The purpose of this study was to determine the distributions and abundances of microzooplankton across a front in the Irish Sea, and to test the hypothesis that the structure which develops within the microzooplankton community is the result of the interactions within the communities. Eight sites were sampled on May 1-2, 1989 along a transect from Liverpool Bay, England to Dundalk Bay, Ireland. The transect crossed both the Liverpool Bay and western Irish Sea fronts; sites were positioned with respect to water type (e.g., coastal, thermally mixed, thermally stratified) . Five sites were sampled by double LonghurstHardy Plankton Recorder (LHPR) to determine microand macrozooplankton distributions and to identify relationships between these distributions and hydrodynamic and biotic forcing. Microzooplankton samples were microscopically enumerated, and the abundance data processed by Correspondence Analysis to determine interrelationships among the taxa . Variability in depth-averaged microzooplankton distri butions along the transect can be explained largely by the hydrodynamic processes associated with the thermal and density structure of the region. The microzooplankton in the coastal and central channel waters were distinct; the Liverpool Bay and western Irish Sea front apparently act as boundaries between microzooplankton assemblages. The vertical distributions of the microzooplankton at each site appear to be affected by biological interactions between taxa (e.g ., predation). Correspondence Analysis also identified a sub-surface microzooplankton assemblage off the north coast of Anglesey not associated with strong temperature or density gradients, but which was taxonomically distinct from microzooplankton assemblages at the other locations. A similarity between the microzooplankton assemblages in the surface stratified waters of the western Irish Sea front and the Irish coast (48 km west) was also detected. This suggests the possibility that microzooplankton along the Irish coast have been advected offshore in the coastal waters.


The cry for decolonization has echoed throughout the museum world. Although perhaps most audibly heard in the case of ethnographic museums, many different types of museums have felt the need to engage in decolonial practices. Amidst those who have argued that an institution as deeply colonial as the museum cannot truly be decolonized, museum staff and museologists have been approaching the issue from different angles to practice decoloniality in any way they can. This book collects a wide range of practices from museums whose audiences, often highly diverse, come together in sometimes contentious conversations about pasts and futures. Although there are no easy or uniform answers as to how best to deal with colonial pasts, this collection of practices functions as an accessible toolkit from which museum staff can choose in order to experiment with and implement methods according to their own needs and situations. The practices are divided thematically and include, among others, methods for decentering, improving transparency, and increasing inclusivity.


Abstract: Over the past few decades, journalists and cable television reporters have increased their coverage of efforts by immigrants from South Asian and Caribbean nations to re-establish cricket in the United States. Scholars have contrasted its stunning growth and popularity during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in British colonies in South Asia and the West Indies with its failure to become a mainstream sport in the United States. This essay examines recent scholarship on the global diffusion of cricket and its competition with baseball in the nineteenth century and evaluates the sport's growth in the United States since 1990. It also assesses its future prospects in America and throughout the world—especially the impact of the new Twenty/20 version of the game.


OBJECTIVE: To describe community health workers' attitudes and beliefs toward the elderly. METHODS: Cross-sectional descriptive study conducted in with 213 community health workers (CHWs) at 12 primary care units and 29 family health centers in the city of Marilia, State of Sao Paulo, Southeastern Brazil, in 2010. Data were collected by means of a sociodemographic questionnaire, a scale of attitudes toward aging (Neri Scale), and a questionnaire to assess gerontological knowledge (the Palmore-Neri-Cachioni Aging Quiz). The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences v. 16.0 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: Community health workers predominantly consisted of young female adults, married, with more than 12 years of schooling and who worked in this activity for over 6 years. Most CHWs reported having experience with elderly people and having elderly people in the family. However, less than half of them received training on the topic of aging. As for attitudes towards the elderly, CHWs stressed both positive aspects such as their wisdom and generosity and negative aspects such as slowness and strictness. They showed low gerontological knowledge, which was directly associated with the training received. Many CHWs stereotyped the elderly as dissatisfied and dependent. CONCLUSIONS: Changing attitudes and improving knowledge on aging are critical for meeting health care demands of elderly people. More appropriate training of CHWs is key for providing adequate primary care to elderly population.


A few weeks ago we wrapped up the first season of FantasyLaw, which was held during the first session of the 111th Congress of the United States. What follows below is a summary of the statistical performances of each member of Congress during that season, plus comments on a few highlights. We would like to think that this report will prove useful not only to people who are trying to win in FantasyLaw in 2010, but also to people who are trying to understand the behavior of legislators and the worlds in which they work. More realistically, perhaps, we hope that as ever-more-complete-and-comprehensive sequels to this report follow in the years to come, the resulting pile of information will eventually reach some kind of critical mass. Then, students of Congress will be able to find some useful insights into the ways and means of our national legislature and the people who work in it.


Despite significant efforts to boost female enrollment levels and retention rates in engineering programs, females continue to make up only a small portion of the Canadian undergraduate engineering student population. However, this traditionally-male field is undergoing a culture change as a result of the recent establishment of a female minority. New initiatives that are encouraging women to enter the field are also challenging assumed gender differences previously used to legitimize women's low participation. Through a series of multiple-choice, scenario-based questionnaires, this exploratory study seeks to establish whether or not gender differences observed in the broader population are applicable to the unique engineering undergraduate population at the University of Waterloo. In particular, respondents are quizzed on their preferences for specific job attributes and aspects of life outside of work. In addition, short-answer open-ended questions are used to gauge the level of integration experienced by female students in the faculty. Attention is paid to the general academic and social engineering environment as well as the specific dynamics of mixed-gender groups. Although some gender differences, such as higher preference for earnings on the part of males and work-life balance on the part of females, are in line with previous findings, other differences are found to be either absent or reversed. A surprising side effect of our culturally-diverse sample is the emergence of cultural background as a strong factor which, besides gender, affects work and life attribute preferences, especially preferences for task challenge and earnings. Another interesting outcome of the study is the resulting asymmetry between factors that respondents acknowledge as contributing to their happiness, and factors, which when absent, are found to contribute to the respondents' unhappiness. The study also reveals that female engineering students find themselves in a balancing act between perceived privileges due to their minority, and reduced participation and decision making power due to perceptions of engineering projects as stereotypically in the male domain.


Background Repeat termination of pregnancy highlights the issues of unplanned pregnancies and effective post-termination contraceptive practices. Objective To examine the risk factors at the time of a first termination that are associated with subsequent repeat termination. Design Registry-based study. Setting Grampian region of Scotland, UK. Methods A retrospective study using data from the Termination of Pregnancy Database, NHS Grampian for the period 1997–2013. Associations between repeat termination and women's sociodemographic characteristics and contraceptive use were assessed using multivariable logistic regression models. Results This study showed that 23.4% of women who had an initial termination (n=13 621) underwent a repeat termination. Women who had repeat terminations were more likely to be aged under 20 years at their initial termination with an adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of 5.59 [95% confidence interval (CI) 4.17–7.49], to belong to the most deprived social quintile [AOR 1.23 (95% CI 1.05–1.43)], and to be more likely to have had two or more previous livebirths [AOR 1.51 (95% CI 1.12–2.02)] or miscarriages [AOR 1.40 (95% CI 1.02–1.92)]. The likelihood of having a repeat termination was increased in women who had a contraceptive implant as post-termination contraception [AOR 1.78 (95% CI 1.50–2.11)] compared to women who left with none or unknown methods following the first termination. In those who had repeat terminations, women who had an implant or Depo-Provera® were at increased odds of repeat termination in the 2–5 years interval compared to the 0–2 years after their initial termination. Conclusions Teenage pregnancy, social deprivation, two or more previous livebirths or miscarriages at the time of the initial termination were identified as risk factors for repeat terminations. Post-termination contraception with implants and Depo-Provera® were associated with repeat termination 2–5 years after the first termination.


We study the quarterly bilateral real exchange rate and the relative price of non-traded to traded goods for 1225 country pairs over 1980-2005. We show that the two variables are positively correlated, but that movements in the relative price measure are smaller than those in the real exchange rate. The relation between the two variables is stronger when there is an intense trade relationship between two countries and when the variance of the real exchange rate between them is small. The relation does not change for rich/poor country bilateral pairs or for high inflation/low inflation country pairs. We identify an anomaly: The relation between the real exchange rate and relative price of non-traded goods for US/EU bilateral trade partners is unusually weak.


Food biotechnology promises to deliver a wide range of enhanced consumer benefits. This study models consumer's willingness to trade-off the potential risks of GM foods with the possibility of extracting significant benefits. It estimates the marginal effects and relationships between product characteristics and consumer attributes on acceptance of GM foods for South Korea.


