I wish to congratulate Eric Russell for his conscientious and thought-provoking commentary on the status of carotid stenting. The technique of carotid stenting is about to begin a new phase of additional rigorous scrutiny and investigation. The National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) recently has approved and funded a large multicenter, multinational, randomized, controlled trial comparing carotid stenting with carotid endarterectomy. The Carotid Revascularization Endarterectomy vs. Stent Trial (CREST) plans to begin training and credentialing interventionalists this summer, and recruitment is expected to begin late this year or in early 2000. The trial will address the relevant efficacy of carotid stenting and carotid endarterectomy in a North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial (NASCET)-like population of patients with symptomatic high-grade stenoses. We anticipate that 2500 patients will need to be recruited to satisfy the statistical requirements of the study. It is essential that this landmark trial have the full involvement of and commitment from the neuroradiologic community. This landmark trial is the initiative of a neuroradiologist, Robert Ferguson, Chairman of the Department of Radiology at Queens University Hospital in Kingston, Ontario. After his pivotal work in organizing the North American Cerebral Percutaneous Transluminal Angioplasty Registry (NACPTAR), Dr. Ferguson collaborated with Robert Hobson, Director of Vascular Surgery at the New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey and the principal investigator of the VA Cooperative Trial of Endarterectomy, as well as with me and others, to form the CREST Trial group. Indeed, neuroradiologists have been instrumental in the rapid development and current success of this technique. Beginning with the pivotal and ongoing work of Jacques Theron in Caen, France and the pioneering contributions of Jiri J. Vitek at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the technique has now gained wide acceptance. Eric Russell diminishes the rigor of the well-planned IRB-approved clinical trials that were begun at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1994 (1). The results of these well-conducted and critically audited prospective registries provided the clinical findings that gained the acceptance of physicians throughout the world and, more importantly, industry support, without which, further device and technique development would have been impossible. Most importantly, study participants were subjected to independent neurologic evaluation 24 hours postprocedurally, a standard to which the NASCET has never been held. The statement that no long-term outcome information is available is incorrect. Late results have been reported, and multiple groups now have confirmed the rarity of neurologic events after stent intervention (2). Similarly, our experience has been analyzed carefully in terms of risk stratification on the basis of clinical symptoms and morphologic characteristics of lesions (3). Similarly, a great deal of information has been promulgated concerning the use of coronary wires and balloons to cross and predilate highgrade lesions. Furthermore, cerebral protection during stent placement is an active area of investigation, and current carotid stent symposia have focussed on a variety of new devices designed to provide cerebral protection. The political, regulatory, and reimbursement ramifications of this technique remain beyond our control. We consider the definition of carotid stenting as a significant-risk procedure to be quite arbitrary. This definition ignores the 6% incidence of death and stroke that occurs with carotid endarterectomy (4). In our most recent experience, we have completed 136 procedures with no deaths, no major strokes, and a 1.6% incidence of minor nondisabling strokes. In our institution, the neurologist would like to consider carotid stenting as the standard of care for their patients, but this technique remains incorrectly labeled as high-risk, federally unapproved, and nonreimbursable. At least one prospective, randomized, controlled trial has been completed comparing carotid angioplasty (stenting in 1 of 3 of cases), to carotid endarterectomy. This trial compared the learning curve of the radiologists involved against the mature results of experienced vascular surgeons in major regional centers. The results from CAVATAS have been reported and will be published soon. There was no difference between the incidence of minor or major neurologic events in this randomized trial. I am confident that the CREST study will validate the results that have emerged from numerous registries throughout the world. The results of CREST, however, will not be available for at least 6 years. In the meantime, the CREST group will be conducting, with the NINDS and the FDA, industry-supported, rigorous, prospective registry studies in the very large population of patients who will never and can never be studied in prospective, randomized trials. Neuroradiologic involvement in carotid stenting has been pivotal in its development, and will continue to be essential if the procedure is to emerge as it should as a safer, more comfortable, and less invasive alternative to carotid endarterectomy.


Abstract We present an analysis of aftershocks with M L >3 from the 2011 Prague, Oklahoma, earthquake sequence, an intraplate sequence of moderate‐size earthquakes within the North American craton. We apply waveform analysis to seismograms from temporary local seismograph networks to relocate the aftershocks' hypocenters. The relocations show that the hypocenters are confined to the Precambrian basement. The character of the recorded seismograms waveforms are reconstructed by finite‐difference forward modeling of seismic sources buried at different depths in 2D crustal models. The numerical modeling indicates that the observed complex waveforms, and particularly the coda, are created by waves scattering off numerous shallow crustal velocity anomalies. We infer that these anomalies correspond to paleoriver channels that are embedded in the Pennsylvanian limestone formation. The modeling indicates that the amount of energy within the coda depends on the depth of the source. Our waveform modeling of the observed seismograms is consistent with our relocations of the aftershocks to depths of 5–10 km, within the Precambrian basement. Electronic Supplement:Empirical and synthetic data, model parameters, and geological figures.


We report on a Monte Carlo study of the pathway for crystal nucleation in a fluid of short, hard, colloidal rods. In the earliest stages of nucleation, a single-layered lamellar crystallite forms. Subsequent thickening of this lamella is hampered by the fact that the top and bottom surfaces of the crystallite are preferentially covered by rods that align parallel to the surface. As a single lamella is thermodynamically not stable, subsequent growth of individual crystals is stunted. Recently experimental evidence for such stunted crystal growth has been reported by Maeda and Maeda (2003 Phys. Rev. Lett. 90 018303) for experiments on suspensions of colloidal rods.


