The Routledge Handbook of Material Culture in Early Modern Europe marks the arrival of early modern material culture studies as a vibrant, fully-established field of multi-disciplinary research.

The volume provides a rounded, accessible collection of work on the nature and significance of materiality in early modern Europe – a term that embraces a vast range of objects as well as addressing a wide variety of human interactions with their physical environments. This stimulating view of materiality is distinctive in asking questions about the whole material world as a context for lived experience, and the book considers material interactions at all social levels.

There are 27 chapters by leading experts as well as 13 feature object studies to highlight specific items that have survived from this period (defined broadly as c.1500–c.1800). These contributions explore the things people acquired, owned, treasured, displayed and discarded, the spaces in which people used and thought about things, the social relationships which cluster around goods – between producers, vendors and consumers of various kinds – and the way knowledge travels around those circuits of connection. The content also engages with wider issues such as the relationship between public and private life, the changing connections between the sacred and the profane, or the effects of gender and social status upon lived experience.

Constructed as an accessible, wide-ranging guide to research practice, the book describes and represents the methods which have been developed within various disciplines for analysing pre-modern material culture. It comprises four sections which open up the approaches of various disciplines to non-specialists: 'Definitions, disciplines, new directions', 'Contexts and categories', 'Object studies' and 'Material culture in action'.

This volume addresses the need for sustained, coherent comment on the state, breadth and potential of this lively new field, including the work of historians, art historians, museum curators, archaeologists, social scientists and literary scholars. It consolidates and communicates recent developments and considers how we might take forward a multi-disciplinary research agenda for the study of material culture in periods before the mass production of goods.


The organising principles behind adaptive collective formations in animals are not well understood. Here we document that persistent vertical hourglass formations occur during the critical spawning period in huge shoals of the herring Clupea harengus spawning demersally. We compared individual maturity stage between the upper and lower components of the formations and found the proportion of spawners to pre- and post-spawners to be significantly higher in the lower than in the upper components. Our results provide empirical support for the hypothesis that these formations are a collective output of individual risk assessment in a compromise between survival and reproduction, where non-spawners minimise the time spent in the demersal zone, where density of gadoid preda- tors was found to be highest. Conflicting individual motivation may thus be an organising principle behind mass formations in fish shoals.


This article presents a model of ABC analysis tailored for internet shops. The standard set of criteria is expanded to cover e-commerce specific characteristics, such as the number of product views, search engine rankings and product links via a recommendation system..The proposed new methodology is applied to real data from an internet bookstore in Poland. A comparison with the results of a standard, not internet-oriented ABC analysis shows the advantage of using the new set of criteria.


"A step away from complacent knowing" argues that the humanities have long been understood as enhancing civic life and human intellectual and moral development. At moments when democratic societies seem at risk, however, such as the birth of the new US Republic, the aftermath of World War II, and in the face of an anemic twenty-first-century American democracy, the humanities have been deployed with special urgency to cultivate democratic values and practices. The 2012 report, A Crucible Moment: College Learning and Democracy's Future, underscores how central the humanities are in such a stratified, diverse, and globally linked world. The report both cited and launched a vibrant creativity within the academy. Civically enriched, student-centered humanities designs illuminate a path for reinvigorating democracy while also rejuvenating the humanities themselves.


While the need to strengthen disaster and climate change resilience is a core pillar of the different global frameworks that together make the Post-2015 Agendas, the coherent implementation and progress monitoring of resilience goals across the Agendas' main frameworks remains a challenge for policy and practice. A more coherent implementation is therefore increasingly being promoted across the Sendai Framework of Disaster Risk Reduction, the Paris Agreement's Adaptation Goal, the Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda. However, little is known about the actual types and magnitudes of the costs of incoherence – or the potential benefits that some degree of incoherence might provide. To contribute to closing this knowledge gap, a study was carried out to assess the costs and the benefits of (not) implementing the different frameworks in a coherent way, with a specific focus on disaster risk reduction. The study draws on a comprehensive literature review followed by an in-depth empirical analysis of two case studies: Mexico and the Philippines. The results of this study show that incoherence implies different types of costs, many of which are not typically on the agenda of policymakers. They also challenge the implicit notion that there are only upsides to policy coherence and downsides to incoherence. The interviews and focus group discussions with public servants in the two case study countries yield a rich typology of costs but also benefits of both coherence and incoherence – a typology more nuanced than what can be found in relevant literature thus far. The study shows that transitioning to increased vertical and horizontal coherence among the Post-2015 Agendas cannot overlook some of the underlying drivers of incoherence. These drivers act as hindrances to the achievement of coherent policy planning, implementation and reporting. Moreover, as they are ingrained in the political and organizational culture, they may lead to a lack of awareness regarding the importance of coherence, reducing efforts and commitments to pursue it. The document provides key insights from comparing the literature review with the case studies, and outlines ways forward that emerge from the country cases themselves, but that may be applicable beyond the specificities of these. The conclusions and outlook provide critical reflection on realistic approaches to policy coherence given competing incentives and motivations and open up the debate to further advance this topic by identifying some existing policy and research gaps.


Most people spend more time planning a vacation than they do planning for their life. Now, it is the best time to take action and create your successful future to be full of health, wealth, and happiness. This book contains the subject knowledge "WHAT?", its importance "WHY?", and the "HOW?" to apply knowledge to get the desired successful results. In order to set your goals, master them, get the blueprint goals to achieve them, this book contains: commitment for success, gratitude, wins and blessing, changes and challenges, fire your fear, beliefs and habits, comfort zone, law of attraction, know yourself, purpose, beat procrastination, vision board, motivation, meditation, creative visualization and affirmation. It is a marvelous and concise guide for you and everyone to create the prosperous life of your dreams. It is very rich with practical step-by-step tools that will guide you through well designed process to achieve your goals. It will help you in focusing on what you want and controlling your mind to win the game of life and have anything you aspire to.


The second edition of Microbiology of Waterborne Diseases describes the diseases associated with water, their causative agents and the ways in which they gain access to water systems. The book is divided into sections covering bacteria, protozoa, and viruses. Other sections detail methods for detecting and identifying waterborne microorganisms, and the ways in which they are removed from water, including chlorine, ozone, and ultraviolet disinfection. The second edition of this handbook has been updated with information on biofilms and antimicrobial resistance. The impact of global warming and climate change phenomena on waterborne illnesses are also discussed. This book serves as an indispensable reference for public health microbiologists, water utility scientists, research water pollution microbiologists environmental health officers, consultants in communicable disease control and microbial water pollution students. It focuses on the microorganisms of most significance to public health, including E. coli, cryptosporidium, and enterovirus. It highlights the basic microbiology, clinical features, survival in the environment, and gives a risk assessment for each pathogen. It contains new material on antimicrobial resistance and biofilms. It covers drinking water and both marine and freshwater recreational bathing waters.


For decades, policymakers have been privatizing government responsibilities for the customary, and ostensibly exclusive, objective of providing the public with the same goods and services more efficiently. It is becoming increasingly apparent that these policymakers are also doing something different: they are using that purportedly technocratic process to substantively alter the very policies they are supposed to be neutrally administering. And, it is working: these privatization "workarounds" can directly change the content of public education, health, and social welfare programs, the outcome of regulatory enforcement and rulemaking proceedings, and the trajectory of police and national security operations. Workarounds provide outsourcing agencies with the means of accomplishing distinct policy goals that – but for the pretext of technocratic privatization – would either be legally unattainable or much more difficult to realize. In short, they are executive aggrandizing. They enable Presidents, governors, and mayors to exercise greater unilateral policy discretion – at the expense of legislators, courts, successor administrations, and the people. Although lively privatization debates abound in the academy and inside the Beltway, both communities have given insufficient attention to this transformative and potentially transgressive practice. This Article, which received the American Constitution Society's 2010 Richard D. Cudahy Writing Competition on Regulatory and Administrative Law Award, tackles workarounds head-on. Specifically, this Article locates the structural process failures in government contracting that enable workarounds; develops an overarching conceptual framework and typology of workarounds; and prescribes a protocol for analytical and regulatory intervention.


Introduction A wealth of evidence supports short-term efficacy of lifestyle interventions in type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, little is known about long-term effects of lifestyle interventions in real-life settings. Methods This observational, single-arm study evaluated long-term impact of 'Voeding Leeft: Reverse-Diabetes2-Now', a 6-month multicomponent lifestyle programme, on glycaemic control and glucose-lowering medication (GLmed) use, other T2D parameters and quality of life in 438 T2D participants at 6, 12, 18 and 24 months using paired sample t-tests, χ2 and generalised linear models. Results At 24 months, 234 participants provided information on GLmed and HbA1c ('responders'). 67% of the responders used less GLmed, and 28% ceased all GLmed. Notably, 71% of insulin users at baseline (n=47 of 66 insulin users) were off insulin at 24 months. Mean HbA1c levels were similar at 24 months compared with baseline (55.6±12.8 vs. 56.3±10.5 mmol/mol, p=0.43), but more responders had HbA1c levels ≤53 mmol/mol at 24 months (53% vs 45% at baseline). Furthermore, triglyceride levels (−0.34±1.02 mmol/L, p=0.004), body weight (−7.0±6.8 kg, p<0.001), waist circumference (−7.9±8.2 cm, p<0.001), body mass index (−2.4±2.3 kg/m2, p<0.001) and total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio (−0.22±1.24, p=0.044) were lower, while HDL (+0.17 ± 0.53 mmol/L, p<0.001) and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels (+0.18 ± 1.06 mmol/L, p=0.040) were slightly higher. No differences were observed in fasting glucose or total cholesterol levels. Quality of life and self-reported health significantly improved. Conclusion This study indicates robust, durable real-life benefits of this lifestyle group programme after up to 24 months of follow-up, particularly in terms of medication use, body weight and quality of life in T2D patients.


