This study offers a policy-relevant psychosocial understanding of ways in which regeneration can affect the lives of older people. It examined the experiences of people over sixty in England of local regeneration through an in-depth biographical case-based methodology. The fieldwork was conducted in 2006/07 in Bromley by Bow/London and Burnley Wood/Burnley as two urban areas that had been experiencing substantial – and very different - regeneration activity.

A review of the literature indicated that research with a focus on older people in regeneration was limited, and that much scope remained for an in-depth understanding of (older) individuals' experiences of regeneration as a basis for future policy and practice. The study addressed this gap in knowledge through a psychosocial approach. Older people were conceptualised as psychosocial beings in whose experiencing psychic and social dimensions interact. The study drew on the psychoanalytic theories of Melanie Klein and theorists in the British Object Relations tradition, as well as on the social theory of Pierre Bourdieu as a framework for exploring experiences of regeneration in terms of psychic and social, conscious and unconscious dimensions.

The interview-based Biographical-Narrative Interpretive Method (BNIM) was adopted as a method capable of yielding the kind of detailed data that can provide the empirical basis of a psychoanalytically-informed psychosocial approach. Sixteen interviews were conducted. Interview analysis involved panels. Three fully developed contrasting case studies are presented in the thesis. Further case material from the remaining interviews that supported or confounded the analysis arising from these three core cases is presented in the form of twelve summary vignettes.

The study concludes that local regeneration can work well for older people and their communities where it provides containing structures that facilitate relations of recognition across difference and enable older people to experience a sense of well-being in contemporary mixed communities. It argues that, in addition to sustaining the rights of both older individuals themselves and others, it is crucial that regeneration initiatives foster bonds that unite people across difference. In this, the wider political context can play an important facilitating role by sustaining a reparative politics that places a premium on promoting justice, care and relations of recognition and solidarity.

The study adds a psychosocial perspective to a limited body of existing work with a specific focus on regeneration and older people. Involving detailed attention to unconscious mechanisms and defences, it offers a complex understanding of the processes through which regeneration can become a beneficial or negative experience for older people in terms of an interaction of psychic and social dimensions of personal experience. The depth of this understanding has not been matched by policy-focussed research into how well regeneration has 'worked'. The study thus makes an original contribution to knowledge that can inform future regeneration policy and practice.


Jet's sound-field emitted by a large scale source modeled as a wave packet is considered. Attention is given to nonlinear propagation effects caused by the source's supersonic Mach number and high amplitude. The approach of the Westervelt equation is adapted to derive a new set of weakly nonlinear sound propagation equations. An optimized Lax–Wendorff scheme is proposed for the newly derived equations. It is shown that these equations can be simulated using a time step close to the CFL limit even for high amplitudes unlike the conventional finite-difference simulation approach of the Westervelt equation. Two- and three-dimensional sound propagations were simulated for symmetric and asymmetric supersonic wave packets. It is seen that nonlinearity in the sound field is affected by the wave packet form, an effect that cannot be captured by a 1D propagation equation. High skewness in the pressure fluctuation and its time derivative were found near the Mach direction, showing crackle-like features. Pressure time history and frequency spectra are also investigated.


Mortar (mortar) is a mixture composed of mixing cement, sand and water or from mixing cement, lime, sand and water. mortar composed of 3 types namely: lime mortar, mortar cement, and composite cement and lime mortar. Terms of both species in the science of building materials are: strong, durable, stick with good, quick drying water seepage resistant, inexpensive, does not cause cracking after
installation. The price of cement is usually quite expensive to reach by most people, to overcome this problem it is necessary to find an alternative replacement material for cement. This is done by reducing the amount of cement and reduce the amount of cement and replacement material which adds to the replacement material has the same function as the cement as a binder in the mix, in this study used a substitute material is a red cement. The purpose of this study was to observe the effect of red cement as a partial replacement material in a mixture of cement mortar / mortar. The samples used as the object of study amounted to 126 pieces for compressive strength, 126 pieces for tensile strength and 126 pieces for flexural tensile strength with 6 variations of the mixture. From the results of research from the description above does not happen optimal value of compressive strength because the value of the average compressive strength produced by the addition of red cement at 97 143 kg/cm2 for the FAB 65% smaller than the value of the average compressive strength without using a cement mixture of red 102.85 kg/cm2. Likewise with tensile strength tensile strength did not happen optimal value because the value of the average tensile strength produced by the addition of red cement amounted to 20 694 kg/cm2 for FAB55% smaller than the value of the average compressive strength of the mixture without the use of red cement amounted to 22.29kg / cm2. While the flexural tensile strength values did not occur because the optimal flexural tensile strength value of the average produced by the addition of red cement at 55.69 kg/cm2 to FAB 45% smaller than the value of the average compressive strength of the mixture without the use of red cement amounted to 60 428 kg/cm2. Value of standard mortar mix ratio serves as a comparison to the compressive strength of cement addition of red as a partial replacement of cement. From the test shows that these results indicate that there is influence of mixture composition on compressive strength, tensile and bending.


Voting 4-3 and, according to a story in The Recorder [San Francisco], causing corporations nationwide to issue a "collective gasp," the California Supreme Court declined to review or depublish a California Court of Appeal decision that imposed a $290 million punitive award against Ford Motor Co. in a products liability case in which three family members died in a rollover crash. 2002 Cal. Lexis 7254. The court's order lets stand the intermediate appellate court's decision and lengthy opinion in Romo v. Ford Motor Co., 122 Cal.Rptr.2d 139 (Cal.App. 2002), which reversed the trial court's order allowing a new trial on punitive damages based on juror misconduct. The case arose from an accident a decade ago involving a 1978 Ford Bronco. Both Romo parents and one child were killed when the vehicle rolled over several times. The suit alleged that the Bronco was defectively designed because only the front one third of the roof had steel support, while the remainder was made of fiberglass, which easily collapsed in the rollover accident. After a four-month trial in 1999, a jury awarded the three surviving Romo children $6.226 million in compensatory and $290 million in punitive damages. Granting Ford's post-trial motion for a new trial on punitive damages based on juror misconduct, the trial court also reduced the compensatory award to $4.935 million. Juror declarations filed at the post-trial stage revealed that one juror, during deliberations on the malice aspects of the case, commented that she had watched a television news program reporting on fires that occurred in older Ford Mustangs. She recounted to the jury that the former Ford chairman had said that the company would rather contest or settle the fire-related lawsuits than recall and fix all the vehicles. The jury foreperson, who was a deputy district attorney, told the juror that the news program was not evidence in their case and should not be discussed further, according to the juror declarations. Another juror, Ford alleged, engaged in misconduct by recounting during deliberations a dream she from the night before in which a Ford Bronco rolled over, killing her own children and many others while Ford representatives stood by questioning the proof of the event. Her discussion of the dream occurred after the jury decided compensatory damages and before the vote on malice. Several other jurors stated that this juror repeatedly said during deliberations that the jury must "save the babies" by finding Ford liable. The jury voted 9-3 on the issue of malice and the amount of punitive damages. The Court of Appeal, in an opinion by Judge Vartabedian, found no juror misconduct had occurred and reversed the trial court's order. Nothing in the trial record indicated that the court should reject the normal presumption that the jury followed the court's instructions, he stated, adding that the trial court, several days into the jury deliberations and after widespread news coverage about a large verdict against General Motors, admonished the jury to consider only the evidence presented at the trial and to ignore any news accounts concerning their case or any other case. …


We use data from a gender-neutral dictator and public goods game setting to analyze differences in other-regarding preferences between boys and girls aged 10 to 17. The results indicate a higher mean of dictator giving, degree of egalitarian decisions and lower frequency of selfish decisions, free-riding and efficiency concerns for girls. Gender differences are already established at approximately age 10. They cannot be explained by gender-specific increases in other-regarding preferences, differences in dispositions or the impact of personality traits. We conclude that genes and early social learning are the sources of gender differences in other-regarding preferences.


The numbers surrounding the world coconut industry are substantial – 55,500,000,000 coconuts produced every year from 12,000,000 hectares supporting an industry worth USD 6 billion at wholesale. Yet despite the size and wealth of the industry most coconut growers are among the poorest in their society and over 1 million tonnes of coconut dust are dumped into the environment every year.

In the Mekong Delta, riverbanks shaded with coconut trees are an iconic part of the landscape, but only in the last decade has the local coconut industry taken the first steps to becoming a modern, competitive industry. Much of this recent development has happened in Ben Tre province, at the heart of the industry in the Delta with the greatest concentration of coconut trees and businesses. The Ben Tre authorities and industry leaders are now looking to help the industry mature into an internationally competitive and sustainable coconut industry that maximises the value created for the local community, businesses and coconut farmers.

This study is part of that process and aims to provide evidence of the current state of the global coconut industry and the local industry in Ben Tre and the wider Mekong Delta and to assess specific opportunities for the industry's future development. The study also identifies several promising commercial opportunities for local coconut businesses and the impacts these could have on the company's own bottom-line profits as well as the wider industry. It supplements extensive secondary data with insights and evidence gathered through an international benchmarking exercise with leading competitor countries, including the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand as well as the local industry in Ben Tre.


