Weight maintenance can be considered a challenge for all patients who are in a reduced obese state. In this chapter, we first provide an overview of the chances for maintaining weight loss, how physiological adaptations and psychological dynamics lead to weight regain in the long-term, and of the factors that have been associated with long-term success. Then we review what is known about the patient perspective on that critical time period following weight loss, focusing on the experience of barriers and facilitators as well as attempted strategies. Finally, we introduce an approach for providing a targeted and individualized support at this stage.


Abstract In this collection, the term crossover cinema is used to encapsulate an emerging form of cinema that crosses cultural borders at the stage of conceptualization and production and hence manifests a hybrid cinematic grammar at the textual level, as well as crossing over in terms of its distribution and reception. It argues for the importance of distinguishing between crossover cinema and transnational cinema. While the latter label has been important in enabling the recognition and consideration of the impact of post–World War II migration and globalization on film practice and scholarship, and while it constituted a significant advance on the term with which is so often conflated, world cinema, this chapter argues for a repositioning of the former term as more definitive of the contemporary cultural epoch. The extension of scope in this manner more accurately reflects the highly contingent ways in which global flows in both production and consumption have shaped cinema—not only in the locations of so-called Third Cinema but also in the West. Such a repositioning enables us to think of cross-culturally conceptualized cinema as lying beyond the exclusive art house category that often restricts (a) its reading by film scholars and critics; (b) its publicity discourses and availability in mainstream cinemas; and (c) its reception by various audience communities. There is also an appropriate political objective in the adoption of the term crossover to describe cross-culturally conceptualized cinema. This is because with an extended scope, it joins forces with the broader project of internationalizing cultural studies, that is, to keep the competing forces of cultural indigenization and capitalist internationalization from becoming synonymous with globalization (see Abbas and Erni 2005).


The ventral visual stream is believed to underlie object recognition in primates. Over the past fifty years, researchers have developed a series of quantitative models that are increasingly faithful to the biological architecture. Recently, deep learning convolution networks -- which do not reflect several important features of the ventral stream architecture and physiology -- have been trained with extremely large datasets, resulting in model neurons that mimic object recognition but do not explain the nature of the computations carried out in the ventral stream. This book develops a mathematical framework that describes learning of invariant representations of the ventral stream and is particularly relevant to deep convolutional learning networks. The authors propose a theory based on the hypothesis that the main computational goal of the ventral stream is to compute neural representations of images that are invariant to transformations commonly encountered in the visual environment and are learned from unsupervised experience. They describe a general theoretical framework of a computational theory of invariance (with details and proofs offered in appendixes) and then review the application of the theory to the feedforward path of the ventral stream in the primate visual cortex.


PARTICLE SIZE The electrodes used in Li-ion batteries have a defining influence on their electrochemical performance and are typically manufactured by coating a metal foil substrate with a multicomponent slurry made up of active electrode particles and conductive additives suspended in a binder solution. The rheology of this slurry is critical and directly influences its stability, ease of application, and the uniformity of the resulting film/coating. These, in turn, impact key battery performance criteria, such as capacity, power and safety.


This paper discusses conjoined questions in Romanian, where two selected WHs (i.e. a subject WH phrase and an object WH phrase) appear coordinated in clause-initial position. By comparing conjoined questions with selected WHs with conjoined questions with non-selected WHs, I argue for a bi-clausal analysis for both types, where one single IP is pronounced. I show that conjoined questions with selected WHs, as opposed to conjoined questions with non-selected WHs, raise two problems: (i) the shared IP can only be pronounced once and (ii) the shared IP has to be pronounced in the second conjunct. I argue that while an ellipsis/sluicing analysis fails, the multidominance analysis provides a straightforward account for these two problems. In particular, linearization algorithms for multidominance structure (all) correctly predict that the shared IP appears only once in the second conjunct.


Summary
A memorandum consisting of 115 statements on the clinical and laboratory diagnosis of amebiasis was prepared and distributed to the members of the American Society of Tropical Medicine. The purpose of the memorandum was to obtain for analysis the current opinions on the subject expressed by those active in the field of amebiasis in the United States. Only those members with "experience and interest" in the subject were encouraged to complete and return the memorandum. The current report presents an analysis of replies submitted by 93 individuals.
Those responding demonstrated "good" or "excellent" agreement on only one-half of the statements. The poorest agreement was indicated on those statements concerned with the identification of trophozoites and cysts of E. histolytica in feces and cultures. It is apparent from the replies that each characteristic or group of characteristics currently used in identification should be carefully studied by competent investigators in order to determine their true value and reliability.
In addition to citing other problems which need careful investigation, the report summarizes the general beliefs of the respondents as evident from the replies to the various statements in the memorandum.


The idea that the Planck length is the smallest unit of length, and the Planck time the smallest unit of time, is natural, and has been suggested many times. One can, however, also derive this more rigorously, using nothing more than the fact that black holes emit particles, according to Hawking's theory, and that these particles interact gravitationally. It is then observed that the particles, going in and out, form quantum states bouncing against the horizon. The dynamics of these microstates can be described in a partial wave expansion, but Hawking's expression for the entropy then requires a cut-off in the transverse momentum, in the form of a Brillouin zone, and this implies that these particles live on a lattice.


This paper analyzes the impact of immigrant deportations on local crime and police efficiency. Our identification relies on increases in the deportation rate driven by the introduction of the Secure Communities (SC) program, an immigration enforcement program based on local-federal cooperation which was rolled out across counties between 2008 and 2013. We instrument for the deportation rate by interacting the introduction of SC with the local presence of likely undocumented in 2005, prior to the introduction of SC. We document a surge in local deportation rates under SC, and we show that deportations increased the most in counties with a large undocumented population. We find that SC-driven increases in deportation rates did not reduce crime rates for violent offenses or property offenses. Our estimates are small and precise, so we can rule out meaningful effects. We do not find evidence that SC increased either police effectiveness in solving crimes or local police resources. Finally, we do not find effects of deportations on the local employment of unskilled citizens or on local firm creation.


One important task of topic modeling for text analysis is interpretability. By discovering structured topics one is able to yield improved interpretability as well as modeling accuracy. In this paper, we propose a novel topic model with a deep structure that explores both inter-topic and intra-topic structures informed by word embeddings. Specifically, our model discovers inter topic structures in the form of topic hierarchies and discovers intra topic structures in the form of sub-topics, each of which is informed by word embeddings and captures a fine-grained thematic aspect of a normal topic. Extensive experiments demonstrate that our model achieves the state-of-the-art performance in terms of perplexity, document classification, and topic quality. Moreover, with topic hierarchies and sub-topics, the topics discovered in our model are more interpretable, providing an illuminating means to understand text data.


Throughout this thesis, performance theory and the accompanying practice as research are utilised, along with anthropological and philosophical analysis, in order to examine how gift intersects with live art practice. The ways in which it is made and encountered in contemporary (predominantly UK) society are of particular focus. The Horse's Teeth, a 2012 project that saw the authorship of six new performance works gifted to six artists, is used, along with Bourdieusian notions of cultural capital and Sara Ahmed's theory around the 'stickiness' of emotions to explore how authorship is both subjective lived experience and a means of accumulating capital. By then analysing the affective dimensions of gift giving within The Horse's Teeth, a model is developed to show how gift can effect subject-formation. Building on this model, organ transplantation is proposed as an exemplary instance of the 'successful gift', a gift that both bridges identities and affirmatively increases the capacities of the recipient(s). The Kindness of Strangers, a solo performance in which I investigate the relationship between the work's audience, my anonymous bone marrow donor and Blanche Dubois, is then used to consider the potential of performance to be such a gift. In the proposed understanding, what the audience and performer give to the performance and each other is presented using Jean-Luc Marion's work on anamorphosis and Jacques Ranciere's emancipated spectator. Referencing the autobiographical element of The Kindness of Strangers, the transformative potential of Rosi Braidotti's affirmative ethics is used to explain how the excess of trauma can sometimes be transformed into the excess of gift; a gift to both the traumatised self and, potentially, another. This develops the proposal made by thinkers such as Lyotard, Marion and Derrida that the gift cannot be fully comprehended at the time in which it is given. Inferring from this that the successful performance gift also resists being known by either audience or performer in its totality, the problem of how to make such unknowable performance is explored using Richard Sennett's writing on craft. The second chapter concludes by considering reciprocity, in particular applause as a reciprocal gift from the audience, as an expression of thanks for what the performer has given. Having established a clear sense of how performance can be understood as gift, the final chapter examines how such gifts sit within capitalism. A variety of funding systems are considered, as well as the manner by which gift and performance, as Illichian blessings, defy capitalist valuation. Capital's attempts to gain propriety by developing authorial relationships to the blessing is presented through analysis of corporate patronage, before an overview of current activist work to undermine this in the context of oil sponsorship is provided. The work of Liberate Tate, a group formed to break the relationship between BP and the Tate, is considered in particular depth here. The thesis concludes by proposing a reconsideration of how the arts are valued within funding systems, particularly in relation to waste and the way in which funders undermine the gift within performance by demanding quantified outcomes in advance.


