The potential dose distribution advantages associated with proton therapy, and particularly with pencil beam scanning (PBS) techniques, have lead to considerable interest in this modality in recent years. However, the large capital expenditure necessary for such a project requires careful financial consideration and business planning. The complexity of the beam delivery systems impacts the capital expenditure and the PBS only systems presently being advocated can reduce these costs. Also several manufacturers are considering "one-room" facilities as less expensive alternatives to multi-room facilities. This presentation includes a brief introduction to beam delivery options (passive scattering, uniform and modulated scanning) and some of the new technologies proposed for providing less expensive proton therapy systems. Based on current experience, data on proton therapy center start-up costs, running costs and the financial challenges associated with making this highly conformal therapy more widely available will be discussed. Issues associated with proton therapy implementation that are key to project success include strong project management, vendor cooperation and collaboration, staff recruitment and training. Time management during facility start up is a major concern, particularly in multi-room systems, where time must be shared between continuing vendor system validation, verification and acceptance testing, and user commissioning and patient treatments. The challenges associated with facility operation during this period and beyond are discussed, focusing on how standardization of process, downtime and smart scheduling can influence operational efficiency.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. To understand the available choices for proton therapy facilities, the different beam delivery systems and the financial implications associated with these choices. 2. To understand the key elements necessary for successfully implementing a proton therapy program. 3. To understand the challenges associated with on-going facility management to achieve an efficient fully operational system.


Since the discovery of the topochemical 1,4-polymerization of 3,4-bis(methylene)hexanedioic acid (BMHA), the first reported polymerization of an internally substituted butadiene, an objective of our research group has been to characterize the chemical and structural changes undergone by the crystalline monomer during polymerization. Here, we report a method for the kinetic study of topochemical reactions. BMHA exhibits first order kinetics with a rate constant, k, of 0.215 min-1. Compared to the polymerization of (Z,Z)-2,4-hexadienedioate (EMU), discovered by Matsumoto et al., which also has first order kinetics with a rate constant, k, of 0.394 min-1, BMHA reacts slightly slower than EMU. In addition to kinetic data, structural changes in the polymerization of BMHA were assessed by X-ray powder diffraction. The reaction of BMHA is heterogeneous with polymerization beginning at defect sites in the crystal which serve to nucleate polymer growth in distinct domains that propagate through the monomer lattice. Further, differential thermal analysis demonstrates the polymerization of BMHA by heating (Tp = 165 °C). By comparing the heat of polymerization of BMHA to the heats of polymerization of liquid butadiene analogues, the energy of the lattice strain overcome during the crystal structure transformation can be approximated at 43.3 kJ/mol. The information reported in this work serves to characterize the topochemical polymerization of 3,4-bis(methylene)hexanedioic acid.


Civil engineering construction frequently requires the use of piles to carry structural loads to stronger ground strata or to control lateral ground movements. A variety of techniques are available to install piles into the ground. Of central interest to this research is the vibratory hammer, or vibrodriver, which is the preferred method used to drive piles into granular soils. .The installation of sheet and bearing piles by vibrodriver causes periodic vibration in the adjacent ground which is severe very close to the piles, but attenuates with distance. A potential consequential effect of the vibrations that are caused by vibrodriving is ground compaction, which may be observed as differential surface settlement. It is desirable that vibration induced ground compaction settlement should be estimated for contracts where loose to medium-dense granular soils occur, especially when buildings on shallow foundations or poorly bedded service pipes are adjacent. It is unlikely that a simple in-situ soils test will allow accurate, specific estimates, but rather that a range of vibratory tests should be performed which can then be used as a knowledge base. Settlement trends and associated parameters can then be identified which will allow the prediction of settlement with reference to the in-situ soil and the ground vibration data. This argument forms the basis of the laboratory test programme. A range of granular soils were studied using an adapted 150mm Rowe cell (a hydraulic oedometer). Use of the Rowe cell enabled samples to experience compaction under effective stress conditions that are appropriate for equivalent soils in the field. The complete cell was mounted on an electromagnetic shaker and after static consolidation, the samples were vibrated under maintained hydraulic load, at frequencies and accelerations that are appropriate for soils adjacent to vibrodrivers. Change in sample height was recorded for controlled vertical (and horizontal) vibrations, typically in the range of 0.lg to 5.0g at 25Hz and 40Hz. Soils were tested under a range of effective stresses and moisture content. The results of the laboratory programme and subsequent data analysis are presented in tables and diagrams. Expressions that describe a good relationship between acceleration, soil type, relative density and static load allow upperbound estimates of vibratory settlements to be made for accelerations of up to 6.0g. An additional expression is presented that accounts for the influence of moisture content, ground vibration frequency and vibration duration. Summary tables are presented that define categories of vibration induced ground compaction settlement based on settlement potential, risk and severity. The use of the settlement equations and the influence of various parameters are demonstrated for a range of example applications, hi addition, data is abstracted from case studies found in the literature and sites that were visited during the research. The abstracted data are then used to perform settlement estimates which are compared to the reported examples. Good correlation between observed and calculated settlement is demonstrated in many cases. However, in some instances, it appears that ground settlements were exacerbated by at least one additional mechanism, such as cumulative pore water pressure increase, or lateral movement of sheet piles, in addition, extraction of piles by vibrodriver appears to contribute significantly to the reported cases of ground settlement.


Introduction: Nanotechnology and nanoparticles have significantly been considered for their potential in various fields including medicine and treatment. Silver nanoparticles are the most important nanoparticles that play an important role in treatment of cancer. Previous studies showed that silver nanoparticles have several properties such as antioxidants, anti-cancer and antibacterial. Therefore, in this study, the antioxidant properties of silver nanoparticles synthesized by Rubina tinctorum L (Ru-AgNPs) were investigated, using standard protocols. Subsequently, the cytotoxicity effects of the synthesized nanoparticles were evaluated on cancer cells (HepG2) compared to normal ones (HDF). Materials & Methods: In this study, the antioxidant effect of Ru-AgNPs was evaluated using ABTS and DPPH free radicals scavenging assay. The MTT procedure was used to evaluate the cytotoxic properties of the nanoparticle against two cell lines examined 24 hours after exposure. Findings: The results showed that Ru-AgNPs was able to inhibit ABTS and DPPH free radicals depending on the concentration. The MTT results demonstrated that this nanoparticle can inhibit liver cancer cells in very low concentrations (IC50: 6µg/ml), but does not have an inhibitory effect in similar concentration on normal cells (IC50: 100µg/ml). Conclusion & Discussion: Our results show that Ru-AgNPs has an antioxidant effect and is able to inhibit the HepG2 cells in a low concentration too, but it does not have any toxic effects in a similar concentration on HDF cells, which makes this nanoparticle a suitable candidate for use in inhibiting cancerous cells.


The morphological traits that are traditionally used to identify potato cultivars are not always reliable, especially when dealing with in vitro plants. Various molecular marker techniques have been described for cultivar identification, but the Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) technique has certain qualities that render it highly suitable for this application. In this study five SSR primer sets were used to characterize twenty-four commercially important potato cultivars. All profiles were found to be reliable and no variation was found between clones of the same cultivar. The number of polymorphisms detected with each of the markers varied, but none of the primers yielded only monomorphic fragments. The multilocus primer, STIIKA produced unique profiles for each of the 24 primer sets. However, the complicated nature of the profiles limits its use for routine diagnostic purposes. The use of the markers STS and STU 69633 the fact that they can be analysed simultaneously on one gel, saves time and costs. The present study thus confirms that SSRs can be employed in a routine profiling system to provide highly discriminative and standardized profiles for South African potato cultivars.


Assumptions about international migration are an increasingly important component of the demographic projection module. Yet most official immigration projections both in the United States and abroad rely on ad-hoc assumptions based on little theory and virtually no definable methodology. The purpose of the present report is threefold: to assess the state of immigration projection practice; to explore theoretical insights and empirical research about immigration; and to discuss how these insights and research could be used to create a superior projection model. The first chapter describes the current projection methods of leading national and international projection-making agencies, from the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Social Security Administration to the United Nations and the World Bank. The second chapter scans the wide array of "theoretical frameworks" that social scientists from a variety of disciplines have proposed to explain international migration flows. It also surveys the growing body of empirical literature on efforts to statistically test the power of these theories in explaining historical trends in international migration. The third chapter describes our proposed framework for a long-term immigration projection model. The model is "driver-based," meaning that immigration is projected based on observed associations between migration behavior and other conditions, such as multinational trends in population, wages and living standards, trade and capital flows, age distribution, education, urbanization, and market orientation or "globalization." We conclude that this approach has the potential to greatly improve long-term projections of net immigration to a major developed country like the United States.


Abstract The hot ductility as measured by Gleeble testing of Alloy 718 at four different solution heat treatments (954°C/15 h, 954°C/1 h, 982°C/1 h and 1050°C/3 h+954°C/1 h) has been investigated. It is concluded that constitutional liquation of NbC assisted by δ phase takes place and deteriorates the ductility. Parameters established by analysing the ductility dependence on temperature indicate a reduced weldability of the material in the coarse grain size state (ASTM 3) while indicating an increased weldability when containing a large amount of δ phase due to a grain boundary pinning effect. The accumulation of trace elements during grain growth at the highest temperature is believed to be the cause for the observed reduced on-cooling ductility.