Objective. Diagnostic reliability of prenephroureterectomy ureteroscopy (PNU) for the detection of upper tract carcinoma in situ (CIS) remains unproven in particular and underreported in general. Methods. Patients who underwent radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) in a large multicentre retrospective study for upper tract transitional cell carcinoma (UT-TCC) between January 2002 and December 2013 were identified from our hospitals databases. PNU appearances, stage, and grade of ureteroscopic biopsy were compared with final histology results of RNU to assess the diagnostic reliability of PNU for carcinoma in situ (CIS). Results. Three hundred patients underwent RNU for UT-TCC. 106 (106/300; 35.3%) of the cohort had PNU using white light with biopsies taken in most (92/106; 86.7%). Postnephroureterectomy histology of the cohort showed CIS in 65 (65/300; 21.6%) patients. Thirty nine of patients with CIS (39/65; 60%) had prenephroureterectomy ureteroscopy biopsies. Out of ten patients with CIS on ureteroscopic biopsies, six did not show CIS on final histopathology (6/10; 60%). Moreover, grading and staging on PNU biopsies of obvious tumours showed a significant nonconcordance with final histopathology of RNU specimen (P = 0.02). Overall survival was also shorter in patients with CIS compared with those without; this showed strong statistical significance (P = 0.004). Conclusions. There is a high incidence of CIS in upper tract with significant underdetection and discordance rate between the histopathology of biopsy samples obtained by white light PNU and resected specimen of radical nephroureterectomy. The presence of concomitant CIS and high stage disease in the upper tract TCC carried a poor prognosis following radical nephroureterectomy.


In FTC v. Actavis, Inc., the Supreme Court considered "reverse payment" settlements of patent infringement litigation. In such a settlement, a patentee pays the alleged infringer to settle, and the alleged infringer agrees not to enter the market for a period of time. The Court held that a reverse payment settlement violates antitrust law if the patentee is paying to avoid competition. The core insight of Actavis is the Actavis Inference: a large and otherwise unexplained payment, combined with delayed entry, supports a reasonable inference of harm to consumers from lessened competition. This paper is an effort to assist courts and counsel in implementing the Actavis Inference. First, we evaluate a variety of fact patterns that have arisen in the district courts since Actavis, including payment that takes a form other than cash. For example, a branded drug maker may promise not to offer an authorized generic drug. As we explain, under Actavis, such agreements are especially likely to violate antitrust law. We also consider how much detail a plaintiff must offer in its initial complaint to comply with federal pleading requirements.Second, we demonstrate that the Actavis Inference fully applies when multiple generic firms, rather than just one, threaten to enter the market. Our economic model shows that the Actavis Inference becomes stronger and more important in the presence of multiple generic firms. Our analysis demonstrates that the contrary conclusions reached in a recent paper by Bruce Kobayashi, Joshua Wright, Douglas Ginsburg, and Joanna Tsai (KWGT) are incorrect, inconsistent with KWGT's own analysis, or irrelevant to a faithful implementation of Actavis.Third, we clarify the reasons not to litigate the patent in the antitrust case. Thanks to the Actavis Inference, a trial court need not determine patent validity or infringement in order to assess the legality of the settlement. The antitrust question depends upon the ex ante prospects in patent litigation and not ex post litigation of the patent by a patent court or by the antitrust court considering the settlement. Litigating the patent is thus of limited probative value and not dispositive regarding a potential antitrust violation.


We present a data-driven inference method that can synthesize a photorealistic texture map of a complete 3D face model given a partial 2D view of a person in the wild. After an initial estimation of shape and low-frequency albedo, we compute a high-frequency partial texture map, without the shading component, of the visible face area. To extract the fine appearance details from this incomplete input, we introduce a multi-scale detail analysis technique based on mid-layer feature correlations extracted from a deep convolutional neural network. We demonstrate that fitting a convex combination of feature correlations from a high-resolution face database can yield a semantically plausible facial detail description of the entire face. A complete and photorealistic texture map can then be synthesized by iteratively optimizing for the reconstructed feature correlations. Using these high-resolution textures and a commercial rendering framework, we can produce high-fidelity 3D renderings that are visually comparable to those obtained with state-of-the-art multi-view face capture systems. We demonstrate successful face reconstructions from a wide range of low resolution input images, including those of historical figures. In addition to extensive evaluations, we validate the realism of our results using a crowdsourced user study.


THIS STUDY PRESENTS AND TESTS a theory of tonal tension (Lerdahl, 2001). The model has four components: prolongational structure, a pitch-space model, a surfacetension model, and an attraction model. These components combine to predict the rise and fall in tension in the course of listening to a tonal passage or piece. We first apply the theory to predict tension patterns in Classical diatonic music and then extend the theory to chromatic tonal music. In the experimental tasks, listeners record their experience of tension for the excerpts. Comparisons between predictions and data point to alternative analyses within the constraints of the theory. We conclude with a discussion of the underlying perceptual and cognitive principles engaged by the theory9s components.


No aspect of the International Criminal Court's (ICC) institutional architecture has provoked more controversy - or proven