Background Inherited mutations in DNA-repair genes such as BRCA2 are associated with increased risks of lethal prostate cancer. Although the prevalence of germline mutations in DNA-repair genes among men with localized prostate cancer who are unselected for family predisposition is insufficient to warrant routine testing, the frequency of such mutations in patients with metastatic prostate cancer has not been established. Methods We recruited 692 men with documented metastatic prostate cancer who were unselected for family history of cancer or age at diagnosis. We isolated germline DNA and used multiplex sequencing assays to assess mutations in 20 DNA-repair genes associated with autosomal dominant cancer-predisposition syndromes. Results A total of 84 germline DNA-repair gene mutations that were presumed to be deleterious were identified in 82 men (11.8%); mutations were found in 16 genes, including BRCA2 (37 men [5.3%]), ATM (11 [1.6%]), CHEK2 (10 [1.9% of 534 men with data]), BRCA1 (6 [0.9%]), RAD51D (3 [0.4%]), and PALB2 (3 [0.4%]). Mutation frequencies did not differ according to whether a family history of prostate cancer was present or according to age at diagnosis. Overall, the frequency of germline mutations in DNA-repair genes among men with metastatic prostate cancer significantly exceeded the prevalence of 4.6% among 499 men with localized prostate cancer (P<0.001), including men with high-risk disease, and the prevalence of 2.7% in the Exome Aggregation Consortium, which includes 53,105 persons without a known cancer diagnosis (P<0.001). Conclusions In our multicenter study, the incidence of germline mutations in genes mediating DNA-repair processes among men with metastatic prostate cancer was 11.8%, which was significantly higher than the incidence among men with localized prostate cancer. The frequencies of germline mutations in DNA-repair genes among men with metastatic disease did not differ significantly according to age at diagnosis or family history of prostate cancer. (Funded by Stand Up To Cancer and others.). PMID: 27433846 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1603144 [PubMed as supplied by publisher] Format: Abstract 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Author information Full text links Inherited DNA-Repair Gene Mutations in Men with Metastatic Prostat... http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=27433846 1 di 2 09/08/2016 15.21


An "Indispensable" Book of The Black World Today website Much has been written about the Black Power movement in the United States. Most of this work, however, tends to focus on the personalities of the movement. In We Are Not What We Seem, Roderick D. Bush takes a fresh look at Black Power and other African American social movements with a specific emphasis on the role of the urban poor in the struggle for Black rights. Bush traces the trajectory of African American social movements from the time Booker T. Washington to the present, providing an integrated discussion of class. He addresses questions crucial to any understanding of Black politics: Is the Black Power movement simply another version of the traditional American ethnic politics, or does it have wider social import? What role has the federal government played in implicitly grooming social conservatives like Louis Farrakhan to assume leadership positions as opposed to leftist, grassroots, class-oriented leaders? Bush avoids the traditional liberal and social democratic approaches in favor of a more universalistic perspective that offers new insights into the history of Black movements in the U.S.


The biologist studies man as a physical organism existing in a space-time world of measurable dimensions. This organism has the ability to adapt to changes in its environment; to the processes of growth, development and aging; and to disease. The main objectives of medicine have been to help both adaptation and defence. Prevention through hygiene and immunisation, drugs, surgical removals, and replacements-all these make their contributions, which have increased in complexity and expense, disappointing Beveridge's hope in 1949 that a National Health Service plus rehabilitation (then a novelty) would so improve health that the Service would wither away. To avoid and prevent ill health are worthy aims; to promote health is also worthy, but something different. It was to study healthy living that Dr Scott Williamson, Dr Innes Pearse, and their colleagues devised the Peckham experiment, of which this book is at once a reminder and a memorial. They wanted to study Homo sapiens in his natural habitat and they began their exploration as biologists. In an initial family club of 150 families they noted that disorders, however skilfully treated, recurred in the environment out of which the disorder had arisen. So, in 1935, they designed a laboratory in which human beings could be observed growing up and creating new families. The centre, purpose-built, combined maximum visibility throughout, flexibility, and free access to all members. By the outbreak of war 800-900 families had grown their own lively social life. Many of the original families rejoined when the centre reopened after the war. It finally closed in 1951. Meanwhile, the observers had invented a new role.


The commercial and cultural links between the West-Pontic region and the Aegean basin date well before the appearance of ESB tableware. In this article is analysed the presence of this type of pottery in the Western Black Sea. In the period between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD, in this region was recorded 14 forms specific of workshops from Western Asia Minor. In archaeological sites from the Black Sea coast this type of ceramics is encountered in a larger proportion than in the inland settlements. Troesmis on the Danube line is a settlement where a significant amount of ESB has been discovered.


Abstract. We study a series of transient entries into the low-latitude boundary layer (LLBL) of all four Cluster spacecraft during an outbound pass through the mid-afternoon magnetopause ( [ XGSM, YGSM, ZGSM ] ≈ [ 2, 7, 9 ] RE). The events take place during an interval of northward IMF, as seen in the data from the ACE satellite and lagged by a propagation delay of 75 min that is welldefined by two separate studies: (1) the magnetospheric variations prior to the northward turning (Lockwood et al., 2001, this issue) and (2) the field clock angle seen by Cluster after it had emerged into the magnetosheath (Opgenoorth et al., 2001, this issue). With an additional lag of 16.5 min, the transient LLBL events correlate well with swings of the IMF clock angle (in GSM) to near 90°. Most of this additional lag is explained by ground-based observations, which reveal signatures of transient reconnection in the pre-noon sector that then take 10–15 min to propagate eastward to 15 MLT, where they are observed by Cluster. The eastward phase speed of these signatures agrees very well with the motion deduced by the cross-correlation of the signatures seen on the four Cluster spacecraft. The evidence that these events are reconnection pulses includes: transient erosion of the noon 630 nm (cusp/cleft) aurora to lower latitudes; transient and travelling enhancements of the flow into the polar cap, imaged by the AMIE technique; and poleward-moving events moving into the polar cap, seen by the EISCAT Svalbard Radar (ESR). A pass of the DMSP-F15 satellite reveals that the open field lines near noon have been opened for some time: the more recently opened field lines were found closer to dusk where the flow transient and the poleward-moving event intersected the satellite pass. The events at Cluster have ion and electron characteristics predicted and observed by Lockwood and Hapgood (1998) for a Flux Transfer Event (FTE), with allowance for magnetospheric ion reflection at Alfvenic disturbances in the magnetopause reconnection layer. Like FTEs, the events are about 1 RE in their direction of motion and show a rise in the magnetic field strength, but unlike FTEs, in general, they show no pressure excess in their core and hence, no characteristic bipolar signature in the boundary-normal component. However, most of the events were observed when the magnetic field was southward, i.e. on the edge of the interior magnetic cusp, or when the field was parallel to the magnetic equatorial plane. Only when the satellite begins to emerge from the exterior boundary (when the field was northward), do the events start to show a pressure excess in their core and the consequent bipolar signature. We identify the events as the first observations of FTEs at middle altitudes. Key words. Magnetospheric physics (magnetopause, cusp and boundary layers; magnetosphere-ionosphere interactions; solar wind-magnetosphere interactions)


ABSTRACT A novel strictly anaerobic bacterium designated strain SSD-17BT was isolated from the hypersaline brine-sediment interface of the Shaban Deep, Red Sea. Cells were pleomorphic but usually consisted of a central coccoid body with one or two "tentacle-like" protrusions. These protrusions actively alternated between a straight, relaxed form and a contracted, corkscrew-like one. A peptidoglycan layer was not detected by electron microscopy. The organism forms "fried-egg"-like colonies on MM-X medium. The organism is strictly anaerobic and halophilic and has an optimum temperature for growth of about 30 to 37°C and an optimum pH of about 7. Nitrate and nitrite are reduced; lactate is a fermentation product. The fatty acid profile is dominated by straight saturated and unsaturated chain compounds. Menaquinone 4 is the major respiratory quinone. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated strain SSD-17BT represents a novel and distinct lineage within the radiation of the domain Bacteria. The branching position of strain SSD-17BT was equidistant to the taxa considered to be representative lineages of the phyla Firmicutes and Tenericutes (with its sole class Mollicutes). The phenotypic and phylogenetic data clearly show the distinctiveness of this unusual bacterium, and we therefore propose that strain SSD-17BT (= DSM 18853 = JCM 14575) represents a new genus and a new species, for which we recommend the name Haloplasma contractile gen. nov., sp. nov. We are also of the opinion that the organism represents a new order-level taxon, for which we propose the name Haloplasmatales.


Nobody likes today's copyright law. Widespread unauthorized use of copyright material proliferates with impunity, while citizens and users protest that intrusive copyright and related rights law stifle cultural expression. Equipment manufacturers and intermediaries complain about yet more 'security' features that complicate their products and services and encumber marketing, while content owners desperately want enforcement to work. And of course it is crucial that whatever regulatory instruments come into play must not age prematurely in Internet time.The European Union faces the daunting challenge of articulating coherent copyright policies that satisfy these contradictory multiple demands. Yet the legal framework must conform to the European Union's remit of fostering economic growth in a common market, while respecting the national traditions of its still growing family of Member States. Clearly, an extraordinary balancing act is called for if justice is to be done to all of the private and public interests affected.So how has the European acquis communautaire scored on these issues so far? In this groundbreaking study the Institute for Information Law of the University of Amsterdam brings its extensive academic expertise to bear on this question. The authors scrutinize the present law as laid down in the seven copyright and related rights directives, against the background of the relevant international standards of the Berne Convention, the TRIPs agreement, and the WIPO Internet Treaties. They map out in detail the degree to which certain areas of copyright have been harmonized as they expose the gaps and inconsistencies in the acquis and the urgent unresolved issues that persist. They identify the EU's ambitions in relation to its present and future competences (following the Lisbon Reform) to regulate copyright, and to its Better Regulation agenda. Following a comprehensive analysis of almost two decades of regulatory intervention, they move on to the salient current trends that point toward a more coherent and balanced European copyright law.


