This article re-examines the relationship between Africa and the International Criminal Court (ICC). It traces the successive changes of the African attitude towards this Court, from states' euphoria, to hostility against its work, to regional counter-initiatives through the umbrella of the African Union (AU). The main argument goes beyond the idea of "the Court that Africa wants" in order to identify concrete reasons behind such a formal argument which may have fostered, if not enticed, the majority of African states to become ICC members and actively cooperate with it, when paradoxically some great powers have decided to stay outside its jurisdiction. It also seeks to understand, from a political and legal viewpoint, which parameters have changed since then to provoke that hostile attitude against the Court's work and the entrance of the AU into the debate through the African Common Position on the ICC. Lastly, this article explores African alternatives to the contested ICC justice system. It examines the need to reform the Rome Statute in order to give more independence, credibility and legitimacy to the ICC and its duplication to some extent by the new "Criminal Court of the African Union". Particular attention is paid to the resistance against this idea to reform the ICC justice system.


We provide new evidence of one channel through which circular labor migration has long run effects on origin communities: by raising completed human capital of the next generation. We estimate the net effects of migration from Malawi to South African mines using newly digitized Census and administrative data on access to mine jobs, a difference-in-differences strategy and two opposite-signed and plausibly exogenous shocks to the option to migrate. Twenty years after these shocks, human capital is 4.8-6.9% higher among cohorts who were eligible for schooling in communities with the easiest access to migrant jobs.


Alcohol and other substance use disorders (AUD and SUD) are complex diseases that are postulated to have a polygenic inheritance and are often comorbid with other disorders. The comorbidities may arise partially through genetic pleiotropy. Identification of specific gene variants accounting for large parts of the variance in these disorders has yet to be accomplished. We describe a flexible strategy that takes a variant‐trait association database and determines if a subset of disease/straits are potentially pleiotropic with the disorder under study. We demonstrate its usage in a study of use disorders in two independent cohorts: alcohol, stimulants, cannabis (CUD), and multi‐substance use disorders (MSUD) in American Indians (AI) and AUD and CUD in Mexican Americans (MA). Using a machine learning method with variants in GWAS catalog, we identified 229 to 246 pleiotropic variants for AI and 153 to 160 for MA for each SUD. Inflammation was the most enriched for MSUD and AUD in AIs. Neurological disorder was the most significantly enriched for CUD in both cohorts, and for AUD and stimulants in AIs. Of the select pleiotropic genes shared among substances‐cohorts, multiple biological pathways implicated in SUD and other psychiatric disorders were enriched, including neurotrophic factors, immune responses, extracellular matrix, and circadian regulation. Shared pleiotropic genes were significantly up‐regulated in brain regions playing important roles in SUD, down‐regulated in esophagus mucosa, and differentially regulated in adrenal gland. This study fills a gap for pleiotropy detection in understudied admixed populations and identifies pleiotropic variants that may be potential targets of interest for SUD.


SUMMARY. The purpose of the present investigation was to evaluate 6-O-palmitoyl ascorbic acid (ASC16) and 6-O-lauril ascorbic acid (ASC12) for their capacity to promote permeation of Ibuprofen (IBU) through hairless mouse skin in vitro. The permeation of Arfen® (IBU 10% P/P, commercial product), IBU solution (0.85% P/P, pH 7.4, 66.7 mM phosphate buffer: Isopropyl alcohol; 80:20) and IBU (0.85% P/P) vehiculized in ASCn coagels (5% w/v) were measured and comparatively analyzed. Although IBU release from the formulation was faster in the case of Arfen® in comparison to ASCn coagel, the permeation of IBU was significantly increased when the drug was vehiculized in these systems, being ASC12 the most effective as enhancer. This result demonstrated the potential usefulness of the lamellar liquid crystalline system obtained from ASCn auto-aggregation for topical administration of drugs.


We consider the inverse problem of concentration imaging in chemical species tomography with limited data sets. The measurement setup involves simultaneous acquisition of near infrared wavelength-modulated spectroscopic measurements from a small number of pencil beams equally distributed among six projection angles surrounding the plume. We develop an approach for image reconstruction that involves constraining the value of the image to the conventional concentration bounds and a projection into low-dimensional subspaces to reduce the degrees of freedom in the inverse problem. We impose three types of inequality constraints, namely positivity, boundedness and logarithmic boundedness in a simple and elegant way that yields an unconstrained optimisation problem in a new set of surrogate parameters. Testing this numerical scheme with simulated and controlled experimental data indicates that the combination of affine inequality constraints and subspace projection leads to images that are qualitatively and quantitatively superior in spatial resolution to Tikhonov-based reconstructions. This improvement is more profound in targeting concentration profiles with small variation. We present images and convergence graphs from solving these inverse problems using GaussNewton's algorithm to demonstrate the performance and convergence of our method.


Abstract Error norms for three variants of Larsen's benchmark problem are evaluated using three numerical methods for solving the discrete ordinates approximation of the neutron transport equation in multidimensional Cartesian geometry. The three variants of Larsen's test problem are concerned with the incoming flux boundary conditions: unit incoming flux on the left and bottom edges (Larsen's configuration); unit incoming flux only on the left edge; unit incoming flux only on the bottom edge. The three methods considered are the diamond-difference (DD) method, the arbitrarily high order transport (AHOT) method of the nodal type (AHOT-N), and of the characteristic type (AHOT-C). The last two methods are employed in constant, linear, and quadratic orders of spatial approximation. The cell-wise error is computed as the difference between the cell-averaged flux computed by each method and the exact value, then the L1, L2, and L∞ error norms are calculated. The new result of this study is that while integral error norms, i.e., L1 and L2, converge to zero with mesh refinement, the cellwise L∞ norm does not. Via numerical experiments we relate this behavior to solution discontinuity across the singular characteristic. Little difference is observed between the error norm behavior of the methods in spite of the fact that AHOT-C is locally exact, suggesting that numerical diffusion across the singular characteristic is the major source of error on the global scale. Nevertheless, increasing the order of spatial approximation in AHOT methods yields higher accuracy in the integral error norms sense. In general, the characteristic methods possess a given accuracy in a larger fraction of the number of computational cells compared to nodal methods or DD.


Since the first human beings started to live sedentary lifestyle, the rivers have had significant role in the life of people and in the development of the settlement. The main functions of the river were: protection, crafts related with water and maintenance of industrial enterprises. Therefore, the shape of the city that time highly depended on the river. However, nowadays the connection between the society and river is unclear. According to the historical and scientific literature, the changes of the river role for the city centre and its identity will be analysed. Current situation in Lithuania through the prism of implemented practical projects will be revealed. Review of successful practical experience abroad will be made and the examples of the river embankment design in the centre cities in Denmark, Slovenia, Austria and France will be presented in this paper. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.sace.4.5.4820


'All of creation dwells within the Word of God, the Word who created us, the Word who redeems us' (Ellison 2009:91). The article evaluated the influence that the communal spiritual practice of dwelling in the Word had in the missional transformation of congregations that formed part of the Southern African Partnership of Missional Churches. It investigated the background, hermeneutic and methodology of dwelling in the Word on the participating congregations. The article concluded that the practice had a profound effect on the theology and missional practice of most of the participating congregations as it had a positive influence on the attitudes and beliefs, minimum knowledge base, and skills of a number of churches leading to spontaneous missional activity, the discernment of a specific missionary calling, and the integration of theory and practice. However, it had not always led to the formation of new faith communities.


Background: Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGBP) has been shown to be safe and effective. There is little data on the outcomes in massively super-obese patients, with a body mass index (BMI) ≥60 kg/m2 (super-super-obese). The goal of this study was to determine the safety and effectiveness of LRYGBP in these patients, and compare these results to patients with a BMI <60. Methods: 213 consecutive patients undergoing LRYGBP by a single surgeon at a university hospital were included in the study. The patients were divided into 2 groups: BMI <60 kg/m2 (n=167) and BMI ≥60 kg/m2 (n=46). The 2 groups were compared with regard to perioperative complications, and postoperative weight loss. Results: Both groups had statistically similar complication rates. There were major complications in 8 patients (5%) in the lower BMI group and in 3 patients (7%) in the higher BMI group. There were minor complications in 9 patients (5%) in the lower BMI group and in 4 patients (9%) in the higher BMI group. Mean percent excess weight loss (%EWL) was 64% at 1 year in the BMI < 60 group and 53% in the BMI ≥ 60 group. Conclusion: LRYGBP can be performed safely and effectively in super-super-obese patients (BMI ≥60). Although these patients have less %EWL than lighter patients, they still end up with a good result. Therefore, LRYGBP should be considered a good surgical option even for patients with a BMI ≥60.


