Besides being recorded as a traditional medicine, nowadays, plantain plants (Plantago sp.) are appreciated in many more aspects. Plantain is a name applied both to a drug and to a vegetable in a number of countries as Vietnam, China, Cambodia, Laos and North American Indians [9, 13]. Plantago sp. traditionally used for treating wound, fever and inflammation in Asia. This study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory activity of ethanolic extracts of Plantago sp. including P. major L. and P. depressa Willd. on RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cells. Cells were treated with different concentration of the PAE extract (50, 100, 200, 400 μg/mL) with or without lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation to evaluate its effect on cell viability, using CCK-8 assay. Nitric oxide (NO) production was assessed by Griess reagent on LPS-stimulated cells using preceding PEE treatment. Furthermore, mRNA expression of inflammmatory-related genes were evaluated by RT-PCR analysis. The results revealed that PEE treatment increased cell viability in naive cells whereas inhibited cell profileration in LPS-stimulated cell dose-dependently. In addition, NO emission and mRNA level of IL-1β, IL-6, iNOS, COX-2 and NF-κB decreased by dose dependant manner. As summary, PEE exhibits anti-inflammatory activity through inhibition of pro-inflammatory mediators mRNA expression in macrophages.


This report and the model contract clauses that it contains are an effort to help companies provide legally effective and operationally likely human rights protections for workers in international supply chains. The report is the product of the Working Group to Draft Human Rights Protections in International Supply Contracts, which is a unit of the American Bar Association Business Law Section. After identifying the problems, such as human trafficking and factory collapses as well as developing compliance obligations under federal, state, and foreign law, the report explains the difficulty of drafting legally effective clauses. Most of the issues result from the focus of established sales law on the conformity of the goods themselves rather than on the conditions under which the goods are made. Other issues stem from the tension between default remedies under sales law and the remedies that buyers and non-parties would prefer in the context of forced labor or other human rights violations. Accordingly, many clauses focus on warranty and remedies issues. In addition, disclaimers attempt to manage company risk by addressing theories of liability advanced in litigation (e.g., undertaking liability, peculiar risk doctrine, and third party beneficiaries). The contract clauses are drafted in the alternative so that they should work under the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), as it is in effect in most of the US, and under the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG), which applies to many international sales of goods. Extensive annotations based on legal research explain the drafting choices made.


Cortical microstimulation has been proposed as a method to deliver sensory percepts to circumvent damaged sen- sory receptors or pathways. However, much of perception involves the active movement of sensory organs and the integration of information across sensory and motor modalities. The efficacy of cortical microstimulation in such an active sensing paradigm has not been demonstrated. We report a novel behavioral paradigm which delivers microstimulation in real-time based on a rat's movements and show that rats can perform sensorimotor integra- tion with electrically delivered stimuli. Using a real-time whisker tracking system, we delivered microstimulation in barrel cortex of actively whisking rats when their whisker crossed a particular spatial location which defined the target. Rats learned to integrate microstimulation cues with their knowledge of whisker position to infer target location along the rostro-caudal axis in less than 200 ms. In a separate experiment, we found that rats trained to respond to cortical microstimulation responded similarly to whisker deflections while ignoring auditory distracters, suggesting that barrel cortex stimulation may be perceptually similar to somatosensory stimuli. This ability to deliver sensory percepts using cortical microstimulation in an active sensing system might have significant implications for the development of sensorimotor neuroprostheses.


ABSTRACT On 31 May 2007, with the cooperation of musicians from Kenyatta University1 and Goethe-Institute; (German cultural centre) in Nairobi, I had the privileged opportunity to share several premiere compositions with the audience in Nairobi as part of community reach out with 'art music'. Regarding music composition, Barret (2003) argues that composition assists in expressive meaning-making for both the composer and the audience. But then (he argues) meaning is 'culturally mediated…and is most effectively described as a dialogue between…the musician and the composer, the emerging musical work, the culture that produced the composer, and the emerging work'. For me personally, the compositions shared during the concert served several purposes – (a) sharing my creative world with the audience; (b) responding to music enthusiasts interests and academic requirements; (c) adding cultural capital to Kenyan art music; and (d) exploring some fundamental issues in meaning-making through music compositions. As Barret (2003) observes; Specific practices and connections, traditions from which they emerge become the cultural benchmarks against which other constructions and ways of communicating meaning are judged – and are often found deficient. In this paper I share some reflections of my creative exhibitions, my thoughts on meaningmaking and its unavoidable cultural underpinnings. At the same time, I interrogate some thoughts on the area of 'creativity', which is often considered abstract. Among the ideas discussed are the five discreet stages of 'creativity' as advanced by Wallas (1926) model of the process namely; (a) Preparation; (b) Incubation; (c) Intimation; (d) Illumination and (e) Verification. Ultimately, I hope that sharing this information will invigorate academic dialogue to contribute towards defining of current generation of 'Art Music' compositions in Kenya and ultimately for the benefit of the region (East Africa).


In several areas of computer science the possibility and efficiency of the solution is determined by information that is not accessible to the algorithm. Traditionally, a qualitative approach to the study of this information has been pursued, in which the impact of enhancing the algorithm with various specific types of information has been studied. Recently, a number of authors have proposed a quantitative approach, where the amount of the added information is studied in relation with the improvement of the quality or efficiency of the solution. We survey several recent examples of this approach from the area of distributed and online computing.


Objective – To determine how content-enriched catalogue records impact the circulation rates of print resources in four subject areas, and to investigate how this additional metadata influences OPAC searching and item retrieval.

Design – Analysis of circulation data, bibliographic records, and OPAC search logs.

Setting – A library at a four-year undergraduate residential college in the North-eastern United States.

Subjects – Bibliographic records for 88,538 titles; data from 7,782 circulation transactions; and 130 OPAC search strings and related circulation data.

Methods – In the first part of the study, bibliographic records for print items published since 1990 were extracted from the library's integrated library system (ILS) in the following Library of Congress (LC) classes: D, E, F, H, J, L, P, Q, R, S, and T. It is assumed that electronic books were excluded from this study because their usage is not tracked in the ILS. These LC classes were chosen to correspond to the subject areas targeted by the researchers for comparison – "history, social sciences, language and literature, and science and technology" (p. 416). The data file included the publication date of the title, as well as values for the MARC fields identified by the researchers as containing content-enriched data. These fields were MARC 505 (an item's table of contents or list of works included), MARC 520 (summaries or annotations), and MARC 856 (URL to electronic location of related material or electronic copy) (p. 416; Library of Congress Network Development and MARC Standards Office, 2003, 2008a, 2008b). The authors analyzed records for 88,538 titles and determined the total number of records containing each of the MARC fields either singly or in combination.

Data relating to circulation transactions for items located in these LC classes from January to May 2009 was also identified. Like the bibliographic records, circulation data was pulled for print items only. The researchers identified 7,782 circulation transactions that met the study criteria for the period in question.

In the second part of the study, circulation data for September 22, 2009 was obtained and sorted into the four subject categories identified in Part I of the study. The authors indicate that this date was chosen at random, but do not specify how. Researchers compared the records of the 133 titles borrowed that day from the LC classes studied to the OPAC search logs from September 16-22, 2009 to determine which searches led to the circulation of these items. The authors felt that searches resulting in checkouts on the day in question may have begun earlier in the week. The searches that led to borrowing were recorded and categorized as keyword, title, author, or other searches. If a user entered a title or author name into the keyword field, these were classed as known item searches in the appropriate categories. The authors identified and analyzed 130 searches relating to circulated items.

Main Results – In the first part of the study, the number of catalogue records that contained MARC 505, 520, and/or 856 fields significantly increased for titles published between 1990 and 2007, with a slight decrease in 2008. MARC 505 was the most common content-
enriched field until 2000, after which the presence of MARC 856 grew significantly. The MARC 520 field was used least often, making it difficult to draw firm conclusions about its impact on circulation.

The incidence of enhanced records was very low among older books in the study. Only 14.3% of items published between 1990 and 1994, and 19.3% of items published between 1995 and 1999, had records that contained MARC 505, 520, or 856 fields. In contrast, the percentage of enhanced records was very high (80.9%) for items published between 2005 and 2008. The authors acknowledged that these stark imbalances created skewed comparison data for items published in these date ranges. As such, they suggested that the data for titles published between 2000 and 2004 offered the most balanced comparison because the numbers of enhanced and non-enhanced records were almost equal. The overall circulation of items with enhanced records published between 2000 and 2004 was 2.9% higher than for items with non-enhanced records, constituting a relative percentage difference of 30.7%. The relative percentage difference in this period was higher for books in science and technology (36.9%), followed by history (34%), language and literature (30.6%), and social sciences (25.7%). Enhanced records also had a positive impact on circulation for items published between 1990 and 2000 over their non-enhanced counterparts; however, this positive growth levelled off for items published between 2005 and 2008, with almost equal circulation rates between items with enhanced and non-enhanced records during this period. The impact of the three MARC fields was examined, and the presence of the MARC 505 field was most associated with increased circulation rates, in part because it was the most commonly used field of the three for the period in question. The number of records with MARC 520 and 856 fields was not sufficient to draw firm conclusions about their impact on circulation. While not the focus of the study, the circulation data also suggested a preference for current titles among all four subject areas, most significantly among the social sciences and science and technology.

