Context: Technology is increasingly utilized in the delivery of athletic training education. Hand-held technology affords continued education outside the classroom. Purpose: To determine the effect of mobile technology on the acquisition of knowledge and practical skills in a university upper extremity evaluation course. Design and Setting: A cohort retrospective archival assessment in a university office environment of grades and performance on written and practical examinations in an upper extremity evaluation course. Participants: Sixty-four college age participants (male n=35, 54.69%, female n=29, 45.31%) previously enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate athletic training program who completed the upper extremity evaluation course between Spring 2009 and Spring 2012. Main Outcome Measures: Dependent variables included final written examination score, final oral practical examination score, and final grade. The independent variable was the technology-enriched instruction provided using the Flashcards Deluxe application available on Android, Apple iPod Touch, iPhone, or iPad devices. This application allows participants to study electronic flashcards with text, pictures, and sound on a mobile device. The control group did not receive the technology-enriched instruction. Results: A one-way between subjects ANOVA was conducted to compare the effect of technology on final written examination, final oral practical examination, and overall grade. There was a significant effect on the final written examination [F (1,63)= 11.621, p = .001,η²=.158]; however, oral practical examination [F(1,63)=0.348, p=.557,η²=.006] and overall grade [F(1,63)=0.695, p=.408,η²=.011] were not significant. Conclusion: Participants with technology-enriched instruction performed significantly better on their final written examination. Based on the findings, technology-enriched instruction improves a student's knowledge comprehension of orthopedic principles of evaluation. Student performance was improved on written examinations following the use of electronic flashcards. Based on the findings in this study, technology-enriched instruction improves a student's comprehension of upper extremity evaluation knowledge. It is reasonable to believe the use of flashcards would assist in student comprehension in other learning areas as well.


A light-weight boron-functionalized reduced graphene oxide (B-rGO) layer (only 0.2–0.3 mg cm−2) coated on a separator is demonstrated to improve the cycling stability and rate performance of lithium–sulfur batteries. Such an enhanced performance is ascribed to: (i) the boron species in B-rGO can enhance the binding with polysulfides, which helps suppress the shuttle reactions, thus alleviating overcharge and self-discharge; (ii) a certain amount of the boron doped into the graphene matrix can improve the electrical conductivity of the coating layer, thus enhancing the utilization of sulfur and improving the rate performance of the cells. With the B-rGO coated separator, the severe self-discharge of Li–S batteries can be alleviated. More importantly, for the high sulfur loading cathodes (above 4.5 mg cm−2), an improved high areal capacity of 4.71 mA h cm−2 can be achieved using the B-rGO coated separator. The above results demonstrate the potential of the B-rGO coated separator for practical lithium–sulfur batteries, and such a strategy can be extended to other energy storage systems.


People can learn a wide range of tasks from their own experience, but can also learn from observing other creatures. This can accelerate acquisition of new skills even when the observed agent differs substantially from the learning agent in terms of morphology. In this paper, we examine how reinforcement learning algorithms can transfer knowledge between morphologically different agents (e.g., different robots). We introduce a problem formulation where two agents are tasked with learning multiple skills by sharing information. Our method uses the skills that were learned by both agents to train invariant feature spaces that can then be used to transfer other skills from one agent to another. The process of learning these invariant feature spaces can be viewed as a kind of "analogy making", or implicit learning of partial correspondences between two distinct domains. We evaluate our transfer learning algorithm in two simulated robotic manipulation skills, and illustrate that we can transfer knowledge between simulated robotic arms with different numbers of links, as well as simulated arms with different actuation mechanisms, where one robot is torque-driven while the other is tendon-driven.


The Norwegian Atlantic Current (NwAC) through the Norwegian Sea serves as a conduit of warm and saline Atlantic water from the North Atlantic to the Arctic Ocean, an important factor for climate and ecology. In this study, we concentrate on how the North Atlantic wind stress curl (NAWSC) affects interannual variability on the major branch of the NwAC—the Norwegian Atlantic Slope Current (NwASC). Based on wind stress data from the NCEP reanalysis and estimated volume transport of the NwASC from current records during 1995–2003 in the Svinøy section (62°N), our analysis shows that the volume transport in the NwASC exhibits a maximum correlation of 0.88 with the zonally integrated NAWSC at 55°N 15 months earlier. Our findings reveal the NAWSC to be a major forcing for interannual variability of the NwASC in the range of 3.0‐ to 5.3 Sv (Sv = 106 m3 s−1). The 15 month time lag appears to be in accordance with a forced baroclinic Rossby wave in response to the local Ekman pumping changing the baroclinicity and strength of the North Atlantic Current (NAC). After being converted to a nearly barotropic shelf edge current along the Irish‐Scottish shelf through interaction with bottom topography, it appears as a barotropic response downstream in the Svinøy section. This result suggests the possibility of predicting conditions influenced by the NwASC more than a year in advance, using the NAWSC as a proxy.


Genetics has long been the field of athletic performance that has been forsaken, however with new advancements in testing ability and availability, certain genes have come to the forefront of physical ability, genes such as ACE and ACTN3 are known colloquially as the FIT genes. This analysis looked into 211 resistance training male Caucasians, the genes and SNPs that were analysed were AGT (rs699), ACTN3 (rs1815739), PPARA (rs4253778) and IGF2 (rs680). Certain gene alleles appear to be interlinked in this group, with certain variants being in higher numbers in this athlete group going against studies on mass population groups. The study suggests that when a favourable genetic profile is combined with correct training it can have an advantageous effect on the individual. However, these results are speculative until a larger group can be analysed, yet, this provides a very good window of opportunity for further analysis into these elusive FIT genes. The gene AGT (rs699) C allele appears to show a good correlation to power performance activity, possibly by increasing the activity of angiotensin II (a skeletal muscle growth factor), however there is a possible link with AGT, fat mass and power to weight ratio. The C allele in rs181739 and G allele in rs680 appear to positively influence back muscle strength performance, although the G allele in rs4253778 appears to have a negative influence upon muscle performance.


The purpose of this research was exploratory. It extends knowledge in the area of school exclusion by providing insight into the emotional experience of primary school teachers currently working with children at risk of exclusion. It utilises a psycho-social approach in order to explore the personal, social and relational factors involved in this experience and offers insights into unconscious processes.

Six mainstream primary school teachers from six different schools were interviewed using the Free Association Narrative Interview (FANI) (Hollway and Jefferson, 2000). Participants were asked to write or draw some of their initial thoughts in relation to working with a child at risk of exclusion and also provided relevant biographical information. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and then analysed using a Thematic Analysis to initially identify common themes, and then a psychoanalytic lens was applied to offer deeper insights into participants' emotional experiences.

Two main themes were identified from the data. These were "knowing versus not knowing" and "us versus them." These are explored in greater depth within the discussion and links are made to the theoretical insights of Bion (1962) and Klein (1946). A second level of analysis found that participants accounts showed evidence of investment in discourses that served a defensive function and greatly impacted on how they saw their role in working with children at risk of exclusion, and how they experienced their emotions in relation to this experience.
Implications for EP practice are offered and it is concluded that psychoanalytic theory offers a useful tool for EPs supporting teachers working with children at risk of exclusion.


The Western Cape Branch of the Nutrition Society of South Africa (NSSA) in partnership with the South African Medical Research Council (MRC) hosted a one-day Symposium on Nutrition and HIV / AIDS on 4th September 2008. This Symposium was held at the MRC Conference Centre in Parow, Cape Town and brought together scientists, nutritionists, dieticians, policy planners, students and other key role players. The overall aim was to forge dialogue aimed at advancing knowledge about the role of nutrition in AIDS-related disease progression and health promotion. Additionally, in the light of these updates, research questions were explored. The symposium was a huge success and received a good response with more than 60 delegates from academia, industry and the private sector.


Genetically modified (GM) crops may bring new proteins with immunogenic and allergenic properties into the food and feed chains. The most commonly grown GM maize, MON810, expresses a modified version of the insecticidal Cry1Ab protein originating in the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Immune reactions following inhalation of pollen and debris from such plants have been scarcely studied. We exposed BALB/c mice to purified Cry1Ab proteins and Cry1Ab-containing MON810 plant materials by intranasal installation. No anti-Cry1Ab antibodies were detected following exposure to the plant materials. Exposure to purified Cry1Ab resulted in specific anti-Cry1Ab IgG1 and IgE production, indicating inherent immunogenicity and allergenicity. Mice exposed to leaf extracts from both MON810 and unmodified maize demonstrated influx of lymphocytes and eosinophils in the broncho-alveolar lavage, and increased cytokine release in mediastinal lymph node cells. The results indicate that the airway exposure to Cry1Ab proteins may be a route of practical relevance.


The Alps are characterised by a plethora of little regions that all developed very different building styles before the advent of the Industrial Age. Nature, culture, and history all contributed to modifying them over time. However, industrialisation whittled away at the differences, and the new global market levelled local trading practises, eradicating the old way of doing business. It is undoubtedly true that through the eyes of the modern Enlightened man, the old customs seemed quaint, even whimsical. Yet the 1980s, saw a change in attitudes, our love affair with globalisation had begun to pall, and the local and regional acquired the sheen of the authentic and unique. This change, however, gave rise to two schools of thought: "multifunctional regionalism" which advocates self-sufficiency, while "mono-functional regionalism", a term coined by W. Bätzing, believes that a few well-placed financial manoeuvres are the solution to all ills. The former believe that culture, first and foremost, is essential to up-grading a region, together with a local economy powered by local resources, and the environment providing the context. Therefore any incentives would necessarily have to address all three jointly. Whereas, those in favour of a "mono-functional regionalism" see success purely in terms of bolstering the economy, which could be done using outside capital to back a few choice lighthouse projects. Neither culture nor environment feature in this scenario. Yet, the records since 1980 clearly show that "mono-functional regionalism" does not work. It has weakened the role of the region and undermined its economic and cultural heritage. It is basically "fake regionalism". It is undeniable that any development necessarily involves building projects, thus, surely, architecture must play a leading role. Architecture is well-placed to make major contributions to any debate on multifunctional regionalism. It can potentially impact on the environment positively, while drawing on local tradition, culture and history, thus giving rise to new regional architecture.


