. The study highlights that instrument effects should be taken into account when comparing data from experiments collected using different equipment packages.


In binary-utility games, an agent can have only two possible utility values for final states, 1 (win) and 0 (lose). An adversarial binary-utility game is one where for each final state there must be at least one winning and one losing agent. We define an unbiased rational agent as one that seeks to maximize its utility value, but is equally likely to choose between states with the same utility value. This induces a probability distribution over the outcomes of the game, from which an agent can infer its probability to win. A single adversary binary game is one where there are only two possible outcomes, so that the winning probabilities remain binary values. In this case, the rational action for an agent is to play minimax. In this work we focus on the more complex, multiple-adversary environment. We propose a new algorithmic framework where agents try to maximize their winning probabilities. We begin by theoretically analyzing why an unbiased rational agent should take our approach in an unbounded environment and not that of the existing Paranoid or MaxN algorithms. We then expand our framework to a resource-bounded environment, where winning probabilities are estimated, and show empirical results supporting our claims.


Abstract This study examined the adjustment of a sample of adolescent girls and young women (N = 228) who were in compulsory care in Sweden between 1999 and 2000. Using person-oriented analyses, participants' responses to the Adolescent Drug Abuse Diagnosis Instrument (Friedman & Utada, 1989; ADAD) at intake yielded five externalizing problem configurations. The main analyses focused on examining whether problem configuration at intake was important to participants' adjustment at a four-year follow-up. Overall, results indicated that problem configuration can be important to later adjustment (less life satisfaction, more drug use, and problems controlling violent behavior), particularly if the problem configuration involves multiple problems at elevated levels and/or drug use. The implications of the study results are discussed in light of efforts to improve the tailoring of care and treatment for diverse youth who experience multiple problems.


Aims: The study aims to describe the use of dialysis catheters in critically ill patients treated with continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) and to study the impact of femoral versus non-femoral access on CRRT dose. Methods: Statistical analysis and predictive modelling of data from the Randomized Evaluation of Normal vs. Augmented Level renal replacement therapy trial. Results: The femoral vein was the first access site in 937 (67%) of 1,399 patients. These patients had higher Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores (p = 0.009) and lower pH (p < 0.001) but similar mortality to patients with non-femoral access (44 vs. 45%; p = 0.63). Lower body weight was independently associated with femoral access placement (OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.96-0.98). Femoral access was associated with a 1.03% lower CRRT dose (p = 0.05), but a 4.20% higher dose was achieved with 13.5 Fr catheters (p = 0.03). Conclusions: Femoral access was preferred in lighter and sicker patients. Catheter gauge had greater impact than catheter site in CRRT dose delivery. Video Journal Club "Cappuccino with Claudio Ronco" at http://www.karger.com/?doi=439581.


We investigated the effect of subcarriers-to-subcarriers mixing interference and frequency fading in direct-detection (DD) optical orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) system. We also proposed and experimentally demonstrated a novel DD OFDM transmission scheme with pre-emphasis technique. By pre-emphasizing the power of the OFDM subcarriers at the high frequency, the received sensitivity at our experiment was improved about 2 dB at a bit error rate of 1 × 10-4 after 100-km SMF-28 transmission compared to the regular one without this technique.


Natural and artificial factors affecting groundwater flow and transport in the vicinity of an LPG storage site were examined to understand the groundwater flow and transportregime around LPG storage caverns. The cross-correlation analysis results showed that the 11-year monitoring data of groundwater head and seepage water into caverns were mainly controlled by rainfall and cavern operation pressure. The result of seepage rate being mainly controlled by operation pressure support the dependence on operation pressure rather than rainfall and microbial clogging. Hydrogeochemical analysis results in the site showed the influence of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), used in disinfection activity to remove microbial clogging around caverns and water curtains. Due to the chemical characteristics of NaOCl, the groundwater compositions of wells around caverns selectively showed high pH, sodium, and chloride concentrations. Heterogeneous distribution of sodium and chloride regardless of distance from water curtains and caverns implied the channelling effect of the fractured medium. The faults and associated fractures, which act as groundwater conduits in the site, are considered to be themain factors causing the hydrochemical heterogeneity. The distribution of hydrogeochemical constituents in groundwater shows that the major part of groundwater flow and transport occursfrom structurally formed high-recharge zones to cavern seepage zones.


The specificity of a legal framework on waste management lies in the nature of the provision of this service. Waste management is a visible and politically sensitive public service, which can be described as universal, complex, and of great importance for the public. The article analyses the legal framework on municipal waste management from the organisational point of view: the institutional framework of the waste sector management is presented and the operation of authorities at the central, regional and local level is discussed. The Law on Waste Management of the Republic of Lithuania establishes a legal framework for the organisation of municipal waste management systems, whereas specific organisational methods are selected and implemented by municipalities. Municipalities play a central role in the organisation of municipal waste management systems. The specific elements of municipal waste management systems include: (1) delegation of performance of relevant functions to the administrator of the municipal waste management system; (2) terms and conditions of municipalities and waste managers' agreements on waste management; (3) specific terms and conditions of collaboration with producers and importers; and (4) ways of funding the implementation of decisions regarding the municipal waste management system. A combination of the said elements forms a specific model of the organisation of a municipal waste management system applied by a municipality. There is a variety of organisational models used by municipalities in this area. The article analyses the amendment to the Law on Waste Management, which provides the definition of the administrator of a municipal waste management system and establishes the administrator's functions. The process of consideration and adoption of the amendment showed a lack of the state's vision regarding a wider role of regional waste management centres as well as their position within the municipal waste management systems. The article also deals with other issues related to the organisation of municipal waste management systems. The factors of the private sector's involvement in the municipal waste management are discussed as these factors, in their entirety, influence the selection of an appropriate model (public or private). Speaking about the municipalities' choice between the public and the private models, the aspect of legal framework is highly important and is discussed in the article in greater detail. Municipalities, as entities responsible for the achievement of the targets set for the municipal waste management systems, should be provided with proportional facilities for this purpose, with the reasoning for relevant decisions explained.


PILOT (the Pathfinder for an International Large Optical Telescope) is a proposed 2.5-m optical/ infrared telescope to be located at Dome C on the Antarctic plateau. The atmospheric conditions at Dome C deliver a high sensitivity, high photometric precision, wide-field, high spatial resolution, and high-cadence imaging capability to the PILOT telescope. These capabilities enable a unique scientific potential for PILOT, which is addressed in this series of papers. The current paper presents a series of projects dealing with the distant (redshift >1) Universe, that have been identified as key science drivers for the PILOT facility. The potential for PILOT to detect the first populations of stars to form in the early Universe, via infrared projects searching for pair-instability supernovae and gamma-ray burst afterglows, is investigated. Two projects are proposed to examine the assembly and evolution of structure in the Universe: an infrared survey searching for the first evolved galaxies at high redshift, and an optical survey aimed at characterising moderate-redshift galaxy clusters. Finally, a large-area weak-lensing survey and a program to obtain supernova infrared light-curves are proposed to examine the nature and evolution of dark energy and dark matter.


Islam today is a truly global faith, yet it remains somewhat of an enigma to many of us. Each and every day our newspapers are saturated with references to Islam; Quran, Taliban, Hijab, Fatwa, Allah, Sunni, Jihad, Shia, the list goes on. But how much do we really understand? Are we, in fact, misunderstanding? "The Penguin Dictionary of Islam" provides complete, impartial answers. It includes extensive coverage of the historical formations of the worldwide Muslim community and highlights key modern Muslim figures and events. Understanding Islam is vital to understanding our world and this text is the definitive authority, designed for both general and academic readers.


Objective: To compare external and internal fixation for the management of bicondylar tibial plateau fractures in terms of surgical site infection (SSI). Study Design: Randomized Controlled Trial. Settings: Faisalabad Medical University and affiliated Hospitals, Faisalabad, Pakistan. Duration: May 15, 2017 to November 15, 2017. Methodology: Approval from the institutional ethical committee was taken. All the patients with diagnosis of Bicondylar (Schatzker types V and VI) tibial plateau fractures in acute trauma setting who fulfilled the selection criteria were entered in the study by taking informed written consent. All selected cases were guided/informed regarding risk and benefits of the procedure. Randomization was based on computer generated numbers and allotted A & B groups. Group A patients underwent open reduction and internal fixation and in Group B patients' external fixation with illizarove ring fixator was applied. All the relevant information was filled on predesigned Performa. Post-operative superficial surgical site infection was noted at 4 weeks after surgery in the ward of each patient. According to the Centre of Disease Control and prevention (CDC) and Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) criteria for defining a superficial surgical site infection, the record from each patient was collected after carefully examining the surgical wound at 4 weeks after surgery. Results: Post-operative superficial surgical site infection was 10 %(n=4) in cases of Group-A and 47.5%(n=19) in cases of Group-B, whereas 90%(n=36) in Group-A and 52.5%(n=21) in Group-B had no SSI. Conclusion: We found lower rate of infection in cases treated with internal fixation than those undergoing external fixation for bicondylar tibial plateau fractures.


A model accurately describing amplified spontaneous emission noise in systems with distributed Raman gain is presented. Numerical simulations are corroborated with experimental results. Our model is used to study the interaction between signal and noise mediated by fiber nonlinearities for different propagation regimes. It is shown that for distances longer than 120 km and moderate signal powers, higher than 6 mW, the noise statistics deviates significatively from the Gaussian distribution.


