Following a right-hemisphere lesion, the patient SM had impaired object recognition, with good elementary visual abilities, and could derive information about object structure. He was also impaired on all tasks tapping stored structural knowledge, even when tested in the verbal modality. This suggests that SM has a disorder affecting stored knowledge of object structure, though he remains able to assemble novel structural descriptions. His object recognition ability also appeared significantly worse for non-living things. By contrast, existing models relating to stored knowledge would predict that SM would show greater impairment with living things. We argue that SM's deficit reflects the loss of a type of structural knowledge that relates to the "within-item structural diversity" of items. It is argued that living things show less structural variation than objects in the natural world, and might arguably be easier to recognise, because the image of the to-be-recognised object would be similar to the stored representation. Hence, a deficit affecting this aspect of stored knowledge would differentially impact upon non-living things. This argument receives confirming independent support from the finding that normal subjects ratings for the within-item structural diversity of visual stimuli are (unlike other "critical" variables) significant predictors of SM's naming performance.


1 Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil. 2 University of Belgrade, Belgrado, Sérvia. Conflicts of interest: none. Introduction: Reduction mastoplasty is still a challenging procedure for plastic surgeons. The Objective is to show the results of the treatment of different degrees of breast hypertrophy using Pessoa's single marking technique performed while training plastic surgeons. Methods: A retrospective cohort of 95 patients underwent reduction mastoplasty using Pessoa's technique. The cohort included patients with breast ptosis, hypertrophy, gigantomastia, and/ or breast asymmetry. The procedures were performed by first-, second-, and third-year residents. The exclusion criteria were psychological disorders, morbid obesity, and/or indication for prosthesis implantation without skin and/or areola reduction. The analyzed factors were age, sex, final size, patient's degree of satisfaction, complications, and difficulties experienced by the residents in performing the surgery. Results: All patients were women aged between 21 and 61 years. Of the patients, 90.53% reported being very satisfied; 5.26%, satisfied; 3.16%, poorly satisfied; and 1.05%, dissatisfied. The complications observed were necrosis of the nipple-areola complex (1.05%), epidermolysis (11.58%), and suture dehiscence (9.47%). The rate of difficulty experienced by the residents varied between 11.1% and 55.6%, depending on the step of the surgical procedure. Conclusions: A high degree of satisfaction was reported by both the patients and residents. The results confirm the effectiveness of the technique while training residents. ■ ABSTRACT


Major and trace element and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic data for mafic volcanic rocks are used to assess the number of mantle plumes contributing to the Tertiary–Holocene magmatism of the Kenya Rift Valley, current estimates of which vary from none to three. Rocks ranging in composition from nephelinite to hypersthene-normative basalt have been sampled from three lithospheric zones: the Tanzanian craton, the craton margin reworked during the late Proterozoic, and the Mozambique mobile belt. The magmas are interpreted as the products of variable degrees of partial melting within the spinel–garnet peridotite transition zone. Trace element and isotopic compositions from all three zones are broadly similar to those of oceanic island basalts, but there is considerable compositional variation, which is related to a strong overprint from the lithosphere on plume-derived melts. Sr and Nd isotopic ratios provide the only clear distinction between magmatic rocks from the three lithospheric domains. Within each setting, mafic magmatism has tended to become less silica undersaturated with time, and at any one locality magmatism has migrated towards the centre of the rift. Magmas may have formed as a result of the infiltration of plume-derived melts into the base of the lithosphere. The extent of interaction of inferred plume melts with the lithosphere has not varied systematically in time or space. The plume component appears to be similar to the source of oceanic island basalts.


Social identities are among the key factors driving behavior in complex societies. Signals of social identity are known to influence individual behaviors in the adoption of innovations. Yet the population-level consequences of identity signaling on the diffusion of innovations are largely unknown. Here we use both analytical and agent-based modeling to consider the spread of a beneficial innovation in a structured population in which there exist two groups who are averse to being mistaken for each other. We investigate the dynamics of adoption and consider the role of structural factors such as demographic skew and communication scale on population-level outcomes. We find that outgroup aversion can lead to adoption being delayed or suppressed in one group, and that population-wide underadoption is common. Comparing our two models, we find that differential adoption can arise due to structural constraints on information flow even in the absence of intrinsic between-group differences in adoption rates. Further, we find that patterns of polarization in adoption at both local and global scales depend on the details of demographic organization and the scale of communication. This research has particular relevance to widely beneficial but identity-relevant products and behaviors, such as green technologies, where overall levels of adoption determine the positive benefits that accrue to society at large.


_During the treatment of symptoms originating from disorders of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and occlusion, it was found that restoring the TMJ to its normal condition resulted in a change of general body health. In most cases, this change was improved general body health. Owing to similar reports, a connection between TMJ status and general body health was therefore hypothesised. However, the mechanism of this relationship remains unclear.


The peculiar nature of the US Federal Constitution impinges on the implementation of any federal legislation. The tenth amendment to the US Constitution lays down that powers "not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the States respectively...." What this amendment means is that political authority is vested in the states unless preempted by the federal government. The most obvious example of federal pre-emption is that of equal rights legislation for African Americans. Such federal action has traditionally come about as a result of the perceived failure of states in the civil rights area. Historically environmental issues were the responsibility of the states. However the emergence of the Green movement in the '70s (like the Civil Rights movement of the '60s) has led to greater involvement by the federal government. Nevertheless the role of the states remains central to environmental policy implementation and in some cases their legislation has been even stricter than federal laws. (Helme & Pearce 1991). Moreover the constitutional rights of states can be sued to the detriment of federal policy. This allows the states some room for manoeuvre in their dealings with the federal government on environmental issues. This is especially so as full federal preemption, as we shall see, can carry with it unacceptable costs and inadequate levels of control.


Current social trends leading to greater consumer diversity require that advertisers pay increasing attention to minority groups within society. This paper answers recent calls for research into the effects of purposeful polysemy, or strategic ambiguity, in minority targeting. The results of a quasi-experiment with gay and heterosexual male respondents in the context of gay window advertising demonstrate not only significant positive target market effects of covert minority targeting (i.e., ambiguous ad cues), but also the existence of negative non-target market effects. Emotional responses fully mediate these effects. Our results further demonstrate the importance of individual differences and product category by suggesting, for example, that gay men who are open about their sexual orientation can be targeted using gay window ads when the product category is congruent with male stereotypes and with mainstream ads when the product category is incongruent with male stereotypes.


What the humanities are, what they stand for, and what values they foster or disclaim are no longer cozy academic issues: they are under attack everywhere in legislative assemblies and the national press. The crisis is now especially intense but it is not exactly new. In 1798 Immanuel Kant published "Der Streit der Fakultaten" ("The Conflict of the Faculties"), a remarkable little book that has been credited with shaping the liberal arts program in modern European universities. Discussing the role and status of the higher faculties (theology, law, and medicine) relative to the lower faculties (philosophy, mathematics, history, philology, geography), Kant established their functions as faculties of freedom on one side and of property on the other. Kant's book, so long neglected by all but the most devoted specialists, can no longer be ignored. It serves as the basis for these essays by distinguished scholars who have themselves been deeply involved in the intellectual conflicts of contemporary education in Europe and America - Timothy Bahti, Alan Bass, Jacques Derrida, Peggy Kamuf, John Llewelyn, Christie McDonald, and Robert Young. This volume will attract a hive of controversy but much honey, too. It confronts issues central to university ideals: the teaching of values, the role of philosophy and literary studies in their sister disciplines (especially history), the precarious balance between research and teaching, the defense of intellectual autonomy, and the public responsibility of the university. Richard Rand is a professor of English at the University of Alabama. He is the translator of Derrida's "Signsponge" (1984) and co-translator of Derrida's "Glas" (1986).


The nucleocapsid protein ( NP) of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) plays an
important role in the replication of the viral genomic RNA. The NP is closely
associated with the viral phosphoprotein ( P) and this association is crucial in
ensuring the specific binding ofNP to the viral RNA. In order to have a better
understanding of the structure and functions of the NP, deletion mutagenesis
was carried out to characterise and localise regions involved in NP-NP and
NP-P interactions.
The NP and a fusion derivative (NPcfus) containing a hexa histidine tag
at its C-terminus were produced abundantly in Escherichia coli. These proteins
were fractionated on sucrose gradient centrifugation and microscopic analysis
showed that both the NP and NP cfus proteins self-assembled predominantly into
ring-like particles with the diameter of 24 ± 2 nm around a central hole of 7 ±
1 nm. Some of these ring-like particles stacked together to form herringbonelike
particles which are heterogenous in length with a diameter of 20 ± 2 nm and a central hollow of 5 ± 1 nm. Fusion of the C-terminal end to 29 amino
acids inclusive of the myc epitope and His-tag did not impair ring assembly but
inhibit the formation of the long herringbone particles. Immunogold labelling
of the ring-like particles with the anti-myc antibody showed that the Cterminus
of the NPcfus protein is exposed on the surface of the particles.


