In the Andes of Peru a familiar story has unfolded in many communities around the sharing and use of water, a tragedy often attributed to an irresolvable conflict between the inherently selfish interests of the individual and the cooperative needs of the group. This article traces the history of irrigation in one highland valley based on comparative ethnographic research, examining the reasons for both success and failure in governing the commons and trying to explain why the former has given way to the latter in many, but by no means all, places. It reveals that success can be relatively unproblematic and was once widespread at the local level, and that failure has occurred where institutional arrangements have been imposed that, according to the conventional theory, should have prevented the tragedy instead of bringing it about: privatization of the resource, on the one hand, and State control of it on the other. Where selfishness and discord have prevailed they are driven by an apparent water scarcity that is socially constructed, the product of a new political ecology imposed initially by the local elite and then dominated by them with the State's help, at the expense of the peasantry. The author argues that, far from being inevitable, the tragedy of the commons in water management can be avoided, arrested, and perhaps even reversed, in the Andes and other arid and mountainous parts of the world. Key words: Andes, tragedy of the commons, political ecology, water scarcity, water management, arid, mountain.


We collected venous and capillary serum samples from 21 Zika virus‒infected patients on multiple days after symptom onset and found RNA load was higher and median duration of virus detection significantly longer in capillary than in venous blood. These findings raise questions about the role of the capillary compartment in virus transmission dynamics.


The Black Death was a disaster of such magnitude that it not only shook the Old World to its economic and social foundations, but changed the course of human history. Yet this book is the first comprehensive history and assessment of its progress, and of the death and devastation it left in its wake, in all the countries through which it passed. The many local studies on the Black Death published in a variety of languages and scholarly papers have for the first time been systematically collected and thoroughly analysed. The medical and epidemiological characteristics of the disease, its geographical origin, its spread across Asia Minor, the Middle East, North Africa and Europe, and the mortality in the countries and regions for which there are satisfactory studies, are clearly presented and thoroughly discussed. The pattern, pace and seasonality of spread revealed through close scrutiny of these studies exactly reflect current medical work and standard studies on the epidemiology of bubonic plague. Benedictow's findings relating to the mortality caused by the Black Death are based on the meticulous study and synthesis of all available demographic studies. Published over the past forty years, most of them in widely dispersed local journals and local histories, this cumulative evidence, far-reaching in its implications, has gone largely unnoticed. This book makes it clear that the true mortality rate was far higher than has been previously thought. In the light of these findings, the discussion in the last part of the book showing the Black Death as a turning point in history takes on a new significance.


Multicompartment and multiscale long‐term observation and research are important prerequisites to tackling the scientific challenges resulting from climate and global change. Long‐term monitoring programs are cost intensive and require high analytical standards, however, and the gain of knowledge often requires longer observation times. Nevertheless, several environmental research networks have been established in recent years, focusing on the impact of climate and land use change on terrestrial ecosystems. From 2008 onward, a network of Terrestrial Environmental Observatories (TERENO) has been established in Germany as an interdisciplinary research program that aims to observe and explore the long‐term ecological, social, and economic impacts of global change at the regional level. State‐of‐the‐art methods from the field of environmental monitoring, geophysics, and remote sensing will be used to record and analyze states and fluxes for different environmental compartments from groundwater through the vadose zone, surface water, and biosphere, up to the lower atmosphere.


Automatic control has become an important and integral part of modern manufacturing and industrial processes .Automatic control provide means for attaining optimal performance of dynamic systems, improve the quality and lower the cost of production, expand the production rate, relive the drudgery of many routine, repetitive manual operations, etc.. In this paper it has been designed a control system which controlled the operation of punch machine .As shown in Fig. (1) this system consists of: (1) the programmable logic controller (PLC) which is used to control time and regulate the sequence. (2) The Hydraulic system receives and implements the logical commands of PLC. (3) Electrical interfacing circuits which are very important to compromise in the stages of system. In order to avoid mistakes of direct design and implementation in the industrial and production processes and what follows from high material cost, therefore Automation Studio Software has been used to design the hydraulic system according to the required giving's by using Simulation software before the machine is fabricated, also it is distinguished in the simplicity of using ,have a very good specification in design and the ability of exposing the parts of the system in one screen and show the connection between them ,this led to have expected programmable results.


This issue of Geochemical Perspectives examines the noble gas geochemistry of meteorites and the Earth to provide essential constraints on the origin of volatiles on our own and other terrestrial planets. Noble gases (He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe and Rn) belong to the last column of the Mendeleev's table, implying they are chemically inert in contrast to the other highly volatile elements. This important feature allows their primordial elemental and isotopic compositions on Earth to be determined without having to consider the additional complexities of chemical or biological influences. Any variations of elemental or isotopic ratios of the noble gases reflects either physical processes such as diffusion, adsorption, degassing, or solubilisation or the effects of natural radioactivity. Moreover, among the highly volatile elements, the noble gases are the only ones that are able to provide constraints on the timing of geochemical fractionations that have occurred since Earth's accretion, thanks to the natural radioactivity of several parent nuclides with a range of different half-lives, 235,238U, 232Th, 40K, 244Pu, 129I.

In this issue, I describe the distribution and isotopic compositions of noble gases in meteorites, mantle-derived rocks and the atmosphere, from both a historical point of view and using some major, new discoveries in that field that have recently changed opinions on mantle/atmosphere evolution and on the origin of volatiles on terrestrial planets. In particular, I discuss the nature of the parent bodies and of the noble gas carriers, the existence and location of a reservoir rich in primordial noble gases sampled by mantle plumes, the subduction of atmospheric noble gas into the mantle and the evolution of the atmosphere evolution since the Earth's accretion. Of course, this contribution does not have the ambition of addressing all the issues of noble gas geochemistry, but it raises some key questions and contemplates the potential future direction of research into the origin of noble gases and other volatiles in terrestrial planets in the coming years.


A small value of the spin gap in quantum antiferromagnets with strong frustration makes them susceptible to nominally small deviations from the ideal Heisenberg model. One such perturbation, the anisotropic Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interaction, is an important perturbation for the S = 1/2 kagome antiferromagnet, one of the current candidates for a quantum-disordered ground state. We study the influence of the DM term in a related one-dimensional system, the sawtooth chain, which has valence-bond order in its ground state. Through a combination of analytical and numerical methods, we show that a relatively weak DM coupling, 0.115J, is sufficient to destroy the valence-bond order, close the spin gap, and turn the system into a Luttinger liquid with algebraic spin correlations. A similar mechanism may be at work in the kagome antiferromagnet.


Abstract School leadership is situated within a context of social and political factors that work to distribute power while also holding it in check. There are connections between how societal political structures facilitate democratic participation and the operation of schools. Educational leadership straddles the interface between proactive agency and the politics of social control. This tension between holding and using authority, yet acceding to political and social practice, is one which many school leaders face. Research studies conducted in two island nations, Jersey (Channel Islands) and Tonga (Pacific Islands), in different hemispheres of the world, illustrated contrasting forms of educational service and different challenges for school principals. As island communities, the context was clearly definable and provided a set of variables that were manifested through sector processes. The principals held pivotal roles that were molded by the contextual factors which shaped the delivery of educational practice. School principals in Jersey and Tonga illustrated how leadership is complicated if the purposes leadership should serve are unclear or contested (O'Brien, Murphy, and Draper 2003).


Background: The normal development of speech-language is especially challenging for Emirati toddlers, as they are frequently raised by live-in multilingual caretakers.
Methods: In this community-based study, we screened preschool Emirati children for delayed expressive language and associated socio-emotional/behavioral problems. Arabic versions of the Language Development Survey and Child Behavior Checklist for ages 1.5-5 years were validated before being used in this study. The data collection instruments (questionnaires) were completed by primary caregivers in the presence of trained staff. Delayed language was defined as a vocabulary size fewer than 20 words at 18-23 months or fewer than 50 words at 24-35 months.
Results: One hundred fifty two children (median-age, 26 months; 53% females) were enrolled in this study. Fifty-six percent of 18-23 month-old children had vocabulary size ≥ 20 words, 48% of the 24-29 month-old had vocabulary size ≥ 50 words and 46% of the 30-35 month-old had vocabulary size ≥ 50 words. Fifty four percent of 24-34 month-old children used combining words; with an average (SD) length-of-phrases of 3.9 (1.1), median=4.0; range=2.0-6.0. Household words (e.g. bed) were most common and exterior words (e.g. flowers) were least common. Vocabulary size was not significantly associated with gender, socioemotional variables or behavioral problems.
Conclusion: Many toddlers with potential delayed speech-language were identified. They require further assessment and intervention, when indicated. Appropriate language screening strategies should be implemented in the childhood health supervision visits. Comprehensive studies of functional use of language for communication, discrimination and production of speech sounds and acquisition of reading and writing skills are greatly needed in our region.