This paper demonstrates the potential of generalized two-dimensional (2D) Fourier transform (FT) infrared (IR) and near-infrared (NIR) correlation spectroscopy in the studies of temperature-dependent spectral variations of self-associated molecules. Three examples of the 2D correlation analysis are discussed in this paper. The first two are concerned with the temperature-dependent IR and NIR spectral changes of N-methylacetamide (NMA) in the pure liquid state. The 2D IR correlation approach revealed that almost all the peaks of NMA in the 3400–1100-cm−1 region consist of two to four separate bands. For example, the amide I band contains contributions from at least four distinct bands at 1685, 1665, 1650, and 1635 cm−1. The analysis of the asynchronous 2D IR spectrum in the amide I region showed that the sequence of spectral intensity change in the ascending order of temperature was given by 1635<1650<1665<1685 cm−1. These bands at 1635, 1650, 1665, and 1685 cm−1 were assigned to the amide I modes of chain oligomers of various sizes and dimer of NMA; the longer the chain, the lower the frequency. The closeup view of 2D NIR correlation spectra of NMA obtained at narrow spectral and temperature windows enabled us to propose not only band assignments in the 6800–6050-cm−1 region but also a detailed mechanistic picture of the thermally induced dissociation of NMA for each temperature range. We also applied the generalized 2D correlation approach to the analysis of a set of FT NIR spectra of oleyl alcohol under temperature variations. The 2D NIR analysis enhanced the spectral resolution and simplified the spectra with overlapped bands. For example, it was found that a band at 7090 cm−1 arising from the first overtone of an OH stretching mode of the monomeric alcohol consists of two bands due to the rotational isomerism of the free OH group. An intriguing possibility of correlating various overtone and fundamental bands to establish unambiguous assignments was also suggested from the 2D NIR study on oleyl alcohol.


The location of harbors is dependent on many factors, which vary widely in different parts of the country. For example, along the Atlantic coast are many natural waterways. The improvement of these waterways, especially for small craft, is comparatively inexpensive and harbors are constructed at frequent intervals. However, along the coast of southern California, natural facilities are almost nonexistent. Consequently, improvements are farther apart and correspondingly larger. The cost per boat accommodated remains about the same. In general, this discussion is based on conditions along the coast of California, particularly southern California. The purpose of this paper is to show how the costs, functions, types, sizes, and physical features of harbors and the effect of harbors on adjacent shore lines and underground basins are related to the selection of a proposed harbor site. Typical examples, with brief discussions of the principal factors involved in the selection of harbor Sites, are given later in this paper.


The assumed LXX Vorlage of the explicit quotations in Hebrews remains unresolved to date - despite the fact that it is an important pre-requisite before one can attempt to investigate the function of these quotations within their NT context. The selection, origin and version of the explicit quotations are greatly neglected aspects in previous studies. This quest attempts to address these matters from a tradition historical and a text critical angle. It follows the ground plan of Hebrews' own presentation of two sets of quotations that are listed in pairs: the first consisting mainly of hymnic texts and the second consisting of quotations from the Torah that are alternated with quotations from the Psalms and the Prophets. The investigation considers each quotation in the light of possible alternative Vorlage(n) to those of the printed versions and interacts with previously proposed hypotheses, such as the Testimony Book, liturgy, homily, and midrash hypotheses. It became clear that, although Hebrews might have known a large number of quotations from the early Jewish and early Christian traditions, he also expanded on some and added some longer quotations. The author himself was responsible for the majority of the combinations of the quotations, although there are traces of the existence of exegetical traditions that combined particular passages prior to his time. The use of Psalms, Odes, hymnic reworkings and compositions of his quoted texts all testify to an interesting inclination towards hymnic tendencies. The study concludes that so-called differences between Hebrews and the LXX could be explained in the light of an alternative Vorlage where the readings of the quotations seem to be closer to an Egyptian text tradition, but also to the author's own creative hand.


The Chicxulub structure on Yucatan is now commonly believed to have been formed by the Cretaceous/Tertiary (K/T) boundary bolide impact that caused the catastrophic extinction of organisms from dinosaurs to microplankton. However, the mass extinction began well before the K/T boundary and the kill-effect that may be directly attributed to a K/T impact is relatively small (only planktonic foraminifera and nannoplankton affected), highly selective (only tropical-subtropical species extinct) and restricted to low latitudes. Moreover, key evidence cited in support of Chicxulub as K/T impact crater is still controversial (e.g., impact origin of glass), or contradictory : the so-called "impact-generated megatsunami deposits" in northeastern Mexico contain burrowing horizons that indicate deposition occurred over an extended period of time. This database suggests a multi-event scenario that includes a pre-K/T event (impact or volcanism) that formed the spherule deposits in northeastern Mexico and a K/T event (Ir anomaly, mass extinction) with both events coinciding with climatic and sea level fluctuations during the last 200-300 kyr of the Maastrichtian.


In an article published in 2006, Jahan Ramazani makes a valid point - and a point made less often in mainstream critical circles in USA and UK than in those of postcolonial criticism - about the dominance of "single-nation genealogies" in studies of Modem and contemporary poetry in English.* 1 Strangely, the case of Indian English poetry can be seen differently: Indian poetry in English has been far too readily and uncritically inserted into the moulds of transnationalism. Perhaps this was inevitable, given its name. After all, while critics talk mostly of English, American, Irish, Scottish, Canadian or, even, Jamaican poetry, we talk of Indian English (or, earlier, Anglo-Indian and IndoAnglian) poetry. Its very name inserts Indian poetry in English into transnational networks, and while this insertion is correct and necessary to a point, it can also be misleading and unfair to the distinctive character of Indian poetry in English if taken too far.This insertion starts quite early on. After all, as V.K. Gokak famously remarked: "Indo-Anglian poetry was bom under a Romantic star."2 One has to agree with this perception to a certain degree, for, at least, historically, when the first significant Indian English poet (Derozio) started writing, major British Romantics, like Lord Byron and William Wordsworth, were still alive. The Romantic star obviously twinkled in the West, and cast its light on Indian poetry in English. But, it did not twinkle in the same way as in the West - far from it. Let us cast a look at an early poem "The Harp of India" by Henry Derozio (1809-1831).3Derozio starts his sonnet by addressing, with a degree of apotheosis, "the harp of India":Why hang'st thou lonely on yon withered bough?Unstrung for ever, must thou there remain;Thy music once was sweet - who hears it now?Why doth the breeze sigh over thee in vain?Forget about the Romantic diction of the poem: it would be as anachronistic to blame Derozio for it as it would be to rap the ghost of Lord Byron, who was alive when Derozio started writing, on the knuckle, for poems like "The Giaour" and "The Corsair". What is interesting is the fact that Derozio laments the silencing of the "harp" of India. This lament fits into a growing Orientalist tendency in the nineteenth century to posit a glorious ancient past for India, and contrast it to the degraded present. This was in keeping with nineteenth-century theories of civilization and degeneration and, later, social evolution, and it could cut both ways: it could be used to defend British colonizers (as restorers of India's ancient vigour) and it could be used to critique British colonization4.As such, if Derozio's sonnet, written in English, is a fragment of the new culture of colonized India, it is also - despite being written in English - a critique of present circumstances and, hence, at least potentially a critique of colonization. This aspect is under-girded by the imagery of the second stanza, where the "harp" of India is presented as having been bound by "Silence" in "her fatal chain", portrayed as "neglected" and compared, perhaps with echoes of Shelley's "Ozymandias"5, with a "ruined monument on desert plain". If the "ruined monument" is a partly Orientalist construct of the Indian past, the "desert" plain is a potentially nationalist critique of colonization.The sonnet proceeds. The poet humbly acknowledges his inferiority to the great poets of the past ("many a hand more worthy far than mine"), notes that "those hands are cold", and concludes:... but if thy notes divineMay be by mortal wakened once again,Harp of my country, let me strike the strain!Note again: "harp of my country", not harp of, say, the Muses. In the eighteenth century, the Black Caribbean poet, Francis Williams, wrote a Latin ode to welcome a new British Governor. In itself, an act of colonial mimicry, the ode however assumed a radical, independent perspective - the voice of the subaltern - not only in its direct critique of colour-based racism but also in the fact that it was addressed to a "black Muse". …


Several recent studies have published well-developed practices of co-creation, design facilitation, and stakeholder convening for advanced design collaboration. There may be many systemic design methodologies that prove effective in their consultative or engagement settings. Yet in any design process requiring consensus in participant decisionmaking, non-parametric design contexts I refer to as Design 3.0 and 4.0 (Van Patter and Jones, 2013), we face a practical and systemic problem with stakeholder representation. Unlike product or service design (Design 2.0) we cannot merely sample from a user base to inform design decisions targeting future product releases.

In Design 3.0 and 4.0, the "users" are the system. Real stakeholders are not merely representatives of a social system in which they hold membership, they are committed co-producers of the existence of the system of concern. As in a wicked problem, each selection of stakeholder matters, and they co-create a framing and context that remains path-dependent, that cannot be undone. Vision, context and direction setting are extremely sensitive to initial conditions, and – especially when performed well – may create a lock-in effect with confirmation of beliefs among actors that their choices represent desirable preferences for future system participants.