The World Health Organization estimates that more than 180 million people worldwide have diabetes, and by 2030 it is expected that this number will have doubled. There is an alarming increase in the incidence and prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) in Asian Indians. Epidemiology of Diabetes in India. The prevalence of diabetes is rapidly rising all over the globe at an alarming rate . Over the past 30 years, the status of diabetes has changed from being considered as a mild disorder of the elderly to one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality affecting the youth and middle aged people. Pulmonary function test (PFT) is a complete evaluation of the respiratory system including patient history, physical examinations, and tests of pulmonary function. with insulin-dependent diabetes compared with age-matched control subjects, all lifelong non-smokers. Lung CO transfer capacity is significantly affected by the integrity of lung capillary endothelium and, therefore, the findings of Sandler et al. focused attention on pulmonary vascular changes. The concept of the lung as a target organ for diabetic microangiopathy received continuing attention. Reports of lung function tests in patients with diabetes over the next 15 years have focused largely on pulmonary microangiopathy with relatively few studies of pulmonary mechanical function which leads to a restrictive lung pattern. Diabetes and Lung Function Test : Some studies showed that all the pulmonary parameters, that is, FVC, FEV1, FEF25, FEF50, FEF75, FEF25–75, FEF0.2–1.2, and PEFR were significantly reduced except FEV1/FVC in patients of type 2 DM as compared with the healthy controls. It can be concluded from our narrative review that the Type II or Type I diabetes is definitely having decreased lung functions assessed by spirometry not only because of diabetic complications like pneumonia or other but also due to long term effect of diabetes may be because of micro-angiopathy or decreased elastic recoil capacity of lungs.


Bipartite ranking aims to learn a real-valued ranking function that orders positive instances before negative instances. Recent efforts of bipartite ranking are focused on optimizing ranking accuracy at the top of the ranked list. Most existing approaches are either to optimize task specific metrics or to extend the rank loss by emphasizing more on the error associated with the top ranked instances, leading to a high computational cost that is super-linear in the number of training instances. We propose a highly efficient approach, titled TopPush, for optimizing accuracy at the top that has computational complexity linear in the number of training instances. We present a novel analysis that bounds the generalization error for the top ranked instances for the proposed approach. Empirical study shows that the proposed approach is highly competitive to the state-of-the-art approaches and is 10-100 times faster.


In this paper, we describe the design issues and technical implementation of an interactive Family Message Board. The Family Message Board enables members of a distributed family to communicate with one another both synchronously and asynchronously via simple, pen-based, digital notes. Each household running this Java-based software can view, create, and manipulate notes in a zoomable space. The Family Message Board will be used as a "technology probe" to help us understand the communication needs of distributed families, and to help us design new devices to meet those needs.


This paper forms the first part of a project of inquiry to understand the theoretical and practical potentials of Occupy through the recent wave of occupations that have emerged in response to the politics of austerity and precarity around the world. We do this as educators who are seeking to 'occupy' spaces of higher education inside and outside of the institutions in which we work.
Occupy points to the centrality of space and time as practical concepts through which it is possible to reconfigure revolutionary activity. By dealing with the concept (Occupy) at this fundamental level of space and time through a critical engagement with Henri Lefebvre's notion of 'a new pedagogy of space and time', we hope to open spaces for further revolutionary transformation by extending a critique of the politics of space and time into the institutions and idea of education itself.
Lefebvre considers the 'pedagogy of space and time' as a basis for a new form of 'counter-space'. He suggests that 'deviant or diverted spaces, though initially subordinate, show distinct evidence of a true productive capacity' (2008: 383), and in doing so reveal the breaking points of everyday life and the ways in which it might be appropriated as exuberant spaces full of enjoyment and hope. In the Production of Space, he identifies the space of leisure as a site within which such a resistance might be contemplated and activated. In our work we replace the principle of leisure with the concept of Occupy. We consider here how attempts to occupy the university curriculum, not as a programme of education but as the production of critical knowledge, may also constitute 'a new pedagogy of space and time'. We will describe this occupation of higher education with reference to two projects with which we are involved Student as Producer and the Social Science Centre, the former at the University of Lincoln, and the latter across the city of Lincoln.
This paper will explore the significance of the current Occupations movement for the reinvention of teaching and learning in higher education. The first part of the paper will explore some of the theories and pedagogical practices that underlie the educational dimensions of the occupations. The second part of the paper will offer illustrations of projects that are confronting similar issues in higher education. The projects are Student as Producer and the Social Science Centre, both located in the city of Lincoln, with which the authors are involved. We conclude by suggesting that while the concept and practice of occupation contributes much to the ongoing debate about the meaning and future of higher education, it can be further radicalized by emphasising Occupy1s inherent dynamic sensibility. We define this radicalized dynamic sensibility as a new 'pedagogy of space and time' (Lefebvre 1990).


The transparency and openness of the monetary policymaking process at the Bank of England has provided very detailed information on both the decisions of individual members of the Monetary Policy Committee and the information on which they are based. In this paper we consider this decision making process in the context of a model in which inflation forecast targeting is used but there is heterogeneity among the members of the committee. We find that rational partisan theory can explain spatial voting behaviour under forecast uncertainty about the output gap. Internally generated forecasts of output and market generated expectations of medium term inflation provide the best description of discrete changes in interest rates, in combination with uncertainty in the macroeconomic environment. There is also a role for developments in asset housing and labour markets. Further, spatial voting patterns clearly differentiates between internal and externally appointed members of the Monetary Policy Committee. The results have important implications for committee design and the conduct of monetary policy.


Gamification of education is still evolving. It lacks systematic studies assessing its effect in different learning contexts. Creating gamified courses is still difficult, since there is a lack of sufficient understanding of how to gamify learning and appropriate software support is missing. As a response to these challenges, we developed OneUp  ̶ a customizable platform aimed at facilitating the process of gamifying academic courses and enabling contextual studies on educational gamification. In this paper we rationalize our approach to building OneUp and present the underlying principles and motivations guiding its design. We also describe the platform functionality which includes support for integrating game design elements in learning activities, creating dynamic problems, and visualizing student performance and progress. At the end, we present a usability study of the platform and the assessment results from an end user perspective.


As undiversified commodity exporters, GCC economies are prone to pro-cyclical systemic risk in the financial system. During periods of high hydrocarbon prices, favorable economic prospects make the financial sector keen to lend, leading to higher domestic credit growth and easier access to external financing. Fiscal policy is a very important tool for macroeconomic management, but due to the significant time lags and expenditure rigidities, it has not been a flexible enough tool to prevent credit booms and the build-up of systemic risk in the GCC. This, together with limited monetary policy independence because of the pegged exchange rate, means that macro-prudential policy has a particularly important role in limiting systemic risk in the financial system. This importance is reinforced by the underdeveloped financial markets in the region that provide limited risk management tools and shortcomings in crisis resolution frameworks. This paper will discuss the importance of macro-prudential policy in the GCC countries, look at the experience with macro-prudential policies in the boom/bust cycle in the second half of the 2000s, and use the broad frameworks being developed in the Fund and elsewhere to discuss ways existing frameworks and policy toolkits in the region can be strengthened given the characteristics of the GCC economies.


In our previous studies it was shown that peculiar structures (calcite crystal bubbles) can nucleate at the complex interface between a solid substrate, a gaseous cavity and a supersaturated solution. In this work we aim at changing the size of the calcite bubbles acting on the chemical composition of the solution. This can be achieved because our crystals form around gas cavities whose size is strictly related to the interfacial energy between the liquid and the vapor phase. A comparison between size variation and the surface tension trend of the water-ethanol solutions is described.


The Bank of Canada's 2013 Methods-of-Payment Survey indicates that the share of cash in the overall number of retail transactions has continued to decrease, mainly because of increased use of contactless credit cards. The share of cash in the total value of retail transactions was virtually unchanged from 2009 to 2013. In particular, the value share of cash transactions above $50 increased. Automated banking machines (ABMs), still the major source of cash for Canadians, were used less often in 2013 than in 2009. Cash use in Canada is broadly similar to that in Australia and the United States.


The United Kingdom; Great Britain; the British Isles; the Home Nations: such a wealth of different names implies uncertainty and contention - and an ability to invent and adjust. In a year that sees a Scottish referendum on independence, Linda Colley analyses some of the forces that have unified Britain in the past. She examines the mythology of Britishness, and how far - and why - it has faded. She discusses the Acts of Union with Wales, Scotland and Ireland, and their limitations, while scrutinizing England's own fractures. And she demonstrates how the UK has been shaped by movement: of British people to other countries and continents, and of people, ideas and influences arriving from elsewhere. As acts of union and disunion again become increasingly relevant to our daily lives and politics, Colley considers how - if at all - the pieces might be put together anew, and what this might mean. Based on a 15-part BBC Radio 4 series.


Hospital-acquired infections represent significant health and financial burdens to society. Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is a particularly challenging bacteria with the potential to cause severe diarrhea and death. One mode of transmission for C. difficile, as well as other pathogens, which has received little attention is the potential air contamination by pathogen-bearing droplets emanating from toilets. In the fluid dynamics video submitted to the APS DFD Gallery of Fluid Motion 2013, we present flow visualizations via high-speed recordings showing the capture of the product of the fluid fragmentation generated by hospital toilet high-pressure flushes. Important quantities of both large and small droplets are observed. We illustrate how high-pressure flushes and cleaning products currently used in hospital toilets result in aggravating, rather than alleviating, the suspension and recirculation of tenacious airborne pathogen-bearing droplets.