The second part of the study found that keyword searching was the most common strategy employed by patrons, with 49.6% of the 130 searches examined falling into this category. Keyword searches most commonly led to the borrowing of items from the history LC classes, while title searches were most common in science and technology. Known item searches (title or author) accounted for 45.9% of the overall searches analyzed. However, in most cases, the search terms used that led to a title circulating were found in the title and subject fields, rather than in a content-enriched MARC field. The researchers suggested that this may be due to the appearance of search results in the OPAC (brief rather than full record) and the way relevancy sorting was calculated, as contents notes were not given a high weighting in the OPAC's formula.

Conclusion – The study found that enhanced catalogue records led to higher circulation rates in the four subject areas studied. The increased proportion of content-enriched records in the overall catalogue in recent years suggested that their value had been recognized by the library. The limited role these enhanced fields played in the September 22, 2009 searches suggested that further work on improving how this information is displayed to users in the OPAC and sorted is needed. The researchers identified areas for future research including the role of the publication date and the impact of improvements to the display of content fields in the OPAC on the circulation of items with content-enriched records.


Objective . This study followed up, after a period of 20 years, a group of patients with schizophrenia who were considered to be at high risk for suicide. In Part 1 we reported on outcome and associated social factors, and in this paper we discuss re-evaluated suicide risk in these patients and investigate symptomatology and pharmacotherapy over the past two decades. Method . The subjects were interviewed and a questionnaire evaluating suicide risk was completed. The Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) was administered and ratings were compared with those from the original study. The Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS) was also administered. Crosstabulations were then performed to identify factors associated with increased suicide risk. For those subjects who had committed suicide since the original study, a psychological autopsy was performed. Results . Fourteen of the original 33 high-suicide-risk schizophrenia patients were traced. Three subjects had committed suicide during the 20-year period. Among the living subjects, risks for suicide were found to be lower than those 20 years ago. Hopelessness and depressive symptoms correlated with independently evaluated suicide risk. Social withdrawal, blunting of affect and delusions were also associated with elevated risk. Good insight into illness and a history of previous suicide attempts coincided with high suicide risk. Cannabis abuse and poor or periodic adherence to treatment, as well as weight gain, akathisia and parkinsonian adverse effects, were also associated with an increase in risk of suicide. Formal thought disorder, avolition and cognitive impairment were associated with a lower risk of suicide. Conclusion . Hopelessness, depression, certain positive symptoms and adverse effects of medication found to be associated with suicide risk in patients with schizophrenia in this study are in accord with those reported in the literature. Despite current knowledge about this subject, suicide remains notoriously and ominously unpredictable in patients with schizophrenia.


Background. Medical internship that entails training as a doctor and working in an accredited facility under supervision within the limits of a well-defined scope prepares the professional for independent, competent, ethical medical practice. In South Africa medical internship is managed by the Health Professions Council of South Africa and was changed from 1 to 2 years in 2008. Mandatory rotations include internal medicine, obstetrics/gynaecology, paediatrics, surgery and family medicine. The researchers investigated the determinants of effective training during internship at an accredited hospital following concerns
of incompetence of medical interns at the end of training.

Method. A qualitative study using individual interviews was done among 7 purposefully selected doctors who had completed internship at Rustenburg Hospital. Thematic analysis was done.

Results. Determinants of effective training in internship were identified as good quality supervisors, effective supervision, adequate opportunity to experiential learning, conducive environment, good support system (hospital management, hospital staff, academic opportunities), personal attributes and reasonable work load.

Conclusion. The need for accredited training institutions to create conducive training environments based on the identified determinants was identified.


After the Second World War, the victorious allies convened the International Military Tribunal for the Far East to punish Japan's leaders for crimes against peace and other war-related crimes. The crimes against peace charge had proved controversial at the Nuremberg Tribunal, and the sponsoring powers made considerable efforts to ensure that the Tokyo judgment reinforced the Nuremberg determination. The scope and significance of these efforts has been largely unacknowledged, as has the central role in them of the British member of the court, William Patrick, a Senator of Scotland's College of Justice. Patrick's role demands closer examination because it proved crucial to the judgment at Tokyo. He campaigned for unalloyed support for the main tenets of the Nuremberg Judgment, and when that support was not forthcoming, helped to forge a majority faction to ensure that they were not abandoned. Finally, and most importantly, he insisted that crimes against peace and conspiracy to commit them were retained as the central elements of the majority's judgment.


This position paper is concerned with interdisciplinary notions of space and place and their nuanced interaction with ideas about 'community' and, in particular, the extent to which 'communities' might be supported by different kinds of technological intervention. In this paper we discuss the ongoing CASIDE Project (www.caside.lancs.ac.uk) and the interpolation of situated displays in the places inhabited by a particular community. The central aim of CASIDE is to understand the way in which the physical placement and design of networked displays in semi-wild settings influences and facilitates coordination and community. This understanding will inform the development of suitable guidelines and methods for the design of situated displays both within and beyond the lifetime of the project. This research is important because it is clear that nuanced understanding of place and its relationship to community and social practices is required in order to avoid inappropriate deployments of this 'situated' technology


Application of equipment with power electronic converter interface such as distributed generation, FACTS and HVDC, is growing up intensively. On the other hand, various types of topologies have been proposed and each of them has some advantages. Therefore, appropriateness of each converter regarding to the application is a main question for designers and engineers. In this paper, a part of this challenge is responded by comparing a typical Voltage-Source Converter (VSC) and Z-Source Converter (ZSC), through high power electronic-based equipment used in power systems. Dynamic response, stability margin, Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) of grid current and fault tolerant are considered as assessment criteria. In order to meet this evaluation, dynamic models of two converters are presented, a proper control system is designed, a small signal stability method is applied and responses of converters to small and large perturbations are obtained and analysed by PSCAD/EMTDC.


The present study examines the diffusion of three linguistic variables in Early Middle English with special focus on the East versus West Midlands divide, namely the reduction from four to three stems in the gradation of strong verbs, variation between Middle English and and the decline of the dual forms of the personal pronoun. The data is retrieved from version 2.1 of the corpus of tagged texts of the Linguistic Atlas of Early Middle English (LAEME) (Laing and Lass 2008–), in which two thirds of the 167 semi-diplomatically transcribed corpus files are localized, permitting innovative approaches to Early Middle English dialectology, such as investigations into spatial diffusion phenomena. The present study offers suggestions as to how modern diffusion models can be adjusted and applied to historical data. It also discusses the usability of LAEME for this specific purpose and develops a set of plausible hypotheses on spatial diffusion patterns in Early Middle English. At the same time, the study addresses the main issues of studying medieval manuscripts and of working with historical corpora, and it illustrates how maps prove to be a useful tool in the visual representation of linguistic change across time and space.


The phenomenon of magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) is briefly reviewed. An apparatus for MCD measurements, based on a modified spectropolarimeter and using a superconducting magnet, is described. Use of the apparatus for determining MCD spectra of some inorganic, organic, and biochemical materials is illustrated. Areas of application of MCD as a physical tool in research and analysis are also outlined.


The break-up of the Cold War order, the eastwards expansion of the European Union into former socialist countries and the more recent economic and humanitarian crises have led to the emergence of new symbolic borders and the reconfiguration of spatial hierarchies within Europe. The article shows how metageographical categories of "Europe", "East" and "West" and underlying classificatory logics are not only circulated in geopolitical discourses but can be appropriated by ordinary citizens in their everyday life. Using the Russian-Estonian border as a case study, the article examines the recursive negotiations of Europe's East-West border by people living in the borderland as a response to the geopolitical changes. It highlights three border narratives – the narrative of becoming peripheral/Eastern, the narrative of becoming European, and a narrative contesting the East-West hierarchy by associating the East and one's own identity with positive things. On both sides of the border, the status as a new periphery does not create unity across the border but rather results in multiple and competing border narratives, in which "Europe" functions as an unstable referent in relation to which one's position is marked out. This "nested peripherialisation" at Europe's new margins reflects power relations and uneven local experiences of transformation.


Objective: To relieve the discomfort caused by an endotracheal tube in situ, which is a major concern in the management critically ill patients requiring mechanical ventilation. To facilitate ventilation, avoid increased airway pressures due to agitation, and minimize the risk of self extubation, critically ill intubated patients need to be given adequate sedation. Sedation and analgesics when given facilitates the mechanical ventilation but tend to affect the sensorium. Data Sour ces: ICU Team, Medical Record. Study Selection: Selected intubated patients requiring sedation. Data Synthesis: This cas e series reviews results from three patients with an endotracheal tube in situ that had a superior laryngeal nerve block via a lidocaine patch to evaluate if it results in improved tolerance of an endotracheal tube. Conclusions: Prospective studies evalua ting the efficacy of the lidocaine patch for improved comfort of intubated patients should be considered.


The association between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and essential hypertension (EH) is not well  understood. Both conditions result from an interaction of multiple genetic (ethnic) and environmental (geographical) factors. One possible genetic determinant is the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) insertion/deletion (I/D) gene polymorphism. Observations on the association between this polymorphism and EH in T2DM patients have been inconsistent in different populations. Given the high prevalence of EH in diabetic patients in the South West Region (SWR) of Cameroon, the aim of this work was to study the relationship between I/D polymorphism of the ACE gene and hypertension in T2DM patients. ACE I/D polymorphism was determined by Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and D/D typing was further reconfirmed using insertion-allele-specific amplification. Analysis of ACE genotype and allele frequencies revealed statistically insignificant differences between the normotensive and hypertensive T2DM subjects. On the contrary, the frequency of the I allele was significantly lower in the normotensive than the hypertensive diabetic females. These findings suggest that the I allele of the ACE gene predisposes female T2DM patients to EH. Key words : Diabetes, Hypertension, Angiotensin converting enzyme, Insertion deletion, Genetic polymorphism


Forty-five years ago, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act resolved outstanding land claims between the federal and state government and Alaska Natives. The fund created by the settlement was used as seed money to establish the Alaska Native Corporations. The Native corporations have particular features which make them distinct from other business entities, these differences have been lauded by some shareholders but have simultaneously drawn ire from others. In 2015 the Alaska legislature introduced H.B. 49, a benefit corporation bill that would allow entrepreneurs to pursue both profits and social ends. This note traces the rise of the modern Alaska Native Corporation. It then weighs the merits of each business entity and assesses which is best aligned to improve the lives of Alaska Natives.