How do local union leaders view manpower training programs for hard-core-disadvantaged blacks? How do they perceive their members' attitudes towards these training programs? Do unions block the implementation of job training, or do they support it? What are the union leaders' views on special treatment and double work standards for the hard-core-disadvantaged black trainees? How difficult do union leaders think it will be for these trainees to achieve the educational standards set by the firms? We, along with Myron D. Fottler, explored some aspects of these questions in fairly intensive interviews with 51 local and regional union leaders in western New York. Thirty-six union respondents had experience with similar on-the-job training. Fifteen had never been involved in such manpower training programs.


The understanding of how the arrangement of defects in photonic crystals impacts its photonic properties is cru-cial for the design of functional materials based thereon. By preparing photonic crystals with random missing scatterers we create crystals where disorder is embodied as vacancies in an otherwise perfect lattice rather than the usual positional or size disorder. We show that the amount of defects not only determines the intensity but also the nature of the light scattering. As the amount of defects varies, light scattering undergoes a transition whereby the usual signatures of photonic gaps (Bragg peak) suffer line-shape changes (Bragg dip) that can be readily described with the Fano resonance q parameter. When the amount of vacancies reaches the percolation threshold, q undergoes a sign change signaling the transition from a crystal to a mosaic of microcrystals through a state where scattering is maximum. Beyond that point the system reenters a state of low scattering that ap-pears in the guise of normal Bragg diffraction.


ICTD is profoundly interested in the "next billion" users, and how to leverage technology to improve their everyday lives. In this paper we ask how the concept of care might be generatively extended to the 'lives' of the "next billion" mobile handsets. Drawing on a growing literature on repair in ICTD and HCI, and theories of care from the social sciences, this paper makes two central contributions. First, our ethnographic study of mobile phone repair in downtown Kampala, Uganda provides new insights into how technologies are sustained in developing contexts, with a special focus on how independent technicians in informal repair shops circumvent the proprietary closures that limit their work. Second, we show how attending to care in ICTD contexts can help us locate immediate forms of technical work (here, repair) within wider moral and political orderings. Thinking about repair and care together opens up new possibilities for ICTD to engage with the materiality of technologies over longer temporal horizons, beyond privileged moments of design and adoption.


Risperidone long-acting injectable (RLAI) is approved for the treatment of schizophrenia in many countries. The suggested site is the gluteal muscle with a needle length of two inches (50 mm) in Japan, which is longer than the ordinarily used needle for intramuscular injections. The aim of this study was to determine the optimal needle insertion length for accurate delivery of RLAI procedure among subjects who have normal body mass index (BMI: 18 to 25) and high BMI (>25). Thirty-seven patients with schizophrenia were administered RLAI intramuscularly into the dorsogluteal muscle. The standard procedure required inserting 80% of the two inch needle. By using data collected by ultrasonography, the findings confirmed that the median needle insertion lengths for subjects with normal and high BMI were 39.0 and 45.5 mm, respectively. To deliver RLAI effectively and safely, the authors strongly recommend that a specialized needle be used that is "marked" at the 40 mm point from the tip of the needle to the base. In this way regardless of subcutaneous fat content, the RLAI can be safely delivered into the muscle without causing untoward or side effects.


Cluster Expansion Models Via Bayesian Compressive Sensing Lance J. Nelson Department of Physics and Astronomy, BYU Doctor of Philosophy The steady march of new technology depends crucially on our ability to discover and design new, advanced materials. Partially due to increases in computing power, computational methods are now having an increased role in this disovery process. Advances in this area speed the discovery and development of advanced materials by guiding experimental work down fruitful paths. Density functional theory (DFT) has proven to be a highly accurate tool for computing material properties. However, due to its computational cost and complexity, DFT is unsuited to performing exhaustive searches over many candidate materials or for extracting thermodynamic information. To perform these types of searches requires that we construct a fast, yet accurate model. One model commonly used in materials science is the cluster expansion, which can compute the energy, or another relevant physical property, of millions of derivative superstructures quickly and accurately. This model has been used in materials research for many years with great success. Currently the construction of a cluster expansion model presents several noteworthy challenges. While these challenges have obviously not prevented the method from being useful, addressing them will result in a big payoff in speed and accuracy. Two of the most glaring challenges encountered when constructing a cluster expansion model include: (i) determining which of the infinite number of clusters to include in the expansion, and (ii) deciding which atomic configurations to use for training data. Compressive sensing, a recently-developed technique in the signal processing community, is uniquely suited to address both of these challenges. Compressive sensing (CS) allows essentially all possible basis (cluster) functions to be included in the analysis and offers a specific recipe for choosing atomic configurations to be used for training data. We show that cluster expansion models constructed using CS predict more accurately than current state-of-the art methods, require little user intervention during the construction process, and are orders-of-magnitude faster than current methods. A Bayesian implementation of CS is found to be even faster than the typical constrained optimization approach, is free of any user-optimized parameters, and naturally produces error bars on the predictions made. The speed and hands-off nature of Bayesian compressive sensing (BCS) makes it a valuable tool for automatically constructing models for many different materials. Combining BCS with high-throughput data sets of binary alloy data, we automatically construct CE models for all binary alloy systems. This work represents a major stride in materials science and advanced materials development.


In this paper we describe our approach to intelligent automatic form filling in the context of mobile services based on user data. In a small study we show that manual form filling is slow and perceived a stressful task. And hence it is not surprising that most current mobile services provide primary information, more complex interactions such as ordering a specific product are often very complicate and time consuming tasks or are even not provided. In our approach the individual forms elements are preset based on the content and context of the form, existing rules and the user's preferences. Our work is grounded in an analysis of requirements. We investigated popular current WAP based mobile services and their characteristics. Through an analysis of conventional HTML based services we concluded which data a user has to type in when filling out a form. Furthermore we analyzed the behavior of people during filling out forms. Based on these observations and additional interviews, we present an overall architecture. A prototype, taking into account these findings is outlined at the end of the paper.


The synthesis and characterisation of novel bisnaphthalimidopropyl polyamine (BNIPP) derivatives, has gained pace over the last couple of years, as they have enhanced aqueous solubility, without loss of biological activity, in contrast to parent bisnaphthalimide derivatives. Recent work has shown that bisnaphthalimidopropyl spermidine (BNIPSpd) bis-intercalates to DNA, induces oxidative DNA damage, depletes polyamine levels and causes cell death, by apoptosis, in human colon cancer CaCO-2 and HT-29 cells. The aim of this thesis was to synthesise new BNIPP derivatives to highlight the important structural features required for biological activity, particularly, bisnaphthalimidopropyl functionality, and investigate their subsequent modes of action in breast cancer MDA-MB-231 and breast epithelial MCF-10A cells. Initially, work focused on determining the DNA binding affinities and biological activity of BNIPP derivatives. All BNIPP derivatives, except bisphthalimidopropyl diaminodecane (BPHPDadec) and mononaphthalimidopropylamine (NPA) (I" Tm values of 15.8 and 10.2 °C, respectively, C50 values of > 10 I¼M, IC50 values of > 40 I¼M), exhibited strong DNA binding affinities and cytotoxic properties in both cell lines. Results indicate that BNIPP derivatives interact with DNA by bis-intercalation suggesting, therefore, that BNIPP derivatives target DNA. For the first time, an investigation into the mechanism of cellular entry, via the polyamine transport (PAT) system, was studied. However, none of the BNIPP derivatives utilised the MGBG-specific PAT system, suggesting that BNIPP derivatives utilise other modes of cellular entry. Two BNIPP derivatives, BNIPSpd and BNIPDaCHM, were further investigated, and results show that these derivatives significantly induced a dose dependent increase in DNA strand breaks from ≥ 0.1 I¼M, after 4 hours. BNIPSpd and BNIPDaCHM (at non toxic concentrations) also inhibited the repair of oxidative (H2O2) and methylative (MMS)-induced DNA strand breaks. Based on phosphatidylserine exposure and membrane integrity analyses, early apoptotic cell death was determined as a mode of cell death utilised by both BNIPSpd and BNIPDaCHM (5 I¼M), after only 0.5 hours treatment in MDA-MB-231 cells. Interestingly, BNIPDaCHM was identified, using HDAC assay kits, as a potent and selective SIRT2 enzyme inhibitor, thus, identifying, a novel structural backbone for the selective inhibition of HDAC enzymes.


