Recent Work on Canadian Political InstitutionsRand DyckPatrick Malcolmson and Richard Myers. Peterborough: Broadview Press, 1996.Patrick Malcolmson and Richard Myers are among the political scientists who regret that the discipline has "moved away from the study of government and political institutions in an attempt to explain political phenomena in terms of economic, sociological, psychological and anthropological phenomena." Instead, they argue, "the starting point for a sound understanding of Canadian politics is to focus on the basic institutions of government." Three of the other four books in this varied collection do deal with government institutions - the public service, the House of Commons and the courts - while the fifth concerns a quasi-governmental institution, the New Democratic Party. This review can thus be said to examine recent books on Canadian political institutions, but not all of them depend on an institutional or neo-institutional approach.The Canadian Regime has about 200 pages of text and 50 pages of Constitution Acts, 1867 and 1982. Malcolmson and Myers aim for a "short and clear account of Canadian government." Given the "poor condition of civic education in contemporary Canada," their target audience is first-year political science students and ordinary citizens who want to be better informed. They hope "to articulate the inner logic and coherence of the regime," that is, to explain the interactions among the political institutions as well as their underlying principles.The book is a fairly basic "civics" text, which briefly describes the constitution, federalism, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Crown, cabinet and prime minister, Parliament and the judiciary. It looks beyond this institutional base to include chapters on elections, political parties and "interest groups, public opinion, and democratic citizenship." Although they eschew theoretical approaches beyond their affection for institutions, the authors make reference to Aristotle, Mill and Locke in their categorization of political regimes and in their discussion of the fundamental principles of equality and liberty. What they say is clearly written, necessarily condensed, and conventional; most theoretical questions are handled well; and while some of their examples are excellent, others are hypothetical when better "real" examples exist. They touch upon such controversial questions as the merits of majority and minority governments, the reserve powers of the Crown, fixed election dates, the federal spending power, Michael Mandel's critique of the legalization of politics, prime ministerial government, the principle of ministerial responsibility, the effectiveness of backbenchers, the Triple-E Senate, the effects of the single-member plurality electoral system, party ideology and the "horse-race" coverage of election campaigns.The book's main strength is its defence of the existing parliamentary system, with its executive dominance, party discipline, institutionalized opposition and accountability provided by the principle of responsible government. It sees no reason to look to American institutions to improve the operation of the Canadian system. The explanations of the components of the constitution, the conventions of responsible government, the constitutional amending formulas, Charter cases such as Southam and Oakes and the Thomas Berger affair, are impressive. Key terms are listed at the end of each chapter and discussion questions are at the end of the book.While the authors succeed in their general explanation of the Canadian political regime and in clarifying basic principles, they falter on many of the details. Explaining such a broad subject in 200 pages leads to oversimplifications, such as in collapsing several phases of Canadian federalism and in devoting only three pages to the civil service. Since they rarely refer to the Constitution Acts that consume the last 50 pages of the book, the authors might have made more profitable use of that space. …


Postfermentation wine yeast lees show antioxidant properties based on their ability to consume dissolved oxygen. The oxygen consumption capacity of suspended yeast lees obtained after fermentations with six commercial active dry yeast strains was investigated in model, white and red wines using fluorescence-based oxygen sensors operating in a nondestructive way. In model solution, the oxygen consumption rate of yeast lees was shown to depend on their amount, yeast strain, sulfur dioxide and temperature. It is slightly lower in red than in white wines. It is strongly decreased by current levels of free sulfur dioxide, thus excluding the complementary use of both as antioxidants in wine. However, in 25 randomly sampled white wines produced under commercial conditions, the rate and extent of oxygen consumption during the first six months of postfermentation had no significant correlation with any of these interacting factors, making it difficult to predict the actual antioxidant effect of yeast lees. In these wines, yeast lees consumed 0 to 47% of the dissolved oxygen. Although total oxygen consumption capacity of yeast lees is not a limiting factor under commercial winemaking conditions, their oxygen consumption proceeds at a limited rate that reduces but cannot totally prevent concomitant chemical oxidation of the wine.


Background: Since 2008, there has been an increase in the use of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) through an anterior or anterolateral approach for total hip arthroplasty (THA) in Norway. We compared the MIS approaches with the conventional posterior and direct lateral approaches in terms of revision rates and risk of revision. Methods: On the basis of data in the Norwegian Arthroplasty Register, 21,860 THAs with an uncemented stem, performed between 2008 and 2013, were identified and included in the cohort. Of these THAs, 2,017 were done through an MIS anterior approach; 2,087, through an MIS anterolateral approach; 5,961, through a posterior approach; and 11,795, through a direct lateral approach. Follow-up ended on December 31, 2015. Two and 5-year survival rates were calculated using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Relative risk (RR) was calculated using Cox regression analysis, with adjustment for age, sex, primary diagnosis, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade, femoral head size, cup fixation, type of articulation, and duration of surgery and using 6 revision end points based on cause: any cause, infection, dislocation, femoral fracture, aseptic loosening, and other/unknown cause. The median duration of follow-up was 4.3 years. Results: There were no significant differences among the surgical approaches with regard to the 2 and 5-year survival rates or RR of revision due to any cause. The RR of revision due to infection was 0.53 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.36 to 0.80, p = 0.002) for the MIS anterior and anterolateral approaches and 0.57 (95% CI = 0.40 to 0.80, p = 0.001) for the posterior approach compared with the direct lateral approach. The RR of revision due to dislocation was 2.1 (95% CI = 1.5 to 3.1, p < 0.001) for the posterior approach compared with the direct lateral approach but no significant difference in risk was found when the MIS anterior and anterolateral approaches were compared with the direct lateral approach (RR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.40 to 1.3, p = 0.25). Conclusions: The revision rates and risk of revision associated with the MIS anterior and anterolateral approaches were not increased compared with those of the conventional posterior and direct lateral approaches. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.


Although a pilot national live-donor kidney exchange program was recently launched in the US, the kidney shortage is increasing faster than ever. A new solution paradigm is able to incorporate compatible pairs in exchange. In this paper, we consider an exchange framework that has both compatible and incompatible pairs, and patients are indifferent over compatible pairs. Only two-way exchanges are permitted because of institutional constraints. We explore the structure of Pareto-efficient matchings in this framework. We show that under Pareto-efficient matchings, the same number of patients receive transplants, and it is possible to construct Pareto-efficient matchings that match the same incompatible pairs while matching the least number of compatible pairs. We extend the celebrated Gallai–Edmonds Decomposition in the combinatorial optimization literature to our new framework. We also conduct comparative static exercises on how this decomposition changes as new compatible pairs join the pool.


Abstract Recent studies, primarily in Drosophila, have greatly advanced our understanding of Haldane's rule, the tendency for hybrid sterility or inviability to affect primarily the heterogametic sex (Haldane 1922). Although dominance theory (Turelli and Orr 1995) has been proposed as a general explanation of Haldane's rule, this remains to be tested in female-heterogametic taxa, such as the Lepidoptera. Here we describe a novel example of Haldane's rule in Heliconius melpomene (Lepidoptera; Nymphalidae). Female F1 offspring are sterile when a male from French Guiana is crossed to a female from Panama, but fertile in the reciprocal cross. Male F1s are fertile in both directions. Similar female F1 sterility occurs in crosses between French Guiana and eastern Colombian populations. Backcrosses and linkage analysis show that sterility results from an interaction between gene(s) on the Z chromosome of the Guiana race with autosomal factors in the Panama genome. Large X (or Z) effects are commonly observed in Drosophila, but to our knowledge have not been previously demonstrated for hybrid sterility in Lepidoptera. Differences in the abundance of male versus female or Z-linked versus autosomal sterility factors cannot be ruled out in our crosses as causes of Haldane's rule. Nonetheless, the demonstration that recessive Z-linked loci cause hybrid sterility in a female heterogametic species supports the contention that dominance theory provides a general explanation of Haldane's rule (Turelli and Orr 2000). Corresponding Editor: C. López-Fanjul


In the way of developing fast parallel robots, the following work proposes a development of a new delta robot. This robot is a 3 d.o.f. parallel robot based on a Delta-like kinematics [Clavel 88, 92]. It is actually an inverted Delta in which the parallel bars are inverted towards the basis. There are two principal advantages of this structure. The first is that there is less links between the actuators and the support basis. The second concerns the fact that end- effector naturally moves without changing the direction of the motors. This last characteristic leads to a fastest structure. This paper is organized as follows: At first, we will present the previous version of the micro-delta [Rey 94] and the actuator trajectories when carrying out a typical pick and place operations. The second part concerns the proposition of this new kinematics (called inverted delta), its optimization, simulation, design and the mechanics. A comparison between the actuator's trajectories will be shown to stress on the improvements on the fastness of the structure. Finally, the motion control and performances are shown to prove the efficiency of such structure. The experimental position control is presented when using a simplified feed forward controller that seems to be quit sufficient for the desired performances (around 0.1mm at the end effector). This structure has been actually developed for the pick and place operations in the market where there is a need of fast operations relative to small workspace.