Ganymede Laser Altimeter (GALA) is scheduled on board JUICE mission by ESA to be launched in 2022. GALA will be developed and manufactured jointly by teams of Germany, Japan, Switzerland, and Spain. Japanese team is responsible for a receiver unit out of GALA instrument; a receiver telescope, a backend optics (BEO), a focal plane assembly (FPA) accommodating an APD sensor module and an analog electronic module (AEM). Return laser pulse from the target body is collected by the receiver telescope and is fed into the following BEO. The BEO focuses the return light on the surface of an APD sensor contained in an APD module. For APD as optical sensor, we adopted a product of Excelitas Technologies Corporation that has a lot of experiences in space laser altimeter. The APD sensor is mounted on a hybrid IC of the APD module including a trans-impedance amplifier (TIA) for signal readout in a wide band width as 120MHz, a thermos-sensor for measurement of the APD sensor temperature and a thermoelectric (TE) cooler for control of the APD sensor temperature to stabilize the temperature as 25 deg-C or so. The APD sensor has an enhanced quantum efficiency of up to 40% at 1060 nm. APD typically has a large temperature dependency of gain. The APD module is equipped with TE cooler and the TE cooler is capable to control the temperature of APD precisely. Two redundant optical fibers are attached to the FPA so that a part of transmitted laser pulse generated in Laser head Module (LHM) is introduced to the APD sensor. The TIA in the APD module outputs voltage signals corresponding to the input light pulses. The voltage signals are fed into the AEM. The transmitted pulses introduced from LHM are attained not to overshoot by a programmable amplifier in the AEM because the following part of analogue signal processing circuit in AEM is to be tuned for signals returned from the target body which are much smaller than the introduced laser pulses. Signal waveform from the introduced laser pulse to the received return pulse is converted to digital data by analogue-to-digital conversion (ADC) circuit and digitized waveform are transmitted to a range finder module (RFM). In RFM, the digital waveform with the transmitted pulse and the received pulse are filtered to optimize signal-to-noise ratio by "matched filter" and the timings of both pulse are detected for ranging and also the width and height of the received pulse can be identified more precisely. In our poster presentation, the current development status of the optical sensor and analogue module of GALA will be reported.


This paper presents a robust method for controlling the terrestrial motion of a bimodal multirotor vehicle that can roll and fly. Factors influencing the mobility and controllability of the vehicle are explored and compared to strictly flying multirotor vehicles; the differences motivate novel control and control allocation strategies that leverage the non-standard configuration of the bimodal design. A fifth-order dynamic model of the vehicle subject to kinematic rolling constraints is the basis for a nonlinear, multi-input, multi-output, sliding mode controller. Constrained optimization techniques are used to develop a novel control allocation strategy that minimizes power consumption while rolling. Simulations of the vehicle under closed-loop control are presented. A functional hardware embodiment of the vehicle is constructed onto which the controllers and control allocation algorithm are deployed. Experimental data of the vehicle under closed-loop control demonstrate good performance and robustness to parameter uncertainty. Data collected also demonstrate that the control allocation algorithm correctly determines a thrust-minimizing solution in real-time.


Many systems provide a mechanism for finding out where a user is
logged in from usually including information about telephone extension
and office occupants names. The information is useful for physically
locating people and/or calling them on the phone. In 1982 CMU designed
and implemented a terminal location database and modified existing
network software to handle a 64-bit number called the Terminal
Location Number (or TTYLOC). It now seems appropriate to incorporate
this mechanism into the TCP-based network protocol family. The
mechanism is not viewed as a replacement for the Terminal Location
Telnet Option (SEND-LOCATION) but as a shorthand mechansim for
communicating terminal location information between hosts in a
localized community. This RFC proposes a new option for Telnet for the
ARPA-Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for
improvements.


In this paper we consider a duopoly two-stage duopoly where firms first decide whether to invest in advertising and then compete in prices. Advertising has two effects: a market enlargement for both firms and a predatory gain for the investing firm only. Both symmetric and asymmetric equilibria may arise. The two most interesting cases are a coordination game where both firms investing and non-investing are equilibria, and a chicken game where only one firm invests while the other is possibly driven (endogenously) out of the market. Our results suggest that product differentiation has an ambiguous impact on investment in advertising and that strong product substitutability may induce a coordination problem.


It has become common for ISPs to place caps on the monthly usage of cellular and broadband data plans. ISPs commonly claim that caps benefit most users. They cite statistics that show that a small percentage of users consume a high percentage of network capacity, and claim that flat-rate pricing is unfair to the majority of users. They claim that caps affect only heavy users, result in lower tier prices, and increase the incentive for ISPs to add capacity to the network.In contrast, many public interest groups claim that caps hurt most users. They claim that caps discourage the use of certain applications and encourage a climate of scarcity. They claim that caps and their corresponding overage fees do not correspond to the cost for network capacity, and that their use may decrease an ISP's incentive to add capacity.There is a vigorous debate over the use of caps. A Senate bill would require the FCC to evaluate data caps to determine whether they reasonably limit network congestion without unnecessarily restricting Internet use.However, there is little academic literature that addresses the impact of data caps. In this paper, we propose models to evaluate the impact of data caps upon subscribers and ISPs. The model includes the critical elements of both Internet architecture and economic motivations. We model user utility for the two dominant applications: web browsing and video streaming. Utility is represented as a function of a user's relative willingness-to-pay, the time devoted to each application per month, and the performance of each application. User surplus is expressed as utility minus the opportunity cost of the time devoted. We model a monopolist ISP that sets tier prices, tier rates, network capacity, data caps, and overage charges in order to maximize subscription plus overage revenue minus the cost of capacity. Combining these two models, users choose a tier and decide how much time to devote, and correspondingly whether to violate the cap.The analysis is based on optimization methods. We show how users fall into three categories: those unaffected by a cap, those who are capped but do not choose to exceed the cap, and those who exceed the cap and pay overage charges. We give closed form expressions for which users fall into each category, based on a user's willingness-to-pay, opportunity cost, and the level of the cap. We then examine a monopolist's use of caps. We compare the optimal tier rates, tier prices, and network capacity without caps to the same quantities when caps are added. We first consider the case in which an ISP institutes caps in order to ensure that heavy users pay an amount equal to the cost of their usage, and show how an ISP will set the cap and which users it will affect. We then consider the case in which an ISP sets caps and overage fees to maximize profit. We show that in this case, an ISP will increase the tier rate and decrease the tier price. We also give closed form expressions, under certain assumptions, for which users will be hurt and which will benefit from the cap and changes in tier rate and price. Finally, we give numerical results when users have a constant elasticity of demand. We illustrate how the tier rate, tier price, cap, and overage fees vary with the standard deviation in Internet usage amongst subscribers. We also illustrate the increase in ISP profit when caps are used, the corresponding change in user surplus, and the change in total social welfare.


Correlations between heterozygosity and fitness are commonly reported in the literature, but there is disagreement about the frequency of such correlations and the mechanisms which underlie them. Using a multi-year data set acquired from a wild population of song sparrows I investigated the relationship between heterozygosity and song complexity, an important sexually selected trait thought to be an indicator of genetic quality. Heterozygosity was determined at 17 putatively neutral microsatellites and 5 microsatellites derived from the expressed sequence tag of zebra finch brain proteins. Song and syllable repertoire size were taken as measures of song complexity. Neither genetic marker type was predictive of song complexity. A further test failed to support the hypothesis that heterozygosity-fitness correlations at marker loci are due to closely linked coding genes. These results indicate that heterozygosity is unlikely to play a major role in individual song complexity in this outbred population of song sparrows.


Case-based reasoning systems for medical application are increasingly applied to meet the challenges from the medical domain. This paper looks at the state of the art in case-based reasoning and some systems are classified in this respect. A survey is performed based on the recent publications and research projects in CBR in medicine. Also, the survey is based on e-mail questionnaire to the authors' to complete the missing property information. Some clear trends in recent projects/systems have been identified such as most of the systems are multi-modal, using a variety of different methods and techniques to serve multipurpose i.e. address more than one task.


This paper presents the results of experiments on the automatic recognition of few-pixel images in comparison with the data of visual recognition. The automatic recognition of few-pixel images is accomplished by means of an adaptive algorithm based on a compact description of the objects of an alphabet in the form of functional dependences of the mean values of the shape attributes and their rms deviations on the size of the image of an object and by using a fuzzy deciding rule with computation of confidence measures to hypotheses concerning the relation of the object to be recognized, applied to one of the objects of the alphabet. It is shown that applying an interpolation procedure to few-pixel images significantly increases the operating efficiency of the adaptive algorithm.


Converting interchangeable loads and sources on committed power interconnect is becoming more commonplace in the art of switch-mode power design. Simple, robust schemes have ended up serving in strategically important applications such as those in the dc bus system of NASA's International Space Station and in the more familiar world of automotive hybrid electric vehicles [1], [2]. As more diverse sources of energy lend themselves to economical and efficient conversion into electricity, the need to streamline the delivery of electrical power from one dc potential to another becomes more apparent. Switched-mode power conversion is a well-established means of achieving high-efficiency dc regulation. It has been found that making adaptations to a proprietary switched-mode resonant topology results in the achievement of a reliable, high-performance bidirectional converter (BDC). The flexibility BDCs offer in numerous applications brings significant economic and operational outcomes.


Charles De Arnaud was the most infamous government claimant of the Gilded Age. He was "known by almost every public man in the country." To some, he was a gentleman-soldier, who had served the United States at great personal cost during the Civil War and never received his full due. To others, he was an irrepressible fraudster, who shamelessly pursued undeserved money and honors for decades.De Arnaud also was the most prolific government claimant of the time. From 1885 until his death in late 1905, among other requests, he sought a gold medal, a medal of honor, a veteran's pension, and a $50,000 payment from the United States. De Arnaud haunted the hallways of Congress and bedeviled federal bureaucrats. The courts too, including the United States Supreme Court, were not spared his pleas; albeit others as often hailed him into court as he commenced the suit. The saga of Charles De Arnaud reveals the law and politics surrounding the Civil War veterans' pension scheme. Interlaid with this backdrop is a story of an indomitable fraudster's quest for fame and fortune. As an epilogue, newly unearthed evidence provides the basis for an ultimate judgment on the worthiness of De Arnaud's cause.