This issue acknowledges the work of Rosalie Fish (Cowlitz), Jordan Marie Daniels
(Lakota), and the many others who refuse to ignore the situation that has allowed thousands of Indigenous women and girls to be murdered or go missing across North America without the full intervention of law enforcement and other local authorities. As Rosalie Fish said in an interview regarding her activism on missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG),"I felt a little heavy at first just wearing the paint. And I think that was . . . like my ancestors letting me know . . . you need to take this seriously: "What you're doing, you need to do well." And I think that's why I felt really heavy when I first put on my paint and when I tried to run with my paint at first. . . . I would say my personal strength comes from my grandmas, my mom, my great grandma, and I really hope that's true, that I made them proud." (Inland Northwest Native News interview)


textabstractManagement scholarship has revealed the myriad ways in which relationships between coworkers impact individual, team, and organizational phenomena. However, our scientific understanding of coworker relationships and what makes for satisfying connections with colleagues is still in its early days.

This dissertation helps advance our understanding by proposing new drivers of coworker satisfaction, unpacking the nature of coworker satisfaction itself, and examining the sources and antecedents of different types of coworker relationships. Specifically, work suggests that fit between the desired degree of warmth and competence, and their provision by a coworker will result in coworker satisfaction. The factors that influence an individual's desired degree of warmth and competence are considered, along with factors that influence perceptions of these resources in the interpersonal environment. Further, I empirically examine coworker satisfaction as a phenomenon that a) individuals have a general tendency to experience across coworkers, b) individuals have a general tendency to evoke from their partners, and c) as a phenomenon that is relationally emergent – a unique response to a particular coworker. Beyond empirically substantiating these aspects of coworker satisfaction, personality predictors of each aspect are also identified. Finally, this dissertation examines the types of relationships that may exist between colleagues, and considers general tendencies to perceive and provoke relationship types across partners, as well as the emergence of relationship types that are partner-specific. Personality and gender predictors of general relationship tendencies and emergent relationship styles are also presented.


Ascidians are lter-feeding sac-like marine urochordates  of great evolutionary, ecological and economic importance. Andaman and Nicobar Islands are one of the most important hot spots of biodiversity in India, while the ascidian diversity of this region is very scanty. Ascidians belonging to 29 species were identi ed at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands during the eld research carried out from March 2014 to April 2015. Eight species (Didemnum granulatum, Didemnum molle, Didemnum psammatodes, Diplosoma listerianum, Lissoclinum fragile, Lissoclinum levitum, Lissoclinum patella, Trididemnum Cyclops) from the Didemnidae family were found and identi ed. Various diversity indices, such as the Shannon -Wiener index (H'), Margalef's index (D), Pielou's index (J'), K-dominance curves, Cluster Analysis and Multidimensional Scaling, were used to analyze the diversity, richness and evenness of species, and to compare the diversity between samples and their resemblance in terms of species composition. The maximum species richness was observed in Campbell Bay (2.424) and the minimum in Haddo Wharf (0.910). This nding shows the rich species diversity of ascidian fauna at Andaman and Nicobar Islands.


Hydrogen bonding and other types of secondary-sphere interactions are ubiquitous in metalloenzyme active sites and are critical to the transformations they mediate. Exploiting secondary sphere interactions in synthetic catalysts to study the role(s) they might play in biological systems, and to develop increasingly efficient catalysts, is an important challenge. Whereas model studies in this broad context are increasingly abundant, as yet there has been relatively little progress in the area of synthetic catalysts for nitrogen fixation that incorporate secondary sphere design elements. Herein we present our first study of Fe–NxHy complexes supported by new tris(phosphine)silyl ligands, abbreviated as [SiP NMe 3 ] and [SiP 2 P ], that incorporate remote tertiary amine hydrogen-bond acceptors within a tertiary phosphine/amine 6-membered ring. These remote amine sites facilitate hydrogen-bonding interactions via a boat conformation of the 6-membered ring when certain nitrogenous substrates (e.g., NH3 and N2H4) are coordinated to the apical site of a trigonal bipyramidal iron complex, and adopt a chair conformation when no H-bonding is possible (e.g., N2). Countercation binding at the cyclic amine is also observed for anionic {Fe–N2} complexes. Reactivity studies in the presence of proton/electron sources show that the incorporated amine functionality leads to rapid generation of catalytically inactive Fe–H species, thereby substantiating a hydride termination pathway that we have previously proposed deactivates catalysts of the type [EP3]FeN2 (E 1⁄4 Si, C).


The nonlinear response and strong coupling of control channels in micromachined membrane deformable mirror (MMDM) devices make it difficult for one to control the MMDM to obtain the desired mirror surface shapes. A closed-loop adaptive control algorithm is developed for a continuous-surface MMDM used for aberration compensation. The algorithm iteratively adjusts the control voltages of all electrodes to reduce the variance of the optical wave front measured with a Hartmann-Shack wave-front sensor. Zernike polynomials are used to represent the mirror surface shape as well as the optical wave front. An adaptive experimental system to compensate for the wave-front aberrations of a model eye has been built in which the developed adaptive mirror-control algorithm is used to control a deformable mirror with 19 active channels. The experimental results show that the algorithm can adaptively update control voltages to generate an optimum continuous mirror surface profile, compensating for the aberrations within the operating range of the deformable mirror.


Many countries in the developing world have adopted an approach to monetary policy that focuses on maintaining a low level of inflation, to the exclusion of other important objectives such as employment generation, increasing investment or reducing poverty, despite the widespread evidence that moderate levels of inflation have few or no costs. Some have even adopted formal "inflation targeting", an approach which commits the central bank to hitting a fairly rigid inflation target, often as low as 2%. However, this focus has led to slower economic growth and lower employment growth, without succeeding in lowering inflation at a smaller economic cost than traditional methods of inflation fighting. Clearly, it is time to find an alternative to inflation targeting. This paper presents the real targeting approach to monetary policy, which I argue is superior alternative to the costly and ineffective inflation targeting approach. Under this real targeting approach, central banks are given a country appropriate target such as employment growth, unemployment, real GDP or investment, usually subject to an inflation constraint. Given these two targets – the real target and the constraint – the central bank will find multiple tools to reach these targets, designing new tools and rediscovering old tools such as asset based reserve requirements and other credit allocation techniques. The real targeting approach might also be complemented by other policies, such as capital management techniques to deal with possible capital flight. The real targeting approach has the potential to make central bank policy more transparent, more accountable, and more socially useful than most currently existing central bank structures.


Abstract We examine gender differences in financial literacy among high school students in Italy using data from the 2012 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Gender differences in financial literacy are large among the young in Italy. They are present in all regions and are particularly severe in the South and the Islands. Combining the rich PISA data with a variety of other indicators, we provide a thorough analysis of the potential determinants of the gender gap in financial literacy. We find that parental background, in particular the role of mothers, matters for the financial knowledge of girls. Moreover, we show that the social and cultural environment in which girls and boys live plays a crucial role in explaining gender differences. We also show that history matters: Medieval commercial hubs and the nuclear family structure created conditions favorable to the transformation of the role of women in society, and shaped gender differences in financial literacy as well. We discuss the changes that are needed to close the gap in financial knowledge among the young.


In this paper, we investigate the properties of the Granger causality test in stationary and stable vector autoregressive models under the presence of spillover effects, that is, causality in variance. The Wald test and the WW test (the Wald test with White's proposed heteroskedasticity-consistent covariance matrix estimator imposed) are analyzed. The investigation is undertaken by using Monte Carlo simulation in which two different sample sizes and six different kinds of data-generating processes are used. The results show that the Wald test over-rejects the null hypothesis both with and without the spillover effect, and that the over-rejection in the latter case is more severe in larger samples. The size properties of the WW test are satisfactory when there is spillover between the variables. Only when there is feedback in the variance is the size of the WW test slightly affected. The Wald test is shown to have higher power than the WW test when the errors follow a GARCH(1,1) process without a spillover effect. When there is a spillover, the power of both tests deteriorates, which implies that the spillover has a negative effect on the causality tests.


ABSTRACT Four-point direct-current potential drop techniques are well-suited for accurate, nondestructive measurement of material conductivity (or resistivity). From measurements of potential drop on a large metal plate, the electrical conductivity of the plate can be inferred if the thickness of the plate and the dimensions of the probe are known. In this work, an expression for the voltage measured by a four-point probe in contact with a large metal plate of arbitrary thickness is derived from an analytic series representation of the electric field in the plate. The position of the voltage pickup points is permitted to be offset with respect to the current injection points, allowing analysis of colinear, rectangular, and square-head probes. Analytical asymptotic expressions are derived in the limiting cases of plates that are thin or thick with respect to the dimensions of the probe. The range of plate thicknesses for which the asymptotic expressions are valid is determined as a function of relevant probe dimensions. The results of this study provide a useful guide in selecting the most appropriate arrangement of probe points for measurement of the electrical conductivity of large metal plates, depending on the level of accuracy required. Theory is compared with experimental data for measurements made with colinear probes on a variety of metal plates and very good agreement is obtained.


The present study set out to investigate the differences between EAP (English for Academic Purposes) students of Humanities and Engineering in terms of vocabulary strategy choice and use. One hundred and five undergraduate Iranian students (39 students from Engineering Faculty and 66 from Humanities Faculty) studying at Bu-Ali Sina University Hamedan, during the academic year of 2011–2012 participated in this study. For data collection purposes, a pilot-tested factor-analyzed five-point Likert-scale vocabulary learning strategies questionnaire (VLSQ) containing 45 statements was adopted. The results of independent samples t-test indicated that, overall, the two groups were not significantly different in the choice and use of vocabulary learning strategies. However, running Chi square analyses, significant differences were found in individual strategy use in 6 out of 45 strategies. That is, while Humanities students used more superficial and straightforward strategies like repetition strategy and seeking help from others, the Engineering students preferred much deeper, thought-provoking and sophisticated strategies like using a monolingual dictionary and learning vocabulary through collocations and coordinates. Further, the most and the least frequently used vocabulary learning strategies by the two groups were specified, out of which only two strategies in each category were commonly shared by both groups. The possible reasons why the results have turned out to be so as well as the implications of the study are discussed in details in the paper.