Introduction
Enterococci, though considered less virulent are notorious to cause various clinical infections like urinary tract infections,
endocarditis, intraabdominal infections pelvic and neonatal infections. Enterococci tend to be the leading causes of
nosocomial infections with E.faecium and E.faecalis accounting upto 90% of clinical isolates. Thus proper identification of
enterococci to special level is crucial for management and prevention of these bacteria in any healthcare facility.
Aims and Objectives
To process several clinical samples obtained from various departments in our hospital, for the isolation of enterococcus spp.
To know the prevalence of enterococcal infections in our hospital and
To speciate the isolated enterococci from clinical samples
Materials and Methods
A total of 1164 samples were collected from the patients across all age groups. Clinical specimens such as urine, pus,
blood, body tissues, peritoneal fluid and Endotracheal aspirate were included in our study. All the specimens brought to the
laboratory were subjected to the following tests: A preliminary macroscopic and microscopic examination of specimens.
Specimens were processed by inoculation onto 5% sheep blood agar, Macconkey agar, CHROM agar and Thioglycollate
and Brain heart infusion broths . The inoculated media were incubated at 37 c overnight and observed for growth.
Preliminary identification of Enterococci was made on taking into account of their typical morphology on gram staining,
Bile esculin test ,PYR hydrolysis ,Heat and salt tolerance tests. Further identification to species level was achieved with the
battery of biochemical reactions, motility and pigment tests Results
A total of 1164 samples were collected from the patients and processed for study purpose. Among these only 849 (72.93%)
were culture positive and included E.coli, S.aureus, K.pneumoniae, P.aeruginosa and Enterococcus spp. Prevalence of
enterococci in clinical samples were 128 (15.07%). Distribution of enterococci in clinical samples, The maximum number
of Enterococcal isolates were from urine (54.68%). The rest of the isolates were from pus (32.81%),Blood (5.46%),Tissue
(3.12%), Peritoneal fluid (3.12%) each. Endotracheal tube tip (0.78%). Species of enterococci , 97 isolates were identified
as E.faecalis (75.78%) and 31 isolates (24.21%) as E.faecium .
Conclusion
Precise identification of Enterococcus to species level is not only important to assess species specific antimicrobial
resistance characteristics but also quintessential to know the epidemiological pattern of enterococcal infection and their
significance in causation of human infections.


Several ways of exchange and transport of CO2 within the subpolar cyclonic Weddell Gyre will be discussed. Different analyses come to different conclusions as to the sink function of the Weddell Sea region. Some budget studies found the region to be a significant sink, whereas the new climatology of Takahashi (in prep.) shows it to be about neutral with respect to CO2 exchange with the atmosphere. All analyses are based on measurements but also work with assumptions that may have considerable impact on the outcome of the analysis. Some aspects of these different approaches will be shown.Notwithstanding the open question whether the region is a present-day sink for atmospheric CO2 or not, the Weddell Gyre definitely is a sink for anthropogenic CO2. The reason for this is that in the divergent gyre, upwelling of CO2-charged intermediate water occurs, which gives the region a natural tendency for CO2 supersaturation. Thus, in the case that even if the present-day Weddell Sea is only neutral with respect to atmospheric exchange of CO2, it must have absorbed anthropogenic CO2. By using contemporary CO2 data it appears to be possible to get a view the changing source-sink function of the area during the transition from pre-industrial time to present.Uptake of anthropogenic CO2 takes place at the air-sea interface, so it is obvious that most anthropogenic CO2 resides in the oceanic surface layer. Knowing additionally that the Weddell Sea is one of the regions in the global ocean where ventilated deep and bottom waters are generated, by implication a significant route for sequestration of anthropogenic CO2 is suspected. There are several routes that come into question. First, anthropogenic CO2 charged surface water may move northwards and participate in deep-mixing events in the subantarctic zone where intermediate and mode waters are produced. Second, surface water may be involved in deep and bottom water production along the continental margins of the Weddell Sea. And third, anthropogenic CO2-rich surface water may be involved in open-ocean deep convection, like during the time of the great Weddell Polynya in the mid-1970s. The second and third routes will be discussed to some extent.Finally, non- or slightly ventilated waters of the Weddell Sea play a pivotal role in the carbon cycle as well. A mechanism is active that transfers natural CO2 from the subsurface central Weddell Sea to the abyssal global ocean. It is estimated that it has global significance for the lower limb of the global oceanic carbon cycle. Although this is a natural process, changes invoked by anthropogenic activity (e.g. changed upwelling activity) may feedback on it, thus modifying the oceanic and atmospheric carbon content.


Two teachers research the documentation, continuity and complexity of key competencies in their combined new entrant, Year 1 and Year 2 classroom. They wanted to find ways to make the continuity visible without losing the complex interconnection of three aspects: key competencies, subjects and topics of interest. They saw the value of analysing case studies, and began to describe them as co-constructed pathways of learning. This article sets out the case study for one of the children, Kaleb, analysing the learning using four dimensions of strength.


This study investigated the effect of compensation on job satisfaction of teachers in secondary schools in Hargeisa district, Somaliland. Compensation was measured from basic salary, fringe benefits; and teacher satisfaction was measured from recognition, achievement, promotional opportunities and the work itself. The problem of the study was that at least 15.1% of teachers leave the service each year which is the sign of no satisfaction. The study was a cross-sectional survey design, on a stratified random sample of 217 teachers, from 31 secondary schools. The study found that compensation had a significant effect on job satisfaction of teachers, compensation, [F (2, 153) = 9.885, p = .000, accounts for 13.0% of the variance in teacher satisfaction  = .13, p = .000. The study concludes that compensation has a significant effect on the job satisfaction of teachers. The researcher recommends that the Ministry of Education and Science develop clear policies on compensation for all teachers at all levels of education. The scheme should clearly define the basic salary, fringe benefits and the whole salary structure for schools to acquire qualified teachers and retain the experienced ones is also crucial and adequate reward them.


This community based household study was designed to collect baseline data on reproductive health Lushoto division of Lushoto District, selected as a pilot area for a community Based Distribution program. The study focused on main reproductive health indicators (fertility, fertility regulation, maternal health and on knowledge about sexually transmitted diseases). The study design originates from the MoH-GTZ project on reproductive health in Kenya where rapid assessment tool was adapted according to the needs of the field of reproductive health. 478 randomly selected women in reproductive age (15-49) from 6 villages were interviewed with a questionnaire. The main findings are: In Lushoto division the contraceptive prevalence is 29%. 77% of the study population know at least one modern method of family planning. Regarding provision of services 79% of women preferred women of their or any age 18% did not mind at all who offers the service. 86% of the women could at least name one STDs. Asked what they currently do not prevent themselves or their partner from being at risk for STDs 60% answered "nothing". The percentage of institutional deliveries (in Health Centre, Dispensary or Hospital) was 22% however 98 % of the women had received antenatal care including tetanus vaccination. The survey revealed that 47% of the women had initiated to live with a male partner before attaining 19 years of age. The final conclusion is that there is a considerable unmet need for family planning services in Lushoto division. Out of those who do not want a pregnancy in the following years only 33% prevent pregnancy 30% with modern methods.


BACKGROUND
Nocturnal benzodiazepines have a significant negative health impact on the elderly, yet they continue to be used.

OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to assess elderly patients' use and knowledge of nocturnal benzodiazepines, and their attitudes to cessation.

METHODS
Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with elderly patients (n = 17) from four general practices in Australia.

RESULTS
Our study found that the initiation of benzodiazepine use was often at a time of stress for the patient. Long-term use was not in-tended, and patients conveyed poor awareness of the side effects and addictive potential of benzodiazepines. Patients' perceived attitudes of their general practitioner (GP) to prescribing benzodiazepines and lack of awareness of alternative therapies were key to continuation. Confounding factors such as pain often contributed to sleep disturbance. Many patients expressed a willingness to cease nocturnal benzodiazepine use.

DISCUSSION
These data assist in raising GPs' awareness of patients' attitudes to cessation of nocturnal benzodiazepine use. More time spent with patients presenting for repeat prescriptions, explaining side effects, discussing alternative options and investigating reasons for not sleeping could reduce benzodiazepine use among the elderly.


Besides the well-known masters of the 20th century such as Barragan, Niemeyer, and Costa, there is a vibrant and surprisingly varied architectural scene in Latin America just waiting to be discovered. Cultural diversity, an understanding of materials and regional character, a sensitive use of modern technology, and innovative yet aesthetic concepts all merge to produce stunning architecture. In this thematic publication Enrique Larranaga, architect and Professor at the Simon Bolivar University in Caracas, presents some of the most exciting single-family houses built in recent years. Amongst the architects featured are Paulo Mendes da Rocha (Brazil), Ten Arquitectos with Enrique Norten (Mexico), Alberto Kalach (Mexico), Leopoldo Laguinge (Argentina), Enrique Browne (Chile). The buildings reveal the architecture of Latin America to be diverse, unique and avantgarde, well deserving a closer look.


This monograph contributes to the methodology of Agent-based Computational Economics. First, we introduce a generic simulation framework suitable for agent-based simulations featuring the support of heterogeneous agents, hierarchical scheduling, and flexible specification of design parameters. For the latter, we use an XML-based format enabling the design of flexible models, with the possibility of varying both agent population and parameterization. Further, the tool allows the definition of communication channels to single agents, or groups thereof, and handles the information exchange. Both agents and communication channels can be added and removed at runtime. To handle the heterogeneity arising from both the agents' implementations and the underlying platforms, we introduce an XML-based wrapper technique for mapping the functionality of agents living in an interpreter-based environment to a standardized JAVA interface. Second, we present a collection of artificial economic actors to be used with this framework. Their interplay is demonstrated in two fields of management science: marketing and technological choice. In the field of marketing, the question of choosing the optimal segmentation techniques for market segmentation is investigated, comparing the performance of firm agents with diverse segmentation strategies in a highly customizable artificial consumer market. In the second application, we study the influence of technological efficiency and organizational inertia on the emergence of competition when firms decide myopically. We observe the competitive reaction of a former monopolist to the advent of a new competitor to assess when new, "disruptive" technologies cause the failure of incumbent firms and investigate simple defensive strategies. (author's abstract)


Probiotic is a Latin term which means for life (life-giving). Probiotics are usually one or a mixture of microorganisms which consist of useful bacterias and yeasts. If consumed by humans or animals, Probiotics can have various useful benefits through improving the host's digestion microflora features. To determine the influence of various dozes Aloe Vera on the growth of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium Bifidum probiotic bacterias in the first (milk) and second (yoghurt) probiotic stage, 0.33 gram of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium Bifidum Lyophilized bacteria were added separately to 1 liter of low-fat milk, and the samples were studied based on their PH and their acidity during incubation and persistence (21 days) time. Observations indicated that 3% Aloe Vera probiotic milk and yoghurt with Bifidobacterium Bifidum and 2% probiotic milk and 3% Aloe Vera yoghurt in the sample which contained Lactobacillus acidophilus yielded acidity much faster than other samples. Thus, it may be concluded that increasing the density of Aloe Vera has a positive influence on the growth of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium Bifidum


Rapid learning requires flexible representations to quickly adopt to new evidence. We develop a novel class of models called Attentive Recurrent Comparators (ARCs) that form representations of objects by cycling through them and making observations. Using the representations extracted by ARCs, we develop a way of approximating a \textit{dynamic representation space} and use it for one-shot learning. In the task of one-shot classification on the Omniglot dataset, we achieve the state of the art performance with an error rate of 1.5\%. This represents the first super-human result achieved for this task with a generic model that uses only pixel information.


