Climate change will increase risks significantly in many areas of society, and also will render far less measurable many risks that were previously calculable. If our society is to survive climate change without significant human costs, we must develop robust institutions and practices to manage these risks. The insurance industry is our society's primary financial risk manager, and needs to play a leading role in developing these institutions and practices. But climate change poses an unprecedented challenge to the insurance industry, because factors such as increasing uncertainty and the potential for highly correlated losses will make it difficult to insure against climate change-related risks and will strain capital markets' ability to compensate those who are affected. If the industry rises to the challenge, it stands to profit while facilitating our most successful responses to climate change-related threats around the world. If not, insurers will suffer along with everyone else. A report issued recently by a major financial firm identified climate change as the number one 'strategic threat' facing the insurance industry, noting that it is a 'long-term issue with broad-reaching implications that will significantly affect the industry.' To date, however, there has been relatively little effort to examine what supply- and demand-side barriers may be impeding development of insurance products that address climate change risk effectively. In this context, this Article examines the incentives that insurance products provide to influence the climate change-mitigating and adaptive capacity-building behavior of policyholders and other actors. It also looks at the reasons that insurers might or might not choose to provide those products and the reasons individuals and businesses may or may not choose to purchase those products. Finally, it examines the extent to which the insurance industry's products are likely to play a significant and effective role in affecting private actors' responses to climate change. The Article concludes that although it is not yet clear whether and how the insurance industry will be able to address climate change in a way that systematically creates solutions, the industry's future - and perhaps the rest of ours as well - may rest on the success or failure of its adaptation to a world with a changing climate.


Study Design. A retrospective multicenter database review of 240 consecutive patients at least 21 years of age (mean 58 ± 17, range 22–79) who underwent surgery for adult spinal deformity (ASD) and were followed at least 2 years. Objective. To investigate how treatment for frailty affects complications in surgery for ASD. Summary of Background Data. Several recent studies have focused on associations between frailty and surgical complications. However, it is not clear whether treating frailty affects complication rates in surgery for ASD. Methods. Patients were categorized as robust (R group), prefrail, or frail based on the modified frailty index (mFI); prefrail and frail patients were divided by good control of frailty (G group), defined as treatment following the appropriate guidelines for each mFI factor, or poorly controlled frailty (PC group). We compared clinical outcomes and perioperative and 2-year complications between the three groups. Results. Of the 240 patients, 142 (59%) were robust, 81 (34%) were prefrail, and 17 (7%) were frail. Among the frail and prefrail patients, 71 (72%) were classified as G and 27 (28%) as PC. The perioperative complication rate was similar in the G and PC groups (32% vs. 37%) but was significantly lower in the R group (15%, P < 0.01). The age- and sex-adjusted odds ratio for 2-year complications was not different in the P group when the G group was referenced (odds ratio 1.3 [0.5–3.2], P = 0.63). In the G and PC groups, which had similar 2-year outcomes, the Scoliosis Research Society-22 function and total scores were significantly lower than in the R group (function: R 3.9 ± 0.7, G 3.5 ± 0.7, P 3.3 ± 0.6; total: R 3.9 ± 0.6, 3.7 ± 0.7, 3.4 ± 0.6; P < 0.01). Conclusion. Regardless of its treatment status, frailty increases the risk of complications and inferior clinical outcomes in ASD surgery. Surgeons should routinely evaluate frailty and inform patients of frailty-related risks when considering surgery for ASD. Level of Evidence: 4


Abstract Osteoporosis, a systemic skeletal disease characterized by a low bone mass, is a major public health problem in EC member states because of the high incidence of fragility fractures, especially hip and vertebral fracture. In EC member states the high incidence of osteoporotic fractures leads to considerable mortality, morbidity, reduced mobility and decreased quality of life. In 1995 the number of hip fractures in 15 countries of EC has been 382.000 and the estimated total care cost of about 9 billion of ECUs. Given the magnitude of the problem public health measures are important for preventive intervention. Skeletal bone mass is determined by a combination of endogenous (genetic, hormonal) and exogenous (nutritional, physical activity) factors. Nutrition plays an important role in bone health. The two nutrients essential for bone health are calcium and vitamin D. Reduced supplies of calcium are associated with a reduced bone mass and osteoporosis, whereas a chronic and severe vitamin D deficiency leads to osteomalacia, a metabolic bone disease characterized by a decreased mineralization of bone. Vitamin D insufficiency, the preclinical phase of vitamin D deficiency, is most commonly found in the elderly. The major causes of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency are decreased renal hydroxylation of vitamin D, poor nutrition, scarce exposition to sunlight and a decline in the synthesis of vitamin D in the skin. The daily average calcium intake in Europe has been evaluated in the SENECA study concerning the diet of elderly people from 19 towns of 10 European countries. In about one third of subjects the dietary calcium intake results were very low, between 300 and 600 mg/day in women, and 350 and 700 mg/day in men. Calcium supplements reduce the rate of bone loss in osteoporotic patients. Some recent studies have reported a significant positive effect of calcium treatment not only on bone mass but also on fracture incidence. The SENECA study, has also shown that vitamin D insufficiency is frequent in elderly populations in Europe. There are a number of studies on the effects of vitamin D supplementation on bone loss in the elderly, showing that supplementations with daily doses of 400–800 IU of vitamin D, given alone or in combination with calcium, are able to reverse vitamin D insufficiency, to prevent bone loss and to improve bone density in the elderly. In recent years, there has been much uncertainty about the intake of calcium for various ages and physiological states. In 1998, the expert committee of the European Community in the Report on Osteoporosis-Action on prevention, has given the recommended daily dietary allowances (RDA) for calcium at all stage of life. For the elderly population, above age 65 the RDA is 700–800 mg/day. The main source of calcium in the diet are dairy products (milk, yoghurts and cheese) fish (sardines with bones), few vegetables and fruits. The optimal way to achieve adequate calcium intake is through the diet. However, when dietary sources are scarce or not well tolerated, calcium supplementation may be used. Calcium is generally well tolerated and reports of significant side-effects are rare. Adequate sunlight exposure may prevent and cure vitamin D insufficiency. However, the sunlight exposure or the ultraviolet irradiation are limited by concern about skin cancer and skin disease. The most rational approach to reducing vitamin D insufficiency is supplementation. In Europe, the RDA is 400–800 IU (10–20 μg) daily for people aged 65 years or over. This dose is safe and free of side effects. In conclusion, in Europe a low calcium intake and a suboptimal vitamin D status are very common in the elderly. Evidence supports routine supplementation for these people at risk of osteoporosis, by providing a daily intake of 700–800 mg of calcium and 400–800 IU of vitamin D. This is an effective, safe and cheap means of preventing osteoporotic fractures.


Oxidative addition of BrC CC(=O)O-menthyl (1a) to [Pd(PPh3)(4)] affords the alkynyl complex trans-[Br(PPh3)(2)Pd-C CC(=O)O-menthyl] (2a). Subsequent reaction of 2a with trifluoroacetate gives trans-[(F3CCOO)(PPh3)(2)Pd-C CC(=O)O-menthyl] (3a). Reaction of trans-[Br(PPh3)(2)Pd-C CC(=O)NC4H8] (2b) with 10 equiv of NaI gives trans-[I(PPh3)(2)Pd-C CC(=O)NC4H8] (4b). The efficiency of the new palladium complexes 3a and 4b as precatalysts is compared with that of recently published cationic palladium allenylidene complexes in C-C coupling reactions. Further trans-bis(alkynyl)palladium complexes, trans-[(PEt3)(2)Pd(-C CC{=O}NR2)(2)] (NR2 = N(CH2)(4) (9b), NMe2 (9c), N(CH2)(4)O (9d), N(CH2)(5) (9e)), trans-[((PPr3)-Pr-i)(2)Pd(-C CC{=O}NMe2)(2)] (11c), and trans-[(PPh3)(2)Pd(-C CC{=O}NR2)(2)] (NR2 = N(CH2)(4) (13b), NMe2 (13c), N(CH2)(4)O (13d)), were synthesized by treating HC CC(=O)NR2 with AgNO3 followed by transmetalation of the alkynyl ligand from silver to [PdCl2(PEt3)(2)], [PdCl2((PPr3)-Pr-i)(2)], or [PdCl2(PPh3)(2)], respectively. Methylation of complexes 9b-e with MeOTf yields dicationic bis(allenylidene) complexes of palladium, trans-{(PEt3)(2)Pd{=C=C=C(OMe)NR2}(2)](2+)(OTf)(2)(-) (NR2 = N(CH2)(4) (10b-OTf), NMe2 (10c-OTf), N(CH2)(4)O (10d-OTf), N(CH2)(5) (10e-OTf). Allcylation of complex 9e with [Me3O]BF4 or [Et3O)BF4 gave trans-[(PEt3)(2)Pd{=C=C=C(OR)N(CH2)(5)}(2)](2+)(BF4)(2)(-) (R = Me (10e-BF4), Et (10e'-BF4)). Complexes 11c and 13b-d were methylated accordingly to obtain the corresponding bis(allenylidene) complexes 12c-OTf, 12c-BF4, 14b-OTf, 14c-OTf, and 14d-OTf The catalytic activities of the new bis(alkynyl) and bis(allenylidene) complexes were investigated and compared with those of the mono(alkynyl) and mono(allenylidene) complexes. The palladium alkynyl and allenylidene complexes are both found to be very efficient precatalysts for Heck, Suzuki, and Sonogashira reactions. Even aryl chlorides were efficiently coupled in Heck and Suzuki reactions when complex 9e was used as precatalyst. Powder diffraction, TEM, and DLS measurements indicate that palladium nanoparticles are not formed during catalysis in the Heck reaction.