This paper presents findings from a case study intended to develop understanding of the practices within education for sustainable development at a preschool in Sweden and highlights its work with two themes: The Health of People and the Planet and Human and Animal Societies. This case study was part of a large school development project conducted by a university in collaboration with a municipality between 2017 and 2019. The preschool had two units with a total of 36 children aged 1–6 years, and 8 preschool teachers. Empirical materials were collected from observations of educational activities at two events, as well as group discussions with teachers and the preschool head teacher. Findings show that the interconnectedness of, and interdependencies between, the environmental, social, and, to some extent, economic aspects of sustainable development were present in educational practices of the preschool. They also indicate that young children, with support and encouragement from their teachers, can take responsibility for activities that are meaningful to them. In this preschool, children's opinions were respected, and they were given the opportunity to participate in decision-making activities of relevance to their lives.


This paper focuses on the criteria of "Paris Declaration 11: Need for Monitoring" and suggests a stronger focus on monitoring and less on evaluation of Aid for Trade (AfT) and Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) programmes and projects. The authors examine monitoring & evaluation as a means to assist partner countries in developing their own governance capacity in managing their development process and in better leveraging Aid for Trade based capacity development programmes and projects. In conclusion, the authors propose an outline for an Evidence-Based Monitoring System as the backbone of the Aid for Trade and EIF implementation process. The authors also suggest that while Monitoring and Evaluation are complementary instruments of development aid, the stakeholders of Aft/EIF (beneficiaries, donors and experts) should put much more emphasis on monitoring than is the case at present. This proposed monitoring system could provide the missing link for effective inter-ministerial coordination and for ensuring the quality of evaluations.


Repeat breeders cause substantial loss in dairy herds mainly affecting the reproductive efficiency and economy of milk production in cattle and buffaloes. A study was conducted in cattle farms of various farmers of three districts of Central Region of Nepal; Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur during March-August 2016. A total of 20 repeat breeder cows were selected for the trial. Repeat breeder cows were identified based on the history of at least three repeated breeding at an interval of around three weeks. We applied Ovsynch protocol where two reproductive hormones; Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone (GnRH) and Prostaglandin (PGF2α) were injected. Pregnancy was initially diagnosed by Biopryn Test kit using serum samples. Rectal examination confirmed pregnancy after 2 months of artificial insemination (AI). 16 cows expressed clear estrus signs during fixed time AI. 5 (83.3%) out of 6 cows with cystic ovary expressed estrus at the time of fixed time AI. 4 (66.7%) of these cows became pregnant.Int. J. Appl. Sci. Biotechnol. Vol 6(3): 261-264


At the centre of this study lies the question of how research-related media texts contribute to the social construction of sex and gender conceptions when they use research, either as a main source, or to support or comment on specific issues and statements, from the political arena, for example. The principal aim of the study has been to analyze and problematize the ways in which different types of newspapers, genres and editorial sections reproduce, or contribute to change, in existing gender discourses.The material was collected from two Swedish newspapers during the year 2001: the national morning paper Dagens Nyheter (DN), and the national evening paper Aftonbladet.The theories of discourse, agenda-setting and -framing in this study are related to the questions: what kinds of knowledge on women and men, and biological, physiological, psychological, social and cultural perspectives on sex/gender are represented; how are they described; and how do content and form contribute to the (re)production of, or change in, gender discourses? The main analytical perspectives are those about gender discourse (re)production, genres as ideological forms, and the epistemologies of journalism.A combination of analytical strategies and methods was used: content and thematic analysis, and qualitative analysis of text and language with methodological tools from different traditions of discourse analysis.In my study, I can see an interplay between research traditions and genre conventions in the (re)production of gender discourses. Since the news sections repeatedly choose to publish research as empiric and in the form of results, and then within that, primarily findings from medicine and the social sciences, these areas are reproduced as important and relevant, and as producers of objective, true knowledge that can be presented as simple facts. Research-related texts in culture journalism, on the other hand, follow the tradition of primarily treating research within the humanities, and nowadays also gender and queer theoretical perspectives within different disciplines. Through the genre conventions of culture journalism, this research is reproduced as something that you can reflect upon, problematize, criticize, form an opinion of, and judge.The study also gives reason to argue that media logic and institutionalized genre conventions contribute to the reproduction of science and research as different worlds and cultures, in which the natural sciences and the humanities are found in different media spaces, and different forms of knowledge about sex/gender are given space on different conditions and in different forms.


Summary 1. We examined 223 time-series of red grouse ( Lagopus lagopus scoticus ) numbers compiled from shooting bag-records from grouse moors located across England, Scotland and Wales for evidence of non-time-reversibility, asymmetry in cycle shape and non-linearity. 2. We found 44% of time-series to be non-time-reversible. Over 80% of time-series spent more time increasing than decreasing (but only 32% did so significantly). 3. Non-linearity was detected in 44% of time-series examined, and these non-linear time-series were 1·7 times more likely to be non-time-reversible compared to the linear time-series. 4. The occurrence of non-linear and non-time-reversible series was not related to location, number of days with rain, temperature, moor area or population growth rate. The predominance of symmetrical peaks increased with easting but was not related to number of days with rain, temperature, northing or moor area. 5. There were no significant relationships between time-reversibility or non-linearity status and either tendency to cycle or cycle periodicity. However, populations that cycled with longer periods exhibited slower rates of increase and more equal lengths of time increasing and decreasing in numbers. 6. Our results provide little evidence that grouse cycles observed in different parts of the species range in the United Kingdom arise from fundamentally different processes.


Many problems that societies face have the character of social dilemmas, in which cooperation benefits the whole society but is costly to the individual. The recent literature in experimental economics has focused on uncovering driving factors of cooperative success in social dilemmas. This thesis contributes to this literature and includes three research studies that investigate the influence of individual cooperative dispositions, societal and cultural differences, as well as institutional differences on human cooperative behaviour. Chapter 1 introduces the research questions, discusses the research methods used, and outlines the substantive contributions of the thesis. Chapter 2 presents an experimental test of a common implicit assumption in the literature, which suggests that only people with a cooperative disposition engage in the punishment of defectors in social dilemmas. The experimental test rejects this assumption and shows that individual cooperativeness is independent of one's propensity to punish. Chapter 3 investigates the channels through which culture and societal differences affect cooperative behaviour. The experimental results show that societal differences in behaviour are mainly driven through differences in beliefs about other people's behaviour. Chapter 4 reports on an experimental comparison of informal and formal sanctioning institutions. These experiments show that informal sanctions like peer pressure are necessary to foster high and stable cooperation levels in the long run. Chapter 5 concludes.


: To improve vehicle fuel economy whilst enhancing road handling and ride comfort, power generating suspension systems have recently attracted increased attention in automotive engineering. This paper presents our study of a regenerative hydraulic shock absorber system which converts the oscillatory motion of a vehicle suspension into unidirectional rotary motion of a generator. Firstly a model which takes into account the influences of the dynamics of hydraulic flow, rotational motion and power regeneration is developed. Thereafter the model parameters of fluid bulk modulus, motor efficiencies, viscous friction torque, and voltage and torque constant coefficients are determined based on modelling and experimental studies of a prototype system. The model is then validated under different input excitations and load resistances, obtaining results which show good agreement between prediction and measurement. In particular, the system using piston-rod dimensions of 50–30 mm achieves recoverable power of 260 W with an efficiency of around 40% under sinusoidal excitation of 1 Hz frequency and 25 mm amplitude when the accumulator capacity is set to 0.32 L with the load resistance 20 Ω. It is then shown that the appropriate damping characteristics required from a shock absorber in a heavy-haulage vehicle can be met by using variable load resistances and accumulator capacities in a device akin to the prototype. The validated model paves the way for further system optimisation towards maximising the performance of regeneration, ride comfort and handling.


Humans are telling stories since ancient times. What is new is the purposeful use of narrative to achieve a practical outcome. Storytelling will become a key ingredient in managing communications, education, training, innovation and sharing knowledge in the digital learning environment. Storytelling is the act of telling a story in an entertaining, impressive or dramatic way. Adding feeling or emotion is probably very important in story-telling. How do we do it? Generally we remember the feeling of the event or imagine what our characters might be feeling and then adjust our 'delivery' accordingly. While focusing on the concept of learning style, learning methods, learning tools in knowledge management system, this article discusses the features of storytelling and how the software facilitate the telling of a story.


One hundred years ago, Edward Sheriff Curtis began a thirty-year odyssey to photograph and document the lives and traditions of the Native peoples of North America. This monumental project was hailed by "The New York Herald" as "the most gigantic undertaking since the making of the King James edition of the Bible."In this landmark volume, almost 200 of the finest examples of Cu rt is's photographs are reproduced with startling fidelity to his original prints. Produced to the very highest standards, "Sacred Legacy" presents Curtis's work without compromise for the first time in the modern era. Taken together, these profound images constitute no less than the core and essence of his life's work. Until now, virtually none of Curtis's photographs have been reproduced in a manner that captures the clarity and richness of his original master prints. In "Sacred Legacy," his greatest images are reproduced from the finest source materials available -- a significant number from breathtaking platinum, gold, and silver prints. All have been carefully selected for pub lication and for an accompanying international exhibition by Curtis authority Christopher Cardozo.In an effort to bring a new understanding to Curtis's monumental work, "Sacred Legacy" was developed according to the organizing principles set forth by the great photographer himself. Following the path la id out in his 20 volume magnum opus, "The North American Indian," geographic regions are presented separately and individual tribes within each region are depicted and described. Interspersed between these sections are compelling portrayals of those aspects of life common to all tribes, among them spirituality. ceremony, arts, and the activities of daily life.With "The North American Indian," Curtis achieved the impossible: an extraordinary 20 -volume set of handmade books composed of nearly 4,000 pages of text and 2,200 images presenting more than 80 of North America's Native nations. Luminous, iconic, and profoundly revealing, the pictures that form the heart of the original project are reproduced here in "Sacred Legacy." These extraordinary photographs had an immense impact on the national imagination and continue to shape the way we see Native life and culture."Sacred Legacy" is a fitting testament to the profound beauty, meaning, and complexity of Indian life and to Edward S. Curtis -- a man whose wisdom, passion, and strength drove him to devote thirty years to capturing the nobility and pride of the Native peoples of North America. The photographs in this brilliant volume represent the most important presentation of Curtis's work since the publication of the first volume of "Me North American Indian" nearly a century ago.