This article explores the dynamics of power-sharing between teacher and students in learning and teaching situations, and describes the theoretical bases, implementation, and results of an empirical study in three elementary schools in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. Findings from 58 class observations and interviews with 50 students, 25 teachers, and three school principals suggest that teachers can empower students by acknowledging their right to and responsibility for learning and by sharing power with students. Power-sharing classroom practice requires the dual efforts of teachers and students, and can be facilitated by the teachers' interactive teaching mode, students' cooperation and willingness to engage in learning, and school policy and culture, etc. In the power-sharing classrooms, teachers played the role of facilitators and students played as collaborators. In this article, theoretical implications for understanding power-sharing and critical pedagogy are discussed. The empirical evidence from this Hong Kong study contributes to an understanding of teacher-initiated power-sharing in the Chinese context, and the practice of critical pedagogy in classrooms.


Abstract. Preliminary matching of image features is based on the distance between their descriptors. Matches are further filtered using RANSAC, or a similar method that fits the matches to a model; usually the fundamental matrix and rejects matches not belonging to that model. There are a few issues with this scheme. First, mismatches are no longer considered after RANSAC rejection. Second, RANSAC might fail to detect an accurate model if the number of outliers is significant. Third, a fundamental matrix model could be degenerate even if the matches are all inliers. To address these issues, a new method is proposed that relies on the prior knowledge of the images' geometry, which can be obtained from the orientation sensors or a set of initial matches. Using a set of initial matches, a fundamental matrix and a global homography can be estimated. These two entities are then used with a detect-and-match strategy to gain more accurate matches. Features are detected in one image, then the locations of their correspondences in the other image are predicted using the epipolar constraints and the global homography. The feature correspondences are then corrected with template matching. Since global homography is only valid with a plane-to-plane mapping, discrepancy vectors are introduced to represent an alternative to local homographies. The method was tested on Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) images, where the images are usually taken successively, and differences in scale and orientation are not an issue. The method promises to find a well-distributed set of matches over the scene structure, especially with scenes of multiple depths. Furthermore; the number of outliers is reduced, encouraging to use a least square adjustment instead of RANSAC, to fit a non-degenerate model.


Monte-Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) has been found to show weaker play than minimax-based search in some tactical game domains. In order to combine the tactical strength of minimax and the strategic strength of MCTS, MCTS-minimax hybrids have been proposed in prior work. This article continues this line of research for the case where heuristic state evaluation functions are available. Three different approaches are considered, employing minimax in the rollout phase of MCTS, as a replacement for the rollout phase, and as a node prior to bias move selection. The latter two approaches are newly proposed. Results show that the use of enhanced minimax for computing node priors results in the strongest MCTS-minimax hybrid in the three test domains of Othello, Breakthrough, and Catch the Lion. This hybrid also outperforms enhanced minimax as a standalone player in Breakthrough, demonstrating that at least in this domain, MCTS and minimax can be combined to an algorithm stronger than its parts.


Comprehensive evaluation of organization performance is one of the most powerful tools for decision making. It helps managers to gain necessary information about the status of their organization. One of the most widely welcomed models in this regard is the Balanced Scorecard Model which provides comprehensive evaluation for various aspects in the Water and Wastewater Corporation. The present study was a descriptiveapplied research in terms of objectives. The objectives included selecting a comprehensive evaluation pattern, recognizing and ranking the indexes and main substandards for evaluating the comprehensive performance with BSC model denoting various parts in water and wastewater corporations. The model was used in West Azarbayjan province water and wastewater company as a pilot. Data collection was based on the library and field study via 3 types of questionnaires and interview with staff, financial staff, and by the customers of the given company. Based on the correlation and regression coefficients, the mean variables test and the fuzzy method showed that the BSC fields are in the order of priority in the performance of the mentioned company. These included internal processes, learning and growth, and customer and financial perspective. In the regression dependent variable model, the performance of the company and independent variables included various variables in fields of the balanced scorecards, and the result showed that the most effective factors on the company performance were decreasing the unnecessary costs, increasing and developing new facilities, finding new custumers, providing infrastructures, and organizational resources through learning, increasing customer satisfaction, enhancing the efficiency and quality of the internal processes.


To delineate the tectonic character of the subduction-collision zone in the marine area near Taiwan, we have constructed a regional gravity map by reconciling the shipboard data of 15 cruises that have surveyed the region of 20-26°N and 119-124°E over the past 20 years. Among the 15 cruises, three have known, reliable base-tie information. The absolute level for the other 12's cruises are adjusted in such a way that their crossover errors with respect to the other, three are minimized. The root-mean-square difference of the totally 865 crossovers in the final data set is 6.0mgal, representing an acceptable quality considering the multi-agency nature of the source and the rugged seafloor. The distribution of the ship tracks is uneven, with the better resolution around Taiwan but a progressive undersampling toward the east and northwest. To make a regional map, we interpolate both the marine data and the 640 free-air anomaly measurements on Taiwan and its offshore islands into 5 minute spaced grids using a minimum curvature technique. The SEASAT altimetry derived gravity values are placed on part of the map's boundary as an additional constraint in the minimum curvature calculation. On the map, the free-air anomaly ranges from -250 to 350mgal, primarily reflecting the topography, with the maximum and minimum at the high mountains of Taiwan and the Ryukyu Trench-Taiwan intersection, respectively. The Lutao-Lanyu volcanic arc is manifested as a prominent, continuous high from the southern border of the map, merging northerly with the Coastal Range in eastern Taiwan. The Hengchun Ridge shows a much more subdued gravity anomaly than that of the volcanic arc at a similar elevation. The map also delineates the North Luzon Trough as a forearc basin to the west of the arc, the Nanao Basin at the Ryukyu Trench, and to a less extent the Gagua Ridge at 123°E. To illustrate how the marine gravity data constrain crustal structure, a 2-D gravity analysis is performed with a free-air anomaly profile across the Ryukyu Trench taken from this map.


The reduction in larval populations of Dacus cacuminatus (Hering) and D. halfordiae (Tryon) by frugivorous vertebrates feeding on their major host fruits was studied in an endemic rainforest habitat in south-east Queensland. Throughout the spring and summer season, 66% of Solanum mauritianum Scop. fruit (D. cacuminatus host) was eaten by Macropygia phasianella (Temminck), the brown pigeon; this increased to 77% during the fruit fly's breeding season (November-January). The peak feeding time of the birds, the breeding season of the flies, and the peak fruiting season of the plants all coincided. Parasitism of D. cacuminatus by Hymenoptera, Biosteres kraussi (Fullaway) and B. oophilus (Fullaway), never exceeded 16-17%. Rodents consumed larvae in 78% of fallen fruit of Planchonella australis (R. Br.) Pierre (D. halfordiae host). It is proposed that frugivorous predators are the major natural enemies of larvae of tropical Tephritidae in their endemic habitat.


The number and variety of computing devices in the environment are increasing rapidly. Real computers are no longer tethered to desktops or locked in server rooms. PDAs, highly mobile tablet and laptop devices, palmtop computers, and mobile telephony handsets now offer powerful platforms for the delivery of new applications and services. These devices are, however, only the tip of the iceberg. Hidden from sight are the many computing and network elements required to support the infrastructure that makes ubiquitous computing possible.


The explosive growth of wireless sensor networks have increased demand for radio spectrum which have resulted in spectrum scarcity problem, as the entire spectrum bands are already been allocated to different wireless services and technologies. Cognitive radio has emerged as a promising solution for the inherently resource-constrained wireless sensor networks to opportunistically access the reserved underutilized frequency bands. It adopts artificial intelligence algorithms to enable sensor nodes to avoid crowded unlicensed congested bands by sensing underutilized licensed frequency bands and make decision to adapt their transmission parameters. Clustering is used to decrease energy consumption and support scalability of sensor networks, however current clustering is based on fixed spectrum allocation and cannot deal with the dynamic spectrum allocations needed for next generation networks. This paper proposes an energy efficient spectrum aware clustering that groups neighboring nodes with similar sets of idle channels and optimally form energy efficient clusters based on three fuzzy parameters of residual energy, closeness to base station, and node degree to compute the chance of each node to be a cluster head. The performance is evaluated using data packets sent to base station, number of nodes alive during rounds, number of dead nodes during rounds, and energy consumption as performance metrics. Comparative performance evaluation in different simulation scenarios show that the proposed protocol have outperformed other implemented protocols and prolonged the stability period and the networks' lifetime due to reduction in packet collision and retransmission. Index Term-Wireless Sensor Networks; Fuzzy Clustering; Energy Efficient, Spectrum Aware, Network Lifetime.