We report on an optical parametric amplification system which is pumped and seeded by fiber generated laser radiation. Due to its low broadening threshold, high spatial beam quality and high stability, the fiber based broad bandwidth signal generation is a promising alternative to white light generation in bulky glass or sapphire plates. We demonstrate a novel and successful signal engineering implemented in a setup for parametric amplification and subsequent recompression of resonant linear waves resulting from soliton fission in a highly nonlinear photonic crystal fiber. The applied pump source is a high repetition rate ytterbium-doped fiber chirped pulse amplification system. The presented approach results in the generation of ~50 fs pulses at MHz repetition rate. The potential of generating even shorter pulse duration and higher pulse energies will be discussed.


Purpose: Physiological ageing affects function of the evolved human larynx with respect to both speech communication and swallowing. Those decrease the quality of life in human being. For the latter, it increases the tendency for aspiration. This will increasingly become a problem as lifespan increases and a growing number of people suffer from physiological ageing. Here I suggest a simple solution for such ageing problems.
Methods: Based on my previous research (National Hospital Organization Japan program, Randomized control trial) and clinical experiment.
Results: As a substitute for laryngeal elevation, we recommend that people draw in the jaw during the act of swallowing. A vocal exercise therapy allowed vocal cords to adduct and improved glottal closure insufficiency.
Conclusion: "Just keep communicate to speak in old age", which prevent the vocal fold and the intrinsic laryngeal muscles atrophy for the volume and adduction of vocal folds movement for the satisfactory glottal closure.


MECHANISMS OF SENSORIMOTOR IMPAIRMENT IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS Matthew Chua, B.S. Marquette University, 2013 Sensorimotor impairments in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) might alter coordination and balance strategy during functional movements. People with MS often have symptoms such as weakness and discoordination in the lower limbs, resulting in poor walking and balance function. This decrease in function can result in falls, decreased community activity, unemployment, and reduced quality of life. As MS is a progressive disease resulting in a range of dysfunction, the amount of lower limb impairment can cause changes to walking and balance strategies to maintain functional performance. The overall objective of this dissertation was to quantify the impairment at the hip and ankle, and characterize the effects of impairment on walking and balance in MS. To quantify the lower limb impairment, a custom-built robot was used to impose movement to the legs about the hip and ankle joint separately. Joint torque and work done were used as quantitative measures of strength during isometric contraction and coordination during subject assisted leg movements in MS and healthy control subjects. To characterize the effect of impairment on functional movements, motion analysis was used to record kinematic and kinetic parameters during overground walking and during a challenging arm tracking task in standing. Hip and ankle sagittal moments were used to quantify the contribution of each joint to functional movement. The findings from these studies suggest that there is a greater sensorimotor impairment at the ankle than the hip in MS, resulting in a reduced reliance on the ankle during walking and an increased hip versus ankle strategy during upper body movements. This was observed by increased negative work at the ankle during assisted bilateral leg movements, reduced ankle moments during stance in gait, and increased hip versus ankle contribution during arm tracking movements in standing. These results indicate that differential impairment between the hip and ankle can drive changes to walking and balance strategy to maintain functional performance, highlighting the importance of joint specific rehabilitation methods in improving function in MS.


The Level 6 Biff, Chip and Kipper Stories, written by Roderick Hunt and illustrated by Alex Brychta, provide a rich story context to help develop language comprehension and decoding skills. Stories, More Stories A and More Stories B involve familiar situations and a variety of fantasy settings through the magic key adventures. Books contain inside cover notes to support children in their reading. Help with childrens reading development is also available at www.oxfordowl.co.uk.


To support an antitrust damages claim a private litigant will seek to rely on documents that are not in his possession. In the absence of any specific EU rules on disclosure, however, a private litigant established in one Member State may be disfavoured as compared to a private litigant established in another. In seeking to establish a common approach to document disclosure, the EU institutions recently agreed upon the Damages Directive. At its core, the Damages Directive provides that national courts should, as a matter of principle, be able to order the disclosure of evidence, whether in the hands of the defendant or claimant, or included in the file of a competition authority. With respect to the latter, in particular, national rules implementing the Damages Directive must ensure that leniency statements and settlement submissions are never disclosed. It would seem that the Pfleiderer case law is no longer applicable to these two categories of documents, but continues to be applicable in other areas. The Damages Directive does not answer all the questions that will come before a judge faced with a request for disclosure, but marks a significant step towards facilitating the bringing of antitrust damages actions in the EU.


The last several decades of health law and policy have been built on a foundation of economic theory. This theory supported the proliferation of market-based policies that promised maximum efficiency and minimal bureaucracy. Neither of these promises has been realized. A mounting body of empirical research discussed in this Article makes clear that leading market-based health care policies are not efficient—they fail to capture what people want. People struggle when making choices, and they often choose poorly. Even more, this Article describes how the failed struggle to bolster these policies—through constant regulatory, technocratic tinkering that aims to improve the market and the decisionmaking of consumers in it—has produced a massive market bureaucracy.

To illustrate the growth of the market bureaucracy, this Article traces the origin and development of several market-based theories that have been central to the modern era of health policy and law. The first, called managed competition, looks to consumerism in insurance markets and contends that people will choose wisely among health plan options, and their choices will drive higher value health care. The second, sometimes called consumer-driven health care, relies on consumerism when using medical care. The notion is that when people are subject to a share of the costs, they will more selectively choose when and where to use medical care and will avoid low-value products or services. The final example considers the application of antitrust to health care mergers, ostensibly to create a competitive field on which consumerism can flourish.

This Article shows that, in application, these ideas have not, nor will ever, deliver as imagined in a world that deviates irreconcilably from theory. Nonetheless, these ideas continue to spawn a vast web of health law and regulation in their support. The cost of this market bureaucracy includes the scaffolding to hold up an ineffective market-based structure and, more importantly, the opportunity cost of foregone alternatives to solve important health care system challenges.

Health care's market bureaucracy endures in light of repeated failure in part, as others have discussed, due to politics and political economy. Yet, this Article suggests that it persists equally because of its role in the sanctification of values of individualism and choice. Choice seems especially appealing when it comes to decisions about our health. We want to believe we are in control. Yet, choice as translated into market-based policies has proven empty. Understanding that markets do not actually enhance meaningful choice—and are as bureaucratic as any other approach—can clear the way to ask how to design better health law and policy.


This study investigates how ideological extremism is portrayed in online and offline communications by using the case of South Korea. We evaluate whether any forms of ideological biases are observed among Twitter users in Korea. We also examine how users are ideologically distinguished from one another in terms of their online political behavior. While most of the existing literature has relied heavily on survey data, we address these questions by means of both survey data analysis and Twitter data analysis using 13,500 tweets during the 2012 Korean presidential election. We find that 1. Twitter users tend to hold more extreme attitudes compared to non-users and the general population in Korea; 2. There are more progressive tweets than conservative ones in Korea; 3. Korean Twitter users differ from each other in terms of their online behavior according to their partisan and ideological preferences.


In software project development the monitoring and control stage perform the crucial role in project development success or failure. Project monitoring collects information of project development against the plan if a deviation occurs the appropriate corrective action is performed. There are different models, tools are used to monitor and control the project development. This paper discusses these models and tools with their limitations and also further research directions.


Abstract This article investigates the ability of mental incapacity tests to account for problems of control, through a study of the approach to alcohol dependence and a comparison with the approach to anorexia nervosa, in England and Wales. The focus is on two areas of law where questions of legal and mental capacity arise for people who are alcohol dependent: decisions about treatment for alcohol dependence and diminished responsibility for a killing. The mental incapacity tests used in these legal contexts are importantly different—one involves a 'cognitive' test, while the other includes an explicit impaired-control limb—and the comparison provides insight into a longstanding debate about the virtues of one type of test over the other. It is shown that both kinds of test can take control problems into account, but also that both can be interpreted in narrow and wide ways that significantly influence the outcome of the assessment. It is therefore argued that to a large extent, it is not the kind of mental incapacity test that matters, but how the test is interpreted. It is further proposed that value judgements are playing an unrecognised and inappropriate role in shaping this interpretation. This raises concerns about the current approach to assessing the impact of alcohol dependency on the capacity to make decisions about alcohol use or treatment, as well as broader concerns about flexibility within incapacity tests.


The rapidly growing structure databases enhance the probability of finding identical sequences sharing structural similarity. Structure prediction methods are being used extensively to abridge the gap between known protein sequences and the solved structures which is essential to understand its specific biochemical and cellular functions. In this work, we plan to study the ambiguity between sequence-structure relationships and examine if sequentially identical peptide fragments adopt similar three-dimensional structures. Fragments of varying lengths (five to ten residues) were used to observe the behavior of sequence and its three-dimensional structures. The STAMP program was used to superpose the three-dimensional structures and the two parameters (Sequence Structure Similarity Score (Sc) and Root Mean Square Deviation value) were employed to classify them into three categories: similar, intermediate and dissimilar structures. Furthermore, the same approach was carried out on all the three-dimensional protein structures solved in the two organisms, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Plasmodium falciparum to validate our results.


