Cleft lip and palate (CLP) is a frequently encountered congenital anomaly occurring due to a failure fusion of maxillofacial processes in the embryonic period. Clefts can be classified as syndromic (combined with other malformations) and non-syndromic (isolated) cleft lip and palate. There are many etiological factors of non-syndromic cleft lip and palate. Many genetic and environmental factors such as malnutrition, exposure to radiation during pregnancy, stress, teratogenic agents, infectious agents such as viruses and genetic transmission are one of these factors. In all cleft lip and palate patients; similar complex occlusal, aesthetic, functional and speech problems increasing with the severity of cleft are observed. Facial profile abnormalities are observed due to incompatibility between the upper and lower jaw in CLP patients. These disorders are often observed as Angle Class 3 anomalies with the formation of maxillary narrowing as a result of a scar resulting from the surgical closure of cleft region; and sometimes with the addition of increased mandibular development. Some malformations are common in these patients in terms of tooth alignment. Sometimes impacted teeth resulting from the lack of sufficient space in the arc due to skeletal narrowness of the upper jaw and sometimes teeth which do not occur congenitally in the region of cleft are seen frequently. Although the absence of lateral incisors are observed mostly, the absence of central incisors and canines may be seen. This can be unilateral or bilateral.[ Even if these teeth are seen particularly in the cleft region, they can be malformed and malpositioned. The bone supports of adjacent teeth are diminished. The management of patients with cleft lip and cleft palate requires prolonged orthodontic and surgical treatment and an interdisciplinary approach in providing them with optimal esthetics, function, and stability. This presentation describes an update on the current concepts and principles in the treatment of patients with cleft lip and palate.Sequencing and timing of orthodontic/orthopedic and surgical treatment in infancy, early mixed dentition, early permanent dentition, and after the completion of facial growth will be discussed.


Multinational corporations are introducing holistic company-specific production systems (XPSs) in order to improve the productivity of their global manufacturing networks. XPSs are multi-plant improvement programs that are coordinated from the corporate headquarters and implemented in all subsidiaries of the firm. However, research and practice show that the implementation of process improvement programs is a challenging task that often ends up unsuccessful despite good intentions and substantial resource investments. In this paper, I investigate how program management theory can help provide deployment guidelines for successful XPS implementation in global firms. I am proposing an XPS program management framework, which has been developed through merging program management theory with descriptions of real-life XPSs. It is suggested that the structured approach found in project-based program management literature can be partly adapted to strategic programs such as the XPS. This paper contributes to program management theory by enhancing our understanding of how strategic programs, such as XPSs, differ from other more project-based types of programs. Secondly, it contributes to the process improvement literature with practical management guidelines for XPS deployment adapted from program management theory.


The solution of von Karman's fundamental equations for large deflections of plates is presented for the case of a simply supported rectangular plate under combined edge compression and lateral loading. Numerical solutions are given for square plates and for rectangular plates with a width-span ratio of 3:1. The effective widths under edge compression are compared with effective widths according to von Karman, Bengston, Marguerre, and Cox and with experimental results by Ramberg, McPherson, and Levy. The deflections for a square plate under lateral pressure are compared with experimental and theoretical results by Kaiser. It is found that the effective widths agree closely with Marguerre's formula and with the experimentally observed values and that the deflections agree with the experimental results and with Kaiser's work.


This report warns that as a result of climate change, disasters are likely to become larger, more complex, occur simultaneously and in regions that have either not experienced the natural hazard previously or at the same intensity or frequency. The report recommends that emergency services will need to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the impact of climate change on the risks they are responsible for. COAG should develop a National Partnership Agreement on Disaster Resilience with the states that would provide $150 million to reward the states' measurable improvement in disaster outcomes. We need to encourage climate-hardening of critical infrastructure and a new body, the Australian Land Use Planning Taskforce, should be established to develop a national approach to driving climate change adaptation considerations into land use strategies and decisions. The report finds that buildings continue to be produced that will not resist hazards predicted over coming decades, making reforming the Building Code of Australia more urgent.


Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution requires that direct taxes be apportioned among the states by population. The Founders defined "direct tax" broadly, usually using the term as a synonym for "internal tax" and encompassing all taxes except for customs duties. The Founders expected Congress to use direct taxes. Giving Congress the power to lay internal taxes was a major purpose of the Constitution as a whole. Apportionment by population, however, turns out to be an absurd and inequitable requirement when the tax base is uneven per capita among the states. With apportionment, tax rates must necessarily be higher in poorer states or in states with a smaller per capita tax base. Where the tax base is especially thin, the tax rates will be prohibitive. The Founders did not see absurdity nor intend that apportionment would hobble any tax. The early Supreme Court solved the dilemma, when key Founders were still Justices, by interpreting "direct tax" strategically so that no tax was direct if apportionment was unreasonable. That solution was doctrine for one hundred years, and courts need to return to it. Apportionment has no constitutional weight. Some have described apportionment as an individual right intended to protect accumulated wealth from the force of mere numbers, but that rationale misdescribes the history. Apportionment was a product of the requisition system under the Articles of Confederation, and the formula was written to reach wealth, not to protect it. Apportionment, moreover, was brought over from the Articles into the Constitution solely to help settle a dispute as to the power of the slave states in Congress. With the end of the requisition system and of slavery, apportionment lost its historical rationale and justification.


This paper deals with the detection of clogging in the coal injection lines of a blast furnace. A physical model is developed and augmented with a signal that represents clogging. An observer is proposed and shown to have any predefined convergence rate. An adaptive detection threshold scheme which is robust against time-varying uncertainties is employed. Simulations and experiments with real data are carried out to illustrate the usefulness of the methods.


Intensive agriculture, based on 'green revolution' practices such as monocultures, agro-chemical inputs and intensive tillage with high level of fuel consumption, has helped to meet the rapidly-growing needs of global populations and markets. Yet, agricultural intensification also has devastating effects on the environment, affects farm profitability and impacts human health, of farmers and consumers. Especially the non-guided use of chemically-synthesized pesticides now poses real social problems that occur across the globe, and is having devastating consequences for wildlife and world's biodiversity. Such a situation can only be remediated by a paradigm shift, an increased attention to applied (on-farm) research and grower education, and a deliberate promotion of practices that safeguard nature and the environment.


Abstract. There is a large gap between the refined approaches to characterise genotypes and the common use of location and season as a coarse surrogate for environmental characterisation of breeding trials. As a framework for breeding, the aim of this paper is quantifying the spatial and temporal patterns of thermal and water stress for field pea in Australia. We compiled a dataset for yield of the cv. Kaspa measured in 185 environments, and investigated the associations between yield and seasonal patterns of actual temperature and modelled water stress. Correlations between yield and temperature indicated two distinct stages. In the first stage, during crop establishment and canopy expansion before flowering, yield was positively associated with minimum temperature. Mean minimum temperature below ∼7°C suggests that crops were under suboptimal temperature for both canopy expansion and radiation-use efficiency during a significant part of this early growth period. In the second stage, during critical reproductive phases, grain yield was negatively associated with maximum temperature over 25°C. Correlations between yield and modelled water supply/demand ratio showed a consistent pattern with three phases: no correlation at early stages of the growth cycle, a progressive increase in the association that peaked as the crop approached the flowering window, and a progressive decline at later reproductive stages. Using long-term weather records (1957–2010) and modelled water stress for 104 locations, we identified three major patterns of water deficit nation wide. Environment type 1 (ET1) represents the most favourable condition, with no stress during most of the pre-flowering phase and gradual development of mild stress after flowering. Type 2 is characterised by increasing water deficit between 400 degree-days before flowering and 200 degree-days after flowering and rainfall that relieves stress late in the season. Type 3 represents the more stressful condition with increasing water deficit between 400 degree-days before flowering and maturity. Across Australia, the frequency of occurrence was 24% for ET1, 32% for ET2 and 43% for ET3, highlighting the dominance of the most stressful condition. Actual yield averaged 2.2 t/ha for ET1, 1.9 t/ha for ET2 and 1.4 t/ha for ET3, and the frequency of each pattern varied substantially among locations. Shifting from a nominal (i.e. location and season) to a quantitative (i.e. stress type) characterisation of environments could help improving breeding efficiency of field pea in Australia.


Deaf people living in ethnic-national minority situation form a social group whose members have multiple cultural backgrounds. Starting from interpretations which are viewing the deaf child as a member of a distinct cultural and linguistic minority, I studied the education of Hungarian deaf pupils in Romania graduating from the Hungarian Special School in Cluj/Kolozsvár/Klausenburg, with particular regard to the relationship between formal and informal language use in school, communication culture and identity. Methodologically the research is based on life path interviews with Hungarian Deaf Special School graduates, family case studies of two or three generation deaf families and structured interviews with experienced educators. The research results reveal that the educational practice of the concerned educational institution strengthens the pupils' identity awareness and sense of belonging to the Hungarian nation in two distinct, still interconnected ways: on the one hand, through oral language acquisition, nursing the oral Hungarian language skills, and on the other hand through cultivating the Hungarian Sign Language embedded in the deaf culture within the learner community. Nowadays, the conditions and modalities of exercising this role are changing in several respects. The positive educational effects achieved so far can be reinforced and strengthened by educational policies based on the recognition and cultivation of cultural diversity, in all its complex and multifaceted manifestations, including the peculiar needs of ethnic minority deaf learners.