Cyathea is a genus of tree fern, Cyatheaceae is the scaly tree fern family and includes the World's tallest tree fern which reach heights upto 20m (Large & Braggins, 2004).According to Beniwal (1994) Cyathea gigantea is treated as one of the endangered plants of India. In this study an attempt was made to standardize the in vitro protocol for mass multiplication and conservation of threatened tree fern Cyathea gigantea Wall. ex. Hook, using spore as explants. Spores were found to germinate in Fern Propagation media and MS media. Spores cultured on MS medium showed 72% germination. Sporophytes were induced from the gametophytes on the MS media supplemented with 0.8mg/L IAA and 5mg/L kinetin with highest root length 20.29 cm. Period of germination, Fresh weight of prothallus and length of sporophytes were recorded. In Vitro raised shoots rooted on MS media supplemented with IBA. The well rooted micropropagated plants were transferred to hardening medium for acclimatization where 81% survival percentage was observed. . Abbreviations : MS – Murashige and Skoog, IAA – Indole 3- acetic acid, IBA - Indole 3- butyric acid.


Background International guidelines advocate a standard approach to asthma management for all despite its heterogeneity. 'Personalised' treatment for inflammatory asthma phenotypes confers superior benefits. We wished to evaluate dose-response to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) in asthmatics with an elevated exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) phenotype using domiciliary measurements. Methods We performed a randomised, cross-over trial in 21 mild-to-moderate persistent asthmatics receiving ICS with elevated FeNO (>30ppb) that increased further (>10ppb) after ICS washout. Patients were randomised to 2 weeks of either fluticasone propionate 50µg twice-daily (FP100) or 250µg twice-daily (FP500). The primary outcome was response in diurnal domiciliary FeNO levels. Secondary outcomes included: mannitol challenge; serum eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP); blood eosinophil count; and asthma control questionnaire (ACQ). Results We found significant dose-related reductions of diurnal FeNO compared to baseline - morning FeNO: baseline=71ppb (95%CI:61–83ppb); FP100=34ppb (95%CI:29–40ppb), p<0.001; FP500=27ppb (95%CI:22–33ppb), p<0.001; and significant dose separation for morning, p<0.05, and evening, p<0.001. Time series FeNO displayed exponential decay (Figure 1): FP100 R2=0.913, half-life=69hrs (95%CI:50–114hrs); FP500 R2=0.966, half-life=55hrs (95%CI:45–69hrs); as well as diurnal variation. ACQ showed significant improvements exceeding the minimal important difference (>0.5) with values in keeping with controlled asthma (<0.75) after each dose: FP100=0.48 (95%CI:0.24–0.71), p=0.004; FP500=0.37 (95%CI:0.18–0.57), p=0.001. All other secondary inflammatory related outcomes (mannitol, ECP and eosinophils) showed significant improvements from baseline but no dose separation. Abstract S6 Figure 1 Conclusions There is a significant dose-response of diurnal FeNO to ICS in asthmatics with an elevated FeNO phenotype, which translates into well-controlled asthma. Further interventional studies are warranted using domiciliary FeNO in this specific phenotype.


Agriculture in arid areas with its limited water resources will tremendously benefit
from drip irrigation. Subsurface drip irrigation system applies water below the soil
surface through emitters. It has many advantages over surface drip including better
use of low quality drainage water. However there is a need to determine the best
irrigation rate and placement of the emitters such that optimal yield can be obtained.
A study was carried out to see the response of various moisture regimes supplied
through subsurface drip irrigation system using mixed drainage water on the growth
and yield of okra Abelmoschus esculentus (Climson Spineless CV). An experiment
was conducted during November 2006 to May 2007 inside a greenhouse in the
Agriculture Research Station at the University of King Faisal in Al-Hasa, Saudi
Arabia. The experiment was laid out following a split plot design. The experiment
was divided into two main categories of fresh water and mixed-drainage water.
Every category consisted of three water quantities (WQ) viz. V1=100%, V2=75%
and V3=50% of the water needs. Every water quantity had three replications R1, R2,
and R3. Every replication was divided into five irrigation emitter lateral depths D0 cm, D10 cm, D20 cm, D30 cm, and D40 cm. Statistical analysis was performed for
all crop performance parameters. The effect of irrigation emitter lateral depths on
okra growth parameters such as plant height, number of leaves per plant, okra
moisture, root zone width, root zone depth, okra fruit diameter, and average weight
of single okra fruit were analyzed. Results were compared for various irrigation
emitter lateral depths (LD) and water quantities (WQ) applied. Irrigation emitter
lateral at 10 cm depth was found to be the best to grow okra plant using both fresh
and mixed drainage water due to higher concentration of roots even with deficit
irrigation supplying only 73% of the required water quantity. Yields were lower
with emitters at depths of 30 cm and 40 cm due to lower concentration of roots as
the root zone width decreased from the ground to D40 cm. The emitter placement
beyond 20 cm depth is not recommended for the okra plants, as the root
concentration is less beyond that depth. The average okra plant height with full
irrigation using fresh water and emitters at the soil surface was 23 cm; however, it
was 31 cm using the mixed water, probably due to some salts present in the mixed
drainage water. The study showed that good okra harvest is still possible with
mixed drainage water at 4.2 dS/m applied using only about three-quarter of the
irrigation water requirement as compared to 2.2 dS/m for fresh water. The
possibility of using mixed drainage water under deficit irrigation will increase the
water availability for agriculture in arid areas. Consequently, better fresh water
conservation is possible. A drip irrigation system design that can be considered as a
typical system to grow okra plant in arid areas was developed in this study. The
results of the experiment and the crop production models achieved from the
statistical analysis provide a good example for growing okra using mixed drainage


SQL injection attacks are a kind of the greatest security risks on Web applications. Much research has been done to detect SQL injection attacks by rule matching and syntax tree. However, due to the complexity and variety of SQL injection vulnerabilities, these approaches fail to detect unknown and variable SQL injection attacks. In this paper, we propose a model, ATTAR, to detect SQL injection attacks using grammar pattern recognition and access behavior mining. The most important idea of our model is to extract and analyze features of SQL injection attacks in Web access logs. To achieve this goal, we first extract and customize Web access log fields from Web applications. Then we design a grammar pattern recognizer and an access behavior miner to obtain the grammatical and behavioral features of SQL injection attacks, respectively. Finally, based on two feature sets, machine learning algorithms, e.g., Naive Bayesian, SVM, ID3, Random Forest, and K-means, are used to train and detect our model. We evaluated our model on these two feature sets, and the results show that the proposed model can effectively detect SQL injection attacks with lower false negative rate and false positive rate. In addition, comparing the accuracy of our model based on different algorithms, ID3 and Random Forest have a better ability to detect various kinds of SQL injection attacks.


—This paper reports on why people use, not use, or have stopped using mobile tap-and-pay in stores. The results of our online survey with 349 Apple Pay and 511 Android Pay participants suggest that the top reason for using mobile tap-and-pay is usability . Surprisingly, for nonusers of Apple Pay, security was their biggest concern. A common security misconception we found among the nonusers (who stated security as their biggest concern) was that they felt storing card information on their phones is less secure than physically carrying cards inside their wallets. Our security knowledge questions revealed that such participants lack knowledge about the security mechanisms being used to protect card information. We also found a positive correlation between the participants' familiarity with security of mobile tap-and-pay and their adoption rate, suggesting that the participants who are more knowledgeable of the security protections in place are more likely to be using the technology.


This paper describes the design of high-performance contoured beam reflectarrays using a direct optimization technique with an improved optimization engine. In Kuband, curved reflectarrays allow the reuse of a standard mold for multiple missions and thereby reduce cost and delivery time compared to shaped reflectors. To demonstrate this, two 1.2 m curved Tx-Rx contoured beam reflectarrays with the same curved surface have been designed, and by changing the reflectarray elements layout, two different coverages can be generated while maintaining performance that is comparable to that of a shaped reflector. In C-band, a deployable multi-faceted reflectarray can be an alternative solution to generate contoured beams where aperture sizes >3 m are needed. To demonstrate this, a 4.5 m multi-faceted contoured beam reflectarray has been designed to operate in a 20% bandwidth and dual-circular polarization.


11 INIT I t is not only important, but also fashionable, to talk about the dearth of women in science. Bring up the topic at a cocktail party with the right perspective and you can be the most popular person in the room. But bring it up in the wrong way and you can find yourself backed into a corner, watching more pleasant social interaction from afar. Your cocktail party success matters to us. We have designed this issue to contribute to your arsenal of primary sources and plausible solutions. Within are a variety of issues related to diversity in computer sci-ence—addressing not only women, but also other underrepresented groups—as well as progress of the field as a whole. From implicit bias to concrete factors that contribute to the inclusivity problem facing advanced computing, we have taken a step back to consider how we all can do better. WHY DOES DIVERSITY MATTER? When bringing up the topic of diversity , it is important to address concerns about whether it matters in the first place. Diversity matters to me because as a woman—and therefore a minority—in computing I was almost compelled to abandon computer science. This would have been a shame, as I cannot imagine being happier in any other field. There was no major traumatic event, but a steady stream of skepti-cism—skepticism that I am capable; skepticism that I belong. This skepticism can come from well-meaning people: For instance, family friends concerned that a career in computer Women, Hip-Hop, and Self-Teaching The new diversity in computing INIT science would be a " waste of my femininity. " This skepticism can sometimes be aggressive: For instance, people telling me, " You'll never be as good at math as the boys. " If several undergraduate professors had not sat me down to address my concerns, I would be doing something completely different today. However most people are not as privileged as I was. The child of two computer scientists, I grew up programming: first Logo, then Basic, and then HTML and JavaScript almost as soon as commercial web browsers existed. From elementary school onward, my weekends and summers were filled with math and technology classes and projects. I programmed robots; I programmed software applications. Studying computer science should have been a no-brainer for me, but it was not. WHAT CAN WE DO? Given the current numbers and the " leaky pipeline " …


pp. 8-12. Florida International University, Tamiami Trail, Miami, Florida 33199. $7.50 annual subscription. The diversified hotel product in the U.S. lodging market has resulted in latent room-night demand, or &dquo;supply-driven&dquo; demand, resulting from the introduction of a lodging product which caters to a specific set of hotel patrons. The author proposes that latent demand is a tangible, measurable phenomenon best understood in light of the history of the guest room product from its infancy to its present state.