A high-density EEG study was conducted to investigate evoked and oscillatory activity in response to three different stimulus speeds of simulated forward motion in adult participants. Participants were shown an optic flow stimulus consisting of a virtual road with moving poles at either side of it simulating forward motion at three different speeds (low, medium, and high) with a static control condition between each motion condition. The aim was to analyse the N2 component of visual motion and the evoked oscillatory activity in occipital and parietal areas.A significant difference in N2 latencies and peak amplitudes between the three stimulus speeds were found in parietal channels P3 and P4. The peak latency significantly increased as the simulated speeds increased, while the peak amplitudes decreased at increasing speeds. The latency differences were thought to indicate that the low simulated speed was easier to process than the faster medium and high simulated speeds, while the change in peak amplitude seemed to be the result of a greater number of neurons being attuned to the lower as opposed to the higher stimulus speeds.Theta-band synchronizations and alpha-band de-synchronizations in the three different speeds were observed, but no significant differences between the speeds were found. The static condition, in contrast, showed theta-band de-synchronizations and alpha-band synchronizations. Significant differences between the alpha de-synchronizations in the three different speeds and the alpha synchronizations in the static condition were found in the parietal midline source, while no significant differences were found between conditions in the theta oscillations. It was suggested that the alpha de-synchronizations reflect an activated state, possibly related to the visual processing of the three speeds, whereas the alpha synchronizations in response to the static condition reflect a deactivated resting period.


With June's marijuana revenue figures now on the books, Nevada closed out the first full year of adultuse sales with marijuana tax collections totaling $69.8 million for the fiscal year—about 140 percent of what the state expected to bring in. The last four months of the fiscal year proved to be the most robust months for marijuana tax revenue, with each month's totals topping $6.5 million. At the end of June, there were 64 medical marijuana dispensaries open in Nevada, with 61 of those licensed to also sell adult-use marijuana. For the fiscal year, these state-licensed dispensaries and retail stores saw total taxable sales—which includes adult-use marijuana, medical marijuana, and marijuana-related tangible goods— of $529.9 million. Adult-use marijuana sales totaled $424.9 million for the year, generating $42.5 million in tax collections through the 10 percent Retail Marijuana Tax. The 15 percent Wholesale Marijuana Tax brought in close to $27.3 million for the fiscal year. Revenues from the wholesale tax, along with application and licensing fees, go primarily to education in Nevada, via the state Distributive School Account. With the closing of the fiscal year, the Department of Taxation transferred a total of $27.5 million to that education account. All revenues from the Retail Marijuana Tax have been distributed to the state's Rainy Day Fund.


Background Scholars widely acknowledge that politics help explain why policies are adopted and how they play out in states, districts, and schools. To date, political analyses of education reform tend to isolate a particular policy and examine the politics of its adoption or implementation, but pay less attention to the effects of the politics of surrounding reforms and broader issues. Purpose In this article, I use the instrumental case of the Los Angeles Public School Choice Initiative (PSCI) to demonstrate the ways in which the political dynamics of other policy issues in the same local environment greatly affect the form and fate of a reform. The article examines what led to the adoption of PSCI and what explains its implementation and adaptation over time. Research Design The study employed an embedded case study design and gathered 3 years of data from leader interviews, observations, interviews, and focus groups in nine case study schools, media articles, and documents. I drew on an ecological-political framework to analyze these data and to understand the evolution of PSCI. Findings I find that PSCI provided a vehicle to advance the goals of six education reform "subgames"—decentralization, charter expansion, accountability, union reform, academic rigor, and community empowerment—as well as goals of two broader local "games" of electoral politics and bridging, and that each was consequential to at least one or more phase of PSCI. At times in its evolution, players seeking success in one area of reform aligned with, used, or were used by players seeking success in other areas of reform. It is the interactions of these players in relation to the environment and to others working to advance complementary and conflicting reform issues and goals that explains how a reform touted to improve accountability and learning for low-performing schools and to empower the community became a broader referendum on school governance and reform writ large. Conclusions Consistent with recent scholarship, this research demonstrates that an increasingly broad set of actors are engaging in decisions around public schooling and changing the nature of educational governance. The study also illustrates the value of examining local policy with an ecological-political lens and poses several hypotheses that could be explored in future studies. Finally, it suggests that prior to adoption, policymakers consider the extent to which a new policy advances or competes with the goals of surrounding reforms and investigate ways to bolster bridging games.


Two groups of students, enrolled in Introduction to Accounting, volunteered to participate in a pedagogical study to assess course-integrated information literacy instruction. Only one group had received information literacy instruction in an earlier business course. Academic librarians provided three instruction sessions, and students completed a semester-long case to evaluate a company as a potential investment. The results suggest that information literacy skills can be learned for application in subsequent coursework. This research also provides some evidence of significantly greater improvement in information literacy and significantly higher perceptions of course-integrated instruction benefits by students who had not received the previous instruction.


Postembedding silver-intensified immunogold procedures reveal high levels of glutamate immunoreactivity in "vertical" elements of the goldfish retina: (1) Red-sensitive and green-sensitive cones display strong glutamate immunoreactivity, especially in their synaptic terminals, but blue-sensitive cones are poorly immunoreactive. (2) All type Mb (on-center) and Ma (off-center) mixed rod-cone bipolar cells and all identifiable cone bipolar cells are highly glutamate immunoreactive. We find no evidence for bipolar cells that lack glutamate immunoreactivity. (3) The majority of the somas in the ganglion cell layer and certain large cells of the amacrine cell layer resembling displaced ganglion cells are strongly glutamate immunoreactive. (4) Despite their high affinity symport of acidic amino acids, the endogenous levels of glutamate in Muller's cells are among the lowest in the retina. (5) GABAergic neurons possess intermediate levels of glutamate immunoreactivity. Quantitative immunocytochemistry coupled with digital image analysis allows estimates of intracellular glutamate levels. Photoreceptors and bipolar and ganglion cells contain from 1 to 10 mM glutamate. The bipolar and ganglion cell populations maintain high intracellular glutamate concentrations, averaging about 5 mM, whereas red-sensitive and green-sensitive cones apparently maintain lower levels. Importantly, photoreceptor glutamate levels are extremely volatile, and in vitro maintenance is required to preserve cone glutamate immunoreactivity in the goldfish. GABAergic horizontal and amacrine cells contain about 0.3–0.7 mM glutamate, which matches the values predicted from the Km of glutamic acid decarboxylase. Muller's cells and non-GABAergic amacrine cells contain less than 0.1 mM glutamate. Though Muller's cells are known to possess potent glutamate symport, they clearly possess equally potent mechanisms for maintaining low intracellular glutamate concentrations.


Halophila johnsonii is currently listed as threatened on the U.S. Endangered
Species List due to its rarity within an extremely limited range of distribution. This
species tends only to establish from the mid-intertidal down to 3 meters depth. Previous
work has demonstrated that Halophila johnsonii, differing from its conspecific Halophila
decipiens, exhibits high-light adapted photophysiology and contains a compound that
absorbs maximally at 350 nm. Both of these characteristics were found to vary
significantly following 4 days of acclimation during a reciprocal transplant experiment.
Based on the plasticity of these photophysiological and photochemical responses, a
controlled irradiance experiment was performed in an outdoor mesocosm utilizing the
incident solar spectrum. Three different cut-off filters were used to measure the response
of greenhouse-acclimated plants to PAR + UVA + UVB and PAR + UVA, versus PAR
alone. Changes in photosynthetic efficiency were measured by pulse amplitude
modulated (PAM) fluorometry. A newly-developed fluorometer, a UVA PAM, was used
to monitor changes in UV protection. Variations in pigment characteristics such as UV
absorbance, chlorophyll a and b, and total carotenoid concentrations were monitored over
the course of the experiment in order to quantify both short- and long-term acclimation to
different UV treatments. While significant changes in all parameters were observed
within each of the treatments during the 21-day experiment, there were few differences
among the three treatments. The factor that most influenced the physiological changes
observed was the 2-fold increase in PAR that occurred when all experimental replicates
were moved from the greenhouse to the outdoor mesocosms. The ability to acclimate
with high tolerances to both UV irradiance and PAR may be a factor allowing Halophila johnsonii to exist intertidally while it appears to be competitively excluded subtidally.
Perhaps the shallow intertidal exists as a refuge for this rare and protected species.


The Kiepenheuer-Institut will develop for the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST) a narrowband tunable filter system (Visible Tunable Filter, VTF) for imaging spectroscopy and spectropolarimetry based on large-format Fabry Perot interferometers. A major challenge for the realization of this instrument is the development of large-format Fabry-Perots with a free aperture of about 250 mm. The instrument will operate in the spectral range between 500 and 900 nm with access to a host of magnetically sensitive lines. The instrument is designed to match the diffraction limit of the 4m-aperture ATST and will be able to observe processes on the sun at spatial scales of 35 km. Its multi-line capability, together with a field of view of one arc minute, and the ability to measure polarization states of the incoming light allow to probe different layers of the solar atmosphere within a couple of seconds. The instrument is capable to vary the spectral sampling, the integration time, and the temporal cadence over a wide range without changing or compromising the opto-mechanical setup. This versatility gives unique possibilities to apply different measurement schemes to a variety of science questions. The ATST is a fully funded US project, with the VTF as the only non-US contribution, and is ready to start construction at the Haleakala summit. The VTF is foreseen as one of the ATST's firstlight instruments and should become operational in 2018.


