IntroductionThere is huge potential for research arising from the effective linking and sharing of administrative data collected by government, and other organisations. However, the use of such data presents challenges in terms of protecting individual privacy. Our objective was to capture a baseline of public attitudes in Northern Ireland towards health data linkage and sharing which can then be reassessed at intervals to measure changes in public trust and understanding. MethodThe Life and Times Survey (NILT) is an annual survey of the attitudes of the public of Northern Ireland to a wide range of social issues. Between October and December 2015 1,202 respondents completed the NILT survey. The 2015 survey included a module of questions and vignettes relating to the theme of 'Public understanding and views of sharing of health data, data linking, and relevant safeguards'. A systematic random sample of addresses was used to identify respondents. Interviews were then carried out face-to-face in the respondent's home via Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing. Descriptive statistics and Chi squared tests were used to explore the responses.ResultsGP surgeries (91%) and the NHS (86%) were most trusted to 'keep information or data that they have about people secure and use it appropriately'. Smaller percentages were prepared to trust government departments (73%) and academic researchers (72%) but trust plummeted when it came to commercial organisations (41%) and charities (51%). The majority of respondents supported sharing of identified health data in order to improve services. Over 95% were in favour of sharing data within the health service by means of the electronic care record, and over two thirds of people were in favour of health information being shared to improve access to benefits or other services.There was a high level of support for all of the data protection measures currently employed for linking data for research. More than two thirds supported the concept of sharing de-identified health data for research, and linking these to data from other sources, where there was public benefit. Respondents were less positive toward data sharing with commercial organisations and 50% believed the data protection safeguards, implemented for academic researchers, should be greater for commercial organisations. However, there was evidence that where there is great public benefit, there is greater support.Nearly one third of respondents felt that data should only be shared for research if there is explicit consent, even if this means that the research is impossible. This strict attitude toward the need for consent was associated with low trust in organisations including the government and NHS. DiscussionThe results of this survey represent the expressed attitudes of people given their current experience and knowledge of these issues. This is a different approach to qualitative research which seeks to hold in depth discussions with people to gauge what their attitudes would be if they fully understood the issues. Both types of research are needed.ConclusionPublic support for data sharing is linked to trust in organisations; data protection measures and the perception of public benefit.


Increased expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is common in cancer and correlates with neoplastic progression. Although the biology of this receptor has been the subject of intense investigation, surprisingly little is known about how increased expression of the wild-type EGFR affects downstream signal transduction in cells. We show that increasing the expression of the receptor results in dramatic shifts in signaling with attenuation of EGF-induced Ras, extracellular signal-related kinases (ERKs), and Akt activation, as well as amplification of STAT1 and STAT3 signaling. In this study, we focus on the mechanism of attenuated ERK signaling and present evidence suggesting that the mechanism of attenuated ERK signaling in EGFR-overexpressing cells is a sequestration of ERKs at the cell membrane in EGFR-containing complexes. Increased expression of the EGFR results in an aberrant localization of ERKs to the cell membrane. Furthermore, ERKs become associated with the EGFR in a physical complex in EGFR-overexpressing cells but not in control cells. The EGFR-ERK association is detected in unstimulated cells or on exposure to a low concentration of EGF; under these conditions, ERK activation is minimal. Exposure of these cells to saturating concentrations of EGF results in a decreased membrane localization of ERKs, a concomitant dissociation of ERKs from the EGFR, and restores ERK activation. A similar association can be detected between the EGFR and MEK1 in receptor-overexpressing cells, suggesting that multiple components of the ERK signaling pathway may become trapped in complexes with the EGFR. These findings can be demonstrated in cells transfected to express high levels of the EGFR as well as in cancer cells which naturally overexpress the EGFR and, thus, may be representative of altered EGFR signaling in human cancer.


Aim: A study was carried out to determine the antibacterial activity of Euphorbia heterophylla crude extracts on four enteric bacterial organisms namely; Salmonella typhi , Shigella flexneri , E.coli and Proteus vulgaris . Method: The clinical isolates of Salmonella typhi , Shigella flexneri , E.coli and Proteus vulgaris were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility test using agar diffusion technique. Result: Methanolic and aqueous crude extract produced clear zones of inhibition at concentration ranging from 100 to 200mg/ml at 24 hours and as the time increased to 48hours and 72hours, the antibacterial activity decreased. Two thousand milligram per kilogram body weight of the crude extracts was administered to the mice orally, and single death accompanied each group of mice that were administered with methanolic crude extract of the leaf. Conclusion: Euphorbia heterophylla crude extract could be a potential source of antimicrobial agent for the treatment of diseases associated with enteric organisms such as Salmonella typhi , Shigella flexneri , E.coli and Proteus vulgaris . Further studies should be directed towards isolation and characterization of the active compound in the crude extracts. Keywords: Bioactive components; Antibacterial activity; Euphorbia heterophylla ; Enteric bacteria; Toxicity


The Black/White Achievement gap has been a persistent problem in education. Previous research attributed this gap to students' culture (Jenks & Phillips, 1998; Ogbu, 1995a.b) or teachers' expectancy (Rist, 1970). Post-colonial literature suggests that this research itself is oppressive, and that learning is negotiating the "spaces" between students and teachers (Ellsworth, 1997), creating a hybrid "mestiza" space (Anzaldúa, 1987). The openness of immersion to diversity, and its subsequent educational benefits for African-American students (Caldas & Boudreaux, 1999) conforms to this postcolonial perspective. This mixed-methodology study examined both academic achievement and the experiences of Louisiana fourth grade students/teachers in both the regular education and the French immersion contexts. The quantitative phase compared these students' LEAP test scores. The qualitative phase was a cross-case comparison of four classrooms--an extreme class (90% of the school population in poverty) and a typical class (AfricanAmericans of average academic achievement) in each context. Quantitative findings indicated that while there was a bridging of the achievement gap between the LEAP math scores of African-American immersion students and those of white students in regular education, the gap remained amongst immersion students. In the qualitative phase, the regular education classroom was found to be a more fixed and assimilating context than immersion. Further, immersion students had higher collective self-esteems and a more positive view of schooling. Though Typical Immersion appeared to create a hybrid third space, the regular education context in which immersion programs were situated appeared to negatively influence these programs.


Time series of daily data for Greek sovereign risk have been compiled and analysed statistically to shed light on the way that historical events, including political and institutional changes, determined the creditworthiness of the Greek government on the London stock market from the start of the Great War until the Great Crash. No a priori important dates were specified. The Asia Minor campaign and its aftermath exerted a strongly negative impact on the value of Greek sovereign debt and as a result the risk premium increased rapidly. Statistical analysis shows that investors acted upon news of fiscal performance and public debt developments. Unforeseen political changes also influenced market participants' expectations. By contrast, institutional innovations such as the adoption of the Gold Exchange Standard and the establishment of a central bank de novo did not result in any quantitative market response. However, stabilisation and the concomitant institutional reforms were gradually factored into the market price of Greek sovereign debt traded in London and as a result the creditworthiness of the Greek government steadily improved.


Currently, more than two billions people access the Web for various purposes. The majority are people without programming or modelling background. Part of these people (called end-users) also likes to create their own Web applications to meet their daily needs. Mashup Makers are tools to create such end-user's Web applications. As such, Mashup Makers could become the dominant environment for end-user development of Web applications. Existing Mashup Makers promise that creating a Web Mashup is very easy and just a matter of a few mouse clicks. However, there is no evidence that this is indeed the case. On the contrary, research has already revealed usability problems with Mashup Makers. Therefore, this thesis concentrates on the usability of Mashup Makers as development environments for Web applications for end-users. Usability is a key issue for the success of software artifacts, and especially if the artifacts are intended for nontechnical users. Therefore, we target the achievement of a consolidated approach, model, and framework for the evaluation of the usability of Mashup Makers for endusers. Such a framework will not only allow evaluating the usability of existing Mashup Makers, but it will also provide key issues concerning usability (i.e. usability impact factors) that developers of Mashup Makers and of other future end-user development tools can take into consideration when developing new tools. To come to such a framework, first two initial experimental studies, a pilot study and a user experiment, have been performed. These experiments revealed that existing usability problems could be the basis for deriving usability impact factors and afterwards deriving a conceptual evaluation model and evaluation framework. Both the pilot study and the user experiment were designed to evaluate a variety of Mashup Makers from different usability perspectives. The literature investigation of the usability of Mashup Makers, as well as the results (findings) of both experiments suggested that the usability of Mashup Makers for end-users is affected by three main aspects: the user interface aspect, the functional aspect, and the user interaction aspect. This suggests that evaluating the usability of Mashup Makers should depend on the evaluation of those three main aspects, resulting into three types of impact factors (indicators). Those impact factors were refined using more detailed evaluation criteria and subsequently the criteria are refined using metrics that link to raw usability data. A conceptual model of usability factors of Mashup Makers has been developed. This conceptual model reflects the conceptual approach taken and identifies the main aspects (indicators) of the usability evaluation of Mashup Makers for end-users. Furthermore, a usability evaluation framework has also been devised. As already indicated, this usability evaluation framework can be used to guide usability practitioners in the evaluation of Mashup Makers, as well as designers of new enduser tools. Experts in the domain have evaluated the proposed framework using an experimental study.