Received: April 2016, Accepted: July 2016 Background: Fire and explosion hazards are extremely important in processing units. This study was performed to identify the risk centers, the potential damage caused by fire and explosion, and the days of production cessation in the processing company. Materials and Methods: The present qualitative case study was conducted using Dow's index in 2015. The fire and explosion hazard index and level were calculated for the processing units after collecting the required data. In addition, hazard radius and level, damage factor (DF), actual maximum probable property damage (MPPD), and the maximum probable days' outage (MPDO) were determined by analysis of the collected data. Results: The results indicated that the fire and explosion hazard level was high in 82% of the studied processing units. Moreover, the potential fire or explosion could cause financial damage of 51 million dollars and production cessation of 296 days. Conclusions: The results of this study showed a variety of possible fire and explosion hazards in the studied processing units. By determining several weakness points in these units, serious engineering controls were suggested to decrease the determined hazard levels. Furthermore, Dow's fire and explosion index (F&EI) was approved as an efficient technique for assessing the risk of fire or explosion in addition to their damage levels.


Why does the network position of a firm change? Which firm, partner firm, and network factors accelerate or slow down this change process? This is the central theme of this dissertation. The causal mechanisms behind the benefits of network positions have received considerable attention in academic research on interfirm networks. However, in most cases this research assumes a more or less static network. In today's world of advanced communications, interfirm networks are not static but highly dynamic where firms pursue beneficial network positions. A particular beneficial position is the bridging position that puts the bridging firm in-between its partner firms. Taking the bridging position as point of departure, this study investigates the strengthening, weakening and longevity of this position. A rigorous triangulation method has been used combining network experiments, simulation, and field data analysis with formal tools that have been specifically designed – as part of this study – to study interfirm networks (the Business Network Engine and LINKS). The concept of network horizon is being introduced to define the degree of information which a firm holds on the structure of its interfirm network at a given point in time. The size of a firm's network horizon is shown to be a critical determinant of the firm's ability to strengthen and keep its bridging position. This does not mean that a firm should always try to expand its network horizon as the study indicates a passing point: expanding the network horizon beyond this point gives rapidly diminishing returns. Interfirm differences in their network horizons, i.e. network horizon heterogeneity, is found to be an important predictor of the intensity of competition for network positions. Resource similarity between partner firms weakens the bridging position; and resource dependence strengthens the bridging position. In summary, it is being proposed that the most valuable network positions are ones that will not last long. This study has provided important tools and methods for rigorous future research that will be highly relevant for managers to develop successful network strategies to win the best position in a networked world.


In recent years, interest in examining the diverse functions and features of oral narratives told in workplace contexts has grown alongside the body of research investigating the role of language in enacting politeness in the workplace. Yet, to date, there has been little integration of these two strands of inquiry. This paper forges a link between linguistic politeness and some social functions of institutional narratives. Specifically, the micro-analysis of one narrative taken from a corpus of teacher/supervisor feedback sessions demonstrates how the narrator, a novice teacher, negotiates the telling of a complaint narrative to her supervisor along with the politeness demands embedded in the local context of telling. I argue that the speaker's contradictory evaluation of her situation interacts with linguistic politeness (i.e., the need to mitigate a "face-threatening act") in the situated telling of this narrative. Finally, in the spirit of recent work on narrative, which calls for increased attention to context in narrative activities, this paper highlights the importance of considering the interrelationships among factors such as face work, recipient design, production circumstances, and institutional roles and relationships among speakers, in the analysis of institutional narratives.


The growth of nanoparticles in plasma is modeled for situations where the growth is mainly due to the collection of ions of the growth material. The model is based on the classical orbit motion limited (OML) theory with the addition of a collision-enhanced collection (CEC) of ions. The limits for this type of model are assessed with respect to three processes that are not included: evaporation of the growth material, electron field emission, and thermionic emission of electrons. It is found that both evaporation and thermionic emission can be disregarded below a temperature that depends on the nanoparticle material and on the plasma parameters; for copper in our high-density plasma this limit is about 1200 K. Electron field emission can be disregarded above a critical nanoparticle radius, in our case around 1.4 nm. The model is benchmarked, with good agreement, to the growth of copper nanoparticles from a radius of 5 nm–20 nm in a pulsed power hollow cathode discharge. Ion collection by collisions contributes with approximately 10% of the total current to particle growth, in spite of the fact that the collision mean free path is four orders of magnitude longer than the nanoparticle radius.


Remember the pots hammered by spoons from high Manhattan windows, and parades of cars and pick-up trucks holding dear the medical professionals responding to covid-19. This book is part of that chorus, that march, to express appreciation for the giving of care. And beyond doctors and nurses, bless their hearts, to mothers caring for their babies, for captains for their teams, for the soon-to-be widowers for their wives and teachers for their students, but also for the ranchers for their cattle and the contemplative world for our environment. This is a book to think more closely of the support for care, individual as it so often will be, to be woven more closely together in a paradigm of care. Care is always prominent. Care for others, of the family, care for those of the tribe, care for animals and homes and gardens and properties, self-care. And the purse. Even without teaching, compensation, or legislation, care survives, but even with these helpings, it falls short of the need. We live in a crisis of care. Thinking explicitly and beyond health care. There is no mechanism of state and conscience that delivers care to all the venues of need, and seldom in the amounts needed. The reservoirs of care are far from empty, but at a mark that needs topping up. There is need for care advocacy, a care ethic, a paradigm. This book is about that paradigm. A care paradigm may bring comfort and recovery more fully to the people and organic creations of the world. The paradigm hears the moan of indifference. It draws upon the eyes of the heart. The paradigm is about how we see the need for care. The care paradigm, the grand beholding, is manifest in how we provide for others, how we nurture them, give succor, how we are disposed, and are not, to sacrifice to relieve their hurt. It is not only caring for those visibly needing care, unable to care for themselves, but caring for all. It is having a disposition that the hurts, large and small, that all of us carry, arouse concern and appreciation from and for each individual, the community and the world. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)


The General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) extends the Global System Mobile Communication (GSM) by introducing a packet-switched transmission service. This paper analyzes the GPRS behavior under critical conditions. In particular, we focus on outages, which significantly impact the GPRS dependability. In fact, during outage periods, the cumulative number of users trying to access the service grows proportionally over time. When the system resumes its operations, the overload caused by accumulated users determines a higher probability of collisions on resources assignment and, therefore, a degradation of the overall QoS. This paper adopts a stochastic activity network modeling approach for evaluating the dependability of a GPRS network under outage conditions. The major contribution of this study lies in the novel perspective the dependability study is framed in. Starting from a quite classical availability analysis, the network dependability figures are incorporated into a very detailed service model that is used to analyze the overload effect GPRS has to face after outages, gaining deep insights on its impact on user's perceived QoS. The result of this modeling is an enhanced availability analysis, which takes into account not only the bare estimation of unavailability periods, but also the important congestion phenomenon following outages that contribute to service degradation for a certain period of time after operations resume.


Widely recognized as one of the most original and profound philosophers that the medieval Islamic world produced, Alfarabi (870-950) wrote many works of political philosophy addressing the issues that dominated Greek political thought as well as new questions raised by the advent of revealed religion. Taking into account Alfarabi's major political treatises, Miriam Galston develops a theory explaining how together they form a coherent philosophy of politics. Her inquiry centers on Alfarabi's discussions of the nature of happiness, the attributes of ideal rulers, the best form of government, and the relationship between political science and theoretical inquiry. Based upon a new interpretation of Alfarabi's method of writing, Galston explores his use of dialectic, which she traces, in part, to his belief that personal discovery is a condition of philosophic understanding and to his desire to create for the reader a dialogue between Plato and Aristotle.Originally published in 1990.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 paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback 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.


The point of departure for my research is to conduct a case study of Statoil's stakeholder approach from the establishment of the Snøhvit project until the current situation in Nordland VI, VII and Troms II. This research is based on the communication process that evolved between Statoil and the Fishermen's Association from the initial contact regarding the Snøhvit1 project up to a pending situation for coexistence on waters off Lofoten Islands. Anyone who has followed the media focus on the topic of coexistence in the waters off the Lofoten Islands will understand that this is a major challenge to an oil company's stakeholder approach. The Fishermen's Association represents a major stakeholder and claims its rights and respect from the oil industry based on its long-lasting history of operating in these waters without interference. A passionate debate has evolved ranging from the view of the fisheries' rights to these marine resources to the fear of negative environmental impact due to oil activity in these waters. The pending political decision, based on the fisheries' position, the authorities' advice, NGOs and general public opinion, may finally lead to an opening for oil activity in these waters in the near future. My curiosity regarding the fisheries' different attitudes for coexistence to different waters encouraged me to conduct a qualitative research to interpret meanings and different constructions of my respondents experiences, thus reveal aspects of Statoil's stakeholder approach. As demonstrated in my findings, Statoil's interaction with different social networks managed to externalize knowledge and understanding that modified attitudes in this key stakeholder, which internalized this as trustworthy. Derived from my findings, it emerged that Statoil was collaborating with the Fishermen's Association based on deliberate strategies, where its purpose was solely to develop conditions for good establishment and coexistence in the Barents Sea. My findings demonstrated that Statoil's social interaction with the Fishermen's Association corresponds with its stated obligations. The management team from Statoil managed to develop a long and continuous dialogue with this stakeholder during the establishment of the Snøhvit project, all the way to the end. Derived from my findings it appears that Statoil have considered their perspective on their stakeholder approach. My findings indicate that a long-term dialogue with local stakeholders should be considered beyond a one-by-one project, which could ease their access to more sensitive fields. 1 The Snowwhite gas field in the waters off Hammerfest is called "Snøhvit".