Modelling of physical systems is a difficult task, in particular if mode switching is allowed. Automated support can be supplied, if two conditions are fulfilled. First, a set of suitable qualitative concepts has to be availiable as a tool box for constructing adequate models. Second, powerful computational machinery must handle model complexity. In this paper we introduce both a conceptual basis and a computational algorithm for dealing with mode switching physical systems. Our approach is more effective than current AIbased methods since it is based on general physical principles at the proper level of abstraction, expressed in terms of bond graphs. The latter formalism is extended in order to deal with mode switching. All meaningful causal modes and transitions between modes are derived automatically. A power electronic circuit serves a guiding example.


The Hittites ruled a kingdom and then an empire in central Anatolia from the 17th to the 12th centuries BC. Their language is attested on thousands of cuneiform tablets from their capital city Hattusa from at least the 15th century BC, if not before, and is the earliest written Indo-European language. Identification of poetry is difficult, not least because of the intricacies of the writing system, but advances have been made of late.
 Long known is the so-called Soldier's Song, which is embedded in a tale of military adventure and stands out for its repetetive, chant-like structure. Further military stories also contain highly vivid imagery and poetic themes, acting as a mythico-poetic re-enactment of episodes from Hittite history. Heavy use of dialogue may point to a performance context for some of these. Some of these narratives do not contain entirely favourable perspectives on the shared past.
 Hittite rituals also contain incantations of a clearly poetic nature, often phrased in the closely related language known as Luwian. Many of the rituals have an explicit military context. Mention should be made of an obscure group of songs in this language which is held by some scholars to contain elements of a Luwian poem about the Trojan war, a so-called Wilusiad, although this is rather unlikely.
 Beyond native material the Hittites also imported a great deal of literature from the neighbouring Hurrians in northern Syria, as well as from the Babylonians in Mesopotamia. One such piece, preserved in Hurrian with a Hittite translation, is clearly poetic and appears to contain a narrative on the siege of a Syrian city transposed into an analogy with a myth concerning the detention of the Storm-god in the underworld.
 These items will be considered in the context of a discussion of the functions of ancient poetry in a warlike context. These functions range from the practical aspect of achieving influence on history through ritual, to the not always positive construction of community identity through historical narrative and the reception of foreign belles lettres in a scholastic environment.


Since 2000, Latin America has become less unequal, with lower levels of poverty, and likely greater economic mobility. Over a longer time period, the story in the United States is much different. The United States has become more unequal, with relatively high poverty levels, and likely less economic mobility. While these changes largely result from broader economic and political factors, government fiscal policies play some role in changing market outcomes. This Article examines how changes in levels of inequality may influence taxing and spending policies. It suggests that in both parts of the Americas changing economic and political realities may contribute to a changing 'fiscal contract.' One contributing factor is the economic circumstances of the middle class. In Latin America, improvements in the economic status of the middle class may call for different tax and spending policies. In the United States, the increased economic vulnerability of the middle class and the perceived decline in economic mobility may drive change. In both regions, the extent and nature of change may depend largely on the extent to which the middle class come to think that they may be better served with higher (or lower) taxes (on them, and on the wealthy) and more (or less) robust social spending programs.


The aim of the study is to investigate AIDS coverage in five national newspapers in South Africa from 1998 to 2001. In retrieving the newspaper articles, Internet Sabinet online was used as the main tool. In all, 418 articles were retrieved of which 100 were excluded following exclusion criteria. Using content analysis the following themes emerged' from the data: definitions and nomenclature, trends and statistics, prevention, education and awareness, transmission method, symptoms, treatment modalities, policy and economics, politics, discrimination and fears, celebrity portrayals, other STDs, churches and HIV, care and support, and testing and. counselling. Coverage of AIDS across the years has increased more especially on policy and economics, treatment modalities and care and support.


IT governance and Information Security Management (ISM) are currently topics of great interest to practitioners and researchers alike. In reaction to financial fraud at major US companies, organizations are facing legal pressures and ongoing scrutiny of their overall governance processes, with efforts increasingly driven by the IT organization. ISM practice is also evolving, to help organizations strengthen security governance and develop a security culture that can address increasing internal and external threats. Organizations are showing interest in various formal methodologies as reference frameworks for their efforts, and expect the right choice to enhance both IT and security governance. The ultimate choice, however, must fit the organization context and risk profile, and ISM frameworks are only workable if organizations derive value from them.


Injections are valuable procedures for managing musculoskeletal conditions commonly encountered by family physicians. Corticosteroid injections into articular, periarticular, or soft tissue structures relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and improve mobility. Injections can provide diagnostic information and are commonly used for postoperative pain control. Local anesthetics may be injected with corticosteroids to provide additional, rapid pain relief. Steroid injection is the preferred and definitive treatment for de Quervain tenosynovitis and trochanteric bursitis. Steroid injections can also be helpful in controlling pain during physical rehabilitation from rotator cuff syndrome and lateral epicondylitis. Intra-articular steroid injection provides pain relief in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. There is little systematic evidence to guide medication selection for therapeutic injections. The medication used and the frequency of injection should be guided by the goal of the injection (i.e., diagnostic or therapeutic), the underlying musculoskeletal diagnosis, and clinical experience. Complications from steroid injections are rare, but physicians should understand the potential risks and counsel patients appropriately. Patients with diabetes who receive periarticular or soft tissue steroid injections should closely monitor their blood glucose for two weeks following injection.


Economists have long suggested that labor unions suffer a free rider problem. The argument is that, since union-set wages are available to all workers covered by unions irrespective of their union status, and union membership entails costs, workers will only join if they are coerced or are offered non-wage goods that they value above membership costs. Yet U.S. and British empirical research has found a substantial union membership wage premium among private-sector union-covered workers, implying that there is no free rider problem. The authors of this study hypothesize that these findings arise due to selectivity problems associated with identifying the union membership effect. Their analysis, which uses rich data from a new linked employer-employee survey for Britain and exploits the within-establishment variation in wages as a function of individual union membership status, demonstrates that the apparent wage premium for members is illusory. Hence, a potential free rider problem remains.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
The inverse relation between life expectancy and obesity is in large part due to multiple metabolic and cardiovascular comorbidities. Metabolic syndrome (MS) is defined as a cluster of these comorbidities. The prevalence of MS in obesity is not clear. This investigation assessed the prevalence and inter-relationships of MS with various demographic and clinical characteristics in patients with severe obesity.

METHODS
A total of 534 obese patients referred to a surgical center for weight reduction surgery were included in this retrospective study. Data collected included blood pressure, anthropometric measurements, and biochemical parameters associated with metabolic comorbidities and MS. The prevalence of MS in various subgroups was analyzed.

RESULTS
The frequency of metabolic comorbidities included hypertension in 29.8%, hyperglycemia in 29.0%, hyperlipidemia in 61.0%, hyperuricemia in 57.9%, and abnormal liver function in 60.9%. The presence of any of these 4 metabolic comorbidities in the absence of others was uncommon. Only 28 patients (5.2%) had no metabolic comorbidities. The criteria for MS were met by 217 patients (50.7%). Patients with MS were significantly older (32.9 years vs 29.5 years), more likely to be male (31.9% vs 20.5%) and more likely to have metabolic comorbidities compared with patients without MS. In the multivariate analysis, male gender, age, and abnormal liver function remained significantly associated with the development of MS, while body mass index (BMI) was not.

CONCLUSIONS
Metabolic comorbidities were common in the obese patients referred for weight reduction surgery. The cluster of metabolic comorbidities in MS was significantly associated with male gender, and increased age but not with BMI.


A reduction in the operation temperature of zirconia ceramic gas sensors is highly desirable for a number of practical reasons. This work seeks to investigate the factors that prevent a reduction in operation temperature and propose methods by which these may be resolved.

A novel approach to sensor fabrication has been developed and employed with the advantage of reduced device complexity that should lead to subsequent cost and reliability benefits. Leakage rates in these devices have been shown to be small and electrochemical in origin. Leakage was greater than reported for gold seal devices, partly due to increased electrode activity. The flexibility of device configuration allows a variety of sensor
geometries and functions to be realised. This flexibility led to the characterisation of sensors at the upper and lower ends of measurement range and the identification of
deviations from theoretical performance. These deviations have been reconciled with theory extended to cover these limits.

Such sensors are known to be sensitive to reducible gas species such as CO2 and H2O with a second limiting plateau allowing quantification of these gases. Such analysis capabilities have been found to be extended by incorporating a second pair of electrodes. These effects
have not previously been reported. Sensors have been shown to be more sensitive to H2O than to CO2.

To investigate the low temperature response of sensors, a variety of techniques and analyses have been developed and are employed with varying success. Impedance spectroscopy was by far the most useful and revealing tool but this is a function of the highly developed hardware and sophisticated control and analysis software bought as a complete system. Gas step changes and current / voltage sweeps were also useful as comparative techniques but could not separate out component mechanisms. Scanning electron microscopy proved to be a vital tool as it allowed vital information to be obtained concerning electrode and electrolyte microstructure. Again this is a function of a highly
developed and sophisticated instrument. The techniques of pressure and concentration modulation were limited in terms of ease of use, measurement range and results interpretation. The main drawbacks were limited frequency ranges and laborious data collection and analysis. They do both however show large potential for improvement. Both
amperometric and potentiometric sensors response rates were analysed with a variety of noble metal electrodes using each technique.

Electrode material proved to have a marked effect on sensor performance with the best results obtained with silver and electro-deposited platinum. Scanning electron microscopy
of silver showed that a finely divided and openly porous electrode was not required for high performance contrary to expectations. This is thought to be due to the solubility of
oxygen in this metal. With platinum however, the improved microstructure is thought to be a significant factor in electro-deposited and cermet electrode performance.