People always quote, "We are all the same." Is this really the case? For us human beings, are we really the same with no slight difference? When we say "same", it is about the way we communicate, our etiquette, our lifestyle, and our emotions as well. This quote is just flawed in a specific perspective, especially when we examine our way of learning language and how we get motivated and most importantly, motivate ourselves; we are the opposite of the same! For this purpose, it becomes a major essentiality to inspect or investigate the theoretical anatomy of "motivation" in second language acquisition and learning. This paper offers to throw light on the essence of motivation and mainly "selfmotivation" as a catalyst to reach linguistic self- confidence and therefore self-competence in linguistic communication. This quantitative research scenario examined the contribution of Egyptian EFL learners" motivation, self- motivation, and linguistic self-confidence in their proficiency, as well as language-use anxiety to their willingness to communicate (WTC) level, along with a minor possible impact of age and gender on the learners" reported L2 WTC. 50 university students – 25 freshman students vs. 25 graduating senior students – were randomly selected to fill in a questionnaire for this study. Results indicated that L2 self-motivation and self-confidence made a remarkable contribution to the prediction of L2 WTC. Furthermore, it was found that the learners" age and gender did not make a statistical difference to their WTC, since the learners were freshmen vs. graduating seniors. The findings could contribute to the ongoing debates on the theory and practice of WTC and feed into further research that is germane to second language pedagogy and learners" self- motivation to be willing to communicate in their second language.


Tanzania, like many developing countries has its share of problems associated with developing its rural sector where the majority of its population lives. Since independence, the government of Tanzania has proclaimed the development of the rural sector the cornerstone of the country's development strategy. A number of approaches have been tried in Tanzania. Some of them abolished and then re-established in an effort to pave a smooth road towards rural development through improved agricultural performance and provision of essential social services. Besides the provision of social services such as clean water, schools and dispensaries to about half of the rural population by 1982, none of the approaches has led to the anticipated transformation of production structures and productivity of the rural sector. Thus, an analysis of the approaches taken will attempt to identify those areas which need strengthening or further study to improve the performance of the rural sector. The principle aim of this paper is to provide some insights into the rural development policies and operations put into practice by the government of Tanzania since independence and discuss their success and/or failures. The specific objectives of this study are the following: (1) to identify the major constraints to rural development; (2) to identify and describe rural development policies implemented in Tanzania and evaluate their impact on agricultural development, farmers' participation in communal production activities, and the availability of social services to rural people; and (3) to draw some lessons from Tanzania's experience in rural development which may be useful for future policy action in Tanzania, as well as for rural development in Africa.


The aim of the study was to develop response surface methodology (RSM) models for polymer loading, density, dimensional stability, strength and stiffness of compressed wood of sesenduk (Endospermum diadenum) treated with phenol formaldehyde (PF). Central composite design (CCD) using RSM with three processing parameters was studied in their specific ranges: PF concentration (PC) from 24-40%, pre-curing time (PCT), 3-9 h and compression ratio (CR), 70-90%. The experimental design was analysed and interpreted using the Design Expert Software (Stat Ease version 8) and the responses of 3d plots were built using the same software. Quadratic models in terms of PC, PCT and CR were developed for polymer loading, density, reduction in water absorption and modulus of rupture in static bending. Multiple linear equations were developed for anti-swelling efficiency and modulus of elasticity. The experimental values were in good agreement with predicted ones and the models were highly significant with correlation coefficients between 0.626 and 0.926. PC and CR had significant effects on the responses. The range of PCT used did not significantly affect the responses. It was also found that the improvement of properties ranged from moderately to highly correlated with the polymer loading in the compreg wood.


This article analyses the problem of migration in Lithuania and assesses the impact of migration on the economy. Contemporary migration trends began to emerge after the restoration of Lithuania's independence, and further intensified after Lithuania's accession to the European Union. Migration is emerging as a challenge and opportunity, so it is important to determine the migration challenges that Lithuania faces and the possible consequences of this process. The theoretical part of the article defines the concept of migration, the main types of migration processes and explains the theories that analyse factors affecting migration. The economic migration of Lithuanians during 2001-2011 is analysed in the analytical part of the article. It assesses the imbalance between emigration and immigration, the main causes and consequences of migration. In order to identify and assess the relationship between emigration and the country's main economic indicators, the last part of the paper is based on correlation analysis. The analysis reveals that the strongest statistically significant positive correlation is between the number of emigrants and private remittances to Lithuania. These cash inflows increase aggregate demand, domestic consumption and GDP growth.


This goal of the present research was to determine the possibility of twice-yearly lambing in Awassi sheep. The research was appropriate in terms of ecological agriculture, animal breeding applications, and organic agricultural production with no impact on their health or behavior, or exposure to environmental conditions such as exogenous hormone applications. The research was carried out after the February 2001 lambing season. Rams were introduced to the ewe flock while the lambs were weaning. The sheep's giving birth in August 2001 indicated that they had become pregnant while the lambs were weaning. The fertility rate in the August 2001 birth season was much lower than that in the February 2001 fertility season. However, the February and August 2001 fertility rates together showed that the gestation rate increased 40% and approximately 40% to 44%, respectively, over a year.


Five years after the Gulf War, academics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are still locked in a struggle over the Patriot's record in shooting down Iraqi Scud missiles. Ted Postol, a professor who specializes in arms control and national security, concluded that the Patriot was a near-total failure. But the debate at MIT now centers on Postol's claims that Patriot's manufacturer, Raytheon Corp., improperly stated that MIT engineering Professor Shaoul Ezekiel had debunked Postol's analyses. Ezekiel had never challenged Postol's analyses directly. Postol has accused Ezekiel of unethical conduct by not publicly refuting Raytheon's claim, but two MIT investigations have cleared Ezekiel of misconduct.


I. Theory and Research in Child Development 1. History, Theory, and Research Strategies The Field of Child Development Basic Issues Historical Foundations Mid-Twentieth-Century Theories Recent Theoretical Perspectives Comparing Child Development Theories Studying the Child II. Foundations of Development 2. Biological and Environmental Foundations Genetic Foundations Reproductive Choices Environmental Contexts for Development Understanding the Relationship Between Heredity and Environment 3. Prenatal Development Motivations for Parenthood Prenatal Development Prenatal Environmental Influences Preparing for Parenthood 4. Birth and the Newborn Baby The Stages of Childbirth Approaches to Childbirth Medical Interventions Birth Complications Precious Moments After Birth The Newborn Baby's Capacities The Transition to Parenthood III. Infancy and Toddlerhood: The First Two Years 5. Physical Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood Body Growth Brain Development Influences on Early Physical Growth Learning Capacities Motor Development Perceptual Development 6. Cognitive Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood Piaget's Cognitive-Developmental Theory Information Processing The Social Context of Early Cognitive Development Individual Differences in Early Mental Development Language Development 7. Emotional and Social Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood Erikson's Theory of Infant and Toddler Personality Emotional Development Temperament and Development Development of Attachment Self-Development IV. Early Childhood: Two to Six Years 8. Physical Development in Early Childhood Body GrowthInfluences on Physical Growth and HealthMotor Development 9. Cognitive Development in Early Childhood Piaget's Theory: The Preoperational Stage Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory Information Processing Individual Differences in Mental Development Language Development 10. Emotional and Social Development in Early Childhood Erikson's Theory: Initiative vs. Guilt Self-Understanding Emotional Development Peer Relations Foundations of Morality Gender Typing Child Rearing and Emotional and Social Development V. Middle Childhood: Six to Eleven Years 11. Physical Development in Middle Childhood Body Growth Common Health Problems Health Education Motor Development and Play 12. Cognitive Development in Middle Childhood Piaget's Theory: The Concrete Operational Stage Information Processing Individual Differences in Mental Development Language Development Children's Learning in School 13. Emotional and Social Development in Middle Childhood Erikson's Theory Self-Understanding Emotional Development Understanding Others: Perspective Taking Moral Development Peer Relations Gender Typing Family Influences Some Common Problems of Development


UPDATED VERSION (February 2019)Effective ORCID implementations, user awareness, adoption rates, are all improved when the research community coordinates efforts, shares successes, and supports each other in local outreach and integration initiatives. To encourage community collaboration, in 2015 ORCID launched a consortium program. In this document we describe the goals of the consortia program, the roles and responsibilities of ORCID and consortia, and how consortia can qualify for discounted membership fees.


The Importance of strategic planning as a major activity of organizational management is being increasingly accepted both academician and professional managers. As one of the important components of strategic planning process, environmental scanning has received importance to explore new opportunities and to identify threats for making important strategic decision. The present study indicates the relationship between owner-manager's environmental awareness and business performance of the Small Business. Bollinger (1994) found that scanning is positively correlated with the firm's financial performance. Similar results were also found by Orpen (1993) reported that small firm which posses more information about themselves and their environment engage in formal strategic planning and they perform better financially than their counter parts. Authors in the area of small business and entrepreneurship have recognized the need for conscious and continuous study of the environment and integrate the environmental information into their strategic planning. Finally, Environmental awareness contributed significantly to the relationship with overall performance of small business under the study.


Visual Abstract Over the last 5 years, single cell methods have enabled the monitoring of gene and protein expression, genetic, and epigenetic changes in thousands of individual cells in a single experiment. With the improved measurement and the decreasing cost of the reactions and sequencing, the size of these datasets is increasing rapidly. The critical bottleneck remains the analysis of the wealth of information generated by single cell experiments. In this review, we give a simplified overview of the analysis pipelines, as they are typically used in the field today. We aim to enable researchers starting out in single cell analysis to gain an overview of challenges and the most commonly used analytical tools. In addition, we hope to empower others to gain an understanding of how typical readouts from single cell datasets are presented in the published literature.