This study aims to critically assess the socalled therapeutic approach in moral education, which emerged in the postwar twentieth century, in the western part of the world. The proponents of the approach used different terms to express its essence: value clarification method, or sometimes the decision-making method or the critical thinking method. These philosophies of education have the common feature of a personalistic, non-directive, or client-oriented approach to the individual. Therefore, I will refer to them here as therapeutic. There are many advocates, but some of the most notable should be named: Carl Rodgers, Jean Piaget, Lawrence Kohlberg, Sidney B. Simon, Louis Raths, and Merrill Harmin. For a proper understanding of these approaches, it's necessary to review first the cultural-ideological context of their origin. After that I will analyze and evaluate their key tenets, which I consider problematic. Specifically, we will scrutinize these problems: (1) the problem of process at the expense of content, (2) the problem of devaluation of the educator's authority, (3) the problem of blurring of moral concepts and standards, (4) the problem of value pseudo-neutrality and indoctrination, (5) the problem of individualism, subjectivism, and relativism.


Uvariodendron kirkii and Croton menyharthii are traditionally used as fertility regulators in Kenya. The rapidly increasing population has put a strain on the limited resources and poses serious challenge to national planning. The aim of the study was to validate the traditional claims by investigating the effect of root bark extract of both plants on reproductive hormones and ovarian structures. Twenty five mature normocyclic female winstar rats were used. Group 1 consisted of 5 animals that acted as control. Group 2 and 3 with 5 animals each; received 500 and 800mg/ Kg Croton menyharthii respectively on alternative days for 28 days through intraabdominal gavage. Group 4 and 5 were treated in a similar manner but received Uvariodendron kirkii aqueous extract. Serum was harvested from all animals on 28th day and hormone levels determined. Left  ovaries were harvested and processed for histomorphology. Both Croton menyharthii and Uvariodendron kirkii caused a significant increase of progesterone in a dose dependent manner. Croton menyharthii extracts caused a degeneration of corpora lutea. At 800mg/kg Croton menyharthii caused a significant increase in corpora lutea numbers but a decline in size. Uvariodendron kirkii caused hypertrophy and a significant increase in corpora lutea numbers. Enhanced/ hypertrophied corpora lutea possibly led to high levels of progesterone seen, interfered with the implantation window due to disrupted hormonal milieu thereby leading to compromised fertility and implantation index. The study validates the traditional use of the plant in fertility regulation. We suggest further investigation on these potential plants to address the call for novel contraceptive drugs.


The Mediterranean region is densely populated, and many social and industrial activities take place on its coasts. As expected for a region of recent geological evolution, it is an area highly exposed to natural hazards such as seismicity and volcanic eruptions (e.g., Le Pichon and Angelier, 1979; Mazzoli and Helman, 1994). Near‐shore and offshore geophysical monitoring is needed to ensure rapid warning in the coastal areas and to mitigate the effects of natural disasters. There is a lack of seismological stations in the offshore areas and a need to integrate land networks with permanent seafloor seismometers. An international endeavor has taken place at global scale to establish permanent underwater networks (e.g., OOI in USA, NEPTUNE in Canada, and DONET in Japan; Favali et al. , 2010). In Europe, with European Multidisciplinary Seafloor and water‐column Observatory (EMSO, http://www.emso-eu.org; Favali and Beranzoli, 2009; Person et al. , 2014) there is an effort to establish a permanent underwater infrastructure for continuous multiparametric monitoring at sites placed on the European continental margin. GEOSTAR‐class observatories have already operated temporarily at some of the EMSO sites (Favali et al. , 2006a,b, 2011, 2013). These observatories can operate from shallow waters to deep sea, down to 4000 meter water depth, and simultaneously monitor a broad spectrum of geophysical and environmental processes. They, if cabled, can transmit data in real time that can be integrated with data from on‐land networks (Favali et al. , 2006b, 2011, 2013).

In this work, we focus on the seismic signals acquired by GEOSTAR‐class seafloor observatories in four sites of the Central Eastern Mediterranean area that are important for earthquake and volcanic hazard assessments: the western Ionian and the southern Tyrrhenian Seas (Fig. 1a); the Marmara Sea and the Gulf of Corinth (Fig. 1b). These sites are …


This paper presents wideband tunable band-stop filters working in the Ku to Ka-band frequencies based on a miniature single-MEM device combining a central capacitive MEM switch with AlN dielectric and inductive suspension arms. An outstanding 55% tuning range is achieved thanks to an original device design which features suspended-meander arm inductance with zipping capacitive coupling enabling a continuous tuning. Two band-stop filters have been designed for 13.5-29.5 GHz and 16-37 GHz frequency range resulting in rejection levels of -15 dB/-20 dB for the whole tuning range and band-pass insertion loss of -0.19 dB/-0.25 dB at 10 GHz, respectively. Temperature measurements have been performed from -100°C to 100°C demonstrating highly stable filter performances and tuning range, which recommends these devices for communications and airborne applications. For low temperatures (-100°C), the pull-in voltage increases by 17% and the tuning range is slightly reduced. However, at same low temperature the filter rejection improves by more than 20% (up to -25 dB). An accurate circuit T-model has been proposed and validated against S-parameter measurements and 3D EM full wave simulations. The fabricated devices are very robust and show highly reproducible characteristics at wafer level; the filter characteristics in air and vacuum are quasi-identical, probably due to AlN dielectric slow charging/fast discharging. Moreover, filter characteristics stay stable over three month of wafer storage in ambient conditions.


There is a growing debate in the literature regarding the tradeoffs between lab and field evaluation of mobile devices. This paper presents a comparison of field-based and lab-based experiments to evaluate user experience of personalised mobile devices at large sports events. A lab experiment is recommended when the testing focus is on the user interface and application-oriented usability related issues. However, the results suggest that a field experiment is more suitable for investigating a wider range of factors affecting the overall acceptability of the designed mobile service. Such factors include the system function and effects of actual usage contexts aspects. Where open and relaxed communication is important (e.g., where participant groups are naturally reticent to communicate), this is more readily promoted by the use of a field study.


While playing and investigating with an array of materials, objects, and processes in the studio, I try to make sense of how I experience the world around me. This experimentation and play, combined with an ever-present curiosity brings me to an underlying question in my present work –How does someone come to determine what is considered final when considering the 'life' of a piece? Is it a finished product? Is it constantly changing or developing? What, if any, is its final state? My research shows itself in kinetic installations, drawing machines, robots, and other various machines that I adapt to the locale. When making my work I choose to design hand-made components and source found and re-appropriated objects, further expanding communication through a visual vernacular. Much of the work, shown as installation, allows for travel to different environs sparking new questions, which in turn, lead to more avenues fueling my excitement and curiosity further. Arranging and displaying my artwork in each setting or context it encounters is an interesting challenge and critical to its operation. Finally the viewers' reactions and engagement helps inform my practice.


We use magnetic field data from Cassini's on board magnetometer (MAG), plasma measurements by Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS) and electron density measurements from the RPWS Langmuir probe (LP) on board Cassini, for an extended set of orbits from 2004 to 2010 and for distances up to 30 Rs from the planet. The central region of the nightside plasma sheet is identified using the radial component of the magnetic field Br, in contrary to solely geometrical criteria used in previous studies, such as the vertical distance z from the equatorial plane. This parameter reverses its sign around the center of the plasma sheet regardless of the variable equatorial displacement of the Saturnian magnetotail. We give the radial distribution for all data points used in this study to point the magnitude of our data set towards our statistics. We analyze two characteristic examples of Cassini spacecraft nightside plasma sheet pass. An equatorial pass for days 143 to 145 of 2006 and a near equatorial pass for days 222 to 225 of 2010 showing respectively how we can misleadingly conclude that the spacecraft remains continuously in or out of the plasma sheet throughout a nightside pass. We filter our data set using two Br criteria: Br<0.5 nT and Br<0.2 |B|. This way we consider only time periods during which the radial component of the magnetic field is below 0.5 nT and less than 1/5 of the total magnetic field, so that the field vector points within ~11° from the local BΘ-BΦ plane and we end up with 1806 10-min data points. We produce an electron number density radial distribution for the nightside plasma sheet of the planet considering only distances greater than 15 Rs and compare our results to the results from Morooka et al. and Persoon et al. Our results follow the described decreasing trend of these studies for the electron number density as we move outwards from the planet but with a decreasing rate of approximately L-3.59 accompanied by an uncertainty given by the standard error equal to ± 0.42. The derived fit line approaches the upper limit given by Morooka et al. varying as L-3 while remaining higher than the electron density model fit line by Persoon et al. varying as L-4.14. The ratio of Br to z filtered electron density (Ne) data is also given, taking values greater than one for more than 90 per cent of the cases. The data distribution is also examined for three different space parameters: The distance from the planet Rs, the local time LT and the vertical equatorial distance z, while the distribution of the ratio of the Br filtered to total data for each parameter is also studied. We further search for seasonal change of the Br filtered data around the central region of the Saturnian plasma sheet before and after decimal year 2008.5 in different spatial distributions (the limit of 2008.5 refers to a 5˚ angle between the solar wind flow direction and the magnetic equatorial plane of Saturn which roughly delimits the beginning of the near Saturnian equinox conditions). Finally we search for seasonal change of the plasma sheet position for three near vertical nightside plasma sheet crossings and attempt an initial estimation of the plasma sheet thickness. We conclude that the Br criteria give overall higher electron density values as we follow closer the plasma sheet center in its daily and seasonal motion and can be used to further improve Morooka et al. study results.