Response rates in amperometric sensors did not show any significant temperature dependence although a restriction in measurement range was observed. Response rates were suspected to be mainly influenced by sensor geometry whilst measurement range was a function of sensor geometry, electrolyte conductivity and electrode activity. Improved
electrolytes will provide improvements and may come in the form of attention to the YSZ system or by employing an alternative ion conductor such as ceria. Close attention to
sensor dimensions provides possibility for enhancements. In amperometric devices for instance a long, thin diffusion barrier is required leading to a small internal cavity with a large electrode surface area and a thin electrolyte membrane.


Let $L/k$ be a finite abelian extension of an imaginary quadratic number field $k$. Let $\mathfrak{p}$ denote a prime ideal of $\mathcal{O}_k$ lying over the rational prime $p$. We assume that $\mathfrak{p}$ splits completely in $L/k$ and that $p$ does not divide the class number of $k$. If $p$ is split in $k/\mathbb{Q}$ the first named author has adapted a construction of Solomon to obtain elliptic $\mathfrak{p}$-units in $L$. In this paper we generalize this construction to the non-split case and obtain in this way a pair of elliptic $\mathfrak{p}$-units depending on a choice of generators of a certain Iwasawa algebra (which here is of rank 2). In our main result we express the $\mathfrak{p}$-adic valuations of these $\mathfrak{p}$-units in terms of the $p$-adic logarithm of an explicit elliptic unit. The crucial input for the proof of our main result is the computation of the constant term of a suitable Coleman power series, where we rely on recent work of T. Seiriki.


This paper proposes a finite set model predictive control (FS-MPC) based thrust maximization technique for linear induction machines used in linear metros. For modeling of the proposed control method, the end effect is taken into consideration. The proposed control method is used to achieve maximum thrust per ampere and to reduce the thrust ripples. It differs from the FS-MPC methods, where the cost function consists of the thrust and angle errors. The thrust error is calculated from the difference between the reference thrust and the predicted thrust, and the angle error is calculated from the difference between the angle of predicted primary current and the angle of the predicted secondary flux in one side and π/4 on the other side. A comparison between the proposed method and the finite set model predictive direct thrust control (FS-MPDTC) is presented to illustrate the superiority of the proposed method. Both simulation and experimental analysis are conducted to validate the effectiveness of the proposed finite set model predictive direct angle control (FS-MPDAC). A prototype test platform is developed in the laboratory with two 3 kW arc induction motors. The simulation model, experimental test platform, and test results are presented in this paper.


Computational neuroscience relies heavily on the simulation of large networks of neuron models. There are essentially two simulation strategies: (1) using an approximation method (e.g., Runge-Kutta) with spike times binned to the time step and (2) calculating spike times exactly in an event-driven fashion. In large networks, the computation time of the best algorithm for either strategy scales linearly with the number of synapses, but each strategy has its own assets and constraints: approximation methods can be applied to any model but are inexact; exact simulation avoids numerical artifacts but is limited to simple models. Previous work has focused on improving the accuracy of approximation methods. In this article, we extend the range of models that can be simulated exactly to a more realistic model: an integrate-and-fire model with exponential synaptic conductances.


Synopsis C.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) accident statistics have identified ore-pass hazards as a significant safety problem in u.S. underground metal mines. The statistics show that nearly 7j0/0 of injuries are directly or indirectly related to pulling or freeing of ore-pass chutes, the use of hand tools in ore passes, falls of broken rock in ore passes and structural failures of chutes or gates and ore-pass walls. Researchers at the Spokane Research Laboratory of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) are investigating hazards in and around ore passes in hard rock mines. Kisk assessment methods, such as fault-tree analysis, have been employed to identify the most probable causes of orepass failures, define research priorities and analyse the factors that result in malfunctioning and unsafe ore passes. Static and dynamic loads are being measured in a laboratory setting with the use of a reduced-scale orepass mock-up. Field tests are being initiated in mine ore passes to determine static and dynamic loads. Data from the test ore passes are being compared with data from the mine to characterize true system behaviour. Computer modelling with the use of closed-form solutions, finite-element analyses and a newly developed particle flow code predicts static and dynamic loads from the flow and the impact of ore and waste in the ore pass. Preliminary results indicate that dynamic impacts from ore and waste rock might be considerably greater than expected. The total static load is substantially less than is typically used for the structural design of chute and gate support members. It is suggested that damping factors, normal and shear stiffness and mass frictional characteristics have a significant effect on particle flow and resulting impact loads. This is being verified with the use of results from laboratory tests, field tests and particle flow analyses.


Sustainability reporting regulations defined within NFRD (Non-Financial Reporting Directive) allow different stakeholders to assess ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) performance of companies and their impact on people and environment. ESG data is increasingly used in strategy definition of entities, investment decision-making process and valuation of stock companies. ESG information is also reflected in ESG ratings which create comprehensive measure of ESG performance of specific entity. It outlines the need for dissemination of true and fair corporate sustainability reporting system. The main purpose of undertaken work is to evaluate the trend and evolution of sustainability reporting and ESG ratings of European listed companies in 2000-2020 period. In order to deliver results comparative analysis is used. Research proves that vast majority of European stock companies do not provide enough ESG performance which does not allow to assign them with appropriate ESG rating. Findings of analysis indicate the size of sustainability reporting accountability gap and confirm that wider group of public interest entities should be subject of NFRD.


We measured the steady state and time-resolved emission intensity decay of horse heart myoglobin at various pH values from neutral to pH 4.42. The steady state intensity was reversibly increased with the decreasing pH, almost doubling at pH 4.5. Frequency domain data for emission decay were analyzed separately for each pH and simultaneously by global analyses. The results indicated the presence of four lifetime components, conserved throughout the pH titrations at 40, 116, 1363, and 4822 ps, respectively. The titration affected only their fractional intensities. Assignments of the lifetimes were based on the Förster theory of radiationless dipole-dipole interaction and the atomic coordinates of the system. We assigned the two shorter lifetimes to Trp-14 and Trp-7, respectively, in the presence of normal hemes. The 1363-ps lifetime was assigned to Trp-7 with inverted hemes (i.e. rotated 180° around the α--meso axis of the porphyrin ring). The 4822-ns lifetime was assigned to reversibly heme-dissociated myoglobin. Lorentzian lifetime distributions were narrow for the lifetimes at 40, 116, and 4822 ps, indicating a homogeneous protein structure. Instead the lifetime at 1363 ns had a broad, pH-independent distribution consistent with small angle wobblings of inverted hemes inside the heme pocket. These analyses revealed the presence of three species originating from heme-protein interactions: the native form of crystalline myoglobin, the conformation with disordered hemes, and the reversibly dissociated heme-free myoglobin. There was increased heme inversion and heme dissociability at lower pH, consistent with the titration of the proximal and distal histidines inside the heme pocket.


Following the interregnum and anarchy of the eighteenth century, Iran was politically re-united under the Qajar dynasty (1794-1925). The Qajar period marked Iran's long and at times bloody transition from a traditional kingdom – where the existence of semi-independent magnates limited political unity – to a socially and politically integrated nation-state. The centralization of power during the Qajar period was the major impetus for the modernization of the military, the administration, education, and medicine. In this article the author argues that medical modernization in nineteenth-century Iran is (1) best understood within the framework of the evolving power structure of the Qajar state; and (2) was underpinned by transformations in traditional medicine, which paved the way for the radical integration of the modern sciences in Iran.


In Renaissance Poland (1500–1650), there was a tradition of erecting funeral monuments to commemorate young children, a practice unique in Europe at that time, which raises interesting issues beyond the appearance of the monuments themselves. A large subset of these monuments illustrate a single iconographic type: the child as a sleeping putto with a skull, a motif that is particularly appropriate for the depiction of deceased infants. Although the putto and skull motif later became popular throughout Europe as a memento mori, only in Poland was it adapted to represent individual children. This essay will consider, first, why the tradition of child commemoration in sixteenth- century Poland was more pronounced than elsewhere. The second part will focus on the form of the monuments and why the reclining putto motif was adopted and became so popular in Poland.


For decades, the quartz crystal has been used for precise frequency control. In the increasingly popular field of wireless communications, available frequency spectrum is becoming very limited, and therefore regulatory agencies have imposed tight frequency stability requirements. There are generally two techniques for controlling the stability of a crystal oscillator with temperature variations of the environment. They are temperature control and temperature compensation. Temperature control involves placing the sensitive components of an oscillator in a temperature stable chamber. Usually referred to as an oven-controlled crystal oscillator (OCXO), this technique can achieve very good stability over wide temperature ranges. Nevertheless, its use in miniature battery powered electronic devices is significantly limited by drawbacks such as cost, power consumption, and size. Temperature compensation, on the other hand, entails using temperature dependent circuit elements to compensate for shifts in frequency due to changes in ambient temperature. A crystal oscillator that uses this frequency stabilization technique is referred to as a temperature-compensated crystal oscillator (TCXO). With little added cost, size, and power consumption, a TCXO is well suited for use in portable devices. This paper presents the theory of temperature compensation, and a procedure for designing a TCXO and predicting its performance over temperature. The equivalent electrical circuit model and frequency stability characteristics for the AT-cut quartz crystal are developed. An oscillator circuit topology is introduced such that the crystal is operated in parallel resonance with an external capacitance, and equations are derived that express the frequency stability of the crystal oscillator as a function of the crystal's capacitive load. This relationship leads to the development of the theory of temperature compensation by a crystal's external load capacitance. An example of the TCXO design process is demonstrated with the aid of a MATLAB script.