Aims:
Trigeminal neuralgia is generally caused by neurovascular compression. In rare
cases intracranial tumors may also lead to this condition. The present study
was conducted to identify clinical symptoms and testing methods that are useful
for early detection of trigeminal neuralgia associated with intracranial tumor.
Methods: Five patients with trigeminal neuralgia suspected to be due to
intracranial tumor, who visited our department for the first time during the
period between February 2007 and March 2009, were examined. We analyzed the
medical records and MRI findings of these patients. The clinical symptoms of
subjects were compared to those presented at the International Classification
of Headache Disorders. Results: There were no feature symptoms to trigeminal
neuralgia caused by intracranial tumors compared with trigeminal neuralgia in
general. None of the patients complained of spontaneous headache and nausea,
which are clinical symptoms characteristic of brain tumor. Head MRI at our
hospital was the most accurate method to detect intracranial tumors. Finally
four of five patients received brain surgery to remove tumors. Conclusion: Small
tumors and roots of the trigeminal nerve may not create accurate images by
regular head MRI. Therefore, MRI using the imaging sequence which enables
accurate visualization of roots of the trigeminal nerve is essential to
confirm the presence of tumors in patients with suspected trigeminal
neuralgia.


Contemporary steganography approaches suffer from many serious deficiencies; generally, they attempt to hide data as detectable and suspicious noise in a cover that is assumed to look innocent. In addition, steganography approaches found in literature have focused on how to conceal a message and not on how to camouflage its transmittal. This paper presents a comprehensive survey that focuses mainly on, but not limited to, computational linguistics aspects of steganography and it is organised as follows: Section 1 concisely details the fundamental concepts related to steganography, summarises the current state of the research, and highlights the technical concerns. Then, it briefly describes the modern steganography, namely noiseless steganography (Nostega). Section 2 discusses the contemporary steganography and Nostega paradigm (the modern steganography). Section 3 demonstrates Nostega-based methodologies. Section 4 presents a brief overview of steganalysis. Section 5 concludes the survey and highlights directions for future research.


'Modern' radar systems have come in for much criticism in recent years, particularly in the aftermath of the Falklands campaign. There have also been notable failures in commercial designs, including the well-publicised 'Nimrod' project which was abandoned due to persistent inability to meet signal processing requirements. There is clearly a need for improvement in radar signal processing techniques as many designs rely on technology dating from the late 1970's, much of which is obsolete by today's standards. The Durham Radar Automatic Track Extraction System (RATES) is a practical implementation of current microprocessor technology, applied to plot extraction of surveillance radar data. In addition to suggestions for the design of such a system, results are quoted for the predicted performance when compared with a similar product using 1970's design methodology. Suggestions are given for the use of other VLSI techniques in plot extraction, including logic arrays and digital signal processors. In conclusion, there is an illustrated discussion concerning the use of systolic arrays in RATES and a prediction that this will represent the optimum architecture for future high-speed radar signal processors.


Clausena excavata (Rutaceae) which is locally known as "Pokok Kemantu"(ghostly
tree) or "Pokok Cemamar" (diarrhoea tree) is one of the Malaysian species of ulam with
high anti-oxidant properties. This plant is used in folk medicine for treating ailments like
colic, cough, wounds, rhinitis, and stomach trouble, fever and as a tonic. Detail
investigations on the leaves, stem bark and roots of Clausena excavata (Rutaceae)
resulted in the isolation of nine compounds. These compounds are from several groups
of secondary metabolites such as limonoids, carbazole alkaloids, coumarins, and
triterpenes. The structures of these compounds were elucidated using spectroscopic
techniques such as NMR, GCMS, and IR and also by comparison with previously
reported data.The stem bark of Clausena excavata which was collected from Jabi and Pendang, Kedah
in December 2006 , yielded a new limonoid, clausenolide 1-methylether (133). This was
obtained from the methanol extract together with a known limonoid, clausenarin (8).
Besides that, two carbazole alkaloids, clausine–K (43) and 3-formyl-2,7-
dimethoxycarbazole (126) were isolated from the crude chloroform extract and two
triterpenes, stigmasterol (131) and β-sitosterol (132) were isolated from the hexane
extract. Similar work on the roots led to the isolation of three known coumarins which
were identified as xanthyletin (64) and dentatin (130), together with one carbazole
alkaloid, nordentatin (54).
The crude extracts and pure compounds of Clausena excavata were subjected to
cytotoxic activity test. The activities were expressed in terms of fifty percent inhibition
concentration (IC50) against HL60 cancer cell line (Human promyelocytic leukemia),
MCF-7 cancer cell line (Human breast cancer), HT-29 cancer cell line (Human colon
cancer), and HeLa cancer cell line. It was found that the crude hexane, chloroform, and
acetone extracts exhibited very strong activities against HL-60, and MCF-7 cell lines
with IC50 values < 6μg/mL. However, the new limonoid, clausenolide 1-methylether
(133) and clausenarin (8) which were isolated from the methanol extract of stem bark
showed no significant cytotoxicity against all the cancer cell lines with IC50 value
>30μg/mL as compared to another 2 isolated compounds, xanthyletin (64) and dentatin
(130) .


BACKGROUND
Since 1990 we adopted the bilio-intestinal bypass (BIBP) for all morbid obese patients eligible to a malabsorption procedure. Since 2001 we used laparoscopic technique.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
102 patients; mean age 35.4 (18-54) years; preoperative mean weight Kg 148.3 (105-225); mean preoperative BMI 54.1 kg/m2 (40-66.2); mean follow-up 10 years (1-22). 83 patients underwent open and 19 laparoscopic BIBP. The operation was performed with five lap ports. Section of the jejunum 30 cm from the Treitz and of mesentery was made by linear stapler. The cholecysto-jejunal anastomosis was completed with 45 mm linear stapler. A side-to-side anastomosis between the proximal jejunum and the last 12-18 cm of the ileum was created by firing a 60 mm linear stapler. On the excluded ileum an anti-reflux valve system was hand-sutured.

RESULTS
Five years post-operatively mean weight was 89 (62-130) kg, mean BMI was 31 (24-41) kg/m2. Two patients of the 19 laparoscopic patients were converted in open surgery for adhesions post-appendectomy. The main late complications were incisional hernia (19.3%) and abdominal bloating (2.9%). The reversal and conversion rate was 65%. There was no death.

CONCLUSION
Our experience showed that five years post-BIBP the weight loss was satisfactory in 90.7% of patients. Using laparoscopic technique it is possible to reduce pain, in-hospital time, respiratory and thromboembolic complications, convalescence and incisional hernia.


Deep autoregressive models have shown state-of-the-art performance in density estimation for natural images on large-scale datasets such as ImageNet. However, such models require many thousands of gradient-based weight updates and unique image examples for training. Ideally, the models would rapidly learn visual concepts from only a handful of examples, similar to the manner in which humans learns across many vision tasks. In this paper, we show how 1) neural attention and 2) meta learning techniques can be used in combination with autoregressive models to enable effective few-shot density estimation. Our proposed modifications to PixelCNN result in state-of-the art few-shot density estimation on the Omniglot dataset. Furthermore, we visualize the learned attention policy and find that it learns intuitive algorithms for simple tasks such as image mirroring on ImageNet and handwriting on Omniglot without supervision. Finally, we extend the model to natural images and demonstrate few-shot image generation on the Stanford Online Products dataset.


The media experience of the Muslim Brotherhood (Arabic: Ikhwan al-muslimin) goes back nearly seven decades and has included magazines, newsletters, radio broadcast, face-to-face proselytizing in mosques and cultural centers and finally online communication via websites and social media platforms. Since its foundation, the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) has been involved almost continuously in conflicts of varying intensity with the country's political authorities (ISS 2011) and the group's communication strategy has evolved in close relation to the different relations it maintained with Egypt's governing elites during different periods. Based on the existing literature, in this article I provide a brief historical overview of central aspects of the MB's communication strategy from its foundation in 1928 to the overthrow of the regime of Hosni Mubarak in 2011.


In molecular phylogenetic studies, Lophopyxidaceae and Putranjivaceae are well supported as sisters in the large rosid order Malpighiales. As the floral structure of both families is poorly known and the two families have never been compared, the present comparative study was carried out, as part of a larger project on the comparative floral structure of Malpighiales, using microtome section series and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies. Similar to other angiosperm clades, it appears that the structure of the ovules is a strong marker for suprafamilial relationships in Malpighiales. Both families have two collateral pendant antitropous ovules per carpel associated with obturators (as in some Euphorbiaceae s.l., to which Putranjivaceae belonged in earlier classifications). However, in contrast with Euphorbiaceae s.l., the ovules are not crassinucellar, but either incompletely tenuinucellar or only weakly crassinucellar with a long and conspicuously slender nucellus and an endothelium, and do not have a nucellar beak, but a normal micropyle, features they share with families other than Euphorbiaceae s.l. among Malpighiales. Other shared features of the two families include the following. The outer sepals tend to be smaller than the inner ones and the sepals do not protect the gynoecium in older buds. Sepals of some taxa have a single vascular trace. A short zone of synsepaly tends to be present. Stamens tend to be antesepalous in haplostemonous flowers. A short gynophore is present. The synascidiate zone extends up to above the placenta, but is restricted to the ovary in taxa with more than one carpel. The micropyle is formed by the inner integument. The ventral carpel slits extend down into the synascidiate zone as postgenitally fused furrows. The carpels have a broad dorsal band of vascular bundles in the style. The overall floral structure of the two families corroborates their sister position well and does not support the earlier association of Putranjivaceae with Euphorbiaceae s.l. or of Lophopyxidaceae with Geraniales–Sapindales–Celastrales, which rely on shared superficial floral similarities.