This paper describes the origins of fair lending litigation in the 1970s. It documents two litigation strategies, one aimed at discriminatory lenders in local communities and a second at the federal lending regulators. Together, these two litigation strategies helped to establish the basic anti-lending discrimination framework that remains in place today. Rather than view these two strategies as distinct, however, this paper argues that they represented complementary efforts to establish an effective anti-discrimination strategy at local and national levels.The research for this paper was conducted in a law school seminar at Washington University taught by Professor Margo Schlanger. The research for this paper drew on dozens of fair lending cases from the 1970s to the present; summaries for all of these cases can be found at the Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse, located on the Washington University School of Law's website.


Postnatal knockout of a core clock gene in mice prompts reevaluation of the systemic role of the molecular clock in the biology of aging. For clock ticking, timing matters Ironically, antiaging product advertisements often promise to "slow down the clock." But abolishing the circadian clock—for example, by knocking out Bmal1, a core clock gene—accelerates aging and shortens the life span in mice. As a result, Bmal1 knockout mice often serve as a model system in studies of the role of circadian rhythms in the aging process. Now Yang et al. show that the developmental timing of Bmal1 expression influences the circadian clock's effects on aging and survival. To assess the role of circadian rhythms in the aging process, the authors made conditional Bmal1 knockout mice that are missing the BMAL1 protein only during adult life. Unlike knockout mice that perpetually lack Bmal1 expression, the new conditional Bmal1 knockout mice displayed loss of circadian rhythm in wheel-running activity, heart rate, and blood pressure, but exhibited normal life spans, fertility, body weight, blood glucose levels, and age-dependent arthropathy; in fact, atherosclerosis and hair growth actually improved, despite obliteration of clock function. Another surprising observation was little changes in overall gene expression in the livers of adult-life Bmal1 knockout mice, even though there's a quelling of expression of oscillating genes. Both prenatal and postnatal knockout mice displayed similar ocular abnormalities and brain astrogliosis. Taken together, these findings reveal that many phenotypes thought to be caused by circadian rhythm disruption in conventional Bmal1 knockout mice apparently manifest as a result of clock-independent BMAL1 functions. Thus, the systemic role of the molecular clock in the biology of aging requires reinvestigation in order to increase the likelihood of translation for preclinical studies of the aging process. The absence of Bmal1, a core clock gene, results in a loss of circadian rhythms, an acceleration of aging, and a shortened life span in mice. To address the importance of circadian rhythms in the aging process, we generated conditional Bmal1 knockout mice that lacked the BMAL1 protein during adult life and found that wild-type circadian variations in wheel-running activity, heart rate, and blood pressure were abolished. Ocular abnormalities and brain astrogliosis were conserved irrespective of the timing of Bmal1 deletion. However, life span, fertility, body weight, blood glucose levels, and age-dependent arthropathy, which are altered in standard Bmal1 knockout mice, remained unaltered, whereas atherosclerosis and hair growth improved, in the conditional adult-life Bmal1 knockout mice, despite abolition of clock function. Hepatic RNA-Seq revealed that expression of oscillatory genes was dampened in the adult-life Bmal1 knockout mice, whereas overall gene expression was largely unchanged. Thus, many phenotypes in conventional Bmal1 knockout mice, hitherto attributed to disruption of circadian rhythms, reflect the loss of properties of BMAL1 that are independent of its role in the clock. These findings prompt reevaluation of the systemic consequences of disruption of the molecular clock.


We present a building block approach to hardware platform design based on a decade of collective experience in this area, arriving at an architecture in which general-purpose modules that require expertise to de sign and incorporate commonly-used functionality are integrated with application-specific carriers that satisfy the unique sensing, power supply, and mechanical constraints of an application. Of course, modules are widespread, but our focus is far less on the performance of any individual module and far more on an overall architecture that supports the prototype, pilot, and production stages of design, and preserves the artifacts and learnings accumulated along the way.
 We present heuristics for partitioning functionality between modules and carriers, and identify guidelines for their interconnection. Our approach advocates exporting a wide electrical interface, eliminating the system bus, and supporting many physical interconnect options for modules and carriers. We evaluate this approach by constructing a family of general-purpose modules and application-specific carriers that achieve a high degree of reuse despite very different application requirements. We show that this approach shortens platform development time-to-result for novice graduate students, making custom platforms broadly accessible.


Work by Yoav Shoham advocating the use of default logic is critically examined, and several serious inconsistencies are pointed out. Shoham's analysis of the frame problem is shown to depend on a misinterpretation of the formal basis for Newtonian mechanics, and strong reasons are given to doubt the correctness of his arguments for reducing auto-epistemic reasoning to default logic. Detailed counter-examples are provided for both cases.


Globalization has changed the requirements to professionals and students in all branches and sectors significantly in the past decade. However in the domain of Information Systems, these changes have not yet found their way into current study programs and curricula. We identify and validate core internationalization competences and their relation to IS specific competences based on an initial set of competence categories. This is the basis for designing learning services of the future. The presented study aims at validating both and identifying additional categories and competences. In this paper, we present the first results of this study focusing on the internationalization and knowledge management competences. The results can be used for different purposes exploring the human perspective on information systems development.


The main causes of death in osteosarcoma (OS) patients are the development of distant metastasis and resistance to chemotherapy. Clarification of the pathophysiological molec ‐ ular mechanisms that contribute to the malignant phenotype in OS and identification of a molecular target, such as a diagnostic marker, prognostic predictor, or chemosensitivity sensor, are strongly desired to develop therapeutics for OS patients. Accumulating evi ‐ dence has demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs), small endogenous single‐stranded noncoding RNAs, play critical roles not only in biological but also pathological processes such as cancer. miRNAs can function as oncogenes or tumor‐suppressive genes depend ‐ ing on the mRNA they target. They are strongly associated with OS invasion, metastasis, and chemoresistance as well as OS cancer stemness. Furthermore, miRNAs are associ ‐ ated with commonly altered genes, such as TP53 and RB1. Additionally, recent global microRNA expression analyses have identified specific miRNAs correlated with the clinical stage and the response to chemotherapy. In this chapter, we summarize the cur ‐ rent understanding of the pathological roles of miRNAs as well as their potential utility as OS biomarkers.


The accurate prediction of the solar diffuse fraction (DF), sometimes called the diffuse ratio, is an important topic for solar energy research. In the present study, the current state of Diffuse irradiance research is discussed and then three robust, machine learning (ML) models are examined using a large dataset (almost eight years) of hourly readings from Almeria, Spain. The ML models used herein, are a hybrid adaptive network-based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), a single multi-layer perceptron (MLP) and a hybrid multi-layer perceptron grey wolf optimizer (MLP-GWO). These models were evaluated for their predictive precision, using various solar and DF irradiance data, from Spain. The results were then evaluated using frequently used evaluation criteria, the mean absolute error (MAE), mean error (ME) and the root mean square error (RMSE). The results showed that the MLP-GWO model, followed by the ANFIS model, provided a higher performance in both the training and the testing procedures.


Background Violence is an uncommon but significant problem associated with schizophrenia Aims To compare antipsychotic medications in reducing violence among patients with schizophrenia over 6 months, identify prospective predictors of violence and examine the impact of medication adherence on reduced violence Method Participants (n=1445) were randomly assigned to double-blinded treatment with one of five antipsychotic medications. Analyses are presented for the intention-to-treat sample and for patients completing 6 months on assigned medication Results Violence declined from 16% to 9% in the retained sample and from 19% to 14% in the intention-to-treat sample. No difference by medication group was found, except that perphenazine showed greater violence reduction than quetiapine in the retained sample. Medication adherence reduced violence, but not in patients with a history of childhood antisocial conduct. Prospective predictors of violence included childhood conduct problems, substance use, victimisation, economic deprivation and living situation. Negative psychotic symptoms predicted lower violence Conclusions Newer antipsychotics did not reduce violence more than perphenazine. Effective antipsychotics are needed, but may not reduce violence unrelated to acute psychopathology


Abstract. For obtaining a full coverage of 3D scans in a large-scale urban area, the registration between point clouds acquired via terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) is normally mandatory. However, due to the complex urban environment, the automatic registration of different scans is still a challenging problem. In this work, we propose an automatic marker free method for fast and coarse registration between point clouds using the geometric constrains of planar patches under a voxel structure. Our proposed method consists of four major steps: the voxelization of the point cloud, the approximation of planar patches, the matching of corresponding patches, and the estimation of transformation parameters. In the voxelization step, the point cloud of each scan is organized with a 3D voxel structure, by which the entire point cloud is partitioned into small individual patches. In the following step, we represent points of each voxel with the approximated plane function, and select those patches resembling planar surfaces. Afterwards, for matching the corresponding patches, a RANSAC-based strategy is applied. Among all the planar patches of a scan, we randomly select a planar patches set of three planar surfaces, in order to build a coordinate frame via their normal vectors and their intersection points. The transformation parameters between scans are calculated from these two coordinate frames. The planar patches set with its transformation parameters owning the largest number of coplanar patches are identified as the optimal candidate set for estimating the correct transformation parameters. The experimental results using TLS datasets of different scenes reveal that our proposed method can be both effective and efficient for the coarse registration task. Especially, for the fast orientation between scans, our proposed method can achieve a registration error of less than around 2 degrees using the testing datasets, and much more efficient than the classical baseline methods.


ABSTRACT The Rivecourt site (Thanetian from Oise, France) includes about 70 endocarp specimens distributed among five Iodes Blume species. Of the 36 specimens of Iodes rivecourtensis Del Rio, Thomas & De Franceschi one has an abnormal morphology. It is divided in two locules rather than one, and two apical apertures per face in contrast to normal specimen possessing only one per face. Icacinaceae Miers is a family with one carpel and two pendulous ovules where only one becomes mature. Here we have cases of two fused carpels, revealed by a wall between the twin lateral parts and by the four apertures, probably corresponding to the vascularisation of the four ovules. Finaly, we hypothesize that the two functional locules found here may correspond to a partial reversion of ancestral characters of the fruit.