In systemic design we face the wicked problem dynamic of a changing problem frame with each selection of participants. We can see shifts between each stage of a progressive design process, sustaining an essentially artificial co-creation engagement. These methodologies initiate design co-creation from visioning and problem framing, through system concept formulation, and toward consensus on collective action. All of these activities require stakeholder insight and validation, and much less design guidance and content (as necessary in D2.0 product/service contexts).

Any design process may be irrelevant if stakeholder selection fails to represent the requisite exogenous variety in their social system AND fails to enroll authentic commitment from those selected stakeholders. Because design disciplines are predicated on a tradition of creative problem solving, these functions are often underdeveloped. We do not select and enroll sufficiently well enough to guarantee an effective result.

Western culture now exists in what we might call a late-modernist knowledge society, and we have centred users and stakeholders as the source of knowledge and validation. Human-centering is itself presented as evidence of ethical practice, or at least, a necessary sensitivity to multivocalism in design process. However, the situated placement of (usually) self-selecting participants as representative "voices of the system" can slip into an efficient, unreflective process that escapes responsibility of future consequences of design decisions. We clearly would not decide a consensus for real social system participants. Yet how are we disclosing ourselves as lifeworld-sensitive designers, when we, perhaps even worse, decide who will be the system participants?

Design problematics in the many domains we now touch involve social complexity and the complex multiplicity of stakeholders. If we recognize that stakeholder co-creation is a context for design facilitation, we bring forth skills for different roles than product or service designers. We (systemic designers) are neither authentically domain experts or visionaries in the highly complex fields in which we serve, such as urban planning, healthcare, education, ecological community design, even AI and technology. The search for an authentic commitment, our stake in the game, must be negotiated in our experience and contributions to domains in which design is demonstrated through care, not just performance.

The proposal presents an iterative stakeholder sampling process developed for Dialogic Design (Christakis & Bausch, 2006) and other foresight methodologies, where the undersampling of variety leads to insufficient knowledge and gaps within critical areas of social representation. Based on two design action research cases performed with a large US research lab and Canadian foresight studies, we advance a sampling model that integrates four dimensions:

• Worldview perspectives, based on Latour's (2013) Modes of Existence ontological typology as a social theory of orthogonal perspectives,
• Diversity and demographic characteristics (including temporal preference),
• Foresight temporality and trend categories, and
• The SDD reference stakeholder model (Christakis and Bausch, 2006).

A model for Requisite Stakeholder Variety enables robust sampling for ontological representation, variety, biases and diversity of knowledge, and exogenous representation commitment (e.g. skin in the game, Taleb & Sandis, 2015). A canonical stakeholder selection model maps selected foresight categories (e.g., STEEP) to worldview ontological domains, and further diversifies by variety attributes including age, culture, gender, and proposed horizon preference. This mapping identifies significant relationships of knowledge and trends across domains and disciplines. At minimum the stakeholder sampling model provides a checklist that exposes possible risks and blind spots in the available composition of stakeholders or experts. The model further provides a schema for identifying values conflicts between worldviews and other attributes associated with known stakeholder interests (such as strategic preferences that planners wish to include).

The requisite stakeholder variety model for stakeholder discovery was designed to address the necessary variety in high-stakes foresight for long-term R&D strategies and as a reference model for anticipatory policy research. We have proposed an approach called evolutionary sampling, that iteratively samples stakeholders from across sets of covarying dimensions identified within the social system being designed. This method also effectively enables planners and sponsors to reveal biases and risks and to trade-off potential leaders, dominant voices, and under-represented minority views within the social system of concern.


On Valentine's Day 2013, a mother and her two daughters walked into a Barnes & Noble bookstore and put sticky notes strategically on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue featuring Kate Upton in a skimpy bikini. Current trespass law at times emphasizes that a mere physical intrusion suffices. Under that "right to exclude" approach, Barnes & Noble could easily prove that a trespass had occurred. At other times, however, trespass law focuses on the "right to use," and instead seeks to determine whether any given intrusion interferes with the present beneficial use of the landowner's premises. Using economic efficiency analysis, this article suggests that the right to exclude approach leads to fewer transaction costs and therefore is the economically efficient - and therefore preferable - legal rule.


Blue Economy initiatives have proliferated in recent years, reflecting the growing prioritisation of maritime affairs within the policymaking community. Sustainability concerns related to climate change, pollution and fishing practices are an important component of this engagement, but there is equally an emphasis on the economic potential that improved ocean governance offers through, for example, shipping, offshore oil and gas, tourism and fisheries. Maritime security is also a prerequisite for the flourishing of this economy. Despite the adoption of a range of Blue Economy strategies and initiatives, implementing a coherent and integrated approach to the Blue Economy presents numerous challenges. Key among these is the fact that it covers a diverse range of sectors and issues, many of which are engaged with sector-specific programmes or strategies. As Blue Economy initiatives increase there is a risk that efforts will be duplicated and inefficiencies will creep into co-operation efforts. In this regard, the networking, Aligning Africa's Maritime Ambitions with Broader Indian Ocean Regionalism


The line tension Γ ?> of a dislocation is an important and fundamental property ubiquitous to continuum scale models of metal plasticity. However, the precise value of Γ ?> in a given material has proven difficult to assess, with literature values encompassing a wide range. Here results from a multiscale simulation and robust analysis of the dislocation line tension, for dislocation bow-out between pinning points, are presented for two widely-used interatomic potentials for Al. A central part of the analysis involves an effective Peierls stress applicable to curved dislocation structures that markedly differs from that of perfectly straight dislocations but is required to describe the bow-out both in loading and unloading. The line tensions for the two interatomic potentials are similar and provide robust numerical values for Al. Most importantly, the atomic results show notable differences with singular anisotropic elastic dislocation theory in that (i) the coefficient of the ln(L) ?> scaling with dislocation length L differs and (ii) the ratio of screw to edge line tension is smaller than predicted by anisotropic elasticity. These differences are attributed to local dislocation core interactions that remain beyond the scope of elasticity theory. The many differing literature values for Γ ?> are attributed to various approximations and inaccuracies in previous approaches. The results here indicate that continuum line dislocation models, based on elasticity theory and various core-cut-off assumptions, may be fundamentally unable to reproduce full atomistic results, thus hampering the detailed predictive ability of such continuum models.


The reality of protected area management is that enforcing forest and park boundaries is costly and so most likely incomplete, due in part to the pressures exerted on the boundaries by local people who often have traditionally relied on the park resources. Buffer zones are increasingly being proposed and implemented to protect both forest resources and livelihoods. Developing a spatially-explicit optimal enforcement model, this paper demonstrates that there is a trade-off between the amount spent on enforcement, the size of a formal buffer zone, and the extent to which a forest can be protected from illegal extraction. Indeed, given the reality of limited enforcement budgets, a forest manager with a mandate to protect a whole forest may in fact end up doing a worse job than one who is able to incorporate an appropriately sized buffer zone into their management plans that, combined with more effective enforcement of a smaller exclusion zone, provide the appropriate incentives for villagers to extract only in the periphery of the forest, rather than venture further into the forest. Themes: Renewable Resources: Forestry; Spatial Issues


This is a 65-year-old patient diagnosed in January 2018 of an epidermoid bladder carcinoma with bone involvement (extensive) with pain secondary to lumbar involvement, which starts treatment with antialgic radiotherapy followed by chemotherapy (Cisplatin+Gemcitabine) with palliative aim. However, after the first cycle of chemotherapy, his general state deteriorated, with hallucinations and somnolence, which is why his Primary Care Physician attributes the dose of morphine (110 mg/12 hours) and pregabalin that had been prescribed by intense pain. Descends dose up to 70 mg and suspends pregabalin but continues with drowsiness, so he goes to the Emergency Department. Analytical is performed showing Creatinine of 2.5 mg/dL (0.4-1.2), Potasium 7.2 mmol/L (3.5-5.1), Sodium 117 mmol/L (135-145), pH 7.23 (7.32-7.43), Bicarbonate 18 mmHg (22-29). Given that the patient was dehydrated, correction was initiated with fluid therapy (Saline 0.9%) and antihyperkalemia measures (salbutamol, resincalcium) with control in 6 hours that objective improvement of renal function to Creatinine 2.05 mg/dL, Potassium 6 mmol/L, Sodium 119 mmol/L, stable pH in 7.24 and bicarbonate 16 mmHg. Initially, therefore, improvement of renal function was seen but persistence of hyponatremia and metabolic acidosis. Urine ions are requested: urinary sodium 51 mmol/L, urine osmolality 574 mOsm/kg, and plasma osmolarity 210 mOsm/kg, compatible with SIADH. We added tolvaptan 30 mg daily with progressive improvement, so it is suspended after 3 weeks after restarting chemotherapy again.