High‐elevation mountain catchments are often subject to large climatic and topographic gradients. Therefore, high‐density hydrogeochemical observations are needed to understand water sources to streamflow and the temporal and spatial behaviour of flow paths. These sources and flow paths vary seasonally, which dictates short‐term storage and the flux of water in the critical zone (CZ) and affect long‐term CZ evolution. This study utilizes multiyear observations of chemical compositions and water residence times from the Santa Catalina Mountains Critical Zone Observatory, Tucson, Arizona to develop and evaluate competing conceptual models of seasonal streamflow generation. These models were tested using endmember mixing analysis, baseflow recession analysis, and tritium model "ages" of various catchment water sources. A conceptual model involving four endmembers (precipitation, soil water, shallow, and deep groundwater) provided the best match to observations. On average, precipitation contributes 39–69% (55 ± 16%), soil water contributes 25–56% (41 ± 16%), shallow groundwater contributes 1–5% (3 ± 2%), and deep groundwater contributes ~0–3% (1 ± 1%) towards annual streamflow. The mixing space comprised two principal planes formed by (a) precipitation‐soil water‐deep groundwater (dry and summer monsoon season samples) and (b) precipitation‐soil water‐shallow groundwater (winter season samples). Groundwater contribution was most important during the wet winter season. During periods of high dynamic groundwater storage and increased hydrologic connectivity (i.e., spring snowmelt), stream water was more geochemically heterogeneous, that is, geochemical heterogeneity of stream water is storage‐dependent. Endmember mixing analysis and 3H model age results indicate that only 1.4 ± 0.3% of the long‐term annual precipitation becomes deep CZ groundwater flux that influences long‐term deep CZ development through both intercatchment and intracatchment deep groundwater flows.


This paper describes a 3D model that was constructed in response to the need for a simple model for use in coastal and estuarial applications where tidal range may be large in relation to water depth. The model was required to simulate density driven flows. The model configuration selected to meet these objectives is presented, together with the assumptions, formulation and solution techniques upon which the model is based. The validation of the model against analytical results, an empirical relationship and other model results are also described.


Hymnody is a beloved expression of popular Christian faith and devotion, yet aside from the Gloria and a few proper hymns used on specific feasts, there is no hymnody in the Mass. (1) While it is admissible for four hymns to be sung during the course of the Mass (a practice originating in the modern era with Pope Pius XII), hymns are not proper to the Mass. In the typical U.S. parish, however, they are commonly substituted for proper antiphonal chants and psalms. Hymns are proper, however, and integral, not to the Mass, but to the Divine Office. This distinction suggests that the Mass is not meant to be the only liturgy in which Catholics participate. Sacrosanctum Concilium, echoing Pius XII in Mediator Dei, assigned to pastors the task of celebrating Vespers in all parish churches on Sundays and solemn feasts. (2) In addition, the council encouraged the laity "to recite the divine office, either with the priests, or among themselves, or even individually." (3) With this fuller liturgical life in mind, hymnody takes its place as an integral part of Catholic life, not in the Mass, but in the Divine Office. It is integral in that hymnody has developed, and sometimes even shaped, the theology for each hour of the day being prayed. Historically, the hymn has been employed as a means of catechesis and theological formation. Traditionally, in the Divine Office, hymnody has served as man's response to the Word of God. More recently, the hymn has come to be seen as a means of setting the tone or giving color to a liturgical hour. A brief look at the history of hymnody will show how integral it is to the praying of the hours. This history will survey the development of such hymnody based upon the hymns in the current edition of the Liber Hymnarius (1998), the official liturgical book in Latin for the Roman Rite Liturgia Horarum (2000), the second typical edition of the Liturgy of the Hours. In this era of liturgical renewal, according to Benedict XVI's hermeneutic of continuity, the use of Latin hymns, either in plainchant or polyphony, in vernacular celebrations of the office is far more likely to be a consideration for parishes that answer this call. Understanding the hymns, their authors, and their history will hopefully inspire a new generation of Catholics not only zealously to guard this treasury of Catholic music but also to foster continued organic development of this art form. Patristic Era The history of Latin hymnody in the Divine Office "is intimately connected and interwoven with Christianity itself." (4) This hymnody has a surprisingly long and continuous genealogy reaching back to the Patristic era and continuing to the present day. It begins at least by the fourth century with St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan (340-397). Nevertheless, mention should first be made of St. Hilary. Though St. Hilary of Poitiers (310-366) may rank as the first hymn writer in Western Christianity, his hymns were "intricate and obscure and so ill-suited to public singing," (5) that it is most probable none of his hymns have ever been sung in the Divine Office. He may be credited, however, with introducing hymns to the West. He was a strong opponent of Arianism, earning for himself "the title of Malleus Arianorum, the Hammer of the Arians" (6) and for this position he was exiled by the emperor Constantius to Phrygia in Asia Minor for three years where he was introduced to Greek Christian hymnody. When he returned to Gaul, he brought this tradition back with him and began composing his Liber Hymnorum. These hymns "were 'lost' almost as soon as they were written." (7) St. Hilary said that the Gauls were not very clever in singing hymns, presumably in comparison with the East where he had heard hymns sung. But the Gauls might have retorted that their bishop was not very clever at writing hymns which they could sing. (8) Adrian Fortescue commented that "As far as St. Hilary is concerned we must count the attempt to introduce Christian lyric poetry in the West as a failure. …


Teacher training at the Blanquerna Faculty of Psychology and Educational and Sports Sciences (FPCEE), in Barcelona, has a long pedagogical tradition based on teaching innovation. Its educational style is characterised by methods focused on the students' involvement and on close collaboration with teaching practice centres. Within a core subject in the Teacher Training diploma course, students were asked to assess different methodological proposals aimed at promoting the development of their personal, social, and professional competences. In the assessment surveys, from a sample of 145 students, scores for variables very satisfactory or satisfactory ranged from 95.8% to 83.4% for the entire set of methodological actions under analysis. Data obtained in this first research phase were very useful to design basic training modules for the new Teacher Training degree. In the second phase (in process), active teachers are asked for their perception on the orientation of the practicum, its connection with the end-of-course assignment, and the in-service student's incidence on innovation processes at school.


As the amount of accumulated data across a variety of fields becomes harder to maintain, it is essential for a new generation of computational theories and tools to assist humans in extracting knowledge from this rapidly growing digital data. Global Trends in Intelligent Computing Research and Development brings together recent advances and in depth knowledge in the fields of knowledge representation and computational intelligence. Highlighting the theoretical advances and their applications to real life problems, this book is an essential tool for researchers, lecturers, professors, students, and developers who have seek insight into knowledge representation and real life applications.


Yemen is the dark horse of the Middle East. Every so often it enters the headlines for one alarming reason or another-links with al-Qaeda, kidnapped Westerners, explosive population growth-then sinks into obscurity again. But, as Victoria Clark argues in this riveting book, we ignore Yemen at our peril. The poorest state in the Arab world, it is still dominated by its tribal makeup and has become a perfect breeding ground for insurgent and terrorist movements. Clark returns to the country where she was born to discover a perilously fragile state that deserves more of our understanding and attention. On a series of visits to Yemen between 2004 and 2009, she meets politicians, influential tribesmen, oil workers and jihadists as well as ordinary Yemenis. Untangling Yemen's history before examining the country's role in both al-Qaeda and the wider jihadist movement today, Clark presents a lively, clear, and up-to-date account of a little-known state whose chronic instability is increasingly engaging the general reader.


4-Ethoxycarbonyl-5-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-2,3-furandione 1 was reacted with o-phenylenediamine, substituted ureas and methylcarbamate or acetamide to give quinoxaline 2, pyrimidine 3 and benzoylmalonic acid 4 derivatives, respectively. Benzoylmalonic acid derivative 4a was converted into a new oxozinedione derivative, 5, by refluxing its solution in xylene containing a catalytic amount of p-toluene sulfonic acid. In addition, triphenylpyrazole carboxylic acid derivative 6 was obtained from the reaction of 4a with diphenylhydrazine.


Objective: To evaluate the comparative efficacy and safety of artemether-lumefantrine (AL), artesunate-amodiaquine (ASAQ) and artesunate-amodiaquine-chlorpheniramine (AQC) for the treatment of acute uncomplicated malaria among Southwest Nigerian children. Subjects and Methods: One hundred and sixty children aged 6 months to 14 years with acute uncomplicated malaria were randomized to AL (n = 53), ASAQ (n = 53), or AQC (n = 54). Enrollees were seen daily on days 0-3 and then on days 7, 14, 21, 28 and 42 for clinical and parasitological evaluations. Paired samples of genomic DNA at enrolment and at the time of recurrent parasitaemia were genotyped using nested PCR to distinguish between reinfection and recrudescence. Detailed haematological and biochemical evaluations were carried out in a subset of enrollees on days 0, 7 and 28 as part of a safety evaluation. Results: Of the 160 children, 144 (90%) completed the study. The mean fever clearance times and parasite clearance times for AL, ASAQ and AQC were comparable (p = 0.94 and p = 0.122, respectively). On day 14, the adequate clinical and parasitological response (ACPR) for AL and AQC was 100% and for ASAQ it was 90% (p = 0.39). The PCR-uncorrected results on days 28 and 42 and the ACPR-corrected results on day 42 were similar for all drugs (p = 0.62 and p = 0.56, respectively). AQC resulted in the best parasite clearance and haematological recovery on day 2 (p = 0.022 and p = 0.018, respectively). Biochemical parameters were not adversely affected by the three artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) and these were well tolerated. Conclusion: The three ACTs were efficacious and safe, but AQC resulted in a better haematological recovery on day 2 and higher cure rates throughout the study period.


The Extent of Tourism and Recreational Activities on the Natural Areas of the Hinterland of Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. The practice of recreational and tourist activities in natural areas has had an important growth. Global trends indicate that a steady increase on the demand of visitors interested in natural areas with contemplative purposes and activities related with nature contact has been detected during the last years. Ushuaia is not the exception to this trend; its hinterland is the scenery for the practices of tourists and residents. This scenery is not only the main physical support but also its attractiveness and set down of user's expectations. This article intends to recognize the preferences and requirements related to its public use. Two aspects were taken into account in order to systematize the information: the use of qualitative and quantitative techniques. The user information was obtained by means of surveys and direct observation on the identified sites; the characteristics of these sites were obtained through the implementation of field observation. Also, the methodology involves the use of a Geographical Information System (GIS) to analyze the spatial extent of recreational and/or tourism activities. Results indicate that the selection of the site is based on several factors and/or values, depending on the precedence of the users.