We measured aboveground plant biomass, aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP), detritus accumulation, and nitrogen and phosphorus uptake by aboveground vegetation in six Metrosideros polymorpha stands on the windward slopes of Mauna Loa, Hawai'i, USA. Our objective was to quantify the effects of elevation (primarily temperature) on ecosystem properties during primary succession, as a key to understanding ecosystem–climate interactions. Four study sites were on 111- to 136-yr-old lava flows at elevations of 290, 700, 1130, and 1660 m. Two additional sites on 3400-yr-old lava were at 700 and 1660 m elevations. All sites were on solid pahoehoe (smooth or ropy-textured) lava substrates with gentle relief, were free of significant human disturbance, received abundant precipitation, and had similar vegetation composition. Total aboveground biomass, soil organic matter mass, and aboveground net primary production (ANPP) were all greater in the old sites than in young sites. Differences between young and old sites in aboveground live biomass, detrital mass, and ANPP all supported the conclusion that ecosystem development proceeded relatively faster at 700 m elevation than at 1660 m. However, aboveground biomass in the old sites (81 Mg/ha at 1660 m elevation and 123 Mg/ha at 700 m) was low in comparison with other wet tropical forests. Accumulations of N and P in live biomass and detritus followed the same trends as were observed for organic matter. Rates of soil carbon accumulation over the first 3400 yr of succession averaged 2.1 g·m−2·yr−1, similar to other reported soil chronosequences. Observed rates of N accumulation ranged from 0.1 to 0.6 g·m−2·yr−1 over the first 136 yr of succession. There were no monotonic elevational trends among young sites with respect to live biomass, detritus mass, or total N or P accumulation. Foliar nitrogen concentrations in the young sites were among the lowest reported from any tropical forests and tended to decline with increasing elevation. The growth and biomass of individual plant species varied in distinctive ways along the elevational gradient. Nevertheless, among young sites there was a direct, linear relationship between total ANPP and mean annual temperature of the site, with a similar pattern in the two old sites. For each 1°C increase in mean annual temperature, total ANPP increased by 54 g·m−2·yr−1. Community-level ANPP also was directly correlated with rates of N and P uptake by the vegetation, regardless of site age or elevation.


Why do men and women adopt agricultural technologies at different rates? Evidence from Ghana suggests that gender-linked differences in the adoption of modern maize varieties and chemical fertilizer result from gender-linked differences in access to complementary inputs. This finding has important policy implications, because it suggests that ensuring more widespread and equitable adoption of improved technologies may not require changes in the research system, but rather introduction of measures that ensure better access for women to complementary inputs, especially land, labor, and extension services.


Background: Sensory bias models of the evolution of sexually selected traits predict that trait preferences evolve in a nonsexual context such as prey selection. Indicator models predict that sexually selected traits indicate mate condition. I investigated the potential for sensory exploitation and condition indication models to explain the evolution of what appears to be a recently evolved sexually selected trait. Question: Did red pelvic spine coloration in male Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge (TNWR) brook stickleback (Culaea inconstans) evolve to exploit a preexisting sensory bias for red prey, thus helping males draw females to the nest? Or, did it evolve as an intersexual signal indicating male condition to females? Methods: I recorded the frequency of red pelvic spine coloration in males versus females and breeding versus non-breeding males. I measured the condition factor of males with and without red coloration on their pelvic spines. I presented fish with a paired choice between a red versus an orange, yellow, green, blue, or purple bead, and recorded the proportion of bites at each color. I tested for sexual dimorphism in pelvic spines and made observations on their use by territorial males in comparison to dorsal spines. Results: Red coloration is significantly more common in males than females and in breeding than nonbreeding males. TNWR brook stickleback prefer red to other colors in a predation context. Males with strongly red pelvic spines have a significantly higher mean condition factor than those with plain spines. Pelvic spine size is similar in males and females. Males tend to extend their dorsal spines more often than their pelvic spines during agonistic encounters. Conclusions: Red pelvic spine coloration of TNWR brook stickleback is a secondary sexual character which may exploit a preexisting sensory bias for red prey while also indicating condition to females.


With the end of the antibiotic era looming, alternative antimicrobial agents are desperately needed. Lytic bacteriophage specific for a variety of bacteria have been used for almost 100 years to successfully treat serious infections. Here we make the case for pursuing formal regulatory approvals for the use of bacteriophage as therapeutic antimicrobial agents.


Frederick Law Olmsted is arguably the most important historical figure that the average American knows the least about. Best remembered for his landscape architecture, from New York's Central Park to Boston's Emerald Necklace to Stanford University's campus, Olmsted was also an influential journalist, early voice for the environment, and abolitionist credited with helping dissuade England from joining the South in the Civil War. This momentous career was shadowed by a tragic personal life, also fully portrayed here. Most of all, he was a social reformer. He didn't simply create places that were beautiful in the abstract. An awesome and timeless intent stands behind Olmsted's designs, allowing his work to survive to the present day. With our urgent need to revitalize cities and a widespread yearning for green space, his work is more relevant now than it was during his lifetime. Justin Martin restores Olmsted to his rightful place in the pantheon of great Americans.


Elsa Schiaparelli is regarded as one of the most important artist-couturiers and taste-makers of the 20th century. A genuine influence on the style of her times, she numbered among her collaborators and friends the artists Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Jean Cocteau, Christian Berard and Marcel Vertes. She was an early client of the important modernist decorator Jean- Michel Franck who decorated her salons for her using Giacometti lamps from him. Here, with a text on her memories of her beloved grandmother by the international film star Marisa Berenson, is Schiaparellis own album of photographs of her life starting in Italy when we see her as a very young girl in the early 20th Century. We meet the people she knew, we see round the houses she lived in, the parties she gave and we can read her witty writings, some translated from the original French or Italian, some in English, many in facsimile. Ninety per cent of the photographs in this book have never been seen in public before, nor published. They are original studio proof prints by giants of 20th-century photography such as Man Ray, Hoyningen-Huene, Horst, Andre Durst, Baron de Meyer and other notable photographers of the time. None of the writings have been previously published.


The goal of the project is the verification of the evaluation method published by
Dandliker. This includes the implementation of his Finite Difference Method as a
computer program as well as the measurement of the surface deformation of an object,
and the determination of the internal stresses and strains. The results of this evaluation
shall be compared with the analytically calculated stresses and strain of the chosen
object. The steps in more details are:
- Implementation of the Dandliker [6] algorithms on a computer. For the
implementation standard software systems may be used, e.g. MatLab.
- Measurement of the bending of a rectangular steel bar under a point load. The steel
bar shall be fixed on one end in the longitudinal direction and the load shall be
applied on the other end, fig. 1.
Fig. 1: Sketch of the set-up
The deformation of the surface shall be measured by Digital Holography in three
dimensions in a sufficient number of surface points.
- The internal stresses and strains shall be evaluated by the Finite Difference Method.
The data must be presented in a form to be compared to an analytical solution.
- The internal stresses and strains shall be evaluated by known analytical solutions.
The two results – measured and computed - for the internal stresses and strains shall be
compared. Differences have to be discussed.


Sub-national jurisdictions are promoted as strategic levels of governance for achieving reduced deforestation objectives. Jurisdictional approaches (JA) emerged as government-led, holistic approaches to forest and land use management across one or more legally defined territories. Despite increasing popularity amongst the science and practitioner communities, there is a lack of robust empirical data documenting their effectiveness in delivering environmental, social and economic outcomes. In this paper, we contend that further clarification of the JA concept would help its evaluation. More specifically, we suggest that current evaluation practices of JA would be strengthened if they were based on a theory of change clarifying the causal linkages between the interventions associated with a given JA and their effects. By integrating select empirical knowledge on JA with a selection of middle-range theories from the literature on collective environmental governance, we design a generic theory of change for JA, which is articulated around two intermediary outcomes, namely the emergence of collaboration and social learning. We also formulate hypotheses regarding the conditions that enable or hinder these collective intermediary outcomes of JAs. We acknowledge that another fundamental challenge for JAs is to remove or block the external contradicting signals that still fundamentally drive deforestation. Thus, JA interventions need to operate not only at the jurisdictional level, but also beyond.


Sri Lanka, the "pearl" of the Indian Ocean, is strategically located within the east-west international shipping passageway. Like the old Silk Road that stretched from the ancient Chinese capital of Xian all the way to ancient Rome, modern China's strategic and commercial supply line extends over the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea to include the focal transit port of Sri Lanka at the southern tip of India. Today, over 85 percent of China's energy imports from the Middle East and mineral resources from Africa transit through Sri Lanka and other so-called "string of pearls" ports. Beijing seeks to protect these "pearls" as strategic economic arteries anchored all the way from the Persian Gulf and African waters to Hong Kong. Colonel Christopher Pehrson at the US Army War College describes this elaborate network as: "The manifestation of China's rising geopolitical influence through efforts to increase access to ports and airfields, develop special diplomatic relationships, and modernize military forces that extend from the South China Sea through the Strait of Malacca, across the Indian Ocean, and on to the Arabian Gulf." To meet increasing demand for resources and to secure their maritime trading routes through the Indian Ocean, China has either built or reportedly planned to construct vital facilities in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Maldives, Myanmar, Pakistan, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. In addition to these projects, China has reportedly been exploring the expansion and establishment of other facilities at eastern and western maritime choking ports of the Indian Ocean--the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea as well as the Strait of Malacca--to address growing piracy issues, especially around Somalia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Sri Lanka, the "crown jewel" of Beijing's naval strategy, will soon have the over US$100 million Chinese-built Lotus Tower in Colombo--the highest edifice in South Asia and the nineteenth tallest building in the world--that can reportedly be seen from New Delhi. The Buddhist-inspired (through the Lotus Sutra), soaring telecommunication tower symbolizes not only Beijing's foreign policy slogan of "Peaceful Rising," but also projects an aura of power radiating from the former Middle Kingdom. Suddenly awakened to this reality, the United States and a "string of pearl"--encircled India are increasingly worried about the Chinese adventure in subtlety and its possibly concealed intentions for the Indian Ocean. The Nervous Neighbor and the Assertive Visitor One main cause of grave concern for Delhi and Washington is the construction of a billion dollar all-inclusive deepwater sea port at Hambantota--a small fishing village of 21,000 people on the southeastern coast of Sri Lanka. In exchange of generous financial, military, and diplomatic support to Sri Lanka, China has now begun to reap the benefits of its strategic investment on the island by using the sea port as a refuelling and docking station for the Chinese Navy and commercial shipments. Hambantota is also one of President Mahinda Rajapaksa's constituencies and is represented by his 25-year-old son Kamal in parliament--an implicit but masterful move to advance a political dynasty in Sri Lanka through an extensive network of family members who now govern the island and foreign diplomacy. It is a strategy famously dubbed the "Colombo Consensus" by the Economist magazine in London. Critics have also pointed out that China has financed a comprehensive array of other infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka, including an oil-storage facility, a new airport, a coal-fired power plant, and an expressway, all of which are reportedly negotiated and managed by Rajapaksa family members. With cheap commercial credit and imported Chinese labor, Beijing also builds main roads and public buildings in the war-damaged northern and eastern regions, and constructs a modern performance arts center in Colombo. …