The Multicenter Evaluation of In Vitro Cytotoxicity programme is most important to animal protection, since it has validated 64 in vitro tests using advanced human data for 50 chemicals as the "gold standard". Therefore, it has been able to compare animal cell tests, human cell tests and whole-animal tests fairly with unbiased scientific evidence. Added bonuses have included the identification and development of missing in vitro information ("missing tests"), publication of time-related lethal blood concentrations for all 50 chemicals, and some preliminary plans to resolve the 50,000 untested (or poorly tested) chemicals in the chemical mountain.


The commonly accepted wisdom is that nationalism replaced religion in the age of modernity. In the nineteenth-century Ottoman Empire, the focus of Selim Deringil's book, traditional religious structures crumbled as the empire itself began to fall apart. The state's answer to schism was regulation and control, administered in the form of a number of edicts in the early part of the century. It is against this background that different religious communities and individuals negotiated survival by converting to Islam when their political interests or their lives were at stake. As the century progressed, however, and as this engaging study illustrates with examples from real-life cases, conversion was no longer sufficient to guarantee citizenship and property rights as the state became increasingly paranoid about its apostates and what it perceived as their "denationalization." The book tells the story of the struggle for the bodies and the souls of people, waged between the Ottoman state, the Great Powers, and a multitude of evangelical organizations. Many of the stories shed light on current flash-points in the Arab world and the Balkans, offering alternative perspectives on national and religious identity and the interconnections between the two.


This article reviews Norwegian farmers' and companies' strategies and experience with the use of direct distribution and e-commerce when selling agriculture products. Based on the opportunities and pitfalls resulting from the use of Internet and e-commerce in consumer marketing, the article discusses the commercial possibilities emerging from direct distribution of agricultural products to end-consumers. The focus on direct distribution is brought up to date through studying the challenges facing small-scale rural farmers complying with volumeand efficiency requirements set by the major wholesalerand retailer chains. The article points to several market and logistic pitfalls that must be dealt with if farmers can hope to succeed with the implementation of a direct distribution strategy instead of selling their products through conventional marketing channels. Since the interest for direct distribution strategies is more driven by policy changes in the wholesaler chains, rather than pronounced changes in consumers' buying behaviour, there is an extra challenge for farmers to succeed with such a marketing strategy. At best, new distribution channels for agricultural products produced by small-scale farmers in rural areas can contribute to slow down depopulation in districts where the farmers have the opportunity to carry out income-producing work in alternative occupations.


A new compound, 1-(2,2,3-trimethyl-1,3-oxazolidin-5-yl)-butane-1,2,3,4-tetrol, has been discovered, described, and its crystal polymorphism investigated. The crystal structures of two polymorphs have been solved with single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The molecule is chiral with four stereo centers, and both polymorphs crystallise in the non-centrosymmetric orthorhombic, chiral P212121 space group, with one molecule in the asymmetric unit. In both structures the molecules are arranged three dimensionally in an interlocked manner, stabilized by strong O–H⋯O and weaker C–H⋯O and π⋯π interactions. The polymorphs have been characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and infrared spectroscopy (IR). The thermodynamic stability relationship between the polymorphs from 280 K up to the melting points has been quantitatively determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), through measurement of melting points, heats of fusion, and heat capacities of the solid phases and the supercooled melt. It is established that the relationship is most likely monotropic, with one polymorph (FI) stable throughout the entire evaluated temperature range. The stability relationship at room temperature has been confirmed by a slurry conversion experiment.


A selection of achievements and first physics results are presented of the European Integrated Tokamak Modelling Task Force (EFDA ITM-TF) simulation framework, which aims to provide a standardized platform and an integrated modelling suite of validated numerical codes for the simulation and prediction of a complete plasma discharge of an arbitrary tokamak. The framework developed by the ITM-TF, based on a generic data structure including both simulated and experimental data, allows for the development of sophisticated integrated simulations (workflows) for physics application. The equilibrium reconstruction and linear magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) stability simulation chain was applied, in particular, to the analysis of the edge MHD stability of ASDEX Upgrade type-I ELMy H-mode discharges and ITER hybrid scenario, demonstrating the stabilizing effect of an increased Shafranov shift on edge modes. Interpretive simulations of a JET hybrid discharge were performed with two electromagnetic turbulence codes within ITM infrastructure showing the signature of trapped-electron assisted ITG turbulence. A successful benchmark among five EC beam/ray-tracing codes was performed in the ITM framework for an ITER inductive scenario for different launching conditions from the equatorial and upper launcher, showing good agreement of the computed absorbed power and driven current. Selected achievements and scientific workflow applications targeting key modelling topics and physics problems are also presented, showing the current status of the ITM-TF modelling suite.


In 2014, the Supreme Court of Canada in R v Hart reviewed the application and evidentiary consequences of Mr. Big operation. For the majority, Moldaver J. changed the common law confessions rule so that it applies in Mr. Big scenarios based on a two-pronged test. Immediately after Hart, the SCC rendered a new decision in R v Mack where the two pronged test was leniently applied in favour of the Crown. In this article I argue that the SCC approach in Hart and its application in Mack failed to address to the core problems that Mr. Big operations pose. It is the purpose of this paper to review the decision in Hart and its subsequent application in Mack, to point out their shortcomings and to make the case for an alternative solution for the issues raised by Mr. Big investigations.


This title presents a pioneering history of this 'period of crisis' for the Roman Empire. The Roman empire during the period framed by the accession of Septimus Severus in 193 and the rise of Diocletian in 284 has conventionally been regarded as one of crisis. Between 235 and 284, at least 18 men held the throne of the empire, for an average of less than three years, a reckoning which does not take into account all the relatives and lieutenants with whom those men shared power. Compared to the century between the accession of Nerva and the death of Commodus, this appears to be a period of near unintelligibility. The middle of the century also witnessed catastrophic, if temporary, ruptures in the territorial integrity of the empire. Large portions of the eastern and western halves of the empire passed under the control of powers and principalities who assumed the mantle of Roman government and exercised meaningful and legitimate power over millions. Even those regions that remained Roman were subjected to deprivation and pillage by invading armies. The Roman peace, which had become in the last instance the justification for empire, had been shattered. Clifford Ando describes and integrates the contrasting histories of different parts of the empire and assesses the impacts of administrative, political and religious change. It follows Rome's confrontation and conflict with a new world power, Sassanian Persia, in which two Roman emperors lost their lives. It devotes special attention to legal history. It examines the changing nature of religious pluralism and the Christian persecutions.


We present a theoretical study of second-harmonic generation (SHG) in tapered optical fibers in the continuous wave and monochromatic regimes. The mechanism is based on modal phase matching, where the taper is used to sweep the phase mismatch across the phase-matched condition during the propagation. Self- and cross-phase modulations are taken into account. We report general results about the conversion efficiency and demonstrate that this SHG scheme is not only robust with respect to phase modulation, but can even benefit from it. We also show that the conversion bandwidth is easily controlled by the taper design and can be realistically extended to tens of nanometers.


In this paper, a motion compensated frame interpolation (MCI) algorithm adapting new block-based motion estimation (BME), which is overlapped block-based motion estimation (OBME), is proposed for frame rate up-conversion (FRC). Unlike conventional BME algorithms, where a video frame is divided into many non-overlapping square blocks of pixels, the proposed BME is executed using an overlapped matching block in order to get more accurate motion trajectory. To reduce computational complexity caused by the OBME, a sub-sampled pixel block is used for the OBME. The proposed OBME is executed with the various overlapped blocks that have different block sizes and sub-sampling ratios. In this paper, instead of mean absolute difference (MAD) used for general BME, a modified MAD is applied for the OBME. The MAD proposed is weighted using the magnitude of MV that corresponds to the estimating position. From the simulation results, the proposed methods show better performance in estimating "true motion" and reducing blocking artifacts with less complexity in calculation compared to a conventional method.


Should regulators disclose private information about the creditworthiness of the companies it supervises? This paper exploits a change in the disclosure policy of the European Central Bank (ECB) in 2020 to make progress on this question. We compare European banks along multiple dimensions before and after the ECB published for the first time bank-by-bank information on Pillar 2 requirements (P2R). We show that bond prices and cross-border holdings of debt securities are sensitive to new regulatory information as well as to rating gaps between the ECB and private credit rating agencies. Overall, our results support the view that supervisors have specific, distinctive, and valuable knowledge of the banks they supervise.


Abstract Theory and simulation have provided one of the critical foundations for many of the significant achievements in magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) stability in DIII-D over the past two decades. Early signature achievements included the validation of tokamak MHD stability limits, beta and performance optimization through cross-section shaping and profiles, and the development of new operational regimes. More recent accomplishments encompass the realization and sustainment of wall stabilization using plasma rotation and active feedback, a new understanding of edge stability and its relation to edge-localized modes, and recent successes in predicting resistive tearing and interchange instabilities. The key to success has been the synergistic tie between the theory effort and the experiment made possible by the detailed equilibrium reconstruction data available in DIII-D and the corresponding attention to the measured details in the modeling. This interaction fosters an emphasis on the important phenomena and leads to testable theoretical predictions. Also important is the application of a range of analytic and simulation techniques, coupled with a program of numerical tool development. The result is a comprehensive integrated approach to fusion science and improving the tokamak approach to burning plasmas.