Author Katrin Vatiska Title of thesis Determinants of buyout fundraising: Credit market conditions as a driver of capital commitments into buyout funds Degree Master of Science in Business Administration Degree programme Finance Thesis advisor(s) Professor Sami Torstila Year of approval 2014 Number of pages 79 Language English Abstract: The purpose of this thesis is to address the lack of understanding of drivers behind capital commitments into buyout (BO) funds. According to my knowledge, this is one of the first studies to solely focus on the drivers of buyout fundraising and moreover the first to show that capital commitments into buyout funds are driven by credit market conditions; when credit market conditions are loose more funds are raised and more money is committed to a particular fund. The purpose of this thesis is to address the lack of understanding of drivers behind capital commitments into buyout (BO) funds. According to my knowledge, this is one of the first studies to solely focus on the drivers of buyout fundraising and moreover the first to show that capital commitments into buyout funds are driven by credit market conditions; when credit market conditions are loose more funds are raised and more money is committed to a particular fund. I obtain a comprehensive sample of European and North American buyout funds from two different sources. Through Thomson VentureXpert (VE), I access the information of 5,420 buyout funds raised during 1980-2011 and from Preqin, I obtain the data of 1,273 buyout funds. VE is widely used among academics and thus a reliable source for an aggregate country and a firm level analysis. Preqin is a fairly new database and employed only by the most recent studies, thus giving access to a fairly new source of data for a fund-level analysis. My results indicate that a 100 basis points decrease in the credit spread leads to a US$47billion aggregate increase in commitments to buyout funds in the following year. The significant increase in the aggregate buyout fundraising volume is due to an increase in the fund size by follow-on funds and higher number of first-time funds being raised. A 100bps decrease in the credit spread increases the number of first-time buyout funds by 12 1 in the following year and the size of a follow-on fund raised by an established private equity (PE) firm increases by 17%, when the credit spread decreases by 100bps. Also, the probability of a PE firm raising a follow-on fund is affected by the prevailing credit market conditions. A decrease of 100bps in the credit spread increases the probability of raising a fund by 5% across the industry; however, when controlling for the performance of a previous fund for an established GP, the probability diminishes to 1.3%. Finally, I end my study by comparing the performance characteristics of buyout funds to the existing literature on venture capital funds. I conclude that even though macro-economic drivers behind capital commitments into buyout funds differ from venture capital funds, the micro-level drivers of fund performance are the same. Across the industry larger funds earn lower returns, however a particular GP earns larger returns with larger funds; but the effect diminishes away at a very large fund size.


The present work shows a new one-stage mechanochemical method for the direct synthesis of alkoxysilanes by silicon mechanoactivation followed by a reaction with an alcohol. Alkoxysilanes were obtained with nearly complete silicon and alcohol conversion. This method allows for a considerable simplification of the traditional multistage process by eliminating three stages that include silicon and catalyst preparation, and adapts it to green chemistry requirements. Vibration milling removed the oxide film, and the mechanoactivation of the large silicon fraction (1000–2000 μm) occurs in the reactor working space. Abrasion of the reactor walls and grinding bodies made of brass results in a developed catalytic surface on silicon, as it has been proven by a set of physical analytical methods such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).


[1] Drought occurrence is analyzed over global land areas for 1950-2000 using soil moisture data from a simulation of the terrestrial water cycle with the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) land surface model, which is forced by an observation based meteorological data set. A monthly drought index based on percentile soil moisture values relative to the 50-year climatology is analyzed in terms of duration, intensity and severity at global and regional scales. Short-term droughts (<= 6 months) are prevalent in the Tropics and midlatitudes, where inter-annual climate variability is highest. Medium term droughts (7–12 months) are more frequent in mid- to high-latitudes. Long term (12+ months) droughts are generally restricted to sub-Saharan Africa and higher northern latitudes. The Sahel region stands out for having experienced long-term and severe drought conditions. Severe regional drought events are systematically identified in terms of spatial coverage, based on different thresholds of duration and intensity. For example, in northern Europe, 1996 and 1975 were the years of most extensive 3- and 12-month duration drought, respectively. In northern Asia, severe drought events are characterized by persistent soil moisture anomalies over the wintertime. The drought index identifies several well-known events, including the 1988 US, 1982/83 Australian, 1983/4 Sahel and 1965/66 Indian droughts which are generally ranked as the severest and most spatially extensive in the record. Comparison with the PDSI shows general agreement at global scales and for these major events but they diverge considerably in cooler regions and seasons, and especially in latter years when the PDSI shows a larger drying trend.


We investigate the low-dimensional structure of deterministic transformations between random variables, i.e., transport maps between probability measures. In the context of statistics and machine learning, these transformations can be used to couple a tractable "reference" measure (e.g., a standard Gaussian) with a target measure of interest. Direct simulation from the desired measure can then be achieved by pushing forward reference samples through the map. Yet characterizing such a map---e.g., representing and evaluating it---grows challenging in high dimensions. The central contribution of this paper is to establish a link between the Markov properties of the target measure and the existence of low-dimensional couplings, induced by transport maps that are sparse and/or decomposable. Our analysis not only facilitates the construction of transformations in high-dimensional settings, but also suggests new inference methodologies for continuous non-Gaussian graphical models. For instance, in the context of nonlinear state-space models, we describe new variational algorithms for filtering, smoothing, and sequential parameter inference. These algorithms can be understood as the natural generalization---to the non-Gaussian case---of the square-root Rauch-Tung-Striebel Gaussian smoother.


Clidemia hirta (L.) D.Don. (Koster's curse) is a highly invasive, tropical understory shrub that was discovered in north Queensland in 2001. It was an eradication target species at a single location until the discovery of a second infestation in July 2015. The eradication program mostly involved manually uprooting entire plants; however the discovery of the second infestation signalled a need for more control options to accompany changes in managing this weed by a broader range of stakeholders. The second infestation provided sufficient plants to test eight high-volume foliar herbicides at one or two rates. Three of these herbicides were also applied using a low-volume foliar spraying technique, and comparisons were made of the effectiveness, volume and amounts of active ingredients applied using high and low-volume methods. Herbicide damage was assessed one, three and seven months after treatment. High and low-volume rates of treatments containing 600 g L−1 of triclopyr, 333 g L−1 fluroxypyr, and 300 g L−1 triclopyr + 8 g L−1 aminopyralid + 100 g L−1 picloram were effective. Treatments with 600 g kg−1 metsulfuron-methyl, 300 g kg−1 metsulfuron-methyl + 375 g kg−1 of aminopyralid and 140 g L−1 fluroxypyr +10 g L−1 aminopyralid was also effective at both high volume rates tested. Treatment with 625 g L−1 of 2,4-D amine was less effective, and results for treatments with 360 g L−1 of glyphosate were more variable, than the preceding treatments. This trial identified several effective active ingredients to assist in managing a broader C. hirta incursion.


Modern international business has its origins in the overseas trade of the Middle Ages. Of the various communities active in trade in the Islamic countries at that time, records of only the Jewish community survive. Thousands of documents were preserved in the Cairo Geniza, a lumber room attached to the synagogue where discarded writings containing the name of God were deposited to preserve them from desecration. From them Professor Goitein has selected eighty letters that provide a fascinating glimpse into the world of the medieval Jewish traders.

 As the letters vividly illustrate, international trade depended on a network of personal relationships and mutual confidence. Organization was largely through partnerships, based usually on ties of common religion but often reinforced by family connections. Sometimes the partners of Jews were Christians or Muslims, and the letters show these merchants working together in greater harmony than has been thought, even in partnerships that lasted through generations. The services rendered to a friend or partner and those expected from him were great, and the book opens with an angry letter from a merchant who believed he had been let down by his friend.

 The life of a trader was full of dangers, as the letter describing a shipwreck illustrates, and put great strain on personal relationships. One of the most moving letters is that written to his wife by a man absent in India for many years while endeavoring to make the family's fortunes. Although never ceasing to love her and longing to be with her, he offers to divorce her if she feels she can wait for him no longer. A decisive event in the life of the great Jewish philosopher, Moses Maimonides, was the death of his brother David, who drowned in the Indian Ocean. Printed here is the last letter David wrote, describing his safe crossing of the desert and announcing his intention to go on to India, against his brother's instructions.

 Professor Goitein has provided an introduction and notes for each letter, and a general introduction describing the social and spiritual world of the writers, the organization of overseas trade in the Middle Ages, and the goods traded. The letters demonstrate that although it reached from Spain to India, the traders' world was a cohesive one through which these men could move freely and always feel at home.

 Originally published in 1974.

 The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.


T he light microscope has transformed our understanding of biology. In recent times, quantum changes in imaging technologies and labeling techniques revealed a kaleidoscope of events within living cells in real time. Confocal microscopes, green fluorescent protein and its derivatives, image-analysis software, and ever more sophisticated optical technologies promise even more in the months and years to come. Here we have chosen to focus on imaging techniques and technologies at the light-microscopic level for live cell imaging.

Four reviews describe a variety of practical aspects of light microscopy, from Stephens and Allan's advice (p. 82) on the basics of choosing your 'scope, through Lippincott-Schwartz and Patterson's piece (p. 87) on advances in fluorescent protein markers, to Rieder and Khodjakov's overview (p. [91][1]) of imaging mitosis and Weijer's piece (p. [96][2]) on imaging cellular signal transduction. A Viewpoint by Swedlow et al. (p. 100) describes the Open Microscopy Environment, an informatics tool to enable cross-correlation of imaging analyses.

Two Reports in this issue illustrate the power of expression of fluorescent protein markers and live cell imaging. Zicha et al. (p. 142) express two fluorescent actins to monitor actin dynamics at the leading edge of motile cells. Hutson et al. (p. [145][3]; see related Perspective by Martin and Parkhurst, p. 63) look at the movements of whole cell layers during dorsal closure in developing Drosophila.