Targeting two branches of Wnt signaling might alleviate pain associated with cancer. Wnts are a family of ligands that stimulate signaling that is critical in embryonic development and contributes to some forms of cancer. A relatively newly identified function of Wnt signaling is implicated in pain sensation. Wnts are ligands for the Frizzled (Fzd) family of receptors, which stimulate pathways that stabilize β-catenin and stimulate β-catenin–dependent gene transcription, alter the cytoskeleton and contribute to planar cell polarity (the organization of epithelial sheets of cells), or stimulate the release of intracellular calcium stores. Simonetti et al. identified specific pathways through which Wnt signaling mediates peripheral nerve sensitivity to painful stimuli. Fzd3 mRNA and protein were detected in sensory neurons in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) or the hindpaw of wild-type or transgenic mice expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP)–Fzd3. Intraplantar injection of recombinant Wnt3a increased the sensitivity of wild-type mice to mechanical and thermal stimuli. Intraplantar pretreatment with either an inhibitor of Dishevelled, which is downstream of Fzd in the β-catenin pathway, or a function-blocking antibody against Fzd1 and Fzd3 decreased the mechanical and thermal hypersensitivity induced by Wnt3a injection. Application of Wnt3a to an innervated skin slice from the hindpaw induced activity in some mechanical sensory nerve fibers. In cultured mouse DRG neurons, addition of Wnt3a increased the nuclear translocation of β-catenin and the expression of β-catenin transcriptional targets. Pharmacological inhibition of Ca2+/calmodulin kinase II (CaMKII) enabled stronger expression of Wnt3a-induced genes, consistent with the reported inhibition of β-catenin–mediated Wnt signaling by calcium-mediated Wnt signaling. However, compared with control mice, deleting or functionally blocking β-catenin transcriptional activity in all DRG neurons or only nociceptive (pain sensory) neurons embryonically or in adults abrogated the induction of a Wnt target gene but failed to prevent increased mechanical or thermal hypersensitivity induced by hindpaw injection of Wnt3a. This finding indicated that β-catenin–mediated Wnt signaling has only a minor role in enhancing pain sensitivity. In cultured DRG neurons, addition of Wnt3a increased intracellular calcium, the amount of the nociceptive ion channel TRPV1 at the cell surface, and the secretion of pain-stimulating cytokines. DRG neurons of mice injected with Wnt3a into the hindpaw had increased phosphorylation of CaMKII and the tyrosine kinase Src and TRPV1 at the cell surface. Pharmacologically inhibiting CaMKII or Src abolished thermal but not mechanical hypersensitivity. The planar cell polarity pathway of Wnt signaling is mediated in part by the guanosine triphosphatase Rac1 and its target c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). Addition of Wnt3a to DRG cultures activated Rac1, and intraplantar injection of Wnt3a activated JNK in DRG neurons in mice. DRG neuron-specific knockdown of Rac1 or intraplantar injection of a JNK inhibitor abrogated Wnt3a-induced mechanical but not thermal hypersensitivity (the opposite of CaMKII or Src inhibition). Heterologous expression assays in HEK293 cells indicated that Wnt3a induced the membrane localization of the mechanical sensory ion channels TRPA1 and P2X3. Pharmacological inhibition of either channel in the hindpaw decreased Wnt3a-induced mechanical hypersensitivity in mice. The findings suggest that the Wnt-mediated calcium pathway and the Wnt pathway associated with the planar cell polarity mediate thermal and mechanical nociception, respectively. Pain is commonly associated with cancer, particularly metastatic disease. Wnt3a was not present in DRG neurons or skin from the paws of wild-type mice, but Wnt5a was present in DRG neurons. When mice were injected in the heel with either fibrosarcoma cells or complete Freund's adjuvant to model bone metastasis or inflammation, respectively, Wnt5a was unaffected, but lysates from the paws now had Wnt3a. Wnt5a-blocking antibodies injected into the heel had no effect on pain hypersensitivity of mice implanted in the heel with fibrosarcoma cells. In contrast, heel administration of Wnt3a-blocking antibodies, Fzd1/3-blocking antibodies, or secreted Fzd-related proteins, which sequester Wnt family ligands, reduced mechanical hypersensitivity in mice implanted in the heel with fibrosarcoma cells. The findings indicate that paracrine Wnt signaling might be therapeutically targeted to alleviate pain sensitivity in cancer patients. M. Simonetti, N. Agarwal, S. Stösser, K. K. Bali, E. Karaulanov, R. Kamble, B. Pospisilova, M. Kurejova, W. Birchmeier, C. Niehrs, P. Heppenstall, R. Kuner, Wnt-Fzd signaling sensitizes peripheral sensory neurons via distinct noncanonical pathways. Neuron 83, 104–121 (2014). [Pubmed]


This study was performed in Fulpur upazila under Mymensingh district for the period of 13 months from August 2010 to August 2011 to know the socio-economic and aquaculture status of fish farm owners and to assess the nutritive value of commercial fish feed available at Fulpur upazila of Mymensingh district. Fish farm owners were prominent in the study area and majority was illiterate but had the ability of signature. The monoculture and polyculture farm in the studied area were established in ranged from 1995 to 2005, respectively. Most of the fish farm owners followed polyculture system and had small farm area. Majority of fish farm owners leased water body for aquaculture. The minimum size of the farm was 0.162 ha and maximum size of the farm was 3.722 ha. The average depth of the water body in winter season was 1.61 meter and in summer season was 2.32 meter. Majority of fish farm owners followed proper pre-stocking and post stocking management with maintaining high stocking density of fish and using either commercial or farm made fish feed. Among the commercial fish feed tested the highest value of moisture was found in Aftab feed, protein in Nourish feed, lipid in CP feed, ash in Aftab feed, fibre in ACI feed and carbohydrate in ACI feed. Most of the commercial fish feed maintain standard level of chemical composition.


Reduced-order models of the nonlinear complex Ginzburg-Landau (CGL) equation are computed using a nonlinear generalization of balanced truncation. The method involves Galerkin projection of the nonlinear dynamics onto modes determined by balanced truncation of a linearized system and is compared to a standard method using projection onto proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) modes computed from snapshots of nonlinear simulations. It is found that the nonlinear reduced- order models obtained using modes from linear balanced truncation capture very well the transient dynamics of the CGL equation and outperform POD models; i.e., a higher number of POD modes than linear balancing modes is typically necessary in order to capture the dynamics of the original system correctly. In addition, we find that the performance of POD models compares well to that of balanced truncation models when the degree of nonnormality in the system, in this case determined by the streamwise extent of a disturbance amplification region, is lower. Our findings therefore indicate that the superior performance of balanced truncation compared to POD/Galerkin models in capturing the input/output dynamics of linear systems extends to the case of a nonlinear system, both for the case of significant transient growth, which represents a basic model of boundary layer instabilities, and for a limit cycle case that represents a basic model of vortex shedding past a cylinder.


Summary Risk prediction models are a crucial tool in healthcare. Risk prediction models with a binary outcome (i.e., binary classification models) are often constructed using methodology which assumes the costs of different classification errors are equal. In many healthcare applications, this assumption is not valid, and the differences between misclassification costs can be quite large. For instance, in a diagnostic setting, the cost of misdiagnosing a person with a life-threatening disease as healthy may be larger than the cost of misdiagnosing a healthy person as a patient. In this article, we present Tailored Bayes (TB), a novel Bayesian inference framework which "tailors" model fitting to optimize predictive performance with respect to unbalanced misclassification costs. We use simulation studies to showcase when TB is expected to outperform standard Bayesian methods in the context of logistic regression. We then apply TB to three real-world applications, a cardiac surgery, a breast cancer prognostication task, and a breast cancer tumor classification task and demonstrate the improvement in predictive performance over standard methods.


The Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problem (CVRP) is an NP-optimization problem (NPO) that has been of great interest for decades for both, science and industry. The CVRP is a variant of the vehicle routing problem characterized by capacity constrained vehicles. The aim is to plan tours for vehicles to supply a given number of customers as efficiently as possible. The problem is the combinatorial explosion of possible solutions, which increases superexponentially with the number of customers. Classical solutions provide good approximations to the globally optimal solution. D-Wave's quantum annealer is a machine designed to solve optimization problems. This machine uses quantum effects to speed up computation time compared to classic computers. The problem on solving the CVRP on the quantum annealer is the particular formulation of the optimization problem. For this, it has to be mapped onto a quadratic unconstrained binary optimization (QUBO) problem. Complex optimization problems such as the CVRP can be translated to smaller subproblems and thus enable a sequential solution of the partitioned problem. This work presents a quantum-classic hybrid solution method for the CVRP. It clarifies whether the implemenation of such a method pays off in comparison to existing classical solution methods regarding computation time and solution quality. Several approaches to solving the CVRP are elaborated, the arising problems are discussed, and the results are evaluated in terms of solution quality and computation time.


We observed dynamic instabilities in the phase-conjugate outputs from the mutually pumped bird-wing phase conjugator in BaTiO3. We present experimental results that illustrate typical output characteristics and compare these with the results of a computer model that self-consistently determines all the relevant beam intensities within the crystal. The role of mutual erasure and the assisted routes to total-internal-reflection self-pumping are included within the model and are discussed in the context of the experimental results.