We consider the least-square linear regression problem with regularization by the l1-norm, a problem usually referred to as the Lasso. In this paper, we present a detailed asymptotic analysis of model consistency of the Lasso. For various decays of the regularization parameter, we compute asymptotic equivalents of the probability of correct model selection (i.e., variable selection). For a specific rate decay, we show that the Lasso selects all the variables that should enter the model with probability tending to one exponentially fast, while it selects all other variables with strictly positive probability. We show that this property implies that if we run the Lasso for several bootstrapped replications of a given sample, then intersecting the supports of the Lasso bootstrap estimates leads to consistent model selection. This novel variable selection algorithm, referred to as the Bolasso, is compared favorably to other linear regression methods on synthetic data and datasets from the UCI machine learning repository.


In this book, Lucia Ceci reconstructs the relationship between the Catholic Church and Fascism, using new and previously unstudied sources in the Vatican Archives.


CFTR, the protein defective in cystic fibrosis is regulated during differentiation of intestinal epithelial cells. The undifferentiated cells (Caco‐2 and HT‐29) show a lower level of CFTR mRNA, while a 10‐fold increase is seen in differentiated cells. These differences correlate well with those of other intestinal‐specific genes, including sucrase‐isomaltase, villin and alpha 1‐antitrypsin, indicating that the regulation is cell specific. In Caco‐2 cells the increase in CFTR mRNA cannot be accounted for by increased transcription of the gene. These data indicate that CFTR mRNA stabilizing factor(s) might be present in differentiated cells. The higher levels of CFTR mRNA in differentiated cells are accompanied by decreased protein levels, indicating, as well, involvement of translational control in the regulation of CFTR in these cells. Finally, fully differentiated cells show lowered levels of cyclic AMP‐activated C1‐ transport, the characteristic function of CFTR. Thus, CFTR function in differentiated cells is modulated by a complex interaction of regulatory elements. Caco‐2 and HT‐29 cells provide a suitable in vitro system in which to study the mechanism of regulation of CFTR.


Background Many studies have observed space-time clustering of childhood leukemia (CL) yet few have attempted to elicit etiological clues from such clustering. We recently reported space-time clustering of CL around birth, and now aim to generate etiological hypotheses by comparing clustered and nonclustered cases. We also investigated whether the clustering resulted from many small aggregations of cases or from a few larger clusters. Methods We identified cases of persons born and diagnosed between 1985 and 2014 at age 0–15 years from the Swiss Childhood Cancer Registry. We determined spatial and temporal lags that maximized evidence of clustering based on the Knox test and classified cases born within these lags from another case as clustered. Using logistic regression adjusted for child population density, we determined whether clustering status was associated with age at diagnosis, immunophenotype, cytogenetic subtype, perinatal and socioeconomic characteristics, and pollution sources. Results Analyses included 1,282 cases of which 242 were clustered (born within 1 km and 2 years from another case). Of all investigated characteristics only the t(12;21)(p13;q22) translocation (resulting in ETV6-RUNX1 fusion) differed significantly in prevalence between clustered and nonclustered cases (40% and 25%, respectively; adjusted OR 2.54 [1.52–4.23]; p = 0.003). Spatio-temporal clustering was driven by an excess of aggregations of two or three children rather than by a few large clusters. Conclusion Our findings suggest ETV6-RUNX1 is associated with space-time clustering of CL and are consistent with an infection interacting with that oncogene in early life leading to clinical leukemia.


We study two time-scale linear stochastic approximation algorithms, which can be used to model well-known reinforcement learning algorithms such as GTD, GTD2, and TDC. We present finite-time performance bounds for the case where the learning rate is fixed. The key idea in obtaining these bounds is to use a Lyapunov function motivated by singular perturbation theory for linear differential equations. We use the bound to design an adaptive learning rate scheme which significantly improves the convergence rate over the known optimal polynomial decay rule in our experiments, and can be used to potentially improve the performance of any other schedule where the learning rate is changed at pre-determined time instants.


Our book examines the role of three factors, God, Money, and Politics, in the epistemological theory of blindness, (the theory of the construction of knowledge on blindness and touch by social and cultural change). This book also illustrates this development has, in the main, been motivated by an attempt to assert or gain power and why the study of blindness in conventional academic subjects such as psychology, history and sociology is so important. We do this by presenting the main theories of disability and blindness that have informed the writing of this book, and a frame of reference for the historical story. Which places the book in the broad context of theories of disability and blindness, within an academic and symbolic context of physical impairment and the social mythologies that accompany such understanding.


We have previously reported that the damage caused by streptozotocin (STZ) administration to the β-cells in newborn rats was followed by spontaneous recovery from neonatal diabetes. Our present data indicate that STZ administration on the day of birth (day 1) reduced the total β-cell mass on day 4 to only 10% of the normal value and that after sucb damage, 27% of the corresponding normal β-cell mass was spontaneously regained on day 7. During days 4–7, the contribution of the predicted β-cell growth (due to the replication of preexisting differentiated β-cells) to the total β-cell growth represented only 56%. Therefore, recruitment of new β-cells from a precursor pool indeed represents a significant mechanism for β-cell regeneration after STZ during this period of life. Here, we report for the first time that 1) insulin therapy from days 2 to 4 did not significantly influence the occurrence of β-cell damage after STZ administration (total β-cell mass on day 4 was reduced to 12% of the normal value) and 2) insulin therapy from days 2 to 6 did improve the otherwise spontaneous β-cell regeneration, since on day 7 total β-cell mass was 44% of the corresponding normal β-cell mass. During days 4-7, the contribution of the predicted β-cell growth to the total β-cell growth represented only 32% in the insulin-treated STZ group. Finally the insulin-favored regeneration of the β-cells reflects both an increased replication from differentiated β-cells and an increased neogenesis from precursor/stem cells, with this last pathway being preferentially activated.


A study performed semistructured interviews of 12 seasoned software architects and developers at nine Finnish companies. Its main goals were to find out how the practitioners viewed the role and importance of refactoring, and how and when they refactored. Another goal was to see whether shortened cycle times and, especially, continuous-deployment practices affected how and when refactoring was done. The results paint a multifaceted picture with some common patterns. The respondents considered refactoring to be valuable but had difficulty explaining and justifying it to management and customers. Refactoring often occurred in conjunction with the development of new features because it seemed to require a clear business need. The respondents didn't use measurements to quantify the need for or impact of refactoring. This article is part of a special issue on Refactoring.


Significance People readily categorize things as good or bad, a welcome adaptation that enables action and reduces information overload. The present research reveals an unforeseen consequence: People do not fully appreciate this immediacy of judgment, instead assuming that they and others will consider more information before forming conclusions than they and others actually do. This discrepancy in perceived versus actual information use reveals a general psychological bias that bears particular relevance in today's information age. Presumably, one hopes that easy access to abundant information fosters uniformly more-informed opinions and perspectives. The present research suggests mere access is not enough: Even after paying costs to acquire and share ever-more information, people then stop short and do not incorporate it into their judgments. A world where information is abundant promises unprecedented opportunities for information exchange. Seven studies suggest these opportunities work better in theory than in practice: People fail to anticipate how quickly minds change, believing that they and others will evaluate more evidence before making up their minds than they and others actually do. From evaluating peers, marriage prospects, and political candidates to evaluating novel foods, goods, and services, people consume far less information than expected before deeming things good or bad. Accordingly, people acquire and share too much information in impression-formation contexts: People overvalue long-term trials, overpay for decision aids, and overwork to impress others, neglecting the speed at which conclusions will form. In today's information age, people may intuitively believe that exchanging ever-more information will foster better-informed opinions and perspectives—but much of this information may be lost on minds long made up.


Purpose

Many scholars analyse networks and learning to understand how individuals successfully create and manage new ventures. Based on the assumption that entrepreneurs learn from networks, the purpose of this paper is to examine which types of difficulties encourage entrepreneurs to use networks to facilitate learning, whether entrepreneurs change networks to deal with such difficulties, and which network characteristics facilitate learning.

Design/methodology/approach

Networks are considered a potential source of learning, namely, the cognitive process of acquiring and structuring knowledge, creating meaning from experience and generating new solutions from existing knowledge. Through networks, entrepreneur share information and discuss opportunities and problems. Using an innovative approach combining story telling and network mapping, this study analyses how entrepreneurs use networks in learning. The data collected from six entrepreneurs working in knowledge-intensive sectors enables examining the learning process ensuing from the interactions between entrepreneurs and their contacts.

Findings

The findings show that entrepreneurs construct different types of networks in response to their difficulties, not in relation to products or technologies, but to learn to overcome self-crises, external threats, management and organisational issues. The findings reveal that entrepreneurs develop networks dominated by strong ties for exploitative learning and networks dominated by weak ties for explorative learning.

Originality/value

This study contributes to literature on networks and entrepreneurial learning. More specifically, the study provides evidence of learning in the context of networks, which is a relatively overlooked area in entrepreneurship literature, identifying the role of difficulties in determining the type of learning through networks and the related mechanisms.


Tinnitus is the conscious perception of a sound without a corresponding external acoustic stimulus, usually described as a phantom perception. One of the major challenges for tinnitus research is to understand the pathophysiological mechanisms triggering and maintaining the symptoms. Our objective was to synthesize the published literature in order to provide a comprehensive update on theoretical and experimental advances and to identify further research and clinical directions. We performed literature searches in three electronic databases, complemented by scanning reference lists from relevant reviews in our included records, citation searching of the included articles using Web of Science, and manual searching of the last six months of principal otology journals. One-hundred and thirty-two records were included in the review and the information related to peripheral and central mechanisms of tinnitus pathophysiology was collected in order to update on theories and models. A narrative synthesis examined the main themes arising from this information. Tinnitus pathophysiology is complex and multifactorial, involving the auditory and non-auditory systems. Recent theories assume the necessary involvement of extra-auditory brain regions for tinnitus to reach consciousness. Tinnitus engages multiple active dynamic and overlapping networks. We conclude that advancing knowledge concerning the origin and maintenance of specific tinnitus subtypes origin and maintenance mechanisms is of paramount importance for identifying adequate treatment.