This essay foregrounds the political constituencies assembling around the problem of climate change in cities. Recent experiments in urban climate governance in Bogota, Colombia, are shown to challenge liberal democratic notions of the "public" by linking a redistributive economic agenda to the technical project of adaptation. An analysis of interventions aimed at building social infrastructure throughout the city's hydrological systems reveals how the inclusion of the urban poor is enacted through practices of measurement. While urban politics in Latin America has long revolved around popular demands to be counted, climate change adaptation is the most recent idiom in which claims to recognition-through-enumeration are being articulated.


"Exceedingly well analyzed and thoughtfully presented. Bill Zoellick has skillfully set out the leading e-Business issues and pulls no punches in challenging the conventional wisdom underlying current law and policy. A great jumping off point for understanding--or changing--today's crucial business trends."--Sara Greenberg, e-Business Attorney at Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault, LLP "The author has fully and admirably accomplished the stated purpose of examining the disruption and instability that the Web has introduced into the world of intellectual property."--Dan Carroll, Chairman, The Carroll Group "In this well-written, engaging book, Zoellick examines the technical, business, and political angles of complex issues facing the Web today. The issues raised in CyberRegs are ones that every organization doing business on the Web will face. Zoellick offers business managers fresh insight into coping with these challenges and makes a cogent argument for participating in the political debate over how we will regulate the Net economy."--Mark Walter, Senior Editor, The Seybold Report "The book cuts a clear, original, and insightful path through a set of timely controversial legal and business issues. It helps business people build successful strategies for today's Internet business climate, and provides useful and practical perspective for all citizens concerned about the future direction of Internet policy."--Adina Levin, Senior Director, Corporate Strategy, Vignette Corporation "Zoellick gets it. The author realizes that business is built on knowledge and trust, and he doesn't pander to his audience in getting that point across. This book will give nontechies background, and then some, to address emerging technology issues in business."--Sol Bermann, J.D. Legal Project Manager Technology Policy Ohio Supercomputer Center "Mr. Zoellick pulls from his own experience to provide an interesting look at some of the most important issues confronting business in the future--the nature of the digital economy and the forces that will shape its future growth and development. This is a debate that every business in America needs to join."--Jon Garon, Professor of Law, Franklin Pierce Law School "The book is the best one-volume survey for a generalist about the changing law of the Internet circa 2001."--Paul M. Schwartz, Professor of Law, Brooklyn Law School "This is an excellent book.... I've not seen any books on intellectual property that come at the topics the same way."--Capers Jones III, Chief Scientist Emeritus of Artemis Management Systems and Software Productivity Research "Bill has provided a masterful overview of a complex area of the law, explained the legal precedents that have shaped part of patent and copyright law over the past years, and has wrapped it all in the thoughtful backdrop of the immature and rapidly changing e-business landscape."--Randolph Kahn, ESQ Government regulation and new legislation, coupled with technology, have the potential to dramatically change the nature of the World Wide Web. This thought-provoking book explains what effects regulation may have on business managers, their organizations, and the Web as we know it. CyberRegs brings you up to speed on current developments in patent, copyright, digital signature, and privacy policies. Taking an even-handed approach to the debate between greater and lesser control of the Internet, this book provides fascinating background on recent Web legislation. It discusses in depth the many complex policy issues now being hotly debated, and speculates on possible future legal outcomes.


In this paper, we provide a theoretical framework for controlling graph connectivity in mobile robot networks. We discuss proximity-based communication models composed of disk-based or uniformly-fading-signal-strength communication links. A graph-theoretic definition of connectivity is provided, as well as an equivalent definition based on algebraic graph theory, which employs the adjacency and Laplacian matrices of the graph and their spectral properties. Based on these results, we discuss centralized and distributed algorithms to maintain, increase, and control connectivity in mobile robot networks. The various approaches discussed in this paper range from convex optimization and subgradient-descent algorithms, for the maximization of the algebraic connectivity of the network, to potential fields and hybrid systems that maintain communication links or control the network topology in a least restrictive manner. Common to these approaches is the use of mobility to control the topology of the underlying communication network. We discuss applications of connectivity control to multirobot rendezvous, flocking and formation control, where so far, network connectivity has been considered an assumption.


This article considers how mobilisation inflected European aesthetic contexts in the opening months of the First World War. It traces how, in 1914, urban and rural landscapes altered to accommodate mass armies, and how the visual experience of the war helped to develop broader cultural and political narratives about the need for collective resolve and total commitment to national and Allied efforts. Drawing on literary and epistolary sources, as well as photographs that captured the theatrical and the mundane realities of European cities, frontiers and hinterlands, the article examines how public and private tensions implicit in a war that was both fantastical and deeply problematic for many participants and observers played out when the war was in its infancy. In so doing it also locates the opening months of the war in broader discussions about the appetite for escalating violence: what Susan Sontag describes in Regarding the Pain of Others as making the 'spectacular not spectacular' through depictions of twentieth-century war.


Science education is at a crucial time, when states and school districts are considering aligning their standards with the Next Generation Science Standards. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the standards on student and teacher learning. Students were given Next Generation Science Standards aligned assessments and averaged together using a rubric. The results showed that students improved in their ability to identify and use the Next Generation Science Standards Science and Engineering Practices along with the Crosscutting Concepts. However, no significant gains were made in the content areas. Through student interviews, students expressed an enjoyment of learning the Practices and Crosscutting Concepts.


Introduction and acknowledgments John Irwin Johnson Wally Welker and neurobehavioral evolution: an appreciation and bibliography H. Philip Zeigler Evolution of the amniote pallium and the origins of mammalian neocortex Ann B. Butler, Anton Reiner and Harvey J. Karten Neocortex in early mammals and its subsequent variations Jon H. Kaas Neocortical neuron morphology in Afrotheria: comparing the rock hyrax with the African elephant Serena Bianchi, Amy L. Bauernfeind, Kanika Gupta, Cheryl D. Stimpson, Muhammad A. Spocter, Christopher J. Bonar, Paul R. Manger, Patrick R. Hof, Bob Jacobs and Chet C. Sherwood The neocortex of cetaceans: cytoarchitecture and comparison with other aquatic and terrestrial species Camilla Butti, Mary Ann Raghanti, Chet C. Sherwood and Patrick R. Hof The von Economo neurons in the frontoinsular and anterior cingulate cortex John M. Allman, Nicole A. Tetreault, Atiya Y. Hakeem, Kebreten F. Manaye, Katerina Semendeferi, Joseph M. Erwin, Soyoung Park, Virginie Goubert and Patrick R. Hof Significance of the insula for the evolution of human awareness of feelings from the body A. D. (Bud) Craig The brain and behavior of the tentacled snake Kenneth C. Catania Mammalian tactile hair: divergence from a limited distribution Diana K. Sarko, Frank L. Rice and Roger L. Reep Manatee vibrissae: evidence for a "lateral line" function Roger L. Reep, Joseph C. Gaspard III, Diana Sarko, Frank L. Rice, David A. Mann and Gordon B. Bauer A night in the life of a rat: vibrissal mechanics and tactile exploration Mitra J. Z. Hartmann How do barrels form in somatosensory cortex? Hong Li and Michael C. Crair Functional implications of tactile projection patterns to the lateral hemispheres of the cerebellum of the albino rat: the legacy of Wally Welker James M. Bower Taking advantage of behavioral changes during development and training to assess sensory coding mechanisms Emma C. Sarro, Merri J. Rosen and Dan H. Sanes Coevolution in communication senders and receivers: vocal behavior and auditory processing in multiple songbird species Sarah M. N. Woolley and Jordan M. Moore Evolution of mirror systems: a simple mechanism for complex cognitive functions Luca Bonini and Pier Francesco Ferrari Modeling the evolution of cortico-cerebellar systems in primates Jeroen B. Smaers, James Steele and Karl Zilles Brains matter, bodies maybe not: the case for examining neuron numbers irrespective of body size Suzana Herculano-Houzel


A randomized, prospective trial was conducted of 93 patients with operatively confirmed intra-abdominal sepsis. The study compared clindamycin-gentamicin and chloramphenicol-gentamicin for treatment of carefully stratified patient groups. Malnutrition, age over 65 years, shock, alcoholism, gastrointestinal tract bleeding, steroid administration, diabetes, obesity, and organ malfunction were present with equal frequencies in each group. The duration of antibiotic treatment averaged 8 1/2 days, and the average length of postoperative hospitalization was 29 days. Study antibiotics were changed for bacteriologic reasons in 11 patients taking clindamycin-gentamicin and 12 patients taking chloramphenicol-gentamicin (25% of the total), and two patients in the clindamycin-gentamicin group had a minor adverse reaction. Initial satisfactory clinical responses were obtained in 59 (63%) patients. Twenty-five patients (27%) subsequently developed unsatisfactory courses, but 48 (52%) patients remained well through the 30-day period. Septic-related mortality occurred in 18 (19%) patients, and two (2%) patients had unrelated deaths. There were no significant differences between the study regimens by the outcome criteria evaluated.