Snake bites have something in common with cancer. So do spider bites, and stings from scorpions and bees. Now, research done at the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center defines how a naturally-occurring enzyme which is present in most venom plays a crucial role in the viability and spread of many tumors - and may yield two different ways to fight the disease. The enzyme is hyaluronidase, and it breaks down hyaluronic acid (HA), a large, complex sugar polymer present in human tissues. HA is also present in tumors, and when hyaluronidase produced by tumor cells breaks down HA the small fragments help the cancer to spread in the body. Vinata Lokeshwar, Ph.D., associate professor of Urology and Cell Biology and Anatomy at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, previously identified a way to use both HA and hyaluronidase as prognostic tools to predict whether prostate cancer will spread and as screening tools to help diagnose bladder cancer. Now, she is investigating two ways to use hyaluronidase as a potential cancer therapy. For 15 years there have been two schools of thought on this enzyme. Researchers in California showed that treating tumors with hyaluronidase could inhibit tumor growth. In fact, as early as 1992 studies found that adding the enzyme to chemotherapy improved tumor response in breast cancer. But beginning in 1996, Dr. Lokeshwar showed that tumor cells produce hyaluronidase. In fact, within a certain limit the higher the hyaluronidase the more aggressive the tumor. So, among researchers, there was a spirited debate over whether hyaluronidase aided or impeded tumor growth.It turns out that both sides were right. To be technical, Dr. Lokeshwar's newest work shows that when cancer cells have between 42- and 80-milliunits of hyaluronidase activity, they actively grow and spread. Researchers tested the presence and activity of the enzyme using a high-speed chemical assay and cell and molecular assays to monitor how it affected the growth, spread or death of cells. They also measured the growth of new blood microvessels, which feed growing tumors. The results in the lab were dramatic. Blocking hyaluronidase in bladder tumors cut tumor growth by nine- to 17-fold. Adding much more of it completely blocked the formation of tumors. "The moment we exceeded that normal threshold there was no tumor, absolutely none," said Lokeshwar. "The tumor just went away." Block the enzyme and there isn't enough for cancer to advance - add too much and it dies. "Tumor cells are very smart," said Lokeshwar. "They produce just the right amount to take advantage of its role in angiogenesis, its role in cell growth and its role in invasion. But you can fool them by externally supplying very large amounts of hyaluronidase and then you can really control that tumor." There are six different types of hyaluronidase in humans, but they all play the same role - breaking down hyaluronic acid. HA plays a key role in normal tissues, including lubricating the skin, eyes and connective tissue. But HA also helps regulate how cells reproduce and move and is critical to helping tumors grow new blood vessels. Since HA appears at higher-than-normal levels in cancer cells it can help tumors grow and spread - if it has just the right amount of hyaluronidase to break down the HA. "Hyaluronidase is both a tumor promoter and a suppressor depending on the level," said Lokeshwar. "Now you have a two-edged sword. You can either use a hyaluronidase inhibitor or give large amounts of the enzyme to control local tumor growth and its spread." The results of this latest study will be published in the journal Cancer Research on September 1 in an article co-authored by Dr. Lokeshwar, her husband Balakrishna L. Lokeshwar, Ph.D., an Associate Professor of Urology, and Wolfgang Cerwinka, M.D., a resident in Urology. The enzyme also plays a crucial role in the spread of bacterial infections and toxins - hence its presence in venom. A specific hyaluronidase, HYAL1, is the most likely to appear in high levels in breast, colon, head and neck, prostate, and bladder cancer. Dr. Lokeshwar has exploited that knowledge by developing and patenting a highly accurate, non-invasive screening test for bladder cancer, and a promising prostate cancer test, which may predict metastasis earlier than any other method. The bladder cancer test, HA-HAase, not only detects tumor recurrence earlier than visual inspection with cytoscopy, it can identify whether the tumor is low or high grade. Since bladder cancer recurs in more than half of all patients after treatment, the value of a reliable, non-invasive test is clear. Lokwshwar's work with HYAL1 as a tool to predict cancer has earned her funding from both the Department of Defense and National Institutes of Health. A key collaborator in developing tests for bladder and prostate cancer has been Mark S. Soloway, M.D., chairman of the Department of Urology at UM. Dr. Bal Lokeshwar also helped in settling the debate whether hyaluronidase promotes or thwarts cancer and he has also been supported by both the DOD and NIH for his own work in the control of prostate cancer metastasis. Together, the Lokeshwars are one of the few husband-wife teams to have secured independent funding from the Pentagon and the NIH. Vinata Lokeshwar also chaired the committee on tumor markers at the International Consultation on Bladder Cancer, organized last year by the World Health Organization and the Société Internationale d'Urologie. The Consultation, led by Soloway, will publish a 700-page text on bladder cancer later this year. UM/Sylvester was founded in 1992 to provide comprehensive cancer services and today serves as the hub for cancer-related research, diagnosis, and treatment at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. UM/Sylvester handles more than 1,300 inpatient admissions annually, performs 2,900 surgical procedures, and treats 3,000 new cancer patients. All UM/Sylvester physicians are on the faculty of the Miller School of Medicine, South Florida's only academic medical center. In addition, UM/Sylvester physicians and scientists are engaged in more than 150 clinical trials and receive more than $31 million annually in research grants. UM/Sylvester at Deerfield Beach recently opened to better meet the needs of residents of Broward and Palm Beach counties. This 10,000-square-foot facility at I-95 and S.W. 10th Street offers appointments with physicians from six cancer specialties, complementary therapies from the Courtelis Center, and education and outreach events. http://www.sylvester.org. Contact: Kelly Kaufhold; Office of Communications; University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine; 305.243.5184; email@example.com


We investigate whether people enrolled into voluntary health insurance (VHI) substitute public consumption with private (opt out) or just enlarge their private consumption, without reducing reliance upon public provisions (top up). We study the case of Italy, where a mixed insurance system is in place. To this purpose, we specify a joint model for public and private specialist visits counts, and allow for different degrees of endogenous supplementary insurance coverage, looking at the insurance coverage as driven by a trinomial choice process. We disentangle the effect of income and wealth by going through two channels: the direct impact on the demand for healthcare and that due to selection into VHI. We find evidence of opting out: richer and wealthier individuals consume more private services and concomitantly reduce those services publicly provided through selection into for-profit VHI. These results imply that the market for VHI eases the redistribution from high income (doubly insured) individuals to low income (not doubly insured) ones operated by the Italian National Health Service (NHS). Accounting for VHI endogeneity in the joint model of the two counts is crucial to this conclusion.


Comprehensive and self contained, this tutorial covers the design of a plethora of combinational and sequential logic circuits using conventional logic design and Verilog HDL. Number systems and number representations are presented along with various binary codes. Several advanced topics are covered, including functional decomposition and iterative networks. A variety of examples are provided for combinational and sequential logic, computer arithmetic, and advanced topics such as Hamming code error correction. Constructs supported by Verilog are described in detail. All designs are continued to completion. Each chapter includes numerous design issues of varying complexity to be resolved by the reader.


Using a combined amplitude-variation-with-offset (AVO) and inversion workflow, a 2D seismic data set was used to predict the lateral lithology changes in a sand bar deposit cut by shale-filled channels. Drilling into a shale channel drastically affects the success of a well, so understanding the spatial extent of such a feature is considered important to the economics of the development program. Based on results from extensive pre- and poststack modeling, a combination of AVO and inversion attributes provided the best chance at lithology prediction. Using this method, a channel map was created for a small study area. It is important to identify the risks and uncertainties intrinsic in the processes that are being applied as well as the effect of the overlying geology. This example in particular showed how vital it is to understand the geology in a specific area, know the technical limits of the data being used, and adapt workflows accordingly.


African American children ages 5 – 19 years drown in swimming pools at rates of 5.5 times higher than those of whites (Gilchrist & Parker, 2014). Literature suggested culture is the culprit for this disparity. A fear of water dates to slavery (Pitts, 2007). After slavery was abolished, the memory of drowning remained part of the African American culture. In the twentieth century, the popularity of swimming grew with the increase in public pools. The era of the Jim Crow laws kept African Americans out of public pools (Pitts, 2007). Although the political landscape has shifted since the Jim Crow era, inequities have continued to linger. Despite the reported disparity between drowning among African Americans and others, a gap exists in the literature regarding aquatic programming at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Delaware State University (DSU) is addressing the fear of water among students on campus and among members of the surrounding community to DSU by implementing the American Red Cross Parent Orientation to Swim Curriculum. DSU's current motto is "Making our mark on the world;" the previous motto was, "Only an educated man is free." We prefer to recall that Plato said, "A man is not learned until he can read, write, and swim" (Silver, 2018).


3D Virtual Worlds have the potential to expand the knowledge of a foreign culture by presenting the information in a visual context. In this paper we describe the design and evaluation of ICURA, a Serious Game that provides an opportunity to learn more about Japanese culture and etiquette. ICURA incorporates different game design and learning principles to effectively communicate knowledge. The main goal is to combine aspects of learning and fun in an immersive 3D Environment to make the communication of knowledge an entertaining experience. We evaluated the game through a user study with 20 participants. The comparison of pre- and post-test results highlights the positive learning effect of ICURA.