Abstract. This review article shows that the occurrence of macroscopic flow configuration is a universal natural phenomenon that can be explained and predicted on the basis of a principle of physics (the constructal law): "For a flow system to persist in time (to survive) it must evolve in such a way that it provides easier and easier access to the currents that flow through it". The examples given in this article come from natural inanimate flow systems with configuration: duct cross-sections, open channel cross-sections, tree-shaped flow architectures, and turbulent flow structure (e.g., eddies, laminar lengths before transition). Other examples that are treated in the literature, and which support the constructal law, are the wedge-shape of turbulent shear layers, jets and plumes, the frequency of vortex shedding, Benard convection in fluids and fluid-saturated porous media, dendritic solidification, the coalescence of solid parcels suspended in a flow, global atmospheric and oceanic circulation and climate, and virtually all architectural features of animal design. The constructal law stresses the importance of reserving a place for pure theory in research, and for constantly searching for new physics – new summarizing principles that are general, hence useful.


In this poster, the author provides a pictorial demonstration of the elements associated with assessment and its relationship to the newly developed requirements by accrediting agencies in various countries. The presentation will provide insights on the meaning of accreditation and describes some of the new dynamics in worldwide accreditation. Assurance of educational quality encompasses assessment, often measured against established criteria. The poster describes forms of assessment and the difference between formal and informal assessment. It also provides definitions and examples of program mission, program goals, and program outcomes. It shows the difference between direct and indirect assessment and provides examples of embedded assessment, performance indicators, and the use of rubrics. The poster highlights the interaction of all these assessment characteristics.


Popular cryptocurrencies continue to face serious scalability issues due to their ever-growing blockchains. Thus, modern blockchain designs began to prune old blocks and rely on recent snapshots for their bootstrapping processes instead. Unfortunately, established systems are often considered incapable of adopting these improvements. In this work, we present CoinPrune, our block-pruning scheme with full Bitcoin compatibility, to revise this popular belief. CoinPrune bootstraps joining nodes via snapshots that are periodically created from Bitcoin's set of unspent transaction outputs (UTXO set). Our scheme establishes trust in these snapshots by relying on CoinPrunesupporting miners to mutually reaffirm a snapshot's correctness on the blockchain. This way, snapshots remain trustworthy even if adversaries attempt to tamper with them. Our scheme maintains its retrospective deployability by relying on positive feedback only, i.e., blocks containing invalid reaffirmations are not rejected, but invalid reaffirmations are outpaced by the benign ones created by an honest majority among CoinPrunesupporting miners. Already today, CoinPrune reduces the storage requirements for Bitcoin nodes by two orders of magnitude, as joining nodes need to fetch and process only 6 GiB instead of 271 GiB of data in our evaluation, reducing the synchronization time of powerful devices from currently 7 h to 51 min, with even larger potential drops for less powerful devices. CoinPrune is further aware of higher-level application data, i.e., it conserves otherwise pruned application data and allows nodes to obfuscate objectionable and potentially illegal blockchain content from their UTXO set and the snapshots they distribute.


The development of statistical systems facilitates development. Such development is usually associated with the rise in statistical capacity, a concept on which there is still no consensus. This paper explores a theoretical approach to statistical capacity from the conceptual standpoint of state capacity and methods proposed recently in the literature to measure it. In the proposed theoretical approach, the paper proposes a transmission mechanism that goes from statistical capacity to strengthening the capacity of the state, and vice versa. The paper further discusses political-economy factors that may influence the strengthening or weakening of statistical capacity.


The Development and Regulation of Nonbank Financial Institutions, by Jeffrey Carmichael and Michael Pomerleano, March 2002, World Bank How important are nonbank financial institutions to the success of emerging economies? What role does regulation of these institutions play to ensure this success? These and other questions are addressed by Carmichael and Pomerleano in The Development and Regulation of Nonbank Financial Institutions published by The World Bank. The work is a fascinating journey through the intricate web of nonbank financial institution regulation, its origins and evolution, and how regulation has influenced the development of financial market networks in countries striving for economic development. The main theme of the book is the relationship between financial development and economic advancement in countries where The World Bank is most active and the role of nonbank financial institutions in meeting this goal. Using appropriate quantitative and qualitative information to support this idea, Carmichael and Pomerleano write convincingly about the positive influence of nonbank financial institutions in these developing economies. Although this reviewer needs no convincing that efficient financial markets and institutions are at the heart of a country's economic health, Carmichael and Pomerleano provide sufficient documentation of the positive influence of nonbank financial institutions that would sway the opinion of even the most severe skeptic. The major audience is those who create and design financial policy but finance professors, graduate students, and legislators would benefit from reading the work. Early chapters provide an overview of the nature of nonbank financial institutions and principles of regulation, which helps a novice understand the rationale and characteristics of various financial institutions and the structure of their regulatory systems. The book's subsequent chapters thoroughly describe market characteristics of insurance companies, savings institutions, securities firms, and specialized firms such as leasing companies and real estate. Sophisticated readers may find themselves using the information to begin thinking about alternative regulatory schemes for domestic markets. This line of thought is motivated by the authors' discussion of how efficient (or inefficient) regulatory structures are currently. The structure and content of the work gives all readers a greater appreciation for the importance of sound financial markets for economic growth. Discussion of the significance of strong capital markets to economic stability emphasizes how fortunate we are in the United States. It is safe to say that we take our financial system for granted and may balk at the need for regulatory oversight. However, as one considers the economic difficulties of countries that do not have well functioning capital markets and regulatory structures, the benefits become apparent. >From the standpoint of someone who teaches about financial institutions, this book brings together information on the regulatory schemes that greatly affect the operations of financial institutions, both domestically and internationally. …


This research investigated somatic cell count (SCC) records during lactation, with the purpose of identifying distribution characteristics (mean and measures of variation) that were most closely associated with clinical mastitis. Three separate data sets were used, one containing quarter SCC (n = 1444) and two containing cow SCC (n = 933 and 11,825). Clinical mastitis was defined as a binary outcome, present or absent, for each lactation, and SCC were log (base 10) transformed. A generalized linear mixed model within a Bayesian framework was used for analysis. Parameters were estimated using Markov Chain Monte Carlo with Gibbs sampling. Results from the 3 data sets were similar. Increased maximum and standard deviation log SCC during lactation, rather than increased geometric mean, were the best overall indicators of clinical mastitis. Distributions of SCC were also investigated separately for different mastitis pathogens. Increased maximum log SCC was associated with clinical mastitis caused by all pathogen types. Increased standard deviation log SCC was associated with Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus uberis clinical mastitis and increased coefficient of variation log SCC (standard deviation divided by mean) was associated with Escherichia coli clinical mastitis. Increased geometric mean lactation SCC was associated with an increased risk of Staph. aureus clinical mastitis but a reduced risk of E. coli clinical mastitis. Our results suggest that using measures of variation and maximum cow SCC would enhance the accuracy of predicting clinical mastitis, compared with geometric mean SCC, and therefore improve genetic programs that aim to select for clinical mastitis resistance. The results are also consistent with low SCC increasing susceptibility to some mastitis pathogens.


The eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH) is a successful theory that provides sufficient criteria for ergodicity in quantum many-body systems. Most studies were carried out for Hamiltonians relevant for ultracold quantum gases and single-component systems of spins, fermions, or bosons. The paradigmatic example for thermalization in solid-state physics are phonons serving as a bath for electrons. This situation is often viewed from an open-quantum system perspective. Here, we ask whether a minimal microscopic model for electron-phonon coupling is quantum chaotic and whether it obeys ETH, if viewed as a closed quantum system. Using exact diagonalization, we address this question in the framework of the Holstein-polaron model. Even though the model describes only a single itinerant electron, whose coupling to dispersionless phonons is the only integrability-breaking term, we find that the spectral statistics and the structure of Hamiltonian eigenstates exhibit essential properties of the corresponding random-matrix ensemble. Moreover, we verify the ETH ansatz both for diagonal and offdiagonal matrix elements of typical phonon and electron observables, and show that the ratio of their variances equals the value predicted from random-matrix theory.


Abstract This article explores the changing landscape of early pediatric powered mobility. We specifically focus on key indicators that suggest pediatric powered mobility technology (PMT) practice for very young children is poised for a radical paradigm shift. This shift will challenge the current purview of PMT design and function, how it is obtained, and its introduction to children and their families. We propose that this positive, yet radical shift is essential in achieving a standard of practice in which PMT provides for early exploration and participation for children with disabilities at an age concomitant with their non-disabled peers, and within socially inclusive environments. To sustain this new standard, we must acknowledge the significant disconnect that currently exists between clinical research supporting the use of PMT with very young children, and barriers to widespread device access, effective user-driven design and positive social perception of PMT. In this article, we discuss three areas that are particularly important for both shift and sustained change: the history and current availability of novel and conventional PMT devices, pediatric PMT policies and the role of children and families as primary stakeholders in PMT practices. Within each area, we suggest barriers, facilitators and future directions. Implications for Rehabilitation The time is right for reframing how powered mobility technology for very young children is conceived, designed, and implemented. In order for multiple innovative devices to survive in the powered mobility industry, it is important to continue to show the benefits of early powered mobility use for both traditional and non-traditional users, and also enact and enforce policy that promotes sustainable access and financial support for powered mobility technology. The experiences of children and families and the realities of everyday use of powered mobility technology must be brought to the forefront of a movement toward user-centered design. Advocacy efforts undertaken in partnership with families, clinicians, researchers, and disability communities are essential in recognizing mobility, and access to early powered mobility technology, as a human right.