This book is a timely original contribution to the historical study of the Christian missionary enterprise and the pressing problem of freedom of worship that currently exists in China.


Over the last two decades, academics (based largely in the west) and activists have invested a great deal of energy in global poverty. This article asks: why should people not be poor? Surprisingly, this question elicits a number of answers. The pragmatically inclined can suggest that the existence of a large number of poor people poses a direct threat to the social and political order. Humanitarians are likely to argue that poverty breeds unfortunate consequences, which demoralises human beings, and violates our best-held convictions that no one should be compelled to live below the threshold of decency. The response of normative theorists might be that society is complicit in the creation and recreation of poverty. Then society is obliged to remedy the wrongs that it has visited upon the heads of the poor. This constitutes a basic code of remedial justice. These responses can form the axis of separate and distinct arguments on the reasons why people should not be poor. In this article, I argue that there is more to the question.


UZUNOVA, E., T. HUBENOVA and M. GEORGIEVA, 2015. Impact of fi sh resources management activities on the fi sh community structure in the Dospat reservoir (Bulgaria). Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., Supplement 1, 21: 40–44 The current study was initiated to gather baseline scientifi c information on the biological characteristics and general status of fi sh resources in the Dospat Dam Lake, with an emphasis on key harvested species. The main purpose of this dam is producing hydroelectric energy, but the reservoir also contains one of the biggest cage aquaculture facilities in Bulgaria. Stocking activities with different species (Coregonus peled, Onchorhinchus mykiss and Cyprinus carpio) have been conducted over the years. The fi sh composition observed in this investigation was compared with those from previous studies to outline the main changes in fi sh composition during the period from the dam's construction to nowadays. A total of 468 specimens were caught by gillnets and trap nets. Fish were collected from May 2009 to November 2011. Eleven fi sh species, belonging to fi ve families (Cyprinidae, Cobitidae, Salmonidae, Percidae and Centrarhidae), were found. Three of them are exotic (Pseudorasbora parva, Lepomis gibbosus and O. mykiss). Three fi sh species are new in comparison to those reported previously (P. parva, L. gibbosus, and Zander lucioperca).A signifi cant change was observed in the dominant fi sh species over the years. At present, Rutilus rutilus and Perca fl uviatilis predominate in the catches. In the littoral zones, pumpkinseeds were the most abundant species. The dominant species Barbus cyclolepis in the past was not found. Biological data (size length frequencies and age distribution) are reported for the dominant fi sh species.


Linearly transformed ordered binary decision diagrams (LTOBDDs) have been suggested as a generalization of OBDDs for the representation and manipulation of Boolean functions. Instead of variables as in the case of OBDDs, parities of variables may be tested at the nodes of an LTOBDD. By this extension it is possible to represent functions in polynomial size that do not have polynomial size OBDDs, e.g., the characteristic functions of linear codes. In this paper lower bound methods for LTOBDDs and some generalizations of LTOBDDs are presented and applied to explicitly defined functions. By the lower bound results it is possible to compare the set of functions with polynomial size LTOBDDs and their generalizations with the set of functions with polynomial size representations for many other restrictions of BDDs.


The forests of Fennoscandia have been in human use for many purposes for centuries, and through the last decades industrialized and cultivated in a manner that can change their ecological function with respect to biodiversity at species and ecosystem levels. In Northwest Russia we can still find large, indigenous forests where human impact is low. They represent the last intact western taiga ecosystems of high value for biodiversity preservation in Russia and Fennoscandia as reservoirs and source habitats for future dispersal of taiga species. The Conference and Workshop in Steinkjer 2007 focused on these matters, but also the ecological importance of these forests for rural culture, socio-economic importance, industrial values and how protection and sustainable societies could go hand in hand. Many of the presentations given at the conference and workshop are here presented together with the Summary and Closing Statement worked out at the end of the sessions. The presentations cover many aspects from ecology, history and culture, conservation and management strategies, inventory tools for defining habitats of specific value to biodiversity, as well as implementation of environmental issues into the forestry laws and certification and educational tools for developing sustainable societies in a broad scale.


Coastal Bermuda grass (CBG) is an agricultural residue with considerable potential as a feedstock for lignocellulosic-based ethanol. The treatment of biomass with water at high temperature, termed autohydrolysis, can be used to recover sugars in the filtrate and to improve enzyme digestibility of the pretreated solids. The effect of a two- stage autohydrolysis process with respect to total sugar recovery relative to a one stage process was investigated. CBG was subjected to lab scale one-stage (150, 160, and 170 °C) and two-stage (150/170 °C and 160/170 °C) isothermal autohydrolysis processes followed by enzyme hydrolysis on the residual solids with different loadings (5 to 30 FPU/g). Two-stage autohydrolysis (160/170 °C) solubilized 94.2% of the hemicellulose based on the original CBG material but only 17.7% of the cellulose and 30.4% of the lignin. Increases in the severity factor (a combination of time and temperature) of autohydrolysis pretreatments decreased the recoverable carbohydrates and total solids. Two-stage autohydrolysis enhanced enzyme digestibility of the cellulose in pretreated solids relative to one-stage autohydrolysis, especially at higher values of FPU/g. The overall total theoretical sugar recovery achievable by the two stage process was 57.8% and for the one stage process only 51.6% with 30 FPU/g. This marginal increase would have to be considered relative to increased complexity of operations when deciding whether to implement one or two stage autohydrolysis.


Background There is a dearth of normative data on linguistic development among child speakers of Southern African languages, especially in the case of the multilingual children who constitute the largest part of this population. This inevitably impacts on the accuracy of developmental assessments of such speakers. Already negative lay opinion on the effect of early multilingualism on language development rates could be exacerbated by the lack of developmental data, ultimately affecting choices regarding home and school language policies. Objectives To establish whether trilinguals necessarily exhibit developmental delay when compared to monolinguals and, if so, whether this delay (1) occurs in terms of both lexical and grammatical development; and (2) in all three the trilinguals' languages, regardless of input quantity. Method Focusing on isiXhosa, South African English and Afrikaans, the study involved a comparison of 11 four-year-old developing trilinguals' acquisition of vocabulary and passive constructions with that of 10 age-matched monolingual speakers of each language. Results The trilinguals proved to be monolingual-like in their lexical development in the language to which, on average, they had been exposed most over time, that is, isiXhosa. No developmental delay was found in the trilinguals' acquisition of passive constructions, regardless of the language of testing. Conclusion As previously found for bilingual development, necessarily reduced quantity of exposure does not hinder lexical development in the trilinguals' input dominant language. The overall lack of delay in their acquisition of the passive is interpreted as possible evidence of cross-linguistic bootstrapping and support for early multilingual exposure.


This article introduces child-raising blogs in China. Written by mothers and their 6- to 12-year-old offspring, child-raising blogs contain diverse material from and about a child's daily life and issues relating to a mother raising her offspring. Six blogs from mothers and their daughters are studied under the aspect of generational relations and the voice of children online with the aim of understanding whether or how child- raising blogs in China are part of a changing discourse about the mother-daughter relationship. The article finds that as the objectified state of cultural capital, blogs present a smoothed-out hierarchical relationship between mother and daughter, and carry the possibility of bestowing a voice on children. Due to their continuous and permanent structure, which records opinions and content deemed important by the authors, blogs could be a catalyst or at least a magnifying lens for changes that are already occurring in family relations offline. (Less)


We link genetic diversity in the country of origin of the firms' board members with corporate performance via board members' nationality. We hypothesize that our approach captures deep-rooted differences in cultural, institutional, social, psychological, physiological, and other traits that cannot be captured by other recently measured indices of diversity. Using a panel of firms listed in the North American and U.K. stock markets, we find that adding board directors from countries with different levels of genetic diversity (either higher or lower) increases firm performance. This effect prevails when we control for a number of cultural, institutional, firm-level, and board member characteristics, as well as for the nationality of the board of directors. To identify the relationship, we use as instrumental variables for our diversity indices the migratory distance from East Africa and the level of ultraviolet exposure in the directors' country of nationality.


In many industries, managers face the problem of selling a given stock of items by a deadline. We investigate the problem of dynamically pricing such inventories when demand is price sensitive and stochastic and the firm's objective is to maximize expected revenues. Examples that fit this framework include retailers selling fashion and seasonal goods and the travel and leisure industry, which markets space such as seats on airline flights, cabins on vacation cruises, and rooms in hotels that become worthless if not sold by a specific time.

We formulate this problem using intensity control and obtain structural monotonicity results for the optimal intensity resp., price as a function of the stock level and the length of the horizon. For a particular exponential family of demand functions, we find the optimal pricing policy in closed form. For general demand functions, we find an upper bound on the expected revenue based on analyzing the deterministic version of the problem and use this bound to prove that simple, fixed price policies are asymptotically optimal as the volume of expected sales tends to infinity. Finally, we extend our results to the case where demand is compound Poisson; only a finite number of prices is allowed; the demand rate is time varying; holding costs are incurred and cash flows are discounted; the initial stock is a decision variable; and reordering, overbooking, and random cancellations are allowed.