Bayesian motion control and planning is based on the idea of fusing motion objectives (constraints, goals, priors, etc) using probabilistic inference techniques in a way similar to Bayesian sensor fusing. This approach seems promising for tackling two fundamental problems in robotic control and planning: (1) Bayesian inference methods are an ideal candidate for fusing many sources of information or constraints – usually employed in the sensor processing context. Complex motion is characterised by such a multitude of concurrent constraints and tasks and the Bayesian approach provides a solution of which classical solutions (e.g., prioritised inverse kinematics) are a special case. (2) In the future we will require planning methods that are not based on representing the system state as one high-dimensional state variable but rather cope with structured state representations (distributed, hierarchical, hybrid discrete-continuous) that more directly reflect and exploit the natural structure of the environment. Probabilistic inference offers methods that can in principle handle such representations. Our approach will, for the first time, allow to transfer these methods to the realm of motion control and planning. The first part of this technical report will review standard optimal (motion rate or dynamic) control from an optimisation perspective and then derive Bayesian versions of the classical solutions. The new control laws show that motion control can be framed as an inference problem in an appropriately formulated probabilistic model. In the second part, by extending the probabilistic models to be Markovian models of the whole trajectory, we show that probabilistic inference methods (belief propagation) yield solutions to motion planning problems. This approach computes a posterior distribution over trajectories and control signals conditioned on goals and constraints.


Brokers perform a key role in many financial markets. They introduce buyers to sellers, perform a useful role in price-discovery and provide a source of market information and commentary to market participants and the general public. In well-organized markets, brokers are trusted to be honest and to undertake these tasks in the best interests of their clients (buyers or sellers). But there is an inherent and well-understood conflict of interest in the role of the broker. Brokers are rewarded by their success in bringing buyers and sellers together, but their source of income is based solely on the completion of a successful transaction. Hence, there is a constant temptation for a broker to trade the best interests of their client for a completed deal. This paper examines the key role of brokers in the LIBOR manipulation scandal and using reports from published inquiries identifies the illicit activities of some brokers in assisting banks to manipulate the LIBOR benchmark. The perpetrators of these "white collar" crimes were traders and managers in some of the largest banks in the world but the manipulation would not have been as widespread or as successful without the willing participation and illegal actions of brokers in several firms. The paper argues that the actions of the traders in various banks around the world in the LIBOR manipulation scandal are examples of systemic operational risk, and in particular people risk. The paper makes specific suggestions to bank boards and regulators as to how such misconduct may be managed in future


Involving community groups in the design process concerning their city or neighbourhood, can play a constructive role in creating responsive environments and, as a result, achieve a higher level of satisfaction for communities. This calls for stronger and more pervasive focus upon building communities (from a social, economic, environmental, technological and public policy perspective); designers are ideally suited to lead such efforts, but not alone. Professional education is an especially valuable training camp in that it shows, explains, encourages, challenges, questions, leaves freedom of expression, reinforces thoughts and provides discipline. This paper argues that engaging students of architecture into live design projects with community groups can help develop in students important intellectual, critical, professional and social skills of support and reinforcement to the discipline, have a positive impact on the community groups, and finally it can have positive effects of the perception that society has of academic institutions. The paper also shows that the collaboration between students of different disciplines can enrich this learning process; presenting a joint project developed by students of architecture and of environmental psychology, it shows the potential long-term strengths and impacts of such a collaboration. The experience illustrated had significant implications on students' academic performance and on the spirit of some of the participants involved in the work. Implications for students' education and training and on the development and reinforcement of the community's capacity building will be discussed and suggestions for curriculum development presented.


Curved membranes are an essential feature of dynamic cellular structures, including endocytic pits, filopodia protrusions and most organelles1,2. It has been proposed that specialized proteins induce curvature by binding to membranes through two primary mechanisms: membrane scaffolding by curved proteins or complexes3,4; and insertion of wedge-like amphipathic helices into the membrane5,6. Recent computational studies have raised questions about the efficiency of the helix-insertion mechanism, predicting that proteins must cover nearly 100% of the membrane surface to generate high curvature7–9, an improbable physiological situation. Thus, at present, we lack a sufficient physical explanation of how protein attachment bends membranes efficiently. On the basis of studies of epsin1 and AP180, proteins involved in clathrin-mediated endocytosis, we propose a third general mechanism for bending uid cellular membranes: protein–protein crowding. By correlating membrane tubulation with measurements of protein densities on membrane surfaces, we demonstrate that lateral pressure generated by collisions between bound proteins drives bending. Whether proteins attach by inserting a helix or by binding lipid heads with an engineered tag, protein coverage above ⇠20% is sufficient to bend membranes. Consistent with this crowding mechanism, we find that even proteins unrelated to membrane curvature, such as green uorescent protein (GFP), can bend membranes when sufficiently concentrated. These findings demonstrate a highly efficient mechanism by which the crowded protein environment on the surface of cellular membranes can contribute to membrane shape change.


Some aspects of Nigerian nationalism - particularly as espoused by the Ibo elite in the struggle for Nigerian independence and immediately after - are here interpreted as an al ternative or supplementary response to the same kinds of structural strains which have gener ated impulses to so-called tribalism. Rank-equilibration theory is utilized to provide the ne cessary causal links. Other approaches are also suggested to amount for the emergence of structural strains, and for the political exploitation of tribalist responses to such strains. Further discussed are a number of attendant micro- and macro-circumstances which might explain why rank-equili bration sometimes stimulates tribalism and secessionism, at other times seems to increase the appeals of a broader nationalism. Finally, it is maintained that a more durable form of nationalism appears only when based not on individual rank-equilibrating responses, but on the acceptance of common rules within a differentiated and well-balanced system of social exchange such as that hopefully emerging in the new twelve-state federal structure of Nigeria.


A family of racemic and enantiopure indium complexes 1-11 bearing bulky chiral diaminoaryloxy ligands, H(NNO(R)), were synthesized and fully characterized. Investigation of both the mono- and the bis-alkoxy-bridged complexes [(NNO(R))InX](2)[μ-Y][μ-OEt] (5, R = (t)Bu, X = Y = Cl; 8, R = Me, X = I, Y = OEt) by variable temperature, 2D NOESY, and PGSE NMR spectroscopy confirmed dinuclear structures in solution analogous to those obtained by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. The dinuclear complexes in the family were highly active catalysts for the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of lactide (LA) to form poly(lactic acid) (PLA) at room temperature. In particular, complex 5 showed living polymerization behavior over a large molecular weight range. A detailed investigation of catalyst stereoselectivity showed that, although (R,R/R,R)-5 is highly selective for l-LA, only atactic PLA is obtained in the polymerization of racemic LA. No such selectivity was observed for complex 8. Importantly, the selectivities obtained for the ROP of racemic LA with (R,R/R,R)-5 and (R,R/R,R)-8 are different and, along with kinetics investigations, suggest a dinuclear propagating species for these complexes.


We propose a dynamic spatial theory to analyze the geographic impact of climate change. Agricultural and manufacturing firms locate on a hemisphere. Trade across locations is costly, firms innovate, and technology diffuses over space. Energy used in production leads to emissions that contribute to the global stock of carbon in the atmosphere, which affects temperature. The rise in temperature differs across latitudes and its effect on productivity also varies across sectors. We calibrate the model to analyze how climate change affects the spatial distribution of economic activity, trade, migration, growth, and welfare. We assess quantitatively the impact of migration and trade restrictions, energy taxes, and innovation subsidies.


1. To provide free access to information about hundreds of cases of nonviolent action for learning and for citizen action. We research campaigns that have reached a point of completion. The cases are drawn from all continents and most countries. People are shown struggling for human rights, economic justice, democracy, national and ethnic identity, environmental sustainability, and peace. To learn more about searching by the issues people are struggling about, go to Issue Clusters. 2. To make available comparative information that will support researchers and writers to develop strategic knowledge and theory. Each case is presented in two formats: the database file (with searchable fields) and the narrative describing the struggle as an unfolding story. The database supports searches by country, by issue, by action method used, and even by year -there is a case from ancient Egypt, 12th century BCE! Some cases are part of a "wave" of campaigns, such as the "Arab Awakening" of 2011; by pressing each "wave" button one can find cases.


The dramatic history of the 1885 Riel Rebellion has been revisited and reinterpreted countless times by hundreds of amateur and professional historians from all cultural backgrounds. From 1885 to the mid-twentieth century and beyond the tendency of many historians was to create melodramatic narratives, a writing style that began in various English theatrical traditions, dating back to the Middle Ages. Of particular interest to this study were the eyewitness narratives whose melodramatic style included a desire to codify and define the roles of Aboriginal people, another British tradition of defining the dark skinned 'other' that was debated in London theatres from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries. The Canadian historical myth was created by gifted writers who captured the broader public's imagination with their dramatic style, a hegemonic force which eclipsed many Aboriginal versions of similar historical events. One such event was the George Mann family's dramatic "escape to Fort Pitt," as remembered by descendants of Mann and those of Nehithawe (Wood Cree) treaty Chief Seekascootch, whose family aided the Mann family in their escape. Through a variety of methods that have included historiographical analysis, literary analysis, playwriting, microhistory, and interviews with members of both families, this paper engages an interdisciplinary approach to the academic areas of drama, history and anthropology as a means of creating a broader picture of history that is hopefully interesting and accessible to people from multiple cultural backgrounds. This project concludes that single discipline western academic narratives do not sufficiently problematize their archival sources, and often underestimate the complexity of Aboriginal epistemologies.