Purpose of the article: The research focused on the identification of types and frequencies of posts added by
e-shops and the reactions of fans to the posts. Three e-shops were analysed: Alza.cz, Czc.cz and Mironet.cz.
Several categories were selected as qualitative units of analysis of communication between e-shops and fans,
the frequencies of all the selected categories were measured and correlations between selected variables were
calculated.
Methodology/methods: The main research method was quantitative content analysis, which allows the
gathering of large numbers of qualitative data and transforming them into data of quantitative nature that can
be the subject of further statistical analysis. In case of interesting quantitative findings, a qualitative explanation
was used. Both communication from e-shops to fans and communication from fans to e-shops (and among
fans) in the years 2011–2015 were analysed.
Scientific aim: The objective of the research presented in this article is based on content analysis to evaluate the
level of the Facebook communication of selected Czech e-shops with consumer electronics within 2011–2015
using a quantitative content analysis method.
Findings: The results show that the posting frequency of all the analysed e-shops is between 1.5–4 days. The
e-shops vary in the most frequent types of posts. Posts that elicited the highest numbers of reactions were
characteristic with their viral nature. A strong, statistically significant correlation between the number of fans
of the fan page and the frequency of their reactions to the posts was found.
Conclusions: All of the analysed e-shops should increase the frequency of contact with their fans through
more frequent posting and modification in the content of the posts. Based on findings, the several suggestions
for effective and successful managing the Facebook activities are served.


Geographic variation in the level of radioactive caesium-137 ( 137 Cs) was examined from the axial muscle of 36 harbour porpoises Phocoena phocoena obtained as bycatch from 5 locations along the coast of Norway, ranging from southern (North Sea) to northern (Barents Sea) Norway. Levels of 137 Cs in seawater and sediments have been found to differ along the coast of Norway due to distance from point sources, such as the Sellafield nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Cumbria, UK (discharging into the Irish Sea) and outflow from the Baltic Sea, which contains significant amounts of 137 Cs that originated in Chernobyl. Radioactive caesium is accumulated in muscle in a manner related to ambient levels in the environment through exposure and/or ingestion of contaminated prey items. Hence, we hypothesised that if harbour porpoises are philopatric, their muscle tissue would reflect concentrations of 137 Cs in their area of residence. The levels found in harbour porpoise muscle were consistent with that found in the area from which they were caught. Porpoises from the Barents Sea had significantly lower levels of 137 Cs than porpoises from the west and south coasts of Norway, reflecting the concentration patterns of 137 Cs in the waters of those areas. This suggests ecological separation of harbour porpoises in these regions, and that porpoises are limited in their move- ments along the coast of Norway.


BACKGROUND: In 2008, ceftobiprole was approved by Health
Canada for the treatment of patients with complicated skin and skin
structure infections including diabetic foot infections; approval of
ceftobiprole by the United States Food and Drug Administration is
pending. Doripenem is currently under review by Health Canada and
was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration in
2007 for the treatment of patients with complicated intra-abdominal
infections and complicated urinary tract infections, including pyelonephritis.
OBJECTIVES: To determine the in vitro activities of ceftobiprole and
doripenem using a collection of frequently isolated aerobic and facultative
bacteria cultured from patient blood, urine, respiratory and
wound specimens in 12 Canadian hospitals in 2007.
MEtHODS: Isolates were tested for their susceptibility to a panel of
antimicrobial agents using the Clinical and Laboratory Standards
Institute broth microdilution method.
RESULTS: Ceftobiprole inhibited all isolates of methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus (n=385), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus
epidermidis (n=20), methicillin-susceptible S aureus (n=1095) and
methicillin-susceptible S epidermidis (n=108) at a minimum inhibitory
concentration (MIC) of 2 μg/mL or less; all isolates of Streptococcus
pyogenes (n=105) were inhibited by ceftobiprole at 0.06 μg/mL or less.
All isolates of S aureus (MIC 4 μg/mL or less) and S pyogenes (MIC
0.5 μg/mL or less) tested were susceptible to ceftobiprole. Greater than
99% of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-negative Escherichia
coli (n=1528) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (n=436) were susceptible to
ceftobiprole (MIC 1 μg/mL or less); against other genera/species of
Enterobacteriaceae, susceptibility to ceftobiprole ranged from 80.7%
for Enterobacter cloacae (n=166) to 99.2% for Proteus mirabilis (n=119).
Ceftobiprole was less active against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n=633)
(90% of isolates inhibited at a concentration of 32 μg/mL [MIC90])
than Enterobacteriaceae. Doripenem inhibited 90% of isolates of E coli
(n=1577) and K pneumoniae (n=456), including ESBL-producing isolates
(n=69), and E cloacae at a concentration of 0.06 μg/mL or less;
doripenem and meropenem had MIC90s of 8 μg/mL for the isolates of
P aeruginosa tested. Doripenem demonstrated in vitro activity indistinguishable
from that of meropenem against Gram-positive pathogens.
CONCLUSIONS: All isolates of methicillin-resistant S aureus tested
were susceptible to ceftobiprole (MIC 4 μg/mL or less), differentiating
it from any other currently marketed beta-lactam. Doripenem demonstrated
potent activity (MIC90 0.5 μg/mL or less) against all isolates of
Enterobacteriaceae tested, including ESBL-producing E coli and
K pneumoniae, and as potent activity as meropenem (MIC90 8 μg/mL)
against P aeruginosa. The current study demonstrated both ceftobiprole
and doripenem to be promising broad-spectrum antibacterial agents.


A reliable real-time client-server telerobotic system that uses a distributed component framework to promote software reusability, ease of extensibility, debugging, and data encapsulation is proposed. .NET remoting is used for automatic handling of the network resources and data transfer while isolating the components from network protocol issues. A client-server transfer of live stereo video provides the operator three-dimensional (3-D) views of the slave scene with augmented reality (AR) framework and services. Overall distributed framework and design independence improves the portability and modularity of the proposed telerobotic system. A multithreaded execution is proposed for streaming of force, command, and for the transfer of live stereo video data. The proposed framework provides a useful integrated software and hardware environment to enhance man-machine interactions using stereo visualization and AR in real-time telerobotic systems


We develop a simple model for computing planetary formation based on the core instability model for the gas accretion and the oligarchic growth regime for the accretion of the solid core. In this model several planets can form simultaneously in the disc, a fact that has important implications especially for the changes in the dynamic of the planetesimals and the growth of the cores since we consider the collision between them as a source of potential growth. The type I and type II migration of the embryos and the migration of the planetesimals due to the interaction with the disc of gas are also taken into account. With this model we consider different initial conditions to generate a variety of planetary systems and analyse them statistically. We explore the effects of using different type I migration rates on the final number of planets formed per planetary system such as on the distribution of masses and semimajor axis of extrasolar planets, where we also analyse the implications of considering different gas accretion rates. A particularly interesting result is the generation of a larger population of habitable planets when the gas accretion rate and type I migration are slower.


This paper investigates the origins of Anglican Anglo-Catholic missions, through the missionary theology and practice of the founder of the Society of St John the Evangelist, Fr Richard Benson, and an exploration of its initial missionary endeavours: the Twelve-Day Mission to London in 1869, and two missions in India from 1874. The Indian missions comprised an institutional mission at Bombay and Pune, and a unique ascetic enculturated mission at Indore by Fr Samuel Wilberforce O'Neill ssje. It is argued that Benson was a major figure in the inauguration of Anglo-Catholic missions; that his ritualist moderation was instrumental in the initial public success of Anglo-Catholic domestic mission; and that in overseas missions he had a clear theological preference for disconnecting evangelism from Europeanising. Benson's approach, more radical than was normal in the second half of the nineteenth century, was a consequence of envisaging mission's being undertaken by a religious order, an entirely new phenomenon for Anglican missions.


A long standing program of research has found consistent and substantial evidence of the underrepresentation of people of color in national parks and has identified potential reasons for this underrepresentation and barriers to participation. However, little research has examined cases where the National Park Service (NPS) has begun to successfully address diversity issues and engage diverse audiences. Through exploration of programs that successfully engage diverse youth, this study identifies promising practices that can be incorporated into NPS diversity programs across the national park system. The study was conducted in two phases. Phase one examined the current state of knowledge and learning needs of the NPS related to relevancy among new and diverse audiences through the use of qualitative interviews with NPS staff and select individuals outside the NPS. The findings from the interviews were used to develop a conceptual model based on key themes for successful engagement. The model was then applied in phase two of the study through the examination of relevancy programs within the NPS. Phase two used case study research techniques to explore programs designed to engage youth of color at two NPS units, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and Boston Harbor Islands National Park Area. This research examined how programs at the two study areas were successful at engaging youth of color. A model of deep engagement was developed, building on the model developed in phase one. The model of deep engagement highlights six processes through which parks can more effectively engage diverse and traditionally underserved audiences.


Developing safe and useful general-purpose AI systems will require us to make progress on scalable oversight: the problem of supervising systems that potentially outperform us on most skills relevant to the task at hand. Empirical work on this problem is not straightforward, since we do not yet have systems that broadly exceed our abilities. This paper discusses one of the major ways we think about this problem, with a focus on ways it can be studied empirically. We first present an experimental design centered on tasks for which human specialists succeed but unaided humans and current general AI systems fail. We then present a proof-of-concept experiment meant to demonstrate a key feature of this experimental design and show its viability with two question-answering tasks: MMLU and time-limited QuALITY. On these tasks, we find that human participants who interact with an unreliable large-language-model dialog assistant through chat -- a trivial baseline strategy for scalable oversight -- substantially outperform both the model alone and their own unaided performance. These results are an encouraging sign that scalable oversight will be tractable to study with present models and bolster recent findings that large language models can productively assist humans with difficult tasks.


