Near-infrared transmission spectroscopy can be complicated by the light scattering from heterogeneous materials. For the examination of an evolving system exhibiting such light scattering, transmission spectra near wavenumber v = 104 cm−1 were obtained during the hydrolysis of FeCl3 solutions. At first, the resulting turbid suspension of cigar-shaped β-FeOOH particles exhibits single-particle scattering, including a Rayleigh regime (attenuation ∞ v4). At later times, the scattering increases strongly as the particles aggregate, and becomes proportional to vα, with α ≈ 2, consistent with scattering models that interpret the structure of aggregates in terms of a fractal dimension df roughly equal to 2. In all cases investigated, the attenuation due to scattering is spectrally smooth and increases monotonically with wavenumber. It can be written in the simple form vα with 1 ≤ α ≤ 4. While over limited spectral ranges α may be taken independent of v, over wide ranges it decreases with increasing v. This behavior is consistent with the theoretical limits of α = 4 at v = 0, and α = 0 at v = ∞. Overall, the results suggest that a useful form for simulating scattering backgrounds in near-infrared spectroscopy is Avα, with A and α fitted constants.


OF DISSERTATION VISUALIZING BARRIER DUNE TOPOGRAPHIC STATE SPACE AND INFERENCE OF RESILIENCE PROPERTIES The linkage between barrier island morphologies and dune topographies, vegetation, and biogeomorphic feedbacks, has been examined. The two-fold stability domain (i.e., overwash-resisting and overwash-reinforcing stability domains) model from case studies in a couple of islands along the Georgia Bight and Virginia coast has been proposed to examine the resilience properties in the barrier dune systems. Thus, there is a need to examine geographic variations in the dune topography among and within islands. Meanwhile, previous studies just analyzed and compared dune topographies based on transect-based point elevations or dune crest elevations; therefore, it is necessary to further examine dune topography in terms of multiple patterns and processes across scales. In this dissertation, I develop and deploy a cross-scale data model developed from resilience theory to represent and compare dune topographies across twelve islands over approximately 2,050 kilometers of the US southeastern Atlantic coast. Three sets of topographic variables were employed to summarize the cross-scale structure of topography (elevational statistics, patch indices, and the continuous surface properties). These metrics differed in their degree of spatial explicitness, their level of measurement, and association with patch or gradient paradigms. Topographic metrics were derived from digital elevation models (DEMs) of dune topographies constructed from airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR). These topographic metrics were used to construct dune topographic state space to investigate and visualize the cross-scale structure of dune topography. This study investigated (1) dune topography and landscape similarity among barrier islands in different barrier island morphologic contexts, (2) the differences in barrier island dune topographies and their resilience properties across large geographic extents, and (3) how geomorphic and biogeomorphic processes are related to resilience prosperities. The findings are summarized below. First, dune topography varies according to island morphologies of the Virginia coast; however, local controls (such as human modification of the shore or shoreline accretion and erosion) also play an important role in shaping dune topographies. Compared with tide-dominated islands, wave-dominated islands exhibited more convergence in dune topographies. Second, the dune landscapes of the Virginia Barrier Islands have a poorly consistent spatial structure, along with strong collinearity among elevational variables and landscape indices, which reflects the rapid retreat and erosion along the coast. The dune landscapes of the Georgia Bight have a more consistent spatial structure and a greater dimensionality in state space. Thus, the weaker multicollinearity and higher dimensionality in the dataset reflect their potential for resilience. Last, islands of different elevations may have similar dune topography characteristics due to the difference in resistance and resilience. Notwithstanding the geographic variability in geomorphic and biogeomorphic processes, convergence in dune topography exists, which is evidenced by the response curves of the topographic metrics that are correlated with both axes. This work demonstrates the usefulness of different representations of dune topography by cross-scale data modeling. Also, the two existing models of barrier island dune states were integrated to form a conceptual model that illuminates different, but complementary, resilience properties in the barrier dune system. The differences in dune topographies and resilience properties were detected in state space, and this information offers guidance for future study's field site selections.


The equations of a reacting gas mixture and their application to flames are briefly reviewed; ordinary diffusion is fully taken into account in terms of binary diffusion coefficients, but the diffusion thermo-effect and radiation are neglected. A one-dimensional flame model is considered whose equations are written concisely by means of suitable dimensionless quantities and temperature is chosen as independent variable. It is assumed that the flame velocity is not given, so that a related unknown constant, determined by the boundary conditions, occurs in non-linear differential equations. These are to be solved simultaneously with the complicated diffusion equations, and a general method of solution is aimed at. With a view to later generalization, the equations of the simplest ideal flame of reaction MATHS FORMULA are discussed in detail. It is found that they are most conveniently solved in two stages: (i) by successive approximations to the solution of an integral equation, corresponding to the case of zero energy flux, and (ii) by a perturbation method, based on this 'unperturbed' case, which may be applied directly or, in general, in terms of parameter expansions. Results of some physical and mathematical interest are given of computations relating to special ideal flames which separately bear some of the features of real ones. For example, in the case of an ideal flame in which there are two simultaneous reactions, the problem is solved by first assuming one of these reactions to be in equilibrium and then attacking the complete problem by considering the reaction rate previously neglected as a perturbation. The treatment of the general one-dimensional flame problem, proposed in part I, is then continued, and it is shown that the methods used there for the solution of the simple MATHS FORMULA flame can be readily generalized as follows: (i) The complexity due to diffusion can be separated from that due to the eigenvalue character of the problem ; the equations should first be solved with a set of certain well-defined 'ideal' binary diffusion coefficients— corresponding to a vanishing energy flux — and it will then generally be possible to arrive at the solution of the complete problem, with the actually given set of diffusion coefficients, by a perturbation method involving only linear equations, based on the 'ideal' or 'unperturbed' case, (ii) This 'ideal' problem can be made to depend on the solution of a single non-linear 'eigenvalue' differential equation (which is treated as an integral equation) by successive approximations, all other equations serving as mere definitions for better approximations to terms occurring in this fundamental equation.


It is imperative to take account of the many faces of justice when exploring the elements of a curriculum for justice. Justice is not only about equity, equality and fairness, but about creating spaces where people can learn to prioritise a significant Other and practise doing so. The curriculum needs to provide a space where the legal, restorative face of justice and its ethical face could coincide. Firstly, we argue that a sole focus on justice as reasonableness might reinforce the notion of "separate but equal", and that through a leveling of difference, we might opaquely strengthen difference without an inclination to care deeply for those whose background might differ from ours. Secondly, we argue that the legal and ethical faces of justice are not mono-tonal, but that these faces constitute many complexions based on the body holding it (or the person who attempts to make sense of these faces). In this article we will attempt to understand how we make sense of girls' voices on cultural and religious practices. We imagine that understanding how we understand Others might place us in a better position to provide guidelines to develop curriculum spaces for profound justice; i.e. justice that is based on reasonableness and, more importantly, on care. Keywords: caring curriculum; critical discourse analysis; girls' narratives; justice; null curriculum; unconscious curriculum


In recent decades, plenty of nanomaterials have been investigated as electrocatalysts for the replacement of the expensive platinum (Pt) counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The key function of the electrocatalyst is to reduce tri-iodide ions to iodide ions at the electrolyte/counter electrode interface. The performance of the electrocatalyst is usually determined by two key factors, i.e., the intrinsic heterogeneous rate constant and the effective electrocatalytic surface area of the electrocatalyst. The intrinsic heterogeneous rate constant of the electrocatalyst varies by different types of materials, which can be roughly divided into five groups: non-Pt metals, carbons, conducting polymers, transition metal compounds, and their composites. The effective electrocatalytic surface area is determined by the nanostructure of the electrocatalyst. In this chapter, the nanostructural design and engineering on different types of Pt-free electrocatalysts will be systematically introduced. Also, the relationship between various nanostructures of electrocatalysts and the pertinent physical/electrochemical properties will be discussed.


Against the backdrop of increasing foreign direct investment flows in the developing economies in Asia the investigation of topical aspects of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the region increases in importance. We examine the CSR motives of four large indigenous agribusiness firms in India with a view to assess the validity of the claim that CSR in this country, compared to developed countries, is influenced substantially more by moral, cultural and religious considerations and less by self-interest and profit seeking. Unlike numerous other investigations of CSR that rely on questionnaires and company reports, our data are drawn from in-depth interviews and theme analysis revealing some intricate motives behind CSR behavior and business conditions that inspire them. Our findings challenge some previously reported results and indicate that the degree to which such behavior is affected by the state of economic development and cultural differences may be smaller than is often argued.


Radiation therapy plays a critical role in the management of breast cancer and often is unavailable to patients in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMCs). There is a need to provide appropriate equipment and to improve the techniques of administration, quality assurance, and use of resources for radiation therapy in LMCs. Although the linear accelerator is the preferred equipment, telecobalt machines may be considered as an acceptable alternative in LMCs. Applying safe and effective treatment also requires well trained staff, support systems, geographic accessibility, and the initiation and completion of treatment without undue delay. In early‐stage breast cancer, standard treatment includes the irradiation of the entire breast with an additional boost to the tumor site and should be delivered after treatment planning with at least 2‐dimensional imaging. Although postmastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT) has demonstrated local control and overall survival advantages in all patients with axillary lymph node metastases, preference in limited resource settings could be reserved for patients who have ≥4 positive lymph nodes. The long‐term risks of cardiac morbidity and mortality require special attention to the volume of heart and lungs exposed. Alternative treatment schedules like hypofractionated radiation and partial breast irradiation currently are investigational. Radiation therapy is an integral component for patients with locally advanced breast cancer after initial systemic treatment and surgery. For patients with distant metastases, radiation is an effective tool for palliation, especially for bone, brain, and soft tissue metastases. The implementation of quality‐assurance programs applied to equipment, the planning process, and radiation treatment delivery must be instituted in all radiation therapy centers. Cancer 2008;113(8 suppl):2305–14. © 2008 American Cancer Society.