I - V - T data is routinely used to determine the conduction band discontinuity in heterojunction structures. In the present paper, capacitance-voltage and current-voltage-temperature measurements performed on AlGaAs/GaAs isotype heterojunctions are presented and analysed over a wide temperature range (77 K-300 K). Considering thermionic emission alone when analysing I - V - T data resulted in several problems. The Richardson plot , in particular while suggesting that the thermally activated process is of importance in the overall conduction mechanism, shows two distinct linear regions of different slope over two temperature ranges. Also the derived activation energies and hence the band discontinuity from I - V - T data is very much lower than the value obtained from C - V profiling which is in very good agreement with values routinely published in literature. However, the results obtained from both I - V - T and C - V data are reconciled when considering a simple analytical expression for the current based on the assumption that thermally assisted tunneling is the dominant current generating mechanism over most of the temperature range.


We present a novel microscopy technique to measure the scattered wavefront emitted from an optically transparent microscopic object. The complex amplitude is decoded via phase stepping in a common-path interferometer, enabling high mechanical stability. We demonstrate theoretically and practically that the incoherent summation of multiple illumination directions into a single image increases the resolving power and facilitates image reconstruction in diffraction tomography. We propose a slice-by-slice object-scatter extraction algorithm entirely based in real space in combination with ordinary z-stepping. Thereby the computational complexity affiliated with tomographic methods is significantly reduced. Using the first order Born approximation for weakly scattering objects it is possible to obtain estimates of the scattering density from the exitwaves.


Over the past 50 years, multidistrict litigation (MDL) has quietly revolutionized civil procedure. MDLs include the largest tort cases in U.S. history, but without the authority of the class-action rule, MDL judges—who formally have only pretrial jurisdiction over individual cases—have resorted to extraordinary procedural exceptionalism to settle cases on a national scale. Substantive state laws, personal jurisdiction, transparency, impartiality, reviewability, federalism, and adequate representation must all yield if doing so fulfills that one goal. Somehow, until now, this has remained below the surface to everyone but MDL insiders. Thanks to the sprawling MDL over the opioid crisis—and unprecedented opposition to it—MDL is finally in public view. State attorneys general have resisted the opioid MDL's intense nationalism, its relentless drive to global settlement, its wild procedural innovation, its blurring of differences across state law, and its dramatic assertions of jurisdictional authority. Opiates is the most extraordinary MDL yet, but most big MDLs share many of its features, and Opiates is already the roadmap for the next mega-cases. Moreover, even as resistence to Opiates has dispersed some of the MDL's early power, that resistence itself has come in the form of unusual procedural mechanisms. MDL is designed for individual cases—giving similar suits filed in different districts an efficient pretrial process before sending them home for trial. In reality, that is pure fiction. Few cases ever return. And the MDL's mode of coordination—from its anti-federalism stance to its insistence that each proceeding is too unique to be confined by the Federal Rules—chafes at almost every aspect of procedure's traditional rules and values. MDL is not-so-secretly changing the face of civil procedure. This Article weaves together for the first time these exceptional features of MDL and their disruption of procedure's core assumptions. Is MDL a revolution? Or simply a symptom of a larger set of modern procedural tensions manifesting in many forms? Either way, it begs the question: What do we expect of litigation on this scale? We recognize that MDL fills important gaps by providing access to courts but argue for some return to regular order to safeguard due process, federalism, and sovereignty. We suggest specific shifts—from more pretrial motions to new paths for appellate review, attorney selection, and jurisdictional redundancy—where the normative balance seems particularly out of whack; shifts we believe are in line with the spirit of Federal Rule 1's own inherent paradox—the ideal of "just, speedy and inexpensive procedure." We also offer the first comprehensive analysis of the historic suits over the opioid crisis. Opiates is the first MDL that pits localities against their own state attorneys general in a struggle for litigation control. Its judge has publicly stated that solving a national health crisis that Congress dumped in his lap is different from ordinary litigation. Opiates has even invented a new form of class action. It is hyper-dialectical, jurisdictionally competitive, outcome-oriented, repeat-player-rich, fiercely creative procedure.


Reflecting on the origins and ideological formulas of the European authoritarian regimes in the interwar period, this book provides a deep and fascinating insight into the regional particularities of the authoritarian regime of Karlis Ulmanis in 1930s Latvia.


MPT0B292 was identified through screening of compounds able selectively to acetylate α‐tubulins in cells and it exhibited potent anti‐tumor, anti‐angiogenesis and anti‐metastatic effects in vitro and in vivo. Because of its poor water solubility, MPT0B292 is difficult to formulate with conventional approaches and hence difficulties are experienced in research practices. MPT0B292 was mixed with albumin in an aqueous solvent to form drug albumin nanoparticles with a size range around 333 nm. Unbound fractions of these nanoparticles were investigated in different or the same albumin concentration solutions. Unlike most drugs, the binding of MPT0B292 in human serum albumin increased with increasing drug concentrations. An analytical method was also developed and validated to determine MPT0B292 in rat plasma. This analytical method was applied successfully to the intravenous pharmacokinetic study of MPT0B292 in rats. A single dose study was regularly done to characterize the pharmacokinetic properties of the drug. Additionally, a novel i.v. infusion study was carried out to verify the extraction ratio of MPT0B292. The pharmacokinetic analysis revealed that MPT0B292 was a high extraction ratio drug with high systemic clearance, a high volume of distribution and a short half‐life in rats. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Improved energy efficiency can help reduce pollution, contribute to energy security, and help consumers save money. This paper explores car purchasing behaviour in order to draw implications for designing policies that will increase the demand for energy-efficient cars. To that end we calculate own and cross price elasticities of demand for cars with efficiency labels in the Spanish car market. The results show that the elasticities depend on assumptions about how consumers decide what car to purchase. If consumers are concerned about the absolute energy performance of cars independently of other attributes, demand for more efficient cars is more elastic than demand for less efficient cars. If consumers choose the car segment first and then the energy performance, the opposite result is found. The results suggest that both relative and absolute labelling schemes can be useful, depending on how consumers make their decisions. It might also be possible to design a mixed system.


In theory, biosphere reserves link biodiversity conservation with development, primarily through sustainable resource utilisation, and alternative, conservation-compatible economies in the buffer and transition zones outside the core area. Successful management should reduce pressure on natural resources within its core area as well as enable local communities to participate in the management of buffer zone resources in a sustainable manner. The Banco Chinchorro Biosphere Reserve was declared in 1996 to protect coral reefs and marine biodiversity, while also enabling fishing cooperatives to maintain their livelihoods based upon the sustainable extraction of lobster, conch, and scalefish. In 2004, eight years after the Reserve's declaration, Mexican authorities struggled to control marine resource use in the reserve, especially the extraction of queen conch (Strombus gigas). This article provides an overview of the long struggle to conserve queen conch populations in the area. Particular attention is paid to describing the various forms of resistance fishermen employed to counter the increasing regulation and vigilance that accompanied the creation of the Banco Chinchorro Biosphere Reserve. This case chronicles the resistance to regulation and interpersonal violence that erupts when entrenched attitudes and practices are confronted with increasing surveillance. Thus, what was observed in the Banco Chinchorro Biosphere Reserve parallels other research that depicts the forms of resistance to conservation that local people enact when confronted with conservation interventions. Finally, the plight of queen conch in the Banco Chinchorro Biosphere Reserve clearly reflects the conflicts and difficulties found across Mexico in the implementation of the biosphere reserve model.


Heterotopic ossification (HO) is the formation of pathologic bone within soft tissues, often muscle tissues, where bone formation does not usually occur (Watanabe & Sant 2001). The incidence of HO in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been reported to range from 11–77% but is clinically relevant in 10–20% (Dizdar et al. 2013; Garland et al. 1980; Rogers 1988; Sarafis et al. 1999; Sazbon et al. 1981). Risk factors include skeletal trauma, spasticity, diffuse axonal injury, mechanical ventilation, prolonged immobilization, and injury severity (Moreta & de los Mozos 2014). HO is often quite painful and limits joint mobility; the restricted joint range of motion (ROM) may exacerbate disability and impede progress towards desired rehabilitation goals.


The volcanic history of the Neoproterozoic belt in the Eastern Desert of Egypt encompasses two major magmatic episodes. An earlier episode (950-750 Ma) produced the Shadli metavolcanic assemblages, and a younger episode (680-550 Ma) produced the Dokhan volcanic rocks. The Dokhan volcanics (DV) at Um Shilman-Um Dubr, situated in the Southeast Aswan of Egypt, range in composition from basalt-andesite-dacite to rhyodacite-rhyolite. The latter unit is made up largely of ash flow tuffs and ignimbrites that are locally interstratified with basalt and andesite lava flows. Field, petrological and petrochemical investigations reveal that the rocks, which were previously mapped as island arc metavolcanics, are composed mainly of a thick sequence of volcaniclastics and flows that were subjected to low-pressure metamorphism. Geochemically, the Dokhan volcanics (DV) form a continuum in composition with a wide range of SiO 2 (47.94-76.94 wt.%), CaO (0.14-8.85 wt.%), Sr (80-905 ppm), Zr (72-340 ppm), U (1.4-13.1 ppm), Th (3.4-16.8 ppm) and are moderately enriched incompatible elements, including REE. The fractionation index (FeO*/MgO) increases gradually from the basalts through basaltic andesites to rhyolites (0.74, 0.92 and 1.59 respectively). The high Zr/Y ratio in the investigated volcanics characterizes rocks that evolved in continental arc setting and suggests involvement of subcontinental lithosphere in magma genesis. The relatively well-defined geochemical trends obtained for the Dokhan volcanic suite, along with the progressive increase in Euanomalies toward more-evolved compositions, combined with results of the geochemical modelling, support the idea that a fractional crystallization process has played a major role during the evolution of the Dokhan volcanic magma series. The enrichment of LILE (Sr, K, Rb and Ba) and the relative depletion of HFSE (Zr, P, Y and Ti) seem to be inherited from the mantle source. It is a typical calc-alkaline orogenic suites and exhibits mineralogical-geochemical traits of arc-related volcanism. A subduction-related tectonic setting for the emplacement of the investigated suite is indicated by the petrological and geochemical evidences. The geochemical study suggests that fractional crystallization played an important role in the formation of Um Shilman-Um Dubr Dokhan volcanics. A mantle-derived basaltic magma fractionated, with amphibole 12.4 %, plagioclase 20.2 % and magnetite 4.9 % dominating the fractionating assemblage, to produce the more felsic varieties, as suggested by major fractionation modelling.