This thesis introduces a method to both obtain segmentation information and integrate it uniformly within a convolutional neural network (CNN). This counter-acts the tendency of CNNs to produce smooth predictions, which is undesirable for pixel-wise prediction tasks, such as semantic segmentation. The segmentation information is obtained by a form of metric learning, where a CNN learns to compute pixel embeddings that reflect whether any pair of pixels is likely to belong to the same region. This information is then used within a larger network, to replace all convolutions with foreground-focused convolutions, where the foreground is determined adaptively at each image point by local embeddings. The resulting network is called a segmentation-aware CNN, because the network can change its behaviour at each image location according to local segmentation cues. The proposed method yields systematic improvements on a standard semantic segmentation benchmark when compared to a strong baseline.


The availability of genomic data is essential to progress in biomedical research, personalized medicine, etc. However, its extreme sensitivity makes it problematic, if not outright impossible, to publish or share it. As a result, several initiatives have been launched to experiment with synthetic genomic data, e.g., using generative models to learn the underlying distribution of the real data and generate artificial datasets that preserve its salient characteristics without exposing it. This paper provides the first evaluation of both utility and privacy protection of six state-of-the-art models for generating synthetic genomic data. We assess the performance of the synthetic data on several common tasks, such as allele population statistics and linkage disequilibrium. We then measure privacy through the lens of membership inference attacks, i.e., inferring whether a record was part of the training data. Our experiments show that no single approach to generate synthetic genomic data yields both high utility and strong privacy across the board. Also, the size and nature of the training dataset matter. Moreover, while some combinations of datasets and models produce synthetic data with distributions close to the real data, there often are target data points that are vulnerable to membership inference. Looking forward, our techniques can be used by practitioners to assess the risks of deploying synthetic genomic data in the wild and serve as a benchmark for future work.


A qualitative inquiry was conducted to gain an initial understanding of Filipinos' experience of doubting and to arrive at a working definition of duda and an interim conceptual framework for studying pagdududa further. Using non-structured, in-depth interviews, six participants, 3 men and 3 women, were asked to talk about a "karanasan ng pagdududa" (experience of doubting). Participant narratives revealed thematic lines along which further investigation and inquiry can be made: the interconnected elements of the pagdududa story and juxtaposition of context and language of description. From these came a working definition of duda as a psychological condition involving uncertainty, a transitional condition that temporarily stops a person and situates him or her in between two seemingly incompatible states. Recommendations were made for studying duda further and for elucidating the duda-wellbeing link using an interim conceptual framework that views pagdududa as a basic, meaningful, experience that can be harnessed to help people achieve gains in wellbeing.


In this review we discuss localization of waves by multiple scattering. In the weak case, also known as coherent backscattering, there is a twofold enhancement of the reflected intensity in the back direction. We discuss the origin of this effect, its shape with reflection angle as well as the influence of finite sample size and absorption on this shape. This discussion of the properties of the coherent backscattering cone is based on experimental investigations of multiple scattering of light in various media over the last two decades. In addition, we discuss experiments on coherent backscattering using many other types of waves. In a second part, we discuss the experimental search for strong localization in the context of past and present experiments. This leads to a presentation of the most direct method to date to show effects of strong localization via time resolved transmission measurements. These recent experiments are discussed in detail and we draw some conclusions on the nature of the localization transition. The paper ends with an outlook on possible future experiments. E. WOLF, PROGRESS IN OPTICS VVV c © 2006 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED


This book summarizes the results of the third year in the Design Thinking Research Program, a joint venture of Stanford University in Palo Alto and the Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam. Understanding the evolution of innovation, and how to measure the performance of the design thinking teams behind innovations, is the central motivation behind the research work presented in this book. Addressing these fundamental concerns, all of the contributions in this volume report on different approaches and research efforts aimed at obtaining deeper insights into and a better understanding of how design thinking transpires. In highly creative ways, different experiments were conceived and undertaken with this goal in mind, and the results achieved were analyzed and discussed to shed new light on the focus areas. We hope that our readers enjoy this discourse on design thinking and its diverse impacts. Besides looking forward to receiving your critical feedback, we also hope that when reading these reports you too will get caught up in the fun our research teams had in carrying out the work they are based on: understanding innovation and how design thinking fosters it, which was the motivation for all the research work that is reported on in this book.


CONTEXT
Passive straight-legged-raise (SLR) assessments have been performed with the ankle fixed in dorsiflexion (DF), plantar-flexion (PF), or neutral (NTRL) position. However, it is unclear whether ankle position contributes to differences in the passive resistance measured during an SLR assessment.

OBJECTIVE
To examine the influence of ankle position during an SLR on the passive torque, range of motion (ROM), and hamstrings electromyographic (EMG) responses to passive stretch of the posterior hip and thigh muscles.

DESIGN
Crossover study.

SETTING
Research laboratory.

PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS
A total of 13 healthy volunteers (5 men: age = 24 ± 3 years, height = 178 ± 6 cm, mass = 85 ± 10 kg; 8 women: age = 21 ± 1 years, height = 163 ± 8 cm, mass = 60 ± 6 kg).

INTERVENTION(S)
Participants performed 6 randomly ordered passive SLR assessments involving 2 assessments at each condition, which included the ankle positioned in DF, PF, and NTRL. All SLRs were performed using an isokinetic dynamometer programmed in passive mode to move the limb toward the head at 5°/s.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)
During each SLR, maximal ROM was determined as the point of discomfort but not pain, as indicated by the participant. Passive torque and EMG amplitude were determined at 4 common joint angles (θ) separated by 5° during the final common 15° of ROM for each participant.

RESULTS
Passive torque was greater for the DF condition than the NTRL (P = .008) and PF (P = .03) conditions at θ3 and greater for the DF than NTRL condition (P = .02) at θ4. Maximal ROM was lower for the DF condition than the NTRL (P = .003) and PF (P < .001) conditions. However, we found no differences among conditions for EMG amplitude (P = .86).

CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that performing SLRs with the ankle positioned in DF may elicit greater passive torque and lower ROM than SLRs with the ankle positioned in PF or NTRL. The greater passive torque and lower ROM induced by the DF condition possibly were due to increased tension in the neural structures of the proximal thigh.


Postural balance is one of the most important aspects of everyday movement, especially in complex movements such as jumping, kicking or movements involving overhead/arm motion. In sporting activities, players often need to complete goal-directed tasks of an end-effector (e.g. tennis racket), while also needing to control their balance, in order to produce a successful task. However, studying the interaction between postural balance and end-effector control, in a biomechanical context and particularly in the tennis serve is difficult and remains largely unexplored. Traditionally, to explore postural balance researchers have to observe the whole-body centre of mass (CoM) location. However, for marker-based motion capture systems, collecting and processing data is time-consuming. If the researchers are interested in examining the movements of only some parts of the body, then reductions in model complexity may be possible while still retaining an ability to track CoM location. Therefore, the first aim of this research was to find an appropriate biomechanical model to quantify accurate whole-body (X)CoM representation. The second aim was then to investigate the interaction between postural balance control and end-effector performance, during the tennis serve, within a single target location and between different serving locations. The first study of this thesis showed that anteroposterior and medio-lateral displacement profiles of the CoM representation, based on the lower limbs, trunk and upper limbs showed strong agreement with the full-body model, and this only slightly reduced for the lower limbs and trunk only. Representations based on the lower limbs only showed less agreement, particularly for the extrapolated CoM (XCoM) in kicking. Our results justified the use of some model reductions for specific needs, saving measurement effort whilst limiting the error of tracking (X)CoM trajectories in the context of whole-body balance investigation. The second study of this thesis demonstrated that there is no direct interaction between the XCoM displacement, the changes in arms/trunk angular momentum, and maximum racket velocity during the preparation, propulsion and forward swing phases of a tennis serve. Only in the forward swing phase, a significant relationship between trunk angular momentum and maximum racket velocity was found which means the trunk segmental acceleration may play a role in controlling balance when generating the maximum racket velocity during the serve towards this target location. The third and final study in this thesis focussed on only the forward swing phase, and indicated that only the change in arms angular momentum influenced the maximum racket velocity. This was found specifically when serving into the wider part of the advantage court. Furthermore, individual relationships were evident between serving conditions. The novel approach introduced in this thesis, and the key outcomes of the work, have the potential to give researchers, coaches and athletes, who are working and playing in relevant dynamic sporting tasks, an opportunity to better understand the interaction between how control of the end-effector adapts while maintaining postural stability during the serve. Moreover, the work also guides the choice of biomechanical marker sets to estimate the centre of mass during dynamic activity.


The electrical grid has substantially changed in recent years due to the integration of several disruptive load and generation technologies into low-voltage distribution networks, which are meant to smarten it and improve its efficiency. These technologies have subjected the grid to unprecedented amounts of variability and uncertainty that threaten its reliability and could reduce its efficiency. Even a low penetration of these disruptive technologies may cause equipment overloads, voltage deviations beyond permissible operating thresholds, and bidirectional power flows in distribution networks. The smart grid will comprise a vast number of active end-nodes, including electric vehicle chargers, solar inverters, storage systems, and other elastic loads, that can be quickly controlled to adjust their real and reactive power contributions. Given the availability of inexpensive measurement devices and a broadband communication network that connects measurement devices to controllers, it is possible to incorporate potentially disruptive technologies into distribution networks while maintaining service reliability, using some novel control mechanisms, which are the focus of this thesis. In this thesis, we propose a new paradigm for the control of active end-nodes at scale. This control paradigm relies on real-time measurements of the states of the distribution network and the end-nodes rather than long-term predictions. We use an optimal control framework to design mechanisms that balance a set of system-level and user-level objectives. We study control of active end-nodes in two different contexts: a radial distribution system and a grid-connected public electric vehicle charging station powered by on-site solar generation. We develop both a feedback controller and an open-loop controller, and propose centralized and distributed algorithms for solving optimal control problems. We implement and validate these control mechanisms using extensive numerical simulations and power flow analysis on a standard test system.