The clustering and dynamical properties of the 368 galaxies in the redshift surveys of Metcalfe et al. (1989) and Parker et al. (1986) are investigated. These galaxies were selected from ten high galactic latitude fields complete to a magnitude limit of m(b(_J))<17(^m). These complement the five similarly selected fields in the survey of Peterson et al. (1986) and so the overall clustering and dynamical properties of all three samples are discussed. Initial studies of the distribution of galaxies in the survey of Peterson et al. were carried out by Bean (1983). This thesis extends that earlier work by examining the conclusions of Bean in the larger volume of the new surveys considered here. It is found that, whilst the combined estimate of the line-of-sight peculiar motions in the three samples together is in reasonable accord with that found previously, the range of peculiar motions in the individual samples is larger than previously anticipated. The rms pair-wise velocity (w(^2))(^1/2) is found to be (w(^2)(^1/2)=(600±140)kms(^-1) in the Metcalfe et al. survey as compared to (w(^2))(^1/2)=(0±240)kms(^-1) and w(w(^2))(^1/2)=(190± 90)(^-1) in the Parker et al. and Peterson et al. samples, respectively. These estimates of the motions of galaxies at spatial scales of ~1h(^-1) Mpc (H(_o)=100kms(^-1) Mpc(^-1)) together with measures of the clustering provide constraints on the mean mass density of the Universe through the Cosmic Virial Theorem. It is found that the mean mass density parameter for the three samples considered as a whole is Ω(_o)=0.18±0.09, on the assumption that galaxies trace the mass distribution, and this constraint is similar to that obtained previously mainly because of the larger range of peculiar motions found. The clustering distribution of the galaxies in the new samples was investigated on spatial scales ranging from a few up to -l00h(^-1) Mpc. It was found from the number-redshift and number-magnitude counts that these samples were fairly homogeneous at the largest scales and in good agreement with previous results from the Peterson et al. catalogue. Thus using these samples to estimate the mean clustering properties of galaxies, it was found, from the two-point correlation function ~5(s), that the galaxies in the new samples appear to exhibit a preferred clustering length at -2h(^-1) Mpc and this confirms the 'shoulder ' detected in the correlation function of the Peterson et al. data by Bean (1983). On the basis that this shoulder is a real spatial feature (and not caused by peculiar motions) the mean clustering length of galaxies in the three samples is r(_o) =(6.6±0.5)h(^-1) Mpc in the range 2<s<7h(^-1) Mpc and this is significantly larger than the r(_o) =5h(^-1) Mpc that was previously thought to apply to galaxies in this region of separation. At scales larger than -7h(^-1) Mpc the correlation function in the combined sample of the three surveys indicates that the galaxy distribution rapidly approaches homogeneity. Although there are some tentatively detected spatial scale lengths in the galaxy distribution at these larger scales, the main conclusion from the correlation function for these galaxies is that there is no evidence of large-scale clustering at the 2 sigma statistical significance level from separations of -10 to 100h(^-1) Mpc. Thus on the assumption that these galaxies trace the mass distribution this implies that the Universe is homogeneous to -15% at these scales. Finally, some new redshifts of galaxies were presented that were observed with the FLAIR spectrograph on the UK Schmidt telescope. These observations indicate that this instrument is capable of performing systematic redshift surveys of m(b(_J))<17(^m) galaxies with a completeness of -80% and with an accuracy in redshift velocity of ±150kms(^-1) rms. This will then pave the way for future large area redshift surveys in the southern hemisphere.


This article initially describes the market for corporate retail notes (RNs)—debt securities issued directly to individuals ("retail" investors) through brokers, in small denominations ($1,000) and generally on a weekly basis. RNs became popular in the 2000s, although only a few well-known industrial and financial firms issue them. The authors then examine a sample of 1,775 new RNs issued by industrial firms from 2005–2009. Nearly all have an investment-grade credit rating. All RNs include a "death put" provision, and most are callable at par value. After comparing yields on new RNs with seasoned corporate-bond benchmarks, however, the authors find no evidence that investors are compensated for the value (to the issuer) of the call provision. On average, RNs underperform benchmarks at all investment horizons up to two years, and performance is worse for callable RNs, the majority of which are called soon after deferment-period expiration. It is unlikely that these results can be explained by higher secondary-market liquidity. By purchasing new RNs, however, individual investors can avoid transaction costs on mainstream corporate bonds. In addition, individual investors may place a high personal value on the death put provision.


CapsuleFood independently affects both laying date and clutch size, suggesting that seasonal decline in clutch size is related to a decrease in food availability. Aim To test the effect of food abundance on laying date and clutch size of the White Stork and identify the cause of seasonal decline in the number of eggs laid. Methods During 1991 and 1996 we recorded clutch size and laying date of pairs breeding next to rubbish dumps (food abundant and constant throughout the breeding season) and birds breeding far from rubbish dumps (using natural food sources). Results In 1991 there was no difference in mean laying date between pairs nesting at rubbish dumps and control pairs. Clutch size was significantly larger at rubbish dump nests. In contrast, mean laying date was earlier in control pairs in 1996 and there was no significant differences in clutch sizes, even when controlling for laying date effect. Conclusion The results support the hypothesis that food availability independently affects both laying date and clutch size. The seasonal decline in clutch size close to rubbish dumps was negligible (1991) or much smaller than in the control zone (1996) suggesting that a progressive deterioration of natural food sources is the most probable reason for a decline in clutch size as the season advances.


We use data for 2012-2014 from the Mt. Bachelor Observatory (MBO) in central Oregon to understand variations in carbon dioxide (CO_2) in the free troposphere (FT) and boundary layer (BL). The goals of this analysis are to identify and examine CO_2 in FT and BL air, events due to wildfires, the role of transport patterns, and the variation of CO_2 seasonally. For all seasons, we found that FT air has higher average CO_2 mixing ratios compared to BL air. FT air was most often seen during the night and early morning at MBO (20-8 PST) while BL air was most often observed during the afternoon and evening (12-20 PST). Winter and spring showed the highest mixing ratios of CO_2 while summer and fall showed the lowest mixing ratios. The maximum diurnal change in CO_2 was found during spring and summer. HYSPLIT backtrajectories and a cluster analysis of those trajectories were initiated for spring months. Based on this analysis, the spring clusters with the highest ozone and lowest water vapor mixing ratios were associated with the highest mixing ratios of CO_2. Four case studies of CO_2 variations are presented: a long-range transport event observed at MBO and three wildfire events. In one large fire event, CO_2 showed a large enhancement and was well correlated with CO. In another fire event, CO_2 was observed to decrease, suggesting that depletion in BL air by surface uptake can counteract the enhancements from wildfire emissions.


A function f is extractable if it is possible to algorithmically "extract," from any adversarial program that outputs a value y in the image of f; a preimage of y. When combined with hardness properties such as one-wayness or collision-resistance, extractability has proven to be a powerful tool. However, so far, extractability has not been explicitly shown. Instead, it has only been considered as a non-standard knowledge assumption on certain functions. We make two headways in the study of the existence of extractable one-way functions (EOWFs). On the negative side, we show that if there exist indistinguishability obfuscators for a certain class of circuits then there do not exist EOWFs where extraction works for any adversarial program with auxiliary-input of unbounded polynomial length. On the positive side, for adversarial programs with bounded auxiliary input (and unbounded polynomial running time), we give the first construction of EOWFs with an explicit extraction procedure, based on relatively standard assumptions (e.g., sub-exponential hardness of Learning with Errors). We then use these functions to construct the first 2-message zero-knowledge arguments and 3-message zero-knowledge arguments of knowledge, against the same class of adversarial verifiers, from essentially the same assumptions.


Semantic annotations are often used to enrich documents as clinical trials and electronic health records. However, the usability of these annotations tends to decrease over time due to the evolution of the domain ontologies. The maintenance of these annotations is critical for tools that exploit them (e.g., search engines and decision support systems) in order to assure an acceptable level of performance. Despite the recent advances in ontology evolution systems, the maintenance of semantic annotations remains an open problem. In this paper, we introduce, based on previous experiments, the main components of a multi-level approach towards the automatic maintenance of semantic annotations. We further provide examples for strengthening our proposal.


This paper presents a meta-analysis for covariates that affect performance of face recognition algorithms. Our review of the literature found six covariates for which multiple studies reported effects on face recognition performance. These are: age of the person, elapsed time between images, gender of the person, the person's expression, the resolution of the face images, and the race of the person. The results presented are drawn from 25 studies conducted over the past 12 years. There is near complete agreement between all of the studies that older people are easier to recognize than younger people, and recognition performance begins to degrade when images are taken more than a year apart. While individual studies find men or women easier to recognize, there is no consistent gender effect. There is universal agreement that changing expression hurts recognition performance. If forced to compare different expressions, there is still insufficient evidence to conclude that any particular expression is better than another. Higher resolution images improve performance for many modern algorithms. Finally, given the studies summarized here, no clear conclusions can be drawn about whether one racial group is harder or easier to recognize than another.