This paper estimates the earnings returns to vocational, or career-technical, education programs in the nation's largest community college system. While career-technical education (CTE) programs have often been mentioned as an attractive alternative to four-year colleges for some students, very little systematic evidence exists on the returns to specific vocational certificates and degrees. Using administrative data covering the entire California Community Colleges system and linked administrative earnings records, this study estimates returns to CTE education. We use rich pre-enrollment earnings data and estimation approaches including individual fixed-effects and individual trends, and find average returns to CTE certificate and degrees that range from 12 to 23 percent. The largest returns are for programs in the healthcare sector; among non-health related CTE programs estimated returns range from 5 to 10 percent.


Title of Document: SLEEP THROUGHOUT THE ALCOHOLISM RECOVERY PROCESS: A MIXED METHODS EXAMINATION OF INDIVIDUALS' EXPERIENCES TRANSITIONING FROM AN INPATIENT RESEARCH FACILITY PROVIDING REHABILITATION TREATMENT TO THE COMMUNITY Alyssa Todaro Brooks, Doctor of Philosophy, 2015 Directed By: Dr. Kenneth Beck Department of Behavioral and Community Health Despite research establishing the relationship between sleep disturbances and alcohol use, there is no clear understanding or model for what occurs once individuals who seek inpatient alcoholism treatment are discharged from rehabilitation facilities and attempt to integrate back into their homes and communities. This study used a mixed methods approach to assess individuals' perceptions of and experiences with sleep throughout the process of alcohol rehabilitation and to explore associations between sleep-related beliefs/behavior, sleep quality, and relapse. The Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), which posits that personal factors, the environment, and human behavior exert influence upon each other through reciprocal determinism, was used as the underlying theory for this study. Constructs from the SCT were measured directly in this study using both quantitative and qualitative approaches in a convergent parallel design to study the following aims: a) to assess perceptions of and experiences with sleep during alcohol rehabilitation, b) to describe sleep patterns, perceptions, and beliefs among individuals who are alcohol-dependent throughout the transition from a clinical research facility providing rehabilitation treatment back to the community, and c) to assess whether sleeprelated beliefs and/or behavior are associated with sleep quality or alcohol relapse. Data were collected from a cohort of clinical research participants enrolled on an inpatient alcohol treatment protocol (n=32). Sleep was assessed quantitatively and qualitatively within one week of discharge from the inpatient facility and again four to six weeks postdischarge. Results indicated a prevalence of sleep disturbances throughout the process of rehabilitation. Self-efficacy for sleep was associated with better sleep quality at both time points. Thematic analyses of interview transcripts yielded overarching themes of sleeprelated beliefs/behavior, sleep environments, stress related to transitions, and selfmedication. This study demonstrates a prevalence of sleep disturbances among individuals undergoing alcohol treatment and relationships between SCT constructs and sleep quality. The period of transition from inpatient to outpatient represents a time of change, thus future behavioral sleep intervention efforts in this population may benefit from addressing underlying sleep-related beliefs and behaviors to improve sleep quality and encourage healthy and sober living. SLEEP THROUGHOUT THE ALCOHOLISM RECOVERY PROCESS: A MIXED METHODS EXAMINATION OF INDIVIDUALS' EXPERIENCES TRANSITIONING FROM AN INPATIENT RESEARCH FACILITY PROVIDING REHABILITATION TREATMENT TO THE COMMUNITY


Under appropriate conditions sulfur dioxide reacts with 1,3-dienes in a hetero-Diels-Alder fashion. In the case of 1-alkoxy-1,3-dienes the 6-alkoxy-3,6-dihydro-1,2-oxathiin-2-oxides (sultines) so-obtained can be ionized in the presence of Lewis or protic acids. The zwitterionic intermediates can be trapped as electrophiles with enoxysilanes (oxyallylation) to generate substituted silyl alkenylsulfinates. The latter can then be reacted with TBAF and an electrophile to generate polyfunctional sulfones (one pot, four component syntheses). Alternatively, desilylation through silicon/palladium transmetallation, in the presence of a catalytic amount of Pd(OAc)2, leads to intermediate allylsulfinic acids, which, after retro-ene desulfitation, produce 4-alkoxyhept-6-en-2-one core, a valuable fragment in polyketide natural product synthesis. The first part of this work described the application of an asymmetric version of this new SO2 reaction cascade, hetero-Diels-Alder addition/oxyallylation/retro-ene desulfitation (Vogel's cascade), using enantiomerically enriched dienes. The synthesis of a variety of β-alkoxy ketones was realized with good α,β-syn selectivity, starting from different enoxysilanes, illustrating the versatility of the method. An iterative Vogel's cascade employing newly obtained fragments provided long-chain polypropionate fragments such as (-)-(4R,5R,6S,9S,10R,2E,11E)-4,6,10-trimethyl-5,9-bis-((1S)-1-phenylethoxy)-trideca-2,11-dien-7-one in a very short and efficient way. The synthetic potential of Vogel's cascade reaction was demonstrated by the short and elegant synthesis of the enantiomerically enriched polypropionate fragment (C16-C28) of apoptolidinone, aglycon of apoptolidin, a highly potent apoptosis inducing agent. In the second part of thesis the one pot polyfunctional sulfone synthesis, developed in our group was successfully combined with the aldol methodology of Paterson to reach an advanced polyketide fragment, a potential intermediate in the total synthesis of Restricticin. Finally, in the last part of this study, we have demonstrated that methallyl silylsulfinates, known as new reagents for alcohol silylation are very precious and efficient reagents for the silylation of phenols and carboxylic acids. Additionally, the chemoselectivity of these reagents on substrates containing different hydroxyl groups was demonstrated.


The new antiviral nucleoside SQ 34,514 [(1R-1 alpha, 2 beta, 3 alpha)-2-amino-9- [2,3-bis(hydroxymethyl)cyclobutyl]-6H-purin-6-one], the active R isomer of racemic SQ 33,054 (cyclobut-G), was evaluated for efficacy in the treatment of herpesvirus infections in mice. SQ 34,514 was orally efficacious in a herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) systemic infection, an intracerebral HSV-2 infection, a vaginally induced HSV-2 infection in ovariectomized mice, and in a systemic murine cytomegalovirus infection. SQ 34,514 compared favorably with acyclovir and ganciclovir in the treatment of these experimental infections. In mice, SQ 34,514 had an oral bioavailability of 80% based on urinary excretion. SQ 34,514 may have potential value in the therapy of HSV and cytomegalovirus infections in humans.


This thesis examines and analyses an emerging art practice known as artbots. Artbots are internet-based software applications that are imbued with character and configured to engage and entertain online audiences. This form of practice, and the community of practice leading it, was found to be underrepresented and misunderstood. I argue that this artform is original and warrants a more thorough understanding. This thesis develops a conceptual framework for understanding artbots that focuses on and enables questioning around pertinent aspects of the practice. A wide range of literature was reviewed to provide theoretical underpinnings towards this framework, including literature on algorithm studies, science and technology studies, and software architecture. The devised framework examines artbot case studies through the notions of multiplicity, entanglement, and figuration, having understood artbots as heterogenous sociocomputational assemblages comprised of software components and human intraactivity. The research followed a varied methodology that encompassed participant observation and my own practice-based experiments in producing artbots. The study resulted in several original works. In addition, a showcase titled Art of Bots brought together key proponents and artbots, further providing material that is analysed in this thesis. The study helped identify and discuss artbots with attention to how they utilise modular software components in novel arrangements, how normative human and nonhuman relations of interaction are being eschewed in favour of entangled interrelations, and how artbots challenge common narratives dictating technological constructs by inventing unique characters and figurations.


Variable annuities (VAs) are popularly traded around the world. Thus, the risk metrics for VAs are critical in risk management, reserves, and risk-based capital calculation for insurance companies. However, there is no efficient method to compute these metrics of VAs with various benefits, except for nested simulations. In this article, the authors apply a derivative pricing technique, the willow tree, to solve this common insurance problem. An efficient and accurate approach is proposed based on the willow tree structure. Numerical experiments illustrate the efficiency and effectiveness of their method. Moreover, it is observed that mortality risk and interest rate risk are two key risk factors for the liability of VAs. In order to manage the risk of VAs effectively, insurance companies should hedge the downside risk of interest rates and implement hedging strategies based on the ages of policyholders, rather than the type of guaranteed benefits. The numerical approach starts from the definition of risk metrics; thus, the proposed idea can also be applied to estimate the VaR and expected shortfall of financial derivatives. TOPICS: Derivatives, options, VAR and use of alternative risk measures of trading risk Key Findings • We propose a universal efficient lattice algorithm for computing two commonly used risk metrics, value-at-risk (VaR) and conditional tail expectation (CTE), for the liability of VAs with various guaranteed benefits from the insurer's perspective. • Our article is the first one to study the VaR and CTE of the net liability based on a derivative pricing technique, the willow tree method. • Our method starts from the definition of VaR and CTE with basic probability knowledge, so it can be extended to evaluate risk metrics for other derivatives.