This article proposes to explore the political correlates of Amazonian perspectival ontologies. From a Taulipang mythical narrative about the origin of the anus (as transcribed by Koch-Grunberg) to a Nambikwara explanation of Brazilian I.D. cards (as reported by Joana Miller), Amazonian ethnography allows us to perceive how "bodily" affects and "spiritual" encounters conspire to project a particular conception of power, sociality and truth.


Like many other filamentous ascomycetes, Fusarium graminearum contains two genes named CPK1 and CPK2 that encode the catalytic subunits of cyclic AMP (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase A (PKA). To determine the role of cAMP signaling in pathogenesis and development in F. graminearum, we functionally characterized these two genes. In addition, we generated and characterized the cpk1 cpk2 double and fac1 adenylate cyclase gene deletion mutants. The cpk1 mutant was significantly reduced in vegetative growth, conidiation, and deoxynivalenol production but it had increased tolerance to elevated temperatures. It was defective in the production of penetration branches on plant surfaces, colonization of wheat rachises, and spreading in flowering wheat heads. Deletion of CPK1 had no effect on perithecium development but the cpk1 mutant was defective in ascospore maturation and releasing. In contrast, the cpk2 mutant had no detectable phenotypes, suggesting that CPK2 contributes minimally to PKA activities in F. graminearum. Nevertheless, the cpk1 cpk2 double mutant had more severe defects in vegetative growth and rarely produced morphologically abnormal conidia. The double mutant, unlike the cpk1 or cpk2 mutant, was nonpathogenic and failed to form perithecia on self-mating plates. Therefore, CPK1 and CPK2 must have overlapping functions in vegetative growth, differentiation, and plant infection in F. graminearum. The fac1 mutant was also nonpathogenic and had growth defects similar to those of the cpk1 cpk2 mutant. However, deletion of FAC1 had no effect on conidium morphology. These results indicated that CPK1 is the major PKA catalytic subunit gene and that the cAMP-PKA pathway plays critical roles in hyphal growth, conidiation, ascosporogenesis, and plant infection in F. graminearum.


In light of the large number of Chinese immigrants in Paris originally from the Wenzhou region in China's Zhejiang Province, this research focuses on two case studies of Wenzhou restaurants situated in different Paris Chinatowns. It seeks to identify the ways in which the Wenzhou owners mark their presence in the Parisian linguistic landscape through the signage of their shopfronts and premises. By infusing existing multimodal analysis with ethnographic linguistic landscape analysis (ELLA), this study examines the ways in which two Wenzhou restaurateurs display their specific cultural and ethnic identity in the linguistic landscape. The analysis of the signage of their premises, combined with ethnographic interviews, unveils the restaurateurs' strategies to enact their cultural and ethnic Wenzhou identity through their shopfront signs, menus and premise decorations, and how they distinguish themselves from their Chinese competitors.


We have studied light migration in highly scattering media theoretically and experimentally, using the We approximation in a semi-infinite-geometry boundary condition. Both the light source and the diffusion detector were located on the surface of a semi-infinite medium. Working with frequency-domain spectroscopy, we approached the problem in three areas: (1) we derived theoretical expressions for the measured quantities spectroscopy by applying appropriate boundary conditions to the diffusion equation; (2) in frequency-domain we experimentally verified the theoretical expressions by performing measurements on a macroscopically medium in quasi-semi-infinite-geometry conditions; (3) we applied Monte Carlo methods to homogeneous the semi-infinite-geometry boundary problem. The experimental results and the confirming Monte simulate Carlo simulation show that the diffusion approximation, under the appropriate boundary conditions, accurately estimates the optical parameters of the medium.


In digital soil mapping, machine learning (ML) techniques are being used to infer a relationship between a soil property and the covariates. The information derived from this process is often translated into pedological knowledge. This mechanism is referred to as knowledge discovery. This study shows that knowledge discovery based on ML must be treated with caution. We show how pseudo‐covariates can be used to accurately predict soil organic carbon in a hypothetical case study. We demonstrate that ML methods can find relevant patterns even when the covariates are meaningless and not related to soil‐forming factors and processes. We argue that pattern recognition for prediction should not be equated with knowledge discovery. Knowledge discovery requires more than the recognition of patterns and successful prediction. It requires the pre‐selection and preprocessing of pedologically relevant environmental covariates and the posterior interpretation and evaluation of the recognized patterns. We argue that important ML covariates could serve the purpose of providing elements to postulate hypotheses about soil processes that, once validated through experiments, could result in new pedological knowledge.


AI has been a catalyst for automation and efficiency in numerous ways, but has also had harmful consequences, including: unforeseen algorithmic bias that affects already marginalized communities, as with Amazon's AI recruiting algorithm that showed bias against women; accountability and liability coming into question if an autonomous vehicle injures or kills, as seen with Uber's self-driving car casualties; even the notion of democracy is being challenged as the technology enables authoritarian and democratic states like China and the United States to practice surveillance at an unprecedented scale.

The risks as well as the need for some form of basic rules have not gone unnoticed and governments, tech companies, research consortiums or advocacy groups have broached the issue. In fact, this has been the topic of local, national, and supranational discussion for some years now, as can be seen with new legislation popping up to ban facial recognition software in public spaces. The problem with these discussions, however, is that they have been heavily dominated by how we can make AI more "ethical". Companies, states, and even international organizations discuss ethical principles, such as fair, accountable, responsible, or safe AI in numerous expert groups or ad hoc committees, such as the High-Level Expert Group on AI in the European Commission, the group on AI in Society of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), or the select committee on Artificial Intelligence of the United Kingdom House of Lords.

This may sound like a solid approach to tackling the dangers that AI poses, but to actually be impactful, these discussions must be grounded in rhetoric that is focused and actionable. Not only may the principles be defined differently depending on the stakeholders, but there are overwhelming differences in how principles are interpreted and what requirements are necessary for them to materialize. In addition, ethical debates on AI are often dominated by American or Chinese companies, which are both propagating their own idea of ethical AI, but which may in many cases stand in conflict with the values of other cultures and nations. Not only do different countries have different ideas of which "ethics" principles need to be protected, but different countries play starkly different roles in developing AI. Another problem is when ethical guidelines are discussed, suggestions often come from tech companies themselves, while voices from citizens or even governments are marginalized.

Self-regulation around ethical principles is too weak to address the spreading implications that AI technologies have had. Ethical principles lack clarity and enforcement capabilities. We must stop focusing the discourse on ethical principles, and instead shift the debate to human rights. Debates must be louder at the supranational level. International pressure must be put on states and companies who fail to protect individuals by propagating AI technologies that carry risks. Leadership must be defined not by actors who come up with new iterations of ethical guidelines, but by those who develop legal obligations regarding AI, which are anchored in and derived from a human rights perspective.

A way to do this would be to reaffirm the human-centric nature of AI development and deployment that follows actionable standards of human rights law. The human rights legal framework has been around for decades and has been instrumental in fighting and pressuring states to change domestic laws. Nelson Mandela referred to the duties spelled out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights while fighting to end apartheid in South Africa; in 1973 with Roe v. Wade the United States Supreme Court followed a larger global trend of recognizing women's human rights by protecting individuals from undue governmental interference in private affairs and giving women the ability to participate fully and equally in society; more recently, open access to the Internet has been recognized as a human right essential to not only freedom of opinion, expression, association, and assembly, but also instrumental in mobilizing the population to call for equality, justice, and accountability in order to advance global respect for human rights. These examples show how human rights standards have been applied to a diverse set of domestic and international rules. That these standards are actionable and enforceable show that they are well-suited to regulate the cross-border nature of AI technologies. AI systems must be scrutinized through a human rights perspective to analyze current and future harms either created or exacerbated by AI, and take action to avoid any harm.

The adoption of AI technologies has spread across borders and has had diverse effects on societies all over the world. A globalized technology needs international obligations to mitigate the societal problems being faced at an accelerated and larger scale. Companies and states should strive for the development of AI technologies that uphold human rights. Centering the AI discourse around human rights rather than simply ethics can be one way of providing a clearer legal basis for development and deployment of AI technologies. The international community must raise awareness, build consensus, and analyze thoroughly how AI technologies violate human rights in different contexts and develop paths for effective legal remedies. Focusing the discourse on human rights rather than ethical principles can provide more accountability measures, more obligations for state and private actors, and can redirect the debate to rely on consistent and widely accepted legal principles developed over decades.