Following up on a proposal from OSI2016, this workgroup will identify and/or design new funding models for open scholarship, such as a venture fund that can allow more support for joint efforts, or propose ways to improve existing funding by improving the flexibility of library budgets (e.g. by examining the efficiency of "big deals"). After reviewing the challenges with funding open access, the group focused on the second part of the question to propose new ways to improve existing funding opportunities by finding flexibility in library budgets.


Generalized Binary Search (GBS) is a well known greedy algorithm for identifying an unknown object while minimizing the number of "yes" or "no" questions posed about that object, and arises in problems such as active learning and active diagnosis. Here, we provide a coding-theoretic interpretation for GBS and show that GBS can be viewed as a top-down algorithm that greedily minimizes the expected number of queries required to identify an object. This interpretation is then used to extend GBS in two ways. First, we consider the case where the objects are partitioned into groups, and the objective is to identify only the group to which the object belongs. Then, we consider the case where the cost of identifying an object grows exponentially in the number of queries. In each case, we present an exact formula for the objective function involving Shannon or Renyi entropy, and develop a greedy algorithm for minimizing it.


Kandror et al. investigated the response of yeast to low temperatures and discovered a key role for the disaccharide trehalose (which can act as a chaperone) in tolerance to near-freezing temperatures and freezing. Anyone who has forgotten a perishable item in the back of a refrigerator recognizes that some microorganisms survive (and thrive) at near-freezing temperatures. Although the heat shock response to increased temperatures has been extensively investigated--and "cold shock responses" to temperatures between 10oC and 18oC have been described--little is known about adaptations that allow microorganisms to survive freezing or near-freezing temperatures. Kandror et al. (who previously implicated trehalose in cold adaptation of bacteria) used Northern and Western analysis and [35S]methionine incorporation to demonstrate increases in mRNA and protein for trehalose-6-phosphate synthase and trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase in cells incubated for many hours at 0oC, despite an overall decrease in protein synthesis. Microarray analysis indicated that amounts of mRNAs of other genes involved in trehalose synthesis, and of several heat shock genes that are not induced at 18oC or 10oC, were also increased. Mutational analysis indicated that the stress-activated Msn2,4 transcriptional activators were required for increased production of the "near-freezing" mRNAs (and were important for survival of freezing and near-freezing temperatures), although temperature shift experiments indicated a role for mRNA stabilization as well. Cell trehalose content increased 25- to 50-fold during sustained exposure to 0oC or 4oC, and mutational analysis indicated that trehalose accumulation at near-freezing temperatures enhanced survival of freezing and that trehalose content was closely correlated with freezing tolerance. O. Kandror, N. Bretschneider, E. Kreydin, D. Cavalieri, A. L. Goldberg, Yeast adapt to near-freezing temperatures by STRE/Msn2,4-dependent induction of trehalose synthesis and certain molecular chaperones. Mol. Cell 13, 771-781 (2004). [Online Journal]


This essay examines the tenuous state of the Mano River Union (MRU) and suggests how Eclustering can be employed to reinvigorate the association. The MRU is a regional association established between Liberia and Sierra Leone in 1973. Guinea joined the association in 1980. The goal of the Union was to foster economic cooperation among the three neighboring countries. It is named after the Mano River which begins in the Guinea highlands and forms a border between Liberia and Sierra Leone. Due to political instability and conflicts involving the countries, the objectives of the Union have not been achieved. Nonetheless, on May 20, 2004, the Union was reactivated at a summit of the three leaders of the MRU states at the time: recently deceased President Lansana Conté of Guinea, former President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah of Sierra Leone, and former Chairman Gyude Bryant of the Transitional Government of Liberia. On April 1, 2008, Cote d'Ivoire agreed to join the association during a state visit by current Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who is also the current Chair of the MRU. With the December 23, 2008 military coup d'etat in Guinea led by Captain Moussa Dadis Camara immediately after the death of Conté, the fate of the MRU continues to be tenuous. The major question then becomes how the MRU can be reinvigorated in light of these challenges. In this essay, I suggest that E-clustering, which is an innovative approach for economic policy based on the concept known as "cluster-building," can help. An economic cluster initiates the networking of all participants in a value-added chain. The objective is to bundle the potentials and competences for increasing the innovation power and competitiveness of the partners in a cluster. Given Internet technology, even business and government networking in rural areas can obtain a driving force. Internet technologies such as infrastructure, applications, platforms, and broadband can enable the business processes between companies, academic institutions, research institutes and governments to be networked. E-business and E-government/E-administration cause fundamental structural changes of the private and public sectors. Given this reality, there is a need for economic and technology policy. This need is taken into account in E-clustering. The partner countries in an MRU E-cluster can be networked by processes that are more standardized and so able to be supported by online applications. The Ecluster will require a central infrastructure and services. Knowledge management, E-learning, Emarketplaces, personnel management and E-government will be the main processes and services of an MRU E-cluster.


We investigate the effects that the experience level of accelerator management teams has on the performance of the accelerators they manage. In particular, we examine how the collective business experience of the accelerator managers influences the survival and growth of tenant firms within the accelerator. The experience of accelerator managers is assessed from two perspectives: their own direct knowledge from operating entrepreneurial startups, and their ability to access the knowledge of others from their professional networks. The survival and growth of tenant firms is assessed as the hazard rates for successful exits (acquisitions) and unsuccessful exits (firm failures). We find evidence to suggest that increased knowledge of accelerator managers reduces the risk of firm failures and that this reduction can be attributed more to differences in the amount of direct experience the accelerator management team has as founders in startups, than to differences in connectedness to the ecosystem.


In the remote sensing field, weed detection algorithms usually use the segmentation process to classify weeds in an image. In this context, the results are subject to user-defined parameters (e.g. scale) and predefined assumptions (e.g. uniform distribution of crop), limiting the usefulness of results. This paper presents a new approach based on Vector Agents (VAs) to extract weeds, more specifically boneseed, from Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) imagery. VAs are objects that can construct their own geometry and interact spatially with other VAs in the context of Geographic Automata Systems (GAS). The dynamic structure of VAs allows them to directly address real-world objects in an image, such as weeds. In this case, the method can automatically draw the boundary of the real world objects without setting any user-defined parameters, e.g. scale or compactness. We test the proposed model against the ones conventionally used in weed detection, e.g. mean shift and multiresolution. The preliminary results show 8% and 30% improvement in the correctness value of the VA model compared to the mean shift and multiresolution methods, respectively.


BACKGROUND
The aims of the study were to assess the proportion of the healthy adult population from Pamplona who were aware of their blood cholesterol levels, and to identify factors associated with this awareness.

METHODS
A cross-sectional study was implemented with personal interview to 1066 citizens from Pamplona selected by a random routes sampling procedure. The city was stratified in three urban districts according to the socioeconomic status (high, middle, low). The response rate was 91.8%. The crude odds ratios were computed and a multivariable logistic regression model was fitted using awareness of the blood cholesterol level as the dependent variable, and age, sex, socioeconomic status and smoking as independent variables.

RESULTS
71.2% of the sample (95% CI: 68.3-74.0) reported having some cholesterol determination during the last five years. The multivariate analysis disclosed that non-smokers were aware of their cholesterol levels more frequently than smokers (adjusted OR = 1.38; 95% CI 1.0-1.9), determination of cholesterolemia was also less frequent in individuals under 30 years old and in females (adjusted OR in males: 1.5; 95% CI 1.1-2.0). Regarding socioeconomic status, cholesterol measurement was more frequent in middle and high levels with adjusted OR = 3.2; 95% CI 2.2-4.71 and 1.59; 95% CI 1.11-2.27), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS
Cholesterol awareness was more frequent in older individuals and among males. It is remarkable that blood cholesterol measurement was less likely in population groups with worse coronary risk profile (lower socioeconomic status, smokers). This study suggests that there is a need for improving the awareness and control of blood cholesterol levels in healthy adults from Pamplona.


Melatonin is a well-documented time-keeping hormone that can entrain an individual's physiology and behavior to the day–night cycle, though surprisingly little is known about its influence on the neural basis of social behavior, including vocalization. Male midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus) produce several call types distinguishable by duration and by daily and seasonal cycles in their production. We investigated melatonin's influence on the known nocturnal- and breeding season-dependent increase in excitability of the midshipman's vocal network (VN) that directly patterns natural calls. VN output is readily recorded from the vocal nerve as a 'fictive call'. Five days of constant light significantly increased stimulus threshold levels for calls electrically evoked from vocally active sites in the medial midbrain, supporting previous findings that light suppresses VN excitability, while 2-iodomelatonin (2-IMel; a melatonin analog) implantation decreased threshold. 2-IMel also increased fictive call duration evoked from medial sites as well as lateral midbrain sites that produced several-fold longer calls irrespective of photoregime or drug treatment. When stimulus intensity was incrementally increased, 2-IMel increased duration only at lateral sites, suggesting that melatonin action is stronger in the lateral midbrain. For animals receiving 5 days of constant darkness, known to increase VN excitability, systemic injections of either of two mammalian melatonin receptor antagonists increased threshold and decreased duration for calls evoked from medial sites. Our results demonstrate melatonin modulation of VN excitability and suggest that social context-dependent call types differing in duration may be determined by neuro-hormonal action within specific regions of a midbrain vocal-acoustic network.


Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV), viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus, and spring viremia of carp virus were concentrated and detected from freshwater and seawater samples by using hollow-fiber ultrafiltration. Within 60 min, virus in a 50-L freshwater or saltwater sample was concentrated more than 70-fold, and virus retention efficiencies were consistently greater than 88%. Retention efficiency was highly dependent upon concentrations of column blocking and sample stabilization solutions. A large column with a surface area of 1.15 m2 and a filtration capacity of 5-200 L exhibited optimal viral retention when blocked with 2% fetal bovine serum (FBS) and when the samples were supplemented with 0.1% FBS. Conversely, a small column with 100-fold less surface area and a filtering capacity of 0.5-2.0 L was optimized when blocked with 1% FBS and when the samples were supplemented with 0.1% FBS. The optimized ultrafiltration procedure was further validated with water from a tank that contained IHNV-exposed juvenile sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka, resulting in an average virus retention efficiency of 91.6 +/- 4.1% (mean +/- SE). Virus quantification of concentrated samples demonstrated that IHNV shedding in sockeye salmon preceded mortality; shedding of the virus was observed to increase significantly as early as 7 d postchallenge and peaked at day 14, when virus levels reached 4.87 x 10(3) plaque-forming units/mL. We conclude that ultrafiltration is a reliable and effective method for concentrating viable aquatic rhabdoviruses from large volumes of water and has application for the analysis of environmental water samples.


The concept of competitiveness, for a long time considered as strictly connected to economic and financial performances, evolved, above all in recent years, toward new, wider interpretations disclosing its multidimensional nature.
The shift to a multidimensional view of the phenomenon has excited an intense debate involving theoretical reflections on the features characterizing it, as well as methodological considerations on its assessment and measurement.
The present research has a twofold objective: going in depth with the study of tangible and intangible aspect characterizing multidimensional competitive phenomena by assuming a micro-level point of view, and measuring competitiveness through a model-based approach.
Specifically, we propose a non-parametric approach to Structural Equation Models techniques for the computation of multidimensional composite measures.
Structural Equation Models tools will be used for the development of the empirical application on the italian case: a model based micro-level competitiveness indicator for the measurement of the phenomenon on a large sample of Italian small and medium enterprises will be constructed.


Multiprocessor application performance can be limited by the operating system when the application uses the operating system frequently and the operating system services use data structures shared and modified by multiple processing cores. If the application does not need the sharing, then the operating system will become an unnecessary bottleneck to the application's performance.

This paper argues that applications should control sharing: the kernel should arrange each data structure so that only a single processor need update it, unless directed otherwise by the application. Guided by this design principle, this paper proposes three operating system abstractions (address ranges, kernel cores, and shares) that allow applications to control inter-core sharing and to take advantage of the likely abundance of cores by dedicating cores to specific operating system functions.

Measurements of microbenchmarks on the Corey prototype operating system, which embodies the new abstractions, show how control over sharing can improve performance. Application benchmarks, using MapReduce and a Web server, show that the improvements can be significant for overall performance: MapReduce on Corey performs 25% faster than on Linux when using 16 cores. Hardware event counters confirm that these improvements are due to avoiding operations that are expensive on multicore machines.


Count constraint is a data dependency that requires the results of given count operations on a relation to be within a certain range. By means of count constraints a new decisional problem, called the Inverse OLAP, has been recently introduced: given a flat fact table, does there exist an instance satisfying a set of given count constraints? This paper focuses on a special case of Inverse OLAP, called Inverse Tree-OLAP, for which the flat fact table key is modeled by a Dimensional Fact Model (DFM) with a tree structure. The count constraints define aggregation patterns to be respected by both the many-to-many relationship among the basic dimensions and the one-to-many relationships within dimension hierarchies. A count constraint is required to have a particular structure so that the problem of handling fact table projections with duplicates is avoided. The simplified structure enables the invention of an effective method for its solution that consists of three main steps: (1) using some of the count constraints to extract a subproblem that is formulated as a known data mining problem (inverse frequent itemset mining), (2) solving the subproblem using a recent method that has been shown to be effective in practical situations also for large size instances and (3) enforcing the remaining count constraints on the solution returned by step 2 using a system of linear equations. The overall proposed approach can be effectively used to generate OLAP cubes for benchmarking that reflect patterns of real datasets.


This article aims to uncover the processes of developing sustainable business models in innovation ecosystems. Innovation ecosystems with sustainability goals often consist of cross-sector partners and need to manage three tensions: the tension of value creation versus value capture, the tension of mutual value versus individual value, and the tension of gaining value versus losing value. The fact that these tensions affect all actors differently makes the process of developing a sustainable business model challenging. Based on a study of four sustainably innovative cross-sector collaborations, we propose that innovation ecosystems that develop a sustainable business model engage in a process of valuing value in which they search for a result that satisfies all actors. We find two different patterns of valuing value: collective orchestration and continuous search. We describe these patterns and the conditions that give rise to them. The identification of the two patterns opens up a research agenda that can shed further light on the conditions that need to be in place in order for an innovation ecosystem to develop effective sustainable business models. For practice, our findings show how cross-sector actors in innovation ecosystems may collaborate when developing a business model around emerging sustainability-oriented innovations.


In the Nordic countries Finland. Norway and Sweden, the most common regeneration method is planting after clearcutting and, often, mechanical site preparation (MSP). The main focus of this study is to review quantitative effects that have been reported for the five main MSP methods in terms of survival and growth of manually planted coniferous seedlings of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelm.) in clearcuts in these three countries. Meta analyses are used to compare the effects of MSP methods to control areas where there was no MSP and identify any relationships with temperature sum and number of years after planting. In addition, the area of disturbed soil surface and the emergence of naturally regenerated seedlings are evaluated. The MSP methods considered are patch scarification, disc trenching, mounding, soil inversion and ploughing. Studies performed at sites with predominately mineral soils (with an organic topsoil no thicker than 0.30 m), in boreal, nemo-boreal and nemoral vegetation zones in the three Fenno-Scandinavian countries are included in the review. Data from 26 experimental and five survey studies in total were compiled and evaluated. The results show that survival rates of planted conifers at sites where seedlings are not strongly affected by pine weevil (Hylobius abietis L.) are generally 80-90% after MSP, and 15-20 percent units higher than after planting in non-prepared sites. The experimental data indicated that soil inversion and potentially ploughing (few studies) give marginally greater rates than the other methods in this respect. The effects of MSP on survival seem to be independent of the temperature sum. Below 800 degree days, however, the reported survival rates are more variable. MSP generally results in trees 10-25% taller 10-15 years after planting compared to no MSP. The strength of the growth effect appears to be inversely related to the temperature sum. The compiled data may assist in the design, evaluation and comparison of possible regeneration chains, i.e. analyses of the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of multiple combinations of reforestation measures.


Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has been applied extensively to great benefit in the food processing sector. Its numerous applications include: predicting the gas flow pattern and particle histories, such as temperature, velocity, residence time, and impact position during spray drying; modeling of ovens to provide information about temperature and airflow pattern throughout the baking chamber to enhance heat transfer and in turn final product quality; designing hybrid heating ovens, such as microwave-infrared, infrared-electrical or microwave-electrical ovens for rapid baking; model the dynamics of gastrointestinal contents during digestion based on the motor response of the GI tract and the physicochemical properties of luminal contents; retort processing of canned solid and liquid foods for understanding and optimization of the heat transfer processes. This Brief will recapitulate the various applications of CFD modeling, discuss the recent developments in this field, and identify the strengths and weaknesses of CFD when applied in the food industry.


In this chapter, we consider briefly some important issues concerning the performance requirements to closed-loop linear systems and the fundamental design limitations in achieving the control aims. The performance specifications are formulated in continuous-time due to the clear physical interpretation in this case. First, we present the relatively simple case of single-input-single-output (SISO) systems which are well studied in the classical control theory. The trade-offs in the design of such systems are shown in some details. Then, we discuss the more complicated case of multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) systems whose performance is investigated by using the singular value plots of certain closed-loop transfer function matrices. An important issue in controller design is the closed-loop system performance in presence of different uncertainties. At the end of the chapter, we present some elements of the contemporary approach to the robustness analysis of uncertain linear systems based on the small gain theorem and structured singular value (SSV).


Design and operation of the electric power grid (EPG) relies heavily on computational models. High-fidelity, full-order models are used to study transient phenomena on only a small part of the network. Reduced-order dynamic and power flow models are used when analysis involving thousands of nodes are required due to the computational demands when simulating large numbers of nodes. The level of complexity of the future EPG will dramatically increase due to large-scale deployment of variable renewable generation, active load and distributed generation resources, adaptive protection and control systems, and price-responsive demand. High-fidelity modeling of this future grid will require significant advances in coupled, multi-scale tools and their use on high performance computing (HPC) platforms. This LDRD report demonstrates SNL's capability to apply HPC resources to these 3 tasks: (1) High-fidelity, large-scale modeling of power system dynamics; (2) Statistical assessment of grid security via Monte-Carlo simulations of cyber attacks; and (3) Development of models to predict variability of solar resources at locations where little or no ground-based measurements are available.