Abstract The cryosorption method is useful for extracting hydrogen isotopes from a helium gas stream with a small amount of hydrogen isotopes. Therefore, in fusion reactors, this method is expected to be applied for the helium glow discharge exhaust gas processing system and the blanket tritium recovery system. To design these systems, adsorption isotherms for each hydrogen isotope are needed, making it possible to estimate the amount of adsorption in a wide pressure range. The amount of tritium adsorption on molecular sieve 5A, molecular sieve 4A, and activated carbon, which are potential adsorbents in the cryosorption bed, at liquid nitrogen temperature were quantified using the volumetric method. It was found that adsorption isotherms of tritium were also expressed with the two-site Langmuir model and that the obtained isotherms were close to the reported isotherms, the Langmuir coefficients for which were estimated using a reduced mass of hydrogen isotopes.


BACKGROUND
Flapless extraction of teeth allows for undisturbed preservation of the nearby periosteum and a source of osteoprogenitor cells. Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein 2 (rhBMP-2) has been used for different bone augmentation purposes with great osteoinductive capacity. The aim of this study is to compare the bone regenerative ability of rhBMP-2 on an absorbable collagen sponge (ACS) carrier to a collagen sponge (CS) alone in extraction sites with ≥50% buccal dehiscence.

METHODS
Thirty-nine patients requiring extraction of a hopeless tooth with ≥50% buccal dehiscence were enrolled. After flapless extraction and randomization, either rhBMP-2/ACS carrier or CS alone was placed in the extraction site. After extraction, a baseline cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scan was obtained of the site, and a similar scan was obtained 5 months postoperatively. Medical imaging and viewing software were used to compare the baseline and 5-month postoperative images of the study site and assess ridge width measurements, vertical height changes, and buccal plate regeneration.

RESULTS
Radiographically, CBCT analysis showed that with ≥50% of buccal bone destruction, rhBMP-2/ACS was able to regenerate a portion of the lost buccal plate, maintain theoretical ridge dimensions, and allow for implant placement 5 months after extraction. The test group performed significantly (P <0.05) better in regard to clinical buccal plate regeneration (4.75 versus 1.85 mm), clinical ridge width at 5 months (6.0 versus 4.62 mm), and radiographic ridge width at 3 mm from the alveolar crest (6.17 versus 4.48 mm) after molar exclusion. There was also significantly (P <0.05) less remaining buccal dehiscence, both clinically (6.81 versus 10.0 mm) and radiographically (3.42 versus 5.16 mm), at 5 months in the test group. Significantly (P <0.05) more implants were placed in the test group without the need for additional augmentation. The mean loss in vertical ridge height (lingual/palatal) was less in the test sites but was not significantly (P = 0.514) different between the test and control groups (0.39 versus 0.64 mm).

CONCLUSIONS
rhBMP-2/ACS compared to CS alone used in flapless extraction sites with a buccal dehiscence is able to regenerate lost buccal plate, maintain theoretical ridge dimensions, and allow for implant placement 5 months later.


This book uses historical and interview data to trace the development of Puerto Rican identity in the 20th century. It analyzes how and why Puerto Ricans have maintained a clear sense of distinctiveness in the face of direct and indirect pressures on their identity. After gaining sovereignty over Puerto Rico from Spain in 1898, the United States undertook a sustained campaign to Americanize the island. Despite 50 years of active Americanization and another 40 years of continued United States sovereignty over the island, Puerto Ricans retain a sense of themselves as distinctly and proudly Puerto Rican. This study examines the symbols of Puerto Rican identity, and their use in the complex politics of the island. It shows that identity is dynamic, it is experienced differently by individuals across Puerto Rican society, and that the key symbols of Puerto Rican identity have not remained static over time. Through the study of Puerto Rico, the book investigates and challenges the widely-heard argument that the inevitable result of the export of U.S. mass media and consumer culture throughout the world is the weakening of cultural identities in receiving societies. The book develops the idea that external pressure on collective identity may strengthen that identity rather than, as is often assumed, diminish it.


The typographic imaginary is an aesthetic linking authors from William Caxton to Alexander Pope, this study centrally contends. Early modern English literature engages imaginatively with printing and this book both characterizes that engagement and proposes the typographic imaginary as a framework for its analysis. Certain texts, Rachel Stenner states, describe the people, places, concerns, and processes of printing in ways that, over time, generate their own figurative authority. The typographic imaginary is posited as a literary phenomenon shared by different writers, a wider cultural understanding of printing, and a critical concept for unpicking the particular imaginative otherness that printing introduced to literature. Authors use the typographic imaginary to interrogate their place in an evolving media environment, to assess the value of the printed text, and to analyse the roles of other text-producing agents. This book treats a broad array of authors and forms: printers' manuals; William Caxton's paratexts; the pamphlet dialogues of Robert Copland and Ned Ward; poetic miscellanies; the prose fictions of William Baldwin, George Gascoigne, and Thomas Nashe; the poetry and prose of Edmund Spenser; writings by John Taylor and Alexander Pope. At its broadest, this study contributes to an understanding of how technology changes cultures. Located at the crossroads between literary, material, and book historical research, the particular intervention that this work makes is threefold. In describing the typographic imaginary, it proposes a new framework for analysis of print culture. It aims to focus critical engagement on symbolic representations of material forms. Finally, it describes a lineage of late medieval and early modern authors, stretching from the mid-fifteenth to the mid-eighteenth centuries, that are linked by their engagement of a particular aesthetic.


Responding to the proliferation of international criminal tribunals during the last two decades, scholars have engaged in a rich debate about the normative foundations of international criminal law ("ICL"). The retributive theory of punishment — which justifies punishment based on the culpability of the accused, rather than by reference to its social benefits — has met with significant skepticism in these discussions. Some have argued that unique features of international criminal justice — for example, the extreme selectivity of punishment or the lack of certain social or political preconditions — are a poor match for retributive theory. Others have ignored retributivism altogether, or afforded the theory only passing mention. This Article counters the anti-retributive strain by arguing that retributivism can indeed provide a meaningful framework for understanding ICL. First, I argue that in most respects retributive theory is no less plausible in the international setting than it is in the domestic setting. Understanding what claims retributive thinking might have upon ICL requires one to distinguish claims regarding the general justification required to defend punishment as a social practice — the core concern of retributive theory — from the more specific questions of institutional design — such as whether and when to create an international criminal tribunal, and how to set enforcement priorities — that are most pertinent to ICL scholars. I argue that, once these distinctions are sorted out, the anti-retributivist strain in ICL scholarship does little to engage retributivism's core claim that desert is necessary to morally justified punishment and provides an inherently good (if not exclusive) reason to punish irrespective of potential social benefits. I also argue that retributivism is more compatible than commonly supposed with current thinking about international criminal justice. The theory permits various models for engaging the compromises of real world institutions. It provides a powerful lens for understanding the design of ICL institutions such as the International Criminal Court ("ICC"), and it is also compatible with dominant approaches to institutional decisions such as case selection and sentencing. Perhaps counter-intuitively, retributivism can also supply a framework for sometimes favoring alternatives to the traditional criminal prosecutions pursued by international courts, or even for opposing ICL altogether. Finally, I argue that choice of punishment philosophy has less practical significance for ICL than theorists often assume. In particular, I argue that the choice between retributivism and other competing theories does little to resolve important policy dilemmas dividing theorists of ICL, including whether prosecution should sometimes be abandoned for amnesty or other alternatives. This point supports a broader argument that ICL is simultaneously overdetermined and underdetermined by traditional punishment theory: While the core of ICL is consistent with multiple theories of punishment, these theories provide only limited practical guidance on the most divisive questions.


Several empirical studies are concerned with measuring the effect of currency and current account crises on economic growth. Using different empirical models this paper serves two aspects. It provides an explicit assessment of country specific factors influencing the costs of crises in terms of economic growth and controls via a treatment type model for possible sample selection governing the occurrence of crises in order to estimate the impact on economic growth correctly. The applied empirical models allow for rich intertemporal dependencies via serially correlated errors and capture latent country specific heterogeneity via random coefficients. For accurate estimation of the treatment type model a simulated maximum likelihood approach employing efficient importance sampling is used. The results reveal significant costs in terms of economic growth for both crises. Costs for reversals are linked to country specific variables, while costs for currency crises are not. Furthermore, shocks explaining current account reversals and growth show strong significant positive correlation.


Previous literature demonstrates that current palliative care training is in need of improvement for medical students in global, European and Canadian contexts. The training of medical undergraduates is key to ensure that the ongoing and increasing need for enhanced access to palliative care across all settings and communities is met. We describe building a comprehensive palliative and end-of-life care curriculum for medical undergraduates at our university. As with recent European and US studies, we found that the process of university curriculum renewal provided a critical opportunity to integrate palliative care content, but needed a local palliative care champion already in place as an energetic and tireless advocate. The development and integration of a substantive bilingual (English and French) palliative and end-of-life care curriculum over the 4-year medical undergraduate program at our university has occurred over the course of 14 years, and required multiple steps and initiatives. Subsequent to the development of the curriculum, there has been a 13-fold increase in students selecting our palliative care clinical rotations. Critical lessons learned speak to the importance of having a team vision, interprofessional collaboration with a focus on vision, plans and implementation, and flexibility to actively respond and further integrate new educational opportunities within the curriculum. Future directions for our palliative care curriculum include shifting to a competency-based training and evaluation paradigm. Our findings and lessons learned may help others who are working to develop a comprehensive undergraduate medical education curriculum.