DOI: 10.21276/sjeat.2018.3.10.5 Abstract: In the past two decades, sustainability has been a significant concern when planning cities. As a consequence of development occurring in cities, its essence to people is discounted. An example of this is Doha, Qatar"s capital, which has undergone massive urban developments because of the post-WWII discovery and production of oil and gas. Doha"s urban fabric has been transformed from a rational, people-based, and environmentally adapted design into zoning and transportation dependent planning. However, in the past few years, Doha has started to adopt sustainability-driven urban planning policies. For example, development of the new city Lusail has legislation and design regulations directed towards sustainable planning. Therefore, this research study is focused on the urban planning of a neighbourhood in Al Wakra, Qatar. The focus is on its relationship to the old city layout and the possible implementation of sustainability principles in present-day development in the area. The study also develops strategies and design that utilize sustainability principles. The study process includes a literature review, data collection, detailed site analysis, and exploration of present and historic plans for Al Wakra. Additionally, various alternatives that follow specific strategies are generated to identify a desirable approach for the neighbourhood. Furthermore, the strategies highlight actions needed to implement the development concept. As a result, the study generates an ideal approach for the further development of Al Wakra. Furthermore, the findings can act as a reference for similar developments with a comparable climate, surroundings, environment, size, and population.


Theatrical improvisation (impro or improv) is a demanding form of live, collaborative performance. Improv is a humorous and playful artform built on an open-ended narrative structure which simultaneously celebrates effort and failure. It is thus an ideal test bed for the development and deployment of interactive artificial intelligence (AI)-based conversational agents, or artificial improvisors. This case study introduces an improv show experiment featuring human actors and artificial improvisors. We have previously developed a deep-learning-based artificial improvisor, trained on movie subtitles, that can generate plausible, context-based, lines of dialogue suitable for theatre. In this work, we have employed it to control what a subset of human actors say during an improv performance. We also give human-generated lines to a different subset of performers. All lines are provided to actors with headphones and all performers are wearing headphones. This paper describes a Turing test, or imitation game, taking place in a theatre, with both the audience members and the performers left to guess who is a human and who is a machine. In order to test scientific hypotheses about the perception of humans versus machines we collect anonymous feedback from volunteer performers and audience members. Our results suggest that rehearsal increases proficiency and possibility to control events in the performance. That said, consistency with real world experience is limited by the interface and the mechanisms used to perform the show. We also show that human-generated lines are shorter, more positive, and have less difficult words with more grammar and spelling mistakes than the artificial improvisor generated lines.


Background Neonatal Tetanus (NT) is a preventable cause of mortality and neurological sequelae that occurs at higher incidence in resource-poor countries, presumably because of low maternal immunisation rates and unhygienic cord care practices. We aimed to determine changes in the incidence of NT, characterize and investigate the associated risk factors and mortality in a prospective cohort study including all admissions over a 15-year period at a County hospital on the Kenyan coast, a region with relatively high historical NT rates within Kenya. Methods We assessed all neonatal admissions to Kilifi County Hospital in Kenya (1999–2013) and identified cases of NT (standard clinical case definition) admitted during this time. Poisson regression was used to examine change in incidence of NT using accurate denominator data from an area of active demographic surveillance. Logistic regression was used to investigate the risk factors for NT and factors associated with mortality in NT amongst neonatal admissions. A subset of sera from mothers (n = 61) and neonates (n = 47) were tested for anti-tetanus antibodies. Results There were 191 NT admissions, of whom 187 (98%) were home deliveries. Incidence of NT declined significantly (Incidence Rate Ratio: 0.85 (95% Confidence interval 0.81–0.89), P<0.001) but the case fatality (62%) did not change over the study period (P = 0.536). Younger infant age at admission (P = 0.001) was the only independent predictor of mortality. Compared to neonatal hospital admittee controls, the proportion of home births was higher among the cases. Sera tested for antitetanus antibodies showed most mothers (50/61, 82%) had undetectable levels of antitetanus antibodies, and most (8/9, 89%) mothers with detectable antibodies had a neonate without protective levels. Conclusions Incidence of NT in Kilifi County has significantly reduced, with reductions following immunisation campaigns. Our results suggest immunisation efforts are effective if sustained and efforts should continue to expand coverage.


Osteoarthritis (OA) is a complex disease characterised by involvement of multiple tissues in the synovial joint. It is a leading cause of pain and disability in older adults. It has long been hypothesised that subchondral bone plays an important role in the development and progression of the disease. This thesis aims to investigate how subchondral bone measures of the knee such as subchondral bone mineral density (sBMD), bone size, and bone marrow lesions (BMLs) are associated with important disease outcomes in OA.
A population-based sample of older adults aged 50–80 years (51% female; mean age 62 years) participated at baseline and approximately 3.0 years later. sBMD was assessed using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Cartilage volume, cartilage defects, bone area, and BMLs were determined using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). X-ray was used to assess radiographic osteoarthritis [joint space narrowing (JSN) and osteophytes]. Blood samples were collected to assess vitamin D and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Multiple questionnaires were used to assess pain, function, dietary intake, physical activity, sun exposure, and total knee replacement surgery.
The first study examined the cross-sectional correlates of sBMD and found that many factors were associated with sBMD including age, sex, body mass index (BMI), vitamin D, sun exposure, physical activity, and knee structural measures. The most novel structural measure was cartilage defects and a longitudinal study was required to address causality.
In the second study, bone area at baseline predicted cartilage defect development and cartilage volume loss. Baseline sBMD predicted cartilage defect development, which confirmed the cross-sectional findings above. These associations were independent of each other, indicating there are multiple mechanisms by which subchondral bone may lead to cartilage damage.
In the third and fourth study, 43% of participants presented with a BML at baseline with 25% improving in size and 24% worsening in size over time. Baseline BMLs predicted cartilage defect development and cartilage volume loss, suggesting BMLs may have a local effect on cartilage homeostasis. Baseline cartilage defects predicted BML progression, which may represent increased bone loading adjacent to defects. These results suggest BMLs and cartilage defects are interconnected and play key roles in knee cartilage volume loss; thus, both should be considered targets for intervention. BMLs also predicted total knee replacement surgery. A change in BML size was associated with a change in
pain, only in those participants without radiographic osteoarthritis. Importantly a decrease in BML size was associated with a decrease in pain.
In the final study, baseline energy, carbohydrate and sugar intake (but not fat) were positively associated with a change in BML size. Baseline HDL cholesterol was negatively associated with BML change.
In conclusion, this series of related studies indicate that subchondral bone plays a significant role in OA pathogenesis. Features of the subchondral bone contribute to knee pain and predict important disease outcomes such as cartilage loss and joint replacement surgery. This suggests that subchondral bone is an attractive target for therapeutic intervention in OA. Future work should consider subchondral bone treatments when developing disease-modifying OA drugs (DMOADs).


Rate dependent progressive composite damage model MAT162 in LS-DYNA is the state-of-the-art in composite damage modeling in 3D. Two progressive damage modules for Uni-directional (UD) and woven fabric composites (FABRIC) are available in MAT162. These two damage models have been used to develop mesomechanical RVE of 3D woven composites and very thick composite structures in modeling damage at both meso- and macro-mechanical RVE levels. While the fundamental elastic and strength parameters can be determined via standard and nonstandard mechanical testing, in modeling the semi-empirical erosion of finite volume elements to allow penetration, model validating experiments need to be simulated to determine the necessary modeling parameters required for MAT162. Low velocity impact (LVI), ballistic 􀜸􀬹􀬴 testing, and depth of penetration (DOP) experiments have been proven sufficient in determining the modeling parameters. This two part paper will present the methodology of determining the MAT162 properties and parameters by simulating LVI, 􀜸􀬹􀬴, and DOP experiments. Part A will focus on describing the properties & parameters needed for MAT162, and Part B will focus on parametric determination of modeling parameters simulating model validating experiments.


Using data from BRIGHT, an integrated program that aims to improve school participation in rural communities in Burkina Faso, we investigate the impact of school subsidies and increased access to education on child work. Regression discontinuity estimates demonstrate that, while BRIGHT substantially improved school participation, it increased children's participation in economic activities and chores. This combination of increased school participation and work can be explained by the introduction of a simple non convexity in the standard model of altruistic utility maximizing households. If education programs are implemented to achieve a combination of increased school participation and a reduction in child work, they may either have to be combined with different interventions that effectively reduce child work or they may have to be tuned more carefully to the incentives and constraints the child laborer faces.


Abstract The rutting and cracking of pavements has become very common problem in India. Also the quantity of plastic waste has significantly increased in the recent year due to industrialization and population growth. Improper disposal of these plastic wastes has caused various environmental problems, hence the alternative use of waste plastic in bituminous concrete for road construction has been encouraged by the community. In the present study the Indirect Tensile Strength Test has been carried out on Marshall Samples confirming to ASTM D6931-12. Three different processes (dry process, wet process and combined process) of mixing of waste plastic were used during experimentation. It was found that the indirect tensile strength (ITS) and tensile strength ratio (TSR) of sample significantly increase up to 8%, 6% and 12% for dry process, wet process and combined process respectively for LDPE and HDPE type of waste plastic.


This paper investigates the effects of the formation of free trade agreements (FTAs) on trade disputes. We construct a unique and comprehensive dataset on inter-country trade disputes from 1995 to 2007. The dataset covers 110 countries and 1130 trade disputes. We find that the incidences of trade disputes between two countries are positively associated with economic size, economic growth, and trade shares, thereby lending partial support to the "capacity hypothesis" in the dispute literature. More importantly, we obtain that FTAs between two countries reduces the occurrences of trade disputes between them. We also find that FTAs relying on the WTO dispute settlement mechanism further reduce trade disputes between their members compared to FTAs without provisions on trade dispute settlement. By contrast, the dispute-reducing effect is mitigated in FTAs which have their own dispute settlement mechanisms. The main results are robust to the control for possible measurement error and endogeneity problem.