We are living in the world of globalization, incoming world integration, informatical speed and consolidation. Agreeculture is not any more isolated brench, and food industry has been solved safely. Agreeculture is getting a role of ecological factor and continuos development,and in global trade economy task "precise agreeculture" and "contour of agrobussines". Serbia is at the perphery of informatical and biotechnological revolution. It has archaic agreecultural structure (production, possesing), abandon willage and functionally uneducated farmers (literature, documentational, numerical), small inside and unprouchable outside market. Management of quality and marketing are"soft abdomen" of bussines economy in agreeculture in Serbia. Because of that agrobussines is entry of future development of agreeculture of Serbia, and reaching quality as bussines superiority, aplication of integral marketing with national face and focus on biotechnological resaurches causa sine qua non her countinuos development and integration in global economical directions.


We propose an algorithm-independent framework to equip existing optimization methods with primal-dual certificates. Such certificates and corresponding rate of convergence guarantees are important for practitioners to diagnose progress, in particular in machine learning applications. We obtain new primal-dual convergence rates, e.g., for the Lasso as well as many L1, Elastic Net, group Lasso and TV-regularized problems. The theory applies to any norm-regularized generalized linear model. Our approach provides efficiently computable duality gaps which are globally defined, without modifying the original problems in the region of interest.


A detailed isotopic profile is presented for a stratigraphically expanded Cenomanian–Turonian boundary section in Chalk facies exposed at Eastbourne, Sussex and compared with data from Pueblo, Colorado. In both sections macro- and micropalaeontological markers (first appearances and disappearances) are well-constrained, and their relative positions and relationship to the structure of the carbon-isotope curve are identical. This consistent relationship between two independent phenomena, one geochemical, the other biostratigraphical, is taken as evidence for the likely synchroneity of both the biostratigraphical markers and the carbon-isotope excursion in these two areas. This interpretation contrasts with suggestions made recently by other authors whose data have been taken to imply a lack of correlation between the carbon-isotope excursion in Europe and North America.


In the design of complex products, some product components can only be chosen from a finite set of options. Each option then corresponds to a multidimensional point representing the specifications of the chosen components. A splitting algorithm that explores the resulting discrete search space and is suitable for optimization problems with simulation-based objective functions is presented. The splitting rule is based on the representation of a convex relaxation of the search space in terms of a minimum spanning tree and adopts ideas from multilevel coordinate search. The objective function is underestimated on its domain by a convex quadratic function. The main motivation is the aim to find—for a vehicle and environment specification—a configuration of the tyres such that the energy losses caused by them are minimized. Numerical tests on a set of optimization problems are presented to compare the performance of the algorithm developed with that of other existing algorithms.


The present study reports on the distribution and occurrence of Braarudosphaera bigelowii in the surface sediments of the western part of the South China Sea (SCS), along the coast of Vietnam. This part of the SCS is a known upwelling region, characterized by low salinity conditions due to high annual rainfall and river run-off, confirming the results of earlier studies regarding the occurrence of B. bigelowii in shallow bays, nearshore, low salinity marine waters and upwelling areas. Morphometric analysis of B. bigelowii pentaliths in the western SCS revealed the presence of the 3 morphotypes proposed by Takano et al. (2006) based on the pentalith side lengths from coccospheres encountered in surface water samples. This paper also reports the occurrence of a new B. bigelowii morphotype in the SCS, corresponding to specimens with a pentalith side length of 3.5-4.0 microm. An attempt to relate the distribution of these morphotypes with temperature and salinity proved to be inconclusive, suggesting the possibility that other factors could be influencing the occurrence of the morphotypes in the study area.


Aesthetic judgments are "dangerous undertakings" for courts, but they are unavoidable in copyright law. In theory, copyright does not distinguish between works on the basis of aesthetic values or merit (or lack thereof), and courts often go to great lengths to try to avoid artistic judgments. In practice, however, implicit aesthetic criteria are deeply embedded throughout copyright case law. The questions "What is art?" and "How should it be interpreted?" are inextricably linked to the questions "What does copyright protect?," "Who is an author?," "What is misappropriation?," and many other issues essential to copyright. Although courts rarely (if ever) explicitly adhere to aesthetic principles in their decisions, the judicial logic used in copyright cases closely mirrors three major aesthetic theories: Formalism, Intentionalism, and Reader-Response. Unfortunately for courts, these theories are largely incompatible. Furthermore, none are sufficiently expansive to cover the variety of practices contained within a single artistic tradition, let alone the panoply of expressive mediums protected by copyright law. As a result, doctrinal inconsistencies abound (both inter- and intra-circuit), and the case law largely fails to provide clear guidance as to the scope of protection — and risk of liability — associated with different artistic practices. This Article examines how courts have applied aesthetic theories to resolve doctrinal issues concerning copyright eligibility, derivative works, useful articles, and statutory fair use. Based on this analysis, this Article argues that courts should adopt a uniform approach to aesthetic judgments from the perspective of a hypothetical "Community of Practice" capable of situating an expressive work in a specific artistic context.


This paper presents a method to solve the constrained infinite-time linear quadratic regulator (LQR) problem. We use an operator splitting technique, namely the alternating minimization algorithm (AMA), to split the problem into an unconstrained LQR problem and a projection step, which are solved repeatedly, with the solution of one influencing the other. The first step amounts to the solution of a system of linear equations (with the possibility to pre-factor) and the second step is a simple clipping. Therefore, each step can be carried out efficiently. The scheme is proven to converge to the solution to the infinite-time constrained LQR problem and is illustrated by numerical examples.


Lowering low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) is an effective strategy to reduce cardiovascular risk. However, a significant residual risk remains in statin-treated patients. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) is a strong, independent and inverse predictor of cardiovascular risk in many epidemiologic studies and has, therefore, emerged as a potential novel therapeutic target for addressing this substantial residual risk. Nevertheless, the failure of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitors and niacin in clinical trials has generated considerable speculation about the beneficial effects of HDL. Experimental studies have identified several HDL cardioprotective functions, including enhancement of macrophage reverse cholesterol transport and endothelial function and its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-thrombotic properties. Furthermore, HDL is highly heterogeneous and the atheroprotective functions of the different HDL subpopulations are not completely understood. Current available data indicate that increased HDL-C levels do not always correlate with enhanced HDL functions and, therefore, should not be considered a biomarker of HDL functionality. The clinical application of the novel HDL-based therapeutic approaches requires the development of validated and reproducible measures of key HDL functions.


Crowdfunding, through the use of Internet platforms, is a relatively recent development that has attracted both interest among entrepreneurs and investors. Recent figures suggest approximately $34.4 billion was raised in 2015, making crowdfunding attractive to entrepreneurs. Crowdfunding in Africa has not received the same level of attention, and thus the purpose of the research was to investigate the beliefs (awareness and knowledge) of Rwandan entrepreneurs towards crowdfunding. This study is important due to the lack of academic research into this phenomenon in Africa and in Rwanda. Understanding the beliefs (awareness and knowledge) of Rwandan entrepreneurs can indicate the potential for crowdfunding for entrepreneurs and their intention to use it as a future financing strategy. Due to the limited research conducted into crowdfunding, this study was exploratory in nature with the use of qualitative methods in order to attain the purpose of the study. Use was made of convenience sampling and in this pilot study, findings from personal interviews with 8 entrepreneurs are reported on. Financial constraints were identified by most of the entrepreneurs as impacting the development of their ventures. The findings show limited knowledge of crowdfunding as a phenomenon and the specific aspects of how it operates. Despite this lack of knowledge, the participants reflected an interest in using crowdfunding, though clarification of the expectations of the entrepreneurs and the investors would be necessary prior to its use. The use of crowdfunding can be considered by entrepreneurs but care would be needed to ensure successful implementation. The study concludes by suggesting implications for entrepreneurs, crowdfunding platforms as well as crowdinvestors who would invest in the various ventures.