The environmental fate of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is prompted by their ubiquitous distribution and their potentially deleterious effect on human health by their carcinogenic and mutagenic effects. PAHs are the most important components retained in the soil environment after an oil spill. Biodegradation of PAHs by microorganisms is the subject of many reviews, but every habitat had its own personality. Our study was selected by satellite images for Marduma Bay, located in the north-west of Jubal industry city, which lies on the coast of the Arabian Gulf of Saudi Arabia and is described as a heavy polluted region. Its polluted rate was identified between (8 to 10% w/w.) Chenopodium sp. is a naturally dominant plant that tolerates both salinity and pollution. Three soil samples were collected. The first one is the rhizosphere sample (R 4) in addition to two soil samples; one of polluted area (S5) & non-polluted one (S0). The rhizosphere sample showed the maximum bacterial count for both total heterotrophic bacteria, which was (98.2 to 94.2+0.1 CFUx106/g); and maximum count for oil degrading bacteria, which was (55.3 to 45.1+0.01 CFUx106/g). The concentrations of oil-degraders in different habitats were recorded on mineral media supplement with 2% crude oil as the only carbon source, thus recording a positive effect of the rhizosphere and phytoremediation process. As for the results of oil degrading microorganisms, soil samples of polluted regions (S5) and non- polluted soil (S0) indicated concentrations of (93.5 to 82.2+0,01 CFUx104/g) and (11.9 to 12.2+0.02 CFUx 104/g) respectively, and thus recording adaptation of this group of organisms in polluted habitat. The biodegradation of 16 PAHs individuals in both the rhizosphere (R4) sample of Chenopodiaceae and non-rhizosphere (S5) sample during 180 days was (77.4%) for the rhizosphere and (52.2%) for the non-rhizosphere. The residual of total carcinogenic PAHs with four rings structures recorded a loss between (55.7 to 75.4%) and (24.3 to 46.1%) for the five rig structure. Also, the residual of total carcinogenic PAHs was (49.1%) for the rhizoshpere and (31.7%) for the non-rhizosphere.


ABSTRACT During the 1990s, Todd McFarlane, Jim Lee, and Rob Liefeld generated record-breaking comic book sales and reshaped the entire North American comics industry by co-founding Image Comics. Despite this tremendous popularity and influence, the only scholarly writing on any of these creators is a chapter about Liefeld in Bart Beaty and Benjamin Woo's The Greatest Comic Book of All Time, which partly focuses on this very neglect. It is understandable that a comics studies field still anxious to be taken seriously would reject the excessive and sometimes technically limited styles of these three creators. Yet excess is a meaningful mode of representation in its own right, worthy of serious investigation. Focusing on McFarlane, Lee, and Liefeld's breakout work for Marvel and taking inspiration from both Beaty and Woo's work as well as Scott Bukatman's argument that superheroes represent 'a corporeal, rather than a cognitive, mapping of the subject into a cultural system' (2013, 49), this article will examine how these creators' excessive superhero bodies reflect tensions underpinning the image-focused culture of the 1990s that was ultimately responsible for their fame and fortune, and with it, a major shift in the balance of power within the American comic book industry. 'The Power of the Marvel(ous) Image: Reading Excess in the Artwork of Todd McFarlane, Jim Lee, and Rob Liefeld'


Cryptocurrencies are distributed systems that allow exchanges of native tokens among participants, or the exchange of such tokens for fiat currencies in markets external to these public ledgers. The availability of their complete historical bookkeeping opens up the possibility of understanding the relationship between aggregated users' behaviour and the cryptocurrency pricing in exchange markets. This paper analyses the properties of the transaction network of Bitcoin. We consider four different representations of it, over a period of nine years since the Bitcoin creation and involving 16 million users and 283 million transactions. By analysing these networks, we show the existence of causal relationships between Bitcoin price movements and changes of its transaction network topology. Our results reveal the interplay between structural quantities, indicative of the collective behaviour of Bitcoin users, and price movements, showing that, during price drops, the system is characterised by a larger heterogeneity of nodes activity.


This document defines and describes the use of U-turn alternates to
provide local protection for IP unicast and/or LDP traffic in the
event of a single failure, whether link, node or shared risk link
group (SRLG). When a topology change occurs, a router S pre-computes
for each prefix an alternate next-hop that can be used if the primary
next-hop fails. An acceptable alternate can be either a loop-free
alternate or a U-turn alternate. A U-turn alternate uses a neighbor,
whose primary next-hop to the prefix is router S itself and which has
itself a loop-free node-protecting alternate, which thus does not go
through router S to reach the destination prefix.


In many real-world route planning and search tasks, humans must solve a combinatorial optimization problem that holds many similarities to the Euclidean Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP). The problem spaces used in real-world tasks differ most starkly from traditional TSP in terms of optimization criteria - Whereas the traditional TSP asks participants to connect all of the nodes to produce the solution that minimizes overall path length, real-world search tasks are often conducted with the goal of minimizing the duration of time required to find the target (i.e., the average distance between nodes). Traditional modeling approaches to TSP assume that humans solve these problems using intrinsic characteristics of the brain and perceptual system (e.g., hierarchical structure in the visual system). A consequence of these approaches is that they are not robust to strategic changes in the aforementioned optimization criteria during path planning. To investigate performance in these tasks, 28 participants solved 18 randomly-presented computer-based combinatorial optimization problems with two sets of task instructions, one designed to encourage shortest-path solutions and the other to encourage solutions that minimized the estimated time to find a target hidden among the nodes (i.e., locations). The node distributions were designed to discriminate between these two strategies. In nearly every case, participants were capable of strategically adapting optimization criteria based on instruction alone. These results indicate the importance of modeling cognition in behaviors that are traditionally thought to be driven automatically by perceptual processes. In addition, we discuss computational models that we have developed to produce optimization criteria-specific solutions to these combinatorial optimization problems using a strategic optimization parameter to guide solutions using a single underlying mechanism. Such models have applications in approximating human behavior in real-world tasks. Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2015.


Scientific experts from nine countries gathered to share their views and experience around iron interventions in Africa. Inappropriate eating habits, infections and parasitism are responsible for significant prevalence of iron deficiency, but reliable and country-comparable prevalence estimates are lacking: improvements in biomarkers and cut-offs values adapted to context of use are needed. Benefits of iron interventions on growth and development are indisputable and outweigh risks, which exist in populations with a high infectious burden. Indeed, pathogen growth may increase with enhanced available iron, calling for caution and preventive measures where malaria or other infections are prevalent. Most African countries programmatically fortify flour and supplement pregnant women, while iron deficiency in young children is rather addressed at individual level. Coverage and efficacy could improve through increased access for target populations, raised awareness and lower cost. More bioavailable iron forms, helping to decrease iron dose, or prebiotics, which both may lower risk of infections are attractive opportunities for Africa. Fortifying specific food products could be a relevant route, adapted to local context and needs of population groups while providing education and training. More globally, partnerships involving various stakeholders are encouraged, that could tackle all aspects of the issue.


This paper provides a narratological analysis of Lucan9s Bellum Civile, focusing on the role of internal and external narratees (receivers of a text). In particular it treats Pompey and Caesar in the roles of narrator and reader, respectively. An important passage (7.207-13) characterizes the external narratees of the Bellum Civile as astonished by the events of the epic, and indeed unwilling to believe the historical fact of Pompey9s defeat as Pharsalia. Similarly, characters within the epic (named and unnamed) repeatedly refuse to believe Pompey9s narrations. Pompey9s failure as a general is, therefore, underscored by his failure as a narrator. Even in his death, Pompey becomes a text that, when read by passersby, will not gain credence. Caesar, by contrast, is a reader. By reading texts selectively (especially the "text" of the ruined Troy) he constructs for himself a noble past, a sure future, and epic fame. When he is called upon to create a narrative himself (after the death of Pompey), his narrative, too, is disbelieved. But Caesar, unlike Pompey, anticipates and reacts positively to the failure of his narrative to convince. The story that Lucan presents is constructed as unbelievable. It is a text of ruin, of that which specifically cannot be narrated. For epic narration has at its core the rescue of events, people, and places from oblivion. An epic of ruin (of that which has resulted in oblivion) is, therefore, a contradiction in terms. Thus, the Bellum Civile succeeds by its very failure to convince, recreating in its unbelievable narrative the failure of events themselves.


The purpose of this paper is to discuss the need for supports and services for families who are experiencing homelessness and to propose a framework for developing them based on families' needs over time. The authors propose a three-tier framework for understanding the needs of homeless families. Tier 1 includes short-term basic needs such as affordable housing, child care, transportation, health care; Tier 2 includes ongoing supports such as education and job opportunities, trauma and mental health services, and family supports; and Tier 3 includes lifelong supports related to chronic medical, mental health, or substance use issues. The authors also review recent service trends and emerging evidence for service needs for homeless families.