While reasoning in a logic extending a complete Boolean basis is coNP-hard, restricting to conjunctive fragments of modal languages sometimes allows for tractable reasoning even in the presence of greatest fixpoints. One such example is the EL family of description logics; here, efficient reasoning is based on satisfaction checking in suitable small models that characterize formulas in terms of simulations. It is well-known, though, that not every conjunctive modal language has a tractable reasoning problem. Natural questions are then how common such tractable fragments are and how to identify them. In this work we provide sufficient conditions for tractability in a general way by considering unlabeled tableau rules for a given modal logic. We work in the framework of coalgebraic logic as a unifying semantic setting. Apart from recovering known results for description logics such as EL and FL0, we obtain new ones for conjunctive fragments of relational and non-relational modal logics with greatest fixpoints. Most notably we find tractable fragments of game logic and the alternating-time mu-calculus.


This paper describes our experiences with implementing and using a network monitor built with commodity hardware and open source software to collect contiguous, multi-day, full packet traces from 1 and 10 Gb/s networks. The length of the traces is primarily limited by the capacity of the disks attached to the monitor, and the rate and size of packets on the network. On a 10 Gb/s enterprise network our monitor sustained packet capture rates of 160,000 pps (packets per second) and data capture rates of 0.7 Gb/s, and burst capture rates up to 550,000 pps and 3.7 Gb/s respectively (with minimal packet loss). In testing we have achieved sustained capture rates of up to 676,000 pps and 1.4 Gb/s. We found that our technique (driverdump) can sustain capture rates between 1.86x (large packets) and 5.98x (small packets) higher than the traditional tcpdump program; compared to the linux-specific lindump program, we achieve rates 1.48x (large packets) and 2.25x (small packets) higher. We describe the current bottlenecks with our monitor and elaborate on how to address them. We also discuss our tools and techniques for efficiently analyzing the multiterabyte traces we collected. In particular, we rely on DataSeries, a highly efficient trace storage format.


Kenneth J. Zanca (Marymount College, Palos Verdes, CA) contributes our lead article, "The Lion Who Did Not Roar . . . Yet: The Editorials of James A. McMaster – May 1860 to May 1861," giving us insight into this formidable Catholic journalist's thinking during a pivotal year in United States history. John F. Quinn (Salve Regina University) in "We Hold These Truths at Fifty: John Courtney Murray's Contested Legacy," tracks the impact of the eminent Jesuit scholar's landmark work through five decades and the varied interpretations it has received and causes into which it has been enlisted. "Scripting the Saints" offers reflections by four distinguished and rather prolific authors who have given much of their lives to a special companionship with saints. The contributions by Lawrence S. Cunningham, Robert Ellsberg, Wendy M. Wright, and James Martin, S.J., make for rewarding reading. Our cover essay by Joseph F. Chorpenning, O.S.F.S., the Editorial Director of Saint Joseph's University Press, marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Saint John Neumann. Our cover photos and this tightly written gem of an essay help us to join in the celebration of a saint who helped make the point that in saintliness the manner is ordinary. A collection of eight book reviews and our semi-annual roundup of dissertation abstracts complete this issue. Finally, we invite you to review, on the following page, the three awards that contributors of American Catholic Studies have received in the latest referred competition of the Catholic Press Association. We congratulate these scholars, Thomas F. Rzeznik and Peter S. Cajka, and thank all who help to sustain American Catholic Studies and make it thrive.


Factors affecting employer support for internal, external and industry training are assessed using data from the Business New Zealand Skills and Training Survey 2003. Explanatory factors considered in this analysis are the size, location and age of the organisation, the industry in which the organisation operates, the gender composition of the organisations workforce, the extent of workforce casualisation, average employee skill level and qualifications earned, and the concentration of those skills and qualification within the organisation. Measures of these factors are specified in logistic regression models in which the likelihood the organisation invests in on-site (internal), off-site (external) and/or industry training is included as the dependent variable. Results from this analysis suggest that the industry in which a firm operates and use of casual and part-time staff are the most significant drivers of New Zealand employers willingness to invest in on-sight and industry training. Geographic location manifests a positive influence on firm investments in training provided off-site.


Objectives We developed (a) a survey to investigate the knowledge of childhood health experts on public policies and behavioural insights (BI), as well as its use in Latin American and the Caribbean countries (LACs), and (b) an intervention (randomised controlled trial) to test the influence of nudges on the effect of a simulated public health programme communication. Participants and settings A total of 2003 LACs childhood health professionals participated in the study through a Hispanic online platform. Primary and secondary outcomes We used regression models analysing expertise-related information, individual differences and location. We extracted several outcome variables related to (a) 'Public Policy Knowledge Index' based on the participants' degree of knowledge on childhood health public policies and (b) BI knowledge, perceived effectiveness and usefulness of a simulated public programme communication. We also analysed a 'Behavioural Insights Knowledge Index' (BIKI) based on participants' performance in BI questions. Results In general, health professionals showed low BI knowledge (knowledge of the term BI: χ2=210.29, df=1 and p<0.001; BIKI: χ2=160.5, df=1 and p<0.001), and results were modulated by different factors (age, academic formation, public policy knowledge and location). The use of BI principles for the communication of the public programme revealed higher impact and clarity ratings from professionals than control messages. Conclusions Our findings provide relevant knowledge about BI in health professionals to inform governmental and non-governmental organisations' decision-making processes related with childhood public policies and BI designs.


This paper aims to assess the spatial variability in the response of CO2 exchange to irradiance across the Arctic tundra during peak season using light response curve (LRC) parameters. This investigation allows us to better understand the future response of Arctic tundra under climatic change. Peak season data were collected during different years (between 1998 and 2010) using the micrometeorological eddy covariance technique from 12 circumpolar Arctic tundra sites, in the range of 64-74 degrees N. The LRCs were generated for 14 days with peak net ecosystem exchange (NEE) using an NEE-irradiance model. Parameters from LRCs represent site-specific traits and characteristics describing the following: (a) NEE at light saturation (F-csat), (b) dark respiration (Rd), (c) light use efficiency (alpha), (d) NEE when light is at 1000 mu molm(-2) s(-1) (F-c1000), (e) potential photosynthesis at light saturation (P-sat) and (f) the light compensation point (LCP). Parameterization of LRCs was successful in predicting CO2 flux dynamics across the Arctic tundra. We did not find any trends in LRC parameters across the whole Arctic tundra but there were indications for temperature and latitudinal differences within sub-regions like Russia and Greenland. Together, leaf area index (LAI) and July temperature had a high explanatory power of the variance in assimilation parameters (F-csat, F-c1000 and P-sat), thus illustrating the potential for upscaling CO2 exchange for the whole Arctic tundra. Dark respiration was more variable and less correlated to environmental drivers than were assimilation parameters. This indicates the inherent need to include other parameters such as nutrient availability, substrate quantity and quality in flux monitoring activities. (Less)


Matter of discussion in this Ph. D. thesis is SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) image denoising.
Main elements of innovation are the introduction of SAR-BM3D, a denoising algorithm optimized for SAR data, and the introduction of a benchmark which enables the objective performance comparison of SAR denoising algorithms on simulated canonical SAR images.
In the first part of the thesis, basic concepts on SAR images are introduced, with special emphasis on its peculiar multiplicative noise, called speckle. A description of key ideas and tools of denoising techniques known in literature then follows.
After introducing the basic elements of SAR data processing, the main statistical features of SAR images are described, and it is clarified in which context the denoising techniques operate. Techniques are then classified as those that follow the homomorphic approach, where the multiplicative noise is turned into additive noise through a logarithmic transform, and those that take explicitly into account the multiplicative nature of noise. Afterwards, it is described how the introduction of the wavelet transform has brought new ideas into SAR image denoising and how the non-local filtering strategy, originally proposed in the AWGN field, has provided relevant results also in the application to SAR.
In this context, the novel SAR-BM3D algorithm is introduced which, starting from key elements of wavelet-based and non-local filtering implemented in BM3D, optimizes the elaboration for SAR data, following a non-homomorphic approach. A very detailed experimental analysis on simulated SAR images, obtained as optical images corrupted by artificial speckle, has been performed: results proved the SAR-BM3D algorithm to outperform traditional approaches, both in terms of PSNR and visual inspection.
Due to the well-known difficulties of evaluating the performance of denoising techniques on real SAR images, a workaround has been proposed. Rather than resorting to images corrupted by artificial speckle, a physical SAR simulator, SARAS (developed by the remote-sensing group of the Federico II University of Naples) has been used to generate a set of canonical benchmark SAR scenes. The main advantage of SARAS images is the availability of both the noisy and clean versions of the images, the latter acting as a reference to objectively evaluate the performances of different algorithms. We have shown in detail the procedure which leads to a definition of an objective criterion to compare results provided by different algorithms when working on real SAR images. For this purpose, different test cases have been selected and specific measures, suitable for the various scenes have been proposed for the characterization.
At the end of the thesis, open issues are pointed out and future research is outlined.