Hydrate and wax formation in subsea flowlines is a major cause of production impairment. Among various approaches used to minimize the risk, Direct Electrical Heating (DEH) is being applied. DEH is based on passing a current through the pipe wall to mitigate heat losses from the fluid to the surroundings during events which require flow assurance measures. The Piggyback Cable, a high voltage cable attached to the DEH pipeline, is during operation exposed to thermal and mechanical loads which may be critical for the integrity of the DEH system. The overall safety requirement is that any potential Piggyback Cable fault is detected and disconnected from the power source before damage is caused to the pipeline.Conventional cable fault detection methods based on current measurements give adequate protection for the main part of the pipeline. However, for the far end of the Piggyback Cable complementary fault detection is required. A method based on fiber break monitoring has been qualified for this purpose. The new method is implemented in the North Sea on two DEH pipelines operated by Statoil, 43 and 21 km long respectively. The protection is facilitated by standard single-mode fibers integrated into the DEH cables.Although not basis for the design the integrated fibers open up possibilities for temperature and strain sensing using stimulated Brillouin scattering. Sensing has been performed on a 43 km DEH pipeline using the DITEST AIM (Distributed Temperature and Strain Asset Integrity Monitoring). Analysis of the sensing results reveal that distributed fiber optic sensing is capable of pin-pointing thermal events and strain induced loads for an object of this length.Copyright © 2012 by ASME


Circulating tumor DNA is a promising biomarker to monitor tumor load and genome alterations. We explored the presence of circulating tumor DNA in multiple myeloma patients and its relation to disease activity during long-term follow-up. We used digital droplet polymerase chain reaction analysis to monitor recurrent mutations, mainly in mitogen activated protein kinase pathway genes NRAS, KRAS and BRAF. Mutations were identified by next-generation sequencing or polymerase chain reaction analysis of bone marrow plasma cells, and their presence analyzed in 251 archived serum samples obtained from 20 patients during a period of up to 7 years. In 17 of 18 patients, mutations identified in bone marrow during active disease were also found in a time-matched serum sample. The concentration of mutated alleles in serum correlated with the fraction in bone marrow plasma cells (r=0.507, n=34, P<0.002). There was a striking covariation between circulating mutation levels and M protein in ten out of 11 patients with sequential samples. When relapse evaluation by circulating tumor DNA and M protein could be directly compared, the circulating tumor DNA showed relapse earlier in two patients (3 and 9 months), later in one patient (4 months) and in three patients there was no difference. In three patients with transformation to aggressive disease, the concentrations of mutations in serum increased up to 400 times, an increase that was not seen for the M protein. In conclusion, circulating tumor DNA in myeloma is a multi-faceted biomarker reflecting mutated cells, total tumor mass and transformation to a more aggressive disease. Its properties are both similar and complementary to M protein.


ABSTRACT The successful implementation of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) programmes in schools depends on the development and implementation of strong policy in support of CSE. This paper offers a comparative analysis of the policy environment governing school-based CSE in four low- and middle-income countries at different stages of programme implementation: Ghana, Peru, Kenya and Guatemala. Based on an analysis of current policy and legal frameworks, key informant interviews and recent regional reviews, the analysis focuses on seven policy-related levers that contribute to successful school-based sexuality education programmes. The levers cover policy development trends; current policy and legal frameworks for sexuality education; international commitments affecting CSE policies; the various actors involved in shaping CSE; and the partnerships and coalitions of actors that influence CSE policy. Our analysis shows that all four countries benefit from a policy environment that, if properly leveraged, could lead to a stronger implementation of CSE in schools. However, each faces several key challenges that must be addressed to ensure the health and wellbeing of their young people. Latin American and African countries show notable differences in the development and evolution of their CSE policy environments, providing valuable insights for programme development and implementation.


These were the crimes that were meant to change the world, and sometimes did. The book connects the killing of the Kennedys or the murder that sparked the First World War with less well-known stories, such as the Berlin shooting of an instigator of the Armenian genocide or the attack on an American 'robber baron'. Taking in Malcolm X and Queen Victoria, Adolf Hitler and Andy Warhol, Charles Manson and Emma Goldman, Tsars, Presidents, and pop stars, "Age of Assassins" traces the process that turned thought into action and murder into an icon. In tackling the history of political violence, the book is unique in its range and attention to detail, summoning up an age of assassination that is far from over.


The thesis examines the development and present role of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities as an employers' organisation and contrasts this role with the manner in which the corresponding function is discharged by the local authority associations in the four Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. The role embraces three main activities: joint collective bargaining, training and development and other support activities. The history of the joint collective bargaining activity now undertaken by the Convention on behalf of constituent local authorities spans almost half a century. The conclusion is drawn that it has developed on a somewhat piecemeal basis and that despite attempts, most recently in 1986, to introduce a greater element of co-ordination, the present arrangements are unnecessarily complex. Some of the negotiating arrangements are UK-wide, others have a link in to UK arrangements with subordinate Scottish machinery and yet others are unique to Scottish local government. The various negotiating bodies have different dates throughout the year for the settlement of pay claims and there is scope for the creation of anomalies between negotiating groups, since each negotiates and settles independently of the others. The training and development activities of the convention have a much shorter history. The minimal allocation of resources to these activities is criticised. The conclusion is drawn that without a greater allocation, local authorities in Scotland will continue to receive an impoverished service. The range of other support activities is also quite limited, although there has been a discernable development in these over the past four or five years. comparison is made between the present levels of provision and the recommendations of official reports on the provision of central personnel support in local government, spanning some 60 years, which endorses the conclusions drawn, that Scottish local government is not well served by the provision currently made by its central organisation. In relation to the collective bargaining activity, the international element of the research concludes by reference to all four comparator countries that it is possible to develop and work within a less complex model. On the other hand none of the comparators endures the complications of a relationship with negotiating arrangements covering a wider geographical area. The international comparison also highlights the extensive nature of the training and development activities of the local authority associations in three out of the four countries, and concludes that there is generally a greater availability of other support services. Finally, the thesis refers to the government's proposals for the reorganisation of local government in Scotland in the mid-1990s and suggests that the Convention should plan now for an appropriate enhancement of its role as an employers' organisation in support of the local government structure that will be in place following the reorganisation.


Major companies, healthcare professionals, the military, and other scientists and innovators are now sensing that fitness and health data from wearable biosensors will likely provide new discoveries and insights into physiological, cognitive, and emotional health status of an individual. Having the ability to collect, process, and correlate data simultaneously from a set of heterogonous biosensor sources may be a key factor in informing the development of new technologies for reducing health risks, improving health status, and possibly preventing and predicting disease. The challenge in achieving this is getting easy access to heterogeneous data from a set of disparate sensors in a single, integrated wearable monitoring system. Often times, the data recorded by commercial biosensing devices are contained within each manufacturer's proprietary platform. Summary data is available for some devices as free downloads or included only in annual premium memberships. Access to raw measurements is generally unavailable, especially from a custom developed application that may include prototype biosensors. In this paper, we explore key ideas on how to leverage the design features of Bluetooth Low Energy to ease the integration of disparate biosensors at the sensor communication layer. This component is intended to fit into a larger, multi-layered, open data framework that can provide additional data management and analytics capabilities for consumers and scientists alike at all the layers of a data access model which is typically employed in a body sensor network system.


Simulation of flexible components is becoming an integral part of virtual product design. However, for a simulation model to predict physically correct deformations, it is crucial that the material parameters are authentic. Conventional methods to acquire these parameters involve extensive force-displacement measurements, which may be unpractical or too expensive to perform. We propose an alternative method to identify the material parameters of a flexible one-dimensional component, such as a cable or a hose, from a scanned set of deformed reference shapes. The method finds the model parameters that give the best geometric fit between the model and the reference shapes. c © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of the 14th CIRP Conference on Computer Aided Tolerancing.


Under the Lisbon Treaty, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs (HRVP) has obtained far-reaching powers to formulate, coordinate and implement ÉU external policies, traditionally a prerogative of the state. In the exercise of this delegated powers, the HRVP is assisted by a dedicated administrative body, the European External Action Service (EEAS). Formal decision-making over the EU's common foreign and security policy lies with the Council, while the European Neighborhood and Trade policies, as well as international cooperation remain competences of the EU-Commission. Concomitantly, the EEAS is situated within several, partly overlapping and conflicting accountability relationships. The ensuing question is: To what extent, how and by whom can the HRVP and the EEAS be held politically to account? With data from official documents, 50 semi-structured interviews and a survey among 184 EU foreign policy-makers, the article maps and assesses of the multi-level actor/forum relationships of the EU's foreign policy machinery.