We examine community collectivization among female sex workers (FSWs) and high-risk men who have sex with men and transgenders (HR-MSM) following several years of HIV prevention programming with these populations, and its association with selected outcome indicators measuring individual behaviors (condom use with different partners and sexually transmitted infection [STI] treatment-seeking from government health facilities). Data for this study were collected from a large-scale cross-sectional survey conducted in 2010–2011 among FSWs (sample size: 3557) and HR-MSM (sample size: 2399) in Andhra Pradesh, India. We measured collectivization among FSWs in terms of three binary (low, high) indices of collective efficacy, collective agency, and collective action. Collectivization among HR-MSM was measured by participation in a public event (no, yes), and a binary (low, high) index of collective efficacy. Adjusted odds ratios (adjusted OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed to assess the relationships between collectivization and outcome indicators directly and through mediation of variables such as self-efficacy for condom use and utilization of government health facilities. Results show that among FSWs, high levels of collective efficacy (adjusted OR: 1.3, 95% CI: 1.1–1.7) and collective action (adjusted OR:1.3, 95% CI: 1.1–1.8) were associated with consistent condom use (CCU) with regular clients. Among HR-MSM, participation in a public event (adjusted OR: 2.7, 95% CI: 2.0–3.6) and collective efficacy (adjusted OR: 1.9, 95% CI: 1.5–2.3) were correlated with condom use with paying partners. The association between collectivization and outcome indicators continued to be significant in most cases even after adjusting for the potential mediators. Indicators of collectivization exhibited significant positive association with self-efficacy for condom use and service utilization from government health facilities among both FSWs and HR-MSM. The association of high levels of collectivization with CCU, STI treatment-seeking from government health facilities, ability to negotiate for condom use, and self-efficacy in utilizing government health facilities is relevant to effort to improve the effectiveness and sustainability of HIV prevention programs in India and beyond.


Food recalls, recently of beef, spinach, peanut butter, and cookie dough, have made people nervous about eating some of their favorite foods. Every year, millions of people contract a food-borne illness. While many cases are nothing more than an upset stomach, some result in serious sickness. Nutrition and Food Safety explores the many risks to our food and water supplies, including bacterial contamination, agricultural pesticides, food additives, allergens, and industrial chemicals. Rapid changes in the food industry often outpace the ability of government oversight to protect the consumer. Learn about the interconnecting responsibilities of farmers, food processors, retailers, government regulators, and consumers to assure a safe food supply.


Knowledge-based communities are popular Web-based tools that allow members to share and seek knowledge globally. However, research on how to search effectively within such knowledge repositories is scant. In this paper we study the problem of finding authoritative documents for user queries within a knowledge-based community. Unlike prior research on the ranking function design which considers only content or hyperlink information, we leverage the social network information embedded in the rich social media, in addition to content, to design novel ranking strategies. Using the Knowledge Adoption Model as the guiding theoretical framework, we design features that gauge the two major factors affecting users' knowledge adoption decisions: argument quality (AQ) and source credibility (SC). We design two ranking strategies that blend these two sources of evidence with the content-based relevance judgment. A preliminary study using a real world knowledge-based community showed that both AQ and SC features improved search effectiveness.


Introduction: Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) has an important role in the regulation of reproductive system and a high capacity to stimulate angiogenesis by secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). It could be also used for medical treatment of cryptorchidism, as it stimulates Leydig cells to produce testosterone, but its use has been discussed. Aim of the study was to evaluate the testicular morphological changes due to cyclic administration of hCG possibly related to VEGF effect. Methods: 80 pre-puberal male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided in two groups hCG (50 U/I/ Kg) (n = 55/S) and placebo (n = 25/C) treated. The animals were sacrificed respectively after one (S1 n = 10; C1 n = 5), two (S2 n = 10; C2 n = 5) and three weeks of hCG or placebo treatment (S3 n = 35; C3 n = 15); a blood serum was obtained for evaluation of plasmatic testosterone. The testis, prostates, epididymides and seminal vesicles were drawn and weighted. Specimens were fixed in formalin and coloured by hematoxylin-eosin. Morphometric analysis of Leydig cell number, nuclear area and perimeter was carried out. Immunoistochemistry for VEGF has been performed with the avidin-biotin peroxidase technique. Statistical differences between groups, each of different age, were calculating using Student's T-test. Results: After the first week of hCG treatment it has been observed an increased testicular weight and volume (+/﹣6%) in experimental respect to control group. This result was not observed after the second and third week of treatment. Significant variations were also observed in the mean prostate weight, whereas mean seminal vesicles weight was significant in the S2 and S3 groups respect to control. In the hCG treated rats it has been observed a poor differentiation of the seminiferous epithelium, with high Leydig cell evidence and increased intertubular eosinophilic material. An interstitial edema was demonstrated without inflammatory cell changes. Morphometric analysis confirmed an increased number of Leydig cells that were always strongly immunostained for VEGF. Low-medium reactivity was present in spermatogonial, peritubular, endothelial and Sertoli cells. Testosterone plasmatic values showed a statistically significant and progressive increase. Conclusions: hCG treatment clutters the germinative line and modifies VEGF testicular expression, suggesting its role in male reproductive system. The increased number of Leydig cells and the immunostaining for VEGF suggests an intense interstitial and metabolic arrangement. The morphologic modifications induced by hCG treatment and its influence on testis function raise the question about its use in the medical treatment of cryptorchidism.


Background: Influenza virus presents a significant challenge to public health by causing seasonal epidemics and occasional pandemics. Nanopore metagenomic sequencing has the potential to be deployed for near-patient testing, providing rapid diagnosis of infection, rationalising antimicrobial therapy, and supporting interventions for infection control. This study aimed to evaluate the applicability of this sequencing approach as a routine laboratory test for influenza in clinical settings. Methods: We conducted Nanopore metagenomic sequencing for 180 respiratory samples from a UK hospital during the 2018/19 influenza season, and compared results to routine molecular diagnostic testing. We investigated drug resistance, genetic diversity, and nosocomial transmission using influenza sequence data. Results: Metagenomic sequencing was 83% (75/90) sensitive and 93% (84/90) specific for detecting influenza A viruses compared with the diagnostic standard (Cepheid Xpress/BioFire FilmArray Respiratory Panel). We identified a H3N2 genome with the oseltamivir resistant S331R mutation in the NA protein, potentially associated with the emergence of a distinct intra-subtype reassortant. Whole genome phylogeny refuted suspicions of a transmission cluster in the infectious diseases ward, but identified two other clusters that likely reflected nosocomial transmission, associated with a predominant strain circulating in the community. We also detected a range of other potentially pathogenic viruses and bacteria from the metagenome. Conclusion: Nanopore metagenomic sequencing can detect the emergence of novel variants and drug resistance, providing timely insights into antimicrobial stewardship and vaccine design. Generation of full genomes can contribute to the investigation and management of nosocomial outbreaks.


Introduction: The GenesWell Breast Cancer Test (BCT) is a recently developed multigene assay that predicts the risk of distant recurrence in patients with early breast cancer. Here, we analyzed the concordance of the BCT score with the Oncotype DX recurrence score (RS) for risk stratification in Asian patients with pN0-N1, hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative breast cancer. Methods: Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded breast cancer tissues previously analyzed using the Oncotype DX test were assessed using the GenesWell BCT test. The risk stratification by the two tests was then compared. Results: A total of 771 patients from five institutions in Korea were analyzed. According to the BCT score, 527 (68.4%) patients were classified as low risk, and 244 (31.6%) as high risk. Meanwhile, 134 (17.4%), 516 (66.9%), and 121 (15.7%) patients were categorized into the low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups, respectively, according to the RS ranges used in the TAILORx. The BCT high-risk group was significantly associated with advanced lymph node status, whereas no association between RS risk groups and nodal status was observed. The concordance between the two risk stratification methods in the overall population was 71.9% when the RS low-risk, and intermediate-risk groups were combined into one group. However, poor concordance was observed in patients aged ≤50 years and in those with lymph node-positive breast cancer. Conclusions: The concordance between the BCT score and RS was low in women aged ≤50 years or with lymph node-positive breast cancer. Further studies are necessary to identify more accurate tests for predicting prognosis and chemotherapy benefit in this subpopulation.


Vertebrate Hoxd genes are essential determinants of limb morphogenesis. In order to understand the genetic control of their complex expression patterns, we have used a combined approach involving interspecies sequence alignments in parallel with transgenic analyses, followed by in vivo mutagenesis. Here, we report on the identification of a regulatory element that is located in the vicinity of the Hoxd-12 gene. While this element is well conserved in tetrapods, little sequence similarity was scored when compared to the cognate fish DNA. The regulatory potential of this region XI (RXI) was first assayed in the context of a Hoxd-12/lacZ reporter transgene and shown to direct reporter gene expression in posterior limb buds. A deletion of this region was generated by targeted mutagenesis in ES cells and introduced into mice. Analyses of animals homozygous for the HoxDRXI mutant allele revealed the function of this region in controlling Hoxd-12 expression in the presumptive posterior zeugopod where it genetically interacts with Hoxa-11. Downregulation of Hoxd-12 expression was also detected in the trunk suggesting that RXI may mediate a rather general function in the activation of Hoxd-12. These results support a model whereby global as well as local regulatory influences are necessary to build up the complex expression patterns of Hoxd genes during limb development.