Women are the most suffering part of populations in conflicts. They are required to fulfill different responsibilities during and after conflicts. Considering this fact, participation of women at peacebuilding efforts in postconflict areas has been considered as sine qua non requirement. However, active participation of women at these efforts, particularly decision-making activities, has been hampered due to diverse reasons. The barriers that block women involved in peacebuilding processes as decision-makers should be reexamined and eliminated by eradicating inequalities. In this article, gender-based violence, underestimated plight of women in conflicts, gendered approach of peacebuilding efforts, and the barriers in front of women's active participation in decision-making processes are examined.


The coexisting Rayleigh and Brillouin attosecond sum-frequency polarization beats (ASPBs) and the coexisting Raman, Rayleigh, and Brillouin ASPBs have also been investigated via homodyne and heterodyne detections, respectively. The Raman, Rayleigh, and Brillouin-enhanced four-wave mixing processes strongly compete with each other in ASPBs. The heterodyne-detected signal of ASPBs offers the phase dispersion of the third-order nonlinear susceptibility in the homogeneous broadening material.


This Plenary Paper on sea level is based on several Community White Papers submitted to OceanObs09. Considerable progress has been realized during the past decade in measuring sea level change globally and regionally, and in understanding the climate-related causes of observed changes. We first review current knowledge about sea level change, globally and regionally. We summarize recent results from the 2007 IPCC 4 th Assessment Report (AR4), as well as postIPCC results relevant to sea level observations, causes and projections. New challenges are identified for the coming decade in terms of observations, modelling and impact studies. From these challenges, a number of recommendations emerge, which are listed below: a) An accurate (at the <0.3 mm/yr level uncertainty), multi-decade-long sea level record by altimeter satellites of the T/PJason class is essential, as is continued funding of the altimeter science team to provide leadership. To meet the goal of 0.3 mm/yr or better in sea level rate accuracy, the global geodetic infrastructure needs to be maintained on the long-term; the Terrestrial Reference Frame must be accurate and stable at the 1 mm and 0.5 mm/yr level; radiometers required for the correction of radar path delays must also be stable (or calibrated) at 0.1 mm/year. A network of tide gauges with precise positioning (GPS (Global Positioning System), or more general, GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems)) should be maintained with an emphasis on long record lengths and global spatial coverage (e.g., the GLOSS (Global Sea Level Observing System) Core Network plus additional stations with especially long record lengths). b) Continuity of GRACE-type (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) space gravimetry observations is critically needed. No other data exist to measure ocean mass changes directly. To avoid an undesirable gap in data record, a GRACE Stop-Gap mission should be undertaken by space agencies to continue the geophysical time series of the current GRACE mission. Meanwhile, new concept for improving precision and resolution need to be developed. c) Improved accuracy for the Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA) forward modelling that are needed to provide corrections for GRACE, tide gauges and satellite altimetry observations over ocean, land and ice-sheets should be made available. Specifically, the GIA community should be encouraged to perform intercomparison studies of GIA modelling, similar to what has been done for coupled climate model outputs. The goal should be to produce a global, spatially varying, community wide best-estimate of GIA and its uncertainty that is appropriate for application to global sea level studies. d) Long-term maintenance of the Argo (Array for Realtime Geostrophic Oceanography) network in its optimal configuration is imperative for measuring ocean temperature and salinity; development of a shipboard CTD (Conductivity-Temperature-Depth) measurement program for absolute calibration of other in situ hydrographic data is critical to maintain the fidelity of other networks; reanalyses of historical temperature and salinity is strongly recommended; development of new methods/systems to estimate deep changes in ocean heat content and thermal expansion is needed. e) High priority should be given to the development of integrated, multidisciplinary studies of present-day and last century sea level changes (global and regional), accounting for the various factors (climate change, ocean/atmosphere forcing, land hydrology change— both natural and anthropogenic, solid Earth processes, etc.) that act on a large variety of spatio-temporal scales. Improvement and validation of 2-dimensional past sea level reconstructions is also important, as well as development of attribution studies for global/regional sea level variations using ocean reanalyses. f) Inter comparison of sea level projections from climate models need to be developed to assess uncertainty. Projections need to include regional and decadal variability. Development and inclusion of realistic ice sheet dynamics in coupled climate models is a key issue for projecting sea level change, as the potential contribution from ice sheets like Greenland and Antarctica is much larger than any other source. Finally, as local (relative) sea level rise is among the major threats of future global warming, it is both of primary importance and urgence to: g) develop multidisciplinary studies to understand and discriminate causes of current sea level changes in some key coastal regions, integrating the various factors that are important at local scales (climate component, oceanographic processes, sediment supply, ground subsidence, anthropogenic forcing, etc.) h) implement additional in situ observing systems in vulnerable coastal areas, in particular, tide gauges colocated with GNSS stations for measuring (mainly vertical) ground motions, i) improve current altimetry-based sea level observations in coastal zones and continue to develop SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) satellite mission, a wide-swath altimeter, for accurate future monitoring of local sea level changes at the land-sea interface. SWOT is able to measure sea surface height in the presence of sea ice and is thus able to provide information on ocean circulation near ice shelves for studying the process of the breakup of ice shelves that buttress ice sheets. j) for decision support, provide reliable local sea level forecasts on time scales of decades. Improved sea level (global and regional) projections at centennial time scales are also desired. This long list of recommendations results from the interdisciplinary nature of sea level studies. Recommendations a, b and d rely on the continuity of observing systems and are directed towards space agencies and international organizations. No priority can be given as satellite altimetry, space gravimetry and Argo are all complementary and critically needed to observe and understand sea level. Recommendations c, e and f concern the sea level community itself and ask for better organisation and closer collaboration between data analysists and modellers. Finally, recommendations g to j call for better understanding of coastal impacts and call for wider collaboration between Earth science researchers.


As required by the revised dam-safety guidelines, the spillway discharge capacity of a large number of the existing dams must be increased so as to release the higher design floods without jeopardizing the structural safety. The extra capacity required falls usually within the scope of 2030%, but in some cases it can as high as 50%. To modify an existing spillway is often the most inexpensive alternative to increase its capacity. When this is difficult due to practical restraints, a new spillway, placed either separately or adjacent to the existing one, needs to be constructed. This paper illustrates several practical examples of dam rebuilding in Sweden that involve either a new spillway or modifications of an existing one.


Flexibility, autonomy, distribution and openness of the modern computing systems are properties which expand the spectrum of interactions possible among system components. Moreover these properties tend to impose more rigorous quality requirements on software development. To ensure the quality of distributed applications two notions have already been introduced: concurrency control and fault-tolerance. These notions are present and refined in so-called advanced transactional frameworks. All these frameworks have different interpretations of these two notions because they try to solve different issues. Engineering from scratch such a framework is a complex task which will achieve a low level result, if not supported by a quality oriented approach. This paper solves this issue by introducing a product line perspective founded on the semantic analysis of the variabilities and commonalities of the ACID (atomicity, isolation, durability and consistency) properties. Varying and composing ACID properties in a disciplined way is in our opinion a key issue to increase quality and quality reuse in the development of advanced transactional frameworks. For this our approach allows the elicitation of the requirements of the advanced transactional frameworks product line using the "DRET" template.


The experimental study was carried out to determine the effects of salinity on water consumption, plant height, fresh and seed yields, biomass production, ion accumulation and essential oil content of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) under greenhouse conditions. The experiment was conducted with a fully randomized factorial design with five replications. Saline waters (0.25, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 dSm -1 ) were composed using NaCl and CaCl2 salts keeping SAR value under than 1. Increasing salinity levels led to a decrease in water consumption, plant height, fresh yield, biomass production, seed yield, 1000-grain (seed) yield and Mg accumulations in leaves. We calculated a threshold soil salinity for fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) of 2.64 dSm -1 (salinity at which yield starts to decrease) with slope of 4.5% (yield decline per unit increase in EC). These results suggest that fennel is moderately sensitive to salinity.


Developing rapid and non-destructive methods for chlorophyll estimation over large spatial areas is a topic of much interest, as it would provide an indirect measure of plant photosynthetic response, be useful in monitoring soil nitrogen content, and offer the capacity to assess vegetation structural and functional dynamics. Traditional methods of direct tissue analysis or the use of handheld meters, are not able to capture chlorophyll variability at anything beyond point scales, so are not particularly useful for informing decisions on plant health and status at the field scale. Examining the spectral response of plants via remote sensing has shown much promise as a means to capture variations in vegetation properties, while offering a non-destructive and scalable approach to monitoring. However, determining the optimum combination of spectra or spectral indices to inform plant response remains an active area of investigation. Here, we explore the use of a machine learning approach to enhance the estimation of leaf chlorophyll (Chlt), defined as the sum of chlorophyll a and b, from spectral reflectance data. Using an ASD FieldSpec 4 Hi-Res spectroradiometer, 2700 individual leaf hyperspectral reflectance measurements were acquired from wheat plants grown across a gradient of soil salinity and nutrient levels in a greenhouse experiment. The extractable Chlt was determined from laboratory analysis of 270 collocated samples, each composed of three leaf discs. A random forest regression algorithm was trained against these data, with input predictors based upon (1) reflectance values from 2102 bands across the 400–2500 nm spectral range; and (2) 45 established vegetation indices. As a benchmark, a standard univariate regression analysis was performed to model the relationship between measured Chlt and the selected vegetation indices. Results show that the root mean square error (RMSE) was significantly reduced when using the machine learning approach compared to standard linear regression. When exploiting the entire spectral range of individual bands as input variables, the random forest estimated Chlt with an RMSE of 5.49 µg·cm−2 and an R2 of 0.89. Model accuracy was improved when using vegetation indices as input variables, producing an RMSE ranging from 3.62 to 3.91 µg·cm−2, depending on the particular combination of indices selected. In further analysis, input predictors were ranked according to their importance level, and a step-wise reduction in the number of input features (from 45 down to 7) was performed. Implementing this resulted in no significant effect on the RMSE, and showed that much the same prediction accuracy could be obtained by a smaller subset of indices. Importantly, the random forest regression approach identified many important variables that were not good predictors according to their linear regression statistics. Overall, the research illustrates the promise in using established vegetation indices as input variables in a machine learning approach for the enhanced estimation of Chlt from hyperspectral data.