Species are not independent points for comparative analyses because closely related species share more evolutionary history and are therefore more similar to each other than distantly related species. The extent to which independent–contrast analysis reduces type I and type II statistical error in comparison with cross–species analysis depends on the relative branch lengths in the phylogenetic tree: as deeper branches get relatively long, cross–species analyses have more statistical type I and type II error. Phylogenetic trees reconstructed from extant species, under the assumptions of a branching process with speciation (branching) and extinction rates remaining constant through time, will have relatively longer deep branches as the extinction rate increases relative to the speciation rate. We compare the statistical performance of cross–species and independent–contrast analyses with varying relative extinction rates, and conclude that cross–species comparisons have unacceptable statistical performance, particularly when extinction rates are relatively high.


With current concerns about climate change and the general status of the environment, there is an increasing expectation that products have sustainability credentials, and that these can be verified. Labelling is a common method of communicating certain product attributes to consumers that may influence their choices. There are different types of labels with several functions. The aim of this study was to investigate consumers", attitudes, knowledge and preferences towards certain sustainability claims on food products across countries; particularly attitudes towards the display of the reduction of carbon emissions were examined in this research. A web-based consumer survey undertaken in the United Kingdom and Japan showed similarities between consumers in the UK and Japan regarding desired label claims of environmental product information. Differences across these countries were observed in terms of the knowledge about certain environmental and social issues such as carbon footprint and sustainability. This information on consumers" attitudes will assist industries and firms to identify market opportunities, in particular assessing the methods by which carbon footprinting measures can be incorporated alongside information on other sustainability criteria in product ma


Abstract The Mississippi Embayment overlies the New Madrid seismic zone in the central United States and consists of a thick succession of unconsolidated sediments that covers the Paleozoic basement rock. The high‐velocity contrast at the basement–sediment interface and the near‐vertical ray paths of teleseismic P ‐waves generate very large P to S conversions on the radial component and large P reverberations on the vertical component. This characteristic of P ‐wave propagation is used to study P ‐ and S ‐wave resonance in the sedimentary layer. Horizontal‐to‐vertical (H/V) and vertical‐to‐horizontal (V/H) power spectral ratios are calculated for a time window around the teleseismic P ‐wave arrivals at broadband stations of the USArray Transportable Array, Northern Embayment Lithosphere Experiment, and the New Madrid Cooperative Seismic Network in the embayment. Using a map of sediment thickness, we developed models for average P ‐ and S ‐wave velocity‐versus‐sediment thickness. The resulting shear‐wave velocity model matches very well with the model obtained from an H/V ambient noise study in the region. The shear‐wave velocity model shows low velocity near the edges of the embayment with average velocities increasing with increasing sediment thickness, consistent with increased sediment compaction. Fundamental resonance frequency for S waves ranges from 0.2 to 0.4 Hz for the embayment sediments. Electronic Supplement: Two figures showing the synthetic test results and a table that includes peak resonance frequency and average V P and V S .


Sparse matrix problems require a communication paradigm different from those used in conventional distributed-memory multiprocessors. We present in this paper how fine-grain communication can help obtain high performance in the experimental distributed-memory multiprocessor, EM-X, developed at ETL, which can handle fine-grain communication very efficiently. The sparse matrix kernel, Conjugate Gradient, is selected for the experiments. Among the steps in CG is the sparse matrix vector multiplications we focus on in the study. Some communication methods are developed for performance comparison, including coarse-grain and fine-grain implementations. Fine-grain communication allows exact data access in an unstructured problem to reduce the amount of communication. While CG presents bottlenecks in terms of a large number of fine-grain remote reads, the multithreaded principles of execution is so designed to tolerate such latency. Experimental results indicate that the performance of fine-grain read implementation is comparable to that of coarse-grain implementation on 64 processors. The results demonstrate that fine-grain communication can be a viable and efficient approach to unstructured sparse matrix problems on large-scale distributed-memory multiprocessors.


Ontario peaches and nectarines and Quebec's ice cider have gained an international reputation for their value and quality. What connections might product-place relationships have on the food industry in Canada? Canada's new legislation to protect GIs creates new opportunities and challenges for those seeking to develop and commercialize local and indigenous agricultural and food-based products in domestic and global markets. These changes were brought about by Canada's ratification of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and the European Union, in which a high point of the agreement was the expansion of GI rights to certain types of agricultural and foodbased products. To this end, the Trade-marks Act1 was amended to include the protection of GIs for these agricultural and food-based products. This policy brief addresses GIs in a domestic context and examines what it will take to move the dialogue from an abstract to a more practical focus on how GIs can be successful IP forms in Canada. Although amendments to the Trademarks Act allow agricultural and food-based GIs to be registered in Canada, a full understanding of GIs as drivers of economic growth is lacking.


The capacity of Al3+ to promote oxidative damage to brain membranes was investigated both in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, Al3+ and related metals (Sc3+, Ga3+, In3+, Be2+, Y3+, and La3+) stimulated Fe2+-initiated lipid and protein oxidation in brain myelin and synaptic membranes. Al3+, Sc3+, Y3+, and La3+ significantly promoted protein-associated carbonyl production in myelin, while in synaptic membranes, the stimulatory effect was observed in the presence of Ga3+, In3+, Y3+, Sc3+, and La3+. In myelin the magnitude of the stimulation of lipid oxidation followed the order Sc3+, Y3+, La3+ > Al3+, Ga3+, In3+ > Be2+. When compared to mitochondria and microsomal and synaptic membranes, myelin showed a marked susceptibility to Al3+-mediated lipid peroxidation. The differential susceptibility of myelin compared to synaptic membranes could not be explained by differences in membrane composition, since the relative content of negatively charged phospholipids (binding sites) was similar for both membranes, and myelin had a lower content of poly-unsaturated fatty acids (substrates of lipid oxidation) and a higher concentration of alpha-tocopherol compared to synaptic membranes. In a model of Al3+ intoxication imposed to mice during pregnancy and early development, a 72% higher content of lipid peroxidation products was found in brain myelin. The fluidity of myelin evaluated by the polarization fluorescence of 1,3-diphenylhexatriene was significantly higher in the Al3+-intoxicated mice than in controls. Since myelin has a high relative content of lipid:protein compared to other membranes, these results support our hypothesis that ions without redox capacity can stimulate in vitro and in vivo lipid oxidation by promoting phase separation and membrane rigidification, thus accelerating lipid oxidation.


Title of Dissertation: PHYLOGENOMIC AND STRUCTURAL ANALYSES OF VIBRIO CHOLERAE POPULATIONS AND ENDEMIC CHOLERA Young-Gun Zo, Doctor of Philosophy, 2005 Dissertation directed by: Professor Rita R. Colwell Marine Estuarine Environmental Sciences University of Maryland, College Park Cholera is a serious public health problem because of the high burden of morbidity. Recurrent pandemic cholera is sustained by an endemic epicenter in the Bay of Bengal region but the mechanism of endemism is not clearly understood. Recent information showing that the dynamics and seasonality of endemic cholera are linked with environmental parameters led to the hypothesis that the population dynamics of V. cholerae, the causative agent of cholera indigenous in natural aquatic environments, is the link causing variation in endemic cholera. To substantiate this hypothesis, the structure and dynamics of V. cholerae populations in the aquatic environments were investigated, employing three approaches. First, the phylogeny of the family Vibrionaceae was analyzed to determine the phylogenetic boundary of V. cholerae. Phylogeny analysis using comparative genomics revealed that the species, V. cholerae, is a direct descendant of a common ancestor of the genus, with at least 25% of its genome subject to horizontal gene transfer from other vibrios. The second approach was analysis of the population structure of V. cholerae using genomic fingerprinting, with the conclusion that there is a multilayered clonality and paraphyla within the species, with a subvar branch, V. mimicus. It was also concluded that all of the epidemic lineages of V. cholerae are highly clonal, forming a tight phylogenetic compartment. The nonpathogenic clones were found to be highly diverse and some showed significant association with fluctuations observed in the potential-host crustacean zooplankton compositions. Finally, analyses of both the dynamics and compartmentalization of V. cholerae populations during endemic cholera outbreaks yielded a compartmentalized understanding of the mechanism of endemic cholera, namely that there are bodies of water in a cholera endemic area that serve as a reservoir of the bacterium and, therefore, a point source for the seasonal spread of cholera bacteria. The nature of a universal seasonal forcing that repeats the spread of the cholera bacterium from the point source each cholera season is not clear. Further study is recommended to identify those factors that determine both the point source reservoir and the mode of transportation resulting in spread of contaminated water from the reservoir. PHYLOGENOMIC AND STRUCTURAL ANALYSES OF VIBRIO CHOLERAE POPULATIONS AND ENDEMIC CHOLERA


The problems of channel estimation and multiuser detection for direct sequence code division multiple access (DS/CDMA) systems employing long spreading codes are considered. With regard to channel estimation, several procedures are proposed based on the least-squares approach, relying on the transmission of known training symbols but not requiring any timing synchronization. In particular, algorithms suited for the forward and reverse links of a single-rate DS/CDMA cellular system are developed, and the case of a multirate/multicode system, wherein high-rate users are split into multiple virtual low-rate users, is also considered. All of the proposed procedures are recursively implementable with a computational complexity that is quadratic in the processing gain, with regard to the issue of multiuser detection, an adaptive serial interference cancellation (SIC) receiver is considered, where the adaptivity stems from the fact that it is built upon the channel estimates provided by the estimation algorithm. Simulation results show that coupling the proposed estimation algorithms with a SIC receiver may yield, with a much lower computational complexity, performance levels close to those of the ideal linear minimum mean square error (MMSE) receiver, which assumes perfect knowledge of the channels for all of the users and which (in a long-code scenario) has a computational complexity per symbol interval proportional to the third power of the processing gain.