Closing Comment We would like to thank the respondents to our paper for their contributions to the unfolding debate over Brexit and its relationship to archaeology and heritage. These essays reflect in diverse ways the complex intersection of the scholarly, the political and the personal that has perhaps always been with us, and increasingly commented upon, but which Brexit has b ought to a moment of crisis from which we can only hope a positive outcome is still salvageable. Since writing the initial paper for this Forum in July of 2017, events have moved forward in several ways, although ironically in terms of the actual process of exiting the EU remarkably little has happened. More and more evidence is certainly emerging of the social and economic problems that this process, should it reach conclusion, will cause, whether in UK generally, in the rest of Europe (particularly in Ireland; e.g. House of Lords 2016; The UK in a Changing Europe 2017), or in our particular sector (Schlanger 2017). More disturbingly, perhaps, the tone of debate represented in some media outlets has darkened even further and universities in particular have come under attack as bastions of 'remainerism'. Just prior to writing this piece, the Conservative politician Chris Heaton-Harris MP was in the news for seeking information about the teaching of Brexit-related issues in all UK universities (BBC 2017a). Whatever the motivation behind this, the front cover of the Daily Mail on October 26th (headline, 'Our Remainer Universities') followed up on this story, and made it clear that for some on the pro-Leave right-wing, universities are now a major target for political attack. This can be seen as part of a wider trend, pre-dating the referendum and becoming widespread across the western world (and certainly in the US), of right-wing populists painting universities – and, by extension, academic and scientific knowledge – as simultaneously liberal/left-biased and elitist (cf. Runciman 2016). Meanwhile, these same populist movements appear to be, literally, on the march, from Charlottesville in August (BBC UCL Institute of Archaeology, GB Corresponding author: Andrew Gardner (email@example.com) FORUM


In mountainous areas, the use of DEM as environmental parameter in local and global models is widely accepted. Derived information like slope, aspect and others are often used as substitutes for missing data on specific habitat parameters to model the probability of species occurrence or absence. For habitat analysis of species, point observations were combined with underlying terrain information. The use of DEM with a resolution of 25 m is still accepted as sufficient. Different studies have shown the influence of specific topographic elements like ridges, depression, steep and flat areas on species distributions. Data providers often provide an overall accuracy description for the total area. The spatial correlation of error is hardly ever described, although this influences notably the derived data from DEM and could consequently be a major source of uncertainty in models using such derivatives. We investigated the error of neighbouring cells of two different DEMs with a resolution of 20 m and 25 m, derived from photogrammetry and digitized from contour lines, respectively. 5 sampling areas each with 5*5 control points of the precise lattice coordinate of the DEM were established in the area of the Swiss National Park to investigate error correlations in open and forested as well as in planar and steep areas. Moreover, 246 survey points of a slightly irregular grid in the open area were used. The reference points were measured with surveying techniques. The results show a spatial correlation of the error on all plots as well as significant differences between the different subareas. Nevertheless, the average difference of error between neighbouring points is 1.01 m. The derived mean slope error from cell to cell (20m) is therefore 2.9°. The maximum error between two neighbouring cells of 25 m is 8.14m which is resulting in a slope mismeasurement of 19.0°. These results show the importance of the knowledge about spatial correlation of error in DEM, especially its consequences on derived data of DEM used in more complex model calculations such as species habitat models.


A fast and non-destructive technique based on thermal neutron moderation has been used for determining the total hydrogen content in two types of red palm oil (dzomi and amidze) and palm kernel oil produced by traditio-nal methods in Ghana. An equipment consisting of an 241Am-Be neutron source and 3He neutron detector was used in the investigation. The equipment was originally designed for detection of liquid levels in petrochemical and other process industries. Standards in the form of liquid hydrocarbons were used to obtain calibration lines for thermal neutron reflection parameter as a function of hydrogen content. Measured reflection parameters wi-th respective hydrogen content with or without heat treatment of the three edible palm oils available on the mar-ket were compared with a brand cooking oil (frytol). The average total hydrogen content in the local oil samples prior to heating was measured to be 11.62 w% which compares well with acceptable value of 12 w % for palm oils in the sub-region. After heat treatment, the frytol oil (produced through bleaching process) had the least lo-ss of hydrogen content of 0.26 % in comparison with palm kernel oil of 0.44 %, followed by dzomi of 1.96 % and by amidze of 3.22 %.
(Journal of Applied Science and Technology: 2001 6(1-2): 21-25)


Background Although studies have demonstrated a link between poor oral health of older people and frailty, these are mostly cross-sectional or have limited oral health measures. We investigated the associations of objective and subjective measures of oral health with incident frailty and disability in older people over a three-year follow-up period. Methods Data come from the British Regional Heart Study, a cohort comprising a socially and geographically representative sample of older British men, initiated in 1978–80. The participants underwent an examination at 71–92 years in 2010–12 including a dental examination for tooth count, and periodontal disease (response rate 68%). Self-reported oral health measures comprised overall self-rated oral health, dry mouth (or xerostomia) symptoms, sensitivity to hot/cold/sweet and difficulty eating. A cumulative measure of poor oral health combined absence of natural teeth (edentulism), fair/poor self-rated oral health, dryness of mouth, sensitivity to hot/cold/sweet, and difficulty eating. In 2014, 1,222 participants completed a follow-up postal questionnaire. Frailty was based on presence of at least three self-reported components of weight loss, low grip strength, feelings of exhaustion, slowness, or low physical activity. Disability was based on mobility limitations (difficulty walking 400m/going up or down stairs). Covariates included age, alcohol consumption, smoking, depression, social class, social interactions, history of diabetes or cardiovascular disease, use of medications with dry mouth as a side-effect, and interleukin-6 levels. Results During the follow-up period, 99 (10%) men presented with incident frailty and 141 (15%) with incident disability. Fully adjusted logistic regression models showed that the risk of becoming frail was higher in participants who were edentulous (odds ratio (OR) = 1.84, 95% CI: = 1.03–3.28), those reporting at least one dry mouth symptom (OR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.07–2.88), and with cumulative oral health problems (OR for an additional oral health problem was 1.36, 95% CI: 1.03–1.80; p for trend ≤ 0.0001). The risk of incident disability was greater in those with fewer teeth (<21 teeth) (OR = 1.93, 95% CI: 1.19–3.12), dry mouth symptoms (OR = 1.60, 95% CI: 1.06–2.43), cumulative oral health problems (OR for an additional oral health problem was 1.28, 95% CI: 1.01–1.62), and periodontal disease (OR = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.12–3.16) in fully adjusted models. Conclusion Several oral health measures predict incident frailty and disability. Poor oral health could be an early marker of frailty and disability in older people.


This article deals with the proposed design of adaptive fuzzy tuned PID controller for combustion process in utility boiler. Advanced PID controllers are designed separately for fuel and air to regulate the inputs to the utility boiler in proper ratio and maintain the desired steam pressure at the turbine inlet, irrespective of the change in steam demand. Online adaptive error factor for tuning the PID controller for fuel is presented as per the boiler dynamics, considering turbine first-stage pressure and throttle pressure. Online adaptive error factor to tune the PID controller for air is presented by measuring oxygen in the flue gas path at the outlet of the boiler economizer. The gains of the PID controllers are adjusted online in accordance with the adaptive fuel and air error factor using fuzzy logic tuning scheme. The real-time studies were carried out on the lab scale experimental set-up using conventional PID and adaptive fuzzy tuned PID control strategies. The robustness of the adaptive fuzzy tuned PID control scheme is demonstrated for both positive and negative changes in the set point as well as in the load perturbation. The performances of all the control schemes are compared quantitatively using both time domain specifications and error integral criteria. The implementation of an adaptive fuzzy tuned PID control scheme for air and fuel flow for combustion in utility boiler gave better results than conventional PID scheme.


BACKGROUND
Clinical trials and observational data have variously shown a protective, harmful or neutral effect of antihypertensives on cognitive function. In theory, withdrawal of antihypertensives could improve cerebral perfusion and reduce or delay cognitive decline. However, it is also plausible that withdrawal of antihypertensives may have a detrimental effect on cognition through increased incidence of stroke or other vascular events.

OBJECTIVES
To assess the effects of complete withdrawal of at least one antihypertensive medication on incidence of dementia, cognitive function, blood pressure and other safety outcomes in cognitively intact and cognitive impaired adults.

SEARCH METHODS
We searched ALOIS, the specialised register of the Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group, with additional searches conducted in MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, LILACS, Web of Science Core Collection, ClinicalTrials.gov and the World Health Organization Portal/ICTRP on 12 December 2015. There were no language or date restrictions applied to the electronic searches, and no methodological filters were used to restrict the search.

SELECTION CRITERIA
We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled clinical trials (CCTs) provided they compared withdrawal of antihypertensive medications with continuation of the medications and included an outcome measure assessing cognitive function or a clinical diagnosis of dementia. We included studies with healthy participants, but we also included studies with participants with all grades of severity of existing dementia or cognitive impairment.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two review authors examined titles and abstracts of citations identified by the search for eligibility, retrieving full texts where needed to identify studies for inclusion, with any disagreement resolved by involvement of a third author. Data were extracted independently on primary and secondary outcomes. We used standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane.The primary outcome measures of interest were changes in global and specific cognitive function and incidence of dementia; secondary outcomes included change in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, mortality, adverse events (including cardiovascular events, hospitalisation and falls) and adherence to withdrawal. The quality of the evidence was evaluated using the GRADE approach.