Standard growth accounting overlooks the role of exhaustible resources. This omission leads to overstating physical capital shares and to misleading total factor productivity (TFP). We study an application to Chile, a country dependent on mining production. First, we quantify the sources of economic growth. Second, we study TFP gains arising from changes on the economy's sectoral composition. Our results are as follows. Mining value added grows at an average annual rate of 0.69%. Productivity, physical and human capital contribute 3.75%. The exhaustible resource (ore grade) contributes -2.96%. At the aggregate level, omitting ore grade overstates the contribution of capital, 0.55%, and understates TFP growth, 0.96%. We document a composition gain of -0.53% between the mining and non-mining sectors. We obtain a 0.68% composition gain within the nonmining sector. We show that mining countries are exposed to similar sources of sectoral productivity growth as the Chilean economy.


Objective To investigate the effectiveness of conservative interventions for pain, function and range of motion in adults with shoulder impingement. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised trials. Data sources Medline, CENTRAL, CINAHL, Embase and PEDro were searched from inception to January 2017. Study selection criteria Randomised controlled trials including participants with shoulder impingement and evaluating at least one conservative intervention against sham or other treatments. Results For pain, exercise was superior to non-exercise control interventions (standardised mean difference (SMD) −0.94, 95% CI −1.69 to −0.19). Specific exercises were superior to generic exercises (SMD −0.65, 95% CI −0.99 to −0.32). Corticosteroid injections were superior to no treatment (SMD −0.65, 95% CI −1.04 to −0.26), and ultrasound guided injections were superior to non-guided injections (SMD −0.51, 95% CI −0.89 to −0.13). Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) had a small to moderate SMD of −0.29 (95% CI −0.53 to −0.05) compared with placebo. Manual therapy was superior to placebo (SMD −0.35, 95% CI −0.69 to −0.01). When combined with exercise, manual therapy was superior to exercise alone, but only at the shortest follow-up (SMD −0.32, 95% CI −0.62 to −0.01). Laser was superior to sham laser (SMD −0.88, 95% CI −1.48 to −0.27). Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ECSWT) was superior to sham (−0.39, 95% CI −0.78 to –0.01) and tape was superior to sham (−0.64, 95% CI −1.16 to −0.12), with small to moderate SMDs. Conclusion Although there was only very low quality evidence, exercise should be considered for patients with shoulder impingement symptoms and tape, ECSWT, laser or manual therapy might be added. NSAIDS and corticosteroids are superior to placebo, but it is unclear how these treatments compare to exercise.


Biomimicry is a form of design by analogy that derives functional principles from biology for application to design. A key challenge faced by practitioners is making the significant conceptual leap between these two distant domains. The collaborative demands of biomimicry between biologists and designers can be costly and time consuming. However, evaluation and collaboration are common challenges in design practice and frequently addressed through prototyping. This study investigates the utility of prototyping in the biomimicry design process. A survey exploring current practices of 270 respondents showed that prototypes were underutilized in a biomimicry context when compared to their typical ubiquity in design practice. Findings showed that 75% of those that reported using prototypes also reported using their own personal process for dealing with those key challenges. Following the survey, ten semi-structured interviews provided detailed accounts of biomimicry project prototypes resulting in four across-case themes: (1) Approximation; (2) The Prototyping Principle; (3) Synthesis and Testing; and (4) Validation. Based on the study's findings, a two novel approaches to biomimicry through prototyping were identified. The first is an abstraction and transfer process based on form-finding and collaborative performance evaluation described as Performance Based Abstraction. The second novel approach was described as a Fixed Prototyping Principle where the project is initiated by searching for how nature makes use of specific materials and fabrication methods. Prototypes were also found to have utility as boundary objects to develop a shared mental model between biologists and designers, or, in some cases, to take a self-checking approach to reduce collaboration. The purpose of prototypes in biomimicry are similar to those of design in general, but specific nuances of the biomimicry context are described as well as some of the factors that may contribute to its underutilization in a biomimicry context. This research concludes that prototyping can be used earlier in the biomimicry process to not only develop a design concept but to abstract the biology into a feasible design principle. By incorporating prototypes into knowledge transfer and collaboration tasks, biomimicry practitioners can manage risks of poor alignment between collaborators in biology and design and uncertainty of the actual performance of hypothesized biomimicry design principles. Prototyping as a designerly skill set should be taught and utilized among biomimicry practitioners in order to effectively do biomimicry in three-dimensional design.


We report an application of the Science and Policy Integration for Coastal System Assessment (SPICOSA) Systems Approach Framework (SAF) to Loch Fyne, a fjord in western Scotland. The issue was the potential for conflict between shellfish aquaculture and recreational use for yachting. This was investigated by building an ecological-economic model to simulate: (1) release of modern anti-fouling compounds by recreational boats; (2) dilution of these in the upper layers of the loch by exchange with the sea; (3) their effects on photosynthesis by phytoplankton; (4) the role of phytoplankton (along with non-algal particulate matter) in providing food for mussels; (5) the growth of seeded mussels to harvest, determining (6) the cash input to farms, offset by their costs and allowing (7) the farm revenue to be compared with that from marinas used to berth the yachts. It was concluded from simulations that no noticeable effect on mussel harvest would occur (from this route) for any likely number of yachts berthed in the loch. The application took place in consultation with a local environmental forum and a small reference group of public officials; we reflect on it in the context of a 3-component schema for the science-policy interface and changes in the culture of UK science.


Almost 70% of mergers fail, yet deals are essential for growing world-class companies. Therefore they must use all the tools and techniques at their disposal to improve their chances of success. Applying the techniques advocated in this book can help managers beat the odds - and employees themselves - to have an impact on whether a deal will be successful both for the company and for themselves.

 This book looks at the process of a merger or acquisition and pinpoints the areas where business intelligence can raise the odds of success in each phase of the deal. Using techniques developed by governmental intelligence services and a wide range of recent case studies, quotations and anecdotes, the expert authors from the renowned Cass Business School show how to build success into any M&A situation.

 The first edition of Intelligent M&A was written in 2006 and published in 2007.  This preceded the peak year (2007) of the last merger wave, including the excesses in a number of industries and deals (e.g., financial services with RBS' dramatically failed acquisition of ABN AMRO as a key example), and the global economic downturn that led to a completely new way of operating for many industries and companies.

 Therefore, there is a need to update the book to incorporate not just more relevant and up-to-date case studies of deals but to show the 'new' way of operating in a post-Lehman environment. Chapters will be comprehensively re-written and populated with new and relevant case studies.


This article summarizes research on ethnic conflict in the Former Soviet Union (FSU). Various appealing but unsatisfactory typologies have been proposed, focusing on the subjects of the conflict (actors, goals, motivations); on the environment of the conflict (territory, language, socio-economy, environment and resources; or on characteristics of the conflict (scale, length, form of fighting, losses, aftermath). Most conflict typologies reflect better the thinking and political agenda of the typologists than the actual social panorama. Conflict theories and data presentations contain strong prescriptive elements and may even generate new conflict. For the conflicts in the Former Soviet Union, existing typologies fail to grasp several major factors, such as the strategies and behavior of individuals, social and political disorder, power and status aspirations, elite manipulations, and outside interventions. This article discusses data on human and material losses in nine violent conflicts: Karabakh, Fergana, Osh, South Ossetia, Transdniestria, Tajik, Abkhazia, Ingush-Ossetian, and Chechen. In conclusion, a plea is made for writing `between' theory and data, without sacrificing sensitive and self-reflective narration in order to produce new insights and new knowledge.


Exploiting crosstalk between signaling pathways may lead to more effective melanoma therapies. This Podcast features a conversation with authors of a Research Article published in the 10 January 2012 issue of Science Signaling. Travis Biechele, Andy Chien, and Randy Moon discuss their finding that some melanoma cell lines exhibited increased cell death (apoptosis) when signaling through the kinase BRAF was inhibited simultaneously with activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Melanoma is an aggressive form of skin cancer that is sometimes associated with an activated mutant version of BRAF (BRAFV600E). Some melanoma patients with this mutation fail to exhibit long-term responsiveness to inhibition of BRAF, so additional therapies are needed to overcome this resistance to apoptosis. The findings reported in this study suggest that inhibiting BRAF concomitantly with stimulating Wnt/β-catenin signaling may be an effective strategy for restoring susceptibility to apoptosis in apoptosis-resistant melanomas.


Background: Splenic rupture with high maternal mortality is an exceedingly rare complication after pregnancy. Unfortunately, the diagnosis is often missed because of different diagnoses such as uterine rupture and abruption of placentae. Hereon we present a case of splenic rupture that manifested post caesarian section and she was treated with laparotomy and SplenectomyCase: A 33 years old, gravida3, para 2, woman presented at 38 weeks of gestational age and gestational hypertension to Chabahar general hospital ,the patient was planned to do emergency caesarian section due to repeat caesarian section , 3 days after surgery, she was referred with dyspnea and oliguria .The patient was transferred to Imam Ali Hospital of Zahedan city for diagnosis and treatment because of low HB and oliguria , the patient underwent re-laparotomy and acute spleen rupture was suspected ,surgery intervention performed Splenectomy .She had an uneventful recovery and was discharged 7days after SplenectomyConclusion: Splenic rupture in pregnancy is a life-threatening complication. Early diagnosis and surgical intervention will allow for optimal maternal and perinatal outcome.