1. Previous studies have suggested that glucagon in supraphysiological doses may mediate postprandial and hypoglycaemia-induced splanchnic vasodilatation in man and experimental animals. There are no reported studies investigating the role of glucagon in doses producing circulating concentrations within the physiological range. 2. Two separate studies were performed. In study 1, superior mesenteric artery blood flow was measured by Doppler ultrasound in six normal subjects during either saline or glucagon infusion at 1, 3 and 6 ng min-1kg-1, which resulted in circulating glucagon levels within the physiological range. Mean superior mesenteric artery blood flow fell during the 3 and 6 ng min-1kg-1 glucagon infusions (3 ng min-1kg-1: -31.8%, range -20 to -56% of baseline; 6 ng min-1kg-1: -20.7%, range -8 to -53% of baseline; P < 0.05). 3. In study 2, superior mesenteric artery blood flow was measured during hypoglycaemia induced by an insulin infusion in 12 normal subjects. In six of these subjects the effect of suppression of glucagon release during hypoglycaemia was assessed by pretreatment with the somatostatin analogue octreotide (0.8 microgram/kg subcutaneously) given 30 min before the insulin infusion. 4. The nadir in blood glucose concentration at the hypoglycaemic reaction was similar in both groups and glucose recovery was complete by 60 min after the hypoglycaemic reaction. Plasma catecholamine concentrations rose in both groups after the hypoglycaemic reaction. 5. Superior mesenteric artery blood flow rose at the hypoglycaemic reaction in both groups despite suppression of glucagon release with octreotide.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Abstract Neem (Azadirachta indica) belongs to Meliaceae family, represented mainly by trees, and widely cultivated and adapted in many tropical regions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of increasing doses of neem seed oil (NSO) on ruminal methane (CH4) formation, diet degradability, and fermentation characteristics after 24 h of in vitro incubation. Treatments were randomly designed to four doses of NSO supplemented to the basal diet (0, 20, 40, or 60 ml/kg DM). Increasing NSO dose resulted in a quadratic decrease (P < 0.05) in net gas (expressed as ml/g DM and ml/g TDOM) and CH4 (expressed as ml/g TDNDF) production, while CH4 (expressed as ml/g TDOM), acetate and propionate proportions decreased linearly confirming a dose-related effect. A quadratic increase in TDOM and linear increase (P = 0.023) in DNDF, NH3-N concentrations, and total protozoal counts were observed. However, a linear increase (P = 0.009) was found in the ruminal butyrate proportion and partitioning factor as dietary NSO supplementation increased. In conclusion, dietary NSO supplementation mediated some desirable fermentation patterns, reducing ruminal NH3-N concentration and CH4 production with some adverse effects on fiber degradability. However, practical research under long-term conditions is required for further investigation.


Crenarchaeal genomes are organized into a compact nucleoid by a set of small chromatin proteins. Although there is little knowledge of chromatin structure in Archaea, similarities between crenarchaeal and bacterial chromatin proteins suggest that organization and regulation could be achieved by similar mechanisms. In the present review, we describe the molecular properties of crenarchaeal chromatin proteins and discuss the possible role of these architectural proteins in organizing the crenarchaeal chromatin and in gene regulation.


There are few areas of constitutional law that raise scholars' ire and trouble jurists like the Fourth Amendment's third-party doctrine. Making sense of the Court's distinctions between content and metadata and between personal communications and business records was already difficult with physical documents and analog technologies. But the proliferation of digital technologies has rendered obsolete the factual predicates underpinning those distinctions, and courts have struggled mightily with adapting third-party rules forged over thirty years ago to new technologies.
At the same time, the Supreme Court has become more explicit in fashioning distinct Fourth Amendment rules for digital technologies. In a trio of twenty-first-century decisions, the Court has made clear — often by overwhelming votes — that the old rules no longer suffice.
These two strains of Fourth Amendment law are on a collision course — a collision scheduled for the Court's October 2017 Term. In June 2017, the Court granted certiorari in Carpenter v. United States, and the question presented is whether the government needs a probable cause warrant to obtain voluminous records about a cell phone's location — data termed cell site location information (CSLI) — from a wireless provider.
In this article, we first review the Court's twenty-first-century digital Fourth Amendment jurisprudence to tease out the Court's differential treatment of digital technologies. We then turn to the existing third-party doctrine and attempt to make sense of the doctrine's distinctions between content and metadata and between personal communications and business records. We examine how our understanding of the existing doctrine applies to digital information like the CSLI at issue in Carpenter. We conclude by reviewing some types of sensitive digital information that potentially lack Fourth Amendment protection under current doctrine.


Networked computing presents opportunities for innovation in geoscience instruction. Many institutions are hybridizing their introductory courses or offering them completely online. However, a key challenge in the geosciences is that of adapting laboratory classes to the online environment, particularly with regard to teaching mineral and rock specimen identification. This contribution discusses the design and implementation of an online introductory geology laboratory at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, including curriculum, materials, assessments, and delivery of instruction. Results are presented from a pilot study comparing student outcomes of both an online section and a traditional, face-to-face (F2F) section. No significant differences in assessment outcomes were found between a face-to-face control group and an online experimental group. Recommendations are presented for instructors and institutions that may be considering online laboratory instruction.


This study aims to analyze and explore criminal recidivism with different modeling strategies: one based on an explanation of the phenomenon and another based on a prediction task. We compared three common statistical approaches for modeling recidivism: the logistic regression model, the Cox regression model, and the cure rate model. The parameters of these models were estimated from a Bayesian point of view. Additionally, for prediction purposes, we compared the Cox proportional model, a random survival forest, and a deep neural network. To conduct this study, we used a real dataset that corresponds to a cohort of individuals which consisted of men convicted of sexual crimes against women in 1973 in England and Wales. The results show that the logistic regression model tends to give more precise estimations of the probabilities of recidivism both globally and with the subgroups considered, but at the expense of running a model for each moment of the time that is of interest. The cure rate model with a relatively simple distribution, such as Weibull, provides acceptable estimations, and these tend to be better with longer follow-up periods. The Cox regression model can provide the most biased estimations with certain subgroups. The prediction results show the deep neural network's superiority compared to the Cox proportional model and the random survival forest.


The larger grain borer (LGB) has continued to devastate maize grains especially in the dry and hot ecologies of Kenya. Resistance is a low cost environmentally sound avenue of pest management. Most of the improved cultivars are susceptible to the pest, and succumb to drought much faster. Local maize landraces are an important livelihood resource and form an alternative source of potential resistance for the LGB in these areas. The objective of this study was to evaluate selected local maize landraces for LGB resistance and yield performance. Laboratory screening was carried out for 25 germplasm at KARI-Kiboko field laboratory where the insects were also sourced. One hundred (100) grams of maize grains were infested with 50 unsexed LGB adults. Resistance was evaluated 90 days after infestation. Field data were recorded on grain yield, 100seed weight, shelling percentage, plant height and number of ears per plant. Percentage loss in grain weight and dust weight collected after three months of storage were used as measures of LGB resistance. Data were analyzed using SAS package and means separated by Fisher's protected LSD. CML492 was the most resistant followed by GBK044593, GBK-032419, GBK-032423, GBK-044611, GBK-34659 and GBK-032357. Over half the landraces gave higher yields than the local check. GBK-043731 was the highest yielding (6 t/ha). Appreciable levels of resistance against LGB were identified in the local landraces. These landraces are recommended for both production, and use in the development of LGB resistant maize in Kenya.


A computational method of numerically computing average pressure has been developed using a normal mode analysis of the parabolic equation [R. M. Oba, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 91, 2424 (A) (1992)]. It has been implemented to compute the transmission loss and phase for the average solutions in the continuous wave case. Time domain cases have been computed by Fourier transform. This analysis can be extended to compute the average energy over the ensemble at a given range in the continuous wave case. Since energy is positive for each element of the ensemble, the calculation of its mean will obviate the larger transmission loss due to phase cancellation in ensemble averaging of the complex valued solutions. Comparison of average energy calculations can be made to the energy of the average solution. This technique will be useful in matching this computed field at some final range to another solution starting from that range on. [Work supported by ONR/NRL‐SSC and ONR Young Navy Scientist Program.]


This paper is an empirical study of how three large Lisp programs use their list structure during execution. Most list-cell references are due to the functions car and cdr, which are executed about equally often and greatly outnumber other primitive functions. Executions of cdr yield the atom NIL about 10 to 20 percent of the time, and nearby list cells most of the rest of the time. Executions of car yield atoms, small integers, and list cells in varying proportions in the three progrms. Atom references by car tend to concentrate on a small number of atoms. The function rplacd increases static pointer locality, but rplaca is used idiosyncratically. Repeated reference to list cells is likely: over half of all references were to one of the ten most recently referenced cells. Linearization is the rearrangement of lists so that consecutive cdr's are adjacent in memory whenever possible. This property deteriorates dowly after a list structure is linearized. If all of a program's lists are linearized, page faults are reduced slightly, but because of the high cost of a fault this small reduction has a large effect.