Pediatric oncology has become a highly specialized area, and the transition from novice nurse to expert can be complicated. The aim of this study was to describe the perceptions of nurses in pediatric oncology regarding the role of an expert nurse in pediatric oncology. Nurses (n = 66) working in pediatric oncology participated by writing their narratives. The data were analyzed by means of content analysis, and 3 categories were found: an expert has confidence in his or her knowledge, an expert provides high-quality care, and an expert is given possibilities for professional growth. It can be concluded that when nurses are given possibilities for continuous education and reflection, and have a feeling of satisfaction at being able to fulfill a child and his or her family's needs, this enhances their possibility to become experts and maintain expert competence.


We use exact diagonalization to study the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH) in the quantum dimer model on the square and triangular lattices. Due to the nonergodicity of the local plaquette-ip dynamics, the Hilbert space, which consists of highly constrained close-packed dimer configurations, splits into sectors characterized by topological invariants. We show that this has important consequences for ETH: We find that ETH is clearly satisfied only when each topological sector is treated separately, and only for moderate ratios of the potential and kinetic terms in the Hamiltonian. By contrast, when the spectrum is treated as a whole, ETH breaks down on the square lattice, and apparently also on the triangular lattice. These results demonstrate that quantum dimer models have interesting thermalization dynamics that has not previously been studied.


The Classic Account of Passchendaele - Reissued for the First World War Centenary. The third battle of Ypres, culminating in a desperate struggle for the ridge and little village of Passchendaele, was one of the most appalling campaigns in the First World War. A million Tommies, Canadians and Anzacs assembled at the Ypres Salient in the summer of 1917, mostly raw young troops keen to do their bit for King and Country. Lyn Macdonald's Passchendaele tells their tale of mounting disillusion amid mud, terror and desperate privation, yet it is also a story of immense courage, comradeship, songs, high spirits and bawdy humour. Passchendaele portrays the human realities behind one of the most disastrous events in the history of warfare. "It is rare to find a history of the First World War which manages to convey the front-line soldiers' experiences and to describe what it was that enabled those who survived to get through it. Lyn Macdonald has done just that". (Sunday Times). Over the past twenty years Lyn Macdonald has established a popular reputation as an author and historian of the First World War. Her books are based on the accounts of eyewitnesses and survivors, told in their own words, and cast a unique light on the First World War. Most are published by Penguin.


The general aim of designated driver programs is to reduce the level of drink driving by encouraging potential drivers to travel with a driver who has abstained from (or at least limited) consuming alcohol. Designated driver programs appear to be quite widespread around the world, however a limited number have been effectively evaluated. This paper reports the preliminary results from the outcome component of an evaluation of a designated driver program called 'Skipper', which was trialled in a provincial city in Queensland. In order to asses changes over time in self-reported designated driver awareness and behaviour, as well as drinking and drink driving behaviour, surveys were conducted three weeks prior to (baseline) and four months following (follow-up) the commencement of the trial. The sample comprised 413 individuals from representative drinking venues in the 'intervention area' (202 baseline; 211 follow-up) and 401 individuals from a 'comparison area' (203 baseline; 199 follow-up). The preliminary results indicate that awareness of the program in the intervention area was quite high four months following its introduction. The results also suggest that the 'Skipper' program and the related publicity had positive impacts on behaviour with there being an increase in the proportion of people participating in designated driver as a passenger and a tendency for those who act as designated drivers to do so more often. In addition, there was no evidence of an increase in alcohol consumption among the passengers of designated drivers compared to what otherwise may have been the case. It is less clear at this stage whether the 'Skipper' program has impacted on other behaviours of interest. Suggestions for further research and program improvement are discussed as well as limitations of the research.


SUMMARY Recent studies of precision cereal farming systems have documented large within-field and annual variation in grain yield and quality. The principal aim of the present study was to evaluate the degree of within- and between-field variation in biomass, yield, yield component structure and quality traits, such as grain protein of two-row barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), using crop samples collected from field patches of varying yield potential. Plant samples were collected from the fields of commercial farmers located in southern Finland in 2000 and 2001. Selection of low, intermediate and high yielding patches for crop sampling was based on aerial infrared colour images taken twice during the growing season. When stands were mature, plant samples from an area of 0·5 m2 were uprooted for yield component and quality analysis. Nitrogen accumulation prior to heading was strongly associated with biomass accumulation, indicating differences in growth potential of the different field patches. The principal yield determining trait in two-row barley was grain number/m2, whereas single grain weight (SGW) had a lesser effect on grain yield. The degree of variation in the quality parameters, namely protein and SGW, was not associated with grain yield. This suggests that within-field variation in yield potential does not determine heterogeneity of the grain yield in terms of grain weight or grain protein content.


Once again Vivian Paley takes us into the inquiring minds and dramatic worlds of young children learning in the kindergarten classroom. As she enters her final year of teaching, Paley tells in this book a story of farewell and a story of self-discovery - through the thoughts and blossoming spirit of Reeny, a little girl with a fondness for the color brown and an astonishing sense of herself, "This brown girl that's dancing is me, " Reeny announces as her crayoned figures flit across the classroom walls. Soon enough we are drawn into Reeny's remarkable dance of self-revelation and celebration, and into the literary turn it takes when Reeny discovers a kindred spirit in Leo Lionni - a writer of books and teller of tales. Led by Reeny, Paley takes us on a tour through the landscape of characters created by Lionni. These characters come to dominate a whole year of discussion and debate as the children argue the virtues and weaknesses of Lionni's creations and his themes of self-definition and the individual's place in the community. The Girl with the Brown Crayon tells a simple personal story of a teacher and a child, interweaving the themes of race, identity, gender, and the essential human needs to create and to belong. With characteristic charm and wonder, Paley discovers how the unexplored territory unfolding before her and Reeny comes to mark the very essence of school, a common core of reference, something to ponder deeply and expand on extravagantly.


Objectives To project the number of older workers with lost productive life years (PLYs) due to chronic disease and resultant lost income; and lost taxes and increased welfare payments from 2015 to 2030. Design, setting and participants Using a microsimulation model, Health&WealthMOD2030, the costs of chronic disease in Australians aged 45–64 were projected to 2030. The model integrates household survey data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics Surveys of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDACs) 2003 and 2009, output from long-standing microsimulation models (STINMOD (Static Incomes Model) and APPSIM (Australian Population and Policy Simulation Model)) used by various government departments, population and labour force growth data from Treasury, and disease trends data from the Australian Burden of Disease and Injury Study (2003). Respondents aged 45–64 years in the SDACs 2003 and 2009 formed the base population. Main outcome measures Lost PLYs due to chronic disease; resultant lost income, lost taxes and increased welfare payments in 2015, 2020, 2025 and 2030. Results We projected 380 000 (6.4%) people aged 45–64 years with lost PLYs in 2015, increasing to 462 000 (6.5%) in 2030—a 22% increase in absolute numbers. Those with lost PLYs experience the largest reduction in income than any other group in each year compared to those employed full time without a chronic disease, and this income gap widens over time. The total economic loss due to lost PLYs consisted of lost income modelled at $A12.6 billion in 2015, increasing to $A20.5 billion in 2030—a 62.7% increase. Additional costs to the government consisted of increased welfare payments at $A6.2 billion in 2015, increasing to $A7.3 billion in 2030—a 17.7% increase; and a loss of $A3.1 billion in taxes in 2015, increasing to $A4.7 billion in 2030—a growth of 51.6%. Conclusions There is a need for greater investment in effective preventive health interventions which improve workers' health and work capacity.