This article challenges the prevalent notion that more than 90% of the variability of returns is determined by strategic asset allocation. The authors critically review five methodological issues surrounding studies by Brinson and colleagues in 1986 and 1991 that concluded strategic asset allocation determines more than 90% of the variability of returns. They then present an alternative study, which uses a slightly different framework and covers a longer time horizon than the earlier work, includes alternative assets, and utilizes synthetic portfolios. Using identical calculations, they find that on average strategic asset allocation explained 77.5% of the variability of portfolio returns, while security selection accounted for 10.3%, and tactical asset allocation explained 5.6%. Though the authors thus agree that strategic asset allocation is a major determinant of investment performance, they argue that the investment process should not be limited to strategic asset allocation, as managers can potentially add value through tactical asset allocation and security selection. Although the contributions of security selection and tactical asset allocation may seem small, the power of compounding returns makes them significant to individual investors.


During the past three decades, the most rapidly growing areas of nuclear cardiology have been stress myocardial perfusion imaging single photon emission computed tomography (MPI SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET) for the diagnosis and prognosis of patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease (CAD).
A stress ECG has a relatively low sensitivity and specificity. MPI is both more sensitive and specific than an exercise ECG for diagnosing CAD. Maximal benefit is observed in patients with intermediate probability of the disease, and in those with non-diagnostic ECGs.


Renowned scholar Mary R. Lefkowitz has extensively revised and rewritten her 1981 classic to introduce a new generation of students to the lives of the Greek poets. Thoroughly updated with references to the most recent scholarship, this second edition includes new material and fresh analysis of the ancient biographies of Greece's most famous poets. With little or no independent historical information to draw on, ancient writers searched for biographical data in the poets' own works and in comic poetry about them. Lefkowitz describes how biographical mythology was created, and she offers a sympathetic account of how individual biographers reconstructed the poets' lives. She argues that the life stories of Greek poets, even though primarily fictional, still merit close consideration, as they provide modern readers with insight into ancient notions about the creative process and the purpose of poetic composition. Accessible to students and readers unfamiliar with ancient Greece as well as to scholars, this comprehensive and compelling study includes translations of the original biographies of seven of ancient Greece's most storied poets.


The six papers contained within this thesis relate to the study of Wellbeing in the UK police between 2011 and 2015. Holistically, the papers presented here cohere to fulfil the research objectives by addressing three general questions: 1. To what extent are resilience interventions effective? 2. To what extent does wellbeing manifest itself within the UK police service? 3. To what extent is wellbeing managed, shaped and influenced through leadership? This research has made five significant and original contributions to knowledge and practice: Firstly, it has firmly established why a study of this nature is called for in policing. There has been no previous work carried out on resilience training efficacy in UK policing prior to this, and as such our understanding of how to create a conducive environment with the right leadership approach to address wellbeing issues was hitherto limited. Secondly, having mapped the current terrain in respect of wellbeing in policing, this research has found, labelled and reported on a previously hidden phenomena, that of Leaveism. Leaveism fills a lacuna in current thinking regarding behavioural responses to being unwell or experiencing workload overload; and how that impacts in the workplace. Thirdly, this research has contributed to workplace practice; understanding how these phenomena play out and can be managed operationally illustrates the applied nature of this study, contributing to evidence based practice within the police. Fourthly, many of the findings contained within this research have been influential across policing nationally, providing frameworks for other police forces to work from. Finally, and most significantly, this thesis has tested and reported on resilience training efficacy, concluding that it results in significantly better workplace outcomes for employees. This thesis contains papers that have been peer reviewed and published in academic journals. With a strong emphasis on practical workplace application this research has provided a valid and reliable evidence base for police forces to act upon. This work has radically changed both our (police service) understanding, and our ability to act on the phenomena detailed in this thesis. Policing in the UK is changing monumentally. The findings presented in this thesis have made a significant contribution to both the organisational changes within UK Policing; and to the effective management of those changes.


This article discusses the dynamics of innovation through a comparative business history of a Swiss watch company and a Japanese watch company. The design and production of quartz watches were major technological elements that enabled Japanese watch companies to strengthen their positions on the world market and challenge the traditional dominance of Swiss enterprises. A comparative analysis of the research and development activities at Longines (Switzerland) and Seiko (Japan), both of which promoted electronic watches in their respective countries, makes it possible to emphasize organizational differences and thereby shed light on the origins behind the competitiveness of Japanese watchmakers in the 1980s. This contribution argues that the dynamics of innovation resulted both from institutional differences between Switzerland and Japan, from the perspective of the Varieties of Capitalism and National Innovation Systems approaches, and from industry-specific and firm-specific institutional factors.


In today's fast-paced business world, where there is a need to develop divergent thinking and a wider range of skills, organizations seek original ways to be successful. Accordingly, leadership development has seen several uncommon approaches. Equine-assisted learning programs which involve innovative, underutilized, and motivating techniques and strategies, provide a dynamic process of building and developing leadership skills through horse-human interactions. In this paper, after the history of horse-human relationships and interactions are examined, a literature review is conducted on developing research and using equine-assisted leadership development programs. Although the extant research shows that equine-assisted leadership development programs promote skills critical to being an influential leader, the present paper provides an insight into equine-assisted experiential learning on leadership development, provides an overview on what happens in a typical equine-assisted experiential learning session, and suggests practical implications for researchers and organizations.


The tropospheric composition of organohalogens and alkyl nitrates have been investigated from tropical and temperate environments. Ground based measurements and aircraft data are presented from the Oxidant and Particle Photochemical Processes (OP3) project, conducted in Borneo, 2008. Controlled experiments of temperate vegetation were also conducted to assess the emission of methyl halides from crop plants. Methyl halide results from OP3 contradict current assumptions of a strong source from tropical vegetation. High mixing ratios of methyl chloride and chloroform were observed in the boundary layer over oil palm plantations. OP3 aircraft data suggests that the oil palm plantations facilitate the formation of C2 to C4 alkyl nitrates. There was evidence that the southeast coast of Sabah is a source region for the bromocarbons measured. The short lived bromocarbons contribute to a bromine budget of 4- 6 ppt; this corroborates recent modelling estimates of their contribution to the stratospheric burden. In controlled experiments it was confirmed that the gene responsible for the emission of methyl halides is the HOL (HARMLESS TO THE OZONE LAYER) gene. The current WMO estimate for rapeseed contribution to the natural methyl bromide budget was shown to be an overestimate, based on the varieties studied in this thesis. Methyl iodide emissions from rice plants grown in soils were observed to be significantly lower than reported from rice paddies in the literature, suggesting that the growth conditions contribute to the production of methyl iodide.


OBJECTIVE
To establish reference intervals for radial joint orientation angles in the frontal and sagittal planes in small-breed dogs and to compare them to those previously reported for medium- and large-breed dogs.

ANIMALS
Antebrachii of 30 skeletally mature, nonchondrodystrophic small-breed dogs were evaluated radiographically.

PROCEDURES
Orthogonal radiographs were retrospectively assessed to determine the anatomic medial proximal radial angle, anatomic lateral distal radial angle, anatomic cranial proximal radial angle (aCrPRA), and anatomic caudal distal radial angle (aCdDRA). The frontal plane angle, θ angle, and procurvatum were also calculated. The radial joint orientation angles determined were compared to those previously reported for medium- and large-breed dogs via a 1-sample t test.

RESULTS
Mean and SD values for anatomic medial proximal radial angle, anatomic lateral distal radial angle, aCrPRA, and aCdDRA were 80.86 ± 2.86°, 85.60 ± 1.74°, 87.99 ± 2.79°, and 83.08 ± 3.14°, respectively. The mean and SDs for frontal plane angle, θ angle, and procurvatum were 4.75 ± 2.46°, 11.88 ± 1.76°, and 16.79 ± 4.13°, respectively. aCrPRA and aCdDRA were significantly different when compared to previously reported radial joint angles for medium- and large-breed dogs.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Reference intervals for small-breed dog radial joint orientation angles were reported. Significant differences were identified for some joint orientation angles when compared to medium- and large-breed dogs. This small-breed reference interval reported can be utilized in planning of radial angular limb deformity corrective surgery, particularly when dogs are bilaterally affected.


In England, an estimated 378,427 people receive palliative care each year in a range of specialised and generalised services. Overall, the quality of palliative care in England and the wider UK is widely regarded as excellent. However, despite the generally high level of care, many patients receiving palliative care die in pain every year. Yet, to date, there is little evidence of the scale of this problem. This study estimates that currently there are approximately 125,971 end-of-life patients receiving, or in need of, palliative care suffering from unrelieved pain. Of these, an estimated 16,130 patients experience no relief from their pain at all in the last three months of life. Some of these patients suffer unnecessarily because of variations in the quality of care across care settings (e.g. hospice versus at home services). However, even if unrelieved pain rates were the same as they are in hospices, where they are at their lowest since palliative care is excellent in hospices, there would still be 50,709 palliative care patients dying in some level of pain each year. Of these patients, 5,298 would still experience no pain relief at all in the last three months of life. Our estimates include patients of all ages, including children (under 19) which only account for 0.83% of the registered deaths in England and Wales. This was dictated by the availability of evidence of the number of deaths by place of death, which does not differentiate by age. If we were to include only adults, the number of patients who experience no relief from their pain at all in the last three months of life would go from 16,130 to 15,996. Overall, this study has adopted conservative assumptions that will provide the lowest possible estimate of the number of patients dying with unrelieved pain.