Familial cases of non-polyposis colorectal cancer have attracted much interest but little is known of their natural history. Using a population based study we have determined whether a positive family history of bowel cancer is an independent prognostic factor. All patients under 55 years with histologically confirmed colorectal cancer in Northern Ireland during the period 1976-8 were studied. The family history was validated in 95% of all nonpolyposis cases (n = 205). Medical history or cause of death were verified for 98% of 1811 first degree relatives. The strength of the family history was assessed using a score that compares the mortality from bowel cancer in the family against the average population mortality, taking account of family size and age structure. The family history score was not predictive of survival neither in univariate analysis or in a Cox's proportional hazards multivariate analysis controlling for age, sex, stage, site, and duration of symptoms. In conclusion, a positive family history does not independently influence prognosis in patients with bowel cancer.


Abstract. In most previous direct numerical simulation (DNS) studies on droplet growth in turbulence, condensational growth and collisional growth were treated separately. Studies in recent decades have postulated that small-scale turbulence may accelerate droplet collisions when droplets are still small when condensational growth is effective. This implies that both processes should be considered simultaneously to unveil the full history of droplet growth and rain formation. This paper introduces the first direct numerical simulation approach to explicitly study the continuous droplet growth by condensation and collisions inside an adiabatic ascending cloud parcel. Results from the condensation-only, collision-only, and condensation–collision experiments are compared to examine the contribution to the broadening of droplet size distribution (DSD) by the individual process and by the combined processes. Simulations of different turbulent intensities are conducted to investigate the impact of turbulence on each process and on the condensation-induced collisions. The results show that the condensational process promotes the collisions in a turbulent environment and reduces the collisions when in still air, indicating a positive impact of condensation on turbulent collisions. This work suggests the necessity of including both processes simultaneously when studying droplet–turbulence interaction to quantify the turbulence effect on the evolution of cloud droplet spectrum and rain formation.


This article clarifies the origins of the field of transitional justice and its preliminary conceptual boundaries. I argue that the field began to emerge in the late 1980s, as a consequence of new practical conditions that human rights activists faced in countries such as Argentina, where authoritarian regimes had been replaced by more democratic ones. The turn away from "naming and shaming" and toward accountability for past abuse among human rights activists was taken up at the international level, where the focus on political change as "transition to democracy" helped to legitimate those claims to justice that prioritized legal-institutional reforms and responses—such as punishing leaders, vetting abusive security forces, and replacing state secrecy with truth and transparency—over other claims to justice that were oriented toward social justice and redistribution. I end by discussing the many ways in which these initial conceptual boundaries have since been tested and expanded.


Aims: To evaluate the impact of amyloid PET imaging on diagnosis and patient management in a multicenter, randomized, controlled study. Methods: Physicians identified patients seeking a diagnosis for mild cognitive impairment or dementia, possibly due to Alzheimer disease (AD), and recorded a working diagnosis and a management plan. The patients underwent florbetapir PET scanning and were randomized to either immediate or delayed (1-year) feedback regarding amyloid status. At the 3-month visit, the physician updated the diagnosis and recorded a summary of the actual patient management since the post-scan visit. The study examined the impact of immediate versus delayed feedback on patient diagnosis/management at 3 and 12 months. Results: A total of 618 subjects were randomized (1:1) to immediate or delayed feedback arms, and 602 subjects completed the 3-month primary endpoint visit. A higher proportion of patients in the immediate feedback arm showed a change in diagnosis compared to the controls (32.6 vs. 6.4%; p = 0.0001). Similarly, a higher proportion of patients receiving immediate feedback had a change in management plan (68 vs. 55.5%; p < 0.002), mainly driven by changes in AD medication. Specifically, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors were prescribed to 67% of the amyloid-positive and 27% of the amyloid-negative subjects in the information group compared with 56 and 43%, respectively, in the control group (p < 0.0001). These between-group differences persisted until the 12-month visit. Conclusion: Knowledge of the amyloid status affects the diagnosis and alters patient management.


Grand Theft Auto (GTA) games are highly successful, in terms of sales, and their content is part of an explicit business strategy which aims to exploit the latest technologies and platforms to develop content aimed at adult game players in certain markets. By all accounts this has been a highly successful strategy with the GTA franchise selling more than 30 million units across platforms by 2004, even before Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (GTA SA) was launched in late 2004 (Take Two Interactive 2004). The latter was the top selling console game in the USA and in the top ten in the UK in 2005. At the same time the GTA series are arguably the most maligned of game products in many markets attracting much negative commentary and numerous legal actions in the USA. This chapter argues that the GTA case demonstrates a key tension within the cultural industries between the need to maximise sales globally and the need to conform to, or be seen to conform to, local distribution, social and moral systems. At the same time the story demonstrates that despite the widespread rhetoric of free trade and the dismantling of state sanctioned censorship systems in the USA, most parts of Europe and Australia, the censorship of cultural products continues and is perhaps a less overt, but nonetheless, highly political, socially negotiated and nationally specific process.


Labor market dynamics and the expectations of finding a job are believed to be strong determinants of individuals' educational decisions. Thus, the academic performance and permanency of students in the school system are closely related to their perceptions of unemployment. The impact of high unemployment rates on schooling decisions may operate through, at least, two effects: a "family" effect, which urges individuals to dropout owing to limited access to educational resources, and a "local labor market" effect that encourages them to remain in school. In this paper we, specifically, analyze the impact of a household's labor market situation and the effect of local labor unemployment on i) the risk of early school dropout and ii) academic performance, which typically declines before the decision to dropout is taken. These relations are assessed via a set of multilevel linear and logistic regression analyses using PISA 2006, 2009 and 2012 microdata. Results suggest that both parental unemployment and local labor market unemployment increase the risk of school dropout by reducing student academic performance. However, the negative "family" and "local labor market" effects seem to decrease as labor market conditions worsen.


We investigate spectroscopic imaging ellipsometry for monitoring biomolecules at surfaces of nanoparticles. For the modeling of polarimetric light scattering off surface-adsorbed core-shell nanoparticles, we employ an extension of the exact solution for the scattering by particles near a substrate presented by Bobbert and Vlieger, which offers insight beyond that of the Maxwell-Garnett effective medium approximation. Varying thickness and refractive index of a model bio-organic shell results in systematic and characteristic changes in spectroscopic parameters [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. The salient features and trends in modeled spectra are in qualitative agreement with experimental data for antibody immobilization and fibronectin biorecognition at surfaces of gold nanoparticles on a silicon substrate, but achieving a full quantitative agreement will require including additional effects, such as nanoparticle-substrate interactions, into the model.


Part 1. An Absolute Method for the Measurement of Reflectivity. Because of the difficulty in establishing reflectivity standards for use in the measurement of reflectivity by comparison, the present method was developed to allow the measurement of absolute reflectivity at perfectly normal incidence. A glass cube with a semi-metallised surface was mounted in the centre of a horizontal circle goniometer, a photomultiplier clamped over the viewing telescope and the specimen supported in front of the glass cube. Monochromatic plane polarised light was passed through a system of lenses which cause the now parallel light beam, after passing through the cube, to fall on the specimen surface with perfectly normal incidence. Facility is provided for measurements in both air and oil. A mathematical treatment of the intensity relationships of the various direct and reflected light rays is given, from which the reflectivity of the specimen (and also the glass cube) can be calculated. The reflectivity of several standard samples in both air and oil is recorded. Part 2. The Distribution of Heavy Metals in Granites. The present survey was conducted in order to extend the possible application of primary cycle geechemical prospecting. Nine different areas of Hercynian and Caledonian granites in Great Britain were studied and both trace and major element analyses recorded. Care was taken to include only unweathered samples for analyses, and three mineral fractions, namely, biotite, raiuscovite and feldspar plus quartz were separated and analysed independently. A method for calculating the plagioclase, orthoclase and quartz percentages in the feldspar plus quartz fraction by the use of x-ray diffraction is given. Analyses are included to show the variation of trace elements away from a mineral vein, the variation of element concentration within a given granite, and the number of samples required to detect a significant difference between two trace element populations. As well as discussing geochemical prospecting, details of the degree of fractionation and order of intrusion of different phases of the same granite, and comparisons between different granites, are given.


We consider a Darcy flow model with saturation-pressure relation extended
with a dynamic term, namely, the time derivative of the saturation.
This model was proposed in works of J.Hulshof and J.R.King (1998), S.M.Hassanizadeh and W.G.Gray (1993),
F.Stauffer (1978).
We restrict ourself to one spatial dimension and strictly positive
initial saturation. For this case we transform the initial-boundary value
problem into combination of elliptic boundary-value problem and initial
value problem for abstract Ordinary Differential Equation. This splitting
is rather helpful both for theoretical aspects and numerical methods.