In the News section, two stories illustrate the power of using moving images to capture cellular behavior. Such techniques are overthrowing conventional wisdom about how embryos develop (see Beckman's piece on p. [76][4]) and intensifying the debate over how adult neurons learn new tricks (see story by Miller on p. [78][5]). Another approach is borrowed from basic physics: using quantum dots to watch a rainbow of labeled molecules as they mingle (see Seydel's piece on p. 80). Researchers working at the macro- and microscales face some of the same data-management challenges (see related News Focus story by Barinaga, p. 43).

Science 's STKE ( ) also has numerous resources related to imaging of cell signaling processes. New in this week's Focus Issue are Perspectives by Bers on highly localized changes in Ca2+ that control contraction of cardiac myocytes and by Ramm and Thomas on the use of image-based approaches for high-throughput screening in drug discovery. A Protocol by Bunnell zooms in on techniques for monitoring dynamic changes in signaling complexes in living T cells.

On Science Online, links to related resources have been gathered to illustrate further the state of the art in biological imaging.

With the advances in labeling and imaging technologies, we have already witnessed remarkable improvements in our ability to monitor and interpret processes in real life and in real time. As advances continue, it is a truism to say "Things can only get better. …"

 [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.1082177
 [2]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.1082830
 [3]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.1079552
 [4]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.300.5616.76
 [5]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.300.5616.78


type="main" xml:id="jage12028-abs-0001"> Multi-functionality and the provision of eco-system services are politically highly prioritised aspects of farming. This study uses a Symmetric Generalised McFadden cost function to analyze the relationship between costs of production and the provision of biodiversity for Swedish milk farms. Biodiversity indicators are based on the number of valuable plant species present at the farm and are modeled as an output in the cost function. The results show that the marginal cost of biodiversity increases with higher provision, and that an increased provision of biodiversity also increases the costs of market commodities such as milk and beef. The upward slope of the marginal cost of biodiversity and its competitive relationship with market goods questions the efficiency of support schemes based on voluntary programmes with a flat-rate per hectare compensation. Instead, the results support targeted environmental policy schemes with zonings and/or the use of biodiversity indicators.


We describe two small and portable TCP/IP implementations fulfilling the subset of RFC1122 requirements needed for full host-to-host interoperability. Our TCP/IP implementations do not sacrifice any of TCP's mechanisms such as urgent data or congestion control. They support IP fragment reassembly and the number of multiple simultaneous connections is limited only by the avaliable RAM. Despite being small and simple, our implementations do not require their peers to have complex, full-size stacks, but can communicate with peers running a similarly light-weight stack. The code size is on the order of 10 kilobytes and RAM usage can be configured to be as low as a few hundred bytes.


Posttraumatic growth, defined as positive psychological changes in the aftermath of adversity and suffering, is a relatively recent focus in psychological research. The addition of this concept to the literature has provided a new, more resiliency-based framework through which to view survivors of various forms of trauma. Despite estimates that over half of all sexual assaults are not reported to the authorities, current crime statistics indicate that 1 in 4 women are sexually assaulted in their lifetime (Campbell & Wasco, 2005). Given the large percentage of the population that is impacted by sexual assault, it is essential that professionals better understand the factors that influence the successful healing and growth that can occur post-trauma. The purpose of this study was to further expand the literature on posttraumatic growth in sexual assault survivors by considering this phenomenon through the lens of attachment theory. Specifically, this study tested a proposed model of the inter-relationships among subjective and objective perceptions of threat during the sexual assault, adult romantic attachment, and posttraumatic growth. It was hypothesized that adult romantic attachment and parent-child attachment would mediate the relationship between subjective, or perceived threat, defined as the victim's perception of life threat, and objective threat, defined as the severity of the sexually aggressive act perpetrated on the victim, and posttraumatic growth. Finally, it was hypothesized that subjective threat appraisal would better predict posttraumatic growth than objective threat appraisal. Contrary to hypotheses, results of the study indicated that adult romantic attachment and parent-child attachment did not mediate the relationship between subjective and objective threat appraisal and posttraumatic growth. Thus, both path analytic models were not viable. However, exploratory analysis indicated that both subjective and objective threat appraisal were directly related to posttraumatic growth, with subjective perceived threat appraisal accounting for more of the variance.


This paper describes ShadowDB, a replicated version of the BerkeleyDB database. ShadowDB is a primary-backup based replication protocol where failure handling, the critical part of the protocol, is taken care of by a synthesized consensus service that is correct by construction. The service has been proven correct semiautomatically by the Nuprl proof assistant. We describe the design and process to prove the consensus protocol correct and present the database replication protocol. The performance of ShadowDB is good in the normal case and recovering from a failure only takes seconds. Our approach offers simplified means to diversify the code in a way that preserves correctness.


As we become only too aware of the damage man has caused to the planet, more of us want to furnish and decorate our homes with products that do not harm the environment. But being sensitive to the environment does not mean you have to sacrifice good design. More and more designers are creating products that are both beautiful and ethical. 1000 New Eco Designs is a showcase of contemporary product design and interior products that are ecologically sound. Informative and visually inspirational, the book acts as a handbook, guiding readers through the complex issues involved in creating and choosing eco friendly designs for the home. A series of icons show each product's "green" credentials; highlighting the use of recycled materials, sustainable materials, carbon neutral, low air miles, so that readers can see at a glance the individual characteristics of each product. The book also provides full information on where to source and buy the work featured.


Clientelism in public employment —the practice of offering jobs in return for political favours to a party or politician—is a problem from the perspectives of equality, democratic accountability and economic efficiency. Focusing on intra-party competition, this book presents an original explanation of why some politicians and parties engage more extensively in such practices than others. Examining Argentina and Turkey in a period of economic restructuring, the author argues that patronage jobs are distributed hierarchically to the politicians' circle within the party. Consequently, the distribution of patronage is affected by competition for party leadership. Analysis of original statistical and case study data at the sub national level confirms that clientelistic practices are influenced by party characteristics. Kemahlioglu's research reveals a surprising and counter-intuitive conclusion; that when party support is crucial to politicians' career progression and the leadership of the party is openly contested the proliferation of clientelism is contained and controlled.


The COLOSS BEEBOOK is a practical manual compiling standard methods in all fields of research on the western honey bee, Apis mellifera. The COLOSS network was founded in 2008 as a consequence of the heavy and frequent losses of managed honey bee colonies experienced in many regions of the world (Neumann and Carreck, 2010). As many of the world's honey bee research teams began to address the problem, it soon became obvious that a lack of standardized research methods was seriously hindering scientists' ability to harmonize and compare the data on colony losses obtained internationally. In its second year of activity, during a COLOSS meeting held in Bern, Switzerland, the idea of a manual of standardized honey bee research methods emerged. The manual, to be called the COLOSS BEEBOOK, was inspired by publications with similar purposes for fruit fly research (Lindsley and Grell, 1968; Ashburner 1989; Roberts, 1998; Greenspan, 2004).


Across the globe, daily economic, social, and political activities increasingly revolve around the use of content on the Internet. This content influences our understandings of, and interactions with, our social environment. Yet it is remarkable how little we know about the broader contexts in which much of that content in created. As such, this chapter sets out to comprehensively uncover: (1) where Internet content is being created; (2) whether the amount of content created in different places is changing over time; and (3) the ways in which landscapes of content are structured and formed. Mapping the geographic diversity and concentration of a broad variety of sources of online content is ultimately crucial to develop more informed strategies to combat digital divides and ultimately benefit those who are left out of flows of information.


Abstract Microwire networks composed of noble metal particles are promising for the use of transparent conductive films. Bottom-up approaches can offer a route to establishing a fabrication technique that is robust and cost-effective, and template-assisted self-assembly techniques are widely used. However, they require additional processes to prepare templates and generally suffer from the difficulty in a large-scale fabrication. A template-free technique thus waits to be developed. In the present study, we explore a template free technique to fabricate colloidal networks of Au nanoparticles. We combine the convective self-assembly method with a liquid-level manipulation scheme in which the suspension is periodically pumped out. By using the technique, we successfully fabricate stripe, grid, and triangle patterns with controlled periodicity and examine the relationship between operation parameters and the resultant structures. We then measure the transparency and conductivity of a grid pattern to demonstrate the property as the transparent conductive film.


Widely accepted theories of consumer behavior suggest that consumers act according to a lifetime budget, spending against future earnings so long as they are predictable. Yet this study finds that many consumers respond to changes in income only when they are realized. Furthermore, adjustment costs lead to deviations in the short run from the Life-Cycle/Permanent-Income path. ; These findings suggest that some temporary economic policies may have a larger impact on consumption than LC/PI theory predicts, since consumers do not or cannot spread out the effects over their lifetime. Conversely, permanent policies may have more sluggish results than the theories predict, as consumers require time to adjust consumption to the new level of lifetime resource


This document is the basis for a human health Ambient Water Quality Criterion (AWQC) for
methylmercury. This AWQC replaces the AWQC for total mercury in published in 1980 and partially
updated in 1997. Under Section 304(a) of the Clean Water Act, EPA must periodically revise criteria for water quality to accurately reflect the latest scientific knowledge on the kind and extent of all identifiable effects of pollutants on human health.

This document uses new methods and information described in the Methodology for Deriving
Ambient Water Quality Criteria for the Protection of Human Health (2000) (2000 Human Health
Methodology) (US.E PA,2 000a,b). These new methods include updated approaches to determine
toxicity dose-response relationships for both carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic effects, updated
information for determining exposure factors, and new procedures to determine bioaccumulation factors.