OBJECTIVE
to evaluate changes in the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α in patients with rheumatoid arthritis submitted to phototherapy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
This was an open label study, enrolling ten patients. The phototherapy scheme within a range of 425 to 650 nm, 11.33 Joules/cm2, 30 cm above the chest was as follows: a) 45-min daily sessions from Monday to Friday for 2 to 3 months; b) three, 45- min weekly sessions for 1 to 2 months; c) twice weekly 45-min sessions for 1 to 2 months, and d) one weekly session for 1 to 2 months until completion. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein and rheumatoid factor were measured in peripheral blood and tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β, and interleukin-10 in leukocytes by quantitative real-time Reverse transcriptase-Polymerase chain reaction. In all the patients the next indexes: Karnofsky scale, Rheumatoid Arthritis-specific quality of life instrument, Steinbrocker Functional Capacity Rating and the Visual Analog Scale were evaluated.

RESULTS
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, and rheumatoid factor declined notoriously after the indicated sessions. In gene expression, there was a tendency in tumor necrosis factor-α to decrease after 1 month, from 24.5±11.4 to 18±9.2 relative units, without reaching a significant statistical difference. The four tested indexes showed improvement.

CONCLUSION
Phototherapy appears to be a plausible complementary option to reduce the inflammatory component in rheumatoid arthritis.


BACKGROUND
There is a need for a short and easily administered scale, in the Swedish language, for assessing partner relationships in the health care of persons with cardiac disease.

PURPOSE
To establish the reliability and validity of the Swedish version of the Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS).

DESIGN
The present pilot study has a methodological design.

FINDINGS
Content validity has been tested for relevance, clarity and readability. The scale was tested for construct validity with explorative factor analysis. The reliability was tested by internal consistency and test-retest analysis. The result showed a two-factor solution, which does not correspond to the original proposed one-factor solution. The factor analyses revealed two quite distinct factors of RAS, labelled "Relationship built on expectations and satisfaction of needs" and "Relationship built on love and devotion".

CONCLUSIONS
The scale has satisfactory psychometric properties in terms of content validity, construct validity, homogeneity and stability in a population of persons with cardiac disease. Wider evaluations of the RAS for other populations and settings are recommended.


Ex ante optima are described for two examples of a monetary model with random meetings, some perfectly monitored people, and some nonmonitored people. One example describes optimal inflation, the other optimal seasonal policy. Although the numerical examples are arbitrary in most respects, the results are consistent with three general conclusions: if the model is known, then intervention is desirable; even the qualitative aspects of optimal intervention are not obvious; and optimal intervention depends on the details of the model. The results are therefore reminiscent of the conclusions of second-best theory.


Dominant narratives promoting economic growth at the expense of state institutions and basic social services have long underpinned a neoliberal model of spiralling debt and austerity in the MENA region. This exacerbates political capture and inequality and takes shape in an environment of media concentration and shrinking civic space. It is important for change movements to understand dominant narratives in order to challenge and shift them. With the right tools, civil society organizations, activists, influencers and alternative media can start changing the myths and beliefs which frame the socio-economic debate and predetermine which policy options are accepted as possible and legitimate, and which are not.


We estimate an aggregate elasticity of substitution between capital and labor near or below one, which implies that capital deepening cannot explain the global decline in labor's share. Our methodology derives from transition paths in the neo-classical growth model. The elasticity of substitution is identified from the cross-country correlation between trends in the labor share and a theoretically derived proxy for the rental rate of capital. Trends in labor's share and the rental rate are weakly correlated across countries, and inversely related in most samples. Previous cross-country estimates of this elasticity were substantially greater than one, which we show was largely due to omitted variable bias: earlier studies used investment prices alone to proxy for the rental rate, whereas the growth model relates rental rates to investment prices and consumption growth. (Copyright: Elsevier)


Four new complexes were synthesized by the reaction of 2,4-dichloro-6-{(hydroxyimino) [1-(4-methylphenyl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl] methyl} phenol ligand with transition metal ions Manganese (Mn2+, Complex-I), Iron (Fe2+, Complex-II), Cobalt (Co2+, Complex-III) and Nickel (Ni2, Complex-IV). The metal complexes have been characterized with the help of elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, UV-Visible, thermal analysis and molar conductance measurements. The elemental analysis data exhibited the formation of complex with 2:1 (L:M) ratio. The Schiff bases are bidentate coordinating through the imine nitrogen and phenolic oxygen of salicyloyl pyrazoleoximes. Based on analytical and spectral data, four-coordinate geometry was assigned for all complexes. The electronic absorption spectra suggest the square planer geometry for the complexes. The molar conductivity data showed the non-electrolytic nature of the complexes.


In this paper, we present a cost-effective wireless distributed load shedding system for non-emergency scenarios. In power transformer locations where SCADA system cannot be used, the proposed solution provides a reasonable alternative that combines the use of microcontrollers and existing GSM infrastructure to send early warning SMS messages to users advising them to proactively reduce their power consumption before system capacity is reached and systematic power shutdown takes place. A novel communication protocol and message set have been devised to handle the messaging between the transformer sites, where the microcontrollers are located and where the measurements take place, and the central processing site where the database server is hosted. Moreover, the system sends warning messages to the endusers mobile devices that are used as communication terminals. The system has been implemented and tested via different experimental results. Keywords—Smart Grid, Load shedding, Demand Side Management, GSM Wireless Networks, SCADA systems.


The changes taking place in the global automotive industry related to alternative powertrains and fuels are affecting each country or region differently. Each country or region has its own policies in place to monitor and manage vehicle fuel consumption and emissions. Countries or regions also have different numbers of new vehicles sold annually and the total numbers of vehicles in their fleets. This analysis looks at the current and future direction of alternative powertrains/fuels across four developed economies (United States, Western Europe, Japan, and South Korea) and four developing economies (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) in order to measure the impact of increasing the number of alternative powertrains/fuels in their fleets. In particular, the analysis looks at the how much of each country's fleet will turn over to vehicles based only on alternative powertrains/fuels by 2050 by introducing three different alternative powertrain/fuel models (less aggressive, moderately aggressive, and very aggressive). A less aggressive approach will yield fleet turnover rates of 60 percent or more for most countries, a moderately aggressive approach will yield fleet turnover rates of over 80 percent for most countries, and a very aggressive approach will yield fleet turnover rates of nearly 90 percent or more for most countries.


This work focuses on the imaginary aspects of the embodied exploration of virtual matter. Thanks to a motion capture device and a real-time simulation system, modifications of bodily density can be experienced through a cloud-avatar. The mutual influence of the cloud behaviour and the user's action offers a great deal of freedom for expressive performances and creative interactions. It also provides a new mode of engagement in virtual images, allowing for the experience of a peculiar kind of dynamic reverie, which is virtually augmented and poetically enriched through the dialog with the cloud-matter.


Traditionally, pueraria has been utilized by traditional Chinese medicine practitioners to treat hangovers, allergies, indigestion, diabetes and angina, as well as neck and shoulder pain, thirst, and fever. A more recent study showed that both daidzin and daidzein may be useful in reducing the urge for alcohol and treating alcoholism. This comprehensive book contains a concise description of the age-old knowledge, as well as authoritative scientific information that parallels the rapid increase in our scientific understanding of Pueraria. It has been designed with a broad and diverse readership in mind, including students, educators and prevention and treatment practitioners as well as research scientists from a broad range of disciplines.


Purpose: the purpose of this paper is to engage with the debate, explore and analyse some of the literature on the concept argument of social exclusion in the literature overview and its relation with social cohesion and poverty. Furthermore the paper distinguishes between social exclusion and poverty. The debate about social exclusion this paper suggests is at the same time a debate about the social inclusion dynamics of European modernity. Design/ methodology/ approach: Research reviews of articles and research study, that will summarise and identify common themes and gaps in the literature without using statistical techniques and a brief examination of the social exclusion and social cohesion in Europe, with distinguish between poverty and social exclusion. Implication: a long term study is needed to present a practical methodology for measurement and assessment of social exclusion, and to identify the groups of individuals most at risk. Searching and piloting different ways to make communities are more inclusive but rather to change their nature, make them at one and the same time both less exclusives and less inclusive. Finding: the most highlighting findings in this paper are the social exclusion dimensions, underpinnings of social exclusion, and the different between poverty and social exclusion; however the social exclusion can lead to poverty, poverty in knowledge, poverty in skills, poverty in citizenship and poverty in community participating full in the economic, social and political life of the society where they live often because of their language, culture, religious or racial characteristics. These groups are typically also poor. Research limitation/ implementation: a real action research need to be carried and highlight the most causes of social exclusion, and a real distinguish need to be raised on social exclusion causes in different countries even in Europe for benchmarking.


The efflux time, T, of gas from soap bubbles of radius, R, through their blow tube of length, 1, and radius, p, is given by the equation see pdf for equation where η is the viscosity of the gas and ό the surface tension of the bubble solution, all in centimeter-gram-second units. Similar relations between time and diameter were established for the flow from one bubble to another or from one bubble within another. The same relations hold for the flow of liquid spheres, suspended in another liquid of equal density, following Plateau's classic method. They have been extended to the flow of spheres to cylinders and catenoids of rotation. In all these cases the driving force is the surface or interfacial tension, creating an excess pressure as defined by Laplace's equation.