Background HIV-1 Protease Inhibitors, namely PIs, originally designed to inhibit HIV-1 aspartic protease, can modulate the immune response by mechanisms largely unknown, and independent from their activity on viral replication. Here, we analyzed the ability of PIs to interfere with differentiation program of monocytes toward dendritic cell (DCs) lineage, a key process in the inflammatory response. Methodology/Principal Findings Monocytes from healthy donors were isolated and induced to differentiate in vitro in the presence or absence of saquinavir, ritonavir, nelfinavir, indinavir or amprenavir (sqv, rtv, nlfv, idv, apv, respectively). These drugs demonstrated a differential ability to sustain the generation of immature DCs (iDCs) with an altered phenotype, including low levels of CD1a, CD86, CD36 and CD209. DCs generated in the presence of rtv also failed to acquire the typical phenotype of mature DCs (mDCs), and secreted lower amounts of IL-12 and IL-15. Accordingly, these aberrant mDCs failed to support activation of autologous Natural Killer (NK) cells, and resulted highly susceptible to NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Conclusions/Significance Our findings uncover novel functional properties of PIs within the DC-NK cell cross-talk, unveiling the heterogeneous ability of members of this class drugs to drive the generation of atypical monocyte-derived DCs (MDDCs) showing an aberrant phenotype, a failure to respond appropriately to bacterial endotoxin, a weak ability to prime autologous NK cells, and a high susceptibility to NK cell killing. These unexpected properties might contribute to limit inflammation and viral spreading in HIV-1 infected patients under PIs treatment, and open novel therapeutical perspectives for this class drugs as immunomodulators in autoimmunity and cancer.


Engaging both with science and popular culture, this book examines the meanings given to orgasmic bodies in contemporary heterosex. Starting from the assumption that orgasm is not a 'natural' or pre-social experience, Orgasmic Bodies argues that the meaning of 'orgasmic experience' must be learned – sometimes through explicit pedagogical instruction which is wrapped up in gendered ideologies. Despite detailed attention to 'knowing' the orgasmic body, especially the female body, embodied experience remains ambiguous and ineffable even as scientific and lay discourses seek to make it concrete and unmistakable. The dominance of an 'orgasmic imperative' where orgasm is essential to 'good sex', combined with evidence that women experience fewer orgasms than men, generates differing obligations to produce, work on, and enact, orgasm. Orgasmic Bodies explores how bodily experiences of orgasm are worked up as present/absent, complicated/straightforward, too slow/too fast, fake or real, in the doing of masculinities and femininities.


Samuel Williston, the official Reporter for the ALI's first Restatement of the Law of Contracts in 1932, claimed that promises had been enforced without consideration in sufficiently many cases across different factual situations that the only way to embrace them all was to create a provision, set forth in Section 90 and generally referred to as "promissory estoppel," that purports to suspend wholesale the normal rules governing contract formation. This Article challenges that assertion as a factual matter, and challenges the claim that only a provision as broad as Section 90 could accommodate certain limited exceptions to the consideration requirement that had been observed at the time.To the extent Williston's initial claim of authority rests upon questionable assertions, fundamental concerns arise as to the legitimacy of Section 90 in its current form and as to the doctrinal validity of cases decided on the basis thereof.This Article further addresses the implications of this analysis for the future of contract law. In order to reduce the risk of contract bleeding out doctrinally into tort, the Article argues that a markedly more modest approach than that reflected in Section 90 should be taken with respect to the enforcement of promises in the absence of consideration. Specifically, the Article argues in favor of discrete, limited categorical exceptions to the consideration requirement. As to factual situations not falling within those categorical exceptions, courts should strongly consider an implied unilateral contract analysis as an analytic paradigm preferable to that of promissory estoppel.


A colourful map of the current conflict between pessimism and optimism in Western politics and theory, Hope attempts to reveal both the deep history and contemporary necessity of political hopefulness.

Starting in the 17th century with Spinoza, Wortham tells the story of the various fallacies and insights of pessimism and optimism through the 18th century with the help of Kant and Voltaire through to the famously nihilistic writings of Nietzsche and the 20th century works of thinkers such as Benjamin, Arendt, Kristeva and Fanon (to name but a few). He explores the contemporary significance of ideas such as affirmation, sovereignty, violence, therapy, existentialism and, of course, the oft maligned notion of 'hopefulness' to create a politics of optimism which avoids the pitfalls of uncritical acceptance of the status quo or the newest political idea.

Short chapters written in an engaging narrative manner enable the reader to follow the story of political optimism over the last 4 centuries inspiring a new way of thinking about the transformative uses of hopefulness.


Much existing research on IS and enterprise architecture focuses on suggesting different representations describing a 'target architecture' for processes, information and information systems at different levels across the organization. Less emphasis has been put on the actual evolution of the current enterprise architecture towards this envisioned 'target architecture'. In this paper we look at enterprise architecture from a process perspective and explore how actual practices of architecting enfold and how they are mutually shaped by context. In doing so, we offer two contributions. First, we contribute empirically showing how enterprise architecting in practice is an ambidextrous activity focusing on both fixing the limitations of historically entrenched architectures and establishing new architecture by betting on what needs are going to give the most flexibility and value in the future. Secondly, we contribute by conceptualizing how enterprise architecture evolves over time, and propose the concepts of 'architectural path-dependency' and 'enterprise architecting'. Architectural path-dependencies is the effect of existing architectures that become economically, technically and organizationally hard to change ‐ at least in a radical manner. Enterprise architecting, on the other hand, is the intentional acts to circumvent path-dependencies and evolve towards an envisioned architecture. Henceforth, we argue that enterprise architecture transition is shaped by multiple architectural path-dependencies as well as various acts of enterprise architecting to establish new paths. The paper discusses theses concepts in relation to existing literature on software and enterprise architecture.


Traditional decision theory distinguishes between risk and uncertainty. With risk, the probabilities of possible outcomes are known; with uncertainty, those outcomes are known, but not their probabilities. We introduce the concept of ignorance, a third, less tractable category. With ignorance, even the possible outcomes cannot be identified. Ignorance takes importance when high payoffs are associated with the unidentified outcomes. Thus we focus on consequential amazing developments, or CADs. CADs spring upon societies as well as individuals. In the policy realm, the 2008 financial meltdown and the Arab Spring would represent CADs, major unanticipated events. For an individual, a CAD might be the discovery that a faithful spouse of many years has a secret second family, or that our trusted business partner has been pilfering corporate secrets all along. Authors depict the implications of consequential ignorance in some of the greatest of literary works: Hamlet's ignorance of his father's killer, Macbeth's unawareness of outcomes when he attempts to seize the Scottish crown, Odysseus's journey back to Ithaca involving a series of consequential adventures, all unknowable. Consequential ignorance cannot be studied in a controlled laboratory setting, since its payoffs are high, its time delays often long, and merely introducing the subject tends to give away the game. Thus we study ignorance through great works of literature, from antiquity to the present day, positing that great writers understand how humans make decisions. We distinguish between unrecognized and recognized ignorance. In the latter category, we identify specific cognitive biases at work. We provide a formula for calculating consequential ignorance that incorporates the expected magnitudes and assessed base rates for CADs. Finally, we propose steps towards measured decision making under ignorance.


This thesis focuses on the experimental and theoretical investigation of small molecules containing phosphorus, nitrogen and sulfur. The first part of this work presents synthesis and characterisation of molecules bearing a P-N-N-group: N,N´,N´-[tris(trimethylsilyl)]-hydrazino-diphenylphosphane, (TMS)2N-(TMS)N-PPh2, and N,N´,N´-[tris(trimethylsilyl)]-hydrazino-phenyl(chloro)phosphane, (TMS)2N-(TMS)N-P(Cl)Ph, were obtained in the reaction of bis-[lithiumtris(trimethylsilyl)hydrazide] with PhnPCl3 - n (n = 1, 2). The structure and bonding of both species are discussed on the basis of experimentally observed (X-ray, Raman, NMR, and MS) and theoretically obtained data (B3LYP/6-31G(d,p), NBO analysis).
Oxidation with sulfur and selenium results in the formation of (TMS)2N-(TMS)N-P(S)-Ph2, (TMS)2N-(TMS)N-P(Se)Ph2, (TMS)2N-(TMS)N-P(S)Ph(Cl) and (TMS)2N-(TMS)N-P(Se)Ph(Cl).
Moreover, the thermal decomposition of N,N´,N´-[tris(trimethylsilyl)]hydrazine-dichlorophosphane, (TMS)2N-(TMS)N-PCl2 and the reaction with magnesium have been investigated. The formation and molecular structure of the novel MgCl2(THF)2* 2Mg[(TMS)NP(O)2N(TMS)2](THF) salt containing the hitherto unknown (TMS)NP-(O)2N(TMS)22- anion are discussed.
DFT calculations (B3LYP/6-311+G(3df,2p)//B3LYP/6-31G(d,p)) are used to evaluate the bonding, ground-state structures, and energy landscape for the different isomers of (TMS)2N-(TMS)N-PCl2: the thermodynamics and kinetics of the successive elimination of chlorotrimethylsilane (TMS-Cl) resulting in the formation of covalent azide analogues such as TMS-PNN or TMS-NNP are discussed.
While investigating the reaction of (TMS)2N-(TMS)N-PCl2 with Lewis acides a galliumtrichloride-adduct of 4-bis[trimethylsilylamino]-1,2,4,3,5-triazadiphosphole was discovered. This hitherto unknown triazadiphosphole represents one of the few examples of a five-membered ring-molecule containing only phosphorus and nitrogen. This ring system was unequivocally characterized by X-Ray, Raman, NMR and MS analysis.
Furthermore the Staudinger-type reaction of N,N´,N´-[tris(trimethylsilyl)]-hydrazino-diphenylphosphane with SP(N3)3 and and C3N12 in different stoichiometries were investigated. It is possible to substitute only one azide group in SP(N3)3 and up to two azide groups in C3N12 with (TMS)2N-(TMS)N-PPh2, resulting in the expected products. Upon heating of a solution of (TMS)2N-(TMS)N-PPh2 and SP(N3)3 a new eight-membered ring containing phosphorus and nitrogen in alternating order was obtained. The molecule contains a long pnicogene-chain (eleven atoms in total, three phosphorus- and eight nitrogen-atoms).
The reactions of (NSCl)3 and NSCl2- with AgX salts (X = CN, SCN, OCN), as well as the reaction of (NSCl)3 with [PPh4]X (X = CN, SCN, OCN) and HgX (X = CN, SCN) have been investigated in a combined experimental and theoretical study. Additionally, the reaction of NSCl2- salts with hydride-transferring-agents like NaBH4 or NaBH3CN was studied. The thermodynamics as well as structure and bonding of the formation of NSX, NSX2- and NSXY- (X, Y = Cl, H, CN, SCN, OCN) have been studied. Unfortunately the preparation of these species did not suceed.
The substitution of sulfur by selenium with SeO2, as reported by Rawson, was investigated on the salts of NSCl2- and S2N3+. These reactions resulted polymeric products and selenium; the formation of a nitrogen-selenium-species could not be confirmed.