One key goal of the Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Assembly Near-Infrared Deep Extragalactic Legacy Survey is to track galaxy evolution back to z ≈ 8. Its two-tiered "wide and deep" strategy bridges significant gaps in existing near-infrared surveys. Here we report on z ≈ 8 galaxy candidates selected as F105W-band dropouts in one of its deep fields, which covers 50.1 arcmin2 to 4 ks depth in each of three near-infrared bands in the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey southern field. Two of our candidates have J < 26.2 mag, and are >1 mag brighter than any previously known F105W-dropouts. We derive constraints on the bright end of the rest-frame ultraviolet luminosity function of galaxies at z ≈ 8, and show that the number density of such very bright objects is higher than expected from the previous Schechter luminosity function estimates at this redshift. Another two candidates are securely detected in Spitzer Infrared Array Camera images, which are the first such individual detections at z ≈ 8. Their derived stellar masses are on the order of a few × 109 M☉, from which we obtain the first measurement of the high-mass end of the galaxy stellar mass function at z ≈ 8. The high number density of very luminous and very massive galaxies at z ≈ 8, if real, could imply a large stellar-to-halo mass ratio and an efficient conversion of baryons to stars at such an early time.


Recent advances in process synthesis, design, operations, and control have created an increasing demand for efficient numerical algorithms for optimizing a dynamic system coupled with discrete decisions; these problems are termed mixed-integer dynamic optimization (MIDO). In this communication, we develop a decomposition approach for a quite general class of MIDO problems that is capable of guaranteeing finding a global solution despite the nonconvexities inherent in the dynamic optimization subproblems. Two distinct algorithms are considered. On finite termination, the first algorithm guarantees finding a global solution of the MIDO within nonzero tolerance; the second algorithm finds rigorous bounds bracketing the global solution value, with a substantial reduction in computational expense relative to the first algorithm. A case study is presented in connection with the optimal design and operation of a batch process consisting of a series reaction followed by a separation with no intermediate storage. The developed algorithms demonstrate efficiency and applicability in solving this problem. Several heuristics are tested to enhance convergence of the algorithms; in particular, the use of bounds tightening techniques and the addition of cuts resulting from a screening model of the batch process are considered.


This white paper discusses the design of intra-layer mobility parameters for 3GPP LTE radio networks. Firstly, basic UE measurements defined in 3GPP Release 9 are reviewed. A measurement example illustrates their basic differences. Both idle mode and connected mode measurements and cell change rules from 3GPP are summarized in a vendor-independent way. Secondly, design criteria for setting handover margin, time to trigger and measurement filtering coefficient are discussed in detail. A simple parameter design example is given. The scope of this paper is limited to a review basic of concepts and design of intra-layer (intra-frequency) mobility parameters.


Despite bringing prosperity, industrialisation generally leads to increasing levels of pollution which has a detrimental impact on the environment. In response, legislation which seeks to control or prevent such impact has become common. Similarly, climate change and energy security have become major drivers for the regulatory regimes that have emerged in the energy field. Given the global or regional scope of many environmental problems, international cooperation is often necessary to ensure such legislation is effective. The EU and the UK have contributed to the development of the environmental and energy law regimes currently in force, spanning across international, transnational and national levels. At the same time, practical responses to environmental and energy problems have largely been the focus of engineers, scientists and other technical experts. Environmental & Energy Law attempts to bridge the knowledge gap between legal developments designed to achieve environmental and/or energy-related objectives and the practical, scientific and technical considerations applicable to the same environmental problems. In particular, it attempts to convey a broad range of topical issues in environmental and energy law, from climate and energy regulation, technology innovation and transfer, to pollution control, environmental governance and enforcement. In addition the book outlines key sector specific legal regimes (including water, waste and air quality management), focusing on issues or topics that are particularly relevant to both environmental and energy lawyers, and engineering, science and technology-oriented professionals and students. In this vein, the book guides the reader on some basic practical applications of the law within scientific, engineering and other practical settings. The book will be useful to all those working or studying in the environmental or energy arena, including law students, legal professionals, engineering and science students and professionals. By adopting a multi-disciplinary approach to environmental and energy law, the book embraces all readerships and helps to address the often thorny problem of communication between scientists, engineers, lawyers and policy-makers.


Abstract. Over the Arctic Ocean, little is known on cloud-generated buoyant overturning vertical motions within mixed-phase stratocumulus clouds. Characteristics of such motions are important for understanding the diabatic processes associated with the vertical motions, the lifetime of the cloud layer and its micro- and macrophysical characteristics. In this study, we exploit a suite of surface-based remote sensors over the high-Arctic sea ice during a weeklong period of persistent stratocumulus in August 2008 to derive the in-cloud vertical motion characteristics. In-cloud vertical velocity skewness and variance profiles are found to be strikingly different from observations within lower-latitude stratocumulus, suggesting these Arctic mixed-phase clouds interact differently with the atmospheric thermodynamics (cloud tops extending above a stable temperature inversion base) and with a different coupling state between surface and cloud. We find evidence of cloud-generated vertical mixing below cloud base, regardless of surface–cloud coupling state, although a decoupled surface–cloud state occurred most frequently. Detailed case studies are examined, focusing on three levels within the cloud layer, where wavelet and power spectral analyses are applied to characterize the dominant temporal and horizontal scales associated with cloud-generated vertical motions. In general, we find a positively correlated vertical motion signal amongst vertical levels within the cloud and across the full cloud layer depth. The coherency is dependent upon other non-cloud controlled factors, such as larger, mesoscale weather passages and radiative shielding of low-level stratocumulus by one or more cloud layers above. Despite the coherency in vertical velocity across the cloud, the velocity variances were always weaker near cloud top, relative to cloud middle and base. Taken in combination with the skewness, variance and thermodynamic profile characteristics, we observe vertical motions near cloud top that behave differently than those from lower within the cloud layer. Spectral analysis indicates peak cloud-generated w variance timescales slowed only modestly during decoupled cases relative to coupled; horizontal wavelengths only slightly increased when transitioning from coupling to decoupling. The similarities in scales suggests that perhaps the dominant forcing for all cases is generated from the cloud layer, and it is not the surface forcing that characterizes the time- and space scales of in-cloud vertical velocity variance. This points toward the resilient nature of Arctic mixed-phase clouds to persist when characterized by thermodynamic regimes unique to the Arctic.


1. Under all the intensities of starvation investigated, the longevity of the imago stage of Drosophila was as a rule diminished. At the same time, flies which were starved for six hours out of every 24 and which were not deprived of water, lived at least as long as the controls. 2. The longevity of flies increased in inverse proportion to the intensity of starvation. 3. The longevity was greater in series in which the flies were never subjected to lack of water than in those in which intermittent starvation without water was practised. 4. The injurious influence of longer, though less frequent fasting intervals was more pronounced than that of shorter though more frequent periods of inanition, both with or without administration of water. 5. Starvation for six successive hours out of every 24 without water affected the flies most during the middle period of their life. The same effect was found during starvation for 12 successive hours out of every 24 when the flies were supplied with water. 6. With lapse of time the flies became less resistant to the temporary absence of food. Though the experiments performed did not give any clear results as to the supposed prolongation of life under the influence of intermittent starvation, some valuable hints for further study may be obtained from the observations recorded. The experiments on the influence of starvation for six hours out of every 24 with administration of drinking water must be repeated on a larger scale and it is intended to perform further experiments using a less intense degree of inanition. As with lapse of time the animals become less resistant to starvation, special experiments are also planned in which the flies will be intermittently starved until middle age and thereafter will be fed continuously.


In this thesis, we study and develop different families of time integration schemes for linear ODEs. After presenting the space discretisation methods and a review of classical Runge-Kutta schemes in the first part, we construct high-order A-stable time integration schemes for an arbitrary order with low-dissipation and low-dispersion effects in the second part. Then we develop explicit schemes with an optimal CFL number for a typical profile of spectrum. The obtained CFL number and the efficiency on the typical profile for each explicit scheme are given. Pursuing our aim, we propose a methodology to construct locally implicit methods of arbitrary order. We present the locally implicit methods obtained from the combination of the A-stable implicit schemes we have developed and explicit schemes with optimal CFL number. We use them to solve the acoustic wave equation and provide convergence curves demonstrating the performance of the obtained schemes. In addition of the different 1D and 2D validation tests performed while solving the acoustic wave equation, we present numerical simulation results for 3D acoustic wave and the Maxwell's equations in the last part.


Background: Stellenbosch University established a rural clinical school (RCS) in 2011 whereby fifth-year MB,ChB students can choose to spend their final year on a rural platform in the Cape Winelands/Overberg districts, either in traditional, specialty-based rotations or in an integrated programme under the supervision of the district hospital family physician. The present study aims to gain a deeper understanding of the factors influencing medical students' choice of placement. Methods: A survey questionnaire was designed to determine demographics, future practice intentions and the factors regarded as important in choice of site. A set of open-ended questions was provided regarding students' choice and ways to make the RCS more attractive. Results: Questionnaires were issued to 168 fifth-year students and completed by 109 (65%) students, all of whom had already decided not to come to the RCS. The students considered that 13 of the 15 factors determining choice of site would be better met in the urban environment, while only two needs were perceived to be better met at the RCS. However, other than access to subspecialist tutorials, opinion was divided about where these needs would be better met. Other issues emerged from open-ended questions: a perceived higher standard of education at the urban teaching hospital, fear of the demands of the RCS, uncertainty about the RCS programme, and a preference for an urban lifestyle. Conclusion: In addition to family and social reasons for not joining the rural platform, many students still feel they will be placed at an academic disadvantage by choosing the RCS, despite evidence to the contrary. More needs to be done to communicate the maintained academic standards at the RCS.