The increasing demand for beef in Vietnam has opened up great opportunities for farmers to improve their income base. However, some deficiencies in animal nutrition and management need to be addressed before these opportunities are captured. Therefore, the aim of this thesis was to improve the productivity of the cow-calf system in the South Central Coastal (SCC) area of Vietnam through: i) identifying the characteristics and management practices in Nhon Khanh commune; and ii) determining the impact of supplementing cows with concentrate 3 months pre- and post-partum on liveweight (LW), body condition score (BCS) and calving to conception interval (CCI).
Structured interviews of 103 smallholder farmers, who owned from 1 to 4 cows, were utilised to characterise management practices of the cow-calf production system, coupled with an evaluation of BCS and reproductive performance of 475 cows in Nhon Khanh from January to July 2014. In addition, 165 calves (0-6 months old) were weighed and body length and chest girth measured monthly to assess growth rate. Baseline results from this characterisation phase of the study indicated that feed shortage was considered by farmers to be the biggest constraint to cow-calf production in Nhon Khanh commune, as evidenced by over-grazing. Approximately 50-70% of households faced pronounced feed shortages, particularly in December and January. Cow body condition score was negatively correlated with CI and daily duration of grazing - cows spending more time grazing had lower BCS and longer CI compared to cows grazing for shorter periods. Subjective visual assessment of the physical body conformation of calves was adjudged to be the major determinant of sale price. Nearly all surveyed farmers fed concentrates, e.g., maize, rice bran, and cassava powder, and cooking was the most common method of preparing the concentrate. In order to improve the efficiency of use of the traditionally cooked concentrate, and to boost pre- and post-partum cow performance, an experimental phase utilising improved supplementary diets from local feed resources was the next logical step of the study.
Twenty crossbred cows (initial average LW of 366 ± 53 kg and parity ≤5) in their third trimester of pregnancy were randomly allocated into one of four pre- and post-partum supplementation regimens: 1) Control diet only; 2) Control diet pre-partum and improved diet post-partum; 3) Improved diet pre-partum and control diet post-partum; and 4) Improved diets pre- and post-partum. The control diet was a mixture of maize powder and rice bran offered at 0.25% of body weight (BW) pre-partum (90 days) and 0.35% of BW post-partum (90 days). The improved diet was a mixture of maize powder (20%), rice bran (20%), peanut cake (20%) and cassava meal (39%) offered at 0.35% of BW pre-partum and 0.5% of BW post-partum. All treatment groups were fed a basal diet of 30% King grass and 70% rice straw of DM at 2% of their bodyweight. Feeding of the improved diet had a significant (P<0.05) positive effect on calf LW, body length and chest girth at birth, but not at 90 days of age. There was a significant effect of diet on the average cow BW (P<0.01), BCS (P<0.01) and CCI (P<0.0001). However, there was insufficient evidence for the effect of the timing of feeding the concentrate (pre- or post-partum) on cow LW, BCS and cow fertility.The CCI was longer for cows fed the control diet (212 days) than for cows fed the improved diet pre-partum (176 days). Cows fed the improved diet post-partum had the shortest CCI (144.5 days). Post-partum supplementation improved cow-calf performance and induced early cyclicity, thereby shortening CCI and enhancing overall reproductive performance under on-farm conditions.
There are several implications of this research for beef production in Vietnam. Firstly, from the surveys, it found out some problems of cow-calf system in Vietnam such as inadequate feeding, especially in feed shortages period, poor grazing management, and lack of calf management. Secondly, this research pointed out that the efficient of cow-calf system can be increased if the cow-calf management and feeding system are improved. In addition, cow's BCS and reproductive performance could be improved by using improved diet post-partum for cows.
In conclusion, the combined results from this study demonstrated the opportunity for smallholder farmers to increase the productivity of their cow-calf system through strategic supplementation with improved diets to mitigate against seasonal feed shortages and over-grazing of crowded communal land.


Research on the human dimensions of climate change (HDCC) in the Canadian Arctic has expanded so rapidly over the past decade that we do not have a clear grasp of the current state of knowledge or research gaps. This lack of clarity has implications for duplication of climate policy and research, and it has been identified as a problem by communities, scientists, policy makers, and northern organizations. Our review of current knowledge about the HDCC in Nunavut, Nunavik, and Nunatsiavut indicates that the effects of climate change on subsistence harvesting and other land-based activities and the determinants of vulnerability and adaptation to such changes are well understood. However, the effects of climate change on health are less known. In the nascent research on this topic, studies on food security and personal safety dominate, and little peer-reviewed scholarship focuses on the business and economic sector. Published research shows a strong bias toward case studies in smaller communities, especially communities in Nunavut. Such studies have focused primarily on negative impacts of climate change, present-day vulnerabilities, and adaptive capacity, but studies proposing opportunities for adaptation intervention are beginning to emerge. While documenting the serious risks posed by climate change, they also highlight the adaptability of northern populations and the effects of economic-political stresses on vulnerability to changing climate. We note the absence of studies that examine how Northerners can benefit from new opportunities that may arise from climate change, or assess how the interaction of future climatic and socio-economic changes (specifically, resource development and enhanced shipping) will affect their experience of and response to climate change, or discuss the broader determinants of vulnerability and adaptation.


This paper augments a relatively standard dynamic general equilibrium model with financial frictions in order to quantify the macroeconomic effects of the credit deepening process observed in many Latin American (LA) countries in the last decade, most notably in Brazil. In the model, a stylized banking sector intermediates credit from patient households to impatient households and firms. The key novelty of the paper, motivated by the Brazilian experience, is to model the credit constraint faced by (impatient) households as a function of future labor income. In the calibrated model, credit deepening generates only modest abovetrend growth in consumption, investment, and GDP. Since Brazil has experienced one of the most intense credit deepening processes in Latin America, it is argued that the quantitative effects for other LA economies are unlikely to be sizeable.


This article explores the key issues in China's changing relations with the Arab countries and Israel from 1963 to 1975. Based on interviews, archival sources, and other materials, the article shows Beijing's attempts to justify its self-portrait as the only genuine patron of "national liberation movements" and to help foster the conditions for revolution in the Middle East by supporting a "people's war" against Israel. Although this radical design failed after the liquidation of Palestinian guerrillas in Jordan in the 1970s and the U.S.-Chinese rapprochement soon thereafter, the Sino-Soviet competition in the 1970s still gave enormous impetus to the visibility of the Palestine Liberation Organization in the international arena. The article discusses the roles of Chinese Communist leaders and diplomats in formulating Beijing's policy toward the Arab-Israeli conflict, which also served Mao Zedong's domestic mobilization before and during the Cultural Revolution. The article thus highlights a special connection across the international and domestic dimensions of China's Cold War experience.


Firms' tax planning decisions, similar to their other operational decisions, are made in a competitive environment. Various stakeholders observe the tax payments and evaluate these against the relevant peer group, which creates interdependencies in the tax planning activities of firms. Introducing the concept of reputational loss we show the positive interdependence in a theoretical model and test it in a spatial econometric model. Empirical evidence suggests that benchmarking takes place both within countries and within industries, however for the latter it is important to include firms in large non-EU OECD countries. Further, the analysis shows that spatial interdependence is stronger for the largest firms and if they have an average effective tax rate above the statutory tax rate. JEL Codes: H25, M40


ABSTRACT Performative analysis of the use of landscape strategies in pre-industrial vernacular architecture indicates that there is more design agency involved in the creation of these environments than conventional and historical interpretations would suggest. The development of this interpretation, referred to here as the Utilitarian-Landscape approach, has been described in the Irish architecture media as pioneering because it posits a counter-reading to typological classifications of vernacular architecture. Moreover, it challenges the entrenched scenic understanding of vernacular architecture's relationship to landscape that underpins rural policymaking in Ireland. However, the limitations—indeed the dangers—of these two expressions of vernacular architecture, the typological and the scenic, have already started to be recognised in much emerging scholarship and practice. This article considers aspects of this scholarship and practice context in light of the Utilitarian-Landscape investigation, and points to a shift in approach to understanding vernacular environments and a new sensibility towards rurality in Ireland.


Symbiotic associations have radically shaped the diversity and complexity of life on earth. Many known symbioses represent physiological fusions of previously independent organisms, in which metabolites are traded between interacting partners in intricate ways. The first steps leading to this tight entanglement, however, remain unknown. Here we demonstrate that unidirectional cross-feeding of essential amino acids between two bacterial cells can already couple their metabolisms in a source-sink-like relationship. Auxotrophic recipients used intercellular nanotubes to derive amino acids from other bacterial cells. Removal of cytoplasmic amino acids in this way increased the amino acid production of donor cells by delaying feedback inhibition of the corresponding amino acid biosynthetic pathway. Strikingly, even though donor cells produced all the focal amino acids recipients required to grow, this additional metabolic burden did not incur detectable fitness costs. Our results demonstrate that one loss-of-function mutation is sufficient to couple the metabolic networks of two organisms, thus resulting in a functional fusion of two previously independent individuals.


Identifying and elucidating the functions and activation of GPCRs will provide opportunities for novel drug discovery. We confirmed that a yeast system with an extended library of G proteins is very well suited for the study of GPCR activation, G protein coupling profiles, receptor-G protein binding and G protein selectivity. For example, we used a scanning mutagenesis approach of the NPxxY(x)5,6F motif and of helix 8 of the adenosine A2B receptor (A2BR), and learned among others that amino acid residues in these motifs are crucial for receptor function, since alanine mutants of these amino acid residues led to a complete loss of function. Hopefully, such findings can contribute to further drug development. We also focused on structure-kinetics relationship (SKR) studies next to the more traditional Structure-affinity relationship (SAR) studies. We found two compounds showing longer residence times than nicotinic acid, which may provide clues for further drug discovery efforts on this receptor. All in all, the variety of methods described in this thesis provided us a detailed understanding of receptor function, suggesting that novel avenues for further drug discovery on these established targets is entirely feasible.