Well-defined 3D nitrogen-doped porous carbon materials (NPCMs) have been obtained from CQDs and melamine by the self-assembly process, presenting a distinct textural structure with uniform N-doping distribution. The as-prepared NPCMs, as the anode materials for SIBs, display high specify capacity, long-term cyclability and good rate capacity. At 100 mA g−1, the NPCM electrode can reach the first capacity of 225 mA h g−1 (204.7 mA h cm−2) and maintain 241.2 mA h g−1 (219.3 mA h cm−2) after 100 cycles. Even at the current density of 1000 mA g−1, a reversible capacity of 130.2 mA h g−1 (118.9 mA h cm−2) can be retained, which can be attributed to the improved extrinsic defects and electrical conductivity resulting from N-doping.


Abstract Restoring their statehood in the early 1990s, Estonia and Latvia established parliamentary republics, while Lithuania opted for semi-presidentialism. The paper is a case-oriented comparative study explaining this difference with the Lithuanian "exceptionality" in focus. Part of the answer is differences of interwar constitutional history: while Lithuania and Estonia had to cope with the legacy of three constitutions each, Latvia inherited only the parliamentary Constitution of 1922, because its dictator Karlis Ulmanis did not bother to constitutionalize his rule. Another part is differences in the balance of power during the time of extraordinary politics when constitutions were made. The alternation between the presidential and parliamentary phases of semi-presidentialism and the "perils of presidentialism" did manifest repeatedly in the Lithuanian post-communist politics, while Estonia and Latvia did know next to nothing about them, except for the "Zatlers episode" in Latvia in 2009–2011. The infamous Rolandas Paksas' impeachment in 2003–2004 and controversial features in the performance style of the Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaitė are important illustrations of the shortcomings of semi-presidentialism, which could be cured by Lithuania's switch to the Baltic pattern of parliamentary presidency. However, as time goes on, the probability of a constitutional reform decreases in all Baltic States, mainly due to increasing acquis constitutionnel and habituation.


Flower organogenesis in Hedychium gardnerianum and Hedychium coronarium begins with the sequential formation of the sepals on a rounded—triangular apex. Growth in three regions of the apex, inside the sepals, produces three coamon petal — inner androecial primordia. Intercalary growth below and between these primordia produces a floral cup, the site of gynoecial formation. The coamon primordia separate to form petals and inner androecial members. After separation, the anterior inner androecial members fuse to form the labellum. The posterior member forms the polleniferous stamen. Up to this point in development, the flowers of H. coronarium are slightly ahead of those of H. gardnerianum. However, in H. gardnerianum, initiation of the two thecae of the stamen occurs iamediately following the separation of the coamon primordia, while thecae formation in H. coronarium is slightly delayed. These results show that the relative timing of developmental events can vary even over a short developmental period. Formation of the outer androecium takes place at the apices of a triangle formed by the inner androecial members. The anterior outer androecial member aborts soon after formation, whereas the posterior outer androecial members form the two petaloid staminodes that are found on the lateral sides of the labellum in the mature flower.


MICHAEL A. SAYETTE, TRACY J. MAYNE and JOHN C. NORCROSS Insider's Guide to Graduate Programs in Clinical and Counseling Psychology 2004/2005 Edition New York: Guilford Press, 2004, 340 pages (ISBN 1-57230-978-4, US$23.95 Paperback) The purpose of this book is to help students prepare for admission into clinical or counseling psychology graduate programs and to assist with the corresponding application process. Including several web resources, updated profiles and contact information for North American programs, data outlining admissions criteria, and sample letters, CVs and a personal statement, the Insider's Guide is designed to help both current and future applicants prepare for and apply strategically to graduate school. Well written and using straightforward language and information presented in text, table, and list formats, the authors draw on research data and personal anecdotes to outline the application process and its various considerations. The book covers all steps of the process from the initial decision to pursue graduate work in clinical or counseling psychology to the final decision one makes upon offers of admission. Readers can search for program matches by specific research interests or practica opportunities, and can peruse the profiles, complete with admissions requirements and faculty theoretical orientations, of almost 300 professional, clinical, and counseling psychology programs. In addition, throughout the guide, the authors artfully balance realism and encouragement. For example, while being realistic about rates of admission into graduate programs and required skills and experiences, the authors are never pessimistic with their advice; in fact, Sayette et al. encourage readers to "reach for the stars" in pursuit of graduate work and to persist throughout the application process. Although the title of this book may attract students at a certain stage in graduate preparation - those close to starting or in the midst of applications - persons at all levels and various stages of preparation may find this book helpful. For the individual contemplating graduate work in clinical or counseling psychology, the introductory chapter provides an overview of the two professions and highlights the differences between PhD and PsyD programs. Similarly, the authors present a brief description of careers within the helping profession (e.g., medicine, social work) that students may consider as alternatives to clinical or counseling psychology. For students committed to graduate work in clinical or counseling psychology, this book is comprehensive in its description of common admissions requirements such as standardized examinations, research experience, faculty mentorship, and specific undergraduate courses. Indeed, a strength of the Insider's Guide is its recognition that readers may be at different stages in their studies. Specifically, in the chapter on preparing for graduate work, the authors address lower and senior level undergraduates, college graduates and master's level clinicians, and tailor the information to fit the reader's various background and stage of education. Moreover, while the book contains abundant information on clinical and counseling programs and mastering the application process, one of its greatest features is a timeline for preparing for graduate work in these fields. Beginning with recommendations for students in initial undergraduate years (e.g., take core psychology courses, join psychology student organizations) and culminating in April/May of the application year, the timeline provides students with an organized method of preparing for graduate school and completing the rigorous application process. This timeline can help focus students and ensure the meeting of deadlines and timely completion of applications. The timeline breaks the application process into manageable steps and could, for many readers, decrease the stresses that arise from preparing for and applying to graduate school. …


RC4 is a stream cipher designed by rivest for RSA Data Security (now RSA Security). It is a variable key-size stream cipher with byte-oriented operations. The algorithm is based on the use of a random permutation. Analysis shows that the period of the cipher is overwhelmingly likely to be greater than 10¹oo. Eight to sixteen machine operations are required per output byte, and the cipher can be expected to run very quickly in software. Independent analysts have scurutinized the algorithm and it is considered secure. RC4 is used for file encryption in products such as RSA SecurPC. It is also used for secure communications, as in the encryption of traffic to and from  secure web sites using the SSL protocol.


The 2019 Solomon Islands election marked the first time in the country's history that two women were elected to parliament in a general election. Lanelle Tanangada, who had been elected in the 2018 by-election for the Gizo/Kolombangara seat formerly held by her husband, fended off another strong challenge from former prime minister Gordon Darcy Lilo to keep the seat. Freda Tuki Soriacomua, who won the Temotu Vatud seat in 2014 but was removed from office in 2018 following a court challenge, regained her seat in 2019. While this is a milestone, the under-representation of women in Solomon Islands politics is a continued tradition. As of October 2019, women make up just 4% of members of the national parliament, and around 2% of provincial assembly members. This In Brief examines trends and patterns from the 2019 Solomon Islands election and their effect on women's representation.


In the presence of increasing specialization of workers it becomes more and more difficult for firms to find the most suitable workers. In such an environment a multinational enterprise (MNE) has an advantage because it can exchange workers between plants in different countries. Recruiting from the home and foreign plant leads to a larger labor market pool for an MNE, reducing the mismatch of its workforce. This paper analyzes the consequences of this advantage for production, employment, prices and wages. In line with recent empirical results, we find that the additional ability to recruit workers from the home and foreign labor market leads to lower mismatch, higher average productivity of workers, lower prices, higher output, and higher employment of a plant of an MNE as compared with a national firm, while the wage‐effects depend on firm productivity.


The applicability of international humanitarian law requires the existence of an armed conflict that is either international or non-international in character. Accordingly, the concept of armed conflict (as well as the related notion of war) and its temporal and material limits are the focus of the reprinted essays which open this volume. Subsequent articles address highly contentious issues regarding the relationship between the jus in bello and international humanitarian law on the one hand, and the jus ad bellum and international human rights law on the other, as well as the closely related principle of the equal application of international humanitarian law. In the light of contemporary conflicts, essays consider the legal position of States that have chosen not to become a party to an ongoing international armed conflict (law of neutrality) as well as the question of whether and to what extent international humanitarian law provides rules governing counter-terrorism operations, that is, the 'global war on terror'. Taken together, these essays provide a comprehensive analytical survey of the scope and applicability of international humanitarian law.


Abstract. We deployed a high-resolution proton-transfer-reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer (PTR-TOF-MS) to measure biomass-burning emissions from peat, crop residue, cooking fires, and many other fire types during the fourth Fire Lab at Missoula Experiment (FLAME-4) laboratory campaign. A combination of gas standard calibrations and composition sensitive, mass-dependent calibration curves was applied to quantify gas-phase non-methane organic compounds (NMOCs) observed in the complex mixture of fire emissions. We used several approaches to assign the best identities to most major "exact masses", including many high molecular mass species. Using these methods, approximately 80–96% of the total NMOC mass detected by the PTR-TOF-MS and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was positively or tentatively identified for major fuel types. We report data for many rarely measured or previously unmeasured emissions in several compound classes including aromatic hydrocarbons, phenolic compounds, and furans; many of these are suspected secondary organic aerosol precursors. A large set of new emission factors (EFs) for a range of globally significant biomass fuels is presented. Measurements show that oxygenated NMOCs accounted for the largest fraction of emissions of all compound classes. In a brief study of various traditional and advanced cooking methods, the EFs for these emissions groups were greatest for open three-stone cooking in comparison to their more advanced counterparts. Several little-studied nitrogen-containing organic compounds were detected from many fuel types, that together accounted for 0.1–8.7% of the fuel nitrogen, and some may play a role in new particle formation.