Investments in agricultural modernization have resulted in remarkable progress in food production over the last century. As a consequence, the global number and the proportion of undernourished people has fallen significantly. Despite this progress, providing sufficient and nutritiously diverse food for all remains a complex global challenge. The scale of global hunger and malnutrition remains staggering: one in nine people continues to be undernourished, and nearly 30% of the world population is classified as malnourished in terms of specific nutrient deficiencies. Meanwhile, the global number of overweight and obese people is also rising dramatically, including in developing countries where undernutrition is still widespread. Nutritional deficiencies and food insecurity are not only the result of low food quantities consumed, but also of poor dietary quality and diversity. In Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, smallholder farmers are the main providers of the food supply. Paradoxically, smallholders are also the most undernourished group of people, suffering from various nutrition related problems. Nutritional deficiencies cause a large health burden and lead to significant economic losses. Given the magnitude and severity of malnutrition in many developing countries, the question how to make agriculture and food systems more nutrition-sensitive is of high relevance for research and policy.
This dissertation attempts to contribute in this direction. It contains three essays. As many of the poor and undernourished people are smallholder farmers in developing countries, it is often argued that diversifying production on these smallholder farms could be a useful approach to improve dietary diversity. Yet, empirical evidence to support this argument is scarce. In the first essay, we address this issue using household-level data from Indonesia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Malawi. The data from Indonesia and Kenya refer to specific regions within these countries, where smallholder farmers grow cash crops for the market. The data from Ethiopia and Malawi are nationally representative. These four countries cover different situations in terms of farm structures, market access, culture and levels of poverty and malnutrition, so the information may provide broader conceptual and empirical lessons that go beyond case-study evidence. We calculate the number of crop and livestock species produced on a farm and dietary diversity scores as indicators of production and consumption diversities, respectively. Both measures are suitable and meaningful for international comparisons. Regression models show that on-farm production diversity is positively associated with dietary diversity in some situations, but not in all. When production diversity is already high, the association is not significant or even turns negative, because of foregone income benefits from specialization. Analysis of other factors reveals that market access has positive effects on dietary diversity, which are larger than those of increased production diversity. Market transactions also tend to reduce the role of farm diversity for household nutrition.
The first essay contributes to an emerging literature that analyzes whether higher levels of farm production diversity contribute to improved dietary quality in smallholder households. Most of this work uses relatively simple indicators for production diversity and dietary quality. In the second essay, we use and compare different indicators, thus testing the robustness of earlier findings and helping to further understand the underlying linkages. The analysis builds on household survey data from Indonesia, Kenya, and Uganda. We estimate Poisson and linear regression models to analyze the relationship between production diversity and dietary quality. Farm diversity measured through a simple species count has a small positive effect on dietary quality, either expressed in terms of dietary diversity scores or micronutrient consumption levels. However, when measuring production diversity in terms of the number of food groups produced, the effect turns insignificant in most cases. Further analysis suggests that diverse subsistence production contributes less to dietary quality than cash income generated through market sales. Much of the food diversity consumed in farm households is purchased from the market. If farm diversification responds to market incentives and builds on comparative advantage, it can contribute to improved income and nutrition. This may also involve cash crop production. On the other hand, increasing the number of food groups produced on the farm independent of market incentives will foster subsistence, reduce cash incomes, and thus rather worsen dietary quality.
In the third essay, we investigate the relative contribution of market purchases and home production to food availability in farm household across agricultural seasons. Issues of seasonality have hardly been addressed in previous work. We use nationally representative survey data from Ethiopia. Estimated daily per capita calorie consumption and household dietary diversity scores are used as indicators of food availability for each month over a full calendar year. We find that the farm households extensively engage in selling and buying farm products. We also find that farmers cannot secure their food needs only from what they produce on their farm; most of them are net buyers of food commodities. Although there is a tendency to shift away from purchased foods during the harvesting season, off-farm income clearly stands out as the primary economic activity to secure food in Ethiopian farm households across the different seasons. Interestingly, households with insufficient food availability rely more on own farm production as a source of food, while households with enough food rely more on market purchases. The analysis shows that the contribution of market purchases and own production varies across agroecological and geographical zones. For farmers with better infrastructure conditions, off-farm income plays a larger role to meet their food needs.
Putting the findings from the three essays together, we draw important conclusions. Increasing people's dietary quality and diversity is an important strategy to improve nutrition and health. How exactly to ensure that smallholder farmers have access to sufficient and diverse food will vary from one place to another, depending on the particular conditions. However, unlike sometimes assumed, increasing on-farm diversity does not always seem to be the most effective way to improve dietary quality in smallholder households. From a nutrition perspective, improving market access is more important than farm diversification as such. The results underline that – in most situations – home production cannot be the main or only source of food for sufficiently diverse diets, and especially not outside of the main agricultural seasons. Hence, policies should be steered towards strengthening markets and enhancing off-farm income sources for the rural poor. Additional research is needed to better understand how agriculture and food systems can be made more nutrition-sensitive and sustainable. Production diversity also has an environmental dimension, which was not analyzed here.


This paper analyses the micro-determinants of social integration of former combatants into civilian life by exploring popular perceptions of integration and reconciliation at the community level. Presenting "What the Communities Say", the status of integration of former RUF fighters in Sierra Leone and their coexistence and reconciliation with their community of residence is examined. I establish, first, that on the surface of day-to-day interactions Sierra Leoneans have achieved a state of peaceful coexistence amongst each other, successfully integrating the majority of former RUF rebels. This positive account leads me to two questions, namely, which factors on the micro-level are responsible for this success and, secondly, how deeply rooted this success is. Regarding the former, I come to the conclusion that integration and coexistence in Sierra Leone are based on a collective effort driven by pragmatic rather than emotional motives, as the fastest way of establishing a state of non-violence. With regard to the second question, my interviews show that peace in Sierra Leone relies on a number of conditions. I then turn to the level of emotions, exploring notions of forgiveness, revenge, and reconciliation. Deep-seated rejection and frustration with the current situation is revealed. Next, I discuss the actual interactions within the communities I studied. A picture of systematic discrimination against ex-combatants emerges. This discloses overall – and not surprisingly – the complexity of the process of integration and reconciliation in a war-torn society. The final section points to policies needed to stabilise relations in Sierra Leone, showing the importance of economic development as well as long-term social interventions. The Author Johanna Boersch-Supan is a doctoral student at Nuffield College and the Department of Politics and International Relations at Oxford University. Email: email@example.com CRISE Working Paper No. 63


Since the mid-90s there has been a widely-held belief that signature files are inferior to inverted files for text indexing. In recent years the Bing search engine has developed and deployed an index based on bit-sliced signatures. This index, known as BitFunnel, replaced an existing production system based on an inverted index. The driving factor behind the shift away from the inverted index was operational cost savings. This paper describes algorithmic innovations and changes in the cloud computing landscape that led us to reconsider and eventually field a technology that was once considered unusable. The BitFunnel algorithm directly addresses four fundamental limitations in bit-sliced block signatures. At the same time, our mapping of the algorithm onto a cluster offers opportunities to avoid other costs associated with signatures. We show these innovations yield a significant efficiency gain versus classic bit-sliced signatures and then compare BitFunnel with Partitioned Elias-Fano Indexes, MG4J, and Lucene.


Maize (Zea mays L.) tortilla is the primary staple food of the Mexican people, with annual consumption estimated at 12 millions tons. Despite this huge volume of consumption, tortillas are commercially produced with inconsistent quality, mainly in terms of texture characteristics. Different methods to evaluate the texture of maize tortillas have been reported, but the values obtained and their parameters have not yielded reliable results, largely because the methods used do not reflect homogeneous elements for comparison. In addition, evaluation of the reliability of methods for comparing tortilla texture as well as the equipment used has been difficult, as such information perhaps remains largely unpublished. In this study, the reliability of two tortilla sample shapes (rectangle and briquet) and some of the quality parameters (maximum force, total area under curve, area to reach maximum force, elasticity and elongation) from tensile and cut force tested with a texture meter were evaluated. According to the results, the briquet shape of the tortilla samples was better (than the rectangle shape) for determining tensile and elasticity. In regard to cutting force, both the rectangle and the briquet shape presented good repeatability. For tensile and cutting-force curves, the maximum force was the parameter with the highest reliability, 0.95 and 0.99, respectively. The elasticity showed an adequate reliability with the tortilla briquet shape (0.94). The evaluated parameters with the texture meter and the sample shape type briquet, showed a high reliability degree what makes possible the comparison of maize tortilla texture data.


Series Foreword by Darrell Y. Hamamoto Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Hometown: In the Shadow of San Francisco American Dream, Chinatown Branch A "Manong" with Magical Hands 2. Family: From Agrarianism to Cyberspace Finding Sacred Ground Traditions: Old and New "Rock On, Mr. President" 3. History: From Exclusion to Confusion Conquering Frontiers and Barriers Wong Is an American Name The "Forgotten Holocaust" Healing Wounds, or Opening Them? The Price of Memories 4. Immigration: Huddled Masses Still Searching for Gold Mountain Second-Class Citizenship Downsize Your SUV Se Habla English 5. Identity and Acculturation: Visibility Invisible A State of Mind So That's Why I Can't Lose Weight Yellow Chic A Tumultuous World in Transition "We Lost a Country" Who's a Bonehead Now? Paradise Lost Minnesota Chow Mein Best Friend or Best Meal? Violating the Crustacean Creed Parenting, Chinese Style The American Nightmare 6. Anti-Asian Racism: Forever Foreigner "The Boat People Own Everything" Learning from the Vincent Chin Case Escaping Racism: No Way Out The Golden State of Bigotry Swastikas in the Sunset Un-American Christians I Am a Gook 7. Class: Yin and Yang Picking on the Most Vulnerable New Global Capitalists An Obnoxious Status Quest The Rich Can Be Nice Too Exploiting Our Own 8. Affirmative Action: The Myth of Meritocracy Between a Rock and a Hard Place Calling for Magician Administrators The Selfish Versus the Altruists When Values Collide 9. Gender: He Said, She Said The "Hottest" Dating Trend Special Assets Hiding Behind a Cultural Defense The Hero of Asian Men 10. Race Relations: Why Can't We All Get Along? Just Who Is the Victim Here? Playing Together Plenty of Blame to Go Around Middleman Myopia Yellow Pride Versus Multiculturalism Beyond Black and White 11. Politics: A Seat at the Table Right Man, Wrong Time Race and Ideology: Bumping into Each Other An Asian American "Mr. Fixit" Riding a Yellow Wave A Common Human Affliction A Question of Loyalty Trolling for the Big Fish Scientific Scapegoat 12. Crime: Bang, Bang, You're Dead "It Makes You Feel Special" The Model Minority Criminal Born to Kill Boyish Appeal 13. Stars: I AM Somebody Colorblind Casting Forbidden in More Ways Than One The Connie Chung Syndrome Kowtowing to the Queen Disposable Commodities Mercenaries The Politics of a Bond Film Money Talks The News Media: Only Getting Part of It Everybody's Child Publication Credits Index


Socialism is conceptualized as a society in which individuals cooperate, distinguished from capitalism, characterized as involving ubiquitous economic competition. Here, I embed a formal model of cooperation in an Arrow-Debreu model, using the Kantian optimization protocol, and define a Walras-Kant equilibrium, in which firms maximize profits, consumers choose demands for commodities in the usual utilitymaximizing fashion, and the state rents capital to firms. The labor-supply decision of workers, however, is arrived at using the cooperative protocol. Incomes are redistributed through a flat income tax. Walras-Kant equilibria, with any desired degree of income equality exist, are decentralizable, and are Pareto efficient.