There are numerous benefits of biochar and summer legumes in the soil fertility status enhancement, so, keeping in consideration these benefits, a research study was designed to investigate the soil fertility status influence with the carryover effect of biochar and summer legumes at the UAP Research Farm, during winter 2016-2017. An experiment in the rotation was conducted in summer 2016 having three summer legumes for a specific purpose i.e. mungbean (grain), sesbania (green manuring), and cowpea (fodder), control was also comprised. Biochar synthesized domestically in a furnace from small wood cuttings on a pyrolysis temperature (400–500C) and applied once to legumes @ 0, 5 and 10 tons ha. When the legumes were harvested, the residues of sesbania remained in the soil, while the residues of the other two legumes were taken away. The test for soil fertility status investigation was performed on subsequent wheat in RCBD with three replicates on the previous field layout of legumes. Significantly maximum soil total nitrogen, extractable P, K, Fe, Zn, Mn were obtained in the plots previously incorporated with sesbania. However, Cu was not significantly affected. While, in the case of preceding biochar, maximum soil total nitrogen, extractable P, K, Cu, Fe, Zn, and Mn were obtained on 10 tons ha. The biochar-legumes interaction was significant for macronutrients while non-significant for micronutrients. Thus, it is concluded that preceding legumes and previously applied biochar showed a significant carry-over effect on soil fertility status.


This article examines deprivedmale migrants' conceptions and performative expressions of hegemonic masculinity in Ireland.It explores their widespread propensity to develop hypermasculine self-images based on ideals of cultural loyalty and economic prosperity that are, in fact, compensatory for their sense of emasculation, marginalization and social failure as a result of economic difficulties within their host societies.The first section surveys perceptions and preconceptions about migrant men and young male immigrants in a variety of Irish media, political and social discourses. The second section considers recent research and the development of theoretical perspectives about migrant masculinity in Ireland. In the third section, it is argued that these broad discourses and preconceptions are accentuated and encapsulated in a corpus of Irish theatre and film productions, such as Jimmy Murphy's play about Irish emigrants in London,The Kings of the Kilburn High Road (2001), which was subsequently adapted by Tom Collins in the Irish language film Kings (2007). Bisi Adigun's Arambe Productions has appropriated and complicated the Kings of the Kilburn High Road storyline in turn. Adigun reenacted the play withWest African immigrants rather than Irish emigrants in London (2006). He subsequently adapted its storyline to a contemporary London setting in Home, Sweet Home (performed in Lagos, 2010), and then he reset the play in Dublin with an African-Irish immigrant cast in The Paddies of Parnell Street (2013). In these different versions of the Kings plotline, ideals of migrant masculinity, the image of the "alien" and the meaning of the play/film perceptibly shift depending on whether it is performed by an English-speaking Irish cast, a cast of Irishlanguage speakers, or an African immigrant cast in Arambe's productions. Yet, together, these works suggest that immigrants to Ireland and returning Irish emigrants, as well as marginalized Gaelic speakers, face similar gender specific constraints in achieving recognition and gaining acceptance in modern Irish society. Each version is based on competing conceptions and performances of hegemonic masculinity that come into conflict at the culmination of the plot's development. Both on stage and on screen, they give expression to migrant masculine ideals in Ireland that are defined by wider political and social tensions which they seek to resolve in their respective performances.


In recent years, immigration officials have witnessed a surge in border crossings by two groups of migrants: those subject to expedited removal who claim to fear persecution and unaccompanied alien children ("UAC"). The surge in UAC border crossings, in particular, has garnered considerable national attention. Many causes have been offered to account for these surges, but the proffered reasons are often contradictory or grounded in untested assumptions. It is important, however, to identify the causes because the history of immigration is a collection of derivations on cyclical events and arguments presented as if they were entirely unprecedented. Whatever one's beliefs about the optimal level and types of migration, immigration law and policy should be rooted in a greater understanding of the significance of the various push and pull factors that influence migratory patterns. This article examines the available data to try to identify the factors that have contributed to the surge in border crossings by credible fear claimants and UACs. While individual circumstances vary, as a general matter, dire country conditions in the Northern Triangle further deteriorated in certain ways around the time of the surges. The continued deterioration increased the incentive to leave. Concurrently, specific U.S. laws, practices, and immigration policies — along with claims made by nefarious opportunists — led to some accurate and some misinformed perceptions that certain migrants have a greater chance to enter or remain in the United States. When these perceptions spread amidst deteriorating country conditions, it provided the spark that motivated a greater number of credible fear claimants and UACs to make the dangerous journey north.


The observable universe could be a 1+3-surface (the "brane") embedded in a 1+3+d-dimensional spacetime (the "bulk"), with Standard Model particles and fields trapped on the brane while gravity is free to access the bulk. At least one of the d extra spatial dimensions could be very large relative to the Planck scale, which lowers the fundamental gravity scale, possibly even down to the electroweak (∼ TeV) level. This revolutionary picture arises in the framework of recent developments in M theory. The 1+10-dimensional M theory encompasses the known 1+9-dimensional superstring theories, and is widely considered to be a promising potential route to quantum gravity. At low energies, gravity is localized at the brane and general relativity is recovered, but at high energies gravity "leaks" into the bulk, behaving in a truly higher-dimensional way. This introduces significant changes to gravitational dynamics and perturbations, with interesting and potentially testable implications for high-energy astrophysics, black holes, and cosmology. Brane-world models offer a phenomenological way to test some of the novel predictions and corrections to general relativity that are implied by M theory. This review analyzes the geometry, dynamics and perturbations of simple brane-world models for cosmology and astrophysics, mainly focusing on warped 5-dimensional brane-worlds based on the Randall-Sundrum models. We also cover the simplest brane-world models in which 4-dimensional gravity on the brane is modified at low energies — the 5-dimensional Dvali-Gabadadze-Porrati models. Then we discuss co-dimension two branes in 6-dimensional models.


Charles Tiebout (1956), in his work "A Pure Theory of Local Expenditures", provides a vision of the workings of the local public sector, acknowledging many similarities to the features of a competitive market, however omitting any references to local taxation. Contrary to other researchers' claim that the Tiebout model and the theory of fiscal decentralization are by no means synonymous, this paper aims to expand Tiebout's theory, by adding the local property tax in the context, introducing a fair, ad valorem property taxation system based on the automated assessment of the value of real estate properties within the boundaries of local authorities. Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal methodology integrated with Remote Sensing technology and GIS analysis is applied to local authorities' property registries and cadastral data, building a spatial relational database and providing data to be statistically processed through Multiple Regression Analysis modeling. The proposed scheme accomplishes economy of scale using CAMA procedures on one hand, but also succeeds in making local authorities self-sufficient through a decentralized, fair, locally calibrated property taxation model, providing rational income administration.


Theories of relativity. The status of knowledge in Christian Kracht's Imperium
The publication of Christian Kracht's novel Imperium in 2012 was followed by a heated debate on several discriminatory terms and descriptions, which are contained in the text. The key criteria for the moral evaluation of the novel seemed to be the narrator's moral position and the earnestness of his statements. Referring to contributions by Johannes Birgfeld and Frank Finlay, this paper argues that a different approach to the novel is required: From the very beginning of the text, the perceptions of its characters are exposed as subjective or simply wrong. The narrator also repeatedly accentuates the general subjectivity of perception. Not surprisingly, a deep reading of the novel reveals contradictions in the narrator's descriptions, whereby again all assumptions of the readership concerning the content of the novel turn out to be doubtable. The uncertainty of knowledge and the relativity of perception can be considered as central themes of Krachts Imperium.


Background The provision of eye care services for competitors and support teams is integral to the modern Olympic Games. The eye clinic for the London 2012 Paralympic Games employed a multidisciplinary team of eye care professionals using state-of-the-art instrumentation to provide the highest level of eye care. The detailed organisation of the eye care clinic at London 2012 is described in a companion paper which summarises the eye care clinic during the London 2012 Olympic Games. These two reports will aid in planning eye care clinics at future Games. Aim This paper summarises the organisation of the eye clinic and provides outline audit data relating to eye conditions encountered during the Paralympic Games. Results A total of 870 patients representing 102 countries attended the eye clinic. 274 (31.5%) were competitors; the remainder were trainers and support staff. No serious ocular injuries resulted from competitor injury in the field of play during the Paralympic Games, although seven patients were referred urgently to hospital eye services for conditions including orbital cellulitis, retinal detachment, exudative macular degeneration, corneal ulcer, Stevens-Johnson syndrome and macular oedema. A total of 749 spectacles, 14 pairs of contact lenses and 7 low vision aids were dispensed. Conclusions By combining excellent facilities and equipment with a multidisciplinary team of eye care professionals, we feel we provided the highest level of eye care, providing a legacy for future Games.


We present a real-time algorithm for emotion-aware navigation of a robot among pedestrians. Our approach estimates time-varying emotional behaviors of pedestrians from their faces and trajectories using a combination of Bayesianinference, CNN-based learning, and the PAD (Pleasure-ArousalDominance) model from psychology. These PAD characteristics are used for long-term path prediction and generating proxemic constraints for each pedestrian. We use a multi-channel model to classify pedestrian characteristics into four emotion categories (happy, sad, angry, neutral). In our validation results, we observe an emotion detection accuracy of 85.33%. We formulate emotion-based proxemic constraints to perform socially-aware robot navigation in lowto medium-density environments. We demonstrate the benefits of our algorithm in simulated environments with tens of pedestrians as well as in a real-world setting with Pepper, a social humanoid robot.