MAIN RESULTS
We included two RCTs investigating withdrawal of antihypertensives in 2490 participants. There was substantial clinical heterogeneity between the included studies, therefore we did not combine data for our primary outcome. Overall, the quality of included studies was high and the risk of bias was low. Neither study investigated incident dementia.One study assessed withholding previously prescribed antihypertensive drugs for seven days following acute stroke. Cognition was assessed using telephone Mini-Mental State Examination (t-MMSE) and Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS-M) at 90 days as a secondary outcome. The t-MMSE score was a mean of 1.0 point higher in participants who withdrew antihypertensive medications compared to participants who continued them (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.35 to 1.65; 1784 participants) and the TICS-M was a mean of 2.10 points higher (95% CI 0.69 to 3.51; 1784 participants). However, in both cases the evidence was of very low quality downgraded due to risk of bias, indirectness and evidence from a single study. The other study was community based and included participants with mild cognitive impairment. Drug withdrawal was for 16 weeks. Cognitive performance was assessed using a composite of at least five out of six cognitive tests. There was no evidence of a difference comparing participants who withdrew antihypertensive medications and participants who continued (mean difference 0.02 points, 95% CI -0.19 to 0.21; 351 participants). This evidence was of low quality and was downgraded due to risk of bias and evidence from single study.In one study, the systolic blood pressure after seven days of withdrawal was 9.5 mmHg higher in the intervention compared to the control group (95% CI 7.43 to 11.57; 2095 participants) and diastolic blood pressure was 5.1 mmHg higher (95% CI 3.86 to 6.34; 2095 participants). This evidence was low quality, downgraded due to indirectness, because the data must be interpreted in the context of the wider study looking at glyceryl trinitrate administration or not, and evidence from a single study. In the other study, systolic blood pressure increased by 7.4 mmHg in the withdrawal group compared to the control group (95% CI 7.08 to 7.72; 356 participants) and diastolic blood pressure increased by 2.6 mmHg (95% CI 2.42 to 2.78; 356 participants). This was moderate quality evidence, downgraded as evidence was from a single study. We combined data for mortality and cardiovascular events. There was no clear evidence that antihypertensive medication withdrawal affected adverse events, although there was a possible trend to increased cardiovascular events in the large post-stroke study (pooled mortality risk ratio 0.88, 95% CI 0.72 to 1.08; 2485 participants; and cardiovascular events risk ratio 1.29, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.72). Certain prespecified outcomes of interest (falls, hospitalisation) were not reported.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
The effects of withdrawing antihypertensive medications on cognition or prevention of dementia are uncertain. There was a signal of a positive effect in one study looking at withdrawal after acute stroke but these results are unlikely to be generalisable to non-stroke settings and were not a primary outcome of the study. Withdrawing antihypertensive drugs was associated with increased blood pressure. It is unlikely to increase mortality at three to four months' follow-up, although there was a signal from one large study looking at withdrawal after stroke that withdrawal was associated an increase in cardiovascular events.


Salt tolerance of ten sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) varieties ('1790E', 'BTx642', 'Desert Maize', 'Macia', 'RTx430', 'Schrock', 'Shallu', 'Tx2783', 'Tx7078', and 'Wheatland') was evaluated in two greenhouse experiments. In the first experiment, sorghum were sown in substrates moistened with either nutrient solution (no addition of salts, control) at electrical conductivity (EC) of 1.2 dS·m-1 or salt solution at EC 5, 10 or 17 dS·m-1. Seedling emergence percentage decreased in all varieties only at EC of 17 dS·m-1 compared to the control. Seedling emergence percentage of sorghum 'Macia' and '1790E' irrigated with salt solution at EC of 17 dS·m-1 decreased by 50% and 51%, while that of 'RTx430' reduced by 97%, other varieties ranged from 64% to 90%. Both salt solution at EC of 5 and 10 dS·m-1 reduced the dry weight of sorghum seedlings by 29% and 72% on average, respectively, compared to control. In the 2nd experiment, plants were irrigated with nutrient solution or salt solution at EC of 5.0 or 10.0 dS·m-1 for 30 days. Salt solution at EC of 5.0 and 10.0 dS·m-1 had similar influences on dry weight (DW) of all sorghum varieties except 'Tx2783'. The relative dry weight of 'Shallu', 'Desert Maize', and '1790E' irrigated with salt solution at EC of 10 dS·m-1 were over 67%, those of 'Macia', 'Schrock', and 'RTx430' ranged from 30% to 33%, and other varieties were 45% to 59%. Foliar salt damage was observed on all salt-treated sorghum varieties except for 'Shallu', which had the lowest shoot DW reduction and greatest visual score. Leaf photosynthesis of all sorghum plants irrigated with salt solution at EC of 5 and 10 dS·m-1 was decreased by 6.0% and 10.6%, respectively. Leaf Na+ concentration at EC of 5.0 and 10.0 dS·m-1 increased by 25.6% and 60.7%, respectively, compared to the control; while Cl- concentration increased by 16.4% and 41.2%, and Ca2+ concentration increased by 17.8% and 34.3%. In conclusion, salt tolerance of sorghum varied with plant growing stage and varieties. 'Shallu', 'Desert Maize', and '1790E' were the most salt tolerant varieties, while 'Schrock' and 'RTx430' showed the least salt tolerance in both experiments. All varieties had high Na+ exclusion ability.


It is a truth universally acknowledged that polymorphism at host immunity loci and corresponding parasite antigenicity loci, maintained by coevolution in pathosystems, is common and can persist for millions of years. Such polymorphisms and how they persist or break down are both fundamentally interesting and important for human health and agriculture. Examples include the major histocompatibility complex in vertebrates and the gene-for-gene (GFG) relationships in plants and their parasites.
GFG systems are well-understood genetically and an important source of disease resistance for plant breeders. Therefore considerable effort has gone into studying their evolutionary dynamics in natural pathosystems and modelling the conditions under which long-term polymorphism persists or breaks down. Polymorphism in GFG systems is common and in many cases ancient in wild pathosystems. Conversely, in agriculture the introduction of a resistance gene normally results in the matching parasite avirulence gene rapidly becoming locally extinct.
Simple genetic models of GFG coevolution do not produce stable polymorphism. Various more complex models do but are difficult to analyse. Recent work has shown a factor common to stable models is negative direct frequency-dependent selection, so at least one genotype becomes less fit as it grows more common regardless of genotype frequencies in the other species. This selection is not present in simplified models, but is generated in real pathosystems by various ecological and epidemiological factors.
Here I expand on previous work by demonstrating that realistic demography, specifically density-dependent regulation of parasite incidence, can generate negatively self-regulating stabilising pressure. This is loosely analogous to negative frequency-dependent selection and, similarly, can stabilise polymorphism in GFG pathosystems. I show this density-dependent regulation can stabilise both non-spatial deterministic and spatial stochastic systems. I also study how this stabilising factor interacts with the complicating biological factors of limited dispersal and resultant spatial structure in populations, variable host density and the presence of a second parasite.


Until very recently, debates about urban structure have been dominated by the precepts of the 'Chicago School,' which include the notion that the city is a coherent regional system where the center organizes its hinterland. The rise of an 'LA School' reverses this logic, insisting that in contemporary cities the hinterlands organize what is left of the center. This essay begins to explore the divergent theoretical and empirical consequences following upon such a conceptual upheaval. By placing Chicago alongside Los Angeles, an important and long‐overdue debate on comparative urban analysis is joined.


We present a simulation technique to predict tool influence functions (TIFs) based on the Precessions polishing process, which is driven by addressing mass fabrication of the European Extremely Large Telescope mirror segments. Precessions polishing requires accurate and predictable TIFs to optimize the multiple process parameters, particularly when sequential polishing runs are performed by different polishing tools. In this paper, the static and dynamic TIFs are simulated based on the Preston equation. The velocity distribution is calculated according to the geometry of the precession motion. The pressure distribution at the polishing spot is calculated by means of finite element analysis (FEA). The FEA result is validated by direct force measurement with a simulation error of 4.3%. The simulation results of TIFs are verified by an experiment that shows the residual errors are less than 5% for both static and dynamic TIFs.


Despite the recognition that domestic violence is a national problem, researchers still struggle to identify the true prevalence of the problem, specifically at the sub national level. Actual numbers of reported domestic violence occurrences are significantly lower than estimates. Because estimates of the percentage of domestic violence incidents that are captured by police and health data vary, it is difficult to extrapolate national estimates of domestic violence incidence from reported incidences. Qualitative assessments of domestic violence in a specific place exist and data in one specific place has been examined but comparing domestic violence data at the county level or other similar geography does not. This thesis will examine that void in the domestic violence literature. The purpose of this study is to assess the comparability of domestic violence data in Missouri. This research was conducted to see if regional variability can be determined using reported domestic violence data.


eterinarians often come into contact with the law in cases of animal cruelty, domestic animal and wildlife crimes, and human crimes with an animal element. This book provides practical information and training on how to operate within a crime scene. It covers the tests that may need to be carried out, collecting evidence, preparing reports and giving evidence in court as an expert witness. Concentrating on the basic principles and background knowledge needed, the book includes hair, blood and bite mark analysis as well as an overview of firearms injury. It explores wider concepts such as the human-animal bond and one health, going on to give practical guidance and numerous case studies, which bring the book to life and into the real world of the busy crime scene. Practical Veterinary Forensics is an indispensable guide to all veterinarians working in cases of animal cruelty, abuse and crimes against animals. It is essential for welfare organizations, animal shelters and those requiring an introduction to veterinary forensic science. [Book Synopsis]


Introduction Long-duration, high altitude aircraft flights expose jet fuel to extremely low ambient temperatures (<-70°C). The relatively large normal alkanes (n-C16 to n-C18) present begin to crystallize at these low temperatures, ultimately resulting in fuel gelation that can prevent the fuel from being available for combustion in the engine. In addition, as the viscosity increases with decreasing temperature, the ability of fuel to flow at sufficient rate through tight tolerance valves and filters can be inhibited. The US Air Force JP-8+100LT program is exploring the use of additives to improve the low temperature properties of conventional jet fuels (1). In this work, we report on studies of changes in jet fuel properties at low temperatures using the scanning Brookfield viscometer; pour, cloud, and freeze point measurements; and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). We will show how changes in viscosity correlate with other property measurements, such as cloud point. Another goal of this work is to enable use of these measurements in predicting the operability of fuel tanks and systems at low temperature. In addition, we will show how these measured properties change upon addition of additives that interfere with crystallization of the large normal alkanes present.