Abstract. Vintage 2-D (two-dimensional) seismic reflection surveys from the sparsely explored Mentelle Basin (western Australian margin) have been reprocessed and integrated with a recent high-quality 2-D seismic survey and stratigraphic borehole data. Interpretation of these data sets allows the internal geometry of the Mentelle Basin fill and depositional history to be reanalysed and new insights into its formation revealed. Basin stratigraphy can be subdivided into several seismically defined megasequences separated by major unconformities related to both breakup between India-Madagascar and Australia-Antarctica in the Valanginian-Late Hauterivian and tectonically-driven switches in deposition through the Albian. Resting on the Valanginian-Late Hauterivian breakup unconformity are several kilometre-scale mounded structures that formed during Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous extension. These have previously been interpreted as volcanic edifices although direct evidence of volcanic feeder systems is lacking. An alternative interpretation is that these features may be carbonate build-ups. The latter interpretation carries significant climatic ramifications since carbonate build-ups would have formed at high palaeolatitude, ~60° S. Soon after breakup, initial subsidence resulted in a shallow marine environment and deposition of Barremian-Aptian silty-sandy mudstones. As subsidence continued, thick successions of Albian ferruginous black clays were deposited. Internally, seismic megasequences composed of successions of black clays show previously unresolved unconformities, onlapping and downlapping packages, which reflect a complex depositional, rifting and subsidence history at odds with their previous interpretation as open marine sediments. Southwestwards migration of the Kerguelen hotspot led to thermal contraction and subsidence to the present day water depth (~3000 m). This was accompanied by Turonian-Santonian deposition of massive chalk beds, which are unconformably overlain by pelagic Palaeocene-Holocene sediments. This substantial unconformity is related to the diachronous breakup and onset of slow spreading between Australia and Antarctica, which may have led to the reactivation and inversion of basement faults and was followed by rapid seafloor spreading from the Middle Eocene to the present.


Current productivity of agricultural crops in Andhra Pradesh is lower by two- to four-folds as compared to the achievable potential yields. Long term studies at ICRISAT based at Patancheru have demonstrated a virtuous cycle of persistent yield increases through improved management in rainfed agriculture. The present scenario clearly points to the need for adoption of science-led interventions to improve agricultural productivity and livelihoods to alleviate poverty, hunger and malnutrition in rainfed regions. In this context, the Government of Andhra Pradesh has taken up an innovative approach to adopt science-based development of agriculture and capacity strengthening of stakeholders with technical support from the ICRISAT-led consortium called "Bhoochetana", which will increase productivity of target crops by 25% in 5 years. The strategy is to map out nutrient deficiencies in the soils, develop mandal-wise balanced nutrient recommendations and conduct demonstrations/trials in a phased manner to scale out the technology to a large number of farmers in the state using improved cultivars and soil and water managemnet practices.


Peter Cutler is a respected Princeton professor living a quiet academic life when an old college friend makes him an offer he can't refuse: The position of foreign policy adviser for Democratic presidential candidate Wayne Kent. Cutler takes the job and eagerly jumps into the political fray. When Kent wins the election, Cutler's thrilled to find himself Under Secretary of State. But he soon discovers that the power politics of Washington are a far cry from the comforts of university life. In order to survive, he must participate in a ruthless tug-of-war in which everyone struggles to promote his own agenda. As Cutler becomes increasingly absorbed in the underhanded tactics of bureaucratic survival and the charms of an old girlfriend working in the Pentagon, his initial foreign policy goals recede into the background. Ultimately, the allure and hypocrisy of political life cause him to alienate everyone he cares about--and to make one life-altering political miscalculation.


This chapter reports on task-based, formative assessments of oral proficiency that were designed to help students self-monitor their oral development in a fourth-year, university foreign-language Chinese classroom. Seventeen advanced learners of Chinese completed two group role-play tasks two times during their 15-week semester. Both tasks were designed to follow a pre-task, main-task, post-task cycle and culminated within the same 90-minute lesson in individual oral assessments. Computerized tools aided in the design and delivery of both tasks and assessments. Immediately after completing each formative assessment, the learners were asked to self-rate their performances, which were then rated by two Chinese language experts as well. Finally, for each task and assessment cycle, a 30-minute reflective lesson was conducted by the teacher subsequently in class, in which students discussed their self-ratings and compared them to the expert ratings. The statistical comparison of student and expert ratings on the two task cycles suggests that students were realistic judges in their self-assessment and largely agreed with the expert raters in their estimations of the quality (i.e. accuracy, fluency, complexity, and accent/tones) of their task-based assessment performances. The chapter closes with a discussion of pedagogical implications and a call for oral formative assessments that are brought into the language classroom on a regular basis as part of task work, so as to support learners' self-regulation and to increase their chances of language improvement.


This study assesses the destabilizing and stabilizing effects of ballistic missile
development, induction, and deployment in Southern Asia. India's relations with China
and Pakistan are characterized by poor communication and mutual distrust. Within this
context, the delivery systems for nuclear and conventional weapons strongly influence
each country's threat perceptions and military strategy. The study reviews the respective
national missile programs and the concept of deterrence within the context of national
nuclear and missile strategies. The recent concept of limited war is also reviewed. The
study goes on to develop practical concepts that could decrease the instability resulting
from the introduction of ballistic missiles. The analysis process uses three regional
scenarios to identify stabilizing and destabilizing factors and assess potential options for
improvement. The study presents options that could be initiated within the current
regional political environment and presents additional options that could be applicable if
political conditions improve. The stabilization options include political, operational, and
communication initiatives. These initiatives are both unilateral and cooperative (bilateral
between India-Pakistan or India-China)


Supported by AAF Rationale: Obstructive diseases of airways such as asthma and COPD are characterized by airway remodeling. Clinical studies and animal models have demonstrated that ASM mass is increased in asthma, and ASM thickness is correlated with severity of the disease. Current asthma medications control inflammation and reverse airway obstruction effectively, yet have very limited effects in deterring airway remodeling. Recently we identified the expression of BTRs on human ASM cells. Activation with known BTR agonists resulted in elevation of intracellular calcium, membrane hyperpolarization and ASM relaxation. Aerosol challenge in normal and allergen sensitizedand challengedmice resulted in a robust bronchodilation. Another recent study demonstrated that BTR expression, signaling and bronchodilatory effects are preserved during human asthma. These studies suggest that BTRs can be used as new therapeutic targets in the clinical management of obstructive lung diseases. The current study aimed at determining the effect of BTR agonists on ASM growth. Methods: Primary human ASM cells maintained in culture were pretreated with different concentrations of BTR agonists, chloroquine and quinine or vehicle, then stimulated with ASM mitogens fetal bovine serum (FBS), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) or epithelial growth factor (EGF). Regulation of ASM growth was subsequently assessed by cell counts, CyQuant assay and 3H-thymidine-incorporation assays. Parallel studies assessed the effects of BTR agonists on key mitogenic signaling pathways in the ASM by Western blotting. Results: In CyQuant assays, chloroquine and quinine significantly inhibited growth of normal and astmatic human ASM cells induced by each mitogen in a concentrationdependent manner. BTR agonists also inhibited increases in ASM cell number suggesting their anti-mitogenic effect is mediated via inhibition of hyperplasia. BTR agonists did not induce apoptosis or cell death in human ASM. Growth inhibitory effects of BTR agonists in ASM cells were not dependent on protein kinase A (PKA) as demonstrated for other Gs coupled G protein coupled receptor agonists (e.g. β-agonists and PGE2). Western blot analyses of key mitogenic signaling demonstrated that BTR agonists inhibit mitogen-induced activation of p42/p44, p38 and Akt pathways. Conclusion: Collectively, these data suggest that BTR agonists inhibit ASM cell growth by inhibiting key mitogenic signaling pathways in ASM via PKA-independent mechanism, suggesting a novel and unexploited mode of inhibiting ASM growth. Future studies are needed to establish in vivo effectiveness of BTR agonists on airway remodeling.


Book synopsis:

Hilary Fraser provides a comprehensive and thorough survey of English prose in the nineteenth century which draws from a wide variety of fields including art, literary theory and criticisim, biography, letters, journals, sermons, and travel reportage. Through these works the cultural, social, literary and political life of the twentieth century - a period of great intellectual activity - can be charted, discussed and assessed.

For the first time, an inclusive critical survey of nineteenth-century non-fiction is presented, that traces the century's ideological and cultural upheavals as they are registered in the literary textures of some of its most widely read and influential writings.The book explores the relations between writers who are generally perceived as occupying different discursive spheres, for example between John Stuart Mill, Florence Nightingale and Mrs Beeton; between Cardinal Newman, Elizabeth Gaskell and Hannah Cullwick; and between Charles Darwin, David Livingstone and Henry Mayhew. The establishment and development of different genres and their interactions over the century are clearly mapped.

The genre of the periodical essay, a distinctively modern and flexible form catering to the mass readership, is the subject of the introduction, and then more specialist fields are discussed, covering scientific writing, travel and exploration literature, social reportage, biography, autobiography, journals, letters, religious and philosophical prose, political writing and history.