Freshwater insect species and their host ecosystems are widely threatened. This is particularly so within the agricultural and urban landscapes of Mediterranean-type ecosystems, including those of the Cape Floristic Region (CFR), South Africa. The value of 18 artificial ponds in the CFR was determined for aquatic beetle and bug abundance and species richness, a topic that has been little explored in Africa in general.
In total, 17 814 aquatic beetle and bug individuals were sampled, from 94 taxa, representing 37 genera and 57 species. Bugs were much more abundant than beetles, representing 82% of all the individuals collected. The beetle and bug fauna showed high levels of endemism, with 36% restricted to the Western Cape Province.
Five distinct groupings based on species abundances were identified, revealing overall high dissimilarities between groups, ranging from 65% to 82%.
The associated physico-chemical characteristics of these sites were also investigated. The most important characteristics structuring pond communities were elevation, temperature, pH, pond size and flow regime. For bugs alone, the same variables, except elevation, were important. For beetles, only three variables were found to be most important in explaining community structure: elevation, pH, and flow regime.
Artificial ponds in the CFR increase the area of occupancy of these insects, and therefore play a major role in conserving them.

Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Blues singer, preacher, cultural critic, exile, Africadian, high modernist, spoken word artist, Canadian poet—these are but some of the voices of George Elliott Clarke. In a selection of Clarke's best work from his early poetry to his most recent, Blues and Bliss: The Poetry of George Elliott Clarke offers readers an impressive cross-section of those voices. Jon Paul Fiorentino's introduction focuses on this polyphony, his influences—Derek Walcott, Amiri Baraka, and the canon of literary English from Shakespeare to Yeats—and his "voice throwing," and shows how the intersections here produce a "troubling" of language. He sketches Clarke's primary interest in the negotiation of cultural space through adherence to and revision of tradition and on the finding of a vernacular that begins in exile, especially exile in relation to African-Canadian communities. In the afterword, Clarke, in an interesting re-spin of Fiorentino's introduction, writes with patented gusto about how his experiences have contributed to multiple sounds and forms in his work. Decrying any grandiose notions of theory, he presents himself as primarily a songwriter.


Humans use gestures in most communicative acts. How are these gestures initiated and performed? What kinds of communicative roles do they play and what kinds of meanings do they convey? How do listeners extract and understand these meanings? Will it be possible to build computerized communicating agents that can extract and understand the meanings and accordingly simulate and display expressive gestures on the computer in such a way that they can be effective conversational partners? All these questions are easy to ask, but far more difficult to answer. In the thesis we try to address these questions regarding the synthesis and acquisition of communicative gestures.
Our approach to gesture is based on the principles of movement observation science, specifically Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) and its Effort and Shape components. LMA, developed in the dance community over the past seventy years, is an effective method for observing, describing, notating, and interpreting human movement to enhance communication and expression in everyday and professional life. Its Effort and Shape component provide us with a comprehensive and valuable set of parameters to characterize gesture formation. The computational model (the EMOTE system) we have built offers power and flexibility to procedurally synthesize gestures based on predefined key pose and time information plus Effort and Shape qualities.
To provide real quantitative foundations for a complete communicative gesture model, we have built a computational framework where the observable characteristics of gestures—not only key pose and timing but also the underlying motion qualities—can be extracted from live performance, either in 3D motion capture data or in 2D video data, and correlated with observations validated by LMA notators. Experiments of this sort have not been conducted before and should be of interest not only to the computer animation and computer vision community but would be a powerful and valuable methodological tool for creating personalized, communicating agents.


Abstract. The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) and the Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT) will make global observations of the total column dry-air mole fraction of atmospheric CO2 (XCO2) starting in 2008. Although satellites have global coverage, XCO2 retrievals will be made only a few times each month over a given location and will only be sampled in clear conditions. Modelers will use XCO2 in atmospheric inversions to estimate carbon sources and sinks; however, if satellite measurements are used to represent temporal averages, modelers may incur temporal sampling errors. We investigate these errors using a global transport model. Temporal sampling errors vary with time and location, exhibit spatially coherent patterns, and are greatest over land and during summer. These errors often exceed 1 ppm and must be addressed in a data assimilation system by correct simulation of synoptic CO2 variations associated with cloud systems.


Background Clopidogrel is metabolised by CYP2C19 to the active metabolite responsible for the inhibition of platelet aggregation. The P-glycoprotein encoded by the ABCB1 gene is key in drug absorption. The effects differ according to genotype ABCB1 and CYP2C19. Intermediate and poor metabolizers and poor transporters (carriers of "loss of function" alleles: LOF) are responsible for the poor response to the antiplatelet drug. This evidence has not yet been demonstrated in patients with peripheral vascular disease of the lower limbs undergoing percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. Purpose To determine the occurrence of cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction, stroke, reoperation, PTA thrombosis, stent thrombosis, amputation and bypass) in patients undergoing PTA (+ - stent) for one year to monitor and study the association with the presence of genetic polymorphisms CYP2C19 and ABCB1. To determine the association between genetic polymorphisms and the Fontaine score (classification of ischemia). Material and methods 45 lower limb disease patients with atherosclerosis of the arteries following PTA treated with clopidogrel were recruited. We evaluated the combined effect of ABCB1 3435 C > T genotype, CYP2C19*2 and CYP2C19*3 genotype and rates of the primary efficacy endpoint including ACS, stroke, reoperation for lower limb thrombosis post-PTA, stent thrombosis, bypass reconversion and amputation during 6 and/or 12 months after the prescription of clopidogrel, and other clinical parameters used to evaluate the clinical condition of the patients: intermittent claudication, toe-brachial pressure index (TBPI), arterial PVR test, Fontaine/Rutherford score measured at 6 and/or 12 months after the start of clopidogrel. Results Subjects carrying at least one CYP2C19 reduced function allele and/or ABCB1 TT had a significantly higher risk of the primary endpoint (OR = 6.0, 95% CI 1.53–23.53, p = 0.010) than non-carriers patients. LOF patients were associated with a worse Fontaine/Rutherford score evolution than non-LOF patients (p < 0.0001, OR = 21.35 (3.85–118.35). Conclusion CYP2C19 and ABCB1 polymorphisms could be used as genetic markers of cardiovascular events in vascular pathology. References and/or acknowledgements No conflict of interest.


By far the most popular method to account for dependencies in the transportation network analysis literature is the use of the multivariate normal (MVN) distribution. While in certain cases there is some theoretical underpinning for the MVN assumption, in others there is none. This can lead to misleading results: results do not only depend on whether dependence is modeled, but also how dependence is modeled. When assuming the MVN distribution, one is limiting oneself to a specific set of dependency structures, which can substantially limit validity of results. In this paper a more flexible, correlation-based approach (where just marginal distributions and their correlations are specified) is proposed, and it is demonstrated that, in simulation studies, such an approach is a generalization of the MVN assumption. The need for such generalization is particularly critical in the transportation network modeling literature, where oftentimes there exists no or insufficient data to estimate probability distributions, so that sensitivity analyses assuming different dependence structures could be extremely valuable. However, the proposed method has its own drawbacks. For example, it is again not able to exhaust all possible dependence forms and it relies on some not-so-known properties of the correlation coefficient.


A new connection system for a concrete filled steel tube composite column and reinforced concrete beams is proposed. In this connection, the steel tube is interrupted while the reinforced concrete beams are continuous in the joint zone. Multiple lateral hoops that constitute the stiffening ring are used to confine the core concrete in the connection zone. The transfer of moment at the beam ends can be ensured by continuous rebars; the weakening of the axial load bearing capacity due to the interruption of the steel tube can be compensated by the confinement of the stiffening ring. Using these configurations, concrete casting and tube lifting can be made more convenient since welding and hole drilling in situ can be avoided. Axial compression experiments on six specimens and reversed cyclic loading tests on three interior column specimens and three corner column specimens were conducted to evaluate this new beam-column system; load-deflection performance, typical failure modes, stress and strain distributions, and the energy dissipation capacity were obtained. The experimental results showed that the effective confinement can be achieved by the stiffening ring, and an excellent axial bearing capacity can be obtained, as well as a superior ductility and energy dissipation capacity. As a new connection system for the concrete filled steel tube composite column with reinforced concrete beams, it can also be applied to other types of confined concrete columns.


As many distributed mission-critical systems have taken advantage of Internet connectivity, malicious cyber attacks seriously threat the availability of such systems, due to the lack of infrastructure-level protection on the Internet. In this paper, we propose a trust-based protection framework to address this issue. To encourage users to secure their systems and gradually remove pervasive security issues on end systems, we argue that we should have positive mechanisms to award more secure systems, e.g., by enabling better service for these systems. Since mission-critical systems are usually well-managed and more secure than common user systems, the proposed framework enables the network infrastructure to provide better network services for these more trusted systems. This position paper simply outlines the key components of the framework and discusses related research issues. We are working on the full design and analysis.


BACKGROUND: Pertussis is poorly controlled, with the highest rates of morbidity and mortality among infants. Although the source of infant pertussis is often unknown, when identified, mothers have historically been the most common reservoir of transmission. Despite high vaccination coverage, disease incidence has been increasing. We examined whether infant source of infection (SOI) has changed in the United States in light of the changing epidemiology. METHODS: Cases <1 year old were identified at Enhanced Pertussis Surveillance sites between January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2013. SOI was collected during patient interview and was defined as a suspected pertussis case in contact with the infant case 7 to 20 days before infant cough onset. RESULTS: A total of 1306 infant cases were identified; 24.2% were <2 months old. An SOI was identified for 569 cases. Infants 0 to 1 months old were more likely to have an SOI identified than 2- to 11-month-olds (54.1% vs 40.2%, respectively; P < .0001). More than 66% of SOIs were immediate family members, most commonly siblings (35.5%), mothers (20.6%), and fathers (10.0%); mothers predominated until the transition to siblings beginning in 2008. Overall, the SOI median age was 14 years (range: 0–74 years); median age for sibling SOIs was 8 years. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to previous studies, our data suggest that the most common source of transmission to infants is now siblings. While continued monitoring of SOIs will optimize pertussis prevention strategies, recommendations for vaccination during pregnancy should directly increase protection of infants, regardless of SOI.