Under-compacted shales are often associated with over-pressured formations. These shales have excess water and tend to be mechanically weak (or are overlain by mechanically weak formations), thus the safe mud window for drilling the under-compacted interval can be quite narrow. Efficient and safe drilling operations require accurate depth predictions of these over-pressured formations as well a knowledge of the magnitude of the over-pressure. In this paper we describe a technique which combines the best aspects of conventional Vertical Seismic Profiles (VSP) and Reverse Vertical Seismic Profiles (RVSP) to detect under-compacted shales and predict formation pressures to locate drilling hazards below TD. The excess water in the under-compacted shales will have a lower acoustic impedance than expected from the compaction trend. Shales that depart from the compaction trend may indicate potential drilling hazards below. Conventional VSPs provide at discrete intervals in the well, high quality reflection data which can be used to accurately predict acoustic impedance below the bit. This acoustic impedance is then interpreted to provide both the location (in time and depth) of the drilling hazard and the mud weight necessary to contain it. The two way time estimate of the hazard location is usually quite accurate but the depth estimate is less certain due to the estimation off ormation velocities below TD. The RVSP using the drill bit as a source, provides a continuous time versus depth relationship while drilling. This time verses depth is used to continually update the conventional VSP depth prediction of the drilling hazard and thus provide the most accurate depth of the hazard prior to it's penetration.


One reason to be concerned about income inequality is the idea that people not only care about their own absolute income, but also their income relative to various reference groups (e.g. co-workers, friends, neighbors, relatives, etc.). We use Canadian linked employer-employee data to estimate the casual effect of co-worker pay on a worker's reported job and pay satisfaction. Since worker satisfaction can affect the worker's productivity, organizational commitment, turnover, creativity and innovation, as well as the firm's productivity and profitability, this is an issue that requires more attention and careful examination. In models that control for a rich set of workplace characteristics, we find that coworker pay has a large positive and significant effect on both pay and job satisfaction. In our preferred models with establishment-level fixed effects, the effect of coworker pay on pay satisfaction is half as large, and the effect on job satisfaction completely disappears, suggesting that part (all) of what previous studies attribute to the effect of coworker pay on worker pay (job) satisfaction is driven by unobserved heterogeneity across firms or establishments. Our results also suggest that the effect of coworker pay on worker satisfaction is much stronger for workers who leave their job during the following year. Finally, we find that while coworker pay has a positive effect on pay satisfaction among Canadian-born whites, it has a negative effect among immigrants and Canadian-born visible minorities.


This article asks how disability rights ideas can be reconciled with — and might transform — the law of public assistance. The social model of disability forms the basis of most disability rights thinking. This model recognizes that impairments do not by themselves disable, but disability instead arises from a dynamic between a person's physical and mental conditions and society's environmental and attitudinal barriers: Paraplegia does not cause disability but for stairs, curbs, and human attitudes that limit accessibility. The social model focuses on changing the environment; its close corollary, the civil rights approach to disability, looks to anti-discrimination law to remove limits on opportunity created by society's physical places and prevailing attitudes. The Americans with Disabilities Act embodies the civil rights approach, but it has not been successful in lifting people with disabilities out of poverty; many people with disabilities continue to need public welfare to live. This reality has led some writers to propose abandoning the emphasis on civil rights in disability law and returning to an emphasis on welfare and related interventions that typically entail a medical or charity orientation toward disability. This article strikes out in a different direction, arguing that the civil rights approach, when thoughtfully applied, supports continued disability-specific welfare programs, and further that it supports various improvements in the law of public welfare: more in-kind assistance programs; adjustment of disability benefits qualification standards to give more attention to the disabling effects of stigma; adoption of partial disability benefits programs and reduced means testing; changes in non-disability-related welfare; expanded universal benefits; and a Disabled Worker Tax Credit. This article compares the reforms envisioned by a nuanced application of the civil rights approach with ideas about welfare derived from principles of reciprocity, universal vulnerability, and international human rights. This article compares the reforms envisioned by the thoughtful development of the civil rights approach with ideas about welfare derived from principles of reciprocity, universal vulnerability, and international human rights.


In recent years there has been remarkable progress in determining the three-dimensional structures of photosynthetic complexes. A new challenge is emerging: can we understand the organisation and interaction of those complexes in the intact photosynthetic membrane? Intact membranes are complex, dynamic systems. If we are to understand the function of the intact membrane, we will need to understand the organisation of the complexes, how they can diffuse and interact in the membrane, how they are assembled, repaired and broken down, and how their function is regulated. Cyanobacteria have some crucial advantages as model systems. The complete sequencing of the Synechocystis 6803 genome, coupled with the ease of genetic manipulation of Synechocystis (and certain other cyanobacteria) have given us a unique tool for studying a photosynthetic organism. Furthermore, some cyanobacteria have a very simple, regular thylakoid membrane structure. The unique geometry of photosynthetic membranes of these cyanobacteria will greatly facilitate biophysical studies of membrane function. This review summarises recent progress in understanding the structure, function and dynamics of cyanobacterial thylakoid membranes, highlights the questions that remain to be answered and suggests some possible approaches towards solving those questions.


Expressed emotion (EE), purportedly hostile, critical, and emotionally over-involved attitudes in relationships, has been implicated as a predictor of adolescent psychological outcomes (Peris & Miklowitz, 2015). An underlying construct of EE, perceived criticism (PC), assesses disapproval in relationships using the Perceived Criticism Measure (PCM; Hooley & Teasdale, 1989) and has been implicated as a predictor of clinical outcomes (Hooley & Teasdale, 1989; Masland & Hooley, 2015; Renshaw, Chambless, & Steketee, 2001; Renshaw, Chambless, & Steketee, 2003) with higher levels of PC predicting worse outcomes in adults (Renshaw, 2008). However, studies have yet to examine the PCM's predictive ability with adolescents, its stability over treatment, and the relationship between PCM item 3 assessing upset from criticism and outcome. The purpose of this study is to examine these relationships in an adolescent sample. Results suggest the level of PC and upset from criticism remained stable over treatment while YOQ-30 scores decreased on average. Also, the level of PC was not related to YOQ-30 scores over treatment. Results suggest upset from criticism predicted YOQ-30 scores with greater upset relating to higher YOQ-30 scores. These findings suggest the PCM can help identify treatment targets and is potentially useful for predicting teens' psychotherapy response.


The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of patients with brain metastases treated by tomotherapeutic Intensity-modulated Radiosurgery (IMRS). Using retrospective chart review, we analyzed the outcomes of 78 patients (age 33–83 years, median 57 years) who underwent 111 sessions of IMRS (1 to 7 sessions per patient, median 1) for brain metastases (1 to 4 targets per IMRS session, median 1) treated between 2000 and 2005 using a serial tomotherapeutic intensity-modulated radiotherapy treatment (IMRT) planning and delivery system (Peacock, Nomos Corp., Cranberry Township, PA). Treatment planning was performed using an inverse treatment planning optimization algorithm that was optimized for IMRS. A median prescription dose of 15 Gy in combination with WBI, and median 20 Gy for IMRS alone was delivered using 2–4 couch angles over 4–24 rotational arcs. Overall survival was calculated using Kaplan-Meier analysis. To determine the effects of prognostic variables on survival, univariate and multivariate analyses using proportional hazards were performed to assess the effects of age, tumor size, the combination with whole brain irradiation, presence of multiple brain metastases, and presence of extracranial disease. The median overall survival was 6.5 months (95% CI, 5.5–7.9). One- and two-year survival rates were 24% and 10%. In multivariate analyses, age greater than 60 years was the only statistically significant variable that affected survival (hazard rate 1.29, p=0.049). We conclude that tomotherapeutic IMRS is safe and effective to treat patients with brain metastases.


Across the globe suicide has become a major public health concern. Indigenous suicide rates have escalated over the past two decades and continue to exceed national rates.  In 2016, a Māori tribal organisation, Ngāti Pikiao, convened an international conference, Turamarama ki te Ora, to discuss global approaches to the prevention of suicide.   To bring together the many aspects of suicide prevention, a Declaration was presented and subsequently endorsed by Conference delegates.  The Turamarama Declaration acknowledged the grief associated with suicide, recognised avenues to promote indigenous resilience, identified opportunities to decrease risks to suicide, and challenged local, national, and international authorities to take definitive measures to reduce indigenous suicide.  The Declaration also encouraged indigenous people to work together to provide an integrated response and collective, networked leadership.