You don't solve the problem by assaulting the messenger...who brings bad news; you don't destroy the thermometer that tells you...a...fever exists; you don't cure malnutrition by throwing out the scales that identify...underweight babies.1 Educators and policymakers have long been concerned about low levels of American academic achievement.2 And with good reason. In recent studies by the U.S. Department of Education, twenty-three percent of American twelfth graders were unable to read at even the most "basic" level;3 more than one-third of all high school seniors lacked basic competency in mathematics;4 and fifty-seven percent of high school seniors lacked basic knowledge of American history.5 IMAGE FORMULA7 Perhaps even more troubling than the generally poor state of academic achievement among all American high school students is the persistent educational gap between black and Latino6 students, on the one hand, and white students, on the other.7 On a wide variety of measures (including test scores, grade point averages, and high school IMAGE FORMULA9and college graduation rates), black and Latino students consistently lag behind white students at the same educational level.8 In an attempt to address the problem of low academic achievement in general-and the minority achievement gap in particular-politicians9 and education reformers10 have pushed for uniform academic standards and increased accountability. The movement in favor of educational standards and regular academic assessments seeks to hold students, teachers, and administrators accountable by rewarding academic achievement and by exposing academic failure to public criticism as well as to corrective and remedial action. Reformers argue that only by testing all students, and by attaching consequences to the results of such tests, can we encourage teachers to focus on a uniform core curriculum, motivate student learning, and raise levels of student performance.11 Proponents of this new accountability also contend that any serious attempt to close the minority achievement gap must necessarily include a testing regime to provide the public and policymakers with comparative data and to provide incentives to raising achievement levels in even the most disadvantaged communities.12 IMAGE FORMULA11 Generally speaking, the new accountability takes the form of academic assessments that a student must pass in order to advance to the next grade level or receive a high school diploma. Typically, students who fail these assessments are provided remedial help and additional chances to pass the exam.13 Despite the good intentions behind such reform efforts, in the short term a disproportionately large number of African-American and Hispanic students have failed such tests, both on the first try and after multiple attempts.14 Because of the high failure rates of minority students on standardized academic assessments, some testing critics argue that requiring students to pass a mandatory exam in order to move to the next educational level will entrench current inequalities.15 Others go further, arguing that the tests are themselves "biased" against African-American and Latino students and that the tests, therefore, fail to measure accurately what students from these communities actually know.16 For one or both of these reasons, many groups that IMAGE FORMULA13purport to represent the interests of minorities and organizations that oppose standardized testing argue that tests which produce disproportionate racial or ethnic results are discriminatory.17 As a logical outgrowth of this view, a number of commentators and special interest groups have advocated using disparate impact theory-which has its roots in the law of employment discrimination18-to mount legal challenges to a variety of facially neutral testing regimes with disproportionate demographic outcomes. …


OBJECTIVES
To compare the frequency and severity of adverse events associated with parenteral drugs commonly used for procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) in a pediatric emergency department.

METHODS
A database of consecutive patients receiving parenteral PSA was prospectively generated with the intent of monitoring safety in the emergency department. Data were logged onto a dedicated sedation sheet. A retrospective analysis was performed; comparisons were made based on sedation drugs used.

RESULTS
A total of 2,609 patients from June 1, 1996, to September 16, 2003, received PSA by emergency physicians. Patients who received PSA nonparenterally (n = 109) were excluded. A total of 2,500 patients (2,279, intravenous; 221, intramuscular) remained for analysis. Age range was 19 days to 32 years (median, 6.7 years). A total of 1,511 (60.4%) were male. Four major drug combinations were identified: ketamine alone (n = 1,492; 59.7%), ketamine/midazolam (n = 299; 12.0%), midazolam/fentanyl (n = 336; 13.4%), and midazolam alone (n = 260; 10.4%). A total of 113 patients (4.5%) received various other combinations of drugs. A total of 458 adverse events were observed in 426 patients (17%). Respiratory adverse events occurred as follows: ketamine alone, 91 patients (6.1%); ketamine/midazolam, 30 patients (10%); midazolam/fentanyl, 65 patients (19.3%); midazolam alone, 15 patients (5.8%). Vomiting occurred as follows: ketamine alone, 151 patients (10.1%); ketamine/midazolam, 16 patients (5.4%); midazolam/fentanyl, six patients (1.8%); midazolam alone, two patients (0.8%).

CONCLUSIONS
Drug types used in pediatric PSA are associated with different adverse event profiles. Patients receiving ketamine with or without midazolam experienced fewer respiratory adverse events but more vomiting than the commonly used combination of midazolam and fentanyl. Adverse events may occur in any patient receiving parenteral PSA.


Published 15 September 2020 This article, and others within this volume, has been retracted by IOP Publishing following clear evidence of plagiarism and citation manipulation. This work was originally published in Spanish (1) and has been translated and published without permission or acknowledgement to the original authors. IOP Publishing Limited has discovered other papers within this volume that have been subjected to the same treatment. This is scientific misconduct. Misconduct investigations are ongoing at the author's institutions. IOP Publishing Limited will update this notice if required once those investigations have concluded. To date, there is no evidence to suggest anyone other than Amelec Viloria / Jesus Silva was directly culpable for the actions that led to retraction. IOP Publishing Limited request any citations to this article be redirected to the original work (1). Anyone with any information regarding these papers is requested to contact firstname.lastname@example.com.


Small and medium scale enterprises are increasingly becoming important economic actors in the struggle for development throughout most of Africa. This development has taken place fairly recently in many African countries indeed, it may be said to be a phenomenon from 1980s in response to the continuing economic crises and ensuing reforms of the same period. This crisis has forced people to engage in income generating activities with greater intensity to offset the deterioration in their standard of living (Rutashoba & Olomi, 1999). This research focused on "factors influencing performance of small scale enterprises in Hargeisa, Somaliland". Key factors studied included; entrepreneurial and managerial competence, marketing of the businesses, availability of capital and technology employed in small businesses. The study adopted a descriptive research design. The study was conducted in the capital city of Somaliland, Hargeisa. The population of the study consisted of 3,266 small \ businesses registered at Hargeisa Municipality. The sample of this study comprised of 60 enterprises which were selected using simple random sampling technique. The research data was collected using questionnaires. The data was analyzed with the aid of statistical software, namely Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The study established high illiteracy levels of most of the business owners. Most of the business owners had not attained any formal schooling. In addition, most of the business owners had no entrepreneurship or managerial skills and had no prior business experience/Skills since they had not operated any other businesses before. The study therefore' recommends an urgent need for business owners training on the various skills of running the business. This should be started at early stages of education. The government and NOOs should put more efforts in training of the business community on entrepreneurial and management skills. This will go a long way in improving the small business performance in Somaliland since they contribute significantly in the country's economy.


The most intensive area of empirical research on transition countries has been the examination of enterprise-level data to ascertain whether enterprises have responded productively to changes in ownership. The authors identify more than 125 empirical studies that examine the determinants of enterprise restructuring using sound methodologies applied to data generated at the enterprise level. This report provides an overall assessment of the evidence generated by these studies. The authors adopt a relatively informal approach to presenting statistical results. The report is presented as follows: Section 2 discusses the general context of the studies included in the assessment and defines terms used throughout the report. Section 3 assesses the evidence on whether state-owned or privatized firms undertake more economic restructuring. Section 4 studies the effects of restructuring of different types of owners (such as foreigners or workers). Section 5 focuses on the role of managers, analyzing whether the strengthening of managerial incentives is sufficient to produce turnaround or whether management turnover is required. Section 6 analyzes the effect of greater discipline in the government's reaction to enterprises in distress (usually referred to as the hardening of soft-budget restraints). Section 7 examines how variations in product market competition affect enterprise restructuring. Section 8 examines the role of the institutional and legal framework. Section 9 is a summary.


The effect of Pakistan's trade liberalization on total factor productivity and profitability is empirically investigated over a period of 15 years. Total factor productivity is measured for eight majof sectors separately and TFP parameter estimates are derived for each sub sector individually. Parameters are estimated by following Levisohn& Petrin (2003) method which takes into account the simultaneity bias inherent in a particular level of total factor productivity and selection of inputs for a panel data set covering a period 1980-95. Technical efficiency is also measured for the same panel data and time period for four major sectors by stochastic production frontier time varying model, in order to complement the estimation of total factor productivity. Price cost margins are also measured for all the sectors to indicate the profitability of the sectors. In the second stage estimation total factor productivity and time varying technical efficiency estimates are related to a variety of trade related variables in the presence of sector specific variables which serve as control variables. The empirical results are mixed. A positive relationship between productivity and liberalization had been hypothesised but the evidence is not unanimously supportive of a positive relationship. Price cost margins are also empirically related to trade variables, plus some structural and sector specific variables. The results are informative about the effect that trade related policies have been exerting on the profitability of the sectors. Restrictive trade policies appear to have shaped a particular industrial structure which seems to limit the effect of trade liberalization policies on the price cost margins. The overall evidence suggests that trade liberalization reforms have no substantial effect on total factor productivity of the manufacturing sectors. This is due to the absence of enabling environment caused by non implementation of complementary reforms in education, infrastructure and competitive policies aimed at discouraging the monopoly powers. There is need for further research to conduct the same analysis with firm level data using entry and exit rates and relate the total factor productivity, turnover and trade liberalization in order to arrive at a definitive conclusion about the role of entry barriers that crept into the manufacturing industries by either deliberate policy making or through by products of trade protection.