Feature point detection and local feature extraction are the two critical steps in trajectory-based methods for video classification. This paper proposes to detect trajectories by tracking the spatiotemporal feature points in salient regions instead of the entire frame. This strategy significantly reduces noisy feature points in the background region, and leads to lower computational cost and higher discriminative power of the feature set. Two new spatiotemporal descriptors, namely the STOH and RISTOH are proposed to describe the spatiotemporal characteristics of the moving object. The proposed method for feature point detection and local feature extraction is applied for human action recognition. It is evaluated on three video datasets: KTH, YouTube, and Hollywood2. The results show that the proposed method achieves a higher classification rate, even when it uses only half the number of feature points compared to the dense sampling approach. Moreover, features extracted from the curvature of the motion surface are more discriminative than features extracted from the spatial gradient.


A lot of interest has been drawn recently into public-key encryption with keyword search (PEKS), which keeps publickey encrypted documents amendable to secure keyword search. However, PEKS resist against keyword guessing attack by assuming that the size of the keyword space is beyond the polynomial level. But this assumption is ineffective in practice. PEKS are insecure under keyword guessing attack. As we observe, the key to defend such attack is to avoid the availability of the exact search trapdoor to adversaries. Accordingly, we compromise the exactness of search trapdoor by mapping at least two different keywords into a fuzzy search trapdoor. We propose a novel concept called public-key encryption with fuzzy keyword search (PEFKS), by which the un-trusted server only obtains the fuzzy search trapdoor instead of the exact search trapdoor, and define its semantic security under chosen keyword attack (SS-CKA) and indistinguishability of keywords under non-adaptively chosen keywords and keyword guessing attack (IK-NCK-KGA). For the keyword space with and without uniform distribution, we respectively present two universal transformations from anonymous identity-based encryption to PEFKS, and prove their SSCKA and IK-NCK-KGA securities. To our knowledge, PEFKS is the first scheme to resist against keyword guessing attack on condition that the keyword space is not more than the polynomial level.


Sixteen subjects evaluated the indoor environment in four experiments with different combinations of ventilation systems and radiant heating/cooling systems. In the first two tests, the simulated residential room was equipped either by a mixing ventilation system supplying warm air for space heating or by a combination of radiant floor heating and mixing ventilation system. The vertical air temperature distribution was more uniform for floor heating. The discomfort due to cold feet/lower legs was higher for warm air heating, but no significant difference in thermal perceptions between the two mixing ventilation systems was found. The next two tests simulated an office room during summer, ventilated and cooled either by a displacement ventilation system alone or by a displacement ventilation system combined with radiant floor cooling. Displacement ventilation combined with floor cooling had lower floor temperature, warmer supply air, and less homogeneous vertical temperature profile, but it did not result in thermal discomfort on feet/lower legs or discomfort due to a vertical air temperature difference higher than for a displacement ventilation system alone, where the floor temperature was higher, supply air cooler, and vertical temperature profile more uniform.


The photochemical behaviour of several 3,4-disubstituted sydnones (cf. Scheme 5) in dioxane solution was investigated. The pure sydnones give, as was already reported [2-6], 2,4,5-trisubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles 2 (cf. Scheme 1) in 25-30% yield. In the presence of dipolarophiles (cf. Scheme 1) pyrazole derivatives 3 or 4 are formed which can be taken as a proof for the formation of nitril-imines 5 as primary products in sydnone photochemistry. Since irradiation of 2-[15N]-3,4-diphenyl- sydnone (2-[15N]-15) in dioxane leads to the formation of 1,3-[15N]-2,4,5-triphenyl-1,2,3-triazole (1,3-[15N]-22; cf. Scheme 10), nitril-imine formation must be induced by the creation of a bond between N(2) und C(4) in the excited sydnones (cf. Scheme 22). The irradiation of sydnones in dioxane solution in the presence of carboxylic acids yields N'-acylhydrazides in 50-70% (cf. Scheme 14), the formation of which can be explained by addition of the acids to the nitril-imines and rearrangement of the primarily formed anhydride monohydrazones (Scheme 15). By analogy, the formation of 1-benzoyl-2-(t-butyl)-4-phenyl-1,2-diazetidin-3-one (14; Scheme 4 ) during the photolysis of 3-(t-butyl)-4-phenylsydnone (12) in benzene solution (cf. [5b]) may also be explained: Sydnone 12 undergoes two different photoreactions leading by loss of carbon dioxide to the corresponding nitril-imine 5 (R = t-C4H9, R' = C6H5) and by loss of isobutylene to a 1,2,3-oxadiazolin-5-one of type 48 or 49 which isomerizes to yield diazophenylacetic acid (51; cf. Scheme 17). Reaction of both products (5 and 51) results in the formation of the N'-acylhydrazide 52 (Scheme 18) which may cyclize after loss of nitrogen to yield the diazeti- dinone 14 in a carbene type reaction. The triazoles 2 are formed photochemically from the corresponding 1,2-bisazo-ethylenes 64 (Scheme 26) which arise from a direct 'head-to-head' dimerization of the nitril-imines 5. This type of reaction seems to be common to all nitrilium betaines (Schema 30). The photolysis of the 2,4-disubstituted 1,3,4-oxadiazolines 76 does not lead to nitril-imines 5 (cf. [11]). On the contrary, loss of carbon monoxide induces the formation of azoketones 77 (cf. Scheme 31), which may be photo-reduced to yield hydrazides or may undergo cleavage of the N,acyl bond to form derivatives of 1,2-diketones (cf. Scheme 32).


While many reforms in Dodd–Frank are aimed at the securitization market, the proposed rules to implement Sections 619 and 621 may fundamentally limit traditional securitization practices that are vital to the consumer economy. Section 619 and the related proposed rule, otherwise known as the Volcker Rule, are intended to prohibit banks from engaging in proprietary trading and sponsoring, owning, or having certain relationships with hedge funds and private equity funds. Many securitizations are brought within the scope of the rule because they rely on the same exemptions from the Investment Company Act, namely Section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7), as do traditional hedge funds and private equity funds. However, there is ample evidence that the Volcker Rule is intended to address concerns that have nothing to do with the securitization markets, including the securitization exemption language in Dodd–Frank that explicitly states, "[n]othing in [the Volcker Rule] shall be construed to limit or restrict the ability of a banking entity … to sell or securitize loans." For this reason, industry participants believe that Congress intended the Volcker Rule to fully exempt securitizations from its prohibitions. If a broad exclusion is not granted, other provisions of the rule must be modified to accommodate securitization, such as the "Super 23A" provisions that prohibit banking entities from engaging in certain "covered transactions" with securitization entities that are often integral to the securitization process. Section 621 and the related proposed rule, otherwise known as the conflict-of-interest rule, prohibit certain persons who create and distribute an asset-backed security (ABS) from engaging in transactions within one year after the date of the first sale of the ABS that would result in certain material conflicts of interest. The purpose of this prohibition is to eliminate incentives for market participants to intentionally design ABS to fail or default. Although the proposed rule does provide exceptions to the prohibition for risk-mitigating hedging activities, liquidity commitments, and bona fide market making, it is critical that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) clarify which activities, including those inherent to the securitization process, would or would not be prohibited by the rule. Additionally, it remains to be seen the extent to which meaningful disclosure may be used as a tool to manage conflicts of interest that would otherwise be prohibited under the proposed rule. By revising the proposed Volcker Rule and conflict-of-interest rule to preserve traditional securitization activities, these rules can effectively achieve their intended goals without impeding the recovery of the securitization market.


We evaluate the effectiveness of a more progressive tax scheme in raising government revenues. We develop a life-cycle economy with heterogeneity and endogenous labor supply. Households face a progressive income tax schedule, mimicking the Federal Income tax, and flat-rate taxes that capture payroll, state and local taxes and the corporate income tax. We parameterize this model to reproduce aggregate and cross-sectional observations for the U.S. economy, including the shares of labor income for top earners. We find that a tilt of the Federal income tax schedule towards high earners leads to small increases in revenues which are maximized at an effective marginal tax rate of about 36.9% for the richest 5% of households -- in contrast to a 21.7% marginal rate in the benchmark economy. Maximized revenue from Federal income taxes is only 8.4% higher than it is in the benchmark economy, while revenues from all sources increase only by about 1.6%. The room for higher revenues from more progressive taxes is even lower when average taxes are higher to start with. We conclude that these policy recommendations are misguided if the aim is to exclusively raise government revenue.


Children show an enormous (social) development from a highly dependent newborn who barely makes contact towards a socially skilled person who can usually take care of him- or herself. The general aim of the present dissertation is to investigate the role of visual processing in social behavior across typical development, with a focus on infancy. For visual processing, the focus is on the role of lower and higher spatial frequency information, related to the configuration of a face and the details in a face respectively. For social behavior, the focus is on gaze-cued orienting of attention, emotion discrimination and quality of parent-child interaction. The results from the present dissertation suggest that both lower and higher spatial frequency information are sufficient for gaze-cued orienting of attention in adults. When these results are compared to previous results in children, there seems to be a change across development, with a primary role of lower spatial frequencies in children but not in adults. We aimed to extend these findings to infants as well. However, there was no evidence for gaze-cued orienting of attention in the infants. Hence, the role of spatial frequencies could not be investigated. The present results suggest that gaze-cued orienting of attention in infants is not very robust and/or more specific than previously thought. The next two studies indicated specific roles for the lower and higher spatial frequency information in emotion discrimination in infancy. 5-month-old infants could only discriminate fearful from neutral faces in the lower spatial frequency condition. For most of the investigated measures of emotion discrimination (i.e. face-sensitive Event Related Potentials), 10-month-old infants could only discriminate happy from neutral or fearful faces in the higher spatial frequency condition. These findings are placed within current models on the underlying brain mechanisms of face processing. Possibly, the subcortical pathway via the amygdala, and the cortical pathway via the visual cortex each play different roles in the development of emotion discrimination. We also showed that there was no evidence for a relation between emotion discrimination of fearful faces (based on only lower spatial frequency information) and social interaction quality (parent, infant and dyadic aspects). Lastly, the test-retest reliability of the used measure of emotion discrimination (i.e. face-sensitive Event Related Potentials) was investigated. Reliable scores for each individual are needed when investigating emotion discrimination over time and in relation to other variables, such as quality of social interaction. The results show adequate test-retest reliability of the overall face-sensitive Event Related Potentials, but not for the effects of emotion and spatial frequency content on these Event Related Potentials. In conclusion, the present dissertation provides indications that across development there is a relation between social behavior and visual processing of lower and higher spatial frequency information in a face. However, in order to further understand visual and social development, longitudinal large-scale studies that use reliable measures are warranted. These studies should investigate further how differences in visual processing have subtle cascading effects on social behavior, and other domains, across development.