With the objective of high sediment release out of a rectangular tank the performance of a circular jet arrangement has been investigated. Therefore, experiments with four jets arranged in a horizontal circle placed in water with quasi homogeneous sediment concentration were conducted. The induced circulation was analysed by measuring the flow field. The influence of the flow circulation on suspension and on sediment release through the water intake was studied and discussed. The offbottom clearance of the jet arrangement, the water intake height as well as the discharge of the jets was varied. Thus, the optimal parameter combination regarding sediment release was identified. The results of this study allow giving recommendation on best installation and discharge practice of the jets resulting in high sediment release. This jet mixing method can be applied in real reservoirs when fighting against sedimentation.


Cover crops can reduce the use of external inputs such as pesticides and fertilisers and can at the same time suppress weeds as well as improve or maintain soil fertility. Cover crops can also modify the microclimate which affects pest populations and diseases. Determining cover crop species and management practices is based on the needs and goals of production. The effects of introducing living mulch (LM) and management strategies on cash crop yield, product quality and energy use were studied in certain European countries (Slovenia, Italy, Germany and Denmark) in different climatic and soil conditions. In Slovenia, in organic production of cauliflower and leek, the effects of two terms of sowing white clover with additive design were compared with a production with black foil and with the usual agricultural practice by hoeing. In the field experiments the effect of LM on arthropod dynamics and activity density was investigated. The results demonstrated that the LM systems with a substitutive design, can be effectively implemented in vegetable production if the value of the ecological services (positive externalities) delivered by LM can counterbalance the yield loss due to the cash crop density reduction. If an additive design is used, the LM should be sown several weeks after the cash crop planting. Different cash crop genotypes (i.e., open pollinated/local cultivars in comparison with the hybrids) performed similarly. Use of human labor (HL) and fossil fuel (FF) energy slightly increased in LM systems (7%). The farmers' acceptance of the LM techniques was quite high (75% of the interviewed sample). The LM technique did not affect the infestation of cabbage caterpillar Pieris spp., showing no detrimental effect of this technique on this key pest of cabbage. In Denmark, aphid populations were higher in the sole crop system than in the LM system. In Italy, a level of larval parasitization was detected and in the first year the percentage of parasitization was higher in LM (88%) than in sole crop (63%). Overall, the LM positively affected the activity density of Carabid beetles, also increasing the diversity and evenness of species (Slovenia and Italy) or activity density of some taxa (Slovenia and Denmark). Due to numerous agroecological services of cover crops, growing simultaneously with vegetables as LM, this could be promising technique for organic and others production systems in the future.


The transition from generic mentoring to specific mentoring practices can provide a stronger focus for developing preservice primary teachers (mentees) in subject-specific areas. Constructivist theory and a five-factor model towards specific subject mentoring are proposed as ways to develop mentees' teaching practices. Firstly, constructivist theory complements mentoring within field experiences (practicum/internship), as it can be used to build upon prior understandings towards developing the mentee's knowledge and skills for teaching. Secondly, the picture that emerges from the literature shows five factors for mentoring, namely: (i) personal attributes that the mentor needs to exhibit for constructive dialogue; (ii) system requirements that focus on curriculum directives and policies; (iii) pedagogical knowledge for articulating effective teaching practices; (iv) modelling of efficient and effective practice; and (v) feedback for the purposes of
reflection for improving practice. It is argued that 'generalist' primary teachers in their roles as mentors will require specific mentoring strategies linked to these five factors to enable effective mentoring in specific subject areas.


An efficient method for statistically characterizing multiconductor transmission line (MTL) networks subject to a large number of manufacturing uncertainties is presented. The proposed method achieves its efficiency by leveraging a high-dimensional model representation (HDMR) technique that approximates observables (quantities of interest in MTL networks, such as voltages/currents on mission-critical circuits) in terms of iteratively constructed component functions of only the most significant random variables (parameters that characterize the uncertainties in MTL networks, such as conductor locations and widths, and lumped element values). The efficiency of the proposed scheme is further increased using a multielement probabilistic collocation (ME-PC) method to compute the component functions of the HDMR. The ME-PC method makes use of generalized polynomial chaos (gPC) expansions to approximate the component functions, where the expansion coefficients are expressed in terms of integrals of the observable over the random domain. These integrals are numerically evaluated and the observable values at the quadrature/collocation points are computed using a fast deterministic simulator. The proposed method is capable of producing accurate statistical information pertinent to an observable that is rapidly varying across a high-dimensional random domain at a computational cost that is significantly lower than that of gPC or Monte Carlo methods. The applicability, efficiency, and accuracy of the method are demonstrated via statistical characterization of frequency-domain voltages in parallel wire, interconnect, and antenna corporate feed networks.


The systematic classification of nematode-trapping fungi is redefined based on phylogenies inferred from sequence analyses of 28S rDNA, 5.8S rDNA and β-tubulin genes. Molecular data were analyzed with maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian analysis. An emended generic concept of nematode-trapping fungi is provided. Arthrobotrys is characterized by adhesive networks, Dactylellina by adhesive knobs, and Drechslerella by constricting-rings. Phylogenetic placement of taxa characterized by stalked adhesive knobs and non-constricting rings also is confirmed in Dactylellina. Species that produce unstalked adhesive knobs that grow out to form loops are transferred from Gamsylella to Dactylellina, and those that produce unstalked adhesive knobs that grow out to form networks are transferred from Gamsylella to Arthrobotrys. Gamsylella as currently circumscribed cannot be treated as a valid genus. A hypothesis for the evolution of trapping-devices is presented based on multiple gene data and morphological studies. Predatory and nonpredatory fungi appear to have been derived from nonpredatory members of Orbilia. The adhesive knob is considered to be the ancestral type of trapping device from which constricting rings and networks were derived via two pathways. In the first pathway adhesive knobs retained their adhesive material forming simple two-dimension networks, eventually forming complex three-dimension networks. In the second pathway adhesive knobs lost their adhesive materials, with their ends meeting to form nonconstricting rings and they in turn formed constricting rings with three inflated-cells.


Because publishing with the ACM is essentially required to advance our careers, we must examine its practices critically and constructively. To this end, we reflect on our experience working with the ACM student publication Crossroads. We encountered rigid content limitations related to sex and sexuality, preventing some contributors from foregrounding their connection to political activism, and others from publishing altogether. We explore the underlying institutional and sociopolitical problems and propose starting points for future action, including developing a transparent content approval policy and new organizations for politically-engaged computing researchers, all of which should center the leadership of marginalized individuals.


Introduction: This study was designed and conducted to investigate the perceptions of learning environment according tomedical sciences studentsin terms of the role of gender, place of residence and residing in dormitory in Birjand University of Medical Sciences during 2014 – 2015. Methods: 269 students of medical sciences were recruited for this cross sectional study. A questionnaires on the perception of the learning environment was administered and independent T-test was used to analyze the data. Result: The results showed that students' perceptions of their academic ability and educational atmosphere in terms of their gender are different (p<0.05). However, significant difference was not observed in terms of place of residence. The results showed that the perceptions of learning environment in –residents of dormitory are different (p < 0.01) from the rest. Conclusion: More training is necessary to improve the preparation for positive environments particularly for female students.


abstract This article compares English and French approaches to secondary Initial Teacher Training, from the perspectives of trainee teachers just completing their programmes. The research explored three main issues with the two groups of trainees: How well prepared did they feel to meet the demands and challenges of teaching? How well supported were they by mentors in the school‐based element of the training? How did they view the procedures and criteria used to assess their fitness for teaching? Their responses revealed some experiences in common (for example, concern about their preparation for working with difficult pupils, and the value of developmental feedback from mentors), but also some significant differences, such as the balance between theory and practice and the assessment processes. The comparative analysis raises important issues about the values and assumptions underpinning teaching and how they influence the training process.


Ranging between 11,000 and 4,000 years ago, several independent origins of agriculture appeared, though scholars disagree on exactly how many. This period, known as the "Neolithic Revolution" or the "Origins of Agriculture," marks the initial emergence of food production economies. Archaeologists and biologists have worked alongside one another, often using a biogeographical approach, to investigate the origins of useful species, their range expansion, and genetic evolution through analyzing remains found at excavation sites around the world. Plant communities influence patterns in human behaviors and by understanding trends in biogeography we can begin to answer questions such as: Why did plant domestication occur where and when it did? Or, what sorts of evolution and dispersal of domesticates occurred? Understanding patterns of plant domestication is important in understanding distribution patterns in today's society because it marks the beginning of the most significant developments in human history. Factors such as warmer climates, emergence of seasonality, and physical geography shaped the differences in threatened food security at the turn of the PleistoceneHolocene. Hunter-gatherer societies turned to crop domestication in order to control their food supplies in a variety of ways. Regional differences in physical geography, soil fertility and local climate variations explain the emergence of different origins around the globe. This paper is a broad review of current and past literature that has shaped our understanding of plant domestication. The research I focus on attempts to answer the question of why agriculture emerged where and when it did, and how plant domesticates subsequently evolved and dispersed. I will discuss the significance of this type of research, review some methodologies, explore incongruities in the field with regard to conceptualizations, outline the biogeography of the independent origins of agriculture, and finally the discuss the human ecology of agricultural societies.