This study examines halfand full-day kindergarten programs and their effectiveness in regard to a child's academic progress. Some literature finds a positive relationship between the success of a child and the minutes spent in the classroom. However, other literature debates as to how long the progress is sustained. The purpose of this study is to compare the scores of kindergarten students in both half-day and full-day programs and analyze the data to determine if one program is more successful than the other. Three assessments in language arts were given to each student, assessing uppercase, lowercase, and letter sounds. The kindergarten scores from both classes, full-day and half-day, were compared to observe if student achievement was effected by spending more academic minutes in the classroom. The data did not reveal an overall statistical significance. However, out of the four ANCOVA tests that were completed, one did show statistical significance when the scores were disaggregated by the individual students' scores. The lowercase letter assessment did discover a statistical difference. But based on the three other tests, more academic minutes in the classroom doesn't always mean more academic success for students. COMPARING FULL DAY KINDERGARTEN TO HALF DAY 5


We discuss the numerical simulation of a graded refractive index (GRIN) lens with a general anisotropic medium and compare it with an equivalent nongraded positive-index-of-refraction-material (PIM) lens with an isotropic medium. To evaluate lens performance, we developed a modified eikonal equation valid for the most general form of an anisotropic or chiral medium. Our approach is more comprehensive than previous work in this area and is obtained from the dispersion relation of Maxwell's equations in the eikonal approximation. The software developed for the numerical integration of the modified eikonal equation is described. Subsequently, a full finite-difference time-dependent simulation was performed to verify the validity of the eikonal calculations. The performance of the GRIN lens is found to be improved over the equivalent PIM one. The GRIN lens is also five to ten times lighter than the equivalent PIM. A GRIN lens operating at 15 GHz is now under fabrication at Boeing, and the experimental results of this lens will be reported in a forthcoming paper.


Our paleoseismological study of faults and fault-related folds comprising the Mount Narryer fault zone reveals a mid- to late Quaternary history of repeated morphogenic earthquakes that have influenced the planform and course of the Murchison, Roderick, and Sanford Rivers, Western Australia. The dominant style of deformation involves folding of near-surface sediments overlying discrete basement faults. Carbon-14, optically stimulated luminescence, and in situ–produced 10 Be constrain the timing of the events and late Quaternary slip rates associated with fault propagation folds in tectonically uplifted and deformed alluvial channel deposits. A flight of five inset fluvial terraces is preserved where the Murchison River flows across the Roderick River fault. These terraces, which we infer to be coseismic, are consistent with at least four late Quaternary seismic events on the order of moment magnitude (M w ) 7.1 within the last ~240 k.y. Secondary shears expressed on the folds indicate a component of dextral strike-slip displacement. Quaternary slip rates on the underlying faults range from 0.01 to 0.07 mm yr –1 , with a total slip rate for the zone between 0.04 and 0.11 mm yr –1 . These rates are intermediate to those in the adjacent Mesozoic basin (>0.1 mm yr –1 ) and Precambrian craton ( –1 ) and so provide insight into how tectonic strain is partitioned and transferred across a craton margin.


The rate of glucose utilization has been used as a measure of LPS-induced activation of cultures of C3H/HeN and C3H/HeJ spleen cells, peritoneal cells, and purified peritoneal adherent cells. Peritoneal cells utilized 40 to 60 times more glucose than did spleen cells and purified adherent monolayers were more active than mixed peritoneal cells, suggesting that only macrophage metabolism was being measured. The cell preparations for C3H/HeJ mice were not activated by Escherichia coli K235 LPS prepared by extensive phenol extraction, whereas C3H/HeN cells were activated by the LPS. Cells from both strains were activated by a commercially obtained E. coli 0111:B4 LPS and butanol-extracted K235 LPS. The addition of 10% C3H/HeN spleen cells to C3H/HeJ peritoneal cells resulted in a marked enhancement of glucose utilization. These findings suggest that LPS-induced enhancement of macrophage metabolism occurs both by direct action of LPS on macrophages as well as indirectly through activated lymphocytes.


The Republic of Cyprus (or Cyprus) joined the European Union (EU) in May 2004 and adopted the single currency (the euro) in 2008. This article consists of three parts: it begins with a historical contextualization, explaining the reasons for Cyprus' application for an Association Agreement with the (then) European Economic Community (EEC), and also examining the latter´s reaction and policy towards the 1974 Turkish invasion following a failed coup d´état against the Makarios Presidency that has led to a divided island since then (Part 1). In brief, what is known as the "Cyprus Problem." This part also looks at the evolution of the Association Agreement during the period since 1975 which ended with the conclusion of a customs union Agreement between Cyprus and the European Community in 1987. The article next turns to an analysis of the Republic of Cyprus´ EU accession negotiations process (Part 2). It also covers the impact (or lack thereof) of various reunification plans, and most notably what is seen as the culmination of such efforts in the so-called 2002–2004 Annan Plans. The following section presents an assessment of how Cyprus has fared as a member state since it joined the EU (Part 3). It covers several key questions regarding the EU–Cyprus relationship. Whereas this article is not about the Cyprus problem itself, but as will be made clear throughout this study, it remains the dominant issue for the island. Others issues encompass EU relations with the Turkish-Cypriot community, the question of Turkey´s EU accession, the impact of the economic crisis of 2013, as well as energy security considerations following the discovery of gas in the region. The study concludes that being in the EU offers better perspectives for the Republic of Cyprus than if it had been kept outside it. If only because as the Accession Treaty makes it clear: it is the whole island that has joined the EU albeit the acquis communautaire cannot apply to the north, occupied, part of the Island following the invasion by Turkey. But all Cypriots are EU citizens. Yet, to a large extent, the experience of Cyprus prior to and after EU membership also reflects the kind of specific problems that a "small state" is facing in its international relations.


Most vividly demonstrated in the 2008 election of the first African-American President of the United States, post-race is a term that has been widely used to characterize a belief in the declining significance of race in the United States. Post-racialists, then, believe that racial discrimination is rare and aberrant behavior as evidenced by America's pronounced racial progress. One practical consequence of a commitment to post-racialism is the belief that governments - both state and federal - should not consider race in their decision making. One might imagine that the recent explosion in post-racial discourse also portends a revised understanding of equality, one that will result in a significant change in constitutional race jurisprudence. In this Essay, we first argue that this view ignores the history of the Court's horribly-fraught race jurisprudence, portions of which have advanced post-race-like principles for nearly as long as the Justices have been considering the legal relevance of race. Efforts to minimize the importance race and deny racism, even as society clearly operated based upon a system of racial spoils, are seen in early cases such as the Civil Rights Cases and Plessy v. Ferguson. While Brown v. Board of Education represented an overdue reprieve from the Court ignoring the consequences of racial categorization, since at least Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, the Court has steadily predicated equal protection analysis upon a commitment to colorblindness. In the more recent cases of Parents Involved and Ricci v. DeStefano, which respectively dealt with school integration and workplace disparate impact claims, the Court has treated the state consideration of race as exceedingly dangerous. Within the equality jurisprudence of the Roberts Court, it appears that the embrace of a post-racial ethic is nearly a fait accompli. We question, however, the propriety of adopting a fully realized commitment to post-racialism within equal protection jurisprudence. In our analysis, we first use statistical and normative evidence related to the disparate life experiences of people of color within the U.S. to suggest that America is not, in fact, post-race. Given, however, the Court's insistence on ignoring statistical disparities across racial groups as occurring "because of" race, we then offer that moving forward equal protection analysis may need to turn on questions of distributive justice.


This paper provides a comprehensive history of anchor or reference currencies, exchange rate arrangements, and a new measure of foreign exchange restrictions for 194 countries and territories over 1946-2016. We find that the often-cited post-Bretton Woods transition from fixed to flexible arrangements is overstated; regimes with limited flexibility remain in the majority. Our central finding is that the US dollar scores (by a wide margin) as the world's dominant anchor currency and, by some metrics, its use is far wider today than 70 years ago. In contrast, the global role of the euro appears to have stalled in recent years. While the incidence of capital account restrictions has been trending lower for decades, an important wave toward capital market integration dates as recently as the mid-1990s. We suggest that record accumulation of reserves post 2002 has much to do with many countries' desire to stabilize exchange rates in an environment of markedly greater capital mobility. Indeed, the continuing desire to manage exchange rates despite increased capital mobility post-2003 may be a key factor underpinning the modern-day Triffin dilemma that some have recently pointed to.