Abstract The bed entrainment rate in a gravity mass flow (GMF) is uniquely determined by the properties of the bed and the flow. In depth-averaging, however, critical information on the flow variables near the bed is lost and empirical assumptions usually are made instead. We study the interplay between bed and flow assuming a perfectly brittle bed, characterized by its shear strength ${\it\tau}_{c}$ , and erosion along the bottom surface of the flow; frontal entrainment is neglected here. The brittleness assumption implies that the shear stress at the bed surface cannot exceed ${\it\tau}_{c}$ . For quasi-stationary flows in a simplified setting, analytic solutions are found for Bingham and frictional–collisional (FC) fluids. Extending this theory to non-stationary flows requires some assumptions for the velocity profile. For the Bingham fluid, the profile of a 'proxy' quasi-stationary eroding flow is used; the rheological parameters are chosen to match the instantaneous velocity and shear-layer depth of the non-stationary flow. For the FC fluid, a two-parameter family of functions that closely match the profiles obtained in depth-resolved numerical simulations is assumed; the boundary conditions determine the instantaneous parameter values and allow computation of the erosion rate. Preliminary tests with the FC erosion formula incorporated in a simple slab model indicate that the non-stationary erosion formula matches the depth-resolved simulations asymptotically, but differs in the start-up phase. The non-stationary erosion formulae are valid only up to a limit velocity (and to a limit flow depth if there is Coulomb friction). This appears to mark the transition to another erosion regime – to be described by a different model – where chunks of bed material are intermittently ripped out and gradually entrained into the flow.


Abstract In the innovative design of the advanced boiling water reactor (ABWR), conventional recirculation loops are removed and replaced by multiple reactor internal pumps. Therefore, there is no major penetration of the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) below the elevation of the top of active fuel. As a result, an ABWR loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) can have a decreased impact on reactor safety. Moreover, in the new RPV design the injection points of all the conventional low-pressure emergency core cooling (ECC) systems (ECCSs) are shifted out of the core shroud to the downcomer and feedwater line as a new low-pressure ECCS, namely, a low-pressure flooder (LPFL). Consequently, the net hydraulic head built inside the downcomer will be the only driving force to bring the low-pressure ECC water into the core shroud during a large-break LOCA. In the analysis of a feedwater line break with RELAP5-3D/K, it was occasionally found that the hydraulic head built in the downcomer might not be great enough to bring the ECC water into the core shroud, and when the mixture water column ascends above the elevation of the feedwater rings, all the water injected by the LPFL will be directly driven to the break on the feedwater line. Fortunately, the capacity of the remaining high-pressure ECC flow directly injected above the core is great enough, and this ECC low-pressure injection bypass phenomenon can be terminated once the high-pressure ECC injection is manually turned off. This phenomenon of low-pressure ECC injection bypass is unexpected in the ABWR design, and it is worth further investigation.


This paper examines the common factors that drive the returns of U.S. bank holding companies from 1997 to 2005. We compare a range of market models from a basic one-factor model to a nine-factor model that includes the standard Fama-French factors and additional factors thought to be particularly relevant for banks such as interest and credit variables. We show that the market factor clearly dominates in explaining bank returns, followed by the Fama-French factors. The bank-specific factors are not informative, particularly for the largest banks, which take advantage of protection in the form of interest rate and credit derivatives. Even in our broadest model, however, considerable residual variation remains, with the mean pairwise correlation of residuals for the largest banks near 0.25. This finding suggests that important hidden factors remain. A principal component analysis shows that this residual variance is relatively diffuse, although the largest banks do tend to load in the same direction on the first component. Relative to the returns of large firms in other sectors, bank returns are relatively well explained with standard risk factors, and both the residual correlation and degree of factor loading agreement are not particularly large. These results have clear implications both for public policymakers seeking to quantify those shared bank exposures that create systemic risk and to portfolio managers seeking to devise optimal diversification strategies.


Multiparental populations are innovative tools for fine mapping large numbers of loci. Here we explored the application of a wheat Multiparent Advanced Generation Inter-Cross (MAGIC) population for QTL mapping. This population was created by 12 generations of free recombination among 60 founder lines, following modification of the mating system from strict selfing to strict outcrossing using the ms1b nuclear male sterility gene. Available parents and a subset of 380 SSD lines of the resulting MAGIC population were phenotyped for earliness and genotyped with the 9K i-Select SNP array and additional markers in candidate genes controlling heading date. We demonstrated that 12 generations of strict outcrossing rapidly and drastically reduced linkage disequilibrium to very low levels even at short map distances and also greatly reduced the population structure exhibited among the parents. We developed a Bayesian method, based on allelic frequency, to estimate the contribution of each parent in the evolved population. To detect loci under selection and estimate selective pressure, we also developed a new method comparing shifts in allelic frequency between the initial and the evolved populations due to both selection and genetic drift with expectations under drift only. This evolutionary approach allowed us to identify 26 genomic areas under selection. Using association tests between flowering time and polymorphisms, 6 of these genomic areas appeared to carry flowering time QTL, 1 of which corresponds to Ppd-D1, a major gene involved in the photoperiod sensitivity. Frequency shifts at 4 of 6 areas were consistent with earlier flowering of the evolved population relative to the initial population. The use of this new outcrossing wheat population, mixing numerous initial parental lines through multiple generations of panmixia, is discussed in terms of power to detect genes under selection and association mapping. Furthermore we provide new statistical methods for use in future analyses of multiparental populations.


It has been recognized that most seniors prefer to age in a place with familiar surroundings until their health makes this impossible. In an attempt to address the aging phenomenon, as well as recognize seniors' preference, we worked with a Canada-based company that develops a sensor-based home monitoring system for people to monitor the home activities of independently living seniors. Our role was to develop web interfaces that present sensor data to the intended web users -- the seniors' informal care providers (e.g., their close friends or family members). In this paper, we present the information design and the web interface prototypes, and report the results of our formative evaluations through cognitive walkthrough and heuristic evaluation methods. The common problems discovered in both methods were problematic notification mechanism, inconsistency, background and layout. Each method also detected usability issues that the other did not. Our work adds more empirical evidence to the importance of combining evaluation methods in a study. The experiences in this study also helped us reflect on approaches and strategies when working with industry partners.


As the Eurozone crisis drags on, it is evident that a part of the problem lies in the architecture of debt and its liabilities within the Eurozone and, more generally, the European Union. This paper argues that a large part of the problem can be mitigated by permitting appropriately-structured cross-country liability for sovereign debt incurred by individual nations within the European Union. In brief, the paper makes a case for amending the Treaty of Lisbon. The case is established by constructing a game-theoretic model and demonstrating that there exist self-fulfilling equilibria, which would come into existence if cross-country debt liability were permitted and which are Pareto superior to the existing outcome.


Abstract. Digital single-lens reflex cameras (DSLR) which are commonly referred as mirrored cameras are preferred for terrestrial photogrammetric applications such as documentation of cultural heritage, archaeological excavations and industrial measurements. Recently, digital cameras which are called as mirrorless systems that can be used with different lens combinations have become available for using similar applications. The main difference between these two camera types is the presence of the mirror mechanism which means that the incoming beam towards the lens is different in the way it reaches the sensor. In this study, two different digital cameras, one with a mirror (Nikon D700) and the other without a mirror (Sony a6000), were used to apply close range photogrammetric application on the rock surface at Istanbul Technical University (ITU) Ayazaga Campus. Accuracy of the 3D models created by means of photographs taken with both cameras were compared with each other using difference values between field and model coordinates which were obtained after the alignment of the photographs. In addition, cross sections were created on the 3D models for both data source and maximum area difference between them is quite small because they are almost overlapping. The mirrored camera has become more consistent in itself with respect to the change of model coordinates for models created with photographs taken at different times, with almost the same ground sample distance. As a result, it has been determined that mirrorless cameras and point cloud produced using photographs obtained from these cameras can be used for terrestrial photogrammetric studies.


The short-term temporal variation in the phytoplankton and mesozooplankton cycles was studied in a coastal area off east Gran Canaria Island. A small phytoplankton bloom, split into two peaks, appeared during late winter (end of February and March), coinciding with the lowest temperatures in the water column. A clear inverse relationship was observed between the biomasses in mesozooplankton and phytoplankton during the bloom period. The peaks in primary production and phytoplankton biomass were uncoupled in time, suggesting that biomass could depend on consumer control (grazing), and primary production on resource control (nutrients). Mesozooplankton grazing represented less than 20% of the primary production, an indication that small zooplankton and protozoans controlled the phytoplankton populations, dominated by picoplanktonic cells (> 60% of the primary production). The ratio between depth-integrated primary production and community respiration (P/R) covaried with primary production (P), showing that changes in P control the trophic status of the system. At P > 400 mgC m -2 day -1 the P/R ratio is > 1, switching the system from heterotrophy to autotrophy, a situation that takes place during the phytoplankton growth period.