Drawing on a range of approaches from the social sciences and humanities, this handbook explores theoretical and empirical perspectives that address the articulation of law in society, and the social character of the rule of law.
The vast field of socio-legal studies provides multiple lenses through which law can be considered. Rather than seeking to define the field of socio-legal studies, this book takes up the experiences of researchers within the field. First-hand accounts of socio-legal research projects allow the reader to engage with diverse theoretical and methodological approaches within this fluid, interdisciplinary area. The book provides a rich resource for those interested in deepening their understanding of the variety of theories and methods available when studying law in its broadest social context, as well as setting those within the history of the socio-legal movement. The chapters consider multiple disciplinary lenses – including feminism, anthropology and sociology – as well as a variety of methodologies, including: narrative, visual and spatial, psychological, economic and epidemiological approaches. Moreover, these are applied in a range of substantive contexts such as online hate speech, environmental law, biotechnology, research in post-conflict situations, race and LGBT+ lawyers.
The Handbook brings together younger contributors and some of the most well-known names in the socio-legal field. It offers a fresh perspective on the past, present and future of socio-legal studies that will appeal to students and scholars with relevant interests in a range of subjects, including law, sociology, and politics.


Chalcogenide semiconductor of the type tin sulphide or stannous sulphide
(SnS) has been synthesised in aqueous media under the presence and absence of
EDT A complexing agent. It was found that electrodeposition performed in the
presence of EDTA is more reproducible, better adhered to titanium substrate,
more leveled, more crystalline and offers better photoconductivity properties in
comparison to electrodeposition carried out without EDT A. These were
determined by means of Energy Dispersive Analysis of X-ray (EDAX), Scanning
Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), IN-visible Spectroscopy,
Linear Scan Photovoltammetry (LSPV) and in special cases, X-ray Photoelectron
Spectroscopy (XPS).


In this quantitative review, we specified the anatomical basis of brain activity reported in the Temporo‐Parietal Junction (TPJ) in Theory of Mind (ToM) research. Using probabilistic brain atlases, we labeled TPJ peak coordinates reported in the literature. This was carried out for four different atlas modalities: (i) gyral‐parcellation, (ii) sulco‐gyral parcellation, (iii) cytoarchitectonic parcellation and (iv) connectivity‐based parcellation. In addition, our review distinguished between two ToM task types (false belief and social animations) and a nonsocial task (attention reorienting). We estimated the mean probabilities of activation for each atlas label, and found that for all three task types part of TPJ activations fell into the same areas: (i) Angular Gyrus (AG) and Lateral Occpital Cortex (LOC) in terms of a gyral atlas, (ii) AG and Superior Temporal Sulcus (STS) in terms of a sulco‐gyral atlas, (iii) areas PGa and PGp in terms of cytoarchitecture and (iv) area TPJp in terms of a connectivity‐based parcellation atlas. Beside these commonalities, we also found that individual task types showed preferential activation for particular labels. Main findings for the right hemisphere were preferential activation for false belief tasks in AG/PGa, and in Supramarginal Gyrus (SMG)/PFm for attention reorienting. Social animations showed strongest selective activation in the left hemisphere, specifically in left Middle Temporal Gyrus (MTG). We discuss how our results (i.e., identified atlas structures) can provide a new reference for describing future findings, with the aim to integrate different labels and terminologies used for studying brain activity around the TPJ. Hum Brain Mapp 38:4788–4805, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


&NA; Many forms of glomerulonephritis including IgA nephropathy are characterized by mesangial cellular proliferation. Since epidermal growth factor is a potent mitogen for cultured human mesangial cells, we have attempted to localize and quantify the expression of its receptor in normal and abnormal renal biopsies using immunohistochemistry. Using a particular antibody (Amersham, clone EGFR1), the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF‐R) was shown to be predominantly localized in the mesangium of the glomerulus. Visual estimates of intensity of staining suggested that expression of this receptor may be increased in some IgA disease patients with mesangial proliferative glomerular lesions. The neu receptor which has a 50% homology with EGF‐R was, however, absent from the glomerulus and cultured mesangial cells did not express detectable levels. Expression of EGF‐R by cultured mesangial cells, as assessed by immunostaining, was weak and it was not possible to induce detectable upregulation using different cytokines. The factors leading to increased expression of EGF‐R in glomerulonephritis, therefore, remain unknown. Our findings suggest that signalling via EGF‐R may play a role in the pathogenesis of proliferative glomerulonephritis. Despite its homology with EGF‐R, the neu receptor is unlikely to have similar importance.


Title of thesis: UNDERSTANDING FLAME STRUCTURE IN WILDFIRES USING LARGE EDDY SIMULATIONS Salman Verma, Master of Science, 2014 Thesis directed by: Professor Arnaud Trouvé Department of Fire Protection Engineering The structure of wildfire flames in the presence of crossflow was analyzed by utilizing suitable non-reacting numerical experiments with low speed flow over a hot isothermal horizontal semi-infinite surface. FireFOAM, a Large Eddy Simulation (LES) based solver developed by FM Global for fire protection engineering applications, was employed for all the calculations. Early-time dynamics of Rayleigh-Taylor Instability (RTI) was first simulated using Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) so that the solver could be verified against Linear Stability Theory (LST). Then attention was given to late-time dynamics in order understand the different stages (e.g., appearance of secondary instability, generation of larger scales due to interaction between structures) involved in the development of the instability. The onset of thermal vortex instability, in a configuration with low speed flow over a hot isothermal semi-infinite horizontal plate, predicted using DNS was compared with the literature. Spatial evolution of various terms in the streamwise vorticity equation was used to identify the dominant mechanisms responsible for the generation/evolution of vorticity. Streamwise evolution of the instabilities was studied and the effects of the changes in temperature and orientation of the plate on the thermal instabilities were also investigated. Finally, a configuration with low speed flow over a hot isothermal semi-infinite horizontal strip was used to understand the effects of upstream Boundary Layer (BL) height and the length of the strip on both the thin horizontal and larger structures (analogous to Flame Towers (FT) observed in real wildfires and laboratory experiments). UNDERSTANDING FLAME STRUCTURE IN WILDFIRES USING LARGE EDDY SIMULATIONS


Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) is an international initiative to mitigate climate change in the forest sector. It is intended to incentivize developing countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, as well as promote sustainable management of forests, and conservation and enhancement of forest carbon stocks. REDD+ has significant implications for land and resource rights, and raises particular concerns for women. These concerns arise from discrimination that women already face in resource management processes, largely due to unclear, unsecure and unequal tenure rights. Women represent a large percentage of the world's poor, and they are often directly dependent on natural resources. As a result, there are significant risks that REDD+ could exacerbate existing inequalities for women if it fails to respect women's tenure rights. This paper makes a case for advancing women's tenure rights and how international law can be used to promote those rights in the context of REDD+.


We consider the problem of forecasting multiple values of the future of a vector time series, using some past values. This problem, and related ones such as one-step-ahead prediction, have a very long history, and there are a number of well-known methods for it, including vector auto-regressive models, state-space methods, multi-task regression, and others. Our focus is on low rank forecasters, which break forecasting up into two steps: estimating a vector that can be interpreted as a latent state, given the past, and then estimating the future values of the time series, given the latent state estimate. We introduce the concept of forecast consistency, which means that the estimates of the same value made at different times are consistent. We formulate the forecasting problem in general form, and focus on linear forecasters, for which we propose a formulation that can be solved via convex optimization. We describe a number of extensions and variations, including nonlinear forecasters, data weighting, the inclusion of auxiliary data, and additional objective terms. We illustrate our methods with several examples.


Multidimensional data sets often include categorical information. When most columns have categorical information, clustering the data set by similarity of categorical values can reveal interesting patterns in the data set. However, when the data set includes only a small number (one or two) of categorical columns, the categorical information is probably more useful as a way to partition the data set. For example, researchers might be interested in gene expression data for healthy vs. diseased patients or stock performance for common, preferred, or convertible shares. For these cases, we present a novel way to utilize the categorical information together with clustering algorithms. Instead of incorporating categorical information into the clustering process, we can partition the data set according to categorical information. Clustering is then performed with each subset to generate two or more clustering results, each of which is homogeneous (i.e. only includes the same categorical value for the categorical column). By comparing the partitioned clustering results, users can get meaningful insights into the data set: users can identify an interesting group of items that are differentially/similarly expressed in two different homogeneous partitions. The partition can be done in two different directions: (1) by rows if categorical information is available for each column (e.g. some columns are from disease samples and other columns are from healthy samples) or (2) by a column if a column contains categorical information (e.g. a column represents a categorical attribute such as colors or sex). We designed and implemented an interface to facilitate this interactive partitionbased clustering results comparison. Coordination between clustering results displays and comparison results overview enables users to identify interesting clusters, and a simple grid display clearly reveals correspondence between two clusters.


In the absence of federal action on chemicals of concern, state legislatures continued a trend of recent years by banning or otherwise regulating commercial compounds. Minnesota outlawed the antibacterial compound triclosan in soaps and cleaners amid growing concerns about possible health effects associated with this compound and its potential to lead to antibiotic resistance. Citing concerns about plastic pollution in the Great Lakes, Illinois banned personal care products containing plastic microbeads. California, meanwhile, is requiring that labels on upholstered furniture indicate whether the items contain flame-retardant chemicals. ...