The comparison between biological and social macroevolution is a very important (though insufficiently studied) subject whose analysis renders new significant possibilities to comprehend the processes, trends, mechanisms, and peculiarities of each of the two types of macroevolution. Of course, there are a few rather important (and very understandable) differences between them; however, it appears possible to identify a number of fundamental similarities. One may single out at least three fundamental sets of factors determining those similarities. First of all, those similarities stem from the fact that in both cases we are dealing with very complex non-equilibrium (but rather stable) systems whose principles of functioning and evolution are described by the General Systems' Theory, as well as by a number of cybernetic principles and laws.Secondly, in both cases we do not deal with isolated systems; in both cases we deal with a complex interaction between systems of organic systems and external environment, whereas the reaction of systems to external challenges can be described in terms of certain general principles (that, however, express themselves rather differently within the biological reality, on the one hand, and within the social reality, on the other). Thirdly, it is necessary to mention a direct 'genetic' link between the two types of macroevolution and their mutual influence. It is important to emphasize that the very similarity of the principles and regularities of the two types of macroevolution does not imply their identity. Rather significant similarities are frequently accompanied by enormous differences. For example, genomes of the chimpanzees and the humans are very similar – with differences constituting just a few per cent; however, there are enormous differences with respect to intellectual and social differences of the chimpanzees and the humans hidden behind the apparently 'insignificant' difference between the two genomes. Thus, in certain respects it appears reasonable to consider the biological and social macroevolution as a single macroevolutionary process. This implies the necessity to comprehend the general laws and regularities that describe this process, though their manifestations may display significant variations depending on properties of a concrete evolving entity (biological, or social one). An important notion that may contribute to the improvement of the operationalization level as regards the comparison between the two types of macroevolution is the one that we suggested some time ago – the social aromorphosis (that was developed as a counterpart to the notion of biological aromorphosis well established within Russian evolutionary biology). We regard social aromorphosis as a rare qualitative macrochange that increases in a very significant way complexity, adaptability, and mutual influence of the social systems, that opens new possibilities for social macrodevelopment. In our paper we discuss a number of regularities that describe biological and social macroevolution and that employ the notions of social and biological aromorphosis such as ones of the module evolution (or the evolutionary 'block assemblage'), 'payment for arogenic progress' etc.


Abstract A synthetic wastewater containing glucose as the sole source of carbon was used to assay glucose‐acclimatized anaerobic digester sludge in batch‐tests for its potential to carry out ammonification (nitrate‐ ‐> ammonium), denitrification (nitrate —>nitrogen gas) and to continue anaerobic digestion processes at various nitrate loads. Nitrate—>ammonium reduction activity was found to increase with decrease in the initial nitrate load. This activity appeared to take place principally during the acidogenesis of the glucose. Nitrate/nitrite loss after the fermentation process was essentially through denitrification. The denitrification capacity of the anaerobic sludge used was very high. Up to 80% of added nitrate was denitrified. The presence of nitrate or nitrite enhanced the fermentation of glucose to acetic acid but inhibited the production of propionic acid and methane. This inhibition was not observed after the complete reduction of nitrate and nitrite.


The relationship between value and nature has become central to critical resource geography (and other nature-society geography). While research demonstrates the problems with efforts to extend capitalist monetary value to ecosystem services or externalities, few scholars have anchored their critiques in their own theory of value. This report reviews this bourgeoning research through a theory of value anchored in Marxian political economy. Drawing from a few basic postulates, I attempt to fill some gaps and clear up some ambiguities in this research. First, I examine research on environmental valuations schemes (e.g. pricing externalities, or payments for ecosystem services). Marx's value theory (rooted in abstract labor) can help us to explain why these projects seem so destined for failure. Second, I examine research into how resources and value flow through commodity chains or global production networks. Marx's focus on labor and abstraction can help us to better understand the violence within these chains toward humans and nonhumans alike. Third, I examine research into the financialization of environmental goods in services. I suggest Marx's value-theoretical approach to the 'totality' of capitalist social relations can better help us to theorize financial capital's contradictory relationship to value production in the realm of production. I conclude by suggesting a unified theory of value can yield a more radical critique of the diverse failures of capitalism in dealing with our current ecological crisis.


Switzerland is a multilingual country with four different national languages. A more detailed look, however, shows that on the level of the individual cantons multilingualism is rather an exeption. Only four of the 26 cantons have more than one official language, and even here the areas in which different languages are spoken are separated sharply. This article analyses examples taken from such exceptional cases, Biel/Bienne and Fribourg/Freiburg. The results from the two studies indicate that the 'Swiss model' of receptive multlingualism fostered by the Swiss language policy is utilised by the population, even if the default language model preferring the majority language is more widespread. In most cases, however, speakers do not stick to such static models and make use of their linguistic repertoires according to the communicative needs in a given setting.


Background and rationale: Previous data demonstrated that regional fat distribution plays an important role in the development of an unfavorable metabolic and cardiovascular risk profile. Epicardial adipose mass reflects intra-abdominal visceral fat, is related to leftventricular mass and other features of the metabolic syndrome, such as concentrations of LDL cholesterol, fasting insulin and adiponectin, and arterial blood pressure.Aim of the study: To examine the relation of peri-coronary epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) to coronary artery calcification and atherosclerosis in Egyptian post-menopausal women.Patients and methods: The study enrolled 100 post-menopausal women with suspected coronary artery disease. The amount of EAT surrounding the left main and three main coronary arteries was quantified in axial cuts with the most distinct layer of EAT.The amount of calcium in the coronary arteries was quantified with multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) using dedicated software for calcium scoring that is based on the Agatston score. Coronary artery disease severity was assessed in terms of numberof vessels affected and severity of coronary stenosis by multiplanner reformation (MPR) technique.
Results: Sixty patients had proven coronary artery disease (CAD) of varying severity (Group I), whereas forty patients showed normal coronaries (Group II). The mean ± SD (in millimeters) epicardial adipose tissue thickness (EAT) for the entire study cohort in variouscoronary artery locations were as follows: Left Main (LM-EAT) 12.95 ± 7.86 mm, Left Anterior Descending (LAD-EAT) 8.2 ± 2.3 mm, Left Circumflex (LCX-EAT) 7.4 ± 2; and Right Coronary Artery (RCAEAT) 8.5 ± 1.9. Statistically significant differences were observed between groups I and II with regards to LM-EAT: LAD-EAT; LCXEAT; and RCA-EAT (15.7 ± 8.5 versus 9.11 ± 1.72, p=0.006; 9.1 ± 2 versus 6.88 ± 1.98, p=0.001; 8.27 ± 1.72 versus 6.19 ± 1.79, p=0.004; and 9.23 ± 1.65 versus 7.5 ± 1.9, p=0.005; respectively).Statistically significant differences in LM-EAT: LAD-EAT; LCXEAT; and RCA-EAT values were observed between patients with coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores lower than 400 Hounsfield Units (HU) and those with (CAC) scores equal to or higher than 400 HU (8.99 ± 5.99 versus 13.15 ± 1.94, p=0.001; 8.7 ± 2.1 versus 10.4 ± 2.6, p=0.003, 7.6 ± 1.8 versus 8.9 ± 2.2, p=0.005, and 8.02 ± 1.6 versus 9.48 ± 1.95, p=0.008).
Conclusion: The present study demonstrated a significant correlation between peri-coronary epicardial adipose tissue and coronary artery calcification and atherosclerosis.


The internal tensions and conflicts central to Haredi Lithuanian yeshivas in contemporary Israel are described with a focus on the rabinical authorities' attempts to respond to these difficulties and the changes the Haredi community is experiencing as a result


"Mathematical Problems from Applied Logic II" presents chapters from selected, world renowned, logicians. Important topics of logic are discussed from the point of view of their further development in light of requirements arising from their successful application in areas such as Computer Science and AI language. Fields covered include: logic of provability, applications of computability theory to biology, psychology, physics, chemistry, economics, and other basic sciences; computability theory and computable models; logic and space-time geometry; hybrid systems; logic and region-based theory of space. Contributors include: Sergei Artemov, USA; John Case, USA; Sergei Goncharov, Russia, Judit X. Madarsz, Istvn Nmeti, and Gergely, Szkely, Hungary, Anil Nerode, USA and Dimiter Vakarelov, Bulgaria.


Sensor networks, a new class of devices has the potential to revolutionize the capture, processing, and communication of critical data for use by first responders. CodeBlue integrates sensor nodes and other wireless devices into a disaster response setting and provides facilities for ad hoc network formation, resource naming and discovery, security, and in-network aggregation of sensor-produced data. We designed CodeBlue for rapidly changing, critical care environments. To test it, we developed two wireless vital sign monitors and a PDA-based triage application for first responders. Additionally, we developed MoteTrack, a robust radio frequency (RF)-based localization system, which lets rescuers determine their location within a building and track patients. Although much of our work on CodeBlue is preliminary, our initial experience with medical care sensor networks raised many exciting opportunities and challenges.


Turbidity tubes have been considered to be the field method of choice for drinking water quality monitoring in resource-limited contexts because of their relative simplicity and low cost in comparison with conventional (nephelometric) turbidimeters. These tubes utilise the principle of visual extinction of a submerged target for turbidity determination and were therefore thought to be subject to user subjectivity, possibly affecting results. This study evaluated their performance under both field and controlled-laboratory conditions. Results from turbidity tubes can differ substantially from those obtained with conventional turbidimeters; this is of particular importance in the reporting of low turbidity (<10 NTU) measurements. These differences could be due to a combination of factors, such as: user variability, differences in calibration scales, and turbidity tube target shape and background colour. In view of their limitations, the usefulness of turbidity tubes for drinking water quality assessments and recommendations on the reporting of their results are also discussed.