This critical literature review was conducted to identify both individualand environmentallevel social determinants of health using an ecological framework as a way to contextualize risk for, and distributions of, late HIV diagnosis among African Americans and Latinos in the United States. Background: Late diagnosis, defined as a diagnosis of AIDS simultaneously with or within one year of an initial HIV diagnosis,1 disproportionately affects African American and Latino communities;2,3 disparities in this health problem thus represent a preventable inequity. Such disparities affect not only late diagnosed individuals but also population levels of HIV incidence, as transmission is unhindered before diagnosis.4,5 Methods: A total of 26 unduplicated studies in 26 peer-reviewed articles were analyzed within a social ecological conceptual framework. Both quantitative and qualitative studies of factors influencing HIV testing were reviewed. To be included, studies had to have been conducted in the United States, published in English within the past 11 years, and to have focused on Latino or African American populations and/or on racial disparities between these and other populations. Findings: The majority of studies on racial disparities in HIV testing and diagnosis have been either cross-sectional1,2,6–11 or focused on one racial or ethnic group, often in one geographic location.12–18 In all studies that compared racial and ethnic groups (n=17), Latinos and African Americans were more likely to receive a late diagnosis3,19 than nonHispanic Whites or Asian Americans. 95.8% (n= 23) of the reviewed studies focused on individual level risk factors or investigated structural barriers via measurements at the individual level. Next Steps: Both more quantitative and qualitative studies are needed that will enhance understanding of the social determinants of HIV testing behavior among at-risk groups by measuring variables at the appropriate rung of the ecological model, and not solely on the individual level. Studies that investigate barriers to and facilitators of HIV testing in 2 Social Determinants of Late Stage HIV Diagnosis and its Distributions among African Americans and Latinos: A critical literature Review Chopel et al. Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice Volume 8, Issue 4 Fall 2015 http://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/jhdrp/ partnership with communities will help further interventions that can reduce racial/ethnic disparities in late diagnosed HIV/AIDS.


Information systems for business are frequently heavily reliant on software. Two important feedback-related effects of embedding software in a business process are identified. First, the system dynamics of the software maintenance process can become complex, particularly in the number and scope of the feedback loops. Secondly, responsiveness to feedback can have a big effect on the evolvability of the information system. Ways have been explored to provide an effective mechanism for improving the quality of feedback between stakeholders during software maintenance. Understanding can be improved by using representations of information systems that are both service-based and architectural in scope. The conflicting forces that encourage change or stability can be resolved using patterns and pattern languages. A morphology of information systems pattern languages has been described to facilitate the identification and reuse of patterns and pattern languages. The kind of planning process needed to achieve consensus on a system's evolution is also considered.


The correct scientific and critical analysis of the generally accepted foundations of classical mechanics is proposed. The methodological basis for the analysis is the unity of formal logic and of rational dialectics. The main results of the analysis are as follows: (1) the correct starting point of kinematics is formulated: the informational  definition of the concept of time; definitions of the concepts of motion, speed, and acceleration of material point in the metric system of coordinates; the principle of motion of quantum particle (photon); proof of the mathematical, physical, and formal-logical erroneousness (fallaciousness) of Lorentz transformations; (2) the correct starting point of dynamics is formulated: the definition of force as a physical property of the structure of the system of the interacting objects; (3) the correct starting point of the theory of gravitation is formulated: the condition of existence of the gravitational interaction which represents the condition of existence of the region of overlap (superposition, intersection) of the gravitational fields of the material objects; (4) the correct formulation of the law of gravitation within the framework of the system approach is given (the formulation represents the system of the proportions); (5) it is proved that the formulation of Newton's empirical law of gravitation represents the formal-logical and dialectical errors. Keywords : general physics, special relativity, quantum mechanics, classical mechanics, formalisms in classical mechanics, Newtonian mechanics, post-Newtonian approximation, gravity, philosophy of science, history of science. PACS:  01.55.+b, 01.65.+g, 01.70.+w, 02.90.+p, 03.30.+p, 03.65.-w, 04.25.Nx, 45.05.+x,  45.20.-d,  45.20.D-


Finding accurate predictors of tertiary academic performance, specifically for disadvantaged students, is essential because of budget constraints and the need of the labour market to address employment equity. Increased retention, throughput and decreased dropout rates are vital. When making admission decisions, the under preparedness of students necessitates that their potential cognitive abilities should be assessed rather than their current abilities. In predicting their academic performance, it is argued that conventional psychometric tests are less suitable for the selection of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, because they are a static measure of current abilities which gives no indication of the student's potential to learn when in an optimum environment. The predictive validity of the Potential Index Battery, the Learning Potential Computerised Adaptive Test and school-leaving results in selection, were determined by calculating the correlation of these measures with academic performance over the full duration of the students' studies. Statistically significant correlations were found, thus indicating that the learning potential test had higher predictive powers than static measures of cognitive ability and school-leaving results, in predicting future academic performance.


It is now more than two decades since the world stood idly by, witnessing the genocide taking place in Rwanda in 1994. During the one hundred days of killing nearly one million men, women and children were murdered. In many ways, the genocide against the Tutsi marked the victory of evil: not only were people murdered by their own countrymen, neighbors, friends, and religious leaders, but it was a genocide that had been foreseen and that could have been prevented. This book explores the genocide's historical background, the genocidal ideology and political context (its perpetrators and victims, and the strategy and 'methodology' of the killings); its international dimensions (in particular the involvement or calculated non-involvement of France, the U.S., Belgium, the UN and the other African countries); and the dire question of whether the world could have prevented the massacre. It further draws parallels between the genocide against the Tutsi and other genocides in the twentieth century; and relates to the policy of punishing murderers by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha, Tanzania, and to the traditional judicial system called gacaca. Finally, it dwells briefly on what happened in Rwanda after the genocide.


Enterprise Network Testing Testing Throughout the Network Lifecycle to Maximize Availability and Performance Andy Sholomon, CCIE No. 15179 Tom Kunath, CCIE No. 1679 The complete guide to using testing to reduce risk and downtime in advanced enterprise networks Testing has become crucial to meeting enterprise expectations of near-zero network downtime. Enterprise Network Testing is the first comprehensive guide to all facets of enterprise network testing. Cisco enterprise consultants Andy Sholomon and Tom Kunath offer a complete blueprint and best-practice methodologies for testing any new network system, product, solution, or advanced technology. Sholomon and Kunath begin by explaining why it is important to test and how network professionals can leverage structured system testing to meet specific business goals. Then, drawing on their extensive experience with enterprise clients, they present several detailed case studies. Through real-world examples, you learn how to test architectural proofs of concept, specific network features, network readiness for use, migration processes, security, and more. Enterprise Network Testing contains easy-to-adapt reference test plans for branches, WANs/MANs, data centers, and campuses. The authors also offer specific guidance on testing many key network technologies, including MPLS/VPN, QoS, VoIP, video, IPsec VPNs, advanced routing (OSPF, EIGRP, BGP), and Data Center Fabrics. Understand why, when, and how you should test your network Use testing to discover critical network design flaws Incorporate structured systems testing into enterprise architecture strategy Utilize testing to improve decision-making throughout the network lifecycle Develop an effective testing organization and lab facility Choose and use test services providers Scope, plan, and manage network test assignments nLeverage the best commercial, free, and IOS test tools Successfully execute test plans, including crucial low-level details Minimize the equipment required to test large-scale networks Identify gaps in network readiness Validate and refine device configurations Certify new hardware, operating systems, and software features Test data center performance and scalability Leverage test labs for hands-on technology training This book is part of the Networking Technology Series from Cisco Press, which offers networking professionals valuable information for constructing efficient networks, understanding new technologies, and building successful careers.


End-to-end (E2E) automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems often have difficulty recognizing uncommon words, that appear infrequently in the training data. One promising method, to improve the recognition accuracy on such rare words, is to latch onto personalized/contextual information at inference. In this work, we present a novel context-aware transformer transducer (CATT) network that improves the state-of-the-art transformer-based ASR system by taking advantage of such contextual signals. Specifically, we propose a multi-head attention-based context-biasing network, which is jointly trained with the rest of the ASR sub-networks. We explore different techniques to encode contextual data and to create the final attention context vectors. We also leverage both BLSTM and pretrained BERT based models to encode contextual data and guide the network training. Using an in-house far-field dataset, we show that CATT, using a BERT based context encoder, improves the word error rate of the baseline transformer transducer and outperforms an existing deep contextual model by 24.2% and 19.4% respectively.