Recently, we suggested that the size spectrum of Confuciusornis sanctus is best explained by sexual size dimorphism (SSD) and is compatible with a bird-like life history (Peters & Peters 2009). We find the criticism of Chiappe et al. (2010) interesting, but irrelevant to our main argument.

Let us follow this argument from the beginning. Chiappe et al. (2008) reported a 'bimodal size distribution' in C. sanctus and hypothesized that it reflected 'a mid-development phase of exponential growth that separates earlier and later phases of slower growth' (figure 1a). Avian allometry suggests a body mass of approximately 700 g for the larger animals (size class sIII; Peters & Peters 2009) which, according to the hypothesis, were the most mature ones. Mature female birds of this weight produce hatchlings of approximately 30 g, which is an order of magnitude below the estimated body mass of the smaller cohort (sII) in the 'bimodal distribution'. This gap between hatchlings and sII (figure 1a) was unaccounted for by Chiappe et al. (2008), who did not consider the egg or neonate masses implied by their hypothesis.

Figure 1.

Schematic representation of the size spectrum of Confuciusornis sanctus (right in a–c) with three alternative life histories (growth curves; left in a–c) proposed to explain it. See main text for details.

The gap in the hypothesis has no equivalent in the fossil record. Some specimens fall right between the estimated hatchling mass and sII (Peters & Peters 2009), corroborating independently that hatchlings must have been much smaller than sII. To close this gap in the original hypothesis, one may postulate that C. sanctus had a biphasic growth curve (figure 1b). Alternatively, the size spectrum may be interpreted as resulting from two monophasic growth curves with different asymptotes, as in species exhibiting SSD (figure 1c). Both hypotheses explain the size spectrum, but the former (figure 1b) postulates a novel, unique type of growth curve, whereas the latter (figure 1c) works with growth curves commonly observed. Consequently, we accepted the SSD hypothesis (figure 1c), precisely because it does not rely on 'questionable ideas about growth patterns' (Chiappe et al. 2010).

The above is the logical backbone of our argumentation (Peters & Peters 2009). Chiappe et al. (2010) do not comment on it. Instead, they state that we interpreted the evidence 'through the lens of considering the growth pattern of C. sanctus as comparable to that of modern birds'. This is incorrect; our argument (figure 1) requires no assumption of this type. The SSD hypothesis is the most parsimonious explanation for the observed size spectrum; it also happens to be compatible with bird-like growth. Therefore, as explained by Peters & Peters (2009), the SSD hypothesis resolves the apparent conflict between the size spectrum and bird-like growth that Chiappe et al. (2008) had discussed. This resolution, however, is a consequence, not a premise, of the SSD hypothesis.

Chiappe et al. (2010) reject our alleged 'claim that the larger cluster (i.e. sIII) is composed of females', thus criticizing us for the opposite of what we actually said ('it remains unclear whether this dimorphism was male or female biased'; Peters & Peters 2009). This misunderstanding is surprising, given that it is the hypothesis of Chiappe et al. (2008), not ours, that puts all mature animals into size class sIII which, consequently, must include reproductive females. Obviously, we could not deviate from Chiappe et al. (2008) in this point when we evaluated the plausibility of their hypothesis (Peters & Peters 2009; compare second paragraph of this text above).

According to the SSD hypothesis (Peters & Peters 2009), only the smallest birds (sI) were juveniles, while the two larger cohorts (sII, sIII) represented sexually dimorphic adults. Chiappe et al. (2010) argue that this conclusion 'cannot be sustained' because the deviations of juveniles from allometry (fig. 1 of Peters & Peters 2009) lack statistical significance. This is misleading; the SSD hypothesis does not require juvenile deviation from allometry (fig. 1). Such deviation is an interesting developmental feature, though, and therefore we mentioned it. In the same context, Chiappe et al. (2010) state that our 'inadequate solution' is 'compounded by … ad hoc statistics' because 'the confidence intervals computed by Peters & Peters (2009) included the smallest individuals … which indicates that all values can be fitted to a single regression line'. This argument is puzzling since we neither showed confidence intervals in our figures nor mentioned any in our text.

Elongated tail feathers occur in all size classes of C. sanctus, including the smallest specimens (Peters & Ji 1999). It is worthwhile remembering that Chiappe et al. (2008) rejected SSD as an explanation for the observed size spectrum for this one reason alone, namely the lack of correlation between body size and 'the most apparent sexual trait', elongated tail feathers. The assumption that these feathers are a sexual trait, however, is arbitrary (Peters & Peters 2009). Likewise, none of the issues raised by Chiappe et al. (2010) affects the argument on which the SSD hypothesis rests (fig. 1). Thus, the SSD hypothesis remains the most consistent and least speculative interpretation of the currently available evidence.


As we get older, our muscles don't recover from even minor exercise-induced injury very well. Carlson et al. show that the muscles of young mice have higher Notch signaling than transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling and that in older mice this is reversed, with TGF-β signaling exceeding that of Notch. TGF-β and the abundance of phosphorylated Smad3 (pSmad3) were increased in aged muscle tissue that was not injured or after injury, compared with that in muscles from young animals. Knockdown of Smad3 in muscles in old mice resulted in enhanced regeneration of the muscle after injury. Further, knockdown of Smad3 resulted in decreased abundance of the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors p15 and p21, which are encoded by genes regulated by Smad3. A function-blocking antibody against TGF-β also restored muscle repair in old muscles, and exposure of young muscles to recombinant TGF-β led to scarring. Satellite cells (muscle stem cells) isolated from injured muscle were cultured with TGF-β in the presence of conditions that activated Notch, and the TGF-β-mediated increase in CDK inhibitors was decreased by activation of Notch. pSmad3-specific chromatin immunoprecipitation assays in satellite cells exposed to conditions that activate Notch in the presence or absence of TGF-β showed that active Notch and pSmad3 interact at the promoters of the Smad3-regulated genes--p15, p16, p21, and p27. Forced activation of Notch decreased the presence of Smad3 at the target promoters, even in the presence of TGF-β. Thus, Notch appears to directly antagonize Smad3-mediated induction of genes encoding inhibitors of the cell cycle. The loss of this antagonism appears to contribute to the loss of regenerative potential of muscles in older animals. M. E. Carlson, M. Hsu, I. M. Conboy, Imbalance between pSmad3 and Notch induces CDK inhibitors in old muscle stem cells. Nature 454, 528-532 (2008). [PubMed]


A system for Raman spectroscopy involving synergistic interaction between a computer and spectrometer is described which permits complete point by point flexibility in scanning the spectrum. The interface between the computer and the spectrometer and its operation is described together with the basic characteristics of the computer software to operate it. It is shown that significant improvement can be made in spectrum quality and/or run time when statistical considerations are used to program the operation of the system.


JuliaFEM is an open source finite element method solver written in the Julia language. This paper presents an implementation of two common model reduction methods: the Guyan reduction and the Craig-Bampton method. The goal was to implement these algorithms to the JuliaFEM platform and demonstrate that the code works correctly. This paper first describes the JuliaFEM concept briefly after which it presents the theory of model reduction, and finally, it demonstrates the implemented functions in an example model. This paper includes instructions for using the implemented algorithms, and reference the code itself in GitHub. The reduced stiness and mass matrices give the same results in both static and dynamic analyses as the original matrices, which proves that the code works correctly. The code runs smoothly on relatively large model of 12.6 million degrees of freedom. In future, damping could be included in the dynamic condensation now that it has been shown to work.


Chameleons' color-changing camouflage arises from photonic crystals embedded in their skin. By tensing or relaxing their skin, the reptiles can change the space between the crystals and generate different colors to blend into their surroundings. Scientists have tried to copy this structure by embedding photonic crystals in hydrogels, but these materials typically need dramatic deformations to change color, which can strain the materials. Chameleons, on the other hand, change color through subtle movements. That prompted Emory University's Khalid Salaita and colleagues to study time-lapse images of chameleon skin in action. They noticed that only a fraction of the reptiles' skin cells contain photonic crystals, and the rest are colorless. They reasoned that these colorless cells accommodate the strain that occurs as the photonic crystals move to change the chameleon's color. Inspired by this, the researchers created arrays of photonic crystals in a hydrogel and then embedded those arrays in a


Older adults comprise the fastest growing part of the population worldwide, an issue with far reaching implications to mobility and road safety. Interactions between the vehicle and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), communication systems and technologies for continuously collecting data on drivers' behavior may enhance the safety of elderly road users. The present paper reviews existing literature dedicated to the effectiveness of in-vehicle ITS to older drivers' safety. Emphasis is given to the intersection control, the lateral/longitudinal control, as well as the parking, the night vision and the general navigation. Finally, some future research directions focused on elderly safety and in-vehicle ITS are discussed.


Dogs are fast becoming the it animal for evolutionary cognition research. Our canine pals, researchers say, are excellent subjects for studying the building blocks underlying mental abilities, particularly those involving social cognition. Their special relationship with humans is also seen as worthy of study in its own right; some researchers see Canis familiaris as a case of convergent evolution with humans because we share some similar behavioral traits. And because all dogs are descended from gray wolves (C. lupus), they can reveal how domestication has altered a species9 mental processes, enabling the dog to survive in its new habitat, the human home. Some researchers even think that dogs may teach us more about the evolution of some aspects of our social mind than can our closest kin, the chimpanzee, because Fido is so adept at reading and responding to human communication cues. But not everyone agrees, arguing that the skills dogs share with humans are a matter of learning rather than evolutionary change.