Abstract. An aerosol optical depth (AOD) three-dimensional variational data assimilation technique is developed for the Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation (GSI) system for which WRF-Chem forecasts are performed with a detailed sectional model, the Model for Simulating Aerosol Interactions and Chemistry (MOSAIC). Within GSI, forward AOD and adjoint sensitivities are performed using Mie computations from the WRF-Chem optical properties module, providing consistency with the forecast. GSI tools such as recursive filters and weak constraints are used to provide correlation within aerosol size bins and upper and lower bounds for the optimization. The system is used to perform assimilation experiments with fine vertical structure and no data thinning or re-gridding on a 12 km horizontal grid over the region of California, USA, where improvements on analyses and forecasts is demonstrated. A first set of simulations was performed, comparing the assimilation impacts of using the operational MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) dark target retrievals to those using observationally constrained ones, i.e., calibrated with AERONET (Aerosol RObotic NETwork) data. It was found that using the observationally constrained retrievals produced the best results when evaluated against ground based monitors, with the error in PM 2.5 predictions reduced at over 90% of the stations and AOD errors reduced at 100% of the monitors, along with larger overall error reductions when grouping all sites. A second set of experiments reveals that the use of fine mode fraction AOD and ocean multi-wavelength retrievals can improve the representation of the aerosol size distribution, while assimilating only 550 nm AOD retrievals produces no or at times degraded impact. While assimilation of multi-wavelength AOD shows positive impacts on all analyses performed, future work is needed to generate observationally constrained multi-wavelength retrievals, which when assimilated will generate size distributions more consistent with AERONET data and will provide better aerosol estimates.


Using photochemical [2 + 2] cycloaddition, a cyclobutane dione was generated from isophorone, a condensate of bio-acetone. Hydrodeoxygenation of the dione yielded a mixture of polycyclic alkanes, whose high energy density is appropriate for high perfomance aviation applications. This work outlines a light-based approach to increase the energy density of a potential renewable carbon aviation fuel in high yields and high carbon efficiency without sacrificing performance.


There is now considerable evidence suggesting that CD8+ T cells are able to generate effector but not functional memory T cells following pathogenic infections in the absence of CD4+ T cells. We show that following transplantation of allogeneic skin, in the absence of CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells become activated, proliferate, and expand exclusively in the draining lymph nodes and are able to infiltrate and reject skin allografts. CD44+CD8+ T cells isolated 100 days after transplantation rapidly produce IFN-γ following restimulation with alloantigen in vitro. In vivo CD44+CD8+ T cells rejected donor-type skin allografts more rapidly than naive CD8+ T cells demonstrating the ability of these putative memory T cells to mount an effective recall response in vivo. These data form the first direct demonstration that CD8+ T cells are able to generate memory as well as effector cells in response to alloantigen during rejection in the complete absence of CD4+ T cells. These data have important implications for the design of therapies to combat rejection and serve to reinforce the view that CD8+ T cell responses to allografts require manipulation in addition to CD4+ T cell responses to completely prevent the rejection of foreign organ transplants.


Enacted in 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a watershed piece of legislation which enshrines in law a social promise of equality and inclusion into all facets of life, while offering an inspiring model that much of the world has come to embrace. This editorial launches JAMA's theme issue on the 25th anniversary of the ADA by detailing the Act's history, main provisions, and far-reaching impacts on health, providing a context for the three Original Investigations and six scholarly Viewpoints that make up the theme issue. The editorial begins with a discussion of the ADA's history, highlighting the indispensable role of the broad disability rights coalition. The editorial then turns to an overview of the law and its main provisions, before discussing its domestic impact, both in integrating those with disabilities into society and reducing discrimination in health care settings — while acknowledging the law's unfinished business. Finally, the editorial examines the international influence the ADA has had before concluding by highlighting what remains to be done to integrate those with disabilities fully into American society and calling for the U.S. to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.


This chapter turns towards the aesthetics of contemporary celebrity humanitarian action and examines critically the imaginaries Bob Geldof's and Bono's representations open towards Africa. I argue that despite their intention to bring about economic changes for Africa, the spatio-temporality of their imaginaries repeat the colonial violence by elaborating on colonial imaginary. The chapter concludes that celebrity humanitarianism, as a form of cultural governance, is also of crucial importance to the study of international relations. Consequently, the intention of the chapter is to act as an invitation for future research on the relationship between imaginary violence and celebrity humanitarianism – and the global politics of this activity.


This article draws on the ideas of Bruno Latour to examine the nature of science dis/trust and denialism in times of crisis. We argue that Latour's image of science creates new demands on public trust, shifting the focus from 'trusting that a particular scientific claim is true' towards an engagement with Gaia (earth) where scientists encounter and form alliances with agencies alive with trickster motive. We use the science fiction novel Three body problem to explore the specific challenges to scientific authority within this relational ontology, under various climatic regimes. We show how the SF novel offers insights into Latour's proposal for science as a risky diplomacy in a metamorphic zone


In distributed database systems the global database is partitioned into a collection of local databases stored at different sites. In this era of growing technology and fast communication media, security has an important role to play. In this paper we presented a secure concurrency control protocol (SCCP) based on the timestamp ordering, which provides concurrency control and maintains security. We also implemented SCCP and a comparison of SCCP is presented in three cases (High, Medium and Low security levels). In this experiment, It is observed that throughput of the system decreases as the security level of the transaction increases, i.e., there is tradeoff between the security level and the throughput of the system.


The aim of the research was to identify the factors influencing consumption of organic food. In our research an attempt was made to find a method for identifying organic food and assessing the features ascribed to it by consumers. These features were then analyzed in terms of their technical and market attributes.The paper presents results of research conducted in 2005, 2010 and 2013 on the organic food market with special emphasis placed on pricing, distribution systems and consumers in the north-eastern Poland. Respondents' answers indicate their increasing interest, knowledge and commitment to the environment.They also indicate that the most important technological attribute of organic food is its way of production, which ensures that the food is healthy, contains no chemical additives and has good, natural taste. Market attributes include the food's high nutritious value and naturalness, the producer's logo and price.Consumers buying organic food believe that the production and processing of food does not destroy the natural environment. Emphasizing the health and taste attributes of organic food is not enough, however, and it has to coincide with the consumer's behavior and pro-environmental bias, which become explicit in his choice of food.


Data assimilation (DA) holds considerable potential for improving hydrologic predictions as demonstrated in numerous research studies. However, advances in hydrologic DA research have not been adequately or timely implemented in operational forecast systems to improve the skill of forecasts for better informed real-world decision making. This is due in part to a lack of mechanisms to properly quantify the uncertainty in observations and forecast models in real-time forecasting situations and to conduct the merging of data and models in a way that is adequately efficient and transparent to operational forecasters. The need for effective DA of useful hydrologic data into the forecast process has become increasingly recognized in recent years. This motivated a hydrologic DA workshop in Delft, the Netherlands in November 2010, which focused on advancing DA in operational hydrologic forecasting and water resources management. As an outcome of the workshop, this paper reviews, in relevant detail, the current status of DA applications in both hydrologic research and operational practices, and discusses the existing or potential hurdles and challenges in transitioning hydrologic DA research into cost-effective operational forecasting tools, as well as the potential pathways and newly emerging opportunities for overcoming these challenges. Several related aspects are discussed, including (1) theoretical or mathematical aspects in DA algorithms, (2) the estimation of different types of uncertainty, (3) new observations and their objective use in hydrologic DA, (4) the use of DA for real-time control of water resources systems, and (5) the development of community-based, generic DA tools for hydrologic applications. It is recommended that cost-effective transition of hydrologic DA from research to operations should be helped by developing community-based, generic modeling and DA tools or frameworks, and through fostering collaborative efforts among hydrologic modellers, DA developers, and operational forecasters.


The midintertidal zone of temperate rocky coasts is often dominated by mussels that form dense beds and exclude other primary space holders. The rate at which storms remove mussels from their substrate consequently has a controlling influence on intertidal community structure. The rate of disturbance by waves can be predicted mechanistically by comparing the attachment strength of an organism to the force it encounters. One simplifying assumption often implemented with this approach is that organismal strength is temporally constant. This study demonstrates that such an assumption is not valid for Mytilus edulis in Rhode Island, where byssal attachment strength (tenacity) increases twofold in winter compared to summer. Time series analysis of monthly samples (1998–2000) indicates tenacity generally tracks seasonal fluctuations in wave height, which suggests that mussels sense and respond to changes in their flow environment. However, the ability of mussels to respond to wave climate is not precise; during September and October (hurricane season), mussels remain weakly attached and are prone to major mortalities. Mussel reproductive condition also displays seasonal cycles, peaking 3–4 months after attachment strength. This suggests a possible energetic constraint on the ability of mussels to respond to their flow environment, as mussels trade byssal thread production for gonad development. This study demonstrates that accurate predictions of disturbance events must consider not only a storm's magnitude, but its timing relative to the cycle in attachment strength. Given the recent shift to increased hurricane activity in the North Atlantic, it is likely that mussels will begin to suffer more frequent and more severe disturbances compared to those that occurred during 1971–1994.