This book studies the writings of the seventeenth century Chinese Christian apologist, Xu Guangqi, comparing them with those of early Latin Christian apologists in Europe to explore problems within the historical inculturation of Christianity in China.


There is converging evidence that driver distraction is a contributing factor in car crashes, in Australia and overseas. Surprisingly, no known previous research has attempted to identify and assess the potentially distracting activities undertaken by the drivers of public passenger vehicles. This paper describes research undertaken on this issue. The research was partitioned into three phases: an analysis of the functions and tasks currently undertaken by public passenger vehicle drivers; the identification of actual and potential sources of driver distraction; and the assessment of potential risk deriving from distraction. This paper describes the research activities conducted during these phases and the outcomes of these activities. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E216178.


This paper is devoted to the history of the development of a number of devices for investigating the x-radiation of the sun, fabricated at S. I. Vavilov State Optical Institute and making it possible to set about creating modern spacecraft for monitoring ionizing solar radiation (with wavelengths shorter than 150nm). Results are presented for radiation fluxes of both the quiet sun and of the sun in the period of powerful solar flares, measured from artificial earth satellites (1957-1971). The subsequent evolution of this work with the purpose of creating special apparatus--a permanent Space Solar Patrol--is considered.


A method for mapping DNA sequences to specific germinal chromosomes in the ciliated protozoan Tetrahymena thermophila has been developed. This mapping technique (PCR mapping) utilizes the polymerase chain reaction and template DNA derived from nullisomic strains to directly assign micronuclear DNA sequences to specific micronuclear chromosomes. Using this technique, a number of unique sequences and short repetitive sequences flanked by unique sequences have been mapped to four of the five germinal chromosomes.


Abstract The structure, stratigraphy and magmatic history of northern Peru, Ecuador and Colombia are only adequately explained by Pacific-origin models for the Caribbean Plate. Inter-American models for the origin of the Caribbean Plate cannot explain the contrasts between the Northern Andes and the Central Andes. Persistent large magnitude subduction, arc magmatism and compressional deformation typify the Central Andes, while the Northern Andes shows back-arc basin and passive margin formation followed by dextral oblique accretion of oceanic plateau basalt and island arc terranes with Caribbean affinity. Cretaceous separation between the Americas resulted in the development of a NNE-trending dextral–transpressive boundary between the Caribbean and northwestern South America, becoming more compressional when spreading in the Proto-Caribbean Seaway slowed towards the end of the Cretaceous. Dextral transpression started at 120–100 Ma, when the Caribbean Arc formed at the leading edge of the Caribbean Plate as a result of subduction zone polarity reversal at the site of the pre-existing Trans-American Arc, which had linked to Central America to South America in the vicinity of the present-day Peru–Ecuador border. Subsequent closure of the Andean Back-Arc Basin resulted in accretion of Caribbean terranes to western Colombia. Initiation of flat-slab subduction of the Caribbean Plate beneath Colombia at about 100 Ma is associated with limited magmatism, with no subsequent development of a magmatic arc. This was followed by northward-younging Maastrichtian to Eocene collision of the trailing edge Panama Arc. The triple junction where the Panama Arc joined the Peru–Chile trench was located west of present-day Ecuador as late as Eocene time, and the Talara, Tumbes and Manabi pull-apart basins directly relate to its northward migration. Features associated with the subduction of the Nazca Plate, such as active calc-alkaline volcanic arcs built on South American crust, only became established in Ecuador, and then Colombia, as the triple junction migrated to the north. Our model provides a comprehensive, regional and testable framework for analysing the as yet poorly understood collage of arc remnants, basement blocks and basins in the Northern Andes.


A 9300-year-old skeleton uncovered on the banks of the Columbia River in Washington State is a treasure trove of information for anthropologists, with a projectile point in its pelvis and possible Caucasoid features. But American Indians are claiming the skeleton as an ancestor and plan to rebury it. However, a sliver of bone taken for age-testing may soon yield DNA, which may reveal whether the skeleton was ancestral to modern American Indians.


The Studio Management System is a prototype of management and online system
reference for the management, the client and also for the staff in a postproduction
company. This system uses a web based application and also active server page for a
local area network in a small-scale postproduction business. As for the database,
Microsoft Access is being used. The Studio Management System consists of 3 main
applications, which are The Studio Booking System, The Tape Tracking System, and
lastly is The Staff Attendance System. Based on these systems, 3 main reports are
created, that are Studio Report, Tape Report and Attendance Report. This report can
only be view by the management and the Webmaster does the updating and database
management. Based on these report, any accrued hours and tape material can easily
be detected and extra charges can be billed to the client.


The design and verification of cryptographic protocols is a notoriously difficult task, even in symbolic models which take an abstract view of cryptography. This is mainly due to the fact that protocols may interact with an arbitrary attacker which yields a verification problem that has several sources of unboundedness (size of messages, number of sessions, etc.). In this paper, we characterize a class of protocols for which deciding security for an unbounded number of sessions is decidable. More precisely, we present a simple transformation which maps a protocol that is secure for a bounded number of protocol sessions (a decidable problem) to a protocol that is secure for an unbounded number of sessions. The precise number of sessions that need to be considered is a function of the security property and we show that for several classical security properties a single session is sufficient. Therefore, in many cases our results yields a design strategy for security protocols: (i) design a protocol intended to be secure for a single session; and (ii) apply our transformation to obtain a protocol which is secure for an unbounded number of sessions.


Projector-camera (pro-cam) systems afford a wide range of interactive possibilities, combining both natural and mixed-reality 3D interaction. However, the latency inherent within these systems can cause the projection to 'slip' from its intended target, detracting from the overall experience. Because of this, pro-cam systems have typically shied away from truly dynamic scenarios. In turn, research has been exploring latency reduction techniques across a range of domains, but these techniques typically focus on custom hardware, limiting their widespread adoption. We explore software-only predictive approaches to minimize the effects of latency in pro-cam systems. In this paper, we focus our predictive approaches on realworld objects under fast motion and on-body projection, improving projection accuracy on fast moving targets. Alongside this we explore automatic latency measurement techniques, allowing our system to determine and account for its own latency. We detail predictive approaches and provide results of a series of empirical investigations; achieving a 37% improvement in projection accuracy on objects in free flight (at speeds approaching 5m/s), and a 43% improvement in on body projection (with movement circa 1.5m/s). Through our work we aim to facilitate the wider exploration of pro-cam systems for 3D interaction in dynamic settings and showcase the accuracy achievable with off-the-shelf hardware. Author


The study evaluated three strains of Streptomyces (CAI-21, CAI-26 and MMA-32) for their plant
growth promoting (PGP) traits in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) under field conditions in two
consecutive post-rainy seasons, 2012–2013 and 2013–2014, to confirm colonizing ability in
chickpea and to demonstrate gene expression profiles of indoleacetic acid, siderophore and β-
1,3-glucanase genes. The Streptomyces enhanced nodule number, nodule weight, root weight
and shoot weight at 30 d after sowing (DAS) and plant height, pod number, pod weight, leaf
area, leaf weight and stem weight at 60 DAS in both seasons over the uninoculated control. At
crop maturity, the Streptomyces enhanced stover yield, grain yield and total dry matter in both
seasons over the uninoculated control. In the rhizosphere, the biological and mineral nutrient
activities, such as microbial biomass carbon, dehydrogenase activity, total nitrogen, available
phosphorus and organic carbon were also found higher in plots inoculated with Streptomyces
in both seasons over the uninoculated control plots. Scanning electron microscopy analysis
revealed that the Streptomyces colonized the roots of chickpea. Quantitative real time PCR
analysis on selected PGP genes of Streptomyces revealed up-regulation of β-1,3-glucanase
gene in CAI-26, β-1,3-glucanase and siderophore genes (siderophore synthetase) in CAI-21 and
β-1,3-glucanase, siderophore (siderophore synthetase) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAAH and
IAAM) genes in MMA-32. The three Streptomyces demonstrated broad-spectrum PGP activity.


Three sections of the Oligocene-Miocene Asmari Formation, crossing central and north-central Zagros foreland basin in SW Iran, were measured and studied in order to interpret the biostratigraphy, paleoecology (based on distribution of benthic foraminifera) and diagenesis. Forty-three foraminifer genera and species were encountered in the studied areas and the following assemblage zones have been defined: 1) Nummulites vascus-Nummulites fichteli, 2) Lepidocyclina-Operculina-Ditrupa, 3) Archaias asmaricus-Archaias hensoni-Miogypsinoides complanatus, 4) Miogypsina-Elphidium sp. 14 - Peneroplis farsenensis, and 5) Borelis melo curdica-Borelis melo melo. According to this study, deposition of the Asmari Formation with association of hyaline, lamellar, perforate large and flat foraminifera first started in the basin and slope environments during the Rupelian in Dehdez and Tufe-Sefid areas. Lagoon depositional environment colonized by sea-grass epiphytic foraminifera was encountered during Chattian and Aquitanian in Bagh-e Malek and Dehdez areas and mostly lagoon and slope environments prevailed during Burdigalian in Bagh-e Malek and Dehdez areas, respectively. The main diagenetic processes that affected the Asmari Formation were dolomitization (replacement and cementation), compaction (stylolitization) and dissolution. The extent of these diagenetic overprinting seems to be mainly facies controlled.