This paper seeks to challenge the present rhetoric used by competition policy makers and enforcers when advancing economic efficiency as a goal of competition policy. The fixation on the promotion of economic efficiency and intense or fierce competition comes at the expense of other sensible social values, such as job creation. This trend of modern competition policy is based on a reductionist assumption about how markets work in practice. A dogmatic application of competition policy serving economic calculus, rather than the social order, has silently ignored the negative impact of competition on wages and employment. Over the past many years of successful enforcement of competition laws, no attempts have been made to reverse the negative social impact that has been inflicted by fierce and aggressive forms of competition. By revisiting the classical price and wage efficiency theoretic assumptions, this paper challenges the use of the 'efficiency' benchmark at both micro- (industrial organization) and macroeconomic levels. The case study of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) across several sectors of the economy will be used to demonstrate how internal growth and merger-specific efficiencies – some of which include the elimination of labour costs – affect wage efficiency and employment prospects. While 6.5% out of 3.7 million jobs losses as a result of M&A activity during a four-year period does not seem to have created a major macroeconomic imbalance, a closer look at recent M&A trends during 2013-2016 demonstrates that, indeed, job losses far outweigh the balance of job creation, i.e. one newly created job for every 40 job cuts. This paper challenges the well-established assumption that 'new jobs replace old jobs' following a successful merger. This false assumption is basically at odds with the fact that the majority of European Union mergers are approved, even if subject to conditions, leaving an insignificant percentage of mergers blocked since 1990 (24 or 0.3%).


This study examined the role of ethnicity in untrained observers' ratings of videotaped mother-child interactions. Participants were Black, White, and Latino undergraduates (N = 109), who rated videotapes of 4 Black, 4 White, and 4 Latino mother-child dyads. Overall, participants of different ethnicities showed more similarities than differences in their ratings of parent-child behavior. There was, however, evidence that participant ethnicity and parent-child ethnicity interacted for ratings of child defiance/negative emotion. Black and White participants differed in their ratings of Black and White children's defiance/negative emotion, with members of each ethnic group favoring children of their own ethnic group. Intergroup contact appeared to play a role in ratings of parent behavior among Black observers. Black observers who reported low intergroup contact tended to rate Black mothers high on strictness and low on permissiveness. More research is needed to better understand the role of ethnicity in observers' ratings of parent and child behavior.


Purpose: The aim of this article is to measure the diversity of rural areas through determining their potential for implementing the agricultural and tourist functions. This in terms of local development level of rural areas in Poland as illustrated by the Greater Poland Voivodeship. Approach/Methodology/Design: The research procedure was conducted in three steps. In the first step, the agricultural and tourist functions were measured, and the relationship between them was identified. In a subsequent step, the social and economic development level of rural areas was identified. The last step involved defining the relationship between the potential of the analysed functions and local development level of the rural areas. Findings: There is a relationship between the agricultural function and the tourist function in the analysed area. This relationship is statistically significant and negatively correlated, which means that the tourism potential of the area decreases as its potential for agricultural development increases. Practical Implications: The result confirms that it is legitimate and necessary to implement development-related tasks which include a territorial approach that refers to all local potentials. Originality/Value: Noticing this fact and taking it into account during the process of programming of local development seems to be of crucial importance for the success of the process of sustainable development of rural areas.


In this second edition of Exiting the Whirlpool, Pastor explores the continuities and the changes in U.S. foreign policy toward Latin America under Presidents Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton. Whereas many foreign policy volumes neglect the role of Congress, Pastor devotes an entire chapter to explaining how it has shaped policy. Next, he looks at the recurring challenges that have often pulled the United States into the destructive whirlpool--how the United States has tried but often failed to manage succession crises, pre-empt or undermine revolutionaries, promote or manipulate elections, and encourage or neglect the region's economic development. Pastor offers a series of far-reaching policy recommendations for exiting the whirlpool and forging a hemispheric community of democracies within a free trade area. The first edition was widely acclaimed. The second is thoroughly updated, offering analyses and recommendations for addressing the contemporary democratic and security challenges facing the hemisphere.


The thesis discusses the possibility of using ultrawideband (UWB) radar to detect breast cancer. At the present time, X-ray mammography and ultrasound are the golden standard imaging techniques for detection and evaluation of breast cancer, but they both have their limitations. The primary aim of this thesis is to use ultrawideband planar elliptical antennas in the detection of breast cancer, and investigate the use of the delay-and-sum beamforming technique applied on both the receiver (Rx) and transmitter (Tx). At first, a description of the antenna and its basic characteristics are given. Then, models consisting of four identical antennas with a layer of fat between them and a tumor inside were constructed. Simulations were performed with the tumor placed on three different locations. In many of the models and parameters used and tested here, the Tx-Rx method is equal to or better than the Rx method to detect breast cancer. This work should be of interest to people working with UWB technology and similar research areas.


OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to assess how baseline motivation to recover impacts eating disorder (ED) and comorbid symptoms at end-of-treatment (EOT) for adolescents and adults in inpatient/residential treatment.

METHOD
Two hundred and three adolescent (M = 15.90) and 395 adult (M = 25.45) patients with a Diagnostic Statistical Manual, 5th edition ED diagnosis completed the Decisional Balance Scale (DBS) at baseline, and psychosocial measures (ED symptoms, anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms), and %body mass index (kg/m2 ; BMI) or median %BMI (for adolescents) at baseline and EOT.

RESULTS
The DBS Avoidance Coping and Burdens subscales at baseline were significantly lower for adolescents than adults (p < 0.001), whereas the DBS Benefits subscale at baseline did not significantly differ between subsamples (p = 0.06). Motivation to recover via DBS subscales was a more reliable predictor of EOT outcomes for both ED and comorbid psychopathology in adults (significant predictor in 19 of 54 total analyses, and 4 significant associations post-Bonferroni correction) than adolescents (significant predictor in 5 of 54 total analyses, and 1 significant association post-Bonferroni correction).

CONCLUSIONS
Baseline motivation to recover may be an important predictor of outcome for adult patients in inpatient/residential treatment but does not appear associated with outcomes for adolescent patients.


We study the problem of predicting an event sequence given some meta data. In particular, we are interested in learning easily interpretable models that can accurately generate a sequence based on an attribute vector. To this end, we propose to learn a sparse event-flow graph over the training sequences, and statistically robust rules that use meta data to determine which paths to follow. We formalize the problem in terms of the Minimum Description Length (MDL) principle, by which we identify the best model as the one that compresses the data best. As the resulting optimization problem is NP-hard, we propose the efficient ConSequence algorithm to discover good event-flow graphs from data.
 Through an extensive set of experiments including a case study, we show that it ably discovers compact, interpretable and accurate models for the generation and prediction of event sequences from data, has a low sample complexity, and is particularly robust against noise.


Investor-state arbitration (ISA) has shaped the practice, scholarship and teaching of international investment law, but to what extent has it shaped its substance? According to anecdotal evidence, states change their investment treaties in response to developments in investment arbitration. To separate myth from reality this article empirically investigates the effect of investment arbitration on treaty making through three impact channels: (1) investment clauses, (2) investment claims and (3) investment case law coding close to 1700 international investment agreements (IIA) across 55 clauses. Our analysis sheds new light on several normative debates within the field. First, we find that the omission or inclusion of investment clauses has no material effect on other treaty design elements. This suggests that ISA clauses are procedural add-ons, which bestow investors with enforcement rights, but do not alter the inter-state nature of the treaties' substantive obligations. Second, contrary to prior anecdotal and empirical evidence, investment claims do not lead to systematic treaty design changes. Most innovation attributed to investment claims actually pre-dates them. Moreover, only in few countries did investment claims trigger treaty design changes. Hence, rather than worrying about overzealous responses by states to "rebalance" IIAs in the face of investment claims, we should be concerned about the field's path-dependency and its entrenchment in a pre-arbitration architecture. Third, investment case law exerts the strongest impact on treaty making as controversial interpretive outcomes in investment arbitration trigger traceable changes in treaty design. Hence, states are more active in fine-tuning existing commitments than in designing new ones further entrenching IIAs' path dependency and lack of innovation.


The topic of my paper is premised upon there being some 'anecdata' on the subject of costs in Australian constitutional cases. I am then asked to make observations on this anecdata. This led me to want to identify what is 'anecdata'. I sought to answer this in the modern manner, by googling the word. A range of meanings were identified. Following this research, the next task was to collate and compile my information/stories so that I can present it in a manner that suggests that it is serious research and/or to look like actual scientific data.


The present article looks into the psychometric properties of the Revised Youth Purpose Survey
(RYPS) in the case of a group of Romanian students emerging adults (N = 500). RYPS is a ten‐item
scale made of two sub‐scales which measure Purpose Exploration (4 items) and Purpose
Commitment (6 items). Confirmatory factorial analysis indicated an adequate fit of a two‐factor
model (GFI = .96; AGFI = .94; RMSEA = .057). This structure was confirmed and it was invariant for
gender. Cronbachʹs alpha coefficients show good internal consistency: .87 (Purpose Exploration
subscale) and .77 (Purpose Commitment subscale). The correlations of both scales of RYPS with
validation measures of psychological and subjective well‐being and of identity orientations were
positive, indicating good convergent validity. The study validated the conceptual vision of the
authors of the instruments in a previously unstudied cultural context.