Abstract The body – or, more specifically, women's bodies – has long been one of feminism's central topics. This discussion has ranged from explorations of the cultural meaning of biology to the challenging of classification systems regulating bodies not only culturally coded as female or male but also understood through race regimes. This article seeks to explore the location of bodies within Swedish feminism, examining how women's bodies are understood, designated and acted upon in feminist agendas. Our focus is on the location that bodies take in political conflicts among and between feminists. In particular, we explore the impact of the presence of black bodies within the field of Swedish feminism. On a theoretical level, this article bridges decolonial feminist contributions of Black, Chicano and Latin American feminist thought on the body. The research methodology combined autoethnography with feminist ethnography, including an analysis of 25 narratives of young feminist activists engaged in public resistance against, and confrontation with, the growing presence of right-wing xenophobic social movements and political parties in the public sphere.


A new relationship between educational institutions and companies needs to be formed, by bringing students into small and medium enterprise in an effort to prepare students with information technology skills while simultaneously providing companies with high-tech workers. Currently, more than one million information technology openings will be available in the year 2000 in companies with 50 to 99 employees and it is estimated that more than 800,000 positions will remain unfilled. By envisioning a new relationship between schools and smaller companies, a new workforce literacy program can serve to not only alleviate the current IT shortage but to also provide equal job opportunity for disadvantaged and traditionally disenfranchised students.


This section of the journal collates articles and other content arising from The Art of Participation Forum, which took place on the 7th & 8th of May, 2016, at the University of Kent in Canterbury, UK. The event brought together an international group of artists and academics who are involved in participatory arts in a variety of ways and who hail from the many corners of this wide field of activity. We wanted to explore the inherently practical phenomenon of participatory arts by doing as well as discussing, which meant that the Forum took a practice-as-research approach. To this end, we curated a programme comprised of condensed versions of academic presentations and practical workshop sessions, together with longer performance pieces. To further embed the spirit of participation within the structure of the event, we devised an innovative, non-hierarchical format, in which all attendees both lead a session and participated in each other's. This fostered a feeling of joint-ownership of the Forum amongst those present. In the Organiser Conversation video, we, the organisers, introduce ourselves before reflecting on questions such as 'why we wanted to make the Forum happen,' 'who we wanted to attend,' and 'what was original about it?' The video is somewhat playful in nature, which reflects our attitude in facilitating the event. To continue some of the conversations that were had over the weekend, we gave all participants the opportunity to respond to it. The presentation of these are mixed, in that some are more academically inclined, whereas others are of a more performative and reflective nature – this is a true reflection of the variety of voices we had at the forum. These have been compiled with an introductory article, exploring how the event was developed and run, as well as reflections on it, which functions as an extension of the video. The final element of this section is an interactive Twine, which offers an interactive way of engaging with all the contributions and elements. Within the Twine, readers are able to follow particular themes throughout and also try to find some of the hidden, bonus content, thus evoking both the playful nature of both the Twine and the Forum itself. The three elements that frame the contributors' material reflect the innovative nature of the Forum event itself, by trying to find different (and interactive) ways of engaging people with the topic of participation.


Despite rapid progress in theoretical reinforcement learning (RL) over the last few years, most of the known guarantees are worst-case in nature, failing to take advantage of structure that may be known a priori about a given RL problem at hand. In this paper we address the question of whether worst-case lower bounds for regret in online learning of Markov decision processes (MDPs) can be circumvented when information about the MDP, in the form of predictions about its optimal Q-value function, is given to the algorithm. We show that when the predictions about the optimal Q-value function satisfy a reasonably weak condition we call distillation, then we can improve regret bounds by replacing the set of state-action pairs with the set of state-action pairs on which the predictions are grossly inaccurate. This improvement holds for both uniform regret bounds and gap-based ones. Further, we are able to achieve this property with an algorithm that achieves sublinear regret when given arbitrary predictions (i.e., even those which are not a distillation). Our work extends a recent line of work on algorithms with predictions, which has typically focused on simple online problems such as caching and scheduling, to the more complex and general problem of reinforcement learning.


ABSTRACT Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) latency entails the repression of productive ("lytic") gene expression. An attractive hypothesis to explain some of this repression involves inhibition of the expression of ICP0, a lytic gene activator, by a viral microRNA, miR-H2, which is completely complementary to ICP0 mRNA. To test this hypothesis, we engineered mutations that disrupt miR-H2 without affecting ICP0 in HSV-1. The mutant virus exhibited drastically reduced expression of miR-H2 but showed wild-type levels of infectious virus production and no increase in ICP0 expression in lytically infected cells, which is consistent with the weak expression of miR-H2 relative to the level of ICP0 mRNA in that setting. Following corneal inoculation of mice, the mutant was not significantly different from wild-type virus in terms of infectious virus production in the trigeminal ganglia during acute infection, mouse mortality, or the rate of reactivation from explanted latently infected ganglia. Critically, the mutant was indistinguishable from wild-type virus for the expression of ICP0 and other lytic genes in acutely and latently infected mouse trigeminal ganglia. The latter result may be related to miR-H2 being less effective in inhibiting ICP0 expression in transfection assays than a host microRNA, miR-138, which has previously been shown to inhibit lytic gene expression in infected ganglia by targeting ICP0 mRNA. Additionally, transfected miR-138 reduced lytic gene expression in infected cells more effectively than miR-H2. While this study provides little support for the hypothesis that miR-H2 promotes latency by inhibiting ICP0 expression, the possibility remains that miR-H2 might target other genes during latency. IMPORTANCE Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1), which causes a variety of diseases, can establish lifelong latent infections from which virus can reactivate to cause recurrent disease. Latency is the most biologically interesting and clinically vexing feature of the virus. Ever since miR-H2's discovery as a viral microRNA bearing complete sequence complementarity to the mRNA for the important viral gene activator ICP0, inhibition of ICP0 expression by miR-H2 has been a major hypothesis to help explain the repression of lytic gene expression during latency. However, this hypothesis remained untested in latently infected animals. Using a miR-H2-deficient mutant virus, we found no evidence that miR-H2 represses the expression of ICP0 or other lytic genes in cells or mice infected with HSV-1. Although miR-H2 can repress ICP0 expression in transfection assays, such repression is weak. The results suggest that other mechanisms for miR-H2 activity and for the repression of lytic gene expression during latency deserve investigation.


The paper describes RankFeed a new adaptive method of recommendation that benefits from similarities between searching and recommendation. Concepts such as: the initial ranking, the positive and negative feedback widely used in searching are applied to recommendation in order to enhance its coverage, maintaining high accuracy. There are four principal factors that determine the method's behaviour: the quality document ranking, navigation patterns, textual similarity and the list of recommended pages that have been ignored during the navigation. In the evaluation part, the local site's behaviour of the RankFeed ranking is contrasted with PageRank. Additionally, recommendation behaviour of RankFeed versus other classical approaches is evaluated.


While the WTO Agreement liberalized trade in goods and services on a universal multilateral basis, hard rights in air services were excluded from this agreement. Indeed, the economic regulation of international air transportation still adheres to a relatively restrictive regulatory framework of bilateral treaties first developed in the 1940s. While the trend in international air transport regulation is to liberalize market access to foreign carriers, significant barriers still exist, among other things, in the form of restrictions on total market access and limitations on foreign ownership of airlines. This paper presents economic integration as one means to progressively "open up" the air services industry. Economic integration provides evidence of the political will to cooperate necessary to achieve further liberalization. Furthermore, such units provide important economic incentives to liberalize air transport. Finally, regional economic integration organizations may enhance the bargaining position against larger, more mature markets while protecting interests in "own" carriers. This paper examines the underlying economic reasons for air transport liberalization on the basis of regional economic integration. It further addresses the legal implications and constraints involved in establishing regional interests in air transportation, and highlights some policy considerations for "re-focusing" interests from states to regions.


Hilary Lloyd was shortlisted for the Turner Prize in 2011, and her work was shown at Baltic in the Turner Prize 2011 exhibition.

Hilary Lloyd makes work which engages in various ways with the moving image, encompassing video projections, films on monitors, and slide projections. She foregrounds technical equipment as a sculptural medium, prominently displaying the AV equipment on which her work is installed.

Free from editing, Lloyd's art is underpinned by a tension between the films' seemingly casual making and often ambiguous subject matter, and the precise and almost obstructive positioning of the supporting equipment. Video projectors, DVD players and monitors are suspended on chrome columns, while broad tracks of black cabling run across the ceiling between the suspended projectors, ranks of DVD players and power supplies. These bulky objects engage actively with the architecture of the gallery, serving both to impede and choreograph visitors' passage through the space.