Arbitrariness and bias in the administration of capital punishment persist after many decades of procedural reforms designed specifically to eliminate these problems. Why have capital punishment systems failed to satisfy the conditions set forth by the U.S. Supreme Court — requiring the death penalty to be administered fairly and consistently, or not at all — despite functioning under the tremendous scrutiny of both the capital defense bar and general public? In this essay, I argue that at least part of the reason capital punishment systems continue to proceed in a constitutionally impermissible manner is the Court's significant narrowing of its holding announced in Gregg v. Georgia. In Gregg, the Court the court emphasized the importance of proportionality review, entailing the comparison of a defendant's case with similarly situated defendants for the assessment of the appropriateness of the death penalty in each particular case. Less than a decade later, the Court significantly narrowed its holding in Gregg by ruling comparative proportionality review was not constitutionally required. As a result, the Court removed one of the most important procedural safeguards announced in Gregg, especially in light of the growing evidence at the time that capital punishment statutes were being applied arbitrarily and discriminatorily.Rigorous comparative proportionality review must play a prominent role in the assessment of death penalty decision-making if the Court's constitutional mandate prohibiting arbitrariness and bias is to have any regulatory force. I describe and implement an analytical framework capable of both assessing the overall degree of arbitrariness in capital charging decisions in a state and ranking the comparative performance of jurisdictions throughout the state with respect to their death-noticing behavior. My analysis of eight years of capital charging data in Georgia (1993-2000) reveals that the state's capital punishment system is operating in an extremely arbitrary fashion both within and across jurisdictions. These patterns are wholly inconsistent with the Court's requirement that the death penalty be reserved for the "worst of the worst."


Tyre/road noise is the dominant source of noise from high-speed traffic and, therefore, considerable benefits could be achieved by greater use of surfaces that produce lower levels of tyre noise. Currently, the most widely used test method available for assessing the noise from different road surfaces is the Statistical Pass-by (SPB) technique. However, there are some disadvantages with the SPB method. For example, the results are not solely dependent on the road surface characteristics but also depend upon the type of vehicles selected from the traffic stream during measurements. To overcome some of these difficulties, a supplementary method, known as the Close-proximity (CPX) method is currently under development. This type of measurement attempts to isolate the noise specifically from the tyre/surface and therefore overcomes some of the potential difficulties encountered with the SPB method. This report provides a critical overview of the two methods and examines the degree of correlation between the noise levels derived from each procedure. The ability to estimate SPB traffic noise levels from CPX data would be of particular value in relating the acoustic characteristics of road surfaces with roadside traffic noise levels and, hence, on community noise impact. The greater efficiency of the CPX method would potentially allow large sections of the road network to be assessed in this manner.


A QCD fit analysis to the combined HERA-I inclusive deep inelastic cross sections measured by the H1 and ZEUS collaborations for $e^\pm p$ scattering resulting into a competitive NLO PDF set, HERAPDF1.0 is presented. HERAPDF at NNLO fits are presented as well, resulting, however, in a worse description of the combined HERA data. In addition, a preliminary analysis including the HERA II measurements of lower proton-beam energies is performed. The effect of including the new data on the determination of HERA parton distribution functions is analysed, using fits similar to those performed for HERAPDF1.0. Some tension of the QCD fit with respect to the data is identified in the kinematic region of low $Q^2$ and low x. Finally, the QCD fit analysis of the combined HERA-I inclusive deep inelastic cross sections has been extended to include combined HERA II measurements at high $Q^2$. The effect of including these data on the determination of parton distribution functions is analysed, resulting into HERAPDF1.5. The precision of the new PDFs at high-x is considerably improved, particularly in the valence sector.


Globoid cell leukodystrophy (GLD, also known as Krabbe disease), whose pathophysiology is still not completely elucidated, is an inherited, metabolic, and neurodegenerative disease, caused by the deficiency of β-galactocerebrosidase (GALC) or in very rare cases by lack of active saposin A. We describe two patients, in whom first MRI changes were not suggestive of GLD. Additionally, in Patient 1, the residual β-galactocerebrosidase activity was rather high leading to difficulties in the diagnosing process. Molecular analysis of the GALC and PSAP genes in Patient 1, and of the GALC gene in Patient 2 confirmed the diagnosis of Krabbe disease. We have detected a novel mutation in the GALC gene in Patient 2, a deletion in exon 16, leading to the STOP codon (c.1851delT, p.Y617X). This deletion interrupts the reading frame prematurely: codon 617 is replaced by a STOP codon. A careful clinical description of presented patients is followed by a discussion of radiological, biochemical, genetic, and neuropathological studies. It concludes with a discussion of the potential difficulties encountered when diagnosing patients with rare diseases. In Patient 1 the postmortem examination of CNS revealed the presence of globoid cells grouped in multiple clusters seen in the white matter near the vessels. We would like to emphasize that proper clinical-radiological-biochemical co-operation and exchange of information between parents and specialists is a key issue in the diagnosis of rare and difficult neurological diseases, in particular, if the clinical picture is inconclusive.


The United Nations has declared the period from 2011 to 2020 as the Decade of Action for Traffic Safety. The World Health Organization indicates that in most Latin America countries, alcohol consumption is responsible for about 8% of all existing diseases. Worldwide 35% to 50% of all serious vehicule crashes are alcohol related (JORGE, ADURA, 2012-2013). Brazil has a practical system of control to catch drunk drivers, while the abuse of other substances while driving have passed unscathed. Legal and documentary research. Samples shall be taken from hair, or in cases of alopecia, fingernails to be used for screening the Radioimmunoassay and enzyme immunoassay. In Brazil, the National Traffic Council determined a wide toxicology system of detection for consumption of psychoactive substances in the occasion of the medical exam to the obtainment of the professional driver's license. The medical expert should consider the candidate unfit temporarily for vehicular driving, in case the examination accuses abuse of the following substances: marijuana, cocaine, crack, heroin, opiates, ecstasy or other substances that impair the drivers performance.The Brazilian Association of Traffic Medicine is against this resolution. Through an extensive review of the scientific literature, they could not find any study to justify the need of mandatory substance abuse assessment for drivers or applicants when undergoing the medical exam. The adequacy of this resolution is controversial. Currently, toxicological analysis of substances that alter the performance of the driver are used worldwide in addition to other actions such as checking the medical condition of the driver. A stricter control of the traffic laws should provide greater effectiveness in reducing road accidents. 0 Language: en


Carter's fiction sits uneasily in relation to both Gothic and feminist discourses, especially as they converge through the category of the 'female Gothic'. Owing to her interest in pornography and her engagement with the sexual/textual violence of specifically 'male Gothic' scripts – for example, the Gothic scenarios of Sade, Poe, Hoffmann, Baudelaire and Stoker – Carter's Gothic heroines have frequently been censured as little more than objects of sadistic male desires by feminist critics. This article re-reads Carter's sexual/textual violations – her defiance of dominant feminist and Gothic categories and categorisations – through the problematic of (post-)feminist discourse and, especially, the tension between 'victim' and 'power' feminisms as prefigured in her own (Gothic) treatise on female sexual identity, The Sadeian Woman (1979). Mapping the trajectory of her Gothic heroine from Ghislaine in Shadow Dance (1966) to Fevvers in Nights at the Circus (1984), it re-contextualises Carter's engagements with the Gothic as a dialogue with both the female Gothic and feminist discourse.


Under approval voting, every voter may vote for any number of candidates. To model approval voting, we let a political spectrum be the set of all possible political positions, and let each voter have a subset of the spectrum that they approve, called an approval region. The fraction of all voters who approve the most popular position is the agreement proportion for the society. We consider voting in societies whose political spectrum is modeled by d-dimensional space (Rd) with approval regions defined by axis-parallel boxes. For such societies, we first consider a Turán-type problem, attempting to find the maximum agreement between pairs of voters for a society with a given level of overall agreement. We prove a lower bound on this maximum agreement and find in the literature a proof that the lower bound is optimal. By this result we find that for sufficiently large n, any n-voter box society in Rd where at least α(2) pairs of voters agree on some position must have a position contained in βn approval regions, where α = 1 − (1 − β)2/d. We also consider an extension of this problem involving projections of approval regions to axes. Finally we consider the question of (k, m)-agreeable box societies, where a society is said to be (k, m)-agreeable if among every m voters, some k approve a common position. In the m = 2k− 1 case, we use methods from graph theory to prove that the agreement proportion is at least 1/(2d) for any integer k ≥ 2.