The southeast Anatolian orogen may be divided into three roughly east-west trending structural zones formed as a result of continental collision between the Taurus platform and the Arabian continent. Along the orogenic belt, metamorphic and ophiolitic rocks occur widely. The ophiolites represent remnants of the ocean or oceans which were totally consumed between these converging continental blocks during Late Cretaceous to Miocene period. Metamorphic rocks formed from the oceanic as well as the continental rocks which were incorporated into a nappe stack during the consumption of the oceanic lithosphere and the progressive southward advance of the nappes toward the Arabian continent. The metamorphic units, together with the ophiolite associations, provide stratigraphic and petrologic evidence indicating time, place, and environment of formation of these units; the metamorphic units also provide evidence of nappe transportation stages which are complementary to the data derived from the sedimentary successions in the evaluation of the orogenic evolution of southeast Anatolian orogen.


Utilising mindfulness-based approaches and techniques within counselling has become increasingly popular with mental health professionals. Research has shown that practicing mindfulness can have positive implications for both clients and therapists. Relatively new to the field of counselling is a meditational, mindfulnessbased approach known as Inquiry-Based Stress Reduction (IBSR). This qualitative study explored therapists' experience of using IBSR both personally and in their clinical practice. Employing Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), six participants who were mental health professionals and had attained certification in IBSR were selected for this study. Seven main themes emerged from the findings including: IBSR's influence on the therapist; self-care and burn-out; broader perspectives; IBSR's strengths and therapeutic benefits; challenges and limitations; client populations and characteristics; and the therapeutic alliance. A range of benefits were identified as a result of utilising IBSR including the potential for immediate and life-changing effects for those experiencing IBSR, as well as supporting therapist wellbeing and protecting against burnout. Participants viewed IBSR as an effective self-care tool which promoted self-awareness, self-compassion, acceptance towards clients, greater cognitive flexibility and metacognitive awareness. The approach was also regarded as having positive implications for the therapeutic alliance. Some challenges and limitations were noted such as the short-term engagement with clients having detrimental financial impacts on therapists; and the 'turnarounds' (a way to explore different interpretations of an identified stressful belief) as a possible contraindication. Clients' openness to IBSR was viewed as a key factor to the effectiveness of the approach.


This article explores the psychosocial and behavioral adjustment outcomes associated with verbal, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse among homeless young adults as well as the associations among abuse types. Convenience sampling was used to select 28 homeless young adults (ages 18 to 24) from one drop-in center. Overall, subjects experienced high rates of direct abuse (that is, verbal, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse) and indirect abuse (that is, witnessing family verbal and physical abuse). Chi-square tests revealed that proportions of clinical depression, internalizing and externalizing behaviors, alcohol use, and foster care history were higher among subjects who experienced abuse than among those without reported abuse histories. The findings suggest that homeless young adults experience coexisting types of direct and indirect abuse, which can negatively influence outcomes related to their psychosocial functioning and behavioral adjustment. An inclusive multi-type abuse approach, with both direct and indirect abuse types, is needed to draw accurate conclusions regarding the effects of each specific abuse type on homeless young adults' psychological and behavioral adjustment. KEY WORDS: homeless young adults; multi-type abuse; physical abuse; sexual abuse; verbal abuse ********** Homeless young people are highly likely to come from multi-problem and abusive families. Various studies have cited high rates of physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, and parental rejection among this population (Powers, Eckenrode, & Jaklitsch, 1990; Rew, Taylor-Seehafer, & Fitzgerald, 2001; Ryan, Kilmer, Cauce, Watanabe, & Hoyt, 2000; Tyler, Cauce, & Whitbeck, 2004; Whitbeck, Hoyt, & Ackley, 1997a, 1997b). Parental abuse is frequently among the primary reasons homeless youths give for leaving home (Ryan et al., 2000; Sullivan & Knutson, 2000; Thompson, McManus, V Tyler et al., 2004; Whitbeck, Hoyt, & Bao, 2000). Evidence suggests that parental abuse is more prevalent among homeless youths than in the general population (Rew et al., 2001; Ryan et al., 2000). Previous studies reveal that 50% to 83% of homeless youths have experienced physical or sexual abuse (Cauce et al., 2000; Molnar, Shade, Kral, Booth, & Watters, 1998; Ryan et al., 2000; Thrane, Hoyt, Whitbeck, & Yoder, 2006; Warren, Gary, & Moorhead, 1994). Extant studies show that childhood sexual abuse prevalence rates in the general population range from 8% to 32% for female subjects and 1% 16% for male subjects (Finkelhor, 1994). Up to 22% of male subjects and 20% of female subjects report childhood physical abuse (Briere & Elliott, 2003). EFFECTS OF ABUSE ON YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AND OUTCOMES Researchers have documented the deleterious effects of abuse on homeless young people's development, psychological adjustment, and future outcomes. Kurtz, Kurtz, and Jarvis (1991) found that homeless youths who were physically and sexually abused experienced a greater number of personal, family, and school problems than those without abuse histories. Having a history of physical and sexual abuse is also considered a risk factor for suicide attempts in homeless youths (Kurtz et al., 1991; Molnar et al., 1998; Powers et al., 1990; Rew et al., 2001) and mental health problems, such as depression, conduct disorder, and trauma symptoms (Ryan et al., 2000; Stiffman, 1989; Thompson, Maccio, Desselle, & Zittel-Palamara, 2007; Whitbeck, Hoyt, & Yoder, 1999). Extant findings further indicate that early sexual abuse increases the probability of running away and early independence (Sullivan & Knutson, 2000; Thrane et al., 2006; Tyler, Hoyt, & Whitbeck, 2000) and using illicit substances and other deviant behaviors, such as trading sex to survive on the streets (Rew et al., 2001; Simons & Whitbeck, 1991; Tyler et al., 2000; Tyler, Hoyt, Whitbeck, & Cauce, 2001a, 2001b; Tyler et al. …


We propose a simple taxonomy of probabilistic graphical models for the semi-supervised learning problem. We give some broad classes of algorithms for each of the families and point to specific realizations in the literature. Finally, we shed more detailed light on the family of methods using input-dependent regularization (or conditional prior distributions) and show parallels to the Co-training paradigm.


Background Every year, patients are affected by suffering and death caused by adverse events in connection with health care and the most common adverse events are healthcare‐associated infections (HAI). The Swedish Patient Act from 2015 strengthens the patient's position in health care; however, there is lack of knowledge of how healthcare staff experience the possibilities to make the patient involved in the preventive work of HAI. Aim To describe healthcare professionals' views on the patient's prerequisites to be co‐creator in preventing HAI in connection with hospital care. Method This study had a qualitative descriptive design with semi‐structured individual interviews. Qualitative inductive content analysis was used to analyse the transcribed interview data. The study setting was a hospital in Sweden in 2015. Interviews were carried out among six healthcare professionals. Results In the analysis, 5 themes and 14 categories were identified in three different domains: Organisation, Healthcare staff and Patient. The result indicates an obstacle in each domain for the patient to become co‐creator in preventing HAI. In Organisation domain, a lack of organizational structure such as elaborated working methods to involve the patient was pointed out. In the domain Healthcare staff, it showed that the professionals allocate the responsibility of preventing HAI to the patient but only if they had to or if they trusted the patient. In the Patient domain, the result states that the patient was perceived as passive; they did not take own initiatives to get involved. Conclusion The patient has an important role in successful HAI prevention work and should be considered as an obvious co‐creator. Nevertheless, this study shows that neither organisation nor healthcare staff are sufficiently prepared for this. The organisation must make an anchored, structured and systematic work centred on the patient's needs and give more support both to healthcare professionals and patients.


For the republics of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) as for many other transition economies, an important step in introducing a more market-oriented system was the restructuring of their budget systems. This paper reviews and evaluates the process of budget system reform during the transition period extending from the time they emerged from the collapse of the SFRY in 1989 until the end of 2002. For at least a decade of this period, the Fiscal Affairs Department of the IMF has been providing technical assistance (TA) to these countries to facilitate such reforms. Based on the material generated by this effort, the authors offer a review of the progress made and an assessment of the reform elements still to be completed. Given that the former Yugoslav republics all commenced the reform process with the same institutions, this paper offers a unique opportunity to analyze the critical elements in successful budget system reform. An attempt is made to explain the varying degrees of success experienced by different countries, and a reform agenda is suggested to guide future TA.