Lloyd records her surrounding urban environment, addressing subjects such as buildings, construction sites, and a motorcycle workshop, as well as everyday and small-scale human scenes such as waiters working in a cafe, men washing cars, a man removing his vest, a woman building houses of cards, or a studio floor covered in paint patterns.

Lloyd's recent exhibition at Raven Row, London, comprised five works across three spacious floors, each work minimally installed in a separate gallery. The works ranged from free-standing, split-screen monitor works to more elaborate grids of multiple images projected directly on the walls. Man 2010, takes the form of six projectors suspended to create a grid of abutted images of a man's crotch, thigh, hand, arm – possibly drawn from a fashion magazine or advert. The jerky and occasionally loitering movement of the camera – hand-held and unpredictable – disrupts the rigid geometry of the grid. Trousers 2010, incorporates two sideways-mounted projectors, creating a single, narrow projection stretching the height of the gallery. We are presented with slowly shifting views of a man in a suit, again possibly from a fashion magazine.

Crane 2010 also included in the exhibition at Raven Row, is formed of a vertical monitor mounted at chest height on two floor-to-ceiling columns. In two juxtaposed shots, a crane momentarily moves sideways, and its juddering movement at once compounds and jars with the harsh 'techno' sound created by the films' continual repetition. Tunnel 2010, misaligns two versions of the same briefly-snatched view of a city from inside a dark tunnel, which appear to have been shot on a camera held upside down. Sound and image again move harshly in and out of synch, then re-align with a jolt. Motorway 2010, collages four video projections of views, shot from below, of a vast elevated motorway bridge under construction. Almost devoid of movement or incident, each film possesses a poised, reflective stillness which trains our focus on the structure's unlikely beauty.


The saxophone has a long history with transcriptions and arrangements, which augment the saxophones repertoire and provide an historical context through which saxophonists may experience music that predates the invention of their instrument. Transcriptions, particularly those from the baroque period, provide excellent pedagogical material for inexperienced students whose educational needs would perhaps not be best served by more contemporary music.
The various transcriptions of baroque music contributed by Marcel Mule and Sigurd Rascher continue to be valuable additions to the repertoire, serving students pedagogical needs by providing appealing, accessible, and suitably challenging music. However, these transcriptions provide only a minimum of attention to issues of style and historical performance practice.
This study provides a starting point for an historical approach to performing baroque music on the saxophone by focusing specifically on baroque performance practice as it applies to selected solo sonatas by Handel. Initially addressing general baroque style, this approach then presents several specific stylistic traits as they can be applied to a Handel transcription for saxophone.
This monograph provides a realistic means for saxophonists to benefit more from baroque transcriptions. The application of basic elements of baroque performance practice to saxophone transcriptions can provide a different and valuable experience of core musical elements such as 1) tension and release, as expressed, for example, in the baroque style of leaning in an appoggiatura, or through the concept of speaking rather than singing and the resulting shorter phrases; 2) the understanding of the structure of a melody as realized by creating a skeleton and then composing or improvising ones own ornamentation; and 3) a new understanding of the expressive devices available to performers as realized through a sparing use of vibrato, for example, or the use of beat hierarchy.
There is enormous musical value in the study of past performance practices and saxophonists only stand to benefit from understanding these concepts as they apply to the transcriptions in our repertoire.


Autonomous vehicles, popularly known as self-driving cars, have the potential to transform travel behavior. However, existing analyses have ignored strategic interactions with other road users. In this article, I use game theory to analyze the interactions between pedestrians and autonomous vehicles, with a focus on yielding at crosswalks. Because autonomous vehicles will be risk-averse, the model suggests that pedestrians will be able to behave with impunity, and autonomous vehicles may facilitate a shift toward pedestrian-oriented urban neighborhoods. At the same time, autonomous vehicle adoption may be hampered by their strategic disadvantage that slows them down in urban traffic.


We discuss the influence of the cosmological constant $\Lambda$ on the solar system dynamics. Observational constraints are derived from measurements of the periastron advance of the planets. Moreover, we consider the change in the mean motion due to $\Lambda$. Up to now, Earth and Mars data give the best constraint, $\Lambda~\sim~10^~\mathrm{km}^$. If properly accounting for the gravito-magnetic effect, this upper limit on $\Lambda$ could greatly improve in the near future thanks to new data from planned or already operating space-missions. Dark matter or modifications of the Newtonian inverse-square law in the solar system are discussed as well. Variations in the 1/r2 behavior are considered in the form of either a possible Yukawa-like interaction or a modification of gravity of MOND type.


The purpose of this paper is to identify methods of increasing online engagement between the public and the legal profession for the purpose of increasing access to justice. In this paper, I provide a brief overview of the legal need that exists in America and look at who lawyers are trying to engage. This paper looks at the differences between online and face to face (FtF) engagement in terms of addressing legal needs and transferring skills and resources from online to the real world. This paper provides an introduction to the science behind increasing online engagement and specifically looks at gamification as a means to increasing online engagement. I provide case studies of some of the existing gamification, games, and simulations created for access to justice and lessons learned from these. In the conclusion, I propose methods for increasing online engagement between the public and legal service providers with gamification that might empower the public with legal education and assistance.


Pledge-and-review is an essential pillar for climate change mitigation up until 2020 under the auspices of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. In this paper, we build on a survey handed out to participants at the Seventeenth Conference of Parties in 2011 to examine to what extent climate negotiators and stakeholders agree with existing critiques towards pledge-and-review. Among the critique examined, we find that the one most agreed with is that the pledges fall short of meeting the 2 degree target, while the one least agreed with is that pledges are voluntary. We also find that respondents from Annex 1 parties are more critical than respondents from Non-Annex 1 parties. Negotiators display strikingly similar responses regardless of where they are from, while there is a remarkable difference between Annex 1 and Non-Annex 1 environmental non-governmental organizations. We build on these results to discuss the legitimacy of pledge-and-review.


Chemical composition of seeds of two minor oil crops, flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) and oil hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) cultivated in Finland were analyzed and compared to others. Oilseed flax cultivars were Abacus, Aries, Comtess, Heljä, Helmi, Laser, Sunrise, and Taurus, three fiber flax cultivars were Belinka, Martta and Snaigiai. Oil hemp cultivar was Finola, a Finnish cultivar with low cannabinoids content. Oil content was higher in oil flax cultivars (42.2-48.8 mg 100 g-1) than in fiber flax (34.8-42.2 mg 100 g-1) and oil hemp (34.6 mg 100 g-1) cultivars. Protein contents were lower in high oil flax cultivars than in fiber flax cultivars. Very great difference between the species was in chlorophyll content, which was much higher in oil hemp (138.3 mg kg-1) than in oilseed (0-6.8 mg kg-1) or fiber flax (5.9-11.0 mg kg-1) cultivars. Oil hemp is so late in Finland that all seeds do not ripen well. Cadmium contents of oilseed (0.390-0.797 mg kg-1) and fiber flax (0.497-0.600 mg kg-1) cultivars were much higher than those of oil hemp (0.020 mg kg-1). Oil hemp cultivar Finola did not accumulate cadmium from the soil. Lead contents were low.


While it is nearly effortless for humans to quickly assess the perceptual similarity between two images, the underlying processes are thought to be quite complex. Despite this, the most widely used perceptual metrics today, such as PSNR and SSIM, are simple, shallow functions, and fail to account for many nuances of human perception. Recently, the deep learning community has found that features of the VGG network trained on ImageNet classification has been remarkably useful as a training loss for image synthesis. But how perceptual are these so-called "perceptual losses"? What elements are critical for their success? To answer these questions, we introduce a new dataset of human perceptual similarity judgments. We systematically evaluate deep features across different architectures and tasks and compare them with classic metrics. We find that deep features outperform all previous metrics by large margins on our dataset. More surprisingly, this result is not restricted to ImageNet-trained VGG features, but holds across different deep architectures and levels of supervision (supervised, self-supervised, or even unsupervised). Our results suggest that perceptual similarity is an emergent property shared across deep visual representations.


This study was part of a larger mixed methods design exploring the effects of a dance program on elders. The purpose of this research was to examine the impact of a creative artsbased program on the health, wellness, and overall quality of life of older adults. Another aspect of the study involved determining how the staff's "therapeutic use of self" contributed to the positive outcomes of the creative music and dance program called "The Dancing Heart TM ". The research questions were, "What is the importance of a creative dance program for long term care residents?" and "What is happening in the group that contributes to its outcomes?". This study involved both an analysis of behaviors recorded in observation notes by program staff and an analysis of field notes taken by this researcher. Results indicated that participation in the sessions encouraged increased physicality, mood, creativity, cognitive engagement, musical involvement, reminiscence/memory involvement, interpersonal interactions, and overall had positive impact on quality of life. In regard to the second research question, results suggest that the staff utilized therapeutic use of self and many tools to maximize the level of engagement and participation for the participants. The results of this study suggest that participation in a creative-arts program for seniors has the potential to positively impact quality of life for seniors. IMPACT OF A CREATIVE DANCE PROGRAM! $!