ABSTRACT The COVID-19 outbreak has revealed multiple vulnerabilities in community systems. Effectively addressing these vulnerabilities and increasing local resilience requires thinking beyond solely pandemic responses and taking more holistic perspectives that integrate sustainability objectives. Pandemic preparedness and climate action in particular share similarities in terms of needs and approaches for community sustainability. This paper reflects on what the outbreak has illustrated regarding community vulnerability to crises, with a focus on local economy and production, economic diversification, and social connectivity. The paper argues for integrated approaches to community development that increase our capacity to respond to both public health and climate crises. Video Abstract Read the transcript Watch the video on Vimeo © Robert Newell 2021. Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group


Background & objective: Resistin is a unique hormone secreted from adipocytes. Recent data indicated that resistin levels have been associated with inflammatory markers; Due to the fact that chronic inflammation plays a role in breast cancer, it seems that resistin may present a molecular link between inflammation and breast carcinogenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of rs1862513 promoter resistin gene variant with breast cancer risk. Material & Methods : For the purpose of this case-control study, 150 breast cancer and 150 healthy control blood samples were collected. After DNA extraction, genotype determination was performed by PCR-RFLP method. Statistical analysis was done using logistic regression model. Results: The case and control groups were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The subjects with GG genotype had increased risk of breast cancer compared to those with CC genotype (OR: 1.9, 95% CI: 1-3.7, P: 0.04). Also, the G allele indicated a positive association with breast cancer susceptibility (OR: 1.4, 95% CI: 1-1.98, P: 0.03). Conclusion: Results of this study showed possible association of resistin rs1862513 gene variant with breast cancer risk in Iranian women .


This paper develops a two-tier oligopoly model in which the entry of a multinational firm results in technology transfer to its local suppliers and also impacts the degree of backward linkages in the local industry. The model endogenizes the multinational's choice between anonymous market interaction with its suppliers and contractual relationships with them under which the multinational transfer technology to its suppliers who in turn agree to serve the multinational exclusively. The multinational's entry under an exclusive contract has a de-linking effect that can reduce the degree of competition among suppliers thereby leading to a decline in the level of backward linkages and local welfare. With its emphasis on the supply-side effects of the multinational's entry on local industry, this paper complements existing studies of backward linkages that focus more on demand-side effects.


Is there a link between organismal aging and cancer? Pinkston et al. address this question in a worm model of aging and tumor development and find that different signaling pathways implicated in the aging process also control tumorigenesis. Mutant worms with long life spans appear immune to the life-shortening effects of tumors because of enhanced defense mechanisms, including increased apoptosis and decreased cell proliferation within the tumors. Signaling pathways that control longevity may have coevolved with tumor-suppressive mechanisms. J. M. Pinkston, D. Garigan, M. Hansen, C. Kenyon, Mutations that increase the life span of C. elegans inhibit tumor growth. Science 313, 971-975 (2006). [Abstract] [Full Text]


Objectives To compare the efficacy and safety of poractant alfa and bovine lipid extract surfactant in preterm infants. Study design Randomized, partially-blinded, multicenter trial. Infants <32 weeks needing surfactant before 48 hours were randomly assigned to receive poractant alfa or bovine lipid extract surfactant. The primary outcome was being alive and extubated at 48 hours post-randomization. Secondary outcomes included need for re-dosing, duration of respiratory support and oxygen, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, mortality and complications during administration. Results Three centers recruited 87 infants (mean 26.7 weeks and 906 grams) at a mean age of 5.9 hours, between March 2013 and December 2015. 21/42 (50%) were alive and extubated at 48 hours in the poractant alfa group vs 26/45 (57.8%) in the bovine lipid extract surfactant group; adjusted OR 0.76 (95% CI 0.30–1.93) (p = 0.56). No differences were observed in the need to re-dose. Duration of oxygen support (41.5 vs 62 days; adjusted OR 1.69 95% CI 1.02–2.80; p = 0.04) was reduced in infants who received poractant alfa. We observed a trend in bronchopulmonary dysplasia among survivors (51.5% vs 72.1%; adjusted OR 0.35 95%CI 0.12–1.04; p = 0.06) favoring poractant alfa. Twelve infants died before discharge, 9 in the poractant alfa group and 3 in the bovine lung extract group. Severe airway obstruction following administration was observed in 0 (poractant alfa) and 5 (bovine lipid extract surfactant) infants (adjusted OR 0.09 95%CI <0.01–1.27; p = 0.07). Conclusion No statistically significant difference was observed in the proportion of infants alive and extubated within 48h between the two study groups. Poractant alfa may be more beneficial and associated with fewer complications than bovine lipid extract surfactant. However, we observed a trend towards higher mortality in the poractant alfa group. Larger studies are needed to determine whether observed possible benefits translate in shorter hospital admissions, or other long term benefits and determine whether there is a difference in mortality.


The latest edition of Electricity Profiles, prepared by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), contains comprehensive electricity profiles for about 200 countries and territories around the world, providing detailed information on production, trade and consumption of electricity, net installed capacity and thermal power plant input and efficiency for most countries. This publication is an essential resource for those who work or have an interest in the energy sector.


The aim of this paper is to outline some foundational aspects of a theory of self-organising social change. Synchronous social self-organisation is based on a contradiction between structures and actors that produces emergent results. The cycle of expanded reproduction of capital outlined by Marx can be interpreted as economic type of autopoiesis or self-reproduction. Aspects of Marxist crisis theory can be incorporated consistently into the framework of a theory of social self-organisation. Capitalism is a complex, evolutionary, antagonistic system that is shaped by a dialectic of chance and necessity: In diachronic social self-organisation of capitalism, the evolving economic, political and cultural antagonisms as objective conditions of existence again and again result in phases of crisis and instability where the future development of the system is highly undetermined. The objective structures condition a field of possibilities, it is not pre-determined which alternative will be taken. In such phases of crisis and bifurcation, agency and human intervention play an important role in order to increase the possibility that a certain desirable alternative will be taken. Certainty can't be achieved, but agency also is not made impossible by the principles of self-organising social change. The whole movement of social self-organisation is based on a dialectic relationship of chance and necessity. Regulation theory sees the development of system shaped by a dialectic of chance and necessity as well as by a dialectic of generality and specificity in the same manner as self-Organisation Theory. Mechanistic, reductionistic, economistic and deterministic arguments that have been characteristic for traditional crisis theories are avoided, a crisis of society is not reduced to economic factors and to a single economic antagonism. Regulation theory rather considers besides economical also political and ideological factors as relatively autonomous ones that influence crises of society. An unity of a regime of accumulation and a mode of regulation that is characteristic for a specific mode of development that is shaped by a specific structure of antagonisms is assumed. There are distinct parallels between the regulation approach and self-organisation theory, but the relationship between general and specific categories as well as between chance and necessity is still largely unsettled in the regulation approach (as well as in systems theory). It seems that the regulation school assumes a development of capitalism that is largely shaped by random evolution of antagonistic structures that is not dialectically related to general categories and antagonisms. Nonetheless regulation theory gives us a detailed analysis of Fordism, its crisis and Postfordism as well as a very useful model of the development of society. Hence my own approach is partly based on this theory.


The most common fan model to use in commercial CFD software today is the Multiple Reference Frame (MRF) model. This is at least valid for automotive under hood applications. Within the industry, for this typical application, this model is commonly known to under predict performance. This under prediction has been documented by the authors' of this paper in SAE paper 2009-01-0178 and VTMS paper 2009-01-3067. Furthermore has this been documented by S.Moreau from Valeo in "Numerical and Experimental Investigation of Rotor-Stator Interaction in Automotive Engine Cooling Fan Systems", ETC, 7th European Conference on Turbomachinery, 2007. In preceding papers a specific methodology of use has been documented and it has been shown that the MRF model under predicts performance for the airflow in a cooling system commonly with 14% in volumetric flow rate. This is for a system dominated by inertial effects. These 14% was shown to apply across fans of different sizes and designs hence illustrating a consistency of the fan model. In paper 2009-01-3067 a different methodology of use was documented which decreased the under prediction to 8%. In this paper the study has continued and is now presenting a more successful methodology of use which essentially removes the under prediction of the fan MRF model for most of fan operation, taking it for axial flow conditions within reasonable capabilities of reproducing tested geometry in a simulation environment, i.e. a difference of 0-1% between measurements and simulations.


This paper presents a cost optimization scheme for an electricity aggregator. The aggregator schedules the charging of the energy storages of its aggregated group of consumers to minimize the hourly spot market costs, while simultaneously maximizing its potential for participation in the reserve market. The optimization is formulated as a distributed iterative algorithm and its performance on the day-ahead and regulating power markets are evaluated based on simulations using actual market data. It was shown that increasing the consumption flexibility increased the overall profits markedly, while increasing their variance, up to a point.


2 Egg-laying is an important phase of the life cycle of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). Previous studies examined egg-laying events manually. This paper presents a method for automatic detection of egg-laying onset using deformable template matching and other morphological image analysis techniques. Some behavioral changes surrounding egg-laying events are also studied. The results demonstrate that the computer vision tools and algorithm developed here can be effectively used to study C. elegans egg-laying behaviors. The algorithm developed is an essential part of a machine vision system for C. elegans tracking and behavioral analysis.