DNA in eukaryotes is packaged into nucleosomes, which present steric impediments to many of the factors and enzymes that act on DNA, including DNA repair enzymes. Within the nucleosome, DNA remains vulnerable to oxidative damage that can result from normal cellular metabolism, ionizing radiation, and various chemical agents. Oxidatively damaged DNA is repaired in a stepwise fashion via the base excision repair (BER) pathway. Other DNA repair pathways, including Nucleotide Excision Repair (NER), Mismatch Repair (MMR), Homologous Recombination (HR), and Nonhomologous End-Joining (NHEJ) are all thought to require nucleosome remodeling or disruption. In contrast, it was reported that the first step of BER does not require or induce nucleosome disruption. For example, the human DNA glycosylase hNTH1 (human Endonuclease III) was discovered to excise thymine glycol lesions from nucleosomes without nucleosome disruption, and could excise optimally oriented lesions with an efficiency approaching that seen for naked DNA (Prasad, Wallace, and Pederson 2007). To determine if the properties of hNTH1 are shared by other human DNA glycosylases, we compared hNTH1 with NEIL1, a human DNA glycoylase that also excises thymine glycol from DNA, with respect to their activities on nucleosome substrates. We found that the cellular concentrations and apparent kcat/KM ratios for hNTH1 and NEIL1 are similar. However, NEIL1 and hNTH1 differ in that NEIL1 binds undamaged DNA far more avidly than hNTH1. After adjustment for non-specific DNA binding, hNTH1 and NEIL1 proved to have similar intrinsic activities towards nucleosome substrates. We next wanted to examine the effects of nucleosomes on enzymes that catalyze the remaining steps in BER. We therefore assembled the entire four-step BER reaction with model, lesion-containing nucleosomes. The rates of substrate processing during the first three steps in BER, catalyzed by a DNA glycosylase, AP endonuclease, and DNA Polymerase Pol ), varied with the helical orientation of the substrate relative to the underlying histone octamer. In contrast, the rate of action by DNA Ligase III(in association with XRCC1) was independent of lesion orientation. These results are consistent with structural studies of BER enzymes and the previously proposed DNA unwrapping model for how BER enzymes gain access to lesions in nucleosomes (Prasad, Wallace, and Pederson 2007). During these investigations, we also discovered a synergistic interaction between Pol and Ligase IIIcomplexed with XRCC1 that enhances the repair of lesions in nucleosomes. Together, our results support the hypothesis that DNA glycosylases have evolved to function in specific cellular environments (e.g. NEIL1 may function exclusively during DNA replication), but also possess DNA binding motifs and mechanisms of substrate recognition that impart a similar intrinsic activity on nucleosomes. In addition to hNTH1 and NEIL1, we have discovered that lesion orientation is also an important factor to the activities of APE and Pol and that the complete BER reaction can occur without requiring or inducing nucleosome disruption. Finally, protein-protein interactions between XRCC1 and Pol may be important for the efficient in vivo repair of lesions in nucleosomes.


More children survived for at least 30 days after heart surgery at the end of the past decade than at the start, an analysis has found. The death rate fell from 4.3% to 2.6% of cases.

The findings have prompted the researchers to call for a shift away from scrutinising short term survival to looking at the longer term effects of heart surgery in children, such as measures of ill health and the effect on functional capacity.

Researchers …


The physical properties of rubber compounds are mainly determined by the filler dispersion within the rubber matrix, filler–rubber interaction, and chemical crosslink structure caused by sulfur. Carbon black or silica is typically used as a reinforcing filler in tire tread compounds; however, binary filler systems comprising the two types of filler are also currently being used to complement each other. This study used binary filler systems to manufacture vulcanizates and classified the vulcanizate structures as chemical crosslinks caused by sulfur, physical crosslinks caused by carbon black (carbon black–bound rubber), and silica–silane–rubber networks caused by silica and silane. The effect of each vulcanizate structure on the physical properties was also calculated. In the proposed binary filler system, silica chemically bonds with rubber molecules, unlike carbon black. Therefore, the crosslink density per unit of silica content was 19% higher than that of carbon black, in which rubber molecules were physically adsorbed on the surface. Tensile properties affected by 1 unit of crosslinking density for each filler were calculated, and silica was found to contribute more in the low-elongation range, whereas carbon black contributed more in the high-elongation range. Regarding tan δ at 60 °C and abrasion resistance per unit crosslink density of filler, carbon black made a greater contribution than silica, whereas silica had a greater contribution to wet traction and snow traction.


Due to two-sidedness and network effects, digital platforms face a coordination problem to attract producers and consumers upon launch. Scholars have suggested launch strategies for solving this problem with only limited empirical evidence. In this paper, we relate to the strategies of sequential and simultaneous entry of consumers and producers. We conducted a qualitative study interviewing 14 founders and CEOs of digital platforms. We used an analysis of 1 st and 2 nd order concepts to relate the emerging data to existing theory. We observe that the ability to switch between the producer and consumer side, (i.e., being producer in one transaction and consumer in another one), has so far remained unexplored in the platform literature despite its importance for the implementation of launch strategies. Our findings suggest that digital platforms with switching sides implement a simultaneous entry strategy, whereas digital platforms without switching sides implement a sequential entry strategy. We conclude by providing implications for researchers, entrepreneurs, and investors and by giving directions for future research.


The media presents us with a world that is increasingly violent. News agencies report on conflict, war, ethnic cleansing and torture. Yet another young man is stabbed to death on the streets of a major city, sportsmen or celebrities are in court accused of monstrous sexual assaults. These news stories have one thing in common; they are about men and male aggression. There is an unvoiced understanding that this violence is male, or originated by men. If this seems a strange thing to point out, try to imagine how these events would be reported if the instigators were female. This paper sets out to examine why that suggestion makes us pause for thought, and to explore ideas about female aggression, its motives and outcomes, possibly exploding a few myths on the way.


This paper is the first that analyzes the relation between maternal work hours and the cognitive outcomes of young school-going children. When children attend school, the potential time working mothers miss out with their children, is smaller than when children do not yet attend school. At the same time, working might benefit children through, for example, greater family income. Our study is highly relevant for public policy as in most countries maternal employment rates rise when children enter school. We find no negative relation between maternal working hours and child outcomes as is often found for pre-school aged children. Instead, we find that children's sorting test score is higher when their mothers work part-time (girls) or full-time (boys). Furthermore, we find that planned parent-child activities are positively related to children's language test scores. Nevertheless, we do not find that a richer home environment in terms of the number of parent-child activities provided to the child explain the relation between maternal work hours and children's test scores.


Power-line communication (PLC) is widely used as it offers high data-rates and forms a network over electrical wiring, an existing and ubiquitous infrastructure. PLC is increasingly being deployed in hybrid networks that combine multiple technologies, the most popular among which is WiFi. However, so far, it is not clear to which extent PLC can boost network performance or how hybrid implementations can exploit to the fullest this technology. We compare the spatial and temporal variations of WiFi and PLC. Despite the potential of PLC and its vast deployment in commercial products, little is known about its performance. To route or load balance traffic in hybrid networks, a solid understanding of PLC and its link metrics is required. We conduct experiments in a testbed of more than 140 links. We introduce link metrics that are crucial for studying PLC and that are required for quality-aware algorithms by recent standardizations of hybrid networks. We explore the spatial and temporal variation of PLC channels, showing that they are highly asymmetric and that link quality and link-metric temporal variability are strongly correlated. Based on our variation study, we propose and validate a capacity estimation technique via a metric that only uses the frame header. We also focus on retransmissions due to channel errors or to contention, a metric related to delay, and examine the sensitivity of metrics to background traffic. Our performance evaluation provides insight into the implementation of hybrid networks; we ease the intricacies of understanding the performance characteristics of the PHY and MAC layers.


We explore the possibility that the star α Orionis (Betelgeuse) is the outcome of a merger that occurred in a low-mass-ratio ( 0.07–0.25) binary system some time in the past hundreds of thousands of years. To that goal, we present a simple analytical model to approximate the perturbed internal structure of a post-merger object following the coalescence of a secondary in the mass range 1–4 M⊙ into the envelope of a 15–17 M⊙ primary. We then compute the long-term evolution of post-merger objects for a grid of initial conditions and make predictions about their surface properties for evolutionary stages that are consistent with the observed location of Betelgeuse in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram. We find that if a merger occurred after the end of the primary's main-sequence phase, while it was expanding toward becoming a red supergiant star and typically with radius ∼200–300 R⊙, then its envelope is spun up to values that remain in a range consistent with Betelgeuse observations for thousands of years of evolution. We argue that the best scenario that can explain both the fast rotation of Betelgeuse and its observed large space velocity is one where a binary was dynamically ejected by its parent cluster a few million years ago and then subsequently merged. An alternative scenario in which the progenitor of Betelgeuse was spun up by accretion in a binary and released by the supernova explosion of the companion requires a finely tuned set of conditions but cannot be ruled out.