Thionins are antimicrobial proteins that are thought to be involved in plant defense. Concordant with this view, we have recently shown that the Arabidopsis thionin Thi2.1 gene is inducible by phytopathogenic fungi. Here, we demonstrate that constitutive overexpression of this thionin enhances the resistance of the susceptible ecotype Columbia (Col-2) against attack by Fusarium oxysporum f sp matthiolae. Transgenic lines had a reduced loss of chlorophyll after inoculation and supported significantly less fungal growth on the cotyledons, as evaluated by trypan blue staining. Moreover, fungi on cotyledons of transgenic lines had more hyphae with growth anomalies, including hyperbranching, than on cotyledons of the parental line. No transcripts for pathogenesis-related PR-1, PR-5, or the pathogen-inducible plant defensin Pdf1.2 could be detected in uninoculated transgenic seedlings, indicating that all of the observed effects of the overexpressing lines are most likely the result of the toxicity of the THI2.1 thionin. Our findings strongly support the view that thionins are defense proteins.


Rosa's first school was in Melbourne, Australia where she was born in 1990, and she did not remember doing any history there. In England she went to a fairly traditional C of E primary school in Lewes, East Sussex where she remembered doing the Tudors in Year 3. Most things they did at school that year linked in to the Tudors, including a visit to Hever Castle, reading in the literacy hour, learning about scurvy in science, and making Tudor jewellery. In Year 4 it was similar for the Romans, with a visit to Fishbourne Palace, and in Year 5 they did the Victorians, the Ancient Egyptians and the Second World War. There were two trips a term, usually history-based. It was all done in a 'project' way so there was little sense of continuity but she remembered it as 'fun'. Secondary school was the local comprehensive, Priory School, Lewes. Year 7 saw innovative teaching around the Middle Ages (see photographed material) but she found Year 8 & 9 history boring. Although there was a television set in each classroom history was very much taught to textbook, worksheet and lesson plan, with very little discussion among the pupils. So she did not do GCSE history but when she went to sixth form college in Brighton (BHASVIC) she did history A level, 'Early Modern' period. The difference between GCSE work and A level was enormous – even for the people who had done history GCSE – but she found it very stimulating with two very good teachers and a great deal of discussion, although even then the two centuries of history, English and European were not taught in chronological order. Interviewed by Jenny Keating.


Several studies have reported how tillage and cropping systems affect quantity, quality, and distribution of soil organic matter (SOM) along the profile. However, the effect of soil management on the chemical structure of SOM and on its hydrophobic and hydrophilic components has been little investigated. In this work, the long‐term (19 years) effects of two cropping systems (wheat monoculture and wheat/faba bean rotation) and three tillage managements (conventional, reduced, and no tillage) on some chemical characteristics of SOM and their relationships with labile carbon (C) pools were evaluated. Soil samples were taken from the topsoil (0–15 cm) of a Chromic Haploxerert (central Sicily, Italy). After 19 years of different tillage and cropping systems management, total organic C significantly differed among treatments with the labile organic C pools showing the greater amount in no till and in wheat/faba bean plots. Hydrophobic and hydrophilic components of SOM, determined by diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy, were mainly affected by cropping system, whereas aromatic components of SOM by tillage. Soil organic matter components and characteristics showed significant correlations with the soil biochemical parameters, confirming the expected synergism between chemical and biochemical properties. This study demonstrated that (i) no tillage and crop rotation improve the chemical and biochemical properties of SOM of Vertisols under semiarid environment; and (ii) tillage management and cropping systems have affected, after 19 years, more the chemical and biochemical properties of SOM than its quantity. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The process of electrophoretic deposition depends strongly on the electrokinetic properties and with it the surface properties of the material that will be processed. Different additives, conditioners but also the suspending liquid influence the surface of the applied material by adsorption. Electrokinetic investigations reflect changes in properties at the outermost solid surface very sensitive. Streaming potential measurements are especially suited for studying such changes of surface chemistry at solids with different shapes. Two approaches are applicable: 1. The adsorption process was done before measuring. The result of this process should be shown. In this case it will be interesting to see differences in the functionality of the solid surface. The zeta potential will be measured versus different pH value. 2. The adsorption process will be studied directly. The zeta potential will be determined versus the concentration of the adsorptive. The second approach can be used for investigation of adsorption of multicomponent mixtures. Competing adsorption processes are detectable.


Previous studies of oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, and proliferation markers in endometrial adenocarcinoma have obtained conflicting results regarding the usefulness of these markers in predicting prognosis. This study examined p53, PCNA, and c-erbB-2 immunohistochemically to clarify the relationship of these markers to each other and to FIGO stage, myometrial invasion, and survival. We studied 64 cases of endometrial carcinoma, treated between 1988 and 1995, for overexpression of p53, percentage of PCNA expression (PCNA index), and c-erbB-2 cytoplasmic membrane staining. Thirty-two percent of tumors expressed p53, 39% displayed a PCNA index of > = 25%, and 69% expressed c-erbB-2. p53 overexpression was significantly associated with stage (p=0.027), PCNA index > = 25% (p=0.005), c-erbB-2 expression (p=0.018), and vital status (p=0.04). PCNA index > = 25% was associated with stage (p=0.008), myometrial invasion (p=0.008), and c-erbB-2 expression (p=0.05), and weakly associated with vital status (p=0.07). No associations were observed for c-erbB-2 with stage, invasion, or vital status. There was some suggestion of a decreased survival in patients whose tumors overexpressed p53 (Log Rank; p=0.09) or had a PCNA index > = 25% (Log Rank; p=0.13). Additional, larger studies are needed to evaluate the prognostic value of PCNA and p53 expression in endometrial adenocarcinoma.


In the presence of ambiguities in tax law, practitioners are known to exploit them to the advantage of the client as they have more leeway in interpreting the law. This study examines four factors that may influence tax practitioners' recommendations to clients under tax law ambiguity. The results show that practitioners are sensitive to the risk propensity of their clients in the presence of ambiguity in tax law. It appears that practitioners are concerned over losing clients, and providing the type of advice (conservative or aggressive) in accordance with clients' risk propensities is paramount to maintaining their clientele base. Further, practitioners with higher personal risk propensity are more willing to stretch the boundaries of the tax law towards the extreme end of the aggressiveness continuum for aggressive clients. The same can be said of those practitioners from larger firms, who perhaps have more resources to support their practitioners in devising aggressive forms of creative compliance for their clients. Bigger practitioner firms also tend to have clients from larger firms which generally have more convoluted transactions than do smaller firms, thereby providing more opportunities to avoid tax. Feedback from practitioners suggests that communication with clients was crucial in their role as practitioners. This interaction could take the form of mere feedback of information through to discussion and/or negotiation as required to resolve a tax problem or issue.


A study has been made of the deformation of solids at high rates of strain which are produced by the impact of a small cylinder or jet of liquid on the surface of the solid. A method is developed for projecting this jet against the solid at velocities up to 1200 m/s. The subsequent deformation of the solid under impact and the behaviour of the liquid is observed by high-speed photographic methods. The magnitude and duration of the impact load are also measured by using a piezo-electric transducer. The mode of deformation of the solid has been investigated for plastic, elastic and brittle materials. There is evidence that the liquid jet, on impact, behaves initially in a compressible manner. Part of the deformation is due to these compressible effects and part to the shearing action of the liquid flowing at very high speeds across the surface. If the head of the jet has an appropriate shape (e.g. wedge shaped) the velocity of flow across the surface may be much greater than the velocity of approach. It is found that there are five general types of deformation produced in the solid. There are (i) circumferential surface fractures, (ii) subsurface flow and fractures, (iii) large-scale plastic deformation, (iv) shear deformation around the periphery of the impact zone, and (v) fracture due to the reflexion and interference of stress waves. The predominating mode of deformation depends primarily on the mechanical properties of the solid and on the velocity of impact. The observations have a bearing on the practical problem of the erosion of aircraft flying at high speed through rain and on the erosion of turbine blades.


Examples ... Don't apply any model until you understand the simplifying assumptions on which it is based, and you can test their validity. Catch phrase: use only as directed. Don't limit yourself to a single model: More than one model may be useful for understanding different aspects of the same phenomenon. Catch phrase: legalize polygamy. " Saul Golomb, " Mathematical Models—Uses and Limitations, " 1970 [Gol70]. In this chapter we present a collection of examples spanning many different fields of science and engineering. These examples will be used throughout the text and in exercises to illustrate different concepts. First-time readers may wish to focus on only a few examples with which they have had the most prior experience or insight to understand the concepts of state, input, output and dynamics in a familiar setting. The cruise control system of a car is a common feedback system encountered in everyday life. The system attempts to maintain a constant velocity in the presence of disturbances primarily caused by changes in the slope of a road. The controller compensates for these unknowns by measuring the speed of the car and adjusting the throttle appropriately. To model the system we start with the block diagram in Figure 3.1. Let v be the speed of the car and v r the desired (reference) speed. The controller, which typically is of the proportional-integral (PI) type described briefly in Chapter 1, receives the signals v and v r and generates a control signal u that is sent to an actuator that controls the throttle position. The throttle in turn controls the torque T delivered by the engine, which is transmitted through the gears and the wheels, generating a force F that moves the car. There are disturbance forces F d due to variations in the slope of the road, the rolling resistance and aerodynamic forces. The cruise controller also has a human–machine interface that allows the driver to set and modify the desired speed. There are also functions that disconnect the cruise control when the brake is touched. The system has many individual components—actuator, engine, transmission, wheels and car body—and a detailed model can be very complicated. In spite of this, the model required to design the cruise controller can be quite simple. To develop a mathematical model we start with a force balance for the car body. Let v be the speed of the car, m …


In April 2008, the Upland Hardwoods Ecology and Management Research Work Unit of the U.S. Forest Service, Southern Research Station began a long-term cooperative study to describe forest ecosystem response to three oak (Quercus spp.) shelterwood regeneration treatments in the central hardwoods region of the United States. Pretreatment inventory data from 10 mature, mixed-oak forest stands on North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Game Lands were input into the Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) to analyze the long-term forest ecosystem response to the following oak shelterwood regeneration treatments: (1) shelterwood followed by prescribed fire and overstory removal, (2) shelterwood via herbicide followed by overstory removal, (3) repeated prescribed fire followed by overstory removal, and (4) control. In this study, FVS growth forecasts were used to analyze alternative oak shelterwood regeneration treatment effects on species diversity and oak abundance over the next 50 years.