Impairment of autoregulation (AR) is associated with accelerated progression of chronic renal failure (CRF). As the bioavailability of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) is low in CRF, we investigated the effects of acute luminal application of 10 nM recombinant human IGF-I on AR in juxtamedullary (JM) afferent arterioles (AA) perfused in vitro with a blood solution [(approximately 30% hematocrit (HCT)]. Studies were conducted in AA from adult male rats three to four weeks after five-sixths nephrectomy (Nx) by either surgical excision (N = 7) or infarction (N = 5) of two thirds of the remnant kidney; controls (N = 6) had sham surgery. AA from both Nx groups exhibited marked hypertrophy and impaired AR responses (60 to 140 mm Hg perfusion pressure), features more pronounced in the infarction group. Responses to abluminal acetylcholine (10 microM) were similar in sham and excision groups but were significantly blunted in the infarction group. All groups vasodilated significantly after Ca-channel blockade (10 mM MnCl2). IGF-I restored AR in AA from both Nx groups (P < 0.05, analysis of variance) while it vasodilated AA from controls. These results suggest that IGF-I may protect the glomerulus from injury by maintaining autoregulatory control of renal blood flow, thereby slowing the progression of CRF.


In this thesis we deal with quadratic metric–affine gravity, which is an alternative theory of gravity. We present new vacuum solutions for this theory and attempt to give their physical interpretation on the basis of comparison with existing classical models. These new explicit vacuum solutions of quadratic metric–affine gravity are constructed using generalised pp-waves. A classical pp-wave is a 4-dimensional Lorentz–ian spacetime which admits a non–vanishing parallel spinor field. We generalise this definition to metric compatible spacetimes with torsion, describe basic properties of such spacetimes and eventually use them to construct new solutions to the field equations of quadratic metric–affine gravity. The physical interpretation of these solutions we propose in this thesis is that these new solutions represent a conformally invariant metric–affine model for a massless elementary particle. We give a comparison with a classical model describing the interaction of gravitational and massless neutrino fields, namely Einstein-Weyl theory.


Glycosylation changes in patients with juvenile chronic and adult onset rheumatoid arthritis have been studied using a novel binding method. Both these major types of arthritis showed decreased galactosylation of serum IgG, which confirms earlier studies using a different, more complex chemical method. No significant correlation between serum IgG, IgM, and IgA rheumatoid factors and age corrected G(o) (percentage of oligosaccharide chains lacking galactose) was found. The possibility that the less glycosylated IgG is preferentially confined to circulating IgM/IgG immune complexes cannot be excluded, however.


In most countries of the world, there are minority populations who have a tradition of migrancy. These include many recognised "Indigenous Peoples" –nomadic pastoralists, hunters, herders, fisherpeople – but also migrant farm workers, entertainers (circus and fairground people) and Gypsy/Travellers. The level to which these peoples still maintain a mobile lifestyle varies hugely from place to place, and within each group: some groups or group members opted to live in fixed places generations ago, some are in transition and some are actively committed to maintaining their prized tradition.

This book grew out of the editors' growing awareness of the wide diversity of these nomadic and migrant cultures, the paucity of research registering their perspectives and experiences, and the even greater lack of comparative research. By focusing on educational provision, and bringing together a range of contributions from widely scattered countries, we hope to contribute to the initiation of such a project. We asked potential contributors to consider the challenges facing these communities and the education system as they engage with each other. The term "changing schools" catches three key dimensions of this engagement.

Firstly, the children from mobile families change schools, sometimes on a monthly or even weekly basis; the knowledge that they come from this tradition colours school attitudes even to those who are no longer mobile. This places them in conflict with traditional forms of educational provision, which are predicated on permanently resident children attending the same school or studying via distance education. This mismatch exacerbates the already severe marginalisation of Travellers, nomads and migrant workers in the local 'host' community context, by placing the migrant learners between the 'two worlds' of home and school.

Secondly, "changing schools" refers to the way that the schools' demographics are changed as these group of pupils arrive and depart at varying times over the school year. Many schools see this changing demographic as a problem: the mobile children's difference makes them deviants from the norm of fixed residence and therefore needs to be controlled or (re)solved. In England, for example, a perception exists that there is sometimes pressure for Traveller children to be absent on the days of centralised tests used to compare schools' effectiveness, on the grounds that they might lower a school's scores on the tests (Currie & Danaher, 2001). Often efforts are expended to change the children so that they fit in more closely with the 'normal' school population. This situation clearly does nothing to redress the mobile people's marginalisation and in fact extends and perpetuates that marginalisation.

Thirdly, and by contrast, there is evidence, particularly in the past 15 to 20 years, that schools themselves are actually being changed in fundamental ways as a consequence of their interactions with Travellers, nomads and migrant workers. Largely as a result of determined lobbying by mobile people themselves, aided by knowledgeable teachers, officials and policy-makers, there are now several examples of 'best practice' in many countries in relation to the education of mobile learners. These examples not only demonstrate fundamental changes to the institutions and structures of schooling but also constitute the best chance to date of transforming the marginalisation of mobility into its acceptance and celebration as a valid, viable and valuable mode of existence. The transformation, as will be seen, is necessary even where the groups in question have almost ceased to "change schools" in the sense of moving from one to the other: their heritage and cultural distinctiveness remain a challenge to the sedentarist mindset still informing intercultural policy and practice.

Traveller, Nomadic and Migrant Education presents 14 accounts of education provision for these sectors in 10 countries – Spain, Italy, England, Scotland, Ireland, Norway, the Russian Federation, India, Nigeria and Australia – on four continents: Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. Contributions relate to nine groups of mobile people: circus people, fairground people, farm workers, fisherpeople, herders, hunters, nomadic pastoralists, Roma and Travellers. The thread holding together this diversity of location and group is the common focus on the triple dimensions of educational change noted above: the client group changing schools; those schools having their demographics changed and seeking to change the mobile learners; and these learners contributing to fundamental change to the nature of schooling.

Given this focus on the triple dimensions of educational change, the authors reject a 'progressivist' or teleological interpretation of such change. Rather than assuming that progress is natural or inevitable, the contributors argue, in the contexts of their respective research projects, that educational policy is as likely to regress as it is to progress, in response to changed government funding models and recurring social prejudice against minorities. Gains in provision for Travellers, nomads and migrant workers, therefore, can be more properly understood as 'moments' of the coincidence of interests, and accordingly as temporary and provisional settlements rather than fixed and guaranteed reforms.

This book was assembled by means of calls for chapters, sent out through a wide range of academic and research channels. Many potential contributors who initially expressed strong interest were prohibited by pressure of time or other factors from completing their chapters. So regions and even continents that are unfortunately missing on this occasion include the Middle East, Mongolia, Central Europe and the Americas; we hope to address these gaps in future publications.

Some scholars felt that the book's nomadism/mobility focus precluded their contribution. For instance, many Roma and Traveller groups in Europe no longer travel – in some regions they have not done so for centuries. However, others believed that, whether or not the group is currently nomadic, the nomadic heritage introduces profound challenges into the domain of educational provision, challenges that warrant discussion.

Such is the range and diversity of these mobile peoples worldwide that coverage even of regions that are included is necessarily minimal. Europe is covered by peoples in peripheral states/regions – Spain (Roma), Italy (attractionists/showground people), the United Kingdom and Ireland (Roma, Travellers and fairground people), Norway (Samis) and the Republic of Yakutia in the Russian Federation (reindeer herders, fisherpeople and hunters). Asia is represented by the inclusion of the Rabaris in India; Africa by the inclusion of nomadic pastoralists and fisherpeople in Nigeria. From Australia come studies of Roma, farm workers, circus people and showground people. The particular geographical and sectoral spread of the chapters in this book means that the perspective is from local and lesser-known levels; the findings here endorse those in studies of more written-about groups – for instance, the majority Roma population (Liegeois, 1998, 2008) or United States migrant farm workers (Gouwens, 2001). ECOTEC"s (2008) survey of educational provision for the full range of mobile peoples in Europe highlights the value of taking this cross-sectoral approach.

There are issues of authorship. Chapters by members of the communities in question were sought, but in the end all the chapters came from 'majority' scholars. However, community members have worked as co-researchers with most if not all the authors included here, and we believe that these authors were sensitive to and have registered the voices of the peoples whose experiences they were privileged to access.

A note on terminology is also necessary. Here, and in the conclusion, the editors use the terms "nomadic", "migrant" and "mobile" interchangeably. The term "Roma" is used in preference to "Gypsy". In the individual chapters, each contributor uses the terminology currently accepted in her/his country and research setting. In keeping with current practice (for example, ECOTEC, 2008), when referring to Travellers who are part of the Roma/Traveller ethnic spectrum, the title "Travellers" is capitalised, but the title "occupational travellers" (groups on the economic migrant spectrum) is not.

Finally, the process of gathering contributions to this book highlighted conceptual gaps in policy and research literature regarding these peoples, particularly around the issue of the hybridity and fluidity of group identities. These peoples have shadowy status. Three areas require comment: identities and understandings of migrancy/nomadism; the status of these peoples in public perception and policy; and the nature of anti-migrant/nomadic prejudice.


For many years the web has only been used as a way ofdistributing information, but the need for more interaction isgrowing stronger. To accomplish this one can use Javaapplets, HTML forms, Active X, Javascript and a few othertechniques. One problem is that you must store the data theusers create, and change, somewhere and somehow. As thetitle reveals, this thesis will analyze a few ways to do this inJava applets.