Shigellosis is a diarrheal disease caused mainly by Shigella flexneri and Shigella sonnei. Infection is thought to be largely self-limiting, with shortto medium-term and serotype-specific immunity provided following clearance. However, cases of men who have sex with men (MSM)-associated shigellosis have been reported where Shigella of the same serotype were serially sampled from individuals between 1 and 1,862 days apart, possibly due to persistent carriage or reinfection with the same serotype. Here, we investigate the accessory genome dynamics of MSM-associated S. flexneri and S. sonnei isolates serially sampled from individual patients at various days apart to shed light on the adaptation of these important pathogens during infection. We find that pairs likely associated with persistent infection/carriage and with a smaller single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) distance, demonstrated significantly less variation in accessory genome content than pairs likely associated with reinfection, and with a greater SNP distance. We observed antimicrobial resistance acquisition during Shigella carriage, including the gain of an extended-spectrum beta-lactamase gene during carriage. Finally, we explored large chromosomal structural variations and rearrangements in seven (five chronic and two reinfection associated) pairs of S. flexneri 3a isolates from an MSM-associated epidemic sublineage, which revealed variations at several common regions across isolate pairs, mediated by insertion sequence elements and comprising a distinct predicted functional profile. This study provides insight on the variation of accessory genome dynamics and large structural genomic changes in Shigella during persistent infection/carriage. In addition, we have also created a complete reference genome and biobanked isolate of the globally important pathogen, S. flexneri 3a. IMPORTANCE Shigella spp. are Gram-negative bacteria that are the etiological agent of shigellosis, the second most common cause of diarrheal illness among children under the age of five in low-income countries. In high-income countries, shigellosis is also a sexually transmissible disease among men who have sex with men. Within the latter setting, we have captured prolonged and/or recurrent infection with shigellae of the same serotype, challenging the belief that Shigella infection is short lived and providing an early opportunity to study the evolution of the pathogen over the course of infection. Using this recently emerged transmission scenario, we comprehensively characterize the genomic changes that occur over the course of individual infection with Shigella and uncover a distinct functional profile of variable genomic regions, findings that have relevance for other Enterobacteriaceae.


A highly efficient somatic embryogenesis system and subsequent plant regeneration of chinaberry ( Melia azedarach L.) was developed. Plants were regenerated from indirect somatic embryogenesis induction. Novel features of this improved protocol, include: a) Embryogenic callus induction with no addition of 2, 4-D in the culture media; b) Somatic embryos differentiation was achieved by using high concentration of cytokinins (BAP 10 mg/L) and adenine; c) 100% conversion of somatic embryos to plants was practically obtained and 100% of plants survived under greenhouse conditions; d) Addition of putrescine improved somatic embryos germination. The amount of somatic embryos produced by the pathway of indirect somatic embryogenesis was 447 per gram of fresh weight callus. Regenerated plants were phenotypically normal. The developed protocol established the potential to produce plantlets from cotyledon explants through somatic embryogenesis. It also presents itself as a highly efficient method for mass clonal propagation and conservation of Melia azedarach.


Goodbun is the lead guest editor of this issue of the international journal Architectural Design, and the primary author of the substantial introduction to this edition. In addition, he is the sole author of an article in it entitled 'Flexibility and Ecological Planning: Gregory Bateson on Urbanism', and is co-author of an article (with Karin Jaschke) on 'Architecture and Relational Resources: Towards a New Materialist Practice'. The publication is related to a £1 million EU HERA funded research project 'Scarcity and Creativity in the Built Environment' (SCIBE) (see www.scibe.eu), led by the University of Westminster (Goodbun a co-investigator), and including the Technical University Vienna and Oslo School of Architecture.

Scarcity, whether conceived of as an actual limit on resources, or as a socially constructed condition of uneven social or global distribution of resources, has been largely absent as a critical concept in mainstream architectural discourse. This issue of Architectural Design examines ways in which architects and designers may respond to scarcity by means of a change in their design practices and their design thinking.

The publication includes work by leading thinkers and designers, including the design theorist Ezio Manzini; architectural theorists and practitioners Winy Maas, Alejandro Zaera-Polo, Michael Sorkin, and MUF; ecological philosophers Tim Morton and Kate Soper, and geographers Erik Swyngedouw and Maria Kaika.


As a high school teacher, literacy professor, and parent of an "Aspie," I've come to know many students living educational lives on the spectrum. While some comprehend text effortlessly, many more struggle to make meaning of what they have read. To better understand and meet the literacy needs of less-proficient readers with Asperger syndrome, I have had to connect what is known about literacy learning with what we are coming to know about Asperger. When teachers increase their awareness and understanding of the literacy challenges confronting some students with Asperger, they'll be better able to determine which strategies can improve literacy teaching for these students. How do we read? Depending on the degree of severity, children with Asperger may demonstrate distinct language characteristics. They might exhibit a form of echolalia, a repetitive speech pattern in which they mimic the language of others and/or repeat rote phrases. Or they might demonstrate hyperlexia, the written word's equivalent of echolalia. Specific characteristics of hyperlexia include word reading skills that far exceed what would normally be expected and/or an indiscriminate reading of words. Both of these language characteristics have ramifications for literacy learning and teaching. As we read, we use cue systems including grapho-phonics (letters-sounds), semantics (meaning), and syntax (order). Two of these cue systems are primarily visual. We see letters, translating them into sounds; at the same time, we note the order of letters, words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, etc. Students with Asperger demonstrate great strength in the visual cue systems, seeing and remembering patterns in letters, words, and text easily. I remember my astonishment when my daughter recognized letters and words and progressed to reciting books at a very, very early age. She was able to do so because of a strong sight word vocabulary based on graphophonic and syntactic knowledge. While word-recognition skills for students with Asperger may be advanced, heightened by strong rote-memory skills, there can be a discrepancy between word recognition and reading comprehension (Church, Alisanski, & Amanullah, 2000; Silberberg & Silberberg, 1967). The ultimate goal of reading is understanding what has been written, not merely reciting or repeating words and phrases. Children with Asperger may demonstrate rapid calling or decoding by adhering to linguistic rules. However, they may not always make meaning of text. When questioned about what she had read on the page, my daughter could not answer. While a child with Asperger may possess the strength of letter and word identification, this can be coupled with poor comprehension. Another reason students with Asperger may struggle with meaning-making is that they're very literal thinkers. Definitions for words are easily memorized, but multiple meanings for the same word can cause confusion. Figurative language including metaphors and idioms and certain genre, including parables and allegories, can be misunderstood. Books about Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish can befuddle children with Asperger because they're unable to interpret the figurative meaning behind the adult idioms. Metaphors present another obvious textual challenge. Students with Asperger can miss subtle comparisons. They may be able to define what a metaphor is and even recite examples but still not interpret what they mean. Because they are exact by nature, phrases like "a skeleton in a closet" or "bats in the belfry" have completely different meanings to children with Asperger and, if left unexplained, may be the source of a lot of confusion. This concrete and literal thinking style can transfer to class discussions. Where a student with Asperger may understand literal-level questions effortlessly and respond most exactly and appropriately, he or she may struggle to answer more critical questions involving connections with the author's perspective or consideration of a character's viewpoint (Falk-Ross, Iverson, & Gilbert, 2004). …


Despite the frequent assertion that knowledge management is an important strategic activity, there have been relatively few empirical studies of the processes involved in this, particularly in knowledge intensive firms. The paradox inherent to codification projects is that they are dependent on professional staff willingly transferring the knowledge that often underpins their status. My purpose in this article is to examine whether and how this paradox is resolved by presenting a case study of a knowledge codification project under- taken by a professional service firm (PSF). I argue that the successful assertion of property rights relates, ironically, to its limitation. Codification takes place in a way that does not nullify the consultants' expert role in front of the client. That there appear to be limits to how far such a reductive exercise can capture the activities of the consultants has implications for grammatical models that aim to describe and theorize about organizational processes or sequences of actions. I discuss these in the latter part of the article.


Membrane separation offers energy efficient alternatives for distillation in separation of small molecules. Among a large variety of materials that can be used, microporous hybrid silica membranes are (1) suitable for the separation of the smallest molecules eg: H2/N2, (2) have a superior (hydro)thermal and chemical stability and (3) unlike polymers do not suffer from chain-rearrangement-induced permeability loss at elevated temperatures. This research explores the possibilities of manipulating the membrane properties by the incorporation of metal ions / metal oxide clusters within the hybrid silica network, with the aims to (1) further improve the (hydro)thermal and chemical stability and (2) manipulate the affinity and therefore the selectivity for the separation of particular molecules.
Nevertheless, the homogeneous incorporation of metal ions within is not straightforward from a synthesis point of view, since metal alkoxides rapidly condense nanosized clusters that phase separate from the glassy matrix. Agglomeration studies by means of in-situ small angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) which involves acid catalysed hydrolysis/condensation of niobium pentaethoxide (NPE)/1,2-bis-(triethoxysilyl)-ethane (BTESE) mixtures reveal a rapid nucleation of nanosized metal oxide clusters within 5s of measurement. However, subsequent growth was clearly affected yielding a reversible agglomeration kernel. Growth was suppressed by the surrounding of silsesquioxane groups. While drying the sol the presence of nanosized phase separated clusters became apparent in the SAXS-pattern. Hydrolysis of BTESE prior to the addition of NPE had only a small effect on the size of the niobia clusters. Alternatively, the use of the chelating agent acetylacetone was more effective in suppressing the fast nucleation of niobia clusters as implied by the increased number of Si-O-Nb couplings being found by 17O-NMR.
To promote the dispersion of metal ions within the hybrid silica matrix, the sol-gel precursor N,N,N',N'-tetrakis-(3-(triethoxysilyl)-propyl)-malonamide (TTPMA) was synthesized. The malonamide ligands clearly coordinated the Ce4+ and Ni2+ metal centers and enhanced their dispersion however did not completely circumvent redistribution upon calcination. Nevertheless, these Ce-TTPMA and Ni-TTPMA membranes showed higher H2/N2perselectivities as compared to previously reported hybrid silica membranes.