With projectors and depth cameras getting cheaper, assistive systems in industrial manufacturing are becoming increasingly ubiquitous. As these systems are able to continuously provide feedback using in-situ projection, they are perfectly suited for supporting impaired workers in assembling products. However, so far little research has been conducted to understand the effects of projected instructions on impaired workers. In this paper, we identify common visualizations used by assistive systems for impaired workers and introduce a simple contour visualization. Through a user study with 64 impaired participants we compare the different visualizations to a control group using no visual feedback in a real world assembly scenario, i.e. assembling a clamp. Furthermore, we introduce a simplified version of the NASA-TLX questionnaire designed for impaired participants. The results reveal that the contour visualization is significantly better in perceived mental load and perceived performance of the participants. Further, participants made fewer errors and were able to assemble the clamp faster using the contour visualization compared to a video visualization, a pictorial visualization and a control group using no visual feedback.


Phakopsora pachyrhizi is the causal agent of Asian soybean rust (ASR). Since the discovery of ASR in North America in 2004, evaluation of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] lines with U.S. isolates has become an important objective to identify resistance sources to the pathogen. In this study, 10 plant introductions (PIs) previously identified as resistant in Paraguay were evaluated using three ASR isolates from Mississippi. Soybean cultivars Williams 82 and Freedom, and four PIs with known single genes for resistance to P. pachyrhizi also were included as susceptible and resistant checks, respectively. Replicated experiments were conducted in growth chambers at the USDA-ARS Stoneville Research Quarantine Facility in Mississippi. Soybean line PI 567102B was identified as the most resistant line among the 10 resistant PIs identified in Paraguay. It had the lowest severity rating, no sporulation, and near immune/ hypersensitive reaction to isolate MS07-2, and red-brown (RB) reactions to isolates MS06-1 and MS07-1. In addition, reaction of PI 567102B to ASR differed from that of four PIs with known resistance genes. PI 200492 (Rpp1) had immune reaction to all three Mississippi isolates, while PI 230970 (Rpp2), PI 462312 (Rpp3), and PI 459025B (Rpp4) had RB lesions with different sporulation ratings. Soybean lines having resistant reactions to both U.S. and Paraguay isolates may be important sources for developing elite cultivars with broad resistance to ASR.


OBJECTIVE: Currently available medical treatment options for patients with environmentally related diseases and objective toxic burden have not been shown to be effective in therapeutic studies according to stringent methodological criteria. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. Patients were randomized into three groups: the "experimental treatment group" (EG) receiving a complex and intensive therapy protocol, the "control treatment group" (CG) receiving similar treatment with modified intensity and placebo wherever possible, the "waiting group" (WG) with no treatment. PARTICIPANTS: 36 outpatients with defined toxic burden below NOAEL levels and multiple complaints, but no psychotizism or hypochondrizism. EVALUATION/MEASUREMENTS: Outcome parameters included psychic and somatic variables related to psychological well-being, neuropsychological abilitiy and serum concentrations of selected persistent organochlorides. RESULTS: Treatment effects were generally seen in psychological and neuropsychological tests between EG to WG. Differences were significant in most psychological life quality parameters. Patients of EG described less complaints after the treatment than those of CG. Further positive effects were observed in time-dependent cognitive measurements (ZVT, d2, WL-G). Biomonitoring parameters did not indicate any changes in toxic burden. CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Our data indicate support for the efficacy of the complex therapy for affected patients. The lack of correlation between psychological and neuropsychological improvement and body burdens needs further studies.


BACKGROUND
In neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) new vessels grow under the retina distorting vision and leading to scarring. This is exacerbated if the blood vessels leak. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been investigated as a way to treat the neovascular membranes without affecting the retina.

OBJECTIVES
The aim of this review was to examine the effects of PDT in the treatment of neovascular AMD.

SEARCH STRATEGY
We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (which includes the Cochrane Eyes and Vision Group Trials Register) on The Cochrane Library (Issue 1, 2005), MEDLINE (1966 to January 2005), EMBASE (1980 to January 2005). We used the Science Citation Index to search for reports that cited relevant studies. We contacted experts in the field and searched the reference lists of relevant studies.

SELECTION CRITERIA
We included randomised trials of PDT in people with choroidal neovascularisation due to AMD.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two authors independently extracted the data. Relative risks were combined using a fixed-effect model after testing for heterogeneity.

MAIN RESULTS
Two published trials were identified that randomised 948 participants to verteporfin therapy compared to 5% dextrose in water. Both trials were performed by the same investigators using largely the same clinical centres and funded by manufacturers of verteporfin. Outcome data were available at 12 and 24 months after the first treatment. Participants received on average five treatments over two years. The relative risk of losing three or more lines of visual acuity at 24 months comparing the intervention with the control group was 0.77 (95% confidence interval 0.69 to 0.87). The relative risk of losing six or more lines of visual acuity at 24 months comparing the intervention with the control group was 0.62 (95% confidence interval 0.50 to 0.76). The results at 12 months were similar to those at 24 months. The most serious adverse outcome, acute (within 7 days of treatment) severe visual acuity decrease, occurs in about one in 50 patients.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
Photodynamic therapy in people with choroidal neovascularisation due to AMD is probably effective in preventing visual loss though there is doubt about the size of the effect. Outcomes and potential adverse effects of this treatment should be monitored closely. Further independent trials of verteporfin are required to establish that the effects seen in this study are consistent and to examine important issues not yet addressed, particularly relating to quality of life and cost.


Due to the increasing mobility of capital, tax rates on profits of corporate are under massive downward pressure in Europe. Low-tax jurisdictions such as Ireland, Luxembourg, the UK and Eastern European Member States have pursued competitive strategies, compelling all the European members to follow suit and to increasingly rely on tax revenues from lessmobile sources such as real property, consumption and labor. This report analyzes this tax competition and Multi-National Firms (MNFs) strategy that take advantage of tax rates and basis differentials. We survey case studies regarding the foregone tax revenue due to evasion and show that the amounts saved by firms are comparable to the contributions to the EU budget by countries like the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands or Luxembourg. We also estimate the revenue losses for the national governments of EU15 due to corporate tax avoidance through profit shifting under three scenarios considering different levels of 'CIT efficiency' to raise revenue for the year 2015. The 'intermediate' scenario predicts that the revenue losses for the EU governments due to corporate tax avoidance amount to approximately 98 billion €. After this description of the failure of the current system of taxation, this report analyzes alternative schemes such as the Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base (CCCTB).


Collective organization in matter plays a significant role in its expressed physical properties. Typically, it is detected via an order parameter, appropriately defined for each given system's observed emergent patterns. Recent developments in information theory, however, suggest quantifying collective organization in a system- and phenomenon-agnostic way: decompose the system's thermodynamic entropy density into a localized entropy, that solely contained in the dynamics at a single location, and a bound entropy, that stored in space as domains, clusters, excitations, or other emergent structures. We compute this decomposition and related quantities explicitly for the nearest-neighbor Ising model on the 1D chain, the Bethe lattice with coordination number k=3, and the 2D square lattice, illustrating its generality and the functional insights it gives near and away from phase transitions. In particular, we consider the roles that different spin motifs play (in cluster bulk, cluster edges, and the like) and how these affect the dependencies between spins.


The study of consumer psychology reveals two categories of consumption decision procedures: compensatory rules and non-compensatory rules. Existing recommendation models which are based on latent factor models assume the consumers follow the compensatory rules, i.e. they evaluate an item over multiple aspects and compute a weighted or/and summated score which is used to derive the rating or ranking of the item. However, it has been shown in the literature of consumer behavior that, consumers adopt non-compensatory rules more often than compensatory rules. Our main contribution in this paper is to study the unexplored area of utilizing non-compensatory rules in recommendation models.Our general assumptions are (1) there are K universal hidden aspects. In each evaluation session, only one aspect is chosen as the prominent aspect according to user preference. (2) Evaluations over prominent and non-prominent aspects are non-compensatory. Evaluation is mainly based on item performance on the prominent aspect. For non-prominent aspects the user sets a minimal acceptable threshold. We give a conceptual model for these general assumptions. We show how this conceptual model can be realized in both pointwise rating prediction models and pair-wise ranking prediction models. Experiments on real-world data sets validate that adopting non-compensatory rules improves recommendation performance for both rating and ranking models.