Group foraging and colonial formation in avian species are examined with an artificial life (alife) model using genetic algorithms (GA) and neural networks. Horn's classical model predicts that colonial birds are more successful than territorial ones in a patchy resource environment, and the reverse is true when resources are evenly distributed. The weak point of the model is confusion between colony formation and flock foraging and implicit assumption of perfect knowledge of resource distribution by foraging birds. The authors made an alife model that realized both flock foraging and colonial formation simultaneously during evolution in a patchy environment. The reference organisms were egrets, which make colonial nests in the breeding season and colonial roosts in the nonbreeding season. In the computer model, artificial egrets used the presence of other egrets as an indicator to locate resource-rich patches in a resource-clumped environment. On the contrary, egrets were less reliant on other individuals as a source of foraging information in evenly distributed resource conditions. Colonial nesting was also induced only in a patchy environment where the foraging efficiency was always higher than the evenly distributed condition. Local enhancement played an important role in achieving colonial and flock foraging.


The principles of the classic rotary Wimshurst machine, which produces dc high voltage by regenerative electrostatic induction, are used to develop a new alternating high-voltage machine. This device has no electrical inputs but can spontaneously produce either dc or three-phase ac high voltage, depending on external connections. The machine constructed by the authors produces voltages in excess of 18 kV with frequencies of operation up to 2 Hz. Improved design can extend the voltage and frequency operating ranges. Analysis is extended to include multiphase, multi-frequency operation by modeling the device with a distributed equivalent circuit representation. The natural frequencies of the system are calculated where it is found that many overstable modes are present.


This project utilized connected vehicle (CV) technology allowing two-way communication among vehicles and infrastructure to develop a next-generation Transit Signal Priority (TSP) system that does not have to rely on conventional TSP sensors. The research team extended a previously proposed TSP system based on CV technology (TSPCV) to handle conflicting requests and to coordinate passage between intersections in a travel corridor. The proposed TSP mechanisms minimize installation and maintenance costs by eliminating the need for local agencies to perform a level of service (LOS) study and/or volume/capacity (v/c) ratio for potential TSP intersections before installation. Simulation-based evaluation results showed that, compared to conventional TSP mechanisms, the proposed TSP logic reduces bus delays between 5% and 48% (TSPCVM) and decreases the delay of a bus progressing along a corridor between 35% and 68% (TSPCV-C). The range of improvement corresponds to the four different v/c ratios tested, which were 0.5, 0.7, 0.9 and 1.0. In most cases, the proposed TSP logic caused no negative effects. A field experiment conducted on the Connected Vehicle test bed on the Virginia Smart Road, located at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) in Blacksburg, Virginia, validated the performance of the proposed TSPCV system. The TSPCV algorithm provided green traffic signal timing to buses with different arrival times with a 100% success rate. It also reduced delays for a bus with a speed of 45 mph and a traffic signal with a 90-second cycle length and 30 seconds of green time by as much as between 32% and 75%. Moreover, the field experiment showed that two Global Positioning System (GPS) devices (regular and differential) performed almost identically and, in an aggregate sense, the difference in their performance was not statistically significant. This finding facilitates the large-scale implementation of TSP, since regular GPS devices are much cheaper than differential GPS devices and operated just as well for TSPCV.


Background—The six-minute walk test (6MWT) and cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) are the 2 testing modalities most broadly used for assessing functional limitation in patients with heart failure (HF). A comprehensive comparison on clinical and prognostic validity of the 2 techniques has not been performed and is the aim of the present investigation. Methods and Results—Two hundred fifty-three patients diagnosed with systolic (n 211) or diastolic (n 42) HF (age: 61.9 10.1 years; New York Heart Association Class: 2.2 0.78) underwent a 6MWT and a symptom-limited CPET evaluation and were prospectively followed up. During the 4-year tracking period, there were 43 cardiac-related deaths with an annual cardiac mortality rate of 8.7%. The 6MWT distance correlated with CPET-derived variables (ie, peak VO2, VO2 at anaerobic threshold, and VE/VCO2 slope) and was significantly reduced in proportion with lower peak VO2 and higher VE/VCO2 slope classes and presence of an exercise oscillatory breathing (EOB) pattern (P 0.01). However, no significant differences were observed in distance covered between survivors and nonsurvivors (353.2 95.8 m versus 338.5 76.4 m; P NS). At univariate and multivariate Cox proportional analyses, the association of the 6MWT distance with survival was not significant either as a continuous or dicotomized variable ( 300 m). Conversely, CPET-derived variables emerged as prognostic with the strongest association found for EOB (systolic HF) and VE/VCO2 slope (entire population with HF and patients with a 6MWT 300 m). Conclusions—The 6MWT is confirmed to be a simple and reliable first-line test for quantification of exercise intolerance in patients with HF. However, there is no supportive evidence for its use as a prognostic marker in alternative to or in conjunction with CPET-derived variables. (Circ Heart Fail. 2009;2:549-555.)


Although significant scholarship has been devoted to the study of corporate political activity, contradictory messages emerge regarding its impact on public policy outcomes and firm performance. Using meta-analytic methods on a US-only sample of 93 studies, working papers, and books, we try to disentangle two mechanisms that explain why corporate political activity is not always beneficial to firms: (1) the uncertainty about the public policy process itself, that is, can firms get the policies they want through corporate political activity? and (2) the uncertainty about the policies' impact on the firm, that is, whether firms effectively anticipate the implications of policies for their performance. Our results support the idea that these types of uncertainty play an important role in explaining the intermediary dynamics of corporate political activity. We find that in the United States, corporate political activity only weakly impacts public policy and at best has a (direct) weak effect on corporate outcomes.


When analysing modes of navigating cross-cultural business communities most IB studies employ an etic approach that delineates how ethnically owned companies thrive and manoeuvre in complex cross-cultural business environments. This approach implies employing theoretical models and empirical observations that from a methodological point of view identify a local entrepreneur either as an objectified agent or as an anonymous 'other' thus pointing towards the assumption that such an approach has its roots in an ethnocentric academic tradition. This article goes beyond an etic approach and introduces an emic approach in which it is the local entrepreneurs themselves, who provide the main bulk of data on why and how they position themselves in a cross-cultural business environment the way they do. The main objective of this study is thus to show how local entrepreneurs develop business strategies so as to navigate and grow their companies in a complex cross-cultural business environments. The discussion on local entrepreneurship begins by outlining a theoretical framework for how to approach emic studies and from there proceeds towards suggesting a methodological approach that is capable of providing the empirical data that supports a theoretical framework based on an emic approach. The focus in this paper is thus to excavate how local entrepreneurs manoeuvres in a multi-cultural business context by combining both an etic and emic approach.


In the field of game playing, it is a well-known fact that powerful strategies, such as alpha-beta search, benefit strongly from proper move ordering. A popular metric of achieving this is the so-called "move history", that is, prioritizing moves that have performed well, earlier in the search. The literature reports a number of techniques, such as the Killer Moves and History heuristics, that employ such a philosophy. Inspired by techniques from the field of Adaptive Data Structures (ADSs), we1 have previously introduced the History-ADS heuristic, which uses an adaptive list to record moves, and to improve move ordering based on move history. The History-ADS heuristic has been proven to produce substantial gains in tree pruning in a wide variety of cases. However, it made use of a relatively naive application of an unbounded, single adaptive list. In this work, we attempt to refine the History-ADS heuristic, by examining its performance by constraining the length of its adaptive list, and applying multiple ADSs for each level of the tree. Our results show that the vast majority of the savings from the History-ADS heuristic remain even with a very short list, which can be applied to mitigate the drawbacks of an unbound data structure. Although results for multiple ADSs did not outperform single ADSs, we show that they provide some insight into how similar techniques may be applied in the context of the History-ADS heuristic.


We investigate the peak temperatures of the Devonian Hornelen, Kvamshesten and Solund basins in SW Norway to constrain their thermal history. These basins are the three largest Devonian units exposed in Norway and were formed as supra-detachment basins in the hangingwall of the Nordfjord Sogn Detachment Zone. The peak temperatures of the basins were obtained using a geothermometer based on Raman spectroscopy of carbonaceous material on detrital carbonaceous plant fossils. The data confirm an anchizone to low greenschist-facies metamorphism with temperatures (±30 °C) of 284–301 °C in the Hornelen and Solund basins and a significantly higher temperature, 345 °C in the Kvamshesten basin. The temperature increases toward the detachment fault and cannot be explained by ordinary burial alone. In the Kvamshesten basin this temperature increase is close to 100 °C. The new data demonstrate that exhumation of high-grade rocks in the footwall in the Nordfjord Sogn Detachment Zone played an important role in controlling temperatures in the hangingwall. We conclude that the dynamic evolution along large-scale detachments may introduce heat at the base of the hangingwall and thereby control the thermal state of supra-detachment basins formed during extension.


In Exit the Colonel, Ethan Chorin, a longtime Middle East scholar and one of the first American diplomats posted to Libya after the lifting of international sanctions, goes well beyond recent reporting on the Arab Spring to link the Libyan uprising to a flawed reform process, egregious human rights abuses, regional disparities, and inconsistent stories spun by Libya and the West to justify the Gaddafi regime's "rehabilitation." Exit the Colonel is based upon extensive interviews with senior US, EU, and Libyan officials, and with rebels and loyalists; a deep reading of local and international media; and significant on-the-ground experience pre- and post-revolution. The book provides rare and often startling glimpses into the strategies and machinations that brought Gaddafi in from the cold, while encouraging ordinary Libyans to "break the barrier of fear." Chorin also assesses the possibilities and perils for Libya going forward, politically and economically.