Seasonal flight activity of Busseola fusca (Fuller) was monitored at six localities in Lesotho during the 1995/96, 1996/97 and 1997/98 growing seasons, using a sex pheromone monitoring system. There were distinct periods of flight activity, with seasonal flight generally commencing in October and ending in May or earlier in the high-lying regions. There are three generations of B. fusca per year in the low-lying areas, while 2-3 generations have been recorded in the mountain regions. The first, second and third generation flights usually peaked in November, February and April, respectively. The observed differences between the low-lying areas and the mountains, both in terms of cessation of seasonal flight activity and number of generations per year, were attributed to variations in the duration of the growing season (longer in the lowlands than in the mountains). There was also a north-south decrease in the magnitude of individual flights in the lowlands. This was attributed to a north-south decrease in average annual summer rainfall.


Abstract The cultural production of borders can be as read as referring to part of the economy, as an aesthetic site of creativity and border negotiation, and a cultural factor in the bordering process. The need to understand these cultural dimensions of borders and borderlands has lead to interdisciplinary interest in narratives, aesthetic forms, and cultural memory. Border poetics and related forms of spatial poetics can provide fruitful approaches to specific literary texts, films and other artworks, as well as to bordering in general. This special dossier for the Journal of Borderlands Studies presents papers from the 2008 ABS European conference in Kirkenes, which had "Cultural Production and Negotiation of Borders" as its theme and which brought together a wide range of researchers from both the social sciences and the humanities, raising questions about the role of culture in borderlands and also focusing on borders in Sub‐Arctic Europe. The following selection of papers addresses films, poetry, novels and cultural heritage connected to specific topographical borderlands.


This article investigates how a person with dementia is made up through intersubjective acts of recognition. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in a Danish memory clinic, we show that identification of disease requires patients to be substituted by their relatives in constructing believable medical narratives; yet during memory testing, patients are not allowed any substitution to clearly expose cognitive shortcomings. In combining works of theorists Ian Hacking and Paul Ricoeur, we argue that the clinical identification of dementia unmakes the knowing subject, a deconstruction that threatens to misrecognize and humiliate the person under examination. The article ends by proposing that dementia be the condition that forces us to rethink our ways of recognizing persons more generally. Thus, dementia diagnostics provide insights into different enactments of the person that invite us to explore practices of substitution and modes of interaction emerging when our fundamental dependency becomes unquestionable.


Intelligent Transportation Systems have been instrumental in reshaping transportation towards safer roads, seamless logistics, and digital business-oriented services under the umbrella of smart city platforms. Broadcasting transmission is an essential operational technique that serves a broad range of applications which demand different restrictive QoS provisioning levels. Although broadcast communication has been investigated widely in highway vehicular networks, it is undoubtedly still a challenge in the urban environment due to the obstacles. In this paper, we propose the Road-Topology based Broadcast Protocol (RTBP) is proposed, a distance and contention-based forwarding scheme suitable for both urban and highway vehicular environments. RTBP aims at assigning the highest forwarding priority to a car, called a mobile repeater, having the greatest capability to send the packet in multiple directions. Realistic experimental environments are used to test the performance against well-known protocols. The results show that RTBP can reduce latency, increase reachability and save system resources.


We present a new method for reconstructing a 4D light field from a random set of measurements. A 4D light field block can be represented by a sparse model in the Fourier domain. As such, the proposed algorithm reconstructs the light field, block by block, by selecting frequencies of the model that best fits the available samples, while enforcing orthogonality with the approximation residue. The method achieves a very high reconstruction quality, in terms of Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR). Experiments on several datasets show significant quality improvements of more than 1dB compared to state-of-the-art algorithms.


Thermoelectric (TE) properties of Single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and Silicon carbide (SiC) nanoparticles after treated with sol-gel dopants at elevated temperature. Different combinations of P and N type sol-gels were used. The combinations were Boron-Antimony, Aluminum-Antimony, Aluminum-Phosphorus and Boron–Phosphorus. The nanoparticles were randomly distributed on a nonconductive glass substrate and hot and cold junctions were created using silver epoxy and Alumel (Ni-Al) wire. The carbon nanotubes used were approximately 60% semiconducting and 40% metallic. Voltage (mV), current (μA) and resistance (Ω) were measured across the distributed nanoparticles within 160° C temperature difference. The Seebeck coefficient for pristine SWCNTs was 0.12 mV/oC. When doped with Boron-Antimony the Seebeck coefficient increased to 0.981 mV/°C. On the hand, SiC nanoparticles showed no TE effect at pristine form, but when infused with SWCNTs substantial TE effect was present. Even though the Seebeck coefficient was in a similar range with different SWCNT concentrations (wt%), current, resistance and Power factor (P.F.) changed with wt% of nanotubes. Resistance of the nanotube samples slightly decreased with the increase in temperature. Finally, the SiC+SWCNT composites were prepared using the sintering process at around 1500° C. Thermoelectric and Mechanical properties of the composites were tested. The structure-property relation was analyzed using SEM (scanning electron microscope) and XRD (X-ray diffraction). It was revealed that fiber like SWCNTs created randomly distributed network with Nano contact junctions inside the SiC matrix and enhance thermoelectric and mechanical properties in the combined SiC+SWCNTs material system. Put abstract text here.Copyright © 2013 by ASME


Purpose: To explore how the predecessors and successors of Polish family businesses use and refine existing knowledge, identify knowledge deficiencies or absences, and create new knowledge during the Working Together stage. Methodology/approach: The article builds on qualitative empirical material gathered in 2018 and 2019 with a problem-centered interview approach aiming to capture the complex and potentially diverging realities of both generations. Altogether, 48 preliminary interview questionnaires were completed and, subsequently, 46 interviews were conducted. Findings: The study captured that the use of existing knowledge during the Working Together period is significantly supported by the fact that the old and young generation share several unarticulated beliefs, mental models, and behaviors. However, the identification of knowledge gaps and the creation of new knowledge are heavily hindered by the fear of confrontation and only declarative – instead of active – interest of the older generation in creating new knowledge. Originality/value: The article bridges the gap between the literature on organizational ambidexterity and family business by empirically investigating the intergenerational dynamics of owners' families regarding knowledge creation. Moreover, we introduce the concept of intergenerational familial ambidexterity.


In this article we study the reconstruction of the geometry of elliptic voids located in the elastic wedge, in frames of an antiplane two-dimensional problem. The wedge domain is bounded by a pair of straight boundaries. The first boundary is horizontal, and the second one is inclined at some angle. We assume that a known point force is applied to the horizontal boundary surface of the wedge, whose other face is fixed or is free from load. It is also assumed that the defect is unknown and that we can measure the shape of the surface over a certain finite-length interval of the same side where the outer force is applied. Such measurements can in principle be performed experimentally, but for our numerical experiments we carried out them by solving the respective direct problem, with the use of boundary element method (BEM). Then it is shown that an explicit form of Green's function can be constructed when the interior angle of the wedge is an integer part of 180°. For these cases, we construct an algorithm to restore the position, the size, and the orientation of the elliptic void. Some numerical examples demonstrate the good stability of the proposed algorithm.


A study was conducted to investigate the effects of utilizing sago starch in the
preparation of instant noodles. The first aspect of the study was to observe the effects
of partial substitution of native sago starch on the amylograph profiles of the
composite flours and the textural quality of the instant noodles. From the study, it was
concluded that the instant noodles produced using native sago starch were of inferior
quality in terms of colour, cooking losses, texture and sensory acceptability in
comparison to the control which was prepared from 100% wheat flour. However, of
all the wheat flour/sago starch blends, the most acceptable in terms of colour and
texture from both instrumental and sensory assessment was the sample that was
substituted with 20% and below.
The second aspect of this study was to determine whether the different types of
firming agents could improve the textural quality of the instant noodles produced. The
firming agents that were used in the study were alkali mixtures of potassium and sodium carbonate, guar gum and potassium alum. The composite flour used was at
the ratio of 80% wheat flour to 20% sago starch. Based on the results, the use of the
alkali mixture or guar gum between the range of 0.5% to l.0% concentrations
produced noodles that have improved noodle colour and strength, in terms of firmness
and elasticity, consequently giving a more acceptable product compared to the
addition of potassium alum. Potassium alum can be a potential firming additive but
has to be used at concentrations of more than 1%. However, the use of potassium
alum at more than 1% levels was not studied.
Finally, the last part of the°-study- involved an investigation on the effect of partially
replacing the wheat flour in the instant noodle preparation with modified sago starch
on the textural quality of the instant noodle. The phosphorylated sago starch PSS 1
was prepared in the laboratory using a mixture of 5% sodium tripolyphosphate and
2% sodium trimetaphosphate at pH 9.5 at a temperature of 13 5°C for 2 hours whereas
a physically modified sago starch NMS22 was provided by a sago starch company.
The replacement of wheat flour with PSS1 (phosphorylated sago starch) and NMS22
up to 35% improved the textural quality of the sago starch substituted wheat noodles.
The resulting noodles became more firm and elastic when cooked. Noodles with PSS1
were preferred since there is a reduced cooking loss even at a higher substitution level
and less sticky during cooking. Otherwise, the type and the quantity of modified
starches did not affect the overall acceptability of the noodles up to 35% replacement
since only the colour was significantly affected at substitution levels greater than 35%.