The objective of this research is the investigation of the effect of age on distracted driving performance. For this purpose, a driving simulator experiment was carried out at the simulator of the National Technical University of Athens, in which 72 participants from three different age groups were asked to drive under different types of distraction (no distraction, conversation with passenger, mobile phone use) in rural road environment. The data collected from the driving simulator experiment include longitudinal control measures (mean speed, headways), lateral control measures (lateral position) and the reaction time of the driver at unexpected incidents and their analysis showed that distracted driving performance is indeed affected by age. More specifically, participants either talking on the mobile phone or conversing with a passenger were found to drive at lower speeds, with increased headways and with higher reaction times compared to undistracted driving. Furthermore, regarding different age groups, the effect of distracted driving on older drivers is higher than the respective effect in middle aged drivers, while driving distraction has the lowest impact on young drivers.


While motorization rate in India is lower than many developing countries-both
in absolute term and relative to size of population, but over the last decade, India
is experiencing one of the highest motorization growth rates in the world. This
paper examines the influence of population growth, increase in urbanizations and
economic development on rapid growth of motor vehicles in India by using secondary
data which are correlated by line graph method. Economic development is the
major factor affecting the growth rate of motor vehicles. Motor vehicle growths
have been largely concentrated in major cities which deteriorate the environmental
condition of Urban India. This leads to concern among environmentalists
over the further impact on Indian and global environment and considers their
implication for future transportation growth in the country.


ABSTRACT In primary human diploid fibroblasts, infection with an unpurified stock of human cytomegalovirus induced accumulation of the CC chemokine MCP-1 in the cell culture medium. By 24 h postinfection, the level of MCP-1 returned to that in uninfected cultures. When cells were infected with UV-inactivated human cytomegalovirus, the induction of MCP-1 was still observed, but no reduction was seen by 24 h postinfection or later. This effect was the result of a decrease in the level of MCP-1 mRNA present within the infected cell. Infection with purified virus revealed that the induction of MCP-1 was due to an activity found in the medium of infected cells; purified virions did not induce the expression of MCP-1. However, infection with purified virions repressed the level of MCP-1 mRNA below that found in uninfected cells. Additionally, infection with human cytomegalovirus prevented the induction of MCP-1 expression by tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-1β. The CC chemokine receptor encoded by the human cytomegalovirus US28 open reading frame (ORF) did not appear to play a role in this process, since a mutant virus in which the US28 ORF had been deleted downregulated MCP-1 in the same manner.


we review the management of AVWS with an overview on the currently available evidence and additional considerations for typical treatment situations. Other as erythematosus, mixed connective tissue disease, and GVHD, In a prospective study, 8 of 113 patients (7%) with lymphoproliferative were and 4 of demonstrated clinical 47 In another series, 8 of 11 patients AVWS risk was per It should be from hyperviscosity.


The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is conducting research with the objective of preventing hearing loss in the mining industry. Longwall mining is one sector that has received considerable attention. Studies involving the monitoring of worker noise exposures, characterizing equipment sound levels and dominant noise sources, evaluating engineering noise controls, analyzing hearing protection device (HPD) effectiveness, and testing of improved sound level monitoring techniques specifically for longwall mining systems, are being conducted. The research efforts revealed that stageloader operators are the most exposed longwall workers, with the discharge end being the noisiest location along the stageloader. In addition, the studies have shown that using stationary dosimeters, coupled with observational data of the cutting cycle and worker habits, has the potential for improved monitoring of the effectiveness of engineering noise controls. To address the ineffective use of soft foam earplugs, a simplified 3-step method was developed for inserting soft foam earplugs. Results indicate a 9 dB greater attenuation after training subjects on the 3-step method. Finally, muff type HPDs are being evaluated for effects of speech intelligibility in noise. The combined results of these studies illustrates that much can and has been done to prevent noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) in the mining industry, especially with respect to longwall mining workers. This paper presents an overview of ongoing studies, a progress report of results, and the implications for reducing worker noise exposures and preventing NIHL in longwall mining workers.


Various definitions and indices have been proposed in the literature to identify keystone species. In this study, we intended to make the concept of keystone species operational for marine biodiversity conservation. We used an exclusive definition of keystone species, based on the original concept of keystone predator, and derived a new functional index of keystoneness (KS) from an ecosystem-modeling approach. First, several KS indices were formulated, by combining measures of the mixed-trophic impact (MTI) and biomass of species. Then, a meta-analysis was performed, based on 101 published Ecopath food-web models, selected with a scoring method, and representative of the variety of marine ecosystems worldwide. The indices were applied to the models, and two statistical methods were compared to select the most promising KS index. Rank correlation tests were performed to assess the balance between the contribution of the impact and biomass components to the different KS indices. In addition, a classification tree was implemented, based on ecosystem- specific thresholds applied to the latter species traits, and used to confirm the identified keystone species. The selected index obtained the highest number of models with positive results from both the rank correlation tests and the classification tree. We also demonstrated the limitations of existing KS indices previously applied in the literature. Species were ranked according to their estimates of keystoneness with the selected KS index, so that potential keystone species were quantitatively identified in the 101 modeled food webs. The standardized modeling approach allowed for a comparison of the identified keystone species across models: cartilaginous fishes and toothed whales obtained the highest occurrences. Finally, the selected KS index was applied to the well-known case study of Prince William Sound (Alaska, USA). Potentially significant anthropogenic (fishing) impacts on keystone species were also considered and discussed. The operational methodology presented is directly applicable to marine food webs, and may be adapted to other (freshwater or terrestrial) systems.


This paper describes a hybrid methodology that integrates genetic algorithms (GAs) and decision tree learning in order to evolve useful subsets of discriminatory features for recognizing complex visual concepts. A GA is used to search the space of all possible subsets of a large set of candidate discrimination features. Candidate feature subsets are evaluated by using C4.5, a decision tree learning algorithm, to produce a decision tree based on the given features using a limited amount of training data. The classification performance of the resulting decision tree on unseen testing data is used as the fitness of the underlying feature subset. Experimental results are presented to show how increasing the amount of learning significantly improves feature set evolution for difficult visual recognition problems involving satellite and facial image data. In addition, we also report on the extent to which other more subtle aspects of the Baldwin effect are exhibited by the system.


This thesis is composed of two chapters. Chapter I is an investigation of the spin wave spectrum of the two-dimensional spin-1/2 Heisenberg model and its relevance to high-T_c superconducting materials. Chapter II is a study on another interesting family of superconductors, the alkali compounds of Buckyminsterfullerene A_xC_(60). The electron-phonon coupling constant of one member of these compounds, K_3C_(60), has been calculated and discussed in the context of the phonon-mediated superconducting mechanism.

Chapter 1 consists of two projects. The first project is an exact diagonalization of a 4 x 4 S = 1/2 Heisenberg model.
Energy vs. momentum spectra is derived and compared with the dynamic structure factors. The comparison shows that spin wave or magnon of a certain momentum corresponds to the lowest spin triplet state of that particular momentum. The second project, an extension of the first, is a Projector Monte Carlo simulation of 2D S = 1/2 Heisenberg square lattices of size 4 x 4, 6 x 6, 8 x 8 and 12 x 12. The lowest lying spin wave spectrum has been obtained for each of the above lattices, and the extrapolation to the infinitely large 2D square lattice has been derived. These results suggest that the exact spectrum for the infinite lattice is that of linear magnon with an overall renormalization factor. These results are also used to infer the value of the exchange energy from inelastic neutron scattering experiments of a high-T_c superconductor La_2CuO_4.

The first part of Chapter 2 is a MNDO study of the electronic structure of a C_(60) molecule; this study excludes a proposed mechanism for the superconductivity in A_xC_(60), namely, Stability of Molecular Singlets ("SMS"). Secondly, Chapter II describes an investigation of the electron-phonon interaction caused by the changes of the electron-ion coulomb interactions, i.e., the static electron-phonon coupling. An accurate formalism based on the force field and phonon spectrum available is established to calculate the electron-phonon coupling matrix. This formalism includes exactly the available information about the phonon eigenvectors and eigenenergies and about the localized Wannier orbital for electrons in the conduction bands. The major contributions to the static electron-phonon coupling is found from the low frequency intermolecular phonon modes. Thirdly, a study on the electron-phonon coupling caused by the responses of the local electronic states to the vibrations of a C_(60) molecule (i.e., dynamic electron-phonon coupling) is presented. The study concludes that the dynamic coupling is strong enough to be relevant to the superconductivity in
A_xC_(60). Finally, various properties related to the superconducting phase have been calculated, and are compared with the experimental results. On the basis of all these, an experiment is proposed to confirm our findings, and to determine the superconductivity mechanism in A_xC_(60) systems.


Primary production is the fundamental source of energy to foodwebs and ecosystems, and is thus an important constraint on soil communities. This coupling is particularly evident in polar terrestrial ecosystems where biological diversity and activity is tightly constrained by edaphic gradients of productivity (e.g., soil moisture, organic carbon availability) and geochemical severity (e.g., pH, electrical conductivity). In the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica, environmental gradients determine numerous properties of soil communities and yet relatively few estimates of gross or net primary productivity (GPP, NPP) exist for this region. Here we describe a survey utilizing pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) fluorometry to estimate rates of GPP across a broad environmental gradient along with belowground microbial diversity and decomposition. PAM estimates of GPP ranged from an average of 0.27 μmol O2/m2/s in the most arid soils to an average of 6.97 μmol O2/m2/s in the most productive soils, the latter equivalent to 217 g C/m2/y in annual NPP assuming a 60 day growing season. A diversity index of four carbon-acquiring enzyme activities also increased with soil productivity, suggesting that the diversity of organic substrates in mesic environments may be an additional driver of microbial diversity. Overall, soil productivity was a stronger predictor of microbial diversity and enzymatic activity than any estimate of geochemical severity. These results highlight the fundamental role of environmental gradients to control community diversity and the dynamics of ecosystem-scale carbon pools in arid systems.