Although the incidence of colorectal cancer has been decreasing in the United States over the past decade, it remains the fourth most frequently diagnosed type of cancer and is second only to lung cancer in causing cancer-related death. This dismal situation has been offset by a recent convergence of insights into the molecular pathogenesis of colorectal cancer, validated screening technologies, and proof that early detection coupled with polypectomy reduces the risk for incident cancer and, indirectly, death. Indeed, the prospects for prevention of colorectal cancer have never been better. Persons with ulcerative colitis are at increased risk for colorectal dysplasia and cancer; cancer occurs in up to 13% of patients within 20 years (1). Patients who have ulcerative colitis with primary sclerosing cholangitis may be at even greater risk. Such patients have accelerated rates and numbers of neoplastic events and are likely to benefit considerably from chemopreventive interventions that complement established preventive measures (screening, surveillance, polypectomy, and prophylactic surgery). Fecal bile acids have long been associated with increased risk for colorectal cancer. Evidence supporting this association includes in vitro mutagenesis with deoxycholic acid (2), bile acidinduced tumor promotion in animal models (3), and epidemiologic investigations (4). Ursodiol, a noncytotoxic hydrophilic epimer of chenodeoxycholic acid, has shown promising chemopreventive efficacy in two carcinogen-induced rat models of colorectal carcinogenesis. Although the precise mechanisms underlying these effects are incompletely understood, ursodiol has been reported to enhance the expression of major histocompatibility antigens on premalignant tissues, modulate carcinogen-induced changes in protein kinase C, stabilize cellular membranes, reduce mucosal concentrations of phospholipase A2 at the messenger RNA and protein levels, and reduce mucosal prostanoids and aberrant crypt foci incidence (5). In this issue, Tung and colleagues (6) present intriguing data linking ursodiol use to lower rates of colorectal dysplasia, based on observations of 59 patients with ulcerative colitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis who were participating in a colonoscopic surveillance trial. The authors used sound methods and defined their cohort with standardized histologic and cholangiographic criteria. All eligible patients were included in the analyses. Ursodiol exposurespecifically dosage (average, 8.9 to 9.9 mg/kg of body weight per day) and duration of use (average, 3.5 to 4.2 years)was ascertained from medical records, with support from patient interviews. Well-established covariates likely to alter the occurrence of dysplasia (sex, age at onset of colitis, duration of colitis, duration of primary sclerosing cholangitis, ChildPugh class, and use of concomitant medications) were similarly assessed. Dysplasia and cancer outcomes were measured according to an investigational colonoscopic surveillance and mucosal biopsy schedule (every 1 to 3 years, depending on the highest grade of dysplasia). Biopsy specimens were rigorously scrutinized, and the data were analyzed by experienced statisticians using established methods. Despite the abundant strengths of this study, several limitations merit discussion. First, the study involved a small cohort followed for an unspecified period at a single institution. The rate of dysplasia and cancer in patients not using ursodiol was relatively high (that is, 72% after a mean of 21 years) compared with dysplasia and cancer rates reported elsewhere (that is, from 20% to 50% after 20 to 25 years' duration of ulcerative colitis). This disparity casts doubt on whether findings from the study by Tung and colleagues are applicable to all patients with ulcerative colitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis. In addition, compared with nonusers, patients who took ursodiol were significantly older at the onset of ulcerative colitis and had shorter durations of disease, two factors associated with reduced risk. The authors appropriately addressed these potential confounders by performing adjusted multivariate analyses; however, the groups may have differed in other ways that might account for dissimilar rates of dysplasia. For example, anatomic extent of colitis, an established risk factor for dysplasia and cancer in persons with ulcerative colitis (7), was not addressed. Furthermore, the use of other medications with significant chemopreventive potential in this and other cohorts (for example, folate or aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) was not discussed. The utility of ursodiol in primary sclerosing cholangitis is somewhat controversial. While ursodiol has been associated with improvements in biochemical indices of liver function, it has yet to be shown to consistently reverse or retard progression of liver disease (8). Therefore, it is critical to know the rationale for prescribing ursodiol only for a subset of patients and at relatively low dosages (approximately 9 to 10 mg/kg per day compared with more standard dosing of 13 to 15 mg/kg per day). In addition, time to progression, as well as long-term follow-up assessing the efficacy of ursodiol against colorectal cancer or other clinically relevant events (for example, frequency of endoscopic evaluations, intensity of the biopsy protocol, or colectomy), would have been of considerable relevance. For example, if ursodiol were shown to delay and ultimately reduce the incidence of dysplasia, the case for its preventive potential would be stronger. Finally, the argument could have been strengthened further through the inclusion of biomarkers assessing ursodiol pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics (for example, mucosal kinetics or changes in concentrations of serum and fecal bile acids) to confirm patient adherence, agent bioavailability, and biological effects. Several other possible chemopreventive agents have been identified from observational studies in persons with ulcerative colitis. Studies have reported a variety of protective effects associated with folate supplements, including normalization of rectal mucosal proliferation and reductions in risk for dysplasia and cancer (9-12). In 1994, Pinczowski and coworkers (13) reported the results of a casecontrol study involving 102 patients and 196 matched controls in which the use of sulfasalazine for at least 3 months was associated with a 62% reduction in risk for colorectal cancer. Moody and colleagues (14) subsequently confirmed that long-term use of sulfasalazine reduced the risk for colorectal cancer in a prospective study of 175 patients, but this effect was not observed in two later studies (6, 12). Randomized trials of these agents have yet to be initiated. The hypothesis that ursodiol, a drug with relatively few side effects, may reduce colorectal neoplasia in persons with ulcerative colitis (with or without primary sclerosing cholangitis) or in those at risk for colorectal neoplasia in the general population remains intriguing, although still unproven. Several studies are under way to address this question more definitively. Eleven randomized, placebo-controlled trials of ursodiol have been completed in persons with primary biliary cirrhosis (8), and several others have evaluated the use of ursodiol in persons with primary sclerosing cholangitis (15, 16). It may be expedient to examine the incidence of colorectal neoplasia in these trials, expecting that the rate of neoplasia may be reduced during, or immediately following, drug exposure. Two large, ongoing placebo-controlled trials in persons at risk for sporadic colorectal adenomas will contribute more data on the chemopreventive efficacy of ursodiol within the next few years (17, Alberts D. Personal communication). At present, it would be premature to offer ursodiol as a chemopreventive agent outside the context of a clinical trial. However, if the inverse association between ursodiol use and dysplasia prevalence described by Tung and colleagues is causal and true, it is a very exciting observation. The unmet medical needs of persons with ulcerative colitis and the promise of chemopreventive interventions suggest the near-term emergence of a new best-practice model. This model is based on the application of existing preventive measures but incorporates participation in randomized, controlled trials of novel chemopreventive agents, ensuring that the gap between clinical practice and prevention research will continue to narrow.


This paper reviews the results of clinical trials and community studies of lactational amenorrhoea and its role as a contraceptive method (LAM). Indicators which are used in efficacy trials and effectiveness interventions are compared and sets of indicators of effectiveness appropriate to community-based LAM programmes are recommended. A five-tiered ecological framework is used to facilitate selection of indicators which range from individual to policy level outcomes. The indicator framework is intended as a tool for health practitioners in family planning and maternal and child health service delivery settings who are interested in designing programmatic interventions for the promotion of LAM, particularly among less well-educated women of lower socioeconomic communities.


This thesis deals with the use of inquiry-based approaches in primary school science. The aim is to investigate the goals and purposes that are constituted by the curriculum and by the teachers in interviews and through their teaching in the classroom. The results are used to develop conceptual tools that can be used by teachers' in their work to support students' learning of science when using an inquiry-based approach. The thesis is comprised of four papers. In paper one a comparative analysis is made of five Swedish national curricula for compulsory school regarding what students should learn about scientific inquiry. In paper two 20 teachers were interviewed about their own teaching using inquiry. Classroom interactions were filmed and analyzed in papers three and four, which examine how primary teachers use the various activities and purposes of the inquiry classroom to support learning progressions in science. The results of paper one show how the emphasis within and between the two goals of learning to carry out investigations and learning about the nature of science shifted and changed over time in the different curricula. Paper two describes the selective traditions and qualities that were emphasized in the teachers' accounts of their own teaching. The results of papers three and four show how students need to be involved in the proximate and ultimate purposes of the teaching activities for progression to happen. The ultimate purposes are the scientific purposes for the lesson (as given by the teacher or by the curriculum), whereas the proximate purposes are the more student-centered purposes that through different activities should allow the students to relate their own experiences and language to the ultimate purpose. The results show the importance of proximate purposes working as ends-in-view in the sense of John Dewey, meaning that the students see the goal of the activity and that they are able to relate to their experiences and familiar language.


This paper describes a system level specification approach that enables the designer to formulate and answer questions regarding the system's logical correctness and performance characteristics when the interaction between the hardware and the software is important, i.e., when the impact of faults, failures, communication delay, hardware selection, scheduling policies, etc., must be considered. In the simplest terms, our concern extends beyond the traditional software correctness questions by addressing the issue of employing logical verification techniques to determine software correctness and performance characteristics when running on a particular distributed hardware architectures and using a particular operating system. A language called CSPS (an extension of Hoare's CSP) is used in the illustration of the approach. Employing CSP as a base allows modelled systems to be verified using techniques already developed for verifying CSP programs. ... Read complete abstract on page 2.


Estimation of the risk of injury to human different joints during occupational tasks plays an important role to reduce injuries before the operators carry out the tasks. This paper presents a methodology for determining the static joint torques of a human model considering balance for both standing and seating tasks such as weight lifting, material handling, and seated operating tasks in the assembly line. A high fidelity human model has been developed, and recursive dynamics has been used to formulate the static equation of motion. An alternative and efficient formulation of the zero-moment point for static balance and the approximated (ground/seat) support reaction forces/moments are derived from the resultant reaction loads, which includes the gravity and externally applied loads. The proposed method can be used for both standing and seating tasks for assessing the stability/balance of the posture. The proposed formulation can be beneficial to physics-based simulation of humanoids and human models. Also, the calculated joint torques can be considered as an indicator to assess the risks of injuries when human models perform various tasks. The computational time for each case is close to 0.015 s.