The architectural heritage is subjected to various risk factors like the lack of maintenance, the material decay and the external solicitations. Nowadays, due to the ever-increasing demand for urban space, a relevant cause of structural damage that the historical buildings experience is the ground settlement due to excavation works. In the city of Amsterdam, for example, the construction of the new North-South metro line will involve an area characterized by the presence of many ancient masonry buildings. A fundamental phase of the design of this kind of projects is the assessment of the risk of subsidence which can affect the existing structures. The actual method to perform this assessment provides for a preliminary screening of the buildings located in the area surrounding the excavation, in order to evaluate which structures are at risk of settlement induced damage. It is based on the simplification of the building as a linear elastic beam and the assumption of the absence of interaction between the soil and the structure. An improved classification system should take into account the main parameters which influence the structural response, like the nonlinear behaviour of the building and the role played by the foundation in the soil-structure interaction. In this paper, the effect on the damage mechanism of the excavation advance and the location of the tunnel with respect to the building is evaluated. Numerical analyses are performed in order to understand the effect of different settlement profiles of the ground. A coupled model of the structure and the soil is evaluated, taking into account a damage model for the masonry building and the nonlinear behaviour of the soil-structure interaction. This paper demonstrates the importance of 3D modelling; neglecting the tunnel advance can lead to an underestimation of the damage.


Enterprising Rural Families (ERFTM) is an international course for the rural family in business. ERFTM teaches a process of finding success, resilience and satisfaction for rural families engaged in enterprises; including agriculture. Instructors from the United States, Canada and Australia have teamed together to offer this course that focuses on the three main components of a family business: individuals, the family unit and the business enterprise. This course also allows families in business to increase their awareness of cultural differences and similarities and improve their understanding of global issues. The course consists of written presentations, online chat sessions, threaded discussions, readings, videos, case studies and individual projects. Using these mechanisms, the online interaction provides rural families with both the tools and skills to resolve immediate family business issues and build a profitable business for the future.


This Article examines the legal tensions that currently exist between public schools' attempts to protect gay students from bullying and harassment and antigay students' First Amendment rights to engage in allegedly harassing speech. First, it looks at the popular conception of the relationship between childhood or adolescence and sexuality by considering the political and legal fallout of the same-sex marriage debate. Then this Article turns to a conception of public schooling that would allow for the constitutionally permissible regulation of antigay-identity speech. Next, through the use of critical theory, this Article explains why First Amendment defenses to gay harassment have such widespread appeal. Finally, this Article looks at the recent case law involving the so-called t-shirt wars and critiques the dominant legal approach that leaves gay students vulnerable to constitutionally sustained harassment within the confines of the public schools.


This paper discusses an iAnnotate feedback model used by the authors to comment on written work in first-year writing courses. We aim to show that the use of iAnnotate, like other emergent technologies, mitigated a number of issues that regularly undermine high-quality feedback (such as the time it takes for instructors to write detailed comments and the challenge for students to read illegible handwriting or to keep track of hard copies of their papers).  Yet, we contend that our feedback model goes beyond these practical benefits and, more importantly, enhances student learning.  Specifically, we argue that it aligns instructor and student standards, elucidates for students the different types of comments instructors make (and clarifies that they ought to prioritize some comments over others), helps students and instructors identify recurrences and  patterns of comments (thus also helping students and instructors diagnose general writing strengths and weaknesses), and conditions students to engage with feedback not only as a justification of their grade, but as a launching point from which they can develop as thinkers and writers.  The success of this feedback model is partly attributable to the features of iAnnotate and partly attributable to the classroom complements we designed as part of the feedback model.


The relationship between maternal exposure to air pollution during periods of pregnancy (entire and specific periods) and birth weight was investigated in a well-defined cohort. Between 1988 and 1991, all pregnant women living in four residential areas of Beijing were registered and followed from early pregnancy until delivery. Information on individual mothers and infants was collected. Daily air pollution data were obtained independently. The sample for analysis included 74,671 first-parity live births were gestational age 37-44 weeks. Multiple linear regression and logistic regression were used to estimate the effects of air pollution on birth weight and low birth weight (< 2,500 g), adjusting for gestational age, residence, year of birth, maternal age, and infant gender. There was a significant exposure-response relationship between maternal exposures to sulfur dioxide (SO2) and total suspended particles (TSP) during the third trimester of pregnancy and infant birth weight. The adjusted odds ratio for low birth weight was 1.11 (95% CI, 1.06-1.16) for each 100 micrograms/m3 increase in SO2 and 1.10 (95% CI, 1.05-1.14) for each 100 micrograms/m3 increase in TSP. The estimated reduction in birth weight was 7.3 g and 6.9 g for each 100 micrograms/m3 increase in SO2 and in TSP, respectively. The birth weight distribution of the high-exposure group was more skewed toward the left tail (i.e., with higher proportion of births < 2,500 g) than that of the low-exposure group. Although the effects of other unmeasured risk factors cannot be excluded with certainty, our data suggests that TSP and SO2, or a more complex pollution mixture associated with these pollutants, contribute to an excess risk of low birth weight in the Beijing population. ImagesFigure 1.Figure 2.Figure 3.Figure 4.Figure 5.


Despite much controversy and criticism, the class action is alive and well. In particular, the injunctive remedy, requiring the defendant to change some aspect of its business practice, has become a common feature of class action settlements. This article explores a taxonomically distinct remedial category of injunction that has, as of yet, not generally been considered by courts and scholars as such: the prospective injunctive remedy. We demonstrate how the prospective injunctive remedy operates and argue that, in light of the special policy and legal problems it creates, courts should observe a presumption against approving settlements that contain provisions for prospective injunctive relief. In Part I we show how the parties to a class action have, in general, no incentive to benefit either absent class members or society at large and therefore require courts to police them to ensure justice. In Part II we describe the public law underpinnings of prospective injunctive relief and provide three case studies of consumer class actions that demonstrate how and why courts fail to accurately police this relief in the private law context. We compare the approved relief in these cases to the regulatory regimes they disrupt to argue that courts in this way allow class action litigation to produce bad public policy. In Part III we explore the ways in which these prospective remedies likewise produce bad law: namely, through the inappropriate creation of regulatory preemption and the potential violations of attorney-client fiduciary duty, the adequacy requirement of Rule 23(a)(4), and constitutional standing requirements. In Part IV we consider counterarguments and in Part V we conclude.


Having the right information in the right place at the right time is fundamental although not easy for the making of significant business decisions and staying competitive. Competitive Intelligence CI allows the scanning of the environment, the recognition of risks and opportunities in the competitive arena and a better understanding of today & tomorrow's information requirements with the support of Business Intelligence BI Software. Choosing the right BI software is critical to increase productivity and effectiveness in the organization. At the same time a very elaborating and complex process due to the fact that numerous vendors exist on the market most of which are updated very rapidly besides most of BI software selection criteria already used are vague and not complete. It is also difficult to evaluate BI effectiveness as a tool in conjunction with supporting the CI cycle different phases. The objective of this study is to develop a model and test it on a small sample of BI vendors to support organizations in selecting the BI Software that best fits their business needs as well as differentiating between different vendors in this area while developing a reliable categorization. It is the answer to the criticism of criteria selected in other BI Software evaluations today. The major criticism is that software calling themselves BI only cover parts of the Intelligence Cycle. A comprehensive review on CI concepts, BI software functions along with previous BI software evaluations have been conducted in order to fulfill the first objective of the study (The model). Moreover, qualitative empirical study using the model developed was carried out to fulfill the other objectives by evaluating a chosen sample of BI software vendors. The study was able to develop what has been called the Solberg Soilen Amara Vriens Model for evaluating BI software after its authors, that consists of technological variables that covers the BI function along with the variables for measuring the level of CI Cycle phases support on a (5) point Likert scale. Subsequently, it tested the model on a limited sample of BI Software vendors. Moreover, the findings of the study also revealed that it is difficult to declare the most competitive BI software as what is good for one user might not be good for the other depending on their varied business needs. Furthermore, the study initiated a new classification of BI Software vendors depending on their support of the CI cycle phases and divided them into five categories including: Fully complete, Complete, Semi Complete, Incomplete and Insubstantial. Finally, the SSAV Model Together with some proposed non technological variables and the classification developed can be used as a user's selection foundation when deciding upon which BI Software to pursue.


The stimulation of electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves by a magnetospheric compression is perhaps the closest thing to a controlled experiment that is currently possible in magnetospheric physics, in that one prominent factor that can increase wave growth acts at a well‐defined time. We present a detailed analysis of EMIC waves observed in the outer dayside magnetosphere by the four Magnetosphere Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft, Van Allen Probe A, and GOES 13 and by four very high latitude ground magnetometer stations in the western hemisphere before, during, and after a modest interplanetary shock on 14 December 2015. Analysis shows several features consistent with current theory, as well as some unexpected features. During the most intense MMS wave burst, which began ~ 1 min after the end of a brief magnetosheath incursion, independent transverse EMIC waves with orthogonal linear polarizations appeared simultaneously at all four spacecraft. He++ band EMIC waves were observed by MMS inside the magnetosphere, whereas almost all previous studies of He++ band EMIC waves observed them only in the magnetosheath and magnetopause boundary layers. Transverse EMIC waves also appeared at Van Allen Probe A and GOES 13 very near the times when the magnetic field compression reached their locations, indicating that the compression lowered the instability threshold to allow for EMIC wave generation throughout the outer dayside magnetosphere. The timing of the EMIC waves at both MMS and Van Allen Probe A was consistent with theoretical expectations for EMIC instabilities based on characteristics of the proton distributions observed by instruments on these spacecraft.