In this MTech thesis experiments will be tried out on a people counting system in an effort to enhance the accuracy when separating counting groups of people, and nonhuman objects. This system features automatic color equalization, adaptive background subtraction, shadow detection algorithm and Kalman tracking. The aim is to develop a reliable and accurate computer vision alternative to sensor or contact based mechanisms. The problem for many computer vision based systems are making good separation between the background and foreground, and teaching the computers what parts make up a scene. We also want to find features to classify the foreground moving objects, an easy task for a human, but a complex task for a computer. Video has been captured with a birds eye view close to one of the entrances at the school about ten meters above the floor. From this video troublesome parts have been selected to test the changes done to the algorithms and program code.


This study explores the formative origins of youth justice policy and the discursive process of mandate-seeking in party manifestos in Westminster elections. Analysis of issue salience and policy framing reveals: party politicization, a significant increase in issue salience from the 1990s onwards, and a shifting structural policy narrative with inherent contestation and contradictions. The past decade has seen some attempts to revisit pre-1970s welfarist approaches following an extended emphasis on criminalization, incarceration and punishment. This discursive shift has presaged an impressive reduction in levels of incarceration and numbers sentenced, yet international and historical comparative data suggest party programmes need to place continuing emphasis on diversion if full compatibility with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is to be secured.


Parkinson's Disease (PD) is an intractable disease resulting in localized neurodegeneration of dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta. Many current therapies of PD are symptomatic, but no current option for clinical-grade disease modifying treatment exists. Fortunately, recent advances in the field of cellular reprogramming now allow for previously unattainable cell therapies and modeling of PD using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to potentially restore a disease-free state. iPSCs can be selectively differentiated into a dopaminergic neuron fate to model endogenous physiology and pathogenesis. iPSC lines can also be established with genetically-linked PD. These patient-specific cell lines are then genetically corrected in mutations of influence and can be subsequently transplanted back into the patient to reestablish function. This year, induced pluripotent stem cells iPSCs entered the first human trial for PD therapy. This form of cell therapy has shown promising results in other model organisms and is currently one of our best options in slowing or even halting the progression of PD. Here we examine the genetic contributions that have reshaped our understanding of PD, as well as the advantages and applications of iPSCs for modeling disease and clinical therapies.


Background and aims: Caring as a multidimensional concept can be occurring according to teaching main values. Thus, the present study was performed to assess the caring behavior educational plan on nursing student with the aim of develop the students' ability to become a health care professional staff. Methods: these study was quasi-experimental interventional study that performed at academic second semester (2014) in Abadan school of medical sciences. 6 & 8 semesters of nursing student were randomly divided in case and control groups. The educational plan has been designed on Watson's theory was carried out for case group during the course of medical-surgical ward but control group received rotine tutorial. The student's perception was assessed with CDI-35 tool before and after the study in two groups. Data were analyzed by SPSS-21 software. Results: In this study, 58 students were divided into two groups of 29. No significant difference was not in demographic variables between two groups.in the scope of inappropriate care was a significant difference between two groups in the pretest. Although the raise of mean was observed in 5 dimension of caring behavior in case group (p=0/0001) and in technical-professional scope in control group (p=0/001). Conclusion: As regards goal of nursing education programs, training nurses to promote the art and science of nursing, Also considering the importance of nursing care in the health system, and the need to design programs to strengthen and empower nurses is inevitable, the results of this study can be helpful in this regard.


AIM
To demonstrate that changes in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure in the cranial cavity and spinal canal after head elevation from the horizontal level occur primarily due to the biophysical characteristics of the CSF system, ie, distensibility of the spinal dura.

METHODS
Experiments in vivo were performed on cats and a new artificial model of the CSF system with dimensions similar to the CSF system in cats, consisting of non-distensible cranial and distensible spinal part. Measurements of the CSF pressure in the cranial and spinal spaces were performed in chloralose-anesthetized cats (n = 10) in the horizontal position on the base of a stereotaxic apparatus (reference zero point) and in the position in which the head was elevated to 5 cm and 10 cm above that horizontal position. Changes in the CSF pressure in the cranial and spinal part of the model were measured in the cranial part positioned in the same way as the head in cats (n = 5).

RESULTS
When the cat was in the horizontal position, the values of the CSF pressure in the cranial (11.9 +/- 1.1 cm H2O) and spinal (11.8 +/- 0.6 cm H2O) space were not significantly different. When the head was elevated 5 cm or 10 cm above the reference zero point, the CSF pressure in the cranium significantly decreased to 7.7 +/- 0.6 cm H2O and 4.7 +/- 0.7 cm H2O, respectively, while the CSF pressure in the spinal space significantly increased to 13.8 +/- 0.7 cm H2O and 18.5 +/- 1.6 cm H2O, respectively (P<0.001 for both). When the artificial CSF model was positioned in the horizontal level and its cranial part elevated by 5 cm and 10 cm, the changes in the pressure were the same as those in the cats when in the same hydrostatic position.

CONCLUSIONS
The new model of the CSF system used in our study faithfully mimicked the changes in the CSF pressure in cats during head elevation in relation to the body. Changes in the pressure in the model were not accompanied by the changes in fluid volume in the non-distensible cranial part of the model. Thus, it seems that the changes in the CSF pressure occur due to the biophysical characteristics of the CSF system rather than the displacement of the blood and CSF volumes from the cranium to the lower part of body.


[1] Relationships between modeled and measured meteorological state parameters and cloudy and cloud-free conditions are examined using data taken over the ARM (Atmospheric Radiation Measurement) Southern Great Plains Central Facility between 1 March 2000 and 28 February 2001. Cloud vertical layering was determined from the Active Remotely Sensed Cloud Location product based on the ARM active sensor measurements. Both temperature and relative humidity (RH) observations from balloon-borne Vaisala RS80-15LH radiosonde (SONDE) and the Rapid Update Cycle (RUC) 40-km resolution model are highly correlated, but the SONDE RHs generally exceed those from RUC. Inside cloudy layers, the RH from SONDE is 2–14% higher than the RH from RUC at all pressure levels. Although the layer mean RH within clouds is much greater than the layer mean RH outside clouds or in clear skies, RH thresholds chosen as a function of temperature can more accurately diagnose cloud occurrence for either data set than a fixed RH threshold. For overcast clouds (cloud amount greater than or equal to 90%), it was found that the 50% probability RH threshold for diagnosing a cloud, within a given upper tropospheric layer, is roughly 90% for the SONDE and 80% for RUC data. For partial cloud cover (cloud amount is less than 90%), the SONDE RH thresholds are close to those for RUC at a given probability in upper tropospheric layers. Cloud probability was found to be only minimally dependent on vertical velocity. In the upper troposphere, SONDE ice-supersaturated air occurred in 8 and 35% of the clear and cloudy layers, respectively. The RH was distributed exponentially in the ice supersaturated layers as found in previous studies. The occurrence of high-altitude, ice-supersaturated layers in the RUC data was roughly half of that in the SONDE data. Optimal thresholds were derived as functions of temperature to define the best RH thresholds for accurately determining the mean cloud cover. For warm clouds the typical SONDE threshold exceeds 87%, while the RH thresholds for cold clouds are typically less than 80% and greater than 90% with respect to liquid and ice water, respectively. Preliminary comparisons with satellite data suggest that the relationships between cloudiness and RH and T determined here could be useful for improving the characterization of cloud vertical structure from satellite data by providing information about low-level clouds that were obscured by high-level clouds viewed by the satellite. The results have potential for improving computations of atmospheric heating rate profiles and estimates of aircraft icing conditions. Similar analyses are recommended for later versions of the RUC analyses and forecasts.


Title of Thesis: INCOME INEQUALITY AND THE CAPACITY OF THE STATE IN SOUTH KOREA, 1965-2004 Chang Won Lee, Master of Arts, 2006 Directed By: Professor Roberto Patricio Korzeniewicz Department of Sociology This paper focuses on the relationship between income inequality and state capacity in South Korea. Korea achieved rapid economic growth accompanied by equity from the 1960s to the mid 1990s. However, after the 1997 IMF financial crisis, income inequality in Korea increased dramatically. This change in income inequality is closely related to increases in unemployment and underemployment. I argue that such failures in the labor market are attributed to the rapid decline of the state's capacity after financial liberalization in 1993. During the developmental era, the state had been able to form institutions for low income inequality, due to its relative autonomy from business owners. After the financial liberalization no such autonomous capacity to build employment-protective institutions existed, as these reforms increased the influence of domestic and international capital. Further, the weakening of the state's capacity also reflects changes in the relationship of the Korean economy to the world system. INCOME INEQUALITY AND THE CAPACITY OF THE STATE IN SOUTH KOREA, 1965-2004


In the open distance learning (ODL) sphere there are invariably incremental student support costs that remain largely unaccounted for and might not be readily apparent. From an educational perspective this raises serious concerns given that effective on- and off-line student support could potentially reduce the intrinsic cost of studying at ODL institutions. Typical hidden student support service costs in ODL are rooted in areas such as information technology, registration, contact centre, lecturing and tutoring and human resources/administration support. The relevance of these hidden costs becomes pertinent when comparing the contribution of student support from a geographic perspective. Students from remote areas seemingly seek higher levels of support and assumingly cause higher hidden student support costs to higher education institutions (HEIs). Against this background, this article does not intend to provide actual costing, but rather provides an early exposition of relevant cost drivers that impact on student retention, throughput and success in ODL.