This article defines decentralization as the devolution by central (i.e. national) government of specific functions, with all of the administrative, political and economic attributes that these entail, to democratic local (i.e. municipal) governments which are independent of the center within a legally delimited geographic and functional domain. Over the past few decades decentralization has become one of the most debated policy issues throughout both developing and developed countries. Bolivia is a particularly interesting case for study because reform there consisted of a large change in policy at a discrete point of time. The data available are of surprising scope and quality for its socio-economic characteristics, and include information on the political, social and civic, economic, institutional and administrative characteristics of all of Bolivia's municipalities. It reviews the country's decentralization program, focusing on the changes in national resource flows and discusses about the central and local government investment policies separately. The article empahsizes on the power of political and institutional variables, as well as indicators of training and capacity-building, to explain investment behavior under each regime.


Abstract. Amid an increasing water scarcity in many parts of the world, virtual water trade as both a policy instrument and practical means to balance the local, national and global water budget has received much attention in recent years. Building upon the knowledge of virtual water accounting in the literature, this study assesses the efficiency of water use embodied in the international food trade from the perspectives of exporting and importing countries and at the global and country levels. The investigation reveals that the virtual water flows primarily from countries of high crop water productivity to countries of low crop water productivity, generating a global saving in water use. Meanwhile, the total virtual water trade is dominated by green virtual water, which constitutes a low opportunity cost of water use as opposed to blue virtual water. A sensitivity analysis, however, suggests high uncertainties in the virtual water accounting and the estimation of the scale of water saving. The study also raises awareness of the limited effect of water scarcity on the global virtual water trade and the negative implications of the global water saving for the water use efficiency and food security in importing countries and the environment in exporting countries. The analysis shows the complexity in evaluating the efficiency gains in the international virtual water trade. The findings of the study, nevertheless, call for a greater emphasis on rainfed agriculture to improve the global food security and environmental sustainability.


Although the drafts of MiFID 2.0, published on October 20th, follow largely what had been proposed by the CESR (Committee of European Securities Regulators) and the European Commission, the documents took observers by surprise in both their approach and length. This ECMI Commentary explains how the original legislation has been amended with the principal aim of levelling the playing field and examines its novel features. Coming together at the same time as several other pieces of draft financial regulation that have recently been proposed or announced, the author finds that they portend a very heavy workload for the European Parliament and the EU Council in the coming year.


We present a novel system to localize the eye position based on symmetry filters. By using a 2D separable filter tuned to detect circular symmetries, detection is done with a few ID convolutions. The detected eye center is used as input to our periocular algorithm based on retinotopic sampling grids and Gabor analysis of the local power spectrum. This setup is evaluated with two databases of iris data, one acquired with a close-up NIR camera, and another in visible light with a web-cam. The periocular system shows high resilience to inaccuracies in the position of the detected eye center. The density of the sampling grid can also be reduced without sacrificing too much accuracy, allowing additional computational savings. We also evaluate an iris texture matcher based on ID Log-Gabor wavelets. Despite the poorer performance of the iris matcher with the webcam database, its fusion with the periocular system results in improved performance.


Doubled-up Latinx youth experience many daily challenges associated with ethnic minority status and residential instability. Doubled-up youth share housing with non-custodial caregivers such as friends and/or extended family members primarily because of economic hardship and a breakdown in available parental support. Using data from baseline and 10 days of twice-a-day surveys, this study examined how in-school positive experiences, familism (i.e., a perspective that gives precedence to the family), and ethnic identity (i.e. affirmation, exploration, and resolution) influence after school positive (e.g. feeling joyful/happy) and negative (e.g., feeling stressed/anxious) affect among doubled up Latinx youth (70% female; M age = 16.5). Results indicate that in-school positive experiences were associated with more after school positive affect and less after school negative affect. Additionally, youth with higher levels of familism reported experiencing less after school negative affect. However, gender moderated the relation of ethnic identity exploration and experiences of after school positive affect. Specifically, females with higher levels of ethnic identity exploration reported relatively lower levels of after school positive affect compared to males. Overall, study findings highlight the importance of both person-level and varying contextual influences on the affective lives of doubled-up Latinx youth.


This thesis is a study of the ways in which hegemonic masculinity is
constructed in two primary schools. Its principal perspective is feminist,
though it draws heavily on the substantial body of work on masculinities
within sociology. Connell's (1987) understanding of hegemonic
masculinity which informs much of the work in this area, underpins the
theoretical framework for conceptualising how a school constructs specific
forms of masculinities which are powerfully shaped by ideologies and
structures in wider society. The notion of 'critical incidents' is employed
to ascertain how social processes come together in specific combinations
in order to explore hegemonic and other modes of masculinities.
This study is a feminist analysis of masculinities in school settings. As
such, methodological/theoretical issues occupy a central role.
The research on which the study is based was conducted with teachers
and children in two primary schools located in different socio-economic
areas of the same city. In one school the focus was on a class of 6-7 year
olds, and in the other, on 9-10 year olds. The study adopts a qualitative
methodology in the form of ethnography in order to explore teacher-pupil
classroom behaviours and the peer relationships and social interaction of
children, with a particular focus on boys.
The study both confirms findings of other research on masculinities and
primary schools which show the importance of locale on constructions of
hegemonic masculinity and draws attention to previously
unacknowledged issues. Locating the research in a middle- and a
working-class school enabled a comparison of the ways in which the
characteristics of a social area influence the processes of masculine
constructions in a school. Also, the study considers the impact of the
Education Reform Act (1988) on constructions of dominant masculinities
in schools. Importantly, these two ethnographic case studies have been
undertaken from a feminist position and the researcher's relationships
with, and explorations of the relationships between, male teachers and
boys contribute new insights into how hegemonic masculinity is
constructed, at the level of the school, through various discourses.


Purpose: Many military women are being called to separate from their children to go to war. Most previous research has focused upon paternal, rather than, maternal, separation. The purpose of this article is to describe the experience of military mothers and their children during wartime deployments with clinical implications for nurse practitioners (NPs) in military or community settings. Data sources: Using grounded theory methods, 37 active duty and reserve component military women participated in a one‐time interview. Included were women who deployed for at least 4 months to Iraq or Afghanistan and had at least one child under the age of 12 during the separation. Conclusions: Military families present unique challenges for NPs. Mother deployments offer opportunities for intervention and anticipatory guidance across the trajectory of the separation. Military women's emotional and physical health must be supported before, during, and following deployment. Implications for practice: NPs are ideally positioned to support military families. During deployment, the NP's focus may shift to care of the children and their caregiver. Before and at reintegration, NPs are in a key position to intervene early for posttraumatic stress and support family readjustment.


The phenomenon of transients and homeless in our society represents a complex reality. Transiency has existed for centuries, and the causes of it further differentiate the individuals involved. Fort Collins (Colorado), an untroubled city which presents a crime rate 47% lower than the U.S. average, is inexplicably experiencing an increase of the transient population. Due to unseemly behaviour like sexual assaults, harassment, fights, drug use, aggressiveness against passersby or violence, between others, concerns of both authorities and citizens can not stop escalating. This thesis focuses on the analysis of transiency as a social phenomenon in Fort Collins through System Dynamics, to support a broader understanding of the causes behind it through feedback mechanisms, lags and cumulative processes, along with a combination of Grounded Theory and a recompilation of Qualitative and Quantitative Data. In addition to this analysis, it is carried out the design and implementation of a policy strategy to change the trend of the forecast. The aim of this research is shedding some light on the issue and giving the first step towards specific research about transiency and how much can it affect to a place. This study intends to fill a gap both in Urban Sociology and in Urban Policy-making, where is so complicated to segregate the actions towards a complex group such is homeless population.


Based on analysis of scholarly and primary sources that include July 2011 and January and February 2014 fieldwork in Cairo, this article examines civil as a word with multiple synchronic meanings and shifts in valence in Egypt between January 2011 and July 2013. I argue that civil stood as a rhetorical placeholder in a time with few secure ideological positions, little agreement about the content of the good society, and wide recognition of the enormity of obstacles to transformation. The article draws on Jacques Rancière's understandings of "politics" and "police" to examine sensibilities and relations of transgression and control that work on and through bodies, intimacies, and meanings of the civil. Among the essential lessons of the 2011 Arab revolutions is that ideological differences and material inequalities do not easily melt, even in emergent, pluralistic, and nondoctrinaire revolutionary politics, because it is difficult to erase positional and embodied differences in the scenes where politics are made.


Global Energy PoliticsThijs Van de Graaf, Benjamin K. SovacoolEver since the Industrial Revolution energy has been a key driver of world politics. From the oil crises of the 1970s to today's rapid expansion of renewable energy sources, every shift in global energy patterns has important repercussions for international relations.

In this new book, Thijs Van de Graaf and Benjamin Sovacool uncover the intricate ways in which our energy systems have shaped global outcomes in four key areas of world politics: security, the economy, the environment and global justice. Moving beyond the narrow geopolitical focus that has dominated much of the discussion on global energy politics, they also deftly trace the connections between energy, environmental politics, and community activism.

The authors argue that we are on the cusp of a global energy shift that promises to be no less transformative for the pursuit of wealth and power in world politics than the historical shifts from wood to coal and from coal to oil. This ongoing energy transformation will not only upend the global balance of power; it could also fundamentally transfer political authority away from the nation state, empowering citizens, regions and local communities.

Global Energy Politics will be an essential resource for students of the social sciences grappling with the major energy issues of our times.