The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Research Reactor (MITR) is evaluating a transitional core conversion strategy for converting from high-enrichment uranium (HEU) to low-enrichment uranium (LEU) fuel. The objective of this study is to analyze steady-state operational safety margins and loss of primary flow (LOF) accidents for the postulated HEU-LEU transitional core configurations. The thermal-hydraulic calculation was performed using the RELAP5 MOD 3.3 code based on 7.40-MW reactor power, which is the limiting safety system settings of the current licensed reactor power of 6 MW. A lumped average and a single hot channel were modeled in each core configuration with radial peaking factors of 2.0 and 1.76 for HEU and LEU fuel elements, respectively. Four natural convection valves and two antisiphon valves were modeled for natural convective heat removal during the LOF transient. Two different hot-channel configurations and full- and side-channel geometries were evaluated because the unique design of the MITR fuel element can form these two types of geometries. RELAP5 calculation results suggest that the transitional core conversion strategy is feasible and that sufficient thermal-hydraulic safety margins can be maintained.


Effects of postharvest storage conditions and varietal differences on the chemical properties of onion bulbs were demonstrated. Fresh red and white onion varieties were stored for two months under three different storage conditions: ambient temperature (28-30oC), refrigeration (5-7oC) and control cupboard temperature storage (45-50oC). Main and interaction effects of the two factors (storage and variety) on proximate compositions, flavonoids, vitamin C and mineral contents of the onions were determined weekly using Two-way ANOVA. Storage techniques were found significant (P<0.05) with respect to all the chemical characteristics of both onion cultivars. The rate of moisture uptake in onion stored under refrigerated temperature increased slightly in the first three weeks and remained relatively constant the rest of storage period, whereas ambient and warm temperature caused about 22.5 and 27% moisture loss, respectively at the end storage period. The reverse was true in the case of carbohydrate. Generally, red onion cultivar had higher protein, lipid, flavonoid and ascorbic acid contents irrespective of the storage conditions. Flavonoid content declined as storage time progressed under refrigeration, and highest loss of ascorbic acid; 73 and 69% were experienced in red and white bulbs respectively, during cold storage. There were slight variations in the mineral contents of onions during storage. Generally, ambient and warm temperature conditions retained some of the postharvest quality properties of onions better than refrigeration.

 Key words: Fresh onions, storage, cultivars, chemical properties.


Airborne infrared techniques have been used in wild land fire management for
 decades. This paper describes a kind of infrared scanning system based on a rotating
 drum with a tilted porthole underside the plane nose. This design increases the
 stability of the mechanism system, reduces air resistance and protects inner parts.
 Aberration characteristics of a tilted ellipsoid porthole are analyzed and an
 effective solution is invented which makes the system achieve
 30° field of regard. The system's ultimate value
 of modulation transfer function is near the diffraction limit, which indicates that
 the performance of the rotating optical system meets the imaging
 requirements.


Riskwatch is prepared by Law Claims to assist practitioners in identifying risky areas in practice and to highlight risk prevention strategies to allow for safer, more enjoyable practice. Riskwatch appears as a monthly column in the Law Society Bulletin as well as being distributed on a monthly basis to members of the Law Society's Professional Indemnity Scheme who do not receive the Law Society Bulletin.


This article examines the attitude of the Supreme Court of Israel towards international law in the past decade, focusing on cases concerning the Occupied Territories. The article argues that the status of international law in these decisions has, overall, declined, in compare to the decade between the mid-1990's and the mid 2000's. The article argues that while the international law of occupation still operates, officially, as the governing law in the Occupied Territories, the emphasis on compliance with the norms of international law in the Court's decisions has decreased. Instead of relying on international law, the Court has increased its reliance on Israeli administrative law, and, in recent years, on Israeli constitutional law.

The article suggests that the decline in the status of international law is rooted in a different perception of the role of the Court in relation to its international and domestic audiences, and that the change is related, at least partially, to the current attacks on the Court. Between the mid-1990's and the mid-2000's, the Court, under former President Barak's leadership, perceived itself to be part of the "Global Community of Courts", a transnational legal community of international and national courts engaging in an ongoing dialogue, reading and citing each other's opinions and participating in what they perceive as a common judicial enterprise. The Court thus directed its decisions not only to the Israeli public but also to the international community and, in particular, to the international legal community, referred to by Schachter as the "invisible college of international lawyers". The current Court, on the other hand, is struggling to maintain its status in within Israel. It thus focuses on its Israeli audience, addressing in its decisions, first and foremost, the Israeli public.

While relying on international law may increase the legitimacy of the Court's decisions among an international audience, the article argues that it may have the opposite effect on an Israeli audience, in particular in the current political climate. The recent Court thus retreats from the extensive referral to international law in favor of an approach that examines issues that arise in the Occupied Territories as if they were, essentially, internal Israeli matters, in a manner that coincides with the prevailing political discourse regarding the future of the Occupied Territories.


Evolutionary algorithms (EAs) are merely blind search algorithms, which only make use of the relative fitness of solutions, but completely ignore the nature of the problem. Their performance can be improved by using new multirecombinative approaches, which provide a good balance between exploration and exploitation. Even though in difficult problems with large search spaces a considerable number of evaluations are required to arrive to near-optimal solutions. On the other hand specialized heuristics are based on some specific features of the problem, and the solution obtained can include some features of optimal solutions. If we insert in the evolutionary algorithm the problem specific knowledge embedded in good solutions (seeds), coming from some other heuristic or from the evolutionary process itself, we can expect that the algorithm will be guided to promising subspaces avoiding a large search. This work shows alternative ways to insert knowledge in the search process by means of the inherent information carried by solutions coming from that specialised heuristic or gathered by the evolutionary process itself. To show the efficiency of this approach, the present paper compares the performance of multirecombined evolutionary algorithms with and without knowledge insertion when applied to selected instances of the Average Tardiness Problem in a single machine environment.


Proving programs correct is hard. During the last decades computer scientists developed various logics dedicated to program verification. One such effort is Reachability Logic (\RL): a language-parametric generalisation of Hoare Logic. Recently, based on RL, an automatic verification procedure was given and proved sound. In this paper we generalise this procedure and prove its soundness formally in the Coq proof assistant. For the formalisation we had to deal with all the minutiae that were neglected in the paper proof (i.e., an insufficient assumption, implicit hypotheses, and a missing case in the paper proof). The Coq formalisation provides us with a certified program-verification procedure.


In this study we analyze a large database of lexical decision times for English content words made by speakers of English as an additional language residing in the United States. Our first goal was to test whether the use of statistical measures better able to model variation associated with participants and items would replicate findings of a previous analysis of this data (Berger, Crossley, & Skalicky, 2019). Our second goal was to determine whether variables related to experiences using and learning English would interact with linguistic features of the target words. Results from our statistical analysis suggest affirmative answers to both of these questions. First, our results included significant effects for linguistic features related to contextual diversity and contextual distinctiveness, providing a replication of findings from the original study in that words appearing in more textual and lexical contexts were responded to quicker. Second, a measure of length of English learning and a measure of daily English use interacted with a measure of orthographic similarity. Our study provides further evidence regarding how a large, crowdsourced database can be used to obtain a better understanding of second language lexical recognition behavior and provides suggestions for further research.


PURPOSE
This double-blind, randomized clinical trial evaluated the influence of dentin moisture on postoperative sensitivity (POS) in posterior restorations using a simplified etch-and-rinse adhesive, until 12 months of clinical service.

METHODS
90 restorations were inserted in 45 patients to treat carious lesions or to replace existing posterior restorations with a depth ≥ 3 mm. After cavity preparation, the simplified etch-and-rinse adhesive (Adper Single Bond 2) was applied on dry or wet dentin followed by a bulk-fill resin composite (Filtek Bulk Fill) under rubber dam isolation. The patient's spontaneous and stimulated POS was evaluated at baseline and after 7 days, 6 months, and 12 months of clinical evaluation. The secondary parameters (marginal discoloration, marginal adaptation, fracture and recurrence of caries) were evaluated by World Dental Federation (FDI) criteria after 7 days, 6 and 12 months of clinical evaluation.

RESULTS
No significant spontaneous and stimulated POS was observed when dry and wet dentin were compared (P> 0.05). A significant and higher risk of spontaneous POS (18.6%; 95% CI 9.7 to 32.6) occurred up to 48 hours after restoration placement for both groups when compared to all evaluation times (P< 0.03). However, the intensity of POS was mild at up to 48 hours with a difference between the dry and wet dentin groups (P> 0.79). When secondary parameters were evaluated, no significant difference between the groups were observed (P> 0.05).

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE
The moisture level of the dentin substrate in posterior restorations does not influence POS in bulk-fill resin composite posterior restorations when associated with an etch-and-rinse ethanol-based adhesive system.


The objective of the current study is to investigate the impact of business strategies on the future crash risk of stock prices by considering the role of overvalued equity. This relationship is checked by taking non-financial firms from Pakistan Stock Exchange from 2008-2016. To evaluate the business strategy, composite strategy score is used which considers the firm's development and research costs to look for new products, sales ratio to determine the firm's capacity to manufacture the product efficiently, standard deviation of employees, sales growth, marketing expense to sales ratio to locate the firms' emphasis on marketing, and intensity of assets expenditures to capture the firms' emphasis on production. Market to book decomposition method is used to calculate the equity overvaluation whereas the negative conditional skewness is used as a measure of crash risk. Random and fixed effect panel regression models are used to estimate the results. The results of the present study indicate that firms pursuing innovative strategies have a higher probability to face crash price risk. Outcomes of the study also confirm that such strategies also increase the likelihood of equity overvaluation which increases the risk of stock price crash in the future. The results of the current study are helpful for the investors in allocating the assets cautiously among companies with diverse strategies.