The From Prisons to Home Conference, held on January 30-31, 2002 at the National Institutes of Health, was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The purpose of the conference was to bring together the research, policy, and practice communities to share promising strategies, identify research needs, and inform federal program and policy development for children and families affected by the incarceration of a parent. Eleven papers were commissioned by leading experts to survey the state of knowledge on the dynamics of incarceration and reentry as seen from the perspectives of child, parent and community. This background paper provides the context for the From Prison to Home conference papers. It gives an overview of the issues discussed and includes abstracts of the 10 papers.


Happiness Inequality in the United States This paper examines how the level and dispersion of self-reported happiness has evolved over the period 1972-2006. While there has been no increase in aggregate happiness, inequality in happiness has fallen substantially since the 1970s. There have been large changes in the level of happiness across groups: Two-thirds of the black-white happiness gap has been eroded, and the gender happiness gap has disappeared entirely. Paralleling changes in the income distribution, differences in happiness by education have widened substantially. We develop an integrated approach to measuring inequality and decomposing changes in the distribution of happiness, finding a pervasive decline in within-group inequality during the 1970s and 1980s that was experienced by even narrowly-defined demographic groups. Around one-third of this decline has subsequently been unwound. Juxtaposing these changes with large rises in income inequality suggests an important role for non-pecuniary factors in shaping the well-being distribution. JEL Classification: D3, D63, I3, J1, Y1


The present paper analyses the context, nature, intensity and effects of the changes in the land use and land cover within the Danube Floodplain, between Drobeta Turnu-Severin and Bechet. The study follows the changes undertaken by the natural environment during ca. two hundred years (end of 18 th century - present day). As land use involves the transformation and management of the natural elements to the human benefit, the environmental changes within the Danube Floodplain were less the result of natural conditions and mostly the outcome of human impact. The latter exerted a highly significant influence mainly through the construction of longitudinal or partition flood- protection dykes, of the irrigation or drainage canals network, but also through the agricultural use of large surfaces naturally covered with water, forests, or reed. Nevertheless, the importance of the natural processes in the study of land use/land cover shows a growing trend over the last decades, when especially climatic changes are taken into consideration. The importance of the present research is furthermore underlined by the strong connection that exist among the land use/land cover change and the dynamics of biological diversity, risk phenomena and sustainable development within this damaged environment, in the framework of its particular natural and social-demographical features.


This paper re-examines the relationship between Treasury borrowing and monetary growth examined previously with annual data by Barro, Niskanen and Hamburger and Zwick. Our analysis, based on quarterly data, produces evidence of a positive and significant impact of total Treasury borrowing upon the growth of the monetary base for the 1954/I-1961/II and 1961/III-1974/IV periods but an insignificant coefficient for the Barro expenditure variable. When the coefficient instability during the 1961/III-1980/IV period is corrected by a dummy variable technique thy debt coefficient is positive and significant and remains stable for this two decade period.


BACKGROUND
With root canal treatment, the organic debris and micro-organisms from pulp space is removed and an ideal canal preparation is achieved that is conducive of hermetic obturation. The purpose of this study was to correlate the pre-operative canal curvature with the postoperative curvature in human extracted teeth prepared with K-3 rotary systems.

METHODS
The root canal preparation was carried out on extracted human molars and premolars using K-3 endodontic rotary files. A pre and post-operative image of the teeth using digital radiograph were taken in order to compare pre and post-operative canal curvature. The images were saved in an images retrieval system (Gendex software, USA). Change in the canal curvature was measured using the software measuring tool (Vixwin software, USA). Student paired t-test and Pearson correlation test was applied at 0.05 level of significance.

RESULTS
There is a statistically significant difference between pre-operative and post-operative canal curvature (p-value <0.001) and a strong positive correlation (91% correlation) between pre-operative and post-operative canal curvature in teeth prepared with the K-3 rotary files.

CONCLUSIONS
A significant difference between pre and post instrumentation curvature was found. Degree of canal curvature was not correlated with time taken for canal preparation.


Two-dimensional electron (2DES) and hole (2DHS) systems have attracted intense research attentions in past decades. A 2DES or 2DHS modulated by one-dimensional or two-dimensional spatially periodic potential shows particular importance because the existence of modulation provides a tunable parameter for exploring interaction between electrons and scattering centers presenting on the two-dimensional systems. This thesis documents a systematic experimental study, in collaboration with Bell Labs, of electronic transport in very-high mobility 2DES and 2DHS in GaAs/AlGaAs quantum structures. Fabrication of triangular antidot lattice in 2DES, as well as low-temperature transport and photoconductivity properties in spatially modulated 2DES, has been studied. Strong Geometric resonance (GR), up to seven peaks resolved, is observed in the longitudinal magnetoresistance because of high mobility of 2DES after fabrication of antidot lattice. Photoresistance shows clear millimeterwave-induced resistance oscillations (MIRO) but with heavily damping amplitudes, and magnetoplasmon resonance (MPR) is also observed as well. GR, MIRO and MPR are decoupled from each other in our modulated 2DES. These experimental findings pave the way for studies of nonlinear transport in modulated 2DES. Magnetotransport measurements on a new material, the Carbon 8doped 2DHG in GaAs/AlGaAs quantum well, indicate that the 2DHG has a transport scattering time compatible with those in very-high mobility 2DES. However, photoresistance measurement shows much weaker MIRO in the 2DHS than that in 2DES with compatible transport scattering time. Low-temperature transport measurements on Landau, Zeeman, and spin-orbital parameters imply that the C-doped 2DHS has small zero field spin splitting and large effective g-factor. As part of the thesis work, the thesis


Owing to the shallowness of waters, vast areas, and spatial complexity, reefscape mapping requires Digital Depth Models (DDM) at a fine scale but over large areas. Outperforming waterborne surveys limited by shallow water depths and costly airborne campaigns, recently launched satellite sensors, endowed with high spectral and very high spatial capabilities, can adequately address the raised issues. Doubling the number of spectral bands, the innovative eight band WorldView-2 (WV2) imagery is very susceptible to enhance the DDM retrieved from the traditional four band QuickBird-2 (QB2). Based on an efficiently recognized algorithm (ratio transform), resolving for the clear water bathymetry, we compared DDM derived from simulated QB2 with WV2 spectral combinations using acoustic ground-truthing in Moorea (French Polynesia). Three outcomes emerged from this study. Increasing spatial resolution from 2 to 0.5 m led to reduced agreement between modeled and in situ water depths. The analytical atmospheric correction (FLAASH) provided poorer results than those derived without atmospheric correction and empirical dark object correction. The purple, green, yellow and NIR3 (WV2 1st-3rd-4th-8th bands) spectral combination, processed with the atmospheric correction at the 2 m resolution, furnished the most robust consistency with ground-truthing (30 m (r = 0.65)), gaining 10 m of penetration relative to other spaceborne-derived bathymetric retrievals. The integration of the WV2-boosted bathymetry estimation into radiative transfer model holds great promise to frequently monitor the reefscape features at the colony-scale level.


There is a growing consensus that aggregate productivity is the most important factor in determining income per capita and living standards. The deep causes of productivity are technology and resource misallocation, which are the outcomes of firms' decision making. Thus, a solid understanding of a firm-level mechanism is central to economic development. This dissertation consists of three chapters, each of which studies firms' decision making under different economic environments. Chapter 1 studies firms' technology and production choices in the context of information frictions and financial frictions. Empirical evidence suggests a positive role of financial development in firms' technology adoption and the speed of technology diffusion. The chapter examines the role of information acquisition and financial development in explaining how technology differences may arise and persist during the technology adoption process. This, in turn, affects a country's total factor productivity (TFP) level and the speed of TFP convergence. The quantitative study is applied to the Chilean manufacturing sector during the period of 1986-2007. Chapter 2 studies firms' technology and production choices in the context of trade liberalization. Empirical evidence shows that, in a low-income country, trade liberalization triggers within-industry changes in firms' skill intensity and productivity, as well as between-industry labor reallocation. The chapter examines the role of comparative advantage and trade cost reduction in determining aggregate productivity and the demand for skills through firm-level adjustment. The quantitative study is applied to the impact of Indonesia's trade reform in 1995 on the Indonesian manufacturing sector. Chapter 3 studies firms' rent-seeking behavior and production choices when tax benefits are tied to capital holding. Evidence shows that the dominant issue of corporate lobbying in the U.S. is taxation. Firms that lobby are granted tax benefits and enjoy systematically lower effective tax rates than non politically active firms. Thus, corporate lobbying distorts the allocation of capital in the economy. The chapter explores the macroeconomic effects of capital-based tax benefits and their interaction with endogenous corporate lobbying behavior. The quantitative study is applied to the U.S. firm-level data during the period of 1998-2011. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Economics First Advisor Jeremy Greenwood This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/1190 Subject Categories Economics This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/1190 ESSAYS ON TECHNOLOGY, PRODUCTIVITY AND MISALLOCATION


Abstract:This essay demonstrates that drug prohibition has been a prime driver of violence as workers in the informal economy engaged in rational market regulation. Most studies of the carceral state have been top-down assessments that have not considered the ripple effects of the lucrative, frenzied drug trade. Through an examination of the experiences of dealers, the essay shows how their search for rewarding work interacted with the contextual issues of poverty, racial segregation, deindustrialization, and government policy to account for a substantial amount of mayhem in the war on drugs era. The fervent enforcement of prohibition increased violence and incarceration as offenders acted in sensible ways to secure their livelihoods.