Due to the lack of users knowledge of the collections used by search engines and in general retrieval systems, users can not express their information need appropriately in queries. In other words, they do not have enough experience to formulate their needs to find related documents. The idea of user's query expansion aims to help users to improve and correct the queries. In fact, retrieval system, regarding the feedback it receives from user at the first stage, moves the query in set space to more related documents. Different approaches in information retrieval systems have been used; however, there has not been any assessment of efficacy of query expansion in Farsi information retrieval systems. In this paper, expansion basic model of Rocchio, assessed as the primary model to retrieve Farsi documents, has been presented. As a matter of fact, the purpose of this study is to determine the effect of a standard and basic model on query expansion to retrieve Farsi documents, so that the researchers can compare their achievements of query expansion with the findings of this paper which showed a straightforward and positive effect on Farsi document retrieval.


Over the last twenty years, the legal and scientific academic communities have been embroiled in a debate about the patent eligibility of genetic materials. The stakes for both sides could not be higher. On one hand are the potential multi-billion dollar profits on the fruits of research (from newly discovered genes), and on the other is scientists' ability to continue and expand research into the human genome to improve patients' access to affordable diagnostic and therapeutic modalities. This debate is currently pending before the Supreme Court, which is considering a petition for certiorari in Ass'n for Molecular Pathology v. U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Both sides have legitimate concerns. Given the unique nature of DNA, patents that broadly cover genetic materials and prevent their use (except by the license of the patentee) create insurmountable roadblocks for future research. However, denying exclusive rights to the fruits of laborious and costly research will remove the necessary incentives for investment in these endeavors, thus delaying scientific and medical discoveries.To remedy these problems, this Article proposes a non-patent exclusivity system administered by the Food and Drug Administration. Under such a system, the innovators who bring new therapeutic or diagnostic products to market would receive exclusive rights to market their products for a limited time. This regime would provide sufficient market-based incentives to continue with the research and investment in this area. At the same time, because genetic sequences would no longer be broadly protected by patents, the public would be able to access these basic research tools without fear of infringement litigation. This approach addresses the concerns of both sides to the debate and leads to a cheaper, more predictable, and easier to administer system of exclusive rights.


In this paper we provide a brief overview of some of the most recent empirical research on spatial econometric models and spatial data mining. Data mining in general is the search for hidden patterns that may exist in large databases. Spatial data mining is a process to discover interesting, potentially useful and high utility patterns embedded in large spatial datasets. The field of spatial data mining has been influenced by many other disciplines: databases technology, artificial intelligence, machine learning, probabilistic statistics, visualization, information science, and pattern recognition. This process is more complex than conventional data mining because of the complexities inherent in spatial data. Spatial data are multi-sourced, multi-typed, multi-scaled, eterogeneous, and dynamic. The main difference between data mining and spatial data mining is that in spatial data mining tasks we use not only non-spatial attributes (as it is usual in data mining in non-spatial data), but also spatial attributes. We suggest some directions along which spatial econometric modeling could benefit from the cross-fertilization spatial data mining techniques such as Classification and Regression Trees (CART). We use the CART algorithm to fit empirical data and produce a tree with optimal tree size for different specifications of econometric models. We also examine some diagnostic measures to evaluate the spatial autocorrelation of the pseudo-residuals obtained from the regression tree analysis and we compare the accuracy and performance of different versions of CART that take into account the effects of spatial dependence. To address this issue, we start examining a non-spatial regression tree, then we include the geographical coordinates of data in the covariate set and finally, we consider one of the most common spatial econometric models: Spatial Lag combined with two versions of regression trees: non-spatial regression tree and geographical coordinates based regression tree. This allows us to determine the strength and the possible role of spatial arrangement on the variables in the predictive model and reduce the effect of spatial autocorrelation on prediction errors. In particular, we test the sensibility of various regression trees with different spatial weights matrix specifications such that to remove the spatial autocorrelation on pseudo-residuals and improvement in the accuracy of spatial predictive models.


Issues related to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) remain the leading cause of ill health among adolescents and young people worldwide and are of growing concern in Nepal. Young people are defined as those between the beginning of puberty and the attainment of adulthood. It is generally agreed that this period is usually associated with problems and challenges as they learn to become young adults, and sometimes struggle to fit into society. In such case, they may start experimenting with drugs, alcohol, tobacco and sex, which can make them vulnerable to various infections such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). It is now recognised that young people have to develop their knowledge and skills to deal with the temptations and dangers associated with being an adult. Limited published literature reveals that Nepali cultures view sexuality as taboo, and it is generally understood that sexual activities outside marriage are not accepted.However, many studies show that a significant proportion of young people take part in pre and extra-marital and high-risk sexual activities. Young people's sexual health behaviour might also have been influenced by the modernisation currently observed in many Nepali societies. In addition, many young people do not always use sexual and reproductive health services, and health facilities have failed to provide young people with specialised sexual and reproductive health education and services. Therefore, there is an urgent need for effective comprehensive sex education and young people friendly sexual health services in Nepal.


The purpose of this study is to examine and explore the level of risk that CAMI workers confront under their existing labour-management partnership arrangement. Risk is explored using two distinct categories, distributive and political. Distributive risk is expressed as tangibly substantive, reflecting the real terms and conditions of employment, and the changing social relations of production on the floor. The second type of risk is political and is concerned with the effects that labour-management partnerships have on the displacement of unions as legitimate agents of/for workers within the workplace. Data was collected using three methods; content analysis, cross-sectional survey and focus group interviews. The study revealed that CAMI workers are exposed to both distributive and political risk under their current LMP arrangement.


Ultrasound treatment during proteolysis could facilitate enzymatic hydrolysis. The degree of hydrolysis (DH) and ACE inhibitory activity of hydrolysates are the two most important factors for process control and quality assessment. This study proposed a novel method for in situ and real-time quantification of DH and ACE inhibitory activity during the ultrasonic-assisted enzymolysis process using miniature near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy with a fiber optic probe. The synergy interval partial least squares (Si-PLS) algorithms were studied via variable selection and multivariate calibrations. The results showed that the DH of CGM and ACE inhibitory activity of the CGM hydrolysates (under ultrasonic-assisted hydrolysis) were increased by 5.74% and 8.32%, respectively, compared to those of the control. The calibration model built using Si-PLS between the NIR spectra and chemical data exhibited high coefficient of prediction (Rp) of 0.9006 and root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) of 2.98% for the DH, and Rp of 0.9516 and RMSEP of 11.20% for the ACE inhibitory activity. This study demonstrates that the miniature NIR spectroscopy technique with fiber optical probe with Si-PLS algorithms has high potential for in situ monitoring during ultrasonic-assisted enzymatic hydrolysis in the protein industry.


The first goal of Anselm in the Proslogion is to encourage believers by demonstrating the absolute necessity of the existence of the God of the Bible. Anselm most likely succeeds as the definition of God that he adopts is faithful to the content of special revelation. Whether the argument can function as an argument for the existence of God can be doubted. In this article we look at the various aspects of the question.


Bacterial biofilms can cause serious health care complications associated with increased morbidity and mortality. There is an urge to discover and develop new biofilm inhibitors from natural products or by modifying natural compounds or understanding the modes of action of existing compounds. Cinnamaldehyde (CAD), one of the major components of cinnamon oil, has been demonstrated to act as an antimicrobial agent against a number of Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogens, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Helicobacter pylori and Listeria monocytogenes. Despite the mechanism of action of CAD against the model organism P. aeruginosa being undefined, based on its antimicrobial properties, we hypothesized that it may disrupt preformed biofilms of P. aeruginosa. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of CAD for planktonic P. aeruginosa was determined to be 11.8 mM. Membrane depolarization assays demonstrated disruption of the transmembrane potential of P. aeruginosa. CAD at 5.9 mM (0.5 MIC) disrupted preformed biofilms by 75.6 % and 3 mM CAD (0.25 MIC) reduced the intracellular concentrations of the secondary messenger, bis-(3'-5')-cyclic dimeric guanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP), which controls P. aeruginosa biofilm formation. The swarming motility of P. aeruginosa was also reduced by CAD in a concentration-dependent manner. Collectively, these findings show that sub-MICs of CAD can disrupt biofilms and other surface colonization phenotypes through the modulation of intracellular signalling processes.


In this paper, we explore the role of Enterprise systems in coordinating knowledge-intensive work. Drawing on an in-depth case study conducted in a global high-tech, knowledge-intensive project organization, this paper offers insights into different coordinative capabilities of enterprise systems and the relationship with the project context. By employing the concepts of boundary object and boundary spanning this paper suggests that the enterprise systems and related IT components can only partially support information sharing between organizational groups. The organizational actors in different roles drew on enterprise systems components and IT tools as boundary objects to a varying degree. These boundary objects were more significant to some actors than others. The paper argues that different kinds of boundary objects and communication were needed depending on the project context. The findings also suggest that staffing for high value strategic projects could be effectively handled through the informal organization whereas routine staffing could be handled with the help of the enterprise systems.


Microgravity is established as a technique for the detection of natural and man-made cavities. However, past published examples have concentrated on substantial natural cavities or mine workings. Two cases are described for which the voids present are relatively small and discontinuous, and where much of the affected ground is characterized by low-density ground rather than large open voids. Here we use the term 'low-density ground' to encompass ground that has been disturbed by the collapse or partial collapse of material into a void such that the affected ground shows an anomalously low density in comparison with the surrounding unaffected ground. Case study 1 was undertaken with Mouchel Parkman on behalf of Hertfordshire County Council. A doline had opened up within a school playground. The collapse was expected to be related to natural voids within the chalk at 7–10 m depth. The low-density areas identified in the microgravity survey, in addition to some control locations, were subsequently proved by dynamic probing. The investigation accurately identified voided and poorly consolidated ground, and provided the basis for an assessment of the risks of imminent and potential future collapse. Case study 2 was undertaken with Laing O'Rourke, who were principal contractor for the construction of the A590 bypass, Cumbria. Exploratory boreholes confirmed the presence of loose material in the glacial till overburden associated with suspected voids within the limestone bedrock. The microgravity survey identified areas of low subsurface density, which were subsequently targeted by boreholes. A detailed ground model constructed from borehole data allowed a synthetic gravity map to be calculated for comparison with the measured gravity. Poorly consolidated ground, depth to bedrock and surface topographic effects could be isolated and a clear interpretation of subsurface produced. The microgravity technique is shown to be an effective tool for the investigation of poorly compacted ground and small shallow voids in complex and disturbed ground conditions. When followed by targeted intrusive investigation such surveys can yield a great deal of information that would not otherwise be available to the engineer.