Across medieval Europe, the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela in Spain traced a lattice web of popular culture. From the lowest peasant to the greatest king and churchmen, the devout walked pathways that created an economy and contributed to a social and political climate of change. Central to this impulse of piety and wanderlust was the veneration of the Virgin Mary. She was, however, not the iconic Mother of the New Testament whose character, actions, and very name are nearly absent from that first-century compilation of texts. As characterized in the words of popular songs and tales, the mariales, she was a robust saint who performed acts of healing that exceeded those miracles of Jesus described in the Bible. Unafraid and authoritative, she confronted demons and provided judgement that reached beyond the understanding and mercy of medieval codes of law. Holding out the promise of protection from physical and spiritual harm, she attracted denizens of admirers who included poets, minstrels, and troubadours like Nigel of Canterbury, John of Garland, Gonzalo de Berceo, and Gautier de Coinci. They popularized her cult across Europe; pilgrims sang their songs and celebrated the new attributes of Mary. This dissertation uses the greatest collection of these songs, Las Cantigas de Santa Maria compiled in the thirteenth century under the direction of Alfonso X, King of Castile and Leon, to construct the history of a lay piety movement deeply rooted in medieval popular culture. Making the transition from institutionalized, doctrinal saint to popular heroine, Mary becomes a subversive conduit through which culture moved from Latin poetry to vernacular verse and from the monasteries of scholasticism to the popular pathway of Wycliffite reform.


The aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) on Campanulaceae in Poland The paper deals with the relationships of aphids and their host-plants of the family Campanulaceae (bellflower family). The survey was conducted in xerothermic habitats during the years 2008-2010. A total of 84 plots were examined in the western, southern and eastern parts of Poland. The aphids were collected in 28 plots (42 records). As a result, 4 aphid species feeding on 6 different host plants of Campanulaceae were confirmed.


Si-waveguide-integrated lateral Ge p-i-n photodetectors using novel Si/SiGe buffer and two-step Ge-process are demonstrated for the first time. Comparative analysis between lateral Ge p-i-n and vertical p-Si/i-Ge/n-Ge p-i-n is made. Light is evanescently coupled from Si waveguide to the overlaying Ge- detector, achieving high responsivity of 1.16 A/W at 1550 nm with f3 dB bandwidth of 3.4 GHz for lateral Ge p-i-n detector at 5 V reverse bias. In contrast, vertical p-Si/i-Ge/n-Ge p-i-n has lower responsivity of 0.29 A/W but higher bandwidth of 5.5 GHz at -5 V bias. The higher responsivity of lateral p-i-n detectors is attributed to smaller optical mode overlap with highly doped Ge region as in vertical p-i-n configuration.


In this paper, an automatic gain control scheme is proposed for analyses and designs of unity feedback control systems. It is consisted of a fast command tracking loop and a slow gain adaptive loop. The overall system is equivalent to a conventional automatic gain control loop with command tracking error input. It gives good command tracking behaviour while keeping robust characteristic of the original automatic gain control loop. It gives good robustness for coping with fast large parameter and load disturbance variations also. The stability of the controlled systems and effective of the proposed method are verified by root-loci, time responses, frequency responses, large parameter variations and fast large load disturbances testing with two numerical examples.


There are four central things that are well known about insomnia which together highlight it as a serious public health concern: (I) it is a significant issue - over a third of the population will experience an acute episode (less than three months in duration) of insomnia every year (1) and between 10–20% of the population will report chronic insomnia (Insomnia Disorder) at any point in time (2); (II) once chronic, it is a persistent disorder with low natural remission rates and high recurrence rates (3,4), (III) it is costly both directly (in terms of healthcare costs) and indirectly (e.g., lost productivity and performance, accidents) (5) and (IV) it is a significant risk factor for the development and/or worsening of many physical or psychiatric disorders (6). Fortunately, as our understanding of insomnia has increased so has our armoury of management strategies. Most notably, at least from a non-pharmacological perspective, has been the introduction of a series of techniques aimed to increase the biological drive to sleep, stabilise the circadian rhythm and break negative, whilst reinforcing positive, associations between the bed/bedroom and sleep (addressing the behavioural aspects of insomnia) and help manage sleep related preoccupation, worry and anxiety, and address dysfunctional attitudes and beliefs about sleep and unwanted nocturnal ruminations (addressing the cognitive aspects of insomnia). Over time these techniques have been packaged together, under an umbrella term, of what is now considered Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I).


One of the first steps towards elucidating the biological function of a putative transcriptional regulator is to ascertain its preferred DNA-binding sequences. This may be rapidly and effectively achieved through the application of a combinatorial approach, one involving very large numbers of randomized oligonucleotides and reiterative selection and amplification steps to enrich for high-affinity nucleic acid-binding sequences. Previously, we had developed the novel combinatorial approach Restriction Endonuclease Protection, Selection and Amplification (REPSA), which relies not on the physical separation of ligand-nucleic acid complexes but instead selects on the basis of ligand-dependent inhibition of enzymatic template inactivation, specifically cleavage by type IIS restriction endonucleases. Thus, no prior knowledge of the ligand is required for REPSA, making it more amenable for discovery purposes. Here we describe using REPSA, massively parallel sequencing, and bioinformatics to identify the preferred DNA-binding sites for the transcriptional regulator SbtR, encoded by the TTHA0167 gene from the model extreme thermophile Thermus thermophilus HB8. From the resulting position weight matrix, we can identify multiple operons potentially regulated by SbtR and postulate a biological role for this protein in regulating extracellular transport processes. Our study provides a proof-of-concept for the application of REPSA for the identification of preferred DNA-binding sites for orphan transcriptional regulators and a first step towards determining their possible biological roles.


Organisms that invade new habitats exploit new resources or niches and influence native species. Here, we examine how an invasive moth, the parsnip webworm (Depressaria radiella, formerly D. pastinacella), facilitates interactions with other arthropods in spatially separated populations of native cow parsnip (Heracleum maximum) in the Rocky Mountains (New Mexico and Colorado). We compare this with results on small hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) in the Netherlands, where both the plant and herbivore are native. Larvae of D. radiella feed in webs on ripening fruits of their food plants. Mature caterpillars descend the hollow stems into which they chew a hole, enter the stem and pupate. Other arthropods enter the stems through these holes. Plants in all populations of cow parsnip/hogweed contained either moth pupae and/or webworms mummified by their main parasitoid, Copidosoma sosares that also been introduced into parts of the United States. In both countries, earwigs (Forficula auricularia), which are also invasive in the United States, were the dominant arthropod to utilize webworm-perforated stems, although there was more within-site variability in abundance of earwigs in the United States than in the Netherlands. The woodlouse, Porcelio scaber, which is native to Eurasia but also established in the United States, was abundant in stems of Dutch hogweeds but absent in stems of American cow parsnips. Other native herbivores (e.g., mirid bugs), were collected in stems at sites in both continents. Moreover, the number of various arthropods found in perforated stems correlate positively with the number of holes found in these stems.


The Mediterranean endemic scleractinian coral Cladocora caespitosa (L., 1767) has been recently included in the IUCN Red List as an endangered species. In this context, information on the species is urgently required to further assess its status and to determine its distribution area. This study reports on the main traits of a recently discovered C. caespitosa population in Formentera (Balearic Islands, W Mediterranean). Here, coral colonies live wrapped in Cystoseira forests thriving on rocky substrata (5 - 13 m depth), thus being a new example of the ability of C. caespitosa to build up extensive populations within algal communities. Even though coral cover reaches ~ 20 % on average, which is a remarkable figure for this species, colonies are generally small (~ 10 cm diameter on average), most probably due to partial exposure to waves and currents. The combination of hydrodynamics and the presence of algal forests in the studied site could be responsible for the high occurrence of a rare type of colony growth: free-living coral nodules or coralliths. This population is highly interesting for future monitoring owing to its unique traits, the absence of necrosis signs related to past mortality events, and its location inside a marine reserve.


This article aims to give a snapshot of the democratisation of an educational system in a country whose democracy is still young and fragile and of how prepared educators are to deal with the implications of learner diversity and the implementation of inclusive education. Inclusive education is not only proposed as an option for education, but also as the strategy most likely to achieve a democratic society. An exploratory, qualitative inquiry was conducted to gain a clear picture of the democratic values of a group of high school educators as manifested in their behaviour in school and classroom, and also in their attitudes towards inclusive education. Results of the study indicated that educators have as yet not internalised democratic values to the point of being prepared to act as agents of change in classrooms and schools and indicated resistance to the actual implementation of inclusive education.