Flecs is a framework for facilitating rapid implementation of communication protocols. Forwarding functionality of protocols can be modeled as a combination of packet processing components called abstract switching elements or Ases. The design of Ases is constrained by the axioms of communication which enables us to formally analyze forwarding mechanisms in communication networks. Ases can be connected in a directed graph to define complex forwarding functionality. We have developed Flecs on top of the Click modular router. The compilers in the Flecs framework translate protocol specifications into its Click implementation. We claim that the use of our framework reduces the implementation time by allowing the programmer to specify Ases and the forwarding configuration in a high-level meta-language and produces reasonably efficient implementations. It allows rapid prototyping through configuration, as well as specialized implementation of performance-critical functionality through inheritance.


In line with its National Vision for 2030, Qatar plans to integrate renewable energy sources, solar in particular, to its energy production chain, and an accurate knowledge of the solar resources available at ground level is essential for reliable planning and implementation of any project using solar energy as fuel. The amount of solar radiation that can be harvested on the earth's surface is not simply what is emitted by the sun; the losses due to absorption and scattering in the earth's atmosphere affect the amount and characteristics of the radiation reaching the surface. The global solar radiation (called GHI) reaching a horizontal surface is composed of the radiation coming directly from the sun (DNI) and the diffuse or scattered radiation (DHI); the relative proportions of these components are crucial factors in deciding the type of solar technology more adequate for any region under consideration. QEERI, the Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute, is starting a comprehensive solar resource assessment of Qatar in collaboration with the Qatar Meteorological Department, in which these three components will be measured and studied. To this end, QEERI has been operating in Doha, since December 2012, a high-precision Kipp and Zonen solar monitoring station based on thermoelectric effect sensors. In parallel, a Rotating Shadow-band Radiometer (RSR), based on a different technology (solid-state silicon sensor), is being tested at the same location. An RSR requires less maintenance and power than the Kipp and Zonen station, which might make it suitable for remote site placement, but its performance in Qatar's conditions must be evaluated before using it for high-quality studies. This work presents results of the first two years of data provided by the high-precision station, in order to give a first insight of the solar climate of Qatar, useful in deciding the type of technology most suitable for the country. A study of the field performance of the RSR in determining the three components against the measurements of the Kipp and Zonen station is also presented; this comparison will allow for the calibration and validation of the potential use of the RSR technology for solar resource assessment under Qatar's climate conditions.


During the debates on the adoption of the Constitution, its opponents repeatedly charged that the Constitution as drafted would open the way to tyranny by the central government. Fresh in their minds was the memory of the British violation of civil rights before and during the Revolution. They demanded a "bill of rights" that would spell out the immunities of individual citizens. Several state conventions in their formal ratification of the Constitution asked for such amendments; others ratified the Constitution with the understanding that the amendments would be offered.


In his long and distinguished career as a writer and scholar Julian Simon came to be known as one of the leading - and most controversial - authorities on population economics. An immensely productive writer, his work is unified by a basic core belief: that human intellect and ingenuity are ever-renewable resources in the use and preservation of natural resources. Inevitably, Simon's position provoked the hostility of doctrinaire environmentalists, both in academia and in the movement at large. However, Simon's arguments were invariably built from facts and powerful evidence that stood him well in many highprofile public debates. The first part of Simon's autobiography takes the reader through his childhood, his years as a midshipman and then as an officer in the Navy, plus a stint in the Marines, and his experiences as a copywriter in an advertising firm. Simon's plan after receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago was to be an entrepreneur, which would afford him enough money to care for his parents and allow him free time for writing fiction. He ran a small mail-order business for two years, during which time he wrote his first book, How to Start and Operate a Mail-Order Business, which has since gone through seven editions. Deciding to seek a professional career, in 1963, he accepted a position at the University of Illinois. Although he spent thirty-five years of his life as a faculty member at three universities, his autobiography contains almost no discussion of departmental affairs or university politics, topics about which Simon had little or no interest. Rather, after the personal chronology and experiences, the book includes substantive chapters on research methods, population economics, and immigration. It also explains how Julian Simon became the economist he was. He analyzes crucial periods in his life when he developed his ideas on fundamental issues. Written in an engaging and amusing manner, Julian Simon's autobiography is a combination of personal memoir and professional contribution to important ideas in economics, research methods, and demography. His observations and personal reflections will interest the general reader on a humanitarian level as well as environmentalists, sociologists, and economists on a professional level.


Classification of human emotions remains an important and challenging task for many computer vision algorithms, especially in the era of humanoid robots which coexist with humans in their everyday life. Currently proposed methods for emotion recognition solve this task using multi-layered convolutional networks that do not explicitly infer any facial features in the classification phase. In this work, we postulate a fundamentally different approach to solve emotion recognition task that relies on incorporating facial landmarks as a part of the classification loss function. To that end, we extend a recently proposed Deep Alignment Network (DAN), that achieves state-of-the-art results in the recent facial landmark recognition challenge, with a term related to facial features. Thanks to this simple modification, our model called EmotionalDAN is able to outperform state-of-the-art emotion classification methods on two challenging benchmark dataset by up to 5%.


An ecological model of the phosphorus system is described. This model includes five phosphorus forms found in water, namely: phytoplankton-P, bacterial-P, dissolved inorganic-P, dissolved organic-P and nonliving particulate-P, and also three phosphorus forms in interstitial water: inorganic, organic and particulate phosphorus fractions. It is assumed that this model will be used as a tool for synthesizing and analyzing the phenomena of eutrophication in Lake Balaton's ecosystem.

The purpose of this study was to obtain the best calibration between existing observation data on Lake Balaton from 1977 and model output. This is considered one of the important steps that must be carried out before application of the model for prediction and management purposes. A hypothesis of three seasonal phytoplankton groups yielded model output that agreed reasonably well with the observation data for total-P, dissolved-P, dissolved organic and inorganic phosphorus, particulate organic-P and phytoplankton chlorophyll "a" in the water of the different basins in Lake Balaton. This provides indirect evidence that the model considered, is a reasonable representation of complex ecological processes in phosphorus transformations and phytoplankton dynamics in the lake. On the basis of simulation results for 1977, the phosphorus material flows and the turnover times of phosphorus fractions in the lake are evaluated. These data provide additional insights for understanding the conditions of phosphorus cycling and the eutrophic state of the basins within Lake Balaton.


Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions measurements in livestock systems in the Dominican Republic are a priority for its government. The N2O has been responsible for 5% of total GHG (greenhouse gas) in the last 100 years. In Dominican livestock, various nitrogen fertilizers and amendments are used to increase the productivity these systems. However, if these fertilizers are not properly managed, these could generate N2O emissions. Therefore, our research was carried out with the aim of quantifying N2O emissions from grazing forage with dairy cattle. A Bermuda grass pasture (Cynodon dactylon) from Casa de Alto, Dominican Republic was used. The study was conducted during the period of June – August, 2018. A completely randomized sub-divided plot design was used with three factors, four repetitions and three treatments (urine, urea, and control). Closed-flow PVC chambers were used to obtain gas samples and determine N2O emissions. In addition, climatic factors, nitrogen (N) in urine, soil and grass were recorded. Data were analyzed with the InfoStat statistical software. The N2O emissions averaged the following values: 0.56 mg L-1 for control, 1.02 mg L-1 for urine and 1.18 mg L-1 for urea. The only treatment that showed statistical differences with the control (P < 0.05) was urea. Emissions were 5.6, 10.2 and 11.8 kg ha-1 for the control, urine and urea, respectively, with high emissions compared to results obtained in other research in the country.


The economic crisis is also a crisis for economic theory. Most analyses of the evolution of the crisis invoke three themes, contagion, networks and trust, yet none of these play a major role in standard macroeconomic models. What is needed is a theory in which these aspects are central. The direct interaction between individuals, firms and banks does not simply produce imperfections in the functioning of the economy but is the very basis of the functioning of a modern economy. This book suggests a way of analysing the economy which takes this point of view. The economy should be considered as a complex adaptive system in which the agents constantly react to, influence and are influenced by, the other individuals in the economy. In such systems which are familiar from statistical physics and biology for example, the behaviour of the aggregate cannot be deduced from the behaviour of the average, or "representative" individual. Just as the organised activity of an ants' nest cannot be understood from the behaviour of a "representative ant" so macroeconomic phenomena should not be assimilated to those associated with the "representative agent". This book provides examples where this can clearly be seen. The examples range from Schelling's model of segregation, to contributions to public goods, the evolution of buyer seller relations in fish markets, to financial models based on the foraging behaviour of ants. The message of the book is that coordination rather than efficiency is the central problem in economics. How do the myriads of individual choices and decisions come to be coordinated? How does the economy or a market, "self organise" and how does this sometimes result in major upheavals, or to use the phrase from physics, "phase transitions"? The sort of system described in this book is not in equilibrium in the standard sense, it is constantly changing and moving from state to state and its very structure is always being modified. The economy is not a ship sailing on a well-defined trajectory which occasionally gets knocked off course. It is more like the slime described in the book "emergence", constantly reorganising itself so as to slide collectively in directions which are neither understood nor necessarily desired by its components.