Transition literature has emphasized stabilization and enterprise restructuring. Both cross-country analyses and country-specific studies have tended to focus on fiscal stabilization and its indicators, highlighting the importance of quantitative fiscal adjustment to stabilization outcomes. Less attention has been paid to the qualitative dimensions of fiscal adjustment in transition. The authors take stock of the extent to which fiscal adjustment has occurred during the first decade of transition in both qualitative and quantitative dimensions. They define quality as the extent to which: (1) pro-growth expenditure essential for creating future economic and social assets are maintained; (2) pro-poor expenditure, such as poverty-targeted transfers, necessary to ensure income for the poor and vulnerable are adequately provided; and (3) fiscal risks, impinging on both expenditure and revenue, are managed through transition. The authors conclude that while the quantitative magnitude of the fiscal adjustment was dramatic, the quality of this adjustment has compromised the social and economic objectives of transition, particularly in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). They draw four main conclusions: Investments in public services fell in both absolute and relative terms. Reduced spending on government transfers contributed to a sharp increase in income inequality in the CIS. Fiscal risks increased during the transition. Initial conditions allowed Central European and Baltic countries to maintain higher expenditures, which may have contributed to their faster economic recovery and political support for the reforms. The authors argue that the challenge today for fiscal policy in these countries is to facilitate the transition-particularly in reallocating resources from large state-owned enterprises to new small and medium-size firms, and providing priority public services and targeted transfers to assist those adversely affected by transition and reverse the deterioration in social outcomes. The interplay between fiscal policies and institutional arrangements is increasingly important as transition economies embark on their second decade of reforms. In particular, incentives embedded in the institutional arrangements for fiscal management needs to be strengthened so that policies, resources, and outcomes can be better aligned, and the fiscal adjustment is consistent with qualitative considerations.


Newborns are susceptible to hemorrhages (hemorrhagic disease of the newborn or HDN) due to vitamin K deficiency. Induction of cytochrome P450 in the fetal liver by maternal anticonvulsant therapy such as phenobarbital or phenytoin is considered to be a major cause. An observed increase in late hemorrhagic disease (LHD) in breast fed neonates gave rise to the hypothesis that PCBs and dioxins, P450-inducing contaminants present in human milk, might effect vitamin K-dependent blood coagulation. This hypothesis was studied in rats. Administration of a single oral dose of 0.003, 0.03, 0.3, 3 or 30 nmol 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) per kg bodyweight or 0.75, 4, 20, 100 or 500 micromol 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl/kg bw (HxCB) to female and male rats resulted in dose-related reductions of the vitamin K-dependent coagulation factor VII. The highest factor VII reduction in female rats was 44%, observed after TCDD exposure. The Lowest Observed Adverse Effect Level (LOAEL) of TCDD on female factor VII levels was 0.3 nmol/kg bw (96 ng/kg). There was a significant inverse correlation between Factor VII levels and induction of hepatic ethoxyresorufin O-deethylating (EROD) activity, reflecting CYP1A1, and total P450 content. HxCB had no effect on female coagulation factors. In contrast, in male rats only exposure to HxCB, which induces mainly CYP2B1 and 2B2, decreased both coagulation factors dramatically up to 88%. The LOAEL of HxCB on factor VII in male rats was 100 micromol/kg bw (36 mg/kg). In general, effects on coagulation factors in male rats exceeded those in females. In addition, sex-dependent differences of TCDD and HxCB were observed on the hepatic vitamin K cycle enzyme activities in female and male rats. Vitamin K-dependent (gamma-glutamyl carboxylase activity was mainly induced in female rats; 2.3-fold in the highest dose group of TCDD. In male rats only vitamin K 2,3-epoxide reductase (KO-reductase) activity was induced 1.7-fold by the highest dose of HxCB. KO-reductase activity in female rats was also increased by TCDD, however, less pronounced than the carboxylase activity. Concluding, the hepatic vitamin K cycle still functions and is not blocked by TCDD or HxCB, thus explaining the observed reduction in factor VII. Finally, the possible role of P450 in vitamin K deficiency is discussed. Based on these results it is suggested to investigate the possible role of PCBs and dioxin-like compounds in LHD in more detail.


The number of tiger subspecies is a major conservation issue that is difficult to resolve owing to small fragmented extant populations and limited historical samples in museums, which compromise the rigour of both molecular and morphological taxonomic studies. Rather than considering a static taxonomic approach to geographical variation in the tiger, we consider the changing biogeographical range of the tiger through the last glacial‐interglacial cycle, based on habitat associations of modern tiger specimen records, and environmental reconstructions from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; approximately 20000 years before present (B.P.)). We regard this cycle as representative of the numerous glacial cycles that span the evolutionary history of the tiger since its appearance in the fossil record about two million years ago, thereby giving a deep‐time perspective. The key issue is to determine the extent to which ancestral populations of the tiger were geographically isolated. If no geographical isolation is likely, and gene flow between tiger populations could be maintained until modern times, then diagnosably distinct populations could not have evolved. Our reconstructions show that only two tiger populations were likely to have experienced significant geographical isolation from the main species distribution; these were to the west of Tibet (during the LGM) and on Japan (throughout the glacial cycle). In addition, the LGM is likely to have seen the partial separation of peninsular Malayan and Sunda Islands tigers from mainland populations. From a biogeographical perspective it seems probable that only three contemporary populations were sufficiently separated for the evolution of distinct populations, which can be regarded as subspecies or evolutionary significant units. Therefore, most variation in modern tiger populations is probably clinal, which has important implications for future conservation strategies both in the wild and in captivity.


OBJECTIVE
To compare opinions of referring veterinarians and perceptions of veterinary teaching hospital (VTH) veterinarians of those opinions regarding nutritional product recommendations made by VTH veterinarians.

DESIGN
Survey.

SAMPLE POPULATION
VTH veterinarians from 10 US colleges of veterinary medicine and referring veterinarians within a 160-km (100-mile) radius of each of those colleges.

PROCEDURES
Questions intended to assess the attitudes of VTH clinicians and referring veterinarians toward recommendations on nutritional products were designed by use of item statements with a 7-point Likert scale. Data were evaluated by use of crosstab analysis and Likert bipolar scaling to measure overall positive or negative responses to statements and to determine significant differences in responses to demographic and communication questions.

RESULTS
Referring veterinarians returned 1,430 of 12,720 surveys, and VTH veterinarians returned 98 of 690 surveys (response rate, 11.2% and 14.2%, respectively). Significant communication gaps between general practitioners and board-certified veterinarians existed. The VTH veterinarians consistently reported providing written case summaries sooner than referring veterinarians reported receiving them. Referring veterinarians indicated that they expected and welcomed specific nutritional recommendations more than was perceived by VTH veterinarians.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
VTH veterinarians should not assume the attitudes of referring veterinarians, particularly with regard to specific nutritional recommendations. Failure to discuss specific nutritional recommendations may prevent effective consultation between veterinarians and also may directly affect clients who may experience delays in treatment for their pets. Procedural issues related to delivery and receipt of written case summaries should be investigated by VTH veterinarians and general practitioners.


Background: Large vessel involvement (LVI) as a prognostic factor regarding flare frequency and glucocorticoid (GC) demand has not been investigated in giant cell arteritis (GCA). LVI may indicate a complicated disease course but periodic imaging is not an accepted norm for reevaluation and data on findings of vascular damage with clinical vascular assessment is scarce.
Objectives: This study was conducted to explore periodic peripheral vascular evaluation as a tool for a) detecting smouldering disease, b) identifying LVI, and c) to investigate whether LVI predicts frequent flares on high dose GC.
Methods: A portion of all consecutive newly diagnosed patients with GCA and polymyalgia rheumatica, referrals for second opinion or initiation of GC-sparing drug in patients with these diagnoses between July 2011 and May 2015 were evaluated and followed on regular intervals by one rheumatologist. Only those with GCA were included. Patients were evaluated at follow-ups with auscultation of the heart and peripheral vessels, palpation of the peripheral pulses and pressure measurement of the brachial and dorsal pedal arteries. Imaging was done if: new vascular bruit or pressure asymmetry, frequent flares, long standing disease or rise in inflammatory markers without any other explanation.
Results: Imaging revealed LVI in 58% (LV-GCA). Sixty-five percent developed pressure asymmetry, 65% of them had LVI. With pressure measurements 73% of those with LV-GCA could be found. Six patients exhibited a relapsing and remitting course of pressure asymmetries. Thirty-one percent of the ankle pressure asymmetries (APA) at baseline were due to vasculitis. APA occurred significantly higher in LV-GCA patients (p=0.0017). Sixty-five percent of the patients had flares on high dose GC, 76% of them had LVI (p=0.014).
Conclusions: Periodic vascular assessment is reliable to I) use as an independent activity marker, II) evaluate treatment efficacy, III) detect LVI and smouldering inflammation. LVI predicts a complicated disease course.