In 2004, Congress passed the Crime Victims' Rights Act to dramatically reshape the federal criminal justice system and ensure that crime victims are treated fairly in the criminal process. An important feature of the CVRA is its provisions allowing victims to enforce their rights not only in trial courts, but also in appellate courts. Among the enforcement provisions is one guaranteeing a crime victim expedited access to appellate review. The CVRA provides that if the district court denies any relief sought by a crime victim, the victim "may petition the court of appeals for a writ of mandamus. . . . The court of appeals shall take up and decide such application forthwith within 72 hours after the petition has been filed." The CVRA's appellate review provision appeared to provide crime victims the same sort of appellate protections as all other litigants – as several courts of appeals have held in reviewing crime victims' petitions. Unfortunately, in a recent decision the Tenth Circuit (In re Antrobus) parted company with those other circuits and eviscerated the appellate protections promised to crime victims. In In re Antrobus, the Tenth Circuit rejected carefully reasoned decisions from the Second and Ninth Circuits and held that crime victims could only obtain appellate relief if they show that the district court had made a "clear and indisputable" error. This Article critiques the Tenth Circuit's Antrobus decision, arguing that the Second and Ninth Circuits (among other circuits) got it right and the Tenth Circuit simply got it wrong. This Article proceeds in three parts. Part I explains the factual background surrounding Antrobus. Kenny and Sue Antrobus lost a motion to have their daughter, Vanessa Quinn, recognized as a protected "crime victim" under the CVRA. Thereafter, despite four separate trips to the Tenth Circuit, they were unable to secure a meaningful review of that decision or release of the government's evidence on the issue. In Part II, the Article turns to the background leading up to Congress's enactment of the CVRA. Congress designed the CVRA to give victims meaningful and enforceable rights – rights that were to be protected throughout the federal court system.Part III of the Article then discusses the merits of the Tenth Circuit's analysis in Antrobus. Contrary to the Circuit's position, the plain language of the CVRA – requiring appellate courts to "take up and decide" crime victims' petitions – does not mean that crime victims are limited to discretionary mandamus review of their claims, but rather, indicates that crime victims are entitled to ordinary appellate review. Moreover, the legislative history of the CVRA clearly demonstrates that Congress wanted crime victims to have ordinary appellate review of their claims. The Article concludes by suggesting that the Tenth Circuit should, at the next opportunity, reconsider its position en banc and follow the prevailing view in the courts of appeals. If the Tenth Circuit will not, then the Supreme Court should review the circuit split that the Tenth Circuit's decision created, and side with those circuits that have given crime victims the full measure of protection that Congress intended.


This book presents a model of computing and a measure of computational complexity which are intended to facilitate analysis of computations performed by people, machines, or a mixed system of people and machines. The model is designed to apply directly to models of economic theory, which typically involve continuous variables and smooth functions, without requiring analysis of approximations. The model permits analysis of the feasibility and complexity of the calculations required of economic agents in order for them to arrive at their decisions. The treatment contains applications of the model to game theory and economics, including comparison of the complexities of different solution concepts in certain bargaining games, and the trade-off between communication and computation in an example of an Edgeworth Box economy.


This paper examines the impact of VAT on economic efficiency, which while regarded as distortionary remains inevitable for economic development. Using data from 115 countries from 1984 to 2014, this research further investigates the moderating role of country governance on the link between VAT and economic efficiency. The results suggest that the extent to which country governance mitigates the effect of VAT on economic efficiency is contingent upon the way the country groups prioritize the development of each institutional factor. We find that high corporate tax countries benefit more from higher quality country governance. These findings confirm the role of country governance in better enforcement of tax policy to create less detrimental effects for economic growth. Therefore, better country governance makes taxation more affordable in high corporate tax countries.
Key words: Economic efficiency, Value-added tax, Country governance, Generalized method of moments, Data envelopment analysis.
JEL: E69, H25, O11, O43, C23.


This thesis examines the relative influences of domestic stock, rabbits and native
vertebrate herbivores on alpine and treeless subalpine vegetation on the Eastern Central
Plateau Tasmania, with special reference to tall alpine herbs.
Results from 25 year old grazing exclosures on Liawenee Moor indicated that domestic
stock had a much greater impact on the vegetation than rabbits and native vertebrate
herbivores. Vegetation cover was greatest and structure was most complex in the
ungrazed exclosure, whilst vegetation cover was least in the sheep, rabbit and marsupial
grazed control area. Aerial photographic analysis showed that, over a 19 year period,
regeneration in these exclosures was most successful in the ungrazed exclosure, whilst
bare ground increased in the sheep grazed area.
Most plant species that were present in the grazing exclosures were also present in
sheep grazed areas. However, sheep grazing had a dramatic impact on flowering
success of many tall alpine herbs, with significantly more herbs flowering in the rabbit
and native vertebrate herbivore grazed plot and the ungrazed exclosure than the sheep
grazed area. A few tall herbs were tolerant of grazing by rabbits and native herbivores
as there was no significant difference in flowering success between the two exclosures
(the ungrazed exclosure and the rabbit plus native herbivore grazed exclosure). Vegetation cover in 23 year old plots at Liawenee and Augusta tended to increase at
approximately 1% per year, whether grazed by domestic stock (Liawenee) or not
(Augusta). Regeneration at Liawenee was dominated by shrubs and grasses. Shrubs
were the most important recolonisers of bare ground at Augusta. Regeneration occurred
at a slightly faster pace at Augusta, despite its higher altitude.
At other sites, where domestic stock grazing ceased 6 years before the study
commenced, the average annual increment in vegetation cover was also approximately
1%. The greatest increase in vegetation cover was found in the ungrazed exclosures,
followed by the rabbit grazed exclosures, whilst the rabbit plus native vertebrate
herbivore grazed controls had the lowest increase in vegetation cover. Flowering success at these sites was greater for some tall herb species in the ungrazed
exclosures, but differences were less marked than at Liawenee. There were very few
differences in flowering success between rabbit grazed exclosures and those areas that
were open to rabbits and native vertebrate herbivores, indicating that rabbits may have a
larger impact on flowering success than native herbivores.
Naturally ungrazed areas, small islands in a fast flowing stream, were dominated by tall
alpine herbs and palatable grasses, which were non-existent or sparse on the native
vertebrate herbivore grazed banks. Tall herbs were dominant on the upstream ends of
these islands, which experienced physical disturbance from fluctuating stream levels.
These islands had very little bare ground other than that created by stream erosion.
A major implication of this study is that the continuation of domestic stock grazing in
treeless subalpine environments will contribute significantly to the deterioration of the
landscape through a decrease in vegetation cover in exposed sites, a reduction in the
structural diversity of the vegetation, a loss or reduction of some palatable plant species
(mainly tall alpine herbs), the reduction of flowering of some tall herbs, and the
maintenance of bare ground patches. Sheep plus rabbits and marsupial grazers have a
much greater impact than rabbits and natives alone. Rabbits in their present numbers,
may be considered to be an additive effect to native vertebrate herbivore grazing as
recovery is slower under combined grazing (rabbits and native vertebrate herbivores)
than under rabbit grazing alone. Rabbit grazing substantially affects the flowering
success of some tall herb species. It is estimated that most of the Eastern Central Plateau will regenerate naturally within
50-80 years. Tall herbs are more prevalent where bare ground is less than 20%, but are
not the dominant lifeform in areas that are grazed. Tall herbs may dominate in naturally
ungrazed environments (islands) but only where physical disturbance of the ground has
occurred.


Converging evidence demonstrates that physical activity evokes a brain state characterized by distinctive changes in brain metabolism and cortical function. Human studies have shown that physical activity leads to a generalized increase in electroencephalography power across regions and frequencies, and a global increase in brain nonoxidative metabolism of carbohydrate substrates. This nonoxidative consumption of carbohydrate has been hypothesized to include increased de novo synthesis of amino acid neurotransmitters, especially glutamate and GABA. Here, we conducted a series of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies in human volunteers before and after vigorous exercise (≥80% of predicted maximal heart rate). Results showed that the resonance signals of both glutamate and GABA increased significantly in the visual cortex following exercise. We further demonstrated a similar increase in glutamate following exercise in an executive region, the anterior cingulate cortex. The increase in glutamate was similar when using echo times of 30 and 144 ms, indicating that exercise-related T2 relaxation effects across this range of relaxation times did not account for the findings. In addition, we found preliminary evidence that more physical activity during the preceding week predicts higher resting glutamate levels. Overall, the results are consistent with an exercise-induced expansion of the cortical pools of glutamate and GABA, and add to a growing understanding of the distinctive brain state associated with physical activity. A more complete understanding of this brain state may reveal important insights into mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of physical exercise in neuropsychiatric disorders, neurorehabilitation, aging, and cognition. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Increasing evidence suggests that distinctly different brain states are associated with sedentary behavior compared with physically active behavior. Metabolic studies show that the nonoxidative consumption of carbohydrates by the brain increases greatly during vigorous activity. Prior studies have suggested that one component of this metabolic shift may involve increasing the reserves of neurotransmitters in the brain via de novo synthesis from carbohydrate substrates. The current study reports the results of three experiments that support this hypothesis by showing increased cortical content of glutamate and GABA following physical activity. Understanding how brain metabolism and function differ during sedentary versus active behavioral states may provide important insights into the neurotherapeutic potential of exercise.


For five types of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) – automatic cruise control (ACC) with forward collision warning (FCW) and automatic emergency brake (AEB), pedestrian/cyclist warning with AEB, lane departure warning (LDW), intelligent speed adaptation (ISA) and alcohol/drug ignition interlock – scenarios were developed describing the uptake of these systems until 2035. The scenarios are based on the results of a Delphi study among 41 vehicle safety experts from Nordic countries. It is estimated that the number of killed or seriously injured (KSI) in Norway can be reduced by up to 9% during the next 20 years in the most likely scenario and by up to 16% in the most optimistic scenario. In the long run, the effects could be improved most by increasing the uptake of the most restrictive systems, having the largest effects and the lowest predicted uptake. In the short run, the effects could also be increased by accelerating the increased uptake of informative ISA, ACC with FCW and AEB, and LDW.