Five commercial botanical dietary supplements have been directly analyzed by mass spectrometry by laser irradiationwith and without the presence ofmatrix (inMALDI and LDI conditions). The data so obtained allowed to obtain the characterization of the different samples on the basis of metabolite specific for the different botanic species contained. Furthermore, in the case of positive ion analysis the presence of polysaccharides is put in evidence by using suitablematrices (DHB, super-DHB). If theMALDI experiments are carried outwith 1,5-diaminonaphtalene as matrix with basic character, negative ion spectra of good quality are obtained, with the detection of an high number of metabolites, so leading to a clear characterization of the different dietary supplements.


The reproductive performances of two lines of mice selected for high litter-weight at nine weeks of age and a control line were compared based on data obtained after 15 generations of breeding. Twenty pairs of parents were bred per generation in the control line and ten pairs in each of the selected lines: at each generation the parents were mated only once. Calculation of inbreeding coefficients from pedigrees indicated a rapid rise in inbreeding coefficient in the selected lines.
There was little response to selection for high litter-weight and in fact there was a general decline in
reproductive performance associated with high levels of inbreeding in the selected lines although the relationship
was not linear. Some initial response tn body weight gain was observed but even this trait showed a decline in
later generations when inbreeding coefficient exceeded 40%.


Knowledge of degradation pathways of catalyst/support ensembles aids the development of rational strategies to improve their stability. Here, this is exemplified using indium tin oxide (ITO)‐supported Platinum nanoparticles as electrocatalysts at fuel cell (FC) cathodes under degradation protocols to mimic operating conditions in two potential regimes. The evolution of crystal structure, composition, crystallite and particle size is tracked by in situ X‐ray techniques (small and wide angle scattering), metal dissolution by in situ scanning flow cell coupled with mass spectrometry (SFC ICP‐MS) and Pt surface morphology by advanced electron microscopy. In a regular FC operation regime, Pt poisoning rather than Pt particle growth, agglomeration, dissolution or detachment was found to be the likely origin of the observed degradation and ORR activity losses. In the start‐up regime degradation is actually suppressed and only minor losses in catalytic activity are observed. The presented data thus highlight the excellent nanoparticle stabilization and corrosion resistance of the ITO support, yet point to a degradation pathway involving Pt surface modifications by deposition of sub‐monolayers of support metal ions. The identified degradation pathway of the Pt/oxide catalyst/support couple contributes to our understanding of cathode electrocatalysts for polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFC).


We have been pursuing the integration of a state-based planner as the deliberative top layer of a three-tiered robot control architecture. The middle layer is implemented in the RAP system, while the bottom layer consists of a suite of reactive skills which can be configured by the RAPs system into Brooksian machines. Our target environment has been the ground control center of a space station command center. Our current system has been shown to provide a higher level of human supervision that preserves safety while allowing for task level direction, reaction to out-ofnorm parameters, and human intervention at all levels of control. For this workshop, we discuss the issues we have been addressing with regard to where the boundary lies between local reactive control and longrange deliberation. Such issues include whether the seat of control should be at the RAPs system or at the planner, interruption of the RAPs system by the planner due to priority changes, how much of the planner's instruction can be taken as guidance versus direction, and levels of human interaction between the planner and the RAPs system.


Four new species of Ostracoda belonging to the tribe Thalassocypridini are described from anchialine cave pools of the Loyalty Islands of New Caledonia: Dolerocypria iliffei n. sp., Paracypria uberis n. sp., Mungava woutersi n. sp., and Mungava xariessa n. sp. Detailed anatomical comparisons with 36 established species test the soundness of the emerging generic classification of thalassocypridines. Mangalocypria and Mungava are well-defined genera with exclusive, key diagnostic traits. Dolerocypria, Paracypria and Thalassocypria are somewhat less coherent. The essential qualities of Pontoparta and Parapontoparta remain elusive because of the heterogeneity of species referred to those nominal genera. Emended diagnoses are offered for the tribe Thalassocypridini and for the genera Dolerocypria, Paracypria, and Mungava.


Chemical peeling may be defined as the therapies, procedures and techniques used for the treatment of certain cutaneous diseases or conditions, and for aesthetic improvement. The procedures include the application of one or more chemical agents to the skin. Chemical peeling has been very popular in both medical and aesthetic fields. Because neither its scientific background is well understood nor a systematic approach established, medical and social problems have taken place. This prompted us to establish and distribute a standard guideline of care for chemical peeling. Previous guidelines such as the 2001 and 2004 versions included minimum standards of care such as indications, chemicals, applications, and any associated precautions, including post‐peeling care. The principles in this updated version of chemical peeling are as follows: (i) chemical peeling should be performed under the strict technical control and responsibility of a physician; (ii) the physician should have sufficient knowledge of the structure and physiology of the skin and subcutaneous tissues, and understand the mechanisms of wound‐healing induced by chemical peeling; (iii) the physician should be board‐certified in an appropriate specialty such as dermatology; and (iv) the ultimate judgment regarding the appropriateness of any specific chemical peeling procedure must be made by the physician while considering all standard therapeutic protocols, which should be presented to each individual patient. Keeping these concepts in mind, this new version of the guidelines includes a more scientific and detailed approach from the viewpoint of evidence‐based medicine.


In the well-known distributed target-SIR tracking power control algorithm, when the target-SIR requirements are not reachable for all users (due to heavy load and/or deep fading), some users transmit at maximum power without reaching their target SIR. Such users inefficiently consume their energies, and introduce unnecessary interference to others, which in turn results in more unnecessary non-supported users. To alleviate the situation, a minimal number of users have to be removed (the gradual removal problem). In this paper, we propose improvements to two algorithms that were shown to be the best of the existing distributed power control algorithms for the gradual removal problem, and demonstrate that the improved algorithms have smaller outage probabilities. In addition, we show that the convergence rate for one of our improved algorithms is substantially better than those of both original algorithms.


The macrocyclic antiviral drug xylyl-bicyclam blocks entry of HIV into cells by targeting the CXCR4 coreceptor, a seven-helix transmembrane G-protein-coupled receptor. Its affinity for CXCR4 is enhanced by binding to Cu2+, Ni2+, or Zn2+. Metallocyclams have a rich configurational chemistry and proteins may bind selectively to specific metallocyclam configurations. Our studies of lysozyme reveal structural details of protein-metallocyclam interactions that are important for receptor recognition. Solution NMR studies show that Cu-cyclam interacts with specific tryptophan residues of lysozyme (Trp-62, Trp-63, and Trp-123). Two major binding sites for both Cu-cyclam and Cu2-xylyl-bicyclam were detected by x-ray crystallography. In the first site, Cu2+ in one cyclam ring of Cu2-xylyl-bicyclam adopts a trans configuration and is coordinated to a carboxylate oxygen of Asp-101, whereas for Cu-cyclam two ring NH groups form H bonds to the carboxylate oxygens of Asp-101, stabilizing an unusual cis (folded) cyclam configuration. For both complexes in this site, a cyclam ring is sandwiched between the indole side chains of two tryptophan residues (Trp-62 and Trp-63). In the second site, a trans cyclam ring is stacked on Trp-123 and H bonded to the backbone carbonyl of Gly-117. We show that there is a pocket in a model of the human CXCR4 coreceptor in which trans and cis configurations of metallobicyclam can bind by direct metal coordination to carboxylate side chains, cyclam-NH...carboxylate H bonding, together with hydrophobic interactions with tryptophan residues. These studies provide a structural basis for the design of macrocycles that bind stereospecifically to G-coupled and other protein receptors.


This paper surveys the economic literature on the scaling-up of aid to Africa. It provides a checklist of issues that need to be considered when preparing a long term macroeconomic projection for a country involving the assumption of a significant increase in aid. Such scaling-up scenarios are most likely to be developed in the context of a country's efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) with the support of the international donor community. The paper stresses that when preparing a scaling-up scenario it is critical to have a detailed understanding of the likely use of additional aid flows.


Abstract The SAFRAN/Crocus/MÉPRA software is used to assess the climatology of the avalanche hazard and its sensitivity to climate change. A natural avalanche-hazard index based on MEPRA analysis is defined and validated against natural avalanche observations (triggered avalanches are not taken into account). A 15 year climatology then allows a comparison of avalanche hazard in the different French massifs. Finally a simple climate scenario (with a general increase of precipitation and temperature) shows that avalanche hazard may decrease slightly in winter (mainly February) and more significantly in May/June. The relative proportion of wet-snow avalanches increases.


In many countries, food safety crisis can negatively impact public welfare as well as political stability. In over the past tow years, three government agencies and major food companies in South Korea have implemented a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) project intended to explore and investigate the opportunities and challenges of RFID technology in the areas of instant food manufacture and supply management. This article reports on the successful practices and lessons learned of such project and antecedents of both enablers and inhibitors of acceptance and usage of the system through structured group interview. Among the findings are that item level tagging requires detailed and customized guidelines; standardized system development procedures among stakeholders is critical to the success of RFID implementation; information quality and information related system quality are more important than technical system quality in adopting the systems; factors that have been treated as enablers are identified as inhibitors in this context.


JPEG encoding is a common technique to compress images. However, since JPEG is a lossy compression certain artifacts may occur in the compressed image. These artifacts typically occur in high frequency or detailed areas of the image. This paper proposes an algorithm based on the SSIM metric to improve the experienced quality in JPEG encoded images. The algorithm improves the quality in detailed areas by up to 1.29 dB while reducing the quality in less detailed areas of the image, thereby increasing the overall experienced quality without increasing the image data size. Further, the algorithm can also be used to decrease the file size (by up to 43%) while preserving the experienced image quality. Finally, an efficient GPU implementation is presented.