The influence of a magnetic field on the angular distribution of the atomic fragments resulting from photodissociation is studied both theoretically and experimentally. In the theoretical section we present a quantum mechanical description of photo-predissociation of diatomic molecules in a magnetic field, indicating the analogy with the classical Hanle effect observed in fluorescence, and showing how in a similar way lifetimes of predissociative states can be measured. The experimental section describes photodissociation experiments on the (4p)e1Πu(v=0) Rydberg state of N2, where the dissociation process occurs in the presence of a magnetic field. We use the Hanle effect to determine the lifetimes of several rotational levels of this state. They range from 0.2 to 12 ns, in agreement with lower limits that were determined from high resolution spectroscopy. Lifetime information further elucidates the complex predissociation mechanism of the e1Πu state.


The Reformed tradition has always been involved in political issues. In terms of this perspective the views of two major Reformed theologians, John Calvin and Karl Barth, are compared with opinions in early Christianity regarding the relation between Christians and politics. Theologians in the early patristic period kept their distance from politics. Calvin pleaded for sober involvement, while Barth eagerly calls for a prophetic participation in the public sphere. These differences may be interpreted as a natural development related to historical changes: from a persecuted community to the corpus christianum, and subsequently to the challenge of a perverse political ideology, and the call for a response in a new situation its defeat. From this perspective all three positions are understandable. However, being true to the Reformed call ad fontes one must conclude that Barth's theology is totally different from both that of early Christianity and the New Testament. This calls for a reconsideration of positions regarding the relation of church and politics.


Data distribution management (DDM) is one of the most critical component of any large-scale interactive distributed simulation systems. The aim of DDM is to reduce and control the volume of information exchanged among the simulated entities (federates) in a large-scale distributed simulation system. In order to fulfill its goal, a considerable amount of DDM messages needs to be exchanged within the simulation (federation). The question of whether each message should be sent immediately after it is generated or held until it can be grouped with other DDM messages needs to be investigated further. Our experimental results have shown that the total DDM time of a simulation varies considerably depending on which transmission strategy is used. Moreover, in the case of grouping, the DDM time depends on the size of the group. In this paper, we propose a novel DDM approach, which we refer to as Adaptive Grid-based (AGB) DDM. The AGB protocol is distinct from all existing DDM implementations, because it is able to predict the average amount of data generated in each time step of a simulation. Therefore, the AGB DDM approach controls a simulation running in the most appropriate mode to achieve a desired performance. This new DDM approach consists of two adaptive control parts: 1) the Adaptive Resource Allocation Control (ARAC) scheme and 2) the Adaptive Transmission Control (ATC) scheme. The focus of this paper is on the ATC scheme. We describe how to build a switching model to predict the average amount of DDM messages generated and how the ATC scheme uses this estimation result to optimize the overall DDM time. Our experimental results provide a clear evidence that the ATC scheme is able to achieve the best performance in DDM time when compared to all existing DDM protocols using an extensive set of experimental case studies.


INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Transperitoneal laparoscopic adrenalectomy is the standard of care for most adrenal masses. However, posterior retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy (PRA) may be advantageous, particularly for patients with abdominal visceromegalies, multiples previous abdominal surgeries and bilateral adrenal lesions in which the repositioning is avoided. Relative contraindications are previous retroperitoneal surgeries and adrenal masses > 7cm. Advantages of PRA are shorter operative time, less blood loss, earlier oral intake and shorter hospitalization. The purpose of this video is to show the key steps of this technique. METHODS: The patient is placed in jack-knife position. The first 12mm trocar is placed below the tip of the 12th rib. Another 12mm trocar is placed lateral to the paraspinous muscle and a 5mm trocar is placed below the 11th rib in the posterior axillary line. When a pneumoperitoneum pressure of 20 mmHg of CO2 is achieved, the retroperitoneal working space is bluntly created. The gland is mobilized from the kidney and the inferior vena cava or abdominal aorta with harmonic. Finally, the adrenal vein is clipped and divided and the gland is removed. RESULTS: 12 PRA were performed up to now. Nine of them (75%) were functional lesions. Mean operative time: 104,3 minutes. Median hospital stay: 2 days. No major complications were registered. All patients achieved clinical and biochemical cure at mean follow up of 36 months . CONCLUSIONS: PRA is a safe and effective technique, with short operative time and fast recovery but requires a thorough knowledge of retroperitoneal anatomy. Source of Funding: None


Today, researchers consider sports as one of the methods of reinforcement in the development of psychological parameters. The aim of the present study was to compare the alexithymia and its components, in athletes and non-athletic adolescents. Its components consist of difficulty in identifying feelings (DIF), difficulty in describing feelings (DDF), and externally oriented thinking (EOT). The statistical sample of the research included 100 athlete students and 100 nonathlete students, who were selected using multistage cluster sampling. They were asked to fill out the Farsi version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20. The obtained results showed that there were significant differences in the mean scores of the alexithymia and its three components: difficulty in identifying feelings, difficulty in describing and externally oriented thinking in both groups (P = 0.001, P = 0.001, P = 0.001 and P = 0.008, respectively). The results revealed that athletic students had less emotional problems than non-athlete students; it is recommended that physical activity be part of the strategies to improve emotional health among non-athletic students.


Over the past decade, the UK has witnessed a considerable expansion in the provision and use of charitable food aid, particularly food banks. The phenomenon has become a prominent political issue, and a rapidly expanding field of academic study. However, there is limited data available as to the prevalence of food aid use or the factors associated with it. The growth in food aid has also prompted research and policy interest in the wider issue of food poverty: the extent to which people struggle to afford food; its drivers and impacts; and the role which charitable food aid has come to play in food poverty experiences. There is a recognised need for better understanding of both food poverty and food aid use as separate but connected phenomena.
The recent rise of charitable food aid in the UK has been mirrored across other European welfare states, provoking significant questions about the changing roles of, and relationships between, statutory and voluntary sectors in providing a social safety net. There is a need for greater critical reflection on how food aid is challenging and changing welfare states, particularly in countries where it has only recently become widespread. The overall aim of this thesis is to gain new empirical and theoretical insights into the rise of food aid and its role in relation to the changing nature of the welfare state. In order to address this aim, a mixed methods study of food poverty and the rise of food aid within the welfare state was undertaken. Scotland was selected as the major case study for the research, with a particular focus on the city of Glasgow, while Finland provided the minor, comparative case. The quantitative part of the study involved cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis of an existing household survey of 15 deprived neighbourhoods in
Glasgow (the GoWell study). The objective was to examine the scale of both food poverty and food bank use. Binary logistic regression modelling was used to examine the relationship of these outcomes with socio-demographic, health, and financial variables. The qualitative fieldwork involved a total of 51 semi-structured interviews. These included interviews with a sample of the GoWell study participants (n=12); service providers in Glasgow (n=12); and policy actors across Scotland (n=9). Fieldwork in Finland involved interviews with policy actors and individuals working in statutory and voluntary services (n=18).
This study provides quantitative analysis of a self-reported measure of food bank use, including empirical evidence of the scale and drivers of food poverty and food bank use in deprived neighbourhoods. While four per cent of respondents were found to have reported food bank use in 2015, 17 per cent reported difficulties affording food. The findings highlight the impact of financial factors, specifically of recent UK Government welfare reforms, on both food poverty and food bank use. The study found that survey respondents with mental and physical health problems were more likely to experience both food poverty and food bank use than those who reported good health. Worsening health was also found to increase the likelihood of entering food poverty over time. The qualitative findings provide evidence of how food banks are shaping experiences, perceptions, and delivery of the welfare state at a local level, and also consider how policy makers perceive the state-food aid relationship.
Drawing on welfare state regime theory, analysis of interviews with policy actors in both Scotland and Finland inform an examination of the various roles and relationships of food aid and the welfare state across different regime types. Theoretical characterisations of the relationship between food aid and the welfare state, arising from analysis of interview data in both countries, are presented. These include understandings of food aid in relation to a welfare state which might be considered: contingent; shrunken; impersonal; or regressive. Comparing Scotland and Finland offers important insight into how and why food aid may play different roles in different welfare state contexts.


Classic constitutional thought considered the power to conclude international treaties to fall within the executive's exclusive domain. But this nineteenth-century logic hardly convinces in the twenty-first century. For the function of international treaties has dramatically shifted from the military to the regulatory domain; and in the wake of this 'new internationalism', the traditional divide between 'internal' and 'external' affairs has increasingly disappeared. Has this enlarged scope of the treaty power also triggered a transformation of its nature; and in particular: has the rise of 'legislative' international treaties been compensated by a greater role accorded to parliaments? This article explores this question comparatively by looking at the constitutional law of the United States and the European Union. Within the United States, international treaties were traditionally concluded under a procedure that excluded the House of Representatives; yet with the rise of the Congressional-Executive-Agreement in the twentieth century, this democratic deficit has been partially remedied. We find a similar evolution within the context of the European Union, where an increasing 'parliamentarisation' of the treaty power has taken place. Yet a democratic deficit here nevertheless also continues to exist.


We predict that people with different political orientations will exhibit systematically different levels of political homophily, the tendency to associate with others similar to oneself in political ideology. Research on personality differences across the political spectrum finds that both more conservative and more politically extreme individuals tend to exhibit greater orientations towards cognitive stability, clarity, and familiarity. We reason that such a "preference for certainty" may make these individuals more inclined to seek out the company of those who reaffirm, rather than challenge, their views. Since survey studies of political homophily face well-documented methodological challenges, we instead test this proposition on a large sample of politically engaged users of the social-networking platform Twitter, whose ideologies we infer from the politicians and policy nonprofits they follow. As predicted, we find that both more extreme and more conservative individuals tend to be more homophilous than more liberal and more moderate ones.