Callitris glaucophylla is a long lived tree which has had limited spasmodic recruitment in the South Australian arid zone in recent years. Domestic stock and rabbit grazing have been implicated as major factors limiting its regeneration. Factors influencing the recruitment and death of C. glaucophylla in the Roxby Downs region were investigated. The survivorship of C. glaucophylla seedlings, which germinated following flooding rains in March 1989, was monitored at three rabbit densities, with and without the protection of tree guards. Despite above average rainfall in 1989, all the monitored seedlings succumbed to desiccation within 18 months of germination. Grazing by rabbits had no impact upon regeneration. In an analogous study, the height distributions of young established C. glaucophylla groves were measured and used to assign groves to cohorts representing past recruitment events. Rainfall history was compared with the estimated age of C. glaucophylla stands. Successful regeneration of C. glaucophylla in the Roxby Downs region was dependent on uncommon prolonged periods of above average rainfall. Most successful C. glaucophylla recruitment occurred in distinct groves on deep sand.


The United Kingdom has seen the rise and subsequent demise of armed robbery by serious and organized criminals. The emergence of armed robbery must be considered within a context of criminal progression forged by the wider political economy and its developments, which shape the opportunities and characteristics of professional criminals. The shift from a cash-based economy towards a credit-constructed economic milieu witnessed the demise of craft crimes such as safe-cracking and the growth of project-based criminality such as armed robbery. The subsequent decline in professional armed robbers attacking banks, post offices, building societies, and cash-in-transit targets can be regarded as the result of control-of-crime strategies and situational crime prevention tactics. There has been increasing use of security measures, including (but not exclusively) within the banking sector, such as in-house closed-circuit television (CCTV), indelible dyes for tainting stolen money, and wider "risk society" measures including, for example, widespread street CCTV, automated number plate recognition, and an increasing shift to credit or debit card transactions. This approach to situational crime control has been successful, leading "elite" professional criminals to seek alternative illicit opportunities and leaving contemporary armed robbers, generally amateurs, deskilled and often desperate individuals.


The dsDNA tailed bacteriophages comprise the largest evolving life form in the biosphere. They are not only the most abundant organism on Earth, but also plausibly the most ancient. The ancient origin of phage suggests that they have had the ample opportunity to undergo the evolutionary changes necessary to perform intricate coordinated biological functions. Therefore, characterizing a tailed bacteriophage will help not only to understand biology, but also help us to establish a relationship between structure and function. Viruses display a dynamic equilibrium between structural conformations, stability, flexibility and rigidity which is essential for the perpetuation of life cycle. Understanding this complex biophysical relationship is a daunting task and requires a combination of multidimensional approaches. P22 is a tailed bacteriophage and displays a series of structural transitions during maturation. To understand the important biophysical changes in the P22 at different stages of maturation, we have introduced a suite of orthogonal techniques to address the distinct properties of intermediates. These include Differential Scanning Fluorimetry which probes the thermal stability of P22 capsids, Hydrogen-Deuterium Mass Spectrometry, which probes the conformational flexibility and Atomic Force Microscopy and Quartz Crystal Microbalance with dissipation, which probe the biomechanical transformation in the capsids. P22 investigation using these techniques reveals the large scale structural arrangements along with the expansion. Global rearrangement results in an increase in stability, rigidity and reduced dynamics. The sum results of these studies indicate that expansion is accompanied by large scale inter-subunit rearrangements which lead to the enhanced hydrophobic core at different quasi-equivalent axes. We have also studied Adeno-associated viruses, which is used as a gene delivery vehicle for the treatment of genetic disorders. AAVs lipase contains a lipase domain and its activation is important for the successful infection. Activation mechanism of lipase domain is not thoroughly understood. To understand the mechanism, we have developed a Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry assay sensitive enough to measure lipase products. This assay confirms that prolonged incubation of AAVs with liposome is able to activate the lipase domain without the involvement of receptors and co-receptors.


With the explosion of data stores and cloud services, data now resides across many disparate systems and in a variety of formats. When multiple data sets exist in external systems, it is often necessary to perform a lengthy ETL (extract, transform, load) operation to get data into the database. But what if we only needed a small subset of the data?What if we only want to query the data to answer a specific question or to create a specific visualization? In this case, it's often more efficient to join data sets remotely and return only the results, rather than negotiate the time and storage requirements of performing a rather expensive full data load operation. In this paper, we propose Greenplum Database Platform Extension Framework (PXF) for accomplishing this task. PXF is an open source project that provides parallel, high throughput data access and federated query processing across heterogeneous data sources via built-in connectors that map a Greenplum external table definition to an external data source. PXF's architecture enables users to efficiently query large datasets from multiple external sources, without requiring those datasets be loaded into Greenplum.


This paper presents a comprehensive statistical evaluation of the conductivity performance of PEDOT/PSS films generated at various spin coating speeds (1000 to 5000 rpm) by correspondence analysis (CA), regression and ANOVA models. Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) is a highly conducting insoluble polymer which, when doped with poly(styrene sulfonic acid) (PSS) in water, results in a dispersion with good film forming properties. Our interest in PEDOT/PSS is in its application as an interfacial layer and gate electrode in organic photovoltaic and organic field effect transistor devices, respectively. The generation of a homogeneous spun-cast layer of PEDOT/PSS over the entire substrate for these intended applications is a function of the spin-coating speed which, in turn, affects the thickness of the film and, consequently, its conductivity measured by the four point probe. From correspondence analysis, we find that only the 1000 rpm spin-coating speed is strongly associated with high thickness and high resistivity (i.e. low conductivity), although further analysis of speeds 2000 5000 rpm shows that the spin-coating speed is still associated with the thickness of the films, and subsequently, their conductivities, such that the thinnest and most conductive films result from the highest spin-coating speed (5000 rpm). We also observed the phenomenon of the horseshoe effect from the CA displays and discussed the reasons for not resorting to detrending solutions for dealing with its presence. From multiple and nonlinear regression models, spin-coating speeds 1000 and 2000 rpm were found to produce films of less precise conductivity values as reflected in the absolute value of mean of residuals of nonlinear regression models while more precise and optimal conductivity values are obtained when the films are generated between 3000 and 5000 rpm. The ANOVA models showed that the means of conductivity of films obtained at 1000 rpm is statistically significantly different to those from higher spin coating speeds and that there is no significant difference between the conductivity of films generated using spin coating speeds 2000 and 3000 rpm and between spin coating speeds 4000 and 5000 rpm. Further, the conductivity of films from spin coating speeds 4000-5000 rpm are higher and more precise than those obtained at 2000-3000 rpm. Based on the results of this study, we have standardised conductivity measurements of PEDOT/PSS films using the four-point probe by spin-coating at 4000-5000 rpm in order to obtain optimal and reproducible conductivity values.


This teaching case describes the functionality of an applicant processing system designed for a fictitious hotel chain. The system detailed in the case includes a webform where applicants complete and submit job applications. The system also includes a desktop application used by hotel managers and Human Resources to track applications and process job offers. Both the webform and the desktop application share a centralized database. The case is based on an actual systems development project that students completed for a real hotel chain. Material in the case can be used for assignments in systems analysis and design, database management, and web design courses. Teaching notes, including an entity-relationship diagram (ERD), data dictionary, data flow diagrams, job application form, prototype screenshots, and discussion questions are available through the JISE website.


Infrastructure is strongly linked to economic growth and plays a major role in providing greater mobility and choice, leading to an improvement in incomes and welfare. Transport infrastructure such as highways, bridges, ports, airports and railways is critical in achieving economic growth. If the supply of these facilities does not keep up with rising demand, the cost of moving goods will increase, and there will be a downward pressure on profits and growth. Airports play a critical role in generating employment within an economy, creating wealth, contributing to the tax base, stimulating tourism and contributing to world trade. While the latter two are less easily measured, it is possible to determine a base impact that an airport has on an economy by measuring the direct and indirect gross domestic product, employment and taxation impacts. This study quantifies these for the three main international airports in South Africa.


This article presents the Myanmar Protest Event Dataset, a unique dataset on protest assemblies in transitional Myanmar/Burma. The data contents were derived from the most visible forms of assembly – demonstrations, protest marches and labour strikes – and collected through a protest event analysis of local news reports. The coded variables range from information on the actual moment of the protest event, such as participants, issue, duration and location, to the aftermath, including variables related to legal consequences for protesters and the success of protesters' claims, and many others. Besides a concise description of the research design and data collection process, this article discusses methodological strengths and weaknesses of the dataset.