The Debate section of the Review aims to contribute to reflection on contemporary questions of humanitarian law, policy or action. In this issue of the Review, we invited two experts in international humanitarian law (IHL) – Claus Kreβ and Frédéric Mégret – to debate on how IHL applicable in non-international armed conflict (NIAC) should develop. In the two pieces that follow, Professor Kreβ submits for debate a new norm of international law outlawing NIACs – a jus contra bellum internum – with a corresponding set of rules applicable in NIACs – a jus in bello interno. The jus in bello interno would give the "privilege of belligerency" – akin to combatants' privilege in international armed conflicts – to non-State actors in NIACs, providing an incentive for them to comply with these new rules of civil war. Frédéric Mégret critically examines the proposed privilege of belligerency, pointing out its problematic aspects and positing that the creation of such a privilege is, in fact, not desirable.


Experimental studies assessing the potential impacts of ocean acidification on marine organisms have rapidly expanded and produced a wealth of empirical data over the past decade. This perspective examines four key areas of transformative developments in experimental approaches: (1) methodological advances; (2) advances in elucidating physiological and molecular mechanisms behind observed CO2effects; (3) recognition of short-term CO2variability as a likely modifier of species sensitivities (Ocean Variability Hypothesis); and (4) consensus on the multistressor nature of marine climate change where effect interactions are still challenging to anticipate. No single experiment allows predicting the fate of future populations. But sustaining the accumulation of empirical evidence is critical for more robust estimates of species reaction norms and thus for enabling better modeling approaches. Moreover, advanced experimental approaches are needed to address knowledge gaps including changes in species interactions and intraspecific variability in sensitivity and its importance for the adaptation potential of marine organisms to a high CO2world.


We present optical light curves, redshifts, and classifications for spectroscopically confirmed Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) discovered by the Pan-STARRS1 (PS1) Medium Deep Survey. We detail improvements to the PS1 SN photometry, astrometry, and calibration that reduce the systematic uncertainties in the PS1 SN Ia distances. We combine the subset of PS1 SNe Ia (0.03 < z < 0.68) with useful distance estimates of SNe Ia from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), SNLS, and various low-z and Hubble Space Telescope samples to form the largest combined sample of SNe Ia, consisting of a total of SNe Ia in the range of 0.01 < z < 2.3, which we call the "Pantheon Sample." When combining Planck 2015 cosmic microwave background (CMB) measurements with the Pantheon SN sample, we find and for the wCDM model. When the SN and CMB constraints are combined with constraints from BAO and local H0 measurements, the analysis yields the most precise measurement of dark energy to date: and for the CDM model. Tension with a cosmological constant previously seen in an analysis of PS1 and low-z SNe has diminished after an increase of 2× in the statistics of the PS1 sample, improved calibration and photometry, and stricter light-curve quality cuts. We find that the systematic uncertainties in our measurements of dark energy are almost as large as the statistical uncertainties, primarily due to limitations of modeling the low-redshift sample. This must be addressed for future progress in using SNe Ia to measure dark energy.


Purpose- The aim of this study is to enhance the understanding of changes in the psychological contracts of individuals during the economic crisis and the processual nature of experience using a sense-making perspective. Design/approach- Three case studies were conducted in three different organisations (Org-Energy, Org-HR and Org-Construction) in three different industries based in India. In total, 31 semi-structured interviews were conducted with leaders and employees in all three organisations to gain insights into their experiences of the changes implemented during the economic crisis. Findings- The findings present a complicated picture of psychological contracts which involve more than mere inducement-contribution exchange. The findings further highlight a range of cognitive, emotional and behavioural responses to change which were partly influenced by the perceived changes in the psychological contract. The findings also point to the role situational contingencies and other factors play in terms of influencing psychological contracts and participants' responses in the context of the economic crisis. The most significant finding of this research is the role the mass media plays in influencing people's perceptions of their psychological contracts, especially during an economic crisis. Research Implications- The findings offer a basis for future research that could explore the role of national cultures, gender, contemporary media, emotional intelligence and personalities, competing commitments and life outside the workplace in evaluating the psychological contracts and people's perceptions of change. Originality- This study provides insights into the role of context in influencing psychological contracts - an area which is under-researched. This study is one of the rare pure qualitative studies being carried out on the psychological contracts held by both parties in the employment relationship during the global economic crisis 2008.


This thesis aims at investigating women's force in development through engagement in informal, small-scale entrepreneurship. During fieldwork in Babati, Tanzania, network analyses and semi-structured interviews have been conducted, capturing responsibilities, challenges and opportunities of informal women entrepreneurs. The theoretical framework centres socio-economic analyses, through development and feminist economics. Two theories, about development through capital accumulation and cumulative processes, are compared and supplemented with a gender and empowerment perspective. The results are presented through narratives, complemented with a general picture. It is concluded that informal female entrepreneurs are important in development of Babati. They face challenges due to economic, social and gender-related conditions such as lack of capital, high interest rates, poverty, lack of education, malfunctioning government, discouraging men, and increased workload from domestic responsibilities. Their complex, informal networks, based on cooperation and solidarity, are seen as a driver in development. Top-down policies that fight gender norms, empower women, and identify informal workers can improve their situation, but for these to trickle down, a bottom-up approach is required. This thesis pushes for recognising that people living in poverty contribute to economic growth and development, and that empowerment of informal women entrepreneurs is essential for a profound, pro-poor development that trickles up.


BACKGROUND
Vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG) is sometimes associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and long-time failure in weight loss. This situation is a problem; one therapeutic option is a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGBP).

OBJECTIVE
To analyze the perspective of laparoscopic surgical treatment in a patient with persistent GERD after traditional bariatric surgery for morbid obesity management.

CASE REPORT
A 48-year-old woman with morbid obesity, body mass index (BMI) of 46 kg/m(2), and high blood pressure underwent VBG (open surgery, Mason's technique) in 1996 and decreased her BMI to 32 kg/m(2). Six years after initial surgery, she developed severe GERD resistant to medical treatment (omeprazol 80 mg/day) that was confirmed by 24-h esophageal pH monitoring (48 DeMeester normal) and esophageal manometry (low esophageal sphincter pressure) 5 mmHg). During these years, she increased BMI from 32 kg/m(2) to 40 kg/m(2). Laparoscopic conversion to RYGBP was performed.

RESULTS
Postoperative evolution was satisfactory with disappearance of GERD. Control 24-h esophageal pH monitoring reported 4 DeMeester normal. At 12-month follow-up, she decreased BMI to 27 kg/m(2).

CONCLUSIONS
Laparoscopic reoperative RYGBP is a viable surgical option in GERD treatment and obesity control.


Conceived in 1943, completed in 1945, and decommissioned in 1955, ENIAC (the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) was the first general-purpose programmable electronic computer. But ENIAC was more than just a milestone on the road to the modern computer. During its decade of operational life, ENIAC calculated sines and cosines and tested for statistical outliers, plotted the trajectories of bombs and shells, and ran the first numerical weather simulations. ENIAC in Action tells the whole story for the first time, from ENIAC's design, construction, testing, and use to its afterlife as part of computing folklore. It highlights the complex relationship of ENIAC and its designers to the revolutionary approaches to computer architecture and coding first documented by John von Neumann in 1945. Within this broad sweep, the authors emphasize the crucial but previously neglected years of 1947 to 1948, when ENIAC was reconfigured to run what the authors claim was the first modern computer program to be executed: a simulation of atomic fission for Los Alamos researchers. The authors view ENIAC from diverse perspectives -- as a machine of war, as the "first computer," as a material artifact constantly remade by its users, and as a subject of (contradictory) historical narratives. They integrate the history of the machine and its applications, describing the mathematicians, scientists, and engineers who proposed and designed ENIAC as well as the men -- and particularly the women who -- built, programmed, and operated it.


This thesis assesses the extent of social isolation experienced by Dutch and British 'children of the red flag', i.e. people who grew up in communist families during the Cold War. This study is a comparative research and focuses on the political and non-political aspects of the communist movement. By collating the existing body of biographical research and prosopographical literature with oral testimonies this thesis sets out to build a balanced picture of the British and Dutch communist movement.

The study is divided into two parts. Part I discusses the political life of communists within the wider context of the history of British and Dutch communist organizations (i.e. both communist parties and their youth organizations) from 1901-1970. Part II discusses the private and public life of British and Dutch communists in the period 1940-1970. The latter draws upon oral testimonies and questions if non-political aspects of communist life were based on a Soviet model. The experiences of communist children are explored into detail within the context of the following topics; political and cultural upbringing, prescription and aspirations, neighbourhood, school & education, work & employment, money & poverty and friendships & relationships. The interviews are being used as a means of testing the accuracy of two authors in particular; Jolande Withuis and Raphael Samuel, who both published pioneering works on communist mentality.

The originality of this project rests in its approach; it is a comparative research inspired by both oral history and memory studies. Instead of emphasizing the idea of a unified and centralized (international) communist movement, this thesis argues that cultural, social and political differences between Britain and the Netherlands fundamentally influenced the nature and form of their respective communist movement and explain the discrepancy between the Dutch and British respondents' experiences. Applying the comparative approach this study challenges the existing definitions of communist identity and as such it contributes to recent comparative studies of the communist movement as well as studies of communist mentality.