How, and how much, does the Constitution protect against political entrenchment? Judicial ineptitude in dealing with this question - on display in the modern Court's treatment of partisan gerrymandering - has its roots in Luther v. Borden. One hundred and sixty years after the Luther Court refused jurisdiction over competing Rhode Island state constitutions, judicial regulation of American structural democracy has become commonplace. Yet getting here - by going around Luther - has deeply shaped the current Court's doctrinal posture and left the Court in profound disagreement about its role in addressing substantive questions of democratic fairness. While contemporary scholars have demonstrated enormous concern for the problem of the judicial role in policing political entrenchment, Luther's central role in shaping this modern problem has not been fully acknowledged. In particular, Justice Woodbury's concurrence in Luther, which rooted its view of the political question doctrine in democratic theory, has been completely ignored. This Note tells Luther's story with an eye to the road not taken.


Information behavior theory covers different aspects of the totality of information‐related human behavior rather unevenly. The transitions or trading zones between different types of information activities have remained perhaps especially under‐theorized. This article interrogates and expands a conceptual apparatus of information making and information taking as a pair of substantial concepts for explaining, in part, the mobility of information in terms of doing that unfolds as a process of becoming rather than of being, and in part, what is happening when information comes into being and when something is taken up for use as information. Besides providing an apparatus to describe the nexus of information provision and acquisition, a closer consideration of the parallel doings opens opportunities to enrich the inquiry of the conditions and practice of information seeking, appropriation, discovery, and retrieval as modes taking, and learning and information use as its posterities.


Emission spectroscopy was employed to observe O2 plasma generated by anAC discharge at pressures from0.15 to 0.5 Torr. The emission bands and lines show linear dependence over the entire pressure range. Electron temperature measurements were performed using a double Langmuir probe. Measured electron temperature was found to be inversely proportional to pressure.Within the plasma conditions under consideration, O2, O2 +,O, and O+ play a dominant role in the pulsed plasma process within the spectral range of (200-800 nm), and the importance of these components vary little under the conditions of the plasma studied in this work. Identification of the vibrational levels of the i"ui€ B3 excited state indicates that predissociation through a repulsive states coupling with the i"ui€ B3 state may be respon - sible for the depletion of upper vibrational levels of this state.


Italo Calvino's Castle of Crossed Destinies is unique among his later novels for failing to uphold the rules and constraints that he was increasingly fond of imposing on his works of fiction. To explain the novel's structural failure, this essay puts aside the framework for analysis which is commonly adopted, a structuralist reading rooted in Saussure's linguistics and Propp's narratology, and suggests a framework stemming from the comics that Calvino would have read in newspapers as a child. An unlikely source of inspiration, these comics actually tell us a great deal about the novel, about its origin, its tone, and its unraveling, as well as help us pinpoint the problem in a clash of interpretative strategies, between one that treats images as changeable and another that treats them as stable points in a narrative continuum.


A boy born without arms or legs tells his own amazing story! Oto came home from school one day and told his parents he had signed up to play basketball. Most parents would be delighted; his were shocked. After all, Oto was born with no arms and no legs. But as this extraordinary young man has proven again and again, hard work, humor, versatility, and an upbeat approach to life are as valuable as limbs. No One's Perfect is his true account of how he slam-dunked one challenge after another, including basketball. In a style purposefully meant to reach all ages, Oto writes about his unique childhood in Japan, a country that traditionally has shielded the disabled from the public eye. But hide Oto? Try hiding the sun! From his earliest days, he brought such a winning optimism into the crowds around him-curious kindergartners, skeptical members of the public school board, gaping passersby-that it was hard to resist him. Now, as a young adult, Oto has taken on the work of establishing a "barrier-free" environment for others, in the government, in the media, in the eyes of all he meets. His book has sold over four million copies in Japan, where he has utterly changed the way people view the disabled. Unsentimental and understated (you know the day-to-day routine can't have been as easy as he makes it sound), Oto's message nonetheless hits the heart. And though you need bravery and constant energy to overcome disabilities, you also need the understanding of those around you. Strong parents and unconventional teachers bucked the rigid status quo to give Oto a chance at a normal life, and he took it from there. Running races, learning to swim, even getting into fights, he made his classmates feel "He's one of us," so they were willing to join forces with him to help break down the barriers he faced.


Background: Each year, over 5 million red blood cell (RBC) transfusions are administered to patients in the USA. Despite the therapeutic benefits of RBC transfusions, there are associated risks. RBC-specific alloantibodies may form in response to antigenic differences between RBC donors and recipients; these alloantibodies can be a problem as they may mediate hemolysis or pose barriers to future transfusion support. While there is currently no reliable way to predict which RBC recipients will make an alloantibody response, risk factors such as inflammation have been shown to correlate with increased rates of RBC alloimmunization. The underlying mechanisms behind how inflammation mediates alloantibody production are incompletely defined. Methods: To assess erythrophagocytosis, mice were treated with PBS or inflammatory stimuli followed by a transfusion of allogeneic RBCs labeled with a lipophilic dye. At multiple time points, RBC consumption and expression of activation makers by leukocytes was evaluated. To determine which antigen presenting cell (APC) subset(s) were capable of promoting allogeneic T cell activation, sorted leukocyte populations (which had participated in erythrophagocytosis) were co-cultured in vitro with allogeneic CD4+ T cells; T cell proliferation and ability to form immunological synapses with APCs were determined. Results: Upon transfusion of fresh allogeneic RBCs, multiple APCs consumed transfused RBCs. However, only CD8+ and CD11b+ dendritic cells formed productive immunological synapses with allogeneic T cells and stimulated proliferation. Importantly, allogeneic T cell activation and RBC alloantibody production occurred in response to RBC transfusion alone, and transfusion in the context of inflammation enhanced RBC consumption, the number of immune synapses, allogeneic T cell proliferation, and the rate and magnitude of alloantibody production. Conclusions: These data demonstrate that regardless of the ability to participate in RBC consumption, only a subset of APCs are capable of forming an immune synapse with T cells thereby initiating an alloantibody response. Additionally, these data provide mechanistic insight into RBC alloantibody generation.


The concepts of community and infrastructure reverberate throughout the information sciences. As digital information technology becomes ubiquitous in work and everyday life, scholars analyze how communities adapt to, and adapt, information infrastructure. This paper explores this topic through a cross-study of field scientists' changing data practices and of older adults learning technology. The contribution of this comparative study is the concept of an intermediary space. Both studies found individuals, referred to as intermediaries, who enable their communities to speak back to information infrastructure—that is, to have a voice in infrastructural development. In particular, the study noted the roles of those outside positions of power in the design and development of effective information infrastructure. Understanding this intermediary space involves attending to issues related to design and narrative. The implications of these findings include more effectively preparing the information sciences' workforce for these intermediary roles.


Abstract The goals of this study were to examine the association between pain and antiretroviral adherence and to estimate the mediating effect of adherence self-efficacy and depression symptom severity. Surveys using audio computer-assisted self-interview were conducted among 70 HIV-infected current and former drug users enrolled in a methadone program. We assessed antiretroviral adherence and adherence self-efficacy using questions from the Adult Clinical Trials Group survey. We considered participants adherent if they reported taking at least 95% of prescribed antiretrovirals over the past seven days. We assessed depression symptom severity using the depression subscale of the Brief Symptom Inventory. Participants reported pain of any duration in response to a question from the Brief Pain Inventory. Participants reporting pain were 87% less likely to be classified as adherent compared to those without pain (Unadjusted OR = 0.13, 95%CI: 0.03–0.52). When we examined adherence self-efficacy as a mediator of the relationship between pain and adherence, criteria for partial mediation were met. Adjusting for self-efficacy, the beta coefficient for pain decreased by 23% but the independent relationship between pain and antiretroviral adherence was maintained. Mediation criteria were not met when we examined the mediating effect of depression symptom severity on the relationship between pain and adherence. Adjusting for depression symptom severity, the beta coefficient for pain decreased by 9% and the relationship between pain and antiretroviral adherence remained significant. Our results indicate that neither adherence self-efficacy nor depression symptom severity fully mediated the relationship between pain and adherence. HIV providers should recognize the potential impact of pain on antiretroviral adherence among current and former drug users.


Despite a rich literature on the political and constitutional development of the Canadian territorial North, few scholars have examined the post-devolution environment in Yukon. This lacuna is surprising since devolution is frequently cited as being crucial to the well-being of Northerners, leading both the Government of Nunavut and the Government of the Northwest Territories to lobby the federal government to devolve lands and resources to them. This paper provides an updated historical account of devolution in Yukon and assesses its impact on the territory since 2003. Relying mainly on written sources and 16 interviews with Aboriginal, government, and industry officials in the territory, it highlights some broad effects of devolution and specifically analyzes the processes of obtaining permits for land use and mining. Our findings suggest that devolution has generally had a positive effect on the territory, and in particular has led to more efficient and responsive land use and mining permit processes.


In synthesis, assumptions are constraints on the environment that rule out certain environment behaviors. A key observation here is that even if we consider systems with LTLƒ goals on finite traces, environment assumptions need to be expressed over infinite traces, since accomplishing the agent goals may require an unbounded number of environment action. To solve synthesis with respect to finite-trace LTLƒ goals under infinite-trace assumptions, we could reduce the problem to LTL synthesis. Unfortunately, while synthesis in LTLƒ and in LTL have the same worst-case complexity (both 2EXPTIME-complete), the algorithms available for LTL synthesis are much more difficult in practice than those for LTLƒ synthesis. In this work we show that in interesting cases we can avoid such a detour to LTL synthesis and keep the simplicity of LTLƒ synthesis. Specifically, we develop a BDD-based fixpoint-based technique for handling basic forms of fairness and of stability assumptions. We show, empirically, that this technique performs much better than standard LTL synthesis.