To check rapidly deteriorating environmental conditions, many management tools are being used by different industries. In order to address environmental issues the corporate sector has seen a drastic increase in the use of environmental management systems. There is strong need to check how these environmental management systems are rendering environmental management services. Research shows that environmental management systems are mistakenly expected to prescribe technical and environmental objectives. Without describing what goals an organization must achieve, they lay out a system for management of numerous environmental obligations. Hence environmental management systems are not strategic; they tend to reactively fix issues contingent upon their occurrence and may miss opportunities to avoid problems before they occur. Further, environmental management itself is seen in isolation of a socio-ecological context, which makes environmental management lose ground and operate in a virtual vacuum. Mostly environmental management is identified as an 'agenda' which runs counter to the overall development of an organization. Provided, environmental management systems can be integrated with basic principles of sustainable development these management systems can be utilized as a launching pad to move organizations towards sustainability. Built to render the administrative services only through a mechanism of self regulation and continuous improvement, these management systems can be used to deliver sustainable product planning. The present study illustrates the possibilities for integration of sustainability objectives into environmental management systems. In our effort to integrate sustainability in environment management systems extensive literature reviews, interviews and a case study (Hammarplast AB) have been used. For the analysis of the current reality, a framework for strategic sustainable development and methods incorporating "backcasting from principles of sustainability" – i.e. templates for sustainable product development and strategic life cycle management – has been used. The use of tools not only illustrates contemporary sustainability gaps but also gives a concrete set of guidance to integrate sustainability in environmental management systems.


The name Mercury, the Messenger of the Gods, has been used for centuries by European chroniclers and gazetteers in the titles of periodicals that have featured the latest news reports, anecdotes, short stories, and satires. This engaging book, an intermediate-level Italian text, offers an up-to-date and varied portrait of Italy's language, culture, and society by presenting lively excerpts from its literature, news reports, comic books, film reviews, music lyrics, sociological surveys, and more. Every chapter in the book has a theme that is discussed from multiple points of view. The centerpiece of each chapter is a recent work of fiction, which interacts with other literary or sociocultural accounts (sometimes from English-language media outside Italy) to convey a meaningful representation of today's multifaceted Italy. The book also includes numerous exercises on grammar and comprehension. Themes include: -- Italian emigration to North and South America; -- Italy's fascination with bicycles; -- new thoughts about houses and living spaces; -- Italian cities.


Magnetic measurements carried out on MgB2 superconducting round wires have shown that the critical current density Jc(Ba) in wires sheathed by iron can be significantly higher than that in the same bare (unsheathed) wires over a wide applied magnetic field Ba range. The magnetic behavior is, however, strongly dependent on the magnetic history of the sheathed wires, as well as on the wire orientation with respect to the direction of the applied field. The behavior observed can be explained by magnetic interaction between the soft magnetic sheath and superconducting core, which can result in a redistribution of supercurrents in the flux filled superconductor. A phenomenological model explaining the observed behavior is proposed.


This brief uses data from the CFPB's Making Ends Meet survey to explore consumers' savings-related behaviors, experiences, and outcomes. We highlight the relationship between how much money people think they need in savings for emergencies and how much money they report actually having in their checking and savings accounts combined. Together, these two elements provide insight into consumers' perceived financial preparedness. For many people, we observe a gap between what they think they need and what they have.

We also explore the relationship between saving and more objective measures of respondents' financial situations, such as past experiences with financial shocks and difficulty paying bills—that is, making ends meet. We find that consumers who report their household's monthly saving habit as "don't save" (versus "save") are more likely to report having difficulty paying bills in the past year, and this gap exists at all levels of income. We also find that when negative circumstances are compounded, consumers experience greater financial strain. Specifically, when consumers have less than they think they need for emergencies and they do not have a habit of saving, their financial well-being is particularly low and they are even more likely to report that finances control their lives. Similarly, consumers who experience a financial shock and do not have a habit of saving are more likely to have difficulty paying bills and other expenses. This research brief enhances the evidence base of the CFPB's Start Small, Save Up initiative, which aims to promote the importance of building a basic savings cushion and saving habits among U.S. consumers as a pathway to increased financial well-being and financial security.


The performance of a porous-layered radially elongated pillar (PLREP) array column in a commercial nano-LC system was examined by performing separation of alkylphenones and peptides. The mesoporous silica layer was prepared by sol-gel processing of a mixture of tetramethoxysilane and methyltrimethoxysilane on REPs filling a 16.5 cm long, 1 mm wide channel (three lanes of 5.5 cm long channels connected by turns). The minimum plate height of 1.4 μm for octanophenone (k = 2.21) observed in isocratic mode is 5 times smaller than the smallest off-column plate height previously reported for porous pillar array columns for a retained component. This advantage is related to the earlier introduced shape of the radially elongated pillar bed that outperforms the cylindrically shaped pillar bed in terms of the plate height. In gradient mode, maximum conditional peak capacities of 220 (for a mixture of thiourea and 7 alkylphenones, tG = 180 min) and 160 (for a cytochrome c digest, tG = 150 min) were obtained. These results indicate excellent potential for implementation of this sol-gel layer in pillar array column formats.


Since the enactment of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, owners and operators of farms and ranches have opportunities to evaluate new estate planning strategies for the transfer of farm businesses to subsequent generations. However, with provisions of the Act to be phased in over several years, consideration must be given to having a "staged" estate plan. Under provisions of the current law, estate tax is repealed in the year 2010, but if Congress does not act, the legislation sunsets and returns to prior law January 1, 2011. This fact provides planning challenges for owners and operators of farms and ranches as the phase-in of provisions, the repeal in 2010, and the return to prior law relative to estate planning and business inter-generational transfer of property. This paper investigates the planning process and options available as they relate to a family-owned property in North Carolina, USA. Plans made must take into consideration the dynamics of a changing legislative environment, special-use valuation of land, opportunity cost of alternative uses for land, and off-farm heirs.


S-acylation is a reversible post-translational modification of proteins known to be involved in membrane targeting, subcellular trafficking, and the determination of a great variety of functional properties of proteins. The aim of this work was to identify S-acylated proteins in poplar. The use of an acyl-biotin exchange method and mass spectrometry allowed the identification of around 450 S-acylated proteins, which were subdivided into three major groups of proteins involved in transport, signal transduction, and response to stress, respectively. The largest group of S-acylated proteins was the protein kinase superfamily. Soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor-activating protein receptors, band 7 family proteins and tetraspanins, all primarily related to intracellular trafficking, were also identified. In addition, cell wall related proteins, including cellulose synthases and other glucan synthases, were found to be S-acylated. Twenty four of the identified S-acylated proteins were also enriched in detergent-resistant membrane microdomains, suggesting S-acylation plays a key role in the localization of proteins to specialized plasma membrane subdomains. This dataset promises to enhance our current understanding of the various functions of S-acylated proteins in plants.


The Lower-Middle Eocene sequence of the Hampshire Basin, which includes an alternation of sands, silts and clays, interpreted as fluvial to open-marine deposits, is exposed at two locations on the western (Alum Bay) and eastern (Whitecliff Bay) margin of the Isle of Wight. Glaucony is encountered throughout the study units: sand-clay alternations of lagoonal origin and estuarine channel-fill sands include less than 10% of predominantly poorly evolved, allochthonous glaucony; shelf silts and sands generally comprise more than 20% of evolved, mostly autochthonous glaucony. Vertical changes in maturity of glaucony confirm the trend predicted by recent models, indicating an overall upward increase in the transgressive systems tracts and decrease in the highstand systems tracts, with maximum values in coincidence with the condensed sections, where a remarkable peak in glaucony concentration is invariably recorded. Comparison of glaucony characteristics at different sites of depositional sequences shows a slight increase in maturity and abundance from the proximal to the distal areas. This lateral tendency is interpreted to reflect more suitable conditions for glauconitization in open-marine environments than in shallow waters. Despite documented intrasequential variability of glaucony characteristics, glaucony assemblages from distinct depositional sequences may be generally identified on the basis of more pronounced differences in maturity. Consequently, glaucony attributes can be used as an index for characterization of third-order sedimentary cycles.


ABSTRACT Introduction: Smooth muscle cell contraction in the airways is the principal therapeutic target in asthmatic subjects and its insufficient treatment is often a cause of uncontrolled disease. For this reason, research has focused on targeting smooth muscle activity with anticholinergic agents, including umeclidinium. Areas covered: This review highlights the potential application of umeclidinium, a long acting muscarinic antagonist, as a novel therapeutic approach for patients with severe uncontrolled asthma, despite maximal therapy. Expert opinion: Umeclidinium, similarly to tiotropium, which has been recently included in guidelines, may act by contrasting cholinergic activation in airways, preventing or at least reducing smooth muscle cells contraction and the consequent bronchoconstriction. This is similar to what occurs in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, for which umeclidinium has been regularly approved. However, available data is not sufficient and further studies are needed before regulatory approval can be sought, since only phase II clinical trials have been conducted at present. Both quality of life and objectifiable clinical data and parameters must be assessed, including lung function improvements, reduction of exacerbations and reduction of as required medications.


We identify the patents litigated most frequently between 2000 and 2007, and compare those patents to a control set of patents that have been litigated only once in that period. The results are startling. The most litigated patents are far more likely to be software and telecommunications patents, not mechanical or other types of patents. They are significantly different from once-litigated patents in ways that signal their value up front. And they are disproportionately owned by non-practicing entities (aka trolls). The results don't answer all the policy questions; we offer only one important piece of a larger mosaic. But they have significant implications for debates over patent reform, since we show both that the most litigated patents are the most valuable ones and that they are most commonly in the hands of companies other than the ones building new products.