Current desktop environments provide weak support for carrying out complex user-oriented tasks. Although individual applications are becoming increasingly sophisticated and feature- rich, users must map their high-level goals to the low-level opera- tional vocabulary of applications, and deal with a myriad of rou- tine tasks (such as keeping up with email, keeping calendars and web sites up-to-date, etc.). An alternative vision is that of a per- sonal cognitive assistant. Like a good secretary, such an assistant would help users accomplish their high-level goals, coordinating the use of multiple applications, automatically handling routine tasks, and, most importantly, adapting to the individual needs of a user over time. In this paper we describe the architecture and its implementation for a personal cognitive assistant called RADAR. Key features include (a) extensibility through the use of a plug-in agent architecture (b) transparent integration with legacy applica- tions and data of today's desktop environments, and (c) extensive use of learning so that the environment adapts to the individual user over time.


The effects of the Nd:YAG laser, air-abrasion and acid-etching systems on mineral content and surface morphology of cut dentin and enamel were examined in 10 extracted human teeth. Enamel specimens were lased for two seconds at a fluence of 0.75 J and a frequency of 15 Hz, air-abraded for two seconds with 50 micron Al-oxide and etched for 60 seconds with 37% ortho-phosphoric acid. Dentinal specimens were subjected to the same procedure for half the time. Untreated areas of the same specimens served as the control. Morphologically, the lased dentin showed an apparently melted surface with partial obstruction of the dentin tubules, as well as cracks along the lased surface. Air-abrasion created very irregular surfaces on enamel and dentin. Dentin tubules were observed on the acid-etched dentin samples but not the air-abraded surfaces. The Nd:YAG laser created the most surface irregularity on both enamel and dentin. Laser treatment appeared to alter the chemical structure and surface morphology of the dentin and enamel.


The Guadalupe County Groundwater Conservation District has implemented a 3-dimensional water management solution that allocates pumping rights based on actual volumes in place under a tract. This new regime treats the aquifer as a "constant level lake" where rights holders are awarded the right to a percentage of the inflow (recharge) based on the volume of saturated sands underneath their property.
Three-dimensional management can improve Texas groundwater governance by strengthening property rights, promoting conservation, and unlocking economic value by promoting water trading and collateralization. It is also cost-effective and can be rapidly implemented: the Guadalupe County Groundwater Conservation District created its initial 3-dimensional ruleset in approximately 4 months at a cost of roughly $15,000. Larger districts or districts that could not benefit from an existing property parcel map created by an appraisal district would face higher costs. Creating the type of property ownership maps used by local tax appraisal districts can cost as much as $100,000. Yet the intensive property tax regime in Texas means that even the least-populous counties typically already have such information available in digital form.
Quantifying the available water volume beneath each property and making pumping rights transferrable between wells profoundly transforms groundwater management and confers clear vested rights to water in place. As such, it can provide economic recourse to smaller water holders even in areas where municipalities and other large pumpers enter the district. In short, this forward-looking, conservation-oriented new ruleset provides a way for Texas groundwater stewards to move past flat surface acreage-based allocations and move into an era where a handful of large pumpers in a district do not erode the property rights of smaller holders. Quantifying water in place involves averaging and making certain approximations and generalizations because of the inevitably complex nature of geologic formations. Over time, groundwater conservation districts and their constituent members will determine how deeply to engage that complexity. The bottom line is that 3-dimensional management offers an exponential degree of improvement over existing Texas groundwater management models. The Guadalupe County Groundwater Conservation District's ruleset embraces a philosophy of iterative learning and improvement and acknowledges that employing models as tools of governance always involves approximations. It handles this by including the capacity to rapidly update and revise its approach as the district obtains additional data points and insights through operational implementation of its rules.
Citation: Blumberg H, Collins G. 2016. Implementing three-dimensional groundwater management in a Texas groundwater conservation district. Texas Water Journal. 6(1): 69-81. Available from: https://doi.org/10.21423/twj.v7i1.7037.


PURPOSE
This study examined factors affecting the transition from experimental smoking at baseline to two types of daily smoking, temporary daily smoking, and continued daily smoking, at 1-year follow-up.

DESIGN AND METHODS
This study analyzed data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (n = 4,903 U.S. adolescents). Baseline predictors were selected based on Problem Behavior Theory.

RESULTS
Important problem behavior theory-related predictors of smoking were the number of friends who smoke, academic performance, and alcohol, marijuana, and other illicit drug use. Other significant predictors were age, gender, race, depression, perceived general health, and cigarette availability at home.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS
To prevent teens from progressing to daily smoking, nursing professionals should consider multifaceted factors based on multiple theories.


As the US population ages, the increasing prevalence of chronic disease and complex medical conditions will have profound implications for the future health care system. We projected future prevalence of selected diseases and health risk factors to model future demand for health care services for each person in a representative sample of the current and projected future population. Based on changing demographic characteristics and expanded medical coverage under the Affordable Care Act, we project that the demand for adult primary care services will grow by approximately 14 percent between 2013 and 2025. Vascular surgery has the highest projected demand growth (31 percent), followed by cardiology (20 percent) and neurological surgery, radiology, and general surgery (each 18 percent). Market indicators such as long wait times to obtain appointments suggest that the current supply of many specialists throughout the United States is inadequate to meet the current demand. Failure to train sufficient numbers and the correct mix of specialists could exacerbate already long wait times for appointments, reduce access to care for some of the nation's most vulnerable patients, and reduce patients' quality of life.


A novel method is proposed for the extraction of microgram level concentration of osmium(VIII) from hydrochloric acid medium with 4-(4-methoxybenzylideneimino)-5-methyl-4H- 1,2,4-triazole-3-thiol (MBIMTT) dissolved in chloroform as an extractant. The osmium(VIII) from the organic phase is stripped with mixture of thiourea and 2 M hydrochloric acid and determined spectrophotometric method. The method affords the binary separation and determination of osmium(VIII) from synthetic mixture. The method is successfully applied for the separation and determination of osmium from the alloys. The method is highly selective, simple and reproducible.


A concept dating back to the Japanese Middle Ages, the Samurai code of conduct known as Bushidō has received considerable attention in scholarly writing. Most studies accept the rendition of this moral concept in its early Showa reading, which represented an effort to create a seeming continuity from the Edo period into modern Japan. In doing so, most existing research ignores a number of important intellectual developments during the Meiji period. Most notably, suicides committed in the spirit of Bushidō during the Russo-Japanese war of 1904/05 made an ongoing discussion on Bushidō develop into a broad discourse.
The present study investigates contents and course of arguments of this discourse paying particular attention to two distinct aspects. First, it analyzes incidences of Western thought in the arguments brought forward during the discourse. Second, it scrutinizes the contribution of the historical background of Bushidō to a "genesis of public sphere" by distinguishing four dimensions: (a) scope of public discourse, (b) point of reference of prescribed loyalty, (c) subjects of Bushidō (for whom it was relevant), and (d) locus of responsibility for matters of morality. With respect to the first question the study iden¬tifies Western thought in various instances, with an attempt to integrate the Kantian concept of free will into Bushidō as the most significant finding. Pertaining to the second question, this research finds the 1904 discourse to effectively shape two of the four dimensions, namely for (a) through the broadening of public discourse into contemporary mass media, and for (d) through its tendency to ascribe the decision on suicide to the private sphere. The latter finding coincides with the above-mentioned influence of Kantian thought. In perspective, results of this research further challenge the received notion of Bushidō as following a constant line from the Edo era into the Showa period.


SUMMARY Linked administrative population data were used to estimate the burden of childhood respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) hospitalization in an Australian cohort aged <5 years. RSV-coded hospitalizations data were extracted for all children aged <5 years born in New South Wales (NSW), Australia between 2001 and 2010. Incidence was calculated as the total number of new episodes of RSV hospitalization divided by the child-years at risk. Mean cost per episode of RSV hospitalization was estimated using public hospital cost weights. The cohort comprised of 870 314 children. The population-based incidence/1000 child-years of RSV hospitalization for children aged <5 years was 4·9 with a rate of 25·6 in children aged <3 months. The incidence of RSV hospitalization (per 1000 child-years) was 11·0 for Indigenous children, 81·5 for children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), 10·2 for preterm children with gestational age (GA) 32–36 weeks, 27·0 for children with GA 28–31 weeks, 39·0 for children with GA <28 weeks and 6·7 for term children with low birthweight. RSV hospitalization was associated with an average annual cost of more than AUD 9 million in NSW. RSV was associated with a substantial burden of childhood hospitalization specifically in children aged <3 months and in Indigenous children and children born preterm or with BPD.


The inactivation performances of different nonthermal plasmas are often compared with each other in terms of their decimal reduction values, typically obtained by linearizing selected segments of their inactivation curves. However, this approach is subjective and can result in uncertainties in the prediction of this parameter. To overcome this, in this paper, the application of models capable of describing inactivation curves in their entirety is considered. The authors employ the Baranyi and Weibull models, both commonly used for microbial inactivation by heat. An empirical model based on a third-order polynomial to seek greater accuracy is further proposed. Using these three inactivation models, predictions of decimal reduction values for 11 plasma inactivation studies of Bacillus subtilis spores are obtained and compared with their reported values. Although the agreement obtained between these different approaches is generally fair, the current practice of segmented linearization is shown to be overly simplistic. A rigorous model is therefore critical to capture the essentially nonlinear character of plasma inactivation kinetics and hence allow for an objective comparison of the performances of similar biocidal nonthermal plasmas