Inositol trisphosphate (IP3) is a well-known second messenger that binds to the endoplasmic reticulum calcium channel, the IP3 Receptor (IP3R). Yang et al. identified members of the neuronal Ca2+ sensor proteins (CaBPs) as proteins that interacted with the cytosolic portion of the IP3R. These interactions were confirmed by colocalization and coimmunoprecipitation experiments from rat brain and transfected cells. In coimmunoprecipitation experiments with transfected cells, the binding of CaBP was enhanced by increasing calcium to the cells. Using an assay to measure single-channel currents from IP3R located on Xenopus oocyte nuclear membranes, the authors showed that CaBP1 stimulated the channel in the absence of IP3. CaBPs may be another mechanism, in addition to direct calcium binding by the receptor, by which IP3 sensitivity to calcium signals can be achieved. J. Yang, S. McBride, D.-O. D. Mak, N. Vardi, K. Palczewski, F. Haeseleer, J. K. Foskett, Identification of a family of calcium sensors as protein ligands of inositol trisphosphate receptor Ca2+ release channels. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 99, 7711-7716 (2002). [Abstract] [Full Text]


INTRODUCTION The four volcanic masses whose coalescing bases form the island of Hawaii are substantially alike in petrographie composition; all of them bear cinder cones on their flanks, and lava flows from all of them have extended far into the sea, and also inland to join their neighbors. As regards their topographic expression, they form two groups. Mauna Loa and Hualalai have remarkably flat, smooth profiles and summit craters; Mauna Kea and Kohala are rugged masses sharply incised by canyons and have no topographic feature to indicate the major source of the materials of which they are constructed. The two giant domes, Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, reveal these differences clearly. The profile of Mauna Loa extends from the coast as an almost unbroken curve with a gradient averaging about 600 feet to the mile nearly to the rim of the active crater, Mokuaweoweo, at an altitude of 13,680 feet. 1 . . .


An understanding of the regional contributions and trends of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions is critical to design mitigation strategies aimed at stabilizing atmospheric greenhouse gases. Here we report CO2 emis- sions from the combustion of fossil fuels and land use change in Africa for various time periods. Africa was responsible for an average of 500 Tg C y 1 for the period 2000-2005. These emissions resulted from the combustion of fossil fuels (260 Tg C y 1 ) and land use change (240 Tg C y 1 ). Over this period, the African share of global emissions from land use change was 17%. For 2005, the last year reported in this study, African fossil fuel emissions were 285 Tg C ac- counting for 3.7% of the global emissions. The 2000-2005 growth rate in African fossil fuel emissions was 3.2% y 1 , very close to the global average. Fossil fuel emissions per capita in Africa are among the lowest in the world, at 0.32 t C y 1 compared to the global average of 1.2 t C y 1 . The av- erage amount of carbon (C) emitted as CO2 to produce 1 US$ of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Africa was 187 g C/$ in 2005, close to the world average of 199 g C/$. With the fastest population growth in the world and rising per capita GDP, Africa is likely to increase its share of global emissions over the coming decades although emissions from Africa will remain low compared to other continents.


If brevity is the soul of wit, what is verbosity the soul of? Of overweening, inefficient, even tyrannical government — at least according to the critics who, for years, have bewailed the fact that federal laws and regulations are growing by the minute, by the mile, and by the metric ton. These critics argue that America suffers from "hyperlexis," or the existence of too much law, and their calls for remedies to that malady are now finding a receptive ear in the highest echelons of the federal government. The idea that there is too much federal law has been embraced by all three branches of government and by members of both major political parties. This Article taxonomizes and evaluates the most common claims of hyperlexis in federal law, including the claims that federal laws and regulations are too numerous, too complex, too costly, and too invasive of state and local prerogatives. Once these arguments are untangled, their flaws become evident. Each account of federal hyperlexis faces serious conceptual obstacles. Either the diagnostic criteria for hyperlexis are faulty, or the prescribed cure has no logical relationship to the diagnosed ailment. Despite these failings, however, the claim that there is "too much law" has, and will continue to have, corrosive effects. The hyperlexis critique implicates deeply embedded philosophical beliefs concerning the nature of individual liberty and the proper role of government. And the critique represents a challenge to the legitimacy of law that current theories of law's legitimacy are not oriented to deflect. We are left, then, in the worst of both worlds. The hyperlexis critique does not map out a means to achieve the goal of reducing the amount of federal law, but the currency of the critique has corrosive effects upon the sociological legitimacy of federal law and institutions. Moreover, measures intended to blunt worries about federal over-regulation — such as statutory provisions authorizing the executive to "waive" the application of federal laws — can backfire, by producing legal regimes that appear incomplete, unaccountable, or selectively enforced. Thus, the toll taken by the hyperlexis critique on federal law's legitimacy may compound itself.


The plight of the southern Philippines is a lesson in how not to undertake a peace process. It especially illuminates the pitfalls of negotiating without the wholehearted commitment of the stakeholders, especially the central government. Successive regimes in Manila have made feints at achieving a settlement in Mindanao, but the national leadership has been in turns half-hearted, dilatory and insincere. So the south remains in turmoil despite the best intentions and unflagging efforts of peace advocates. Whatever else, the so-called Mindanao problem has much to teach the international community about intractable warfare. Hard-won lessons in this southernmost and second largest island of the Philippines can undoubtedly contribute to understanding civil unrest and the challenges of peace-building in general


A common belief among a number of applied linguists working with parallel texts (texts from a source language, L1, and their translations into a target language, L2) is that "translated language is different from the original language" (Mauranen 1998: 160). A related research question is "Are translated texts different from comparable texts in the target language as well?" One way to answer the above question is to establish "translation universals" which make translated texts different from comparable texts in the target language. The process of simplification of translated language has been mentioned as one such universal feature (Baker 1993, 1995; Laviosa-Braithwaite 1996). The purpose of the present study is (a) to investigate one of the consequences of the process of simplification, i.e. reduction in lexical density, in a number of texts and their translations from English into Chinese. It will also be hypothesized that (b) translated texts into English and (c) translated texts into Chinese, in comparison with similar monolingual texts in the two languages, will be less lexically dense. A Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG) model will be used for defining and calculating lexical density. Some implications of the findings for teaching translation will also be discussed.


System design at the early stage of design plays an important role in design process. Model based systems engineering is seen as a prominent approach for this challenge. System design can be explored by means of system simulation. However, as the system is a complex system, system model tends to have high level of abstraction. Therefore, the models cannot depict every details of the system, which makes optimization unreasonable.Furthermore, at the early stage of design, there are many uncertainties such as success of technological developments. By properly incorporating uncertain factors in system design, the system can be tolerant. Currently system design is conducted by experienced experts. However, for more complex system, it would be difficult to continue the current practice. Therefore, a method to support design team to make decision in system design is needed.This paper proposes a computational support for the system design. Design constraints, which seems the core information that design team wants at system design, are modeled. By visualizing constraints quantitatively and intuitively, the proposed method can support design team to conduct system design and design study.


In a recent paper, Chang, Gomes, and Schorfheide (2002) extend the standard real business cycle (RBC) model to allow for a learning-by-doing (LBD) mechanism whereby current labour supply affects future productivity. They show that this feature magnifies the propagation of shocks and improves the matching performance of the standard RBC model. In this paper, the authors show that the LBD model is nearly observationally equivalent to an RBC model with habit formation in labour (or, equivalently, in leisure). Under the same calibration of the parameters, the two models share the same equilibrium paths of output, consumption, and investment, but have different implications for hours worked. Using Bayesian techniques, the authors investigate which of the LBD and habit models fits the U.S. data best. Their results suggest that the habit specification is more strongly supported by the data.


How effective has SHARP been in preventing Sexual Assault and Harassment in the US Army? The U.S. Army has used the Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Prevention program (SHARP) since 2008 as a way to address the prevalence of sexual assault and harassment among its ranks. However, current research by the Department of Defense show that the rate of both assault and harassment has not significantly declined over the years. Existing literature also discussed that there are a number of cultural norms within the Army and military as a whole that continue to perpetuate an environment where concepts of male masculinity and gender inequality exist. The research for this study involved conducting a survey of soldiers to get a better sense of how they thought the program influenced the Army as a whole and themselves as an individual. While the SHARP program is effective in educating soldiers that the problems of sexual violence exist, the key finding is that it does not target the societal and gendered norms that have existed in the Army that perpetuate a culture which is conducive to harassment and assault. By failing to do so, SHARP has had little effect in reducing the number of incidents. However, progress, such as increased reporting and increased awareness, highlight that SHARP is not inherently broken. Instead, it must evolve in its educational focus to have greater results in the reduction of sexual assault and harassment incidents in the future.


From the mid 1950s to the late 1980s, Ralph Harris and Arthur Seldon, as general director and editorial director respectively of the IEA, battled against a conventional wisdom which was hostile to markets. Eventually, by force of argument, they overcame much of the resistance to market ideas, and in the process established the Institute's formidable influence in shaping both opinion and policy. This Occasional Paper begins with a transcript of a conversation with Harris and Seldon whch provides many insights into how they work and what obstacles they encountered. Eight distinguished scholars, each familiar with the work of the Institute, then provide commentaries which assess its influence on thinking and the challenge to government which it constituted during the Harris/Seldon years.