Neuronal coherence is thought to constitute a unique substrate for information transmission distinct from firing rate. However, since the spatial scale of extracellular oscillations typically exceeds that of firing rates, it is unclear whether coherence complements or compromises the rate code. We examined responses in the macaque primary visual cortex and found that fluctuations in gamma-band (~40Hz) neuronal coherence correlated more with firing rate than oscillations in the local-field-potential (LFP). Although the spatial extent of LFP rhythms was broader, that of neuronal coherence was indistinguishable from firing rates. To identify the mechanism, we developed a statistical technique to isolate the rhythmic component of the spiking process and found that above results are explained by an activation-dependent increase in neuronal sensitivity to gamma-rhythmic input. Such adaptive changes in sensitivity to rhythmic inputs might constitute a fundamental homeostatic mechanism that prevents globally coherent inputs from undermining spatial resolution of the neural code.


Do parameter uncertainties regarding different risk factors have symmetric effects on asset prices? In a general equilibrium setting where uncertainties regarding consumption and portfolio returns are of concern to investors but all the structural parameters of consumption and dividend growth rates are unknown, we provide a numerically tractable framework to compare empirically the effects on equilibrium asset prices of learning about consumption and dividends dynamics simultaneously in real time from aggregate U.S. data during 1890-2007. More pessimistic or optimistic priors on the means of the growth rates have transient effects, but raising the prior volatilities of growth have persistent effects that increase substantially the average equity premium and the market Sharpe ratio while lowering the average risk free return. Raising the prior volatility of consumption growth alone has significantly stronger effects on market outcomes compared to unilaterally increasing the prior volatility of dividend growth, but simultaneous parameter uncertainties on the risk of financial and non-financial payoffs reinforce each other to magnify their effects. Learning reduces the volatility of the equilibrium equity premium over time but does not generate a smooth convergence to a low equity premium even after 100 years of data.


This article traces the historical evolution of the notion of the "virtuous corporation," from its origins as a public-spirited fellowship to the modern joint-stock company kept in check by the market for corporate control. We suggest that this change in the legal personality of the firm has resulted in a minimalist and extrinsic view of corporate virtue. A more intrinsic and intentional virtue can come from within the enterprise. Employing the language of principal-agent analysis, we argue that "agents" who reflect theologically on the corporation can help create a renewed vision of the virtuous enterprise. Kim Hawtrey and Stuart Dullard, "Corporate Virtue and the Joint-Stock Company," Journal of Markets & Morality 12, no. 1 (Spring 2009): 19-33


We present a scalable probabilistic framework for learning from multi-relational data, given in form of entity-relation-entity triplets, with a potentially massive number of entities and relations (e.g., in multirelational networks, knowledge bases, etc.). We dene each triplet via a relation-specic bilinear function of the embeddings of entities associated with it (these embeddings correspond to \topics"). To handle massive number of relations and the data sparsity problem (very few observations per relation), we also extend this model to allow sharing of parameters across relations, which leads to a substantial reduction in the number of parameters to be learned. In addition to yielding excellent predictive performance (e.g., for knowledge base completion tasks), the interpretability of our topic-based embedding framework enables easy qualitative analyses. Computational cost of our models scales in the number of positive triplets, which makes it easy to scale to massive realworld multi-relational data sets, which are usually extremely sparse. We develop simpleto-implement batch as well as online Gibbs sampling algorithms and demonstrate the effectiveness of our models on tasks such as multi-relational link-prediction, and learning from large knowledge bases.


The argument of this article is organized around the following general themes: understanding representational "exaggeration" for signifying indigenous others; assessing the differences for the social agency of recollection, especially in relation to lawyer‐oriented depositions and researcher‐oriented interviews; analysing the cognitive aspects of surviving the Guatemalan genocide and examining the cognition of discrimination among Mayan‐immigrants in South Florida. Empirical data for this essay is based upon oral histories of three Mayan‐immigrants currently living in Palm Beach County, Florida, and archival data from legal depositions in the 1980s and 1990s of five Mayan‐immigrants in Martin County, Florida. Important aspects of this paper analyse the historical consequences of the Guatemalan Civil War during the 1980s and the role of social memory, episodic trauma, semantic trauma and the ontological effects of violence. In addition, notions of differing forms of time in relation to trauma are introduced as "synchronic trauma" and "diachronic trauma".


Declarative, object-oriented configuration management systems are widely used, and there is a desire to extend such systems with automated analysis and decision-making. This thesis introduces a new formulation for configuration management problems based on the tools and techniques of constraint programming, which enables automated decision-making. We present ConfSolve, an object-oriented declarative configuration language, in which logical constraints on a system can be specified. Verification, impact analysis, and the generation of valid configurations can then be performed. This is achieved via translation to the MiniZinc constraint programming language, which is in turn solved via the Gecode constraint solver. We formally define the syntax, type system, and semantics of ConfSolve, in order to provide it with a rigorous foundation. Additionally we show that our implementation outperforms previous work, which utilised an SMT solver, while adding new features such as optimisation. We next develop an extension of the ConfSolve language, which facilitates not only one-off configuration tasks, but also subsequent re-configurations in which the previous state of the system is taken into account. In a practical setting one does not wish for a re-configuration to deviate too far from the existing state, unless the benefits are substantial. Re-configuration is of crucial importance if automated configuration systems are to gain industry adoption. We present a novel approach to incorporating state-change into ConfSolve while remaining declarative and providing acceptable performance.


This book covers the area of advanced ceramic composites broadly, providing important introductory chapters to fundamentals, processing, and applications of advanced ceramic composites. Within each section, specific topics covered highlight the state of the art research within one of the above sections. The organization of the book is designed to provide easy understanding by students as well as professionals interested in advanced ceramic composites. The various sections discuss fundamentals of nature and characteristics of ceramics, processing of ceramics, processing and properties of toughened ceramics, high temperature ceramics, nanoceramics and nanoceramic composites, and bioceramics and biocomposites.


The purpose of this study was to develop and to pilot a not-test technique for assessing career and work values. This instrument was developed during a Career Counseling course taught by one of the authors of this paper. The first stage of development was the generation of a master list of career and work values, as reflected in the current literature related to theories and vocational research. From this master list 38 career values were selected resulting in the final deck that was used in testing. This deck of cards was given the name Career Values Cards (MEDEK) and administered to a total of 75 high school students. Following administration each of the subjects was asked to complete a MEDEK evaluation form designed to assess reactions to the MEDEK experience. Results of the survey indicated that the MEDEK was an easy-to-use, understandable, and enjoyable technique to increase self-awareness and enhance insight, and a source of important information for students engaged in career counseling and career development by enhancing personal identification of personal career and work values.


A fascinating exploration of the contents of Agatha Christie's 73 recently discovered notebooks, including illustrations, deleted extracts, and two unpublished Poirot stories. When Agatha Christie died in 1976, aged 85, she had become the world's most popular author. With sales of more than two billion copies worldwide in more than 100 countries, she had achieved the impossible - more than one book every year since the 1920s, every one a bestseller. So prolific was Agatha Christie's output - 66 crime novels, 20 plays, 6 romance books under a pseudonym and over 150 short stories - it was often claimed that she had a photographic memory. Was this true? Or did she resort over those 55 years to more mundane methods of working out her ingenious crimes? Following the death of Agatha's daughter, Rosalind, at the end of 2004, a remarkable secret was revealed. Unearthed among her affairs at the family home of Greenway were Agatha Christie's private notebooks, 73 handwritten volumes of notes, lists and drafts outlining all her plans for her many books, plays and stories. Buried in this treasure trove, all in her unmistakable handwriting, are revelations about her famous books that will fascinate anyone who has ever read or watched an Agatha Christie story. What is the 'deleted scene' in her first book, The Mysterious Affair at Styles? How did the infamous twist in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, really come about? Which very famous Poirot novel started life as an adventure for Miss Marple? Which books were designed to have completely different endings, and what were they? Full of details she was too modest to reveal in her own Autobiography, this remarkable new book includes a wealth of extracts and pages reproduced directly from the notebooks and her letters, plus for the first time two newly discovered complete Hercule Poirot short stories never before published.


and Implications Sow longevity is a large component of profitability for commercial swine operations with the sow needing to produce three litters to recover her investment costs. With current culling rates averaging near 50% and mortality rates averaging almost 9%, a small proportion of the sows have the responsibility of making a profit. Past research has shown the primary reasons for culling to be reproductive failure and structural soundness (Chagnon et al., 1991; Stone, 1981), but much of this work is outdated, especially in regards to the genetic background of the sows analyzed. Therefore, a new 20 month study starting in 2005 was conducted on 2,000 commercial sows. This study revealed that the primary culling reasons for sows from current genetic lines has not changed markedly over the years with a large portion of sows being culled for reproductive failure and structural soundness, despite emphasis by genetic companies to improve longevity. The primary reason removal reason listed for sows over parity 5 was "old age" even though most of these sows are still producing at or above herd average. Sows from the group that produced at least 5 parities (parity5+) out performed the young group for number born alive (NBA) when compared at the same parity and had a shorter wean-to-first-service interval than the young group following their first parity. Additional comparisons among sows in the young group revealed that sows that dropped out of production earlier were inferior for reproductive traits when compared to those sows lasting at least four parities. This study shows that sow removal reasons have not changed over the years and sheds new light on differences between sows that drop out of production relatively early and those females that remain productive longer. This study also confirmed that selecting for longevity in sows is not counterproductive to selecting sows for reproductive performance and is actually quite beneficial to reproductive performance.