Femtosecond laser irradiation has various noticeable effects on fused silica. It can locally increase the index of refraction and modify the material chemical selectivity. Regions that have been exposed to the laser are etched hundred fold faster than unexposed regions. These effects are of practical importance from an application point-of-view and open new opportunities for the development of integrated photonics devices that combine structural and optical functions. Various observations reported in the literature indicate that those effects are potentially related to a combination of both structural changes and the presence of internal stress. In this paper, we present further investigations on the effect of femtosecond laser irradiation on fused silica substrate (a-SiO2). In particular, we use nanoindentation and holography-based birefringence measurements, coupled with direct SEM observations on chemically etched specimens to characterize the effect of various laser parameters such as power, scanning speed and irradiation pattern. We show evidence of an interface between two different etching regimes that may be related to the presence of two different material phases induced by the laser irradiation.


Calcium is an essential mineral that supports bone and joint health. It is used as a supplement, most typically as calcium carbonate, to assist in preserving bone density especially when dietary calcium intake is inadequate. In the present study we examined the effect of five varied calcium sources, three natural and two synthetic, on stimulation, proliferation and mineralization of cultured human osteoblast cells. A MTT assay using cultured human fetal osteoblast cells (hFOB 1.19) was used to determine the effective proliferative dose for salmon collagen bone calcium (0.25 mg/ml). Elemental calcium equivalence was used to select the appropriate doses for algae calcium (0.14 mg/ml), eggshell powder (0.16 mg/ml), calcium citrate (0.22 mg/ml) and calcium carbonate (0.13). Alkaline phosphatase activity, DNA synthesis rates and calcium ion deposition were evaluated after incubation under different conditions and harvesting the cells. Alkaline phosphatase activity, DNA synthesis rates and calcium ion deposition rates were all highest for the natural salmon bone collagen calcium, followed by algae calcium. The eggshell powder, calcium citrate and calcium carbonate did not exhibit significant changes from control in most of these assays. The results of these assays suggest that natural marine collagen calcium such as salmon bone collagen calcium acts as the most effective intervention on osteoblast performance and actual calcium deposition. It should be recommended as a superior supplement for improved bone and joint health function.


Canada has experienced a unique problem as a subset of its immigrants, approximately 10%, leave after ascension to citizenship. In this paper I argue that both the degree of immigrant naturalization and subsequent emigration from Canada is conditioned by economic opportunities and Canadian citizenship policies. A triangular model of movement comprising the concept of an entrepot destination serves as a basis to argue that immigrants to entrepot countries are faced with the decision to stay or leave after citizenship ascension. Limited evidence is presented to support the conclusion that recently naturalized Canadian immigrants who leave for a third country (USA) or return home (Hong Kong) experience positive selection and overachieve.


On 26 April 1986, the worst nuclear accident in the history of the nuclear industry occurred at Unit 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (ChNPP) in the Ukraine (at that time a Republic of the Soviet Union) resulting a large amount of radioactive nuclides released into the environment in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other European countries. The chronic radiation doses from radioactive nuclides released from the accident are still significant in the freshwater aquatic environment of the 30 km Exclusion Zone around Chernobyl.

In this study, current methods of estimating radiation doses have been further developed by model inter-comparison and testing against empirical data. This research also supports previous work on the effects of radiation on aquatic biota by accurately measuring the external radiation dose in the littoral zone of Svyatoye and Perstok lakes in Belarus.

The testing and critical analysis of five dose assessment models (RESRAD, FASSET, ERICA, R&D128 and the D-Max model) was carried out in order to understand the key factors which influence predictions of both internal and external doses. For the internal dose, studies of the relationship between modelled dose and organism mass showed that mass is a more important factor than organism shape. The predictions of external dose were generally more variable than those for internal dose. The most important factor causing variation in external dose was the assumed habitat of the organism and the occupancy factor.

The Monte Carlo method was used to estimate the uncertainty in internal dose rate caused by the variability of fish mass and fish concentration in real environments. It was found that the variability in Cs-137 activity concentration in different fish was the most important factor contributing to the uncertainty of predictions of internal dose rate. Organism size at different life stages also has a large influence on dose. For young, small, fish, the internal dose is lower than the range of internal doses estimated by the different models, whilst the external dose could be greater than that estimated by models, especially in cases where part of the life cycle is spent on the sediment surface.

Using measured values of tissue activity concentration, the model predictions of doses in Svyatoye and Perstok lakes, show good agreement with each other. In cases when tissue activity concentration data are not available, these have to be estimated from the tissue-water Concentration Ratio (CR). In this case, the predicted internal dose rates (using radionuclide concentration in the water) are more uncertain because of the variation of CR in the models. The model where CR is estimated depending on water chemistry gives the best prediction in this case.

Measurements were made of the beta- and gamma- dose rate in three lakes (Perstok, Svyatoye and Dvorishche) giving profiles of dose as a function of depth. The method for gamma dose rate measurement worked well and a simple model for external gamma dose rate with depth above and below the sediment surface was found to give reasonable agreement with measured values. The beta in situ measurement was not successful and the method would need further investigation.

The modelling studies carried out showed that internal dose rates to fish in Svyatoye and Perstok lakes are lower than or close to the 40 μGy hr-1 recommended limit for possible impacts from radiation .The external dose rate to insect larvae and benthic fish is much higher than to pelagic fish because the former live in or on the sediment which has a much higher activity concentration than the water. None of the estimated external dose rates in these lakes was higher than 10 μGy hr-1.

It is concluded that the external dose rates to benthic biota and large fish in these closed lakes are still significant at this long time after the Chernobyl accident. But, radiation effects on these organisms may not be clearly seen, since the dose rates are below or close to guideline limits.


Abstract Building strong relationships between children and parents is vital for children's social and emotional development. A majority of children attend early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings where they experience a range of relationships (educator–child, educator–parent, parent–child). Educators build relationships with children and parents, yet their influence on parent–child relationships is not well understood. Therefore, an evaluation of interventions/programs designed to promote parent–child relationships in ECEC settings (long day care, occasional care and preschool) and a range of settings (play groups, community groups and health centres) was conducted. The search revealed 21 peer-reviewed studies and seven interventions: two conducted in ECEC settings and five in a range of parent–child support settings. All studies reported intervention efficacy, yet none examined educators' influence on parent–child relationships. Investigation into current educator practices is recommended to ensure educators are supported to promote and nurture parent–child relationships, consequently strengthening children's social and emotional development.


The development of an inexpensive, portable, stable, sensitive and selective biosensor for detection of odorants is a daunting task. Here, we hypothesized the development of a detector layer composed of the protein groups; the olfactory receptors (ORs) and the odorant binding proteins (OBPs), known to bind odorants in animal sensing. We report the design of 13 OR gene-vector constructs, and their subsequent transformation into Escherichia (E.) coli (BL21 (DE3)-STAR-pLysS) strain. Moreover, we report the expression of several ORs into an in vitro wheat germ extract using three separate detergent mixes for protein solubilization. In addition, we describe the design of an odorant binding protein from the Aenopheles gambiae mosquito PEST strain (OBP-PEST) gene-vector construct under an IPTG (Isopropyl β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside) inducible promoter. OBP-PEST was heterologously expressed in E.coli with an 8 amino acid long sequence (WSPQFEK) attached C-terminally, via a thrombin cleavage site and a flexible linker (GSSG). The WSPQFEK sequence, commonly referred to as a Strep-tag, enabled subsequent affinity chromatography purification of the protein, via binding to an engineered Streptavidin equivalent. Surprisingly, the OBP-PEST was found to contain a signal sequence leading to its truncation and secretion when expressed in E.coli. Biophysical analyses were established using Circular Dichroism (CD) for the analysis of two lipocalins: Beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) and OBP-PEST. We studied the solubility, refoldability and the conformational transitions of BLG, as a result of change in solvent, pH and temperature. The secondary structure of OBP-PEST and its thermal stability was investigated. In conclusion, this thesis work has enabled biophysical analyses of OBP-PEST and future analogs of interest to the development of a stable protein detector layer. Although further experiments are needed to fully characterize the biophysical properties, and to find odorant substrates of OBP-PEST, it was found to be a suitable alternative to ORs in a biosensor detector layer application. More importantly, an inherent OBP-PEST signal sequence was found to mediate protein secretion when expressed heterologously in E.coli. To the best of our knowledge this is the first lipocalin discovered to be secreted upon heterologous expression in E.coli. We hypothesize that this signal peptide could be used as a means for targeted secretion and, hence, efficient protein purification.


The sources of the May 1202 and November 1759, M 7.5 Near East earthquakes remain controversial, because their macroseismal areas coincide, straddling subparallel active faults in the Lebanese restraining bend. Paleoseismic trenching in the Yammouneh basin yields unambiguous evidence both for slip on the Yammou neh fault in the twelfth–thirteenth centuries and for the lack of a posterior event. This conclusion is supported by comparing the freshest visible fault scarps, which imply more recent slip on the Râchaiya-Serghaya system than on the Yammouneh fault. Our results suggest that the recurrence of an A.D. 1202–type earthquake might be due this century, as part of a sequence similar to that of A.D. 1033–1202, possibly heralded by the occurrence of the 1995 Mw 7.3 Aqaba earthquake. The seismic behavior of the Levant fault might thus be characterized by millennial periods of quiescence, separated by clusters of large earthquakes.