Drawing on the theory of dialogism and the literature on children's culture and cultural resistance, this article investigates the contextual and textual features of the cultural making of a group of children in sociodramatic play in a Hong Kong kindergarten. Different from other, similar studies, this study reports that under the gaze of the teacher, children's play is largely practised as a reproduction of the teacher's cultural texts. Children's culture or resistance only arises as a bricolage of various cultural texts in which the cultural texts of the teacher and the children are intertwined, dissonant and hybridized. Two major modes of bricolage are identified. They are hybridization and invalidation. This result suggests that the teacher's strategies and authoritarian discourse are suppressive of the children's culture, aiming largely to shape the way and process of their cultural making. Nonetheless, from the evidence in this study, it is believed that bricoleur is a creative act as it involves tactful and creative appropriation, orchestration and transformation of all sorts of cultural texts which are at hand. The pretend play corner is consequently reframed and recreated as a heteroglot playing space of the children's own.


John E. Ferneley Sr. Ferneley painted numerous portraits of hunters and racehorses, and several hunt scurries.[published note Christie's:] James Smith Barry (1797-1861) was the second son of James Hugh Smith-Barry. His father was a celebrated collector who inherited considerable estates, including Belmont and Marbury Hall in Cheshire and Fota in County Cork. James Smith-Barry hunted extensively in Leicestershire. The name Smith-Barry appears in Ferneley's Irish accounts for 1812. It appears...Smith-Barry was not always a prompt payer.


The printing of solder pastes through very small stencil apertures required for flip-chip pitch sizes, is expected to result in increased stencil clogging and incomplete transfer of paste to the printed circuit board pads. The paste printing process depends on conditions such as good paste roll, complete aperture filling and paste withdrawal.

The paste rheology is important in the printing process because the viscosity of the paste must be low enough for the squeegee to force the paste through the stencil apertures, but high enough to recover to its required shape and not flow beyond its stencilled area. Rheological measurements can be used as a tool to study the deformation or flow experienced by the pastes during the stencil printing process. In

addition, the rheological measurements can also be used as a quality control tool in the paste production process for identifying batch to batch variation; and to reduce the associated printing defects in the paste printing process.

The work reported here on the rheological characterisation of novel pastes used in Microsystems assembly applications is divided into four main parts. The first part concerns the study of the effect of wall slip on paste viscosity measurement. For this study, a novel technique was developed for flow visualisation experiments using video observation to characterise the pastes wall slip behaviour. The second part of the study concerns an investigation of the visco-elastic behaviour of the pastes, and the main focus of the work was to determine the linear visco-elastic region using oscillatory shear stress experiments. The third part of the work deals with the study of the thixotropic behaviour of pastes using both hysteresis loop and constant shear rate tests. The final part of the study concerns the printing trial of three different paste formulations (XP22, Tamura and Polysolder) paste using a UV-LIGA manufactured stencil recently developed at Heriot-Watt University.

 The work is part of EPSRC funded research project on Microsystems Assembly Technology for the 21st Century under grant GR/R09206/02, and was carried out in collaboration with five industrial collaborators and two other academic partners. The Individual Grant Review (IGR) for the MAT21 project was assessed as internationally leading' by the EPSRC committee. The extensive set of results from the experimental programme, in particular, on the aspect of key paste performance indicators has been adapted by one of the industrial partners (a paste manufacturer) for implementation as part of a quality assurance (QA) tool in their production plants in various part of the world, and the results have also been disseminated widely through journal publications and presentation at international conference.


The European Competition Network was launched in May 2004 in order to ensure a more coherent and effective network of competition authorities to enforce the Treaty and to ensure a more level playing field to enterprises operating throughout the Single Market. After five years of enforcement the network proved to be an important instrument for exchange of information among national competition authorities in the EU and the Commission and ensured a certain level of coherence in the competition decisions. However, omissions and weak enforcement at national level have not been addressed, the integration of the courts in the network has proven quite difficult and large differences in the level of enforcement across countries are far from ensuring an acceptable level playing field. Outside of Regulation 1/2003, problems also remain, e.g., in the harmonization of merger control and in private enforcement. Some proposals for incremental reforms and strengthening the network are made.


A Field survey of the possible host plants of Catantops spissus spissus was made at the Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR), Benin City. Out of 53 weed species recorded from field 13 and 14, only Eupatorium odoratum Linn. showed any significant relationship (r = 0.3271 at 5%) with the occurrence of the insect. There was a negative correlation between weed diversity and insect population. The coefficients of variation in types and density of weed species were very large being 244.80% for field 13 and 224.63% for field 14, and indicate a wide range in the population of weeds from plot to plot. However, the population of the insect was higher in field 13 with a vegetation height of between 66.8 and 80.0 cm than in field 14 where the vegetation was between 15.4 and 38.0 cm high


Recently, new steps have been taken for the development of operational applications in coastal areas which require very high resolutions both in modeling and remote sensing products. In this context, this work describes a complete monitoring of an oil spill: we discuss the performance of high resolution hydrodynamic models in the area of Gran Canaria and their ability for describing the evolution of a real-time event of a diesel fuel spill, well-documented by port authorities and tracked with very high resolution remote sensing products. Complementary information supplied by different sources enhances the description of the event and supports their validation.


Achieving robust catalysis of the nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) is an ongoing scientific challenge, which needs activation and cleavage of the extremely strong N–N triple bond (bond energy: 940.95 kJ mol−1). The famous Haber–Bosch process requires enormous energy and extreme conditions in the presence of an iron catalyst to achieve the above-mentioned process. Environmentally friendly solar nitrogen fixation at room temperature and atmospheric pressure is an appealing way, but its efficiency is far from satisfactory for industrialization. Herein, we report for the first time on the design and preparation of MXene-derived TiO2@C/g-C3N4 heterojunctions where two-dimensional (2D) planar carbon nanosheet-supported TiO2 is thermally derived from MXene Ti3C2Tx and effectively coupled with in situ formed g-C3N4 nanosheets. Such a structure features abundant surface defects, high electron-donating ability, suitable light harvesting ability, excellent charge transport properties, and strong nitrogen activation ability and is demonstrated to be a robust photocatalyst for the NRR and achieves an NH3 production rate of 250.6 μmol g−1 h−1 under visible light irradiation. This performance compares favorably with those of previously reported photocatalysts for the NRR. The present finding would enrich our knowledge on designing and developing photocatalytically active catalysts for the NRR.


The first mobile phone networks were launched in the UK in 1985. In the 30 years that have elapsed since then, the mobile phone has evolved from an expensive device owned by the few to a mass-market smartphone that is now regarded as an essential part of modern-day life. Behind the scenes, the mobile networks have undergone four major technology evolutions that have transformed their functionality from providing a basic telephone service to offering very high-speed connectivity for data applications. Yet, much of the heritage of this relatively young but transformational mobile technology is poorly documented and in great danger of being completely lost. Each new generation of mobile network replaces and ultimately erases the evidence of its predecessor. Equally, manufacturers are so focused on the release of their next handset that this leaves little scope or motivation for preserving and recording older models. The perception remains that the mobile phone is a new and young technology which is still considered by many to be a recent phenomenon. This results in a very casual attitude to the preservation of cellular mobile communications heritage, hence raising the significant risk that no suitable historical records will be available for future generations. This paper therefore begins to address this deficit by examining, through a UK perspective, two key but highly visible parts of the mobile phone story, namely, the cellular radio site installations that adorn roadsides, rooftops and hillsides and the mobile phones themselves as important historical artefacts.


While the available potential for wireless deployment in factory automation is high, the adoption of wireless is plagued by various concerns surrounding the wireless technology, one of which is lack of interoperability. In the recent past, interoperability was not as major concern as it is currently. People predominantly used to build their own systems or purchased them from a single supplier. Increasing plant automation has spurred the demand for wireless devices and systems for numerous applications like monitoring, alarm and telemetry with a large number of suppliers offering these systems or solutions. They are often customized on proprietary protocols but not based on a common standard or architecture. As a result, these devices offered from multiple suppliers are not often compatible with one another. So even though the options have increased, the end users have become more concerned about the compatibility of the devices.


We study the structure of compact objects that contain non-self annihilating, self-interacting dark matter admixed with ordinary matter made of neutron star and white dwarf materials. We extend the previous work Phys. Rev. D 92 123002 (2015) on these dark compact objects by analyzing the effect of weak and strongly interacting dark matter with particle masses in the range of 1-500 GeV, so as to set some constraints in the strength of the interaction and the mass of the dark matter particle. We find that the total mass of the compact objects increases with decreasing dark matter particle mass. In the strong interacting case and for dark matter particle masses in the range 1-10 GeV, the total mass of the compact objects largely exceeds the $2M_\odot$ constraint for neutron star masses and the nominal $1M_\odot$for white dwarfs, while for larger dark matter particle masses or in the weakly interacting case the compact objects show masses in agreement or smaller than these constraints, thus hinting at the exclusion of strongly self-interacting dark matter of masses 1-10 GeV in the interior of these compact objects. Moreover, we observe that the smaller the dark matter particle mass, the larger the quantity of dark matter captured is, putting constraints on the dark matter mass trapped in the compact objects so as to fullfill $\simeq 2M_\odot$ observations. Finally, the inhomogeneity of distribution of dark matter in the Galaxy implies a mass dependence of compact objects from the environment which can be used to put constraints on the characteristics of the Galaxy halo DM profile and on particle mass. In view of the these results, we discuss the formation of the dark compact objects in an homogeneous and non-homogeneous dark matter environment.