Economic activity is highly unevenly distributed within cities, as reflected in the concentration of economic functions in specific locations, such as finance in the Square Mile in London. The extent to which this concentration reflects natural advantages versus agglomeration forces is central to a range of public policy issues, including the impact of local taxation and transport infrastructure improvements. This paper reviews recent quantitative urban models, which incorporate both differences in natural advantages and agglomeration forces, and can be taken directly to observed data on cities. We show that these models can be used to estimate the strength of agglomeration forces and evaluate the impact of transportation infrastructure improvements on welfare and the spatial distribution of economic activity.


Yam is a promising income source for small producers in the Reconcavo Baiano region. However, few genetic studies have been conducted with this culture. In this sense, the aim of this study was to assess genetic variability among 89 genotypes of yam (Dioscorea rotundata Poir.) collected in four municipalities in Bahia State, Brazil. These were assessed based on eight quantitative descriptors. Data were subjected to descriptive statistics, Spearman's rank correlation, Singh criterion, cluster analysis, principal component analysis and dispersion graph. The tuber weight showed the highest coefficient of variation and correlated positively and significantly with width and length of tuber. The tuber length characteristics contributed most to the genetic divergence. The criterion pseudo-t2 divided 89 genotypes into seven groups, being that groups 4, 5 and 7 showed the highest averages for the production characteristics. The first three principal components explained 69.49% variation and dispersion graph showed partly concordant with UPGMA method. This study revealed the existence of genetic variability of yam, which may be explored in future genetic improvement programs.

 Key words: Dioscorea rotundata Poir., multivariate methods, plant genetic resources, plant breeding.


Multi-point Acoustic Sensing (MAS) technology makes use of hydrophone sensors placed at discrete distances along pipelines in order to detect third party interference (TPI) and leaks. In fact, any interaction with the pipe generates pressure waves that are guided within the fluid for long distances, carrying information on the source event. Pressure propagation is mainly governed by the absorption coefficient and the sound speed. These parameters are in turn complicated functions of the frequency, the geometrical and elastic parameters of the pipe shell, the elastic parameters of the surrounding medium, and the acoustic and thermodynamic properties of the transported fluid. We have designed several experimental campaigns on oil and gas transportation pipelines, instrumented with a proprietary MAS system. We have defined and simulated an exhaustive set of TPI and leak tests, taking care of the quantitative characterization of the dynamic parameters, especially at the source point. In this paper we describe the experimental work, and we discuss the data processing for the detection of pipe/flow anomalies. The results are also used for the validation of mathematical models of pressure waves propagation in fluid filled pipes.


Mucosal as well as systemic immune responses are extensively influenced by the external environment. The maintenance of the physiologic integrity of the mucosa is complex and depends largely on local immune responses. The physiologic processes of the body are integrated and carefully regulated so that no single event can be considered in the absence of consideration of its interaction with its environment. These principles are perhaps best demonstrated by the models and concepts emerging to explain the apparent idiosyncrasies of the mucosal immune system. How these can be harnessed to promote protection and how they may be manipulated to prevent disease is the subject of extensive current investigation which we have attempted to summarize in this brief review.


The problem of generating different patterns of traffic to emulate real user behaviour is receiving considerable attention with the construction of new and more complex network architectures. The theoretical modelling of waveforms or signals that flow through networks is valuable in a variety of scenarios including performance analysis and the design of communication systems. In the literature, many computer-based performance evaluation tools have been discussed. However, these tools lack the ability to run on affordable technologies such as mobile phones. The fundamental contribution of this work is the design of a traffic generating tool called MTGawn which is able to run on a mobile device. Design Science Research was the research methodology used for the design and deployment of a prototype of the proposed system. VoIP traffic was emulated using an implementation of well-known real time transport protocols such as RTP and cRTP, and parameterization was defined by using three codecs namely: G.711, G.723, and G.729. An evaluation was performed in a laboratory wireless network testbed and preliminary results were collected and analysed. The results of the experiments show that such a measuring instrument can be deployed on a mobile phone. More experiments are being done to ensure the accuracy of the data and also to compare the results with that of computer-based systems. Furthermore additional functionalities, similar to the functionality found on the computer-based open source tools, are being added to the mobile tool.


This article is focused on determination of the most significant economic indicators influencing corporate sustainability performance. Corporate sustainability performance is a multidimensional concept based on the original idea of sustainable development, replacing the traditional understanding of corporate performance only as capital appreciation for owners (shareholders). Compared to the original concept of sustainable development which consists of environmental, social and economic performance, the so-called triple-bottom-line, it is broaden to the responsibilities and the impact of Corporate Governance on the corporate performance. The basic set of economic indicators has been constructed from a synthesis of resources developed by international organizations (Global Reporting Initiative, International Federation of Accountants) and research among manufacturing companies in the Czech Republic. The basic set of twenty-five key indicators is divided into seven groups: Costs, Investments, Economic Results, Asset & financial resources utilization, Suppliers reliability, Penalties and R&D expenses. Basic set of indicators was presented to 23 top-managers who quantified the potential effect of each indicator to the success and sustainability of their companies. Through the methods of descriptive statistics knowledge of the particularities of each indicator was obtained. Correlation analysis and factor analysis were applied in order to eliminate information duplicity and dimensionality reduction. The result is a reduction in the number of economic indicators, so that the loss of information on the influence of the original indicators on the corporate sustainability is minimized. Corporate sustainability indicators are a tool for measuring and managing progress towards sustainability goals and environmental, social and economic impacts.


We present bi-static observations of radio-wave induced optical emissions at 6300 and 5577 ˚ A from a night- time radio-induced optical emission ionospheric pumping experiment at the HIPAS (Fairbanks) facility in Alaska. The optical observations were made at HIPAS and from HAARP located 285 km south-east. From these observa- tions the altitude distribution of the emissions is estimated with tomography-like methods. These estimates are com- pared with theoretical models. Other diagnostics used to support the theoretical calculations include the new Poker Flat AMISR UHF radar near HIPAS. We find that the alti- tude distribution of the emissions agree with electron trans- port modeling with a source of accelerated electrons located 20 km below the upper-hybrid altitude.


Biochar, a byproduct from the biofuels industry, may be a potential feed additive in ruminant diets due to possible improvements in microbial fermentation. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the nutritive value, in vitro digestibility, volatile fatty acid (VFA) production, and gas production of biochar inclusion to an orchard grass (Dactylis glomerata) basal diet. The study was designed as a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement with 3 different biochar sources and 2 biochar processed sizes as the main effects factors. Experimental treatments were biochar from 3 different tree types: 1) Chestnut Oak (Quercus prinus L.; CO), 2) Yellow Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera; YP), or 3) White Pine (Pinus strobus L.; WP), and processed at 2 different biochar particle sizes: a) 178 μm (Coarse). Biochar was added to the basal diet of orchard grass hay (872.35 g/kg of DM, 98.31 g/kg of CP, and 704.02 g/kg of aNDF, DM basis) at a rate of 81 g/kg DM. Biochar residual ash content was greater (P P P = 0.01) with lower aNDF content in both WP sizes compared with their respective biochar type and size. Gas production was not influenced (P = 0.23) by biochar tree type; however, gas production was increased (P = 0.05) by Fine particle size compared with Coarse biochar. The in vitro true digestibility (IVTD) of orchard grass hay was increased (P = 0.01) by the inclusion of Fine biochar particle size compared with Coarse particle size. Additionally, in vitro CP true digestibility (DCP) exhibited a type × size interaction (P = 0.01). Crude protein digestibility was lower for Fine particle-sized CO and WP biochar sources compared with Coarse particle-sized CO and WP (P ≤ 0.004). However, DCP was not different between Coarse and Fine particle-sized YP biochar (P = 0.70). Volatile fatty acids (acetate, propionate, and butyrate) were not altered by biochar type (P ≥ 0.66) or particle size (P ≥ 0.19). These results indicate that both tree type and particle size of biochar may need to be carefully considered before incorporating into a ruminant diet. Furthermore, Fine particle-sized biochar may be the most effective to incorporate as a feed additive in a ruminant diet based on digestibility parameters.


In this paper, we study how wage mobility in the low-wage sector has changed in western Germany between 1984 and 2004. Using German individual register data, we document a clear upward trend in the persistence of low-wage employment for both men and women. Next to compositional shifts of the low-wage sector relative to the high-wage sector, this trend may be explained by an increase in "genuine" state dependence, which occurs if low-wage employment today causes low-wage employment in the future for reasons of, e.g., stigmatization or human capital depreciation. To isolate the latter, we model low-pay transitions by estimating a series of multivariate probit models. We address the initial conditions problem and the endogeneity of earnings attrition in our estimation approach by accounting for the selection into low-wage employment and earnings retention. Our findings for men and women point to an upward trend of genuine state dependence among low-paid workers especially since the beginning of the 1990s. Using decomposition techniques, we show that between 35 and 54 per cent of the increase in genuine state dependence during the 1990s is accounted for by compositional effects.


We report the case of a 75-year-old man who developed acute myocardial infarction 12 hours after the first dose of ChAdOx1 nCov-19 vaccine. The event was associated with a transient decrease of platelet count and the detection of anti-PF4 antibodies approximately 45 days after the event. Vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) is characterized by the onset of venous or arterial thrombosis in temporal relationship to the administration of anti-Sars-Cov-2 viral vector vaccines (ChAdOx1 nCov-19 and Ad26.COV2.S), thrombocytopenia and the production of anti-PF4 antibodies. It occurs mainly at a young age, even if the median age is 54 years; it is often associated with thrombosis in atypical sites, such as the cerebral sinus. Our reported case does not present all the diagnostic criteria of VITT. However, the close temporal relationship between ChAdOx1 nCov-19 vaccine administration, thrombosis, and concomitant anti-PF4 antibodies positivity makes the case suggestive of a possible slight form of VITT.