The electroluminescence from organic light-emitting diodes can be predicted with molecular-scale resolution using three-dimensional kinetic Monte Carlo (3D KMC) simulations [M. Mesta et al., Nat. Mater. 12, 652 (2013)]. However, around and below the built-in voltage KMC simulations are computationally inefficient. 3D master-equation (3D ME) simulation methods, which are fastest for low voltages, are so far mainly available for describing unipolar charge transport. In such simulations, the charge-carrier interactions are treated within a mean-field approach. It is not a priori evident whether such simulations, when applied to bipolar devices, can be extended to include the Coulomb attraction between the individual electrons and holes, so that charge-carrier recombination is sufficiently well described. In this work, we develop a systematic method for extending 3D ME simulations to bipolar devices. The method is applied to devices containing materials with Gaussian energetic disorder, and validated by a comparison with the results of 3D KMC simulations. The comparison shows that the 3D nonuniformity of the molecular-site-resolved carrier concentration and the one-dimensional layer-averaged profile of the recombination rate are fully retained, and that the 3D nonuniformity of the molecular-site-resolved recombination rate is fairly well retained.


Restructuring is an important activity to improve software internal structure. Even though there are many restructuring approaches, very few consider the refactoring impact on the software quality. In this paper, we propose an semi-automatic software restructuring approach based on quality attributes. We rely on the measurements of the Quality Model for Object Oriented Design (QMOOD) to recommend Move Method refactorings that improve software quality. In a nutshell , given a software system S, our approach recommends a sequence of refactorings R1, R2,. .. , Rn that result in system versions S1, S2,. .. , Sn, where quality(Si+1) > quality(Si). We empirically calibrated our approach to find the best criteria to measure the improvement of quality. In our preliminary evaluation on three open-source systems, our approach achieved an average recall of 57%.


Enterprise Architecture (EA) management involves tasks that substantially contribute to the operations of an enterprise, and to its sustainable market presence. One important aspect of this is the availability of services to customers. However, the increasing interconnectedness of systems with other systems and with business processes makes it difficult to get a clear view on change impacts and dependency structures. While management level decision makers need this information to make sound decisions, EA models often do not include quality attributes (such as availability), and very rarely provide quantitative means to assess them. We address these shortcomings by augmenting an information model for EA modeling with concepts from Probabilistic Relational Models, thus enabling quantitative analysis. A sample business case is evaluated as an example of the technique, showing how decision makers can benefit from information on availability impacts on enterprise business services.


The aim of the paper is to examine Facebook postings from an ecological language perspective as a special type of discourse of "everyday life" with an orientating function, to evaluate the environmental potential of this network that influences the character of the posts, and to determine cultural differences in thinking and expressing birthday greetings on the Facebook platform. The paper outlines some specific features of the Facebook environment or niche such as the reduced characters of the message, the use of abbreviations, simple structures, merging and interaction of written and spoken languages, and the use of graphical signs to convey emotions. The methodological approach was to compile a database by randomly gathering, from various Facebook timelines, 680 birthday postings in Russian, American English, German, and French. The posts were then analyzed according to three dimensions: (1) focus of the greetings on the specific day or years to come/life in general (Western vs. non-Western countries, analytical vs. holistic mindsets); (2) use of nominal structures; (3) stress/emphasis on characteristic features of a person, compliments. Various psycholinguistic and cultural aspects of the verbal greetings from the timelines of Russian, American, German, and French users of the social net are singled out in terms of holistic and analytical types of critical thinking. The data collection shows that while Russians and Germans predominantly display holistic thinking, as expressed in birthday postings of a general character and wishes in general for the upcoming year or years to come, Americans and the French display analytical thinking as their birthday posts are more focused on that special day. Most birthday postings are usually short and have one similar pattern. Americans use a lot of praise and stress personal relations. French postings are very emotional often expressing love and kisses. This study shows that analysis of Facebook birthday postings should be multimodal and complex, taking into account a complex interaction of a number of internal and external factors and a personal inclusion into socio-cultural interactions.


Despite the current financial crisis, prestigious American and British law firms continue to maintain a presence in Continental Europe, Latin America, and China. Yet, in one economically fertile, democratic country - India - such global legal powerhouses are scarcely found. This study seeks to understand empirically why there is a general absence of these and other foreign law firms practicing in India. Based on fieldwork and compiled interview data of lawyers, judges, government officials, activists, and clients from India, the United States, and Britain - the latter two being the foreign countries most interested in gaining access to the Indian legal market - I show that the conventional wisdom on this subject is inadequate, and that there are multiple layers to this debate. But as I also show, what makes this story so fascinating is how both supporters and opponents of foreign law firms in India have strategically coupled their policy arguments with potent symbolic rhetoric to champion their perspectives. The study concludes by outlining a set of preliminary proposals that would permit American, British, and other foreign law firms gradually to enter India but would also incorporate the concerns held by opponents and could serve as the foundation for reaching a comprehensive resolution.


Title of Document: MENTAL ILLNESS IN MARYLAND: PUBLIC PERCEPTION, DISCOURSE, AND TREATMENT, FROM THE COLONIAL PERIOD TO 1964 Robert William Schoeberlein, Ph.D., 2006 Directed By: Dr. Lawrence E. Mintz, American Studies This dissertation is an overview of the public perception of, discourse concerning, and treatment of Maryland's mentally ill citizens from the Colonial Period to 1964. The present day view of the mentally ill in the early colony is, at best, fragmentary. The numbers of such Marylanders were small and little information exists to frame a picture of what constituted their daily life or the level of care until about 1785. The decision to confine individuals at home or at an institution entered public discourse. Certain families entrusted their relatives to hospitals. Mentally ill people constituted a highly visible presence during the first half of the nineteenth century. A vacillating public interest and tepid financial support for their cause, however, prevented access to higher quality care for the majority. County almshouses and jails continued to house the "pauper insane" in a regressive manner. During the second half of the nineteenth century, the rights and well-being of mentally ill citizens came to public notice. The possibility of a sane individual being unjustly confined within a mental hospital fired the public imagination. Court cases and patient exposés persuaded legislators that some laws and formalized state oversight of institutions were required. The first three decades of the twentieth century marked an epoch of progress. A reform campaign resulted in the transfer of all patients from the county almshouses into modern, newly-constructed state mental hospitals. The insular settings, however, ultimately made them less visible. The Great Depression and Second World War era induced shortages that adversely affected state hospital patients. Many such patients languished in sub-standard conditions. A troubling 1949 photographic exposé ultimately pressured state officials to bring system-wide improvements. The 1950s ushered in a new era for Maryland's mentally ill citizens. The advent of psychotropic drugs allowed patients to leave the hospitals. Programs to assist in the transition back into the community were developed by the State and public advocates. Members of a once faceless, inarticulate group came to be perceived as individuals who could contribute to and enrich the life of our communities. MENTAL ILLNESS IN MARYLAND: PUBLIC PERCEPTION, DISCOURSE, AND TREATMENT, FROM THE COLONIAL PERIOD TO 1964


This article explores the socio-legal dynamics and implications of the `John School' diversion programme for prostitution offenders in Toronto, Canada. The analysis is based on quantitative and qualitative data collected as part of an evaluation study of the programme conducted between 1999 and 2001. The analysis begins by exploring the socio-political forces that have shaped prostitution control in Canada over the last century and ultimately led to the emergence of the `John School' as a reform compromise. The article subsequently investigates the particular role of `victims' discourses within the rationale and practices of the `John School' initiative. It traces the ambiguous nature of the programme's objectives by contrasting its widely promoted `educational' and `constructive' aims with the more punitive qualities that emerge in practice. Drawing from the critical literature on informal justice and diversion, it is evidenced that the programme focuses disproportionately on participants from lower socio-economic classes. Serious questions are also raised with regards to `due process'. Particular attention is given to the requirement by participants to waive basic procedural rights in return for admission in the `John School' programme and the subsequent withdrawal of criminal charges. The degree of `choice' involved in accepting these conditions is evaluated with regard to the specific characteristics of the target population. Policy implications are discussed.


In Foundations of Public Law, Martin Loughlin constructs an intricate conceptual triangle made up out of religion, law, and politics, in order to offer an account of the character of public law as a secular, political, jurisprudence. In this essay, I argue that this account takes neither religion nor law seriously - and this in revealingly similar ways. Loughlin's book presents public law as an irreducibly paradoxical discourse, devoted to sustaining 'the irreconcilable' within society. Relative to this discourse, religion - understood by Loughlin as absolutist dogma - appears in the book only as a threat, whereas law - seen as a mere tool - becomes a necessary and innocent means for its support. I offer a critique of both these lines of argument, as not sufficiently attentive to religion and law as fields with their own histories, internal dynamics, and forms of efficacy. Religion, when seen in terms of practice, discipline, and ritual, in fact has much in common with - and considerable resources to offer to - Loughlin's own vision of public law. And attention to the legalism so deeply embedded in juristic discourse reveals law as posing precisely the absolutist threat that Loughlin fears (but only associates with religion and 'the social'). Bringing these two lines of argument together, I argue that Loughlin's own ambition for public law as a prudential discourse of contained irreconcilability, is better served, not by striving for radical - and impossible - immanence, but by acknowledging that discourse's dual character as a phenomenon both immanent and transcendent. I also suggest that ritual practice may have an important role to play in maintaining this dual, and paradoxical, character.


Whilst strategies preferences develop over a person's lifetime, due to its proximal presence the parenting context is primary significant relational context where conflict resolution skills might being learned. While disciplining and guiding the child, nurturing the child's psychological, physical, social, and economic well-being parent provides child with a platform to learn how to deal with conflicts (Jonyniene et al., 2015; Missotten et al., 2016). The purpose of the study was to search for the family etiology of the strategies (aggression, avoidance, submission, problem solving) for coping with a social conflict situation by adolescents, the source of which is inherent in parental upbringing attitudes. D. Borecka-Biernat's Questionnaire on studying strategies for coping with a social conflict situation by adolescents (KSMK) and Parental Attitudes Scale (SPR) by M. Plopa were applied in the research. The empirical research was carried out in junior high schools in Wroclaw and neighbouring towns. It comprised 493 adolescents (269 girls and 224 boys) aged 13-15. In the light of the research conducted, it was found that the adolescents' aggressive way of reacting to emotional tension resulting from a social conflict situation is shaped by inappropriate upbringing attitudes of parents towards an adolescent child. The research results within the scope of the acceptance-rejection and autonomy attitude perception reveal their lower intensification in parents of adolescents who use aggression strategy. On the other hand, it is also possible to observe a higher result concerning the inconsistent and an over demanding attitude of adolescents' parents who use aggression as a strategy for coping with a social conflict situation. It can be assumed that due to the attitudes observed in the mother and father, the adolescents who use the strategy of avoidance, submission, and task-oriented for coping with a social conflict situation constitute a homogeneous group. The research also indicates that appropriate parental attitudes are conducive to shaping adolescent's habits of reacting to social conflict situations in the form of an active way out of difficulties.


"Diversity" is a polarizing concept in American politics. I argue that under current legal education guidelines and policies, it is a concept that is Ill-defined, clumsily implemented, and often justified on grounds that have been rejected by the US Supreme Court. My quarrel is not with the underlying perception that cultural pluralism is increasing both here and abroad, nor with the idea that such pluralism can be the entry point to a more just and peaceful world. My quarrel is with the legal academy's embrace of what others have called "check-the-box diversity" with little to no attention to viewpoint diversity and authentic dialogue. This is evidenced by both the development of a grievance culture on campus as well as a dangerous refusal to engage ideas and arguments that differ from the dominate liberal worldview. Sadly there is little to no evidence that Catholic law schools differ from their secular counterparts in this area. This should not be so, given the guidance of the Vatican's Congregation for Catholic Education on multicultural dialogue. By embracing the Church's approach to educating students in a multi-cultural society, I argue that Catholic law schools could and should become places of authentic dialogue, cultural appreciation and reform, and a more universal understanding of justice and the role law can play in responding to the challenges of our time.


Background: Relatively little is known about the prevalence and correlates of overdiagnosis of depression in community settings. This study examined the extent to which individuals with clinician-identified depression in the community meet the criteria for DSM-IV major depressive episodes (MDE) and characteristics of these individuals. Methods: In a sample of 5,639 participants with clinician-identified depression drawn from the 2009-2010 United States National Survey of Drug Use and Health, the proportion of participants who met the 12-month MDE criteria, ascertained by a structured interview, and variations in MDE diagnosis across different groups of participants were examined. Mental health profiles and service use of participants who met the MDE criteria were compared to those who did not meet these criteria. Results: Only 38.4% of participants with 12-month clinician-identified depression met the 12-month MDE criteria. Older adults were less likely than younger adults to meet the criteria - only 14.3% of those 65 years old or older met the criteria, whereas participants with more education and those with poorer overall health were more likely to meet the criteria. Participants who did not meet the 12-month MDE criteria reported less distress and impairment in role functioning and used fewer services. A majority of both groups, however, were prescribed and used psychiatric medications. Conclusions: Depression overdiagnosis and overtreatment is common in community settings in the USA. There is a need for improved targeting of diagnosis and treatments of depression and other mental disorders in these settings.


ABSTRACT We previously described a human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope mutant that introduces a disulfide bridge between the gp120 surface proteins and gp41 transmembrane proteins (J. M. Binley, R. W. Sanders, B. Clas, N. Schuelke, A. Master, Y. Guo, F. Kajumo, D. J. Anselma, P. J. Maddon, W. C. Olson, and J. P. Moore, J. Virol.74:627-643, 2000). Here we produced pseudovirions bearing the mutant envelope and a reporter gene to examine the mutant's infectious properties. These pseudovirions attach to cells expressing CD4 and coreceptor but infect only when triggered with reducing agent, implying that gp120-gp41 dissociation is necessary for infection. Further studies suggested that virus entry was arrested after CD4 and coreceptor engagement. By measuring the activities of various entry inhibitors against the arrested intermediate, we found that gp120-targeting inhibitors typically act prior to virus attachment, whereas gp41 inhibitors are able to act postattachment. Unexpectedly, a significant fraction of antibodies in HIV-1-positive sera neutralized virus postattachment, suggesting that downstream fusion events and structures figure prominently in the host immune response. Overall, this disulfide-shackled virus is a unique tool with potential utility in vaccine design, drug discovery, and elucidation of the HIV-1 entry process.


We report three-dimensional imaging measurements using confocal microscopy of fluorescently labelled deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) strands subjected to strong ac electric fields. The DNA molecules are covalently tethered by one end to gold microelectrodes and the observed elongation patterns are compared with the electric field lines obtained from numerical simulations and with previously determined fluid flow patterns. We demonstrate that the major contribution to the elongation stems from the ac electrokinetic torque, supplemented by a small bias force provided by the electric-field-induced fluid flow, and we provide evidence that the observed restricted elongation owing to the geometries of the electrodes results from a sign change in the bias force.


Solvers for the Maximum satisfiability (MaxSAT) problem find an increasing number of applications today. We focus on improving MaxHS--one of the most successful recent MaxSAT algorithms-- via SAT-based preprocessing. We show that employing SAT-based preprocessing via the so-called labelled CNF (LCNF) framework before calling MaxHS can in some cases greatly degrade the performance of the solver. As a remedy, we propose a lifting of MaxHS that works directly on LCNFs, allowing for a tighter integration of SAT-based preprocessing and MaxHS. Our empirical results on standard crafted and industrial weighted partial MaxSAT Evaluation benchmarks show overall improvements over the original MaxHS algorithm both with and without SAT-based preprocessing.


Benchmarking the performance of generative methods for drug design is complex and multifaceted. In this report, we propose a separation of concerns for de novo drug design, categorizing the task into three main categories: generation, discrimination, and exploration. We demonstrate that changes to any of these three concerns impacts benchmark performance for drug design tasks. In this report we present Deriver, an open-source Python package that acts as a modular framework for molecule generation, with a focus on integrating multiple generative methods. Using Deriver, we demonstrate that changing parameters related to each of these three concerns impacts chemical space traversal significantly, and that the freedom to independently adjust each is critical to real-world applications having conflicting priorities. We find that combining multiple generative methods can improve optimization of molecular properties, and lower the chance of becoming trapped in local minima. Additionally, filtering molecules for drug-likeness (based on physicochemical properties and SMARTS pattern matching) before they are scored can hinder exploration, but can improve the quality of the final molecules. Finally, we demonstrate that any given task has an exploration algorithm best suited to it, though in practice linear probabilistic sampling generally results in the best outcomes, when compared to Monte Carlo sampling or greedy sampling. We intend that Deriver, which is being made freely available, will be helpful to others interested in collaboratively improving existing methods in de novo drug design centered around inheritance of molecular structure, modularity, extensibility, and separation of concerns.


Diwang Tower built in 1996 was the tallest building in Shenzhen before 2011. Its image waswidelyusedasasymbolofpropagandashowcasingthesuccessofChina'sopening up policy and Shenzhen's economy. As a result of international collaboration Diwang Tower was a crucial node where transnational flows of knowledge intersected. Many foreignfirmsandexpertscontributedinsuchaspectsasarchitecturaldesign,structural technology, and construction and property management. Diwang Tower showed "Chinese" characteristics in subtle ways, while being "modern" and "international" at the same time. This paper focuses on the transnational flows of knowledge and the adaptation of modern aesthetics in the Chinese cultural context. It concludes that Diwang Tower is an important milestone in the contemporary architectural history of China since 1978, especially regarding the introduction of Western architecture and its adaptation in the Chinese context.


Spectral consequences that result from using birefringent media with broadband gain inside of laser cavities containing polarizing elements are described. We show that the laser intensity is modulated as a function of the output frequency unless the cavity elements are carefully aligned so that their polarization axis coincides with a principal optical axis of the gain medium. Analysis of the tuning characteristics of a birefringent polarizationdependent gain medium is exploited to provide a simple method for line narrowing the laser output. By introduction of an intracavity birefringent compensator the narrow-band output can be continuously tuned. Experimental results for alexandrite lasers are presented.