There was an error in the proposed genus name in the published article, in that the genus 'Salinivirga' was effectively published while this article was in review. Therefore, the genus 'Salinivirga' should be replaced with 'Saliniramus'. For the convenience of future readers, we have included the complete corrected article below, in which all occurrences of the incorrect genus name have been amended: A halophilic bacterial strain, HL-109T, was isolated from the unicyanobacterial consortium UCC-O, which was obtained from the photosynthetic mat of Hot Lake (Washington, USA). A polyphasic approach using phenotypic, genotypic and chemotaxonomic data was used to classify the strain within the order Rhizobiales. The organism stained Gram-negative and was a moderate thermophile with a growth optimum of 45 °C. It was obligately aerobic, heterotrophic and halophilic, growing in both NaCl and MgSO4 brines. The novel isolate had a polymorphic cellular morphology of short rods with occasional branching, and cells were monotrichous. The major fatty acids detected were C18 : 1, C18 : 0, C16 : 0 and C18 : cyc. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene placed the strain in the order Rhizobiales and it shared 94 % identity with the type strain of its nearest relative, Salinarimonas ramus. Morphological, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic results did not affiliate the novel organism with any of the families in the Rhizobiales; therefore, HL-109T is representative of a new lineage, for which the name Saliniramus fredricksonii gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain HL-109T (=JCM 31876T=DSM 102886T). In addition, examination of the phylogenetics of strain HL-109T and its nearest relatives, Salinarimonas ramus and Salinarimonasrosea, demonstrates that these halophiles form a clade distinct from the described families of the Rhizobiales. We further propose the establishment of a new family, Salinarimonadaceae fam. nov., to accommodate the genera Saliniramus and Salinarimonas (the type genus of the family).


Abstract. We developed a synoptic climatology for Lake El'gygytgyn, Chukotka Russia, and explored modern climate trends affecting air temperatures there to aid in paleoclimate reconstructions of a 3.6 million-year-old sediment core taken from the lake. Our self-organized mapping (SOM) approach identified 35 synoptic weather patterns, based on sea level pressure, that span the range of synoptic patterns influencing the study domain over the 1961–2009 NCEP/NCAR analysis period. We found strong seasonality in modern weather patterns, with summer weather primarily characterized by weak low pressure systems over the Arctic Ocean or Siberia and winter weather primarily characterized by strong high pressure over the Arctic Ocean and strong low pressure in the Pacific Ocean. In general, the primary source of variation in air temperatures came from the dominant patterns in each season, which we identify in the text, and nearly all of the dominant weather patterns here have shown increasing temperatures. We found that nearly all of the warming in mean annual temperature over the past 50 yr (about 3 °C) occurred during sub-freezing conditions on either side of summer (that is, spring and fall). Here we found that the most summer-like weather patterns (low pressures to the north) in the shoulder seasons were responsible for much of the change. Finally, we compared the warmest 15 yr of the record (1995–2009) to the coolest (1961–1975) and found that changes in thermodynamics of weather were about 3 to 300 times more important than changes in frequency of weather patterns in controlling temperature variations during spring and fall, respectively. That is, in the modern record, general warming (local or advected) is more important by orders of magnitude than changes in storm tracks in controlling air temperature at Lake El'gygytgyn. We conclude with a discussion of how these results may be relevant to the paleoclimate reconstruction efforts and how this relevancy could be tested further.


Introduction: Lynch syndrome accounts for approximately 3% of all colorectal cancers (CRC) in the United States. African American (AA) patients are at a higher risk for CRC and diagnosed at a younger age and more advanced stage. The prevalence of LS among AAs has not been well studied. We hypothesized that AAs differ from non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs) in the prevalence of CRC secondary to DNA mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency.
Methods: We retrospectively studied 91 CRC patients screened for MMR deficiency between 03/2014 and 03/2016 at our institution. Immunohistochemistry staining was used to examine expression of MLH1, MSH2, MSH6 and PMS2. The Student's t-test, chi-square test, and Fisher's exact test were used in statistical analysis.
Results: Compared to NHW patients (n=68), AA patients (n=23) trended toward younger age (mean ± standard deviation [SD]: 54.0 ± 13.6 vs. 59.3 ± 10.7 years, p=0.06) and tumor location in the right colon (56.5 vs. 36.9%, p=0.10) and were similar in percentage of female patients, body mass index, and TNM stage. Among NHWs, 8 (11.7%) had loss of MLH1/PMS2, 1 (1.5%) had loss of MSH2/MSH6, and 1 (1.5%) had loss of PMS2 only. In contrast, all AAs had intact MMR protein expression. The difference in MMR deficiency between NHW (14.7%) and AA (0%) patients was statistically significant (p<0.05).
Conclusion: We found that the rate of MMR deficiency is lower in AA CRC patients compared to NHW patients. This finding warrants further study as it has significant implications for Lynch Syndrome screening in AA patients.


Abstract We simulate the film blowing process using a fully thermodynamic model developed to study crystallization in polymers. The model stems from a general thermodynamic framework that is particularly well suited to describing dissipative processes during which the symmetry of the material can change; thus, it provides a good basis for studying the crystallization process in polymers. The polymer melt is modeled as a rate-type viscoelastic fluid and the crystalline solid polymer is modeled as an anisotropic elastic solid. The initiation criterian, marking the onset of crystallization and equations governing the crystallization kinetics, arise naturally in this setting in terms of the appropriate thermodynamic functions. The mixture region, wherein the material transitions from a melt to a semicrystalline solid, is modeled as a mixture of a viscoelastic fluid and an elastic solid. The anisotropy of the crystalline phase and consequently that of the final solid depends on the deformation in the melt during crystallization. The polymer melt is simulated using a rate-type model that is a generalization of the Maxwell model, which allows for the relaxation time to depend on the deformation. The results of the simulation agree qualitatively with experimental observations and the methodology described provides a framework in which the film blowing problem can be analyzed. Most previous attempts at describing film blowing terminate at the point at which the bubble reaches its maximum diameter. In fact, a continuation of the simulation in the previous studies, instead of terminating it abruptly on an ad hoc basis as is commonly done, would predict a collapsing bubble because the transition of the material from a fluid model to a solid model is not accounted for. This inadequacy of previous approaches to studying the problem cannot be overemphasized. Rather than just increasing the viscosity of the fluid, which is the usual practice, a true transition to a solid model is adopted in this study and this leads to a model that captures the smooth transition to stable bubble development.


Though transitional justice measures are increasingly used to address displacement, particularly restitution programmes and truth-telling initiatives, the issue of addressing the long-term impact of displacement on individuals, communities and wider society represents significant challenges for peacebuilding processes. Based on in-depth interviews with those who suffered displacement in Northern Ireland's 'Troubles', this article seeks to explore the marginalized and often silenced narratives of those displaced, shedding light on the multi-layered short- and long-term harms and consequences of displacement for individuals, families and community relations. The article's argument is twofold: first, that experiences of displacement should be considered as a form of conflict-related harm and trauma and those displaced recognized as victims. And second, that 'storytelling' and other bottom-up acknowledgement projects are seen by victims and survivors as an effective vehicle to 'break' the silence, end the denial and advance their pursuit of recognition and acknowledgement.


This paper studies the history of the textual form and the interpretations of Zech 12,10, cited in Joh19,37. Textual inquiry recognise the MT as the authentic tradition. From the analyses based on intertextual connections, it results that Zech 12,10 must be understood in light of the entire eschatological prophecy of cc. 12-14: the gift of Yhwh' spirit and the death of the mysterious character in 12,10, are part of a cleansing process in the house of David, in the inhabitants of Jerusalem and in all the land (cf. 13,1-2). Finally, "on that day", Yhwh as unique king over all the earth (cf. 14,9), will ensure the victory of Jerusalem over its enemies and the establishment of universal worship (cf. 14,11-21).


Mangifera indica, commonly used herb in ayurvedic medicine. Although review articles on this plant are already published, but this review article is presented to compile all the updated information on its phytochemical and pharmacological activities, which were performed widely by different methods. Studies indicate mango possesses antidiabetic, anti-oxidant, anti-viral, cardiotonic, hypotensive, anti-inflammatory properties. Various effects like antibacterial, anti fungal, anthelmintic, anti parasitic, anti tumor, anti HIV, antibone resorption, antispasmodic, antipyretic, antidiarrhoeal, antiallergic, immunomodulation, hypolipidemic, anti microbial, hepatoprotective, gastroprotective have also been studied. These studies are very encouraging and indicate this herb should be studied more extensively to confirm these results and reveal other potential therapeutic effects. Clinical trials using mango for a variety of conditions should also be conducted.


Anthocyanins are important dietary components with diverse positive functions in human health. This study investigates effects of accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) on anthocyanin composition and extraction efficiency from blue wheat, purple corn, and black rice in comparison with the commonly used solvent extraction (CSE). Factorial experimental design was employed to study effects of ASE and MAE variables, and anthocyanin extracts were analyzed by spectrophotometry, high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector (DAD), and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry chromatography. The extraction efficiency of ASE and MAE was comparable with CSE at the optimal conditions. The greatest extraction by ASE was achieved at 50 °C, 2500 psi, 10 min using 5 cycles, and 100% flush. For MAE, a combination of 70 °C, 300 W, and 10 min in MAE was the most effective in extracting anthocyanins from blue wheat and purple corn compared with 50 °C, 1200 W, and 20 min for black rice. The anthocyanin composition of grain extracts was influenced by the extraction method. The ASE extraction method seems to be more appropriate in extracting anthocyanins from the colored grains as being comparable with the CSE method based on changes in anthocyanin composition. The method caused lower structural changes in anthocaynins compared with the MAE method. Changes in blue wheat anthocyanins were lower in comparison with purple corn or black rice perhaps due to the absence of acylated anthocyanin compounds in blue wheat. The results show significant differences in anthocyanins among the 3 extraction methods, which indicate a need to standardize a method for valid comparisons among studies and for quality assurance purposes.