Abstract : A bistatic implementation of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) to form images of the ground from an aircraft makes use of separate emitters and receivers. When not using cooperative emitters, ground based communications systems can provide illumination. One way to improve performance of these waveforms, which are not designed for SAR, is a multistatic implementation, formed from multiple bistatic systems. This leads to the problem of selecting a subset from a potentially large set of emitters to use for image formation. A framework for this selection between sets of emitters is proposed using multiple objective optimization. This approach requires use of objective functions to score the inputs to the selection process. The four objective functions selected to score sets of emitters are: signal to noise ratio, waveform ambiguity function's integrated sidelobes , effective multistatic resolution area, and contrast ratio. To speed calculations, an approximation is found for the point spread function. Simulation is used to compare approximation with theory, showing its utility for emitter selection. Finally a qualitative example of emitter selection is presented.


Endocannabinoids mediate retrograde signaling at hippocampal synapses. Postsynaptically secreted endocannabinoids act to block presynaptic release of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in a manner termed depolarization-induced suppression of inhibition (DSI). Wilson et al. now provide mechanistic evidence for how this may occur. Hippocampal slices from cannabinoid receptor-1 (CB1)-deficient mice treated with cannabinoid agonists did not exhibit DSI, suggesting that CB1 is the target for retrograde feedback. Also, reduced presynaptic release of GABA was mediated by increased activation of presynaptic G protein βγ subunits that inhibited the activation of N-subtype voltage-dependent calcium channels, whose activation is required for GABA release. Maejima et al. showed that in Purkinje cells, the postsynaptic metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR1), which are known to mediate presynaptic inhibition, do so by activating presynaptic CBs. Other experiments suggested that endocannabinoids might not be secreted through normal vesicular release from the postsynaptic membrane. mGluR1-dependent inhibition did not involve measurable changes in postsynaptic calcium concentrations. However, depolarization-induced retrograde suppression did involve calcium flux and was endocannabinoid-dependent. Thus, these data suggest that Purkinje cells can produce retrograde signals by at least two different mechanisms that might interact synergistically. R. I. Wilson, G. Kunos, R. A. Nicoll, Presynaptic specificity of endocannabinoid signaling in the hippocampus. Neuron 31, 453-462 (2001). [Online Journal] T. Maejima, K. Hashimoto, T. Yoshida, A. Aiba, M. Kano, Presynaptic inhibition caused by retrograde signal from metabotropic glutamate to cannabinoid receptors. Neuron 31, 463-475 (2001). [Online Journal]


The Turkish foreign policy is a heated subject, studied widely by various scholars. In recent years, coupled with many domestic, regional and international developments, Turkey and its politics have become true topics of interests even beyond these said scholarly circles. Much scholars were giving attention to the Turkish foreign and domestic policy because of events such as Turkish-Israeli tensions, Turkish-Palestinian relations, EU accession question, Kurdish conflict, Arab Spring, the internal power struggle between Kemalist and Islamic political group as well as its involvement in the Syrian war.
This dissertation delves into a much-neglected field of study with regards to the Turkish policy towards Israel and Palestine. Therefore, this dissertation mainly examines the governing period of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) from 2002 until 2016. The relationship between these three countries will be coined as the Turkish-Palestinian-Israeli triangle. This triangle forms of the pillars of Turkish foreign policy under AKP. The analytical and theoretical framework of this research proves that both material and idealistic interests formed the AKP government's foreign policy. As a result, Turkey's relations with these two countries has been used as a tool for both internal and external power manifestation and expansion for AKP.
This thesis builds on the continuity and changes in the triangle relations, starting from the Jewish immigration to the Ottoman Empire until the attempted coup of 2016, with a predominant emphasis on the period 2002-2016. In this dissertation, it will be argued that during the first period, from 2002 until 2007, there was an internal and external expansion of the traditional Turkish foreign policy. This expansion was due to a harmony between AKP's material and idealistic interests. During the periods of 2007-2011 and 2011-2015, the idealistic interests were prioritised in shaping the AKP's foreign policy. The overuse of idealistic interests in the Arab Spring period harmed Turkey's material interests. As a result, Turkey moved towards one of zero friends, more enemies and more isolation. After the middle of 2016, the AKP government attempted to find a harmony between its material and idealistic interests. Within this context, Turkey and Israel reached a normalisation agreement in June 2016 which served as a confirmation of Turkey's recalculated policy position.


The literature on masculinity studies has been a major intellectual force in the past two decades. It engaged feminist research by providing diverse accounts of men's experiences instead of presenting men as a coherent bloc perpetuating patriarchy. In spite of the theoretical developments and richness of empirical accounts of masculinities, it is observed that these advancements have not yet been translated to a discussion on research methods. Unlike feminist research which has generated a set of gender-sensitive methods that address the patriarchal bias of social research, there is no corresponding development in masculinity studies that bring out the sensitivities of studying men. In this piece, I aim to map out the reasons for the relatively muted discussion on masculine-sensitive methods and suggest possible responses. I suggest that that the absence of masculine methods can be responded to not by developing gender-sensitive methods that capture "the male experience" but by making "theory-led" selections of existing methods and situating the quality of the data gathered to the intersection of the researcher and respondents' positionalities. To provide empirical grounding to my methodological conjectures, I draw on my experience in conducting fieldwork inside a detention center where military men from the Armed Forces of the Philippines were held.


Abstract Cardinality constraints or, more generally, weight constraints are well recognized as an important extension of answer-set programming. Clearly, all common algorithmic tasks related to programs with cardinality or weight constraints – like checking the consistency of a program – are intractable. Many intractable problems in the area of knowledge representation and reasoning have been shown to become linear time tractable if the treewidth of the programs or formulas under consideration is bounded by some constant. The goal of this paper is to apply the notion of treewidth to programs with cardinality or weight constraints and to identify tractable fragments. It will turn out that the straightforward application of treewidth to such class of programs does not suffice to obtain tractability. However, by imposing further restrictions, tractability can be achieved.


Purpose: To explore a conceptual shift from mechanism, the dominant 'body-as-machine' (Tinning, 2010) paradigm, to vitalism, the philosophical phenomenological tenets of physical literacy (Whitehead, 2010) upon which the curriculum of physical education in Canada is based, within the context of an alternative physical education program. Method: A motion-sensitive phenomenological approach (Lloyd & Smith, 2006b; 2015), conceptually framed by the Function2Flow (F2F) model, was conducted with a sample of N = 153 students from seven different schools in Ottawa (Canada) who booked the JungleSport climbing program of their own accord. Sources of information included phenomenological observations, small group interviews, and journal entries. Exemplars of two in depth student experiences are featured in this article. Results & Discussion: The phenomenological analysis of the climbing experiences, in addition to the F2F curriculum support tools that were developed, provide practical and philosophical pathways for ...


The modern interpretation of the Southern Uplands depends on the recognition of laterally extensive, linear, fault-bounded tracts of northward-younging Lower Palaeozoic sediments with rare volcanics. The tracts become progressively younger southwards and are thought to have been sequentially accreted by northward underthrusting above a subduction zone. Detailed mapping and tentative correlation of three, well-exposed, coastal profiles through the Central Belt in SW Scotland and NE Ireland offers a new test of the Southern Uplands model. Comparison of the northern parts of each section indicates the presence of strike-parallel tracts with model structure. Moffat Shale outcrops associated with the tract-defining faults demonstrate a diachronous, incremental, southerly decrease in the age of the base of the overlying turbidites, essentially as in the Northern Belt. Southward this becomes markedly less pronounced, particularly in Down where the Central Belt is much wider than in Galloway. Distinctive Hawick Group lithologies permit the correlation of the southern parts of the sections. Large areas of predominantly southward-younging occur in each section, especially in Galloway where the southward-younging area is 12 km across. Here northerly-verging D1 fold pairs are consistent with observed fault movement opposite in sense to the northerly underthrusting of the model. Back thrusting, in the style of the Pleistocene Cascadia Basin, is invoked to account for the landward-verging structure of these areas and to explain the narrowing of the Central Belt in Galloway. The structure of the Central Belt thus differs significantly from that of the Northern Belt and the accretionary prism model.


From the white cane to the smartphone, technology has been an effective tool for broadening blind and low vision participation in a sighted world. In the face of this increased participation, individuals with visual impairments remain on the periphery of most sight-first activities. In this paper, we describe a multi-month public-facing co-design engagement with an organization that supports blind and low vision outrigger paddling. Using a mixed-ability design team, we developed an inexpensive cooperative outrigger paddling system, called CoOP, that shares control between sighted and visually impaired paddlers. The results suggest that public design, a DIY (do-it-yourself) stance, and attentiveness to shared physical experiences, represent key strategies for creating assistive technologies that support shared experiences.


What is the meaning of dignity for patients in an acute care hospital? How is dignity threatened or promoted?

Qualitative case study.

Surgical ward in an acute care hospital in the UK.

Purposeful case sample of 24 patients 34–92 years of age (mean age 64 y, 62% men) who were admitted to hospital and stayed on the ward for ⩾2 days; and 26 ward-based staff (nurses and healthcare assistants) and 6 senior nurses.

Patients were observed on the ward during twelve 4-hour sessions, and field notes were taken. 12 patients and 13 ward-based staff were interviewed immediately after observation; 12 other patients were interviewed within 2 weeks of discharge. 6 senior nurses were interviewed separately. Questions addressed the meaning of dignity; effects of hospital setting, staff, or situations on patient dignity; and how to promote dignity. Detailed notes, including verbatim speech, were taken; patient interviews after discharge and those with senior nurses were audiotaped and transcribed. Data were coded and analysed for themes.

4 themes were found. (1) …


Our contextual inquiry into the practices of oral historians unearthed a curious incongruity. While oral historians consider interview recordings a central historical artifact, these recordings sit unused after a written transcript is produced. We hypothesized that this is largely because books are more usable than recordings. Therefore, we created Books with Voices: bar-code augmented paper transcripts enabling fast, random access to digital video interviews on a PDA. We present quantitative results of an evaluation of this tangible interface with 13 participants. They found this lightweight, structured access to original recordings to offer substantial benefits with minimal overhead. Oral historians found a level of emotion in the video not available in the printed transcript. The video also helped readers clarify the text and observe nonverbal cues.


Abstract:This article studies Chateaubriand's views of the very nature of archives at the time of the publication of his Études historiques (1831). His critique of the increasing development of erudition and historical investigation around 1830 serves as a useful context for considering the reasons of his so-called "adieu à l'histoire." By focusing on his metaphorical use of the term "archives" and other notions coming from elite and erudite culture, the article sheds light on the way in which Chateaubriand includes historiographical issues in his autobiographical masterwork, Mémoires d'outre-tombe. (In French)


This paper is concerned with the theory of saving when consumers are not permitted to borrow, and with the ability of such a theory to account for some of the stylized facts of saving behavior. When consumers are relatively impatient, and when labor income is independently and identically distributed over time, assets act like a buffer stock, protecting consumption against bad draws of income. The precautionary demand for saving interacts with the borrowing constraints to provide a motive for holding assets. If the income process is positively autocorrelated, but stationary, assets are still used to buffer consumption, but do so less effectively, and at a greater cost in terms of foregone consumption. In the limit, when labor income is a random walk, it is optimal for impatient liquidity constrained consumers simply to consume their incomes. As a consequence, a liquidity constrained representative agent cannot generate aggregate U.S. saving behavior if that agent receives aggregate labor income. Either there is no saving, when income is a random walk, or saving is contracyclical over the business cycle, when income changes are positively autocorrelated. However, in reality, microeconomic income processes do not resemble their average, and it is possible to construct a model of microeconomic saving under liquidity constraints which, at the aggregate level, reproduces many of the stylized facts in the actual data. While it is clear that many households are not liquidity constrained, and do not behave as described here, the models presented in the paper seem to account for important aspects of reality that are not explained by traditional life-cycle models.


in recent years, college instructors have begun to abandon traditional approaches to instruction, which merely transfer knowledge from faculty to students, for cutting-edge strategies, which allow students to construct their own learning. this change in instructional strategy has also brought about a change in the tools which are used for instruction. As students gain more control over their learning, they also want to have more control over the tools that guide their learning. in many ways, the traditional textbook is no longer satisfying the needs of today's students. consequently, students and faculty members are beginning to look for an alternative. digital textbooks provide promise, but will they replace their print counterparts? the following article attempts to answer this question by exploring the evolution of textbooks from medieval times to the present day. the authors suggest that digital textbooks have a promising future in higher education.


The carbonation depth of concrete containing mineral admixture exposed in normal indoor environment after different moistly curing ages has been measured at different ages. The relationship among carbonation of concrete and several influencing factors, such as moistly curing ages before carbonation, water-binder ratio, kinds of mineral admixture, fly ash-slag mixing ratio and replacing proportions of mineral admixture have been discussed. The results showed that the carbonating depth of concrete increases along the prolongation of exposing time during the initial exposing period but decreases after six months. Moistly curing age obviously influenced carbonation of concrete at early age. The shorter the moist curing time is, the severer carbonation degree of concrete is, and the more the carbonating depth decreases in later age. The continuous hydration of binder in the carbonated concrete in suitable environment, which could increase the amount of Ca(OH)2 in it, may be the reason of carbonation degree decrease in later age.


ABSTRACT Human immunodeficiency virus infection in humans and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection in rhesus macaques (RM) leads to a generalized loss of immune responses involving perturbations in T-cell receptor (TCR) signaling. In contrast, naturally SIV-infected sooty mangabeys (SM) remain asymptomatic and retain immune responses despite relatively high viral loads. However, SIV infection in both RM and SM led to similar decreases in TCR-induced Lck phosphorylation. In this study, a protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) differential display method was utilized to characterize the effects of in vivo SIV infection on key signaling molecules of the CD4+ T-cell signaling pathways. The CD4+ T cells from SIV-infected RM, but not SIV-infected SM, showed chronic downregulation of baseline expression of MLK3, PRK, and GSK3, and symptomatically SIV-infected RM showed similar downregulation of MKK3. In vitro TCR stimulation with or without CD28 costimulation of CD4+ T cells did not lead to the enhancement of gene transcription of these PTKs. While the CD4+ T cells from SIV-infected RM showed a significant increase of the baseline and anti-TCR-mediated ROR2 transcription, SIV infection in SM led to substantially decreased anti-TCR-stimulated ROR2 transcription. TCR stimulation of CD4+ T cells from SIV-infected RM (but not SIV-infected SM) led to the repression of CaMKKβ and the induction of gene transcription of MLK2. Studies of the function of these molecules in T-cell signaling may lead to the identification of potential targets for specific intervention, leading to the restoration of T-cell responses.


This report offers an in-depth analysis of the major economic developments of the film industry. The object of analysis is feature films, encompassing their production as well as distribution through and exhibition across different channels. It reviews the economic characteristics of the film industry, some of which it shares with other media and content industries. The report includes a database of 10 EU and 10 non-EU companies plus two company case studies (Netflix and Universcine). The report is divided into four major parts. Following an introduction (Chapter 1), Chapter 2 introduces the sector and its main economic, cultural, technological and regulatory features. Chapter 3 analyses the value network of the European film industry in a global perspective, identifying specific strengths and weaknesses across different parts of the value network (production, distribution and exhibition). Chapter 4 analyses how the film industry and its value network are being transformed as a result of the ongoing digitalisation process. Chapter 5 concludes the report by confronting the strengths and weaknesses of the European film industry and the opportunities and challenges posed by digitalisation. The study is based on a review and synthesis of the available literature and reports and on official (Eurostat) and unofficial (trade organisations and consultancies) data on the cinema industry.


Systemic infections of humans with the fungal pathogen Candida albicans are associated with a high mortality rate. Currently, efficient treatment of these infections is hampered by the relatively low number of available antifungal drugs. We recently identified the small heat shock protein Hsp21 in C. albicans and demonstrated its fundamental role for environmental stress adaptation and fungal virulence. Hsp21 was found in several pathogenic Candida species but not in humans. This prompted us to investigate the effects of a broad range of different antifungal drugs on an Hsp21-null C. albicans mutant strain. Our results indicate that combinatorial therapy targeting Hsp21, together with specific antifungal drug targets, has strong synergistic potential. In addition, we demonstrate that Hsp21 is required for tolerance to ethanol-induced stress and induction of filamentation in response to pharmacological inhibition of Hsp90. These findings might pave the way for the development of new treatment strategies against Candida infections.


Bulk types such as sets, bags, and lists are monads, and therefore support a notation for database queries based on comprehensions. This fact is the basis of much work on database query languages. The monadic structure easily explains most of standard relational algebra---specifically, selections and projections---allowing for an elegant mathematical foundation for those aspects of database query language design. Most, but not all: monads do not immediately offer an explanation of relational join or grouping, and hence important foundations for those crucial aspects of relational algebra are missing. The best they can offer is cartesian product followed by selection. Adjunctions come to the rescue: like any monad, bulk types also arise from certain adjunctions; we show that by paying due attention to other important adjunctions, we can elegantly explain the rest of standard relational algebra. In particular, graded monads provide a mathematical foundation for indexing and grouping, which leads directly to an efficient implementation, even of joins.


ABSTRACT Lithification is stressed as a major bias for the palaeobiodiversity evaluation. Although this bias is often discussed in the literature, it has rarely been quantified. This work offers a first estimation of diagenesis impact over mollusc diversity record for a single bed of the "Falunière" of Grignon (middle Lutetian, France). This bed possesses the particularity of displaying two lithological facies: one lithified and the other unlithified, both from a same taphocoenosis. Mollusc diversities of three unlithified and three lithified samples have been compared (1453 specimens among 131 species). The comparison was made possible by the construction of rarefaction curves extrapolated for 30 samples and the introduction of two indexes: the eDG (extrapolated Diagenesis Gap) that gives a value of diversity loss between two facies and the STD (sampling/diagenesis bias threshold) that gives the threshold (in number of samples) after which eDG can be estimated. The analysis reveals that nearly 80% of species richness is not recorded in the lithified facies, and that loss can reach 100% for species smaller than 2 mm. The bias linked to specimen sizes is discussed, both for large and small shells. The differences of biodiversity recorded among litholofacies have also been approached at regional level by the comparison of taxon associations from lithified and unlithified lithologies from the middle Eocene of Paris Basin (Lutetian: Vanves, Nanterre, Damery, Ferme de l'Orme, Chaussy, Grignon and Villiers-Saint-Frédéric; Bartonian: Baron), Aquitaine Basin (Bartonian: Blaye and Gironde) and Italy (Lutetian: San Giovanni Ilarione, Verona). A revaluation of biodiversity estimates of San Giovanni Ilarione that consider lithification bias suggests that the Tethyan regions housed similar or higher species richness than the Paris Basin during the Lutetian, which does not agree with a raw data comparison but which would better fit with the hypothesis of a biodiversity hotspot in the western Tethys. Any future comparisons of the biodiversity from distinct regions or time intervals have to consider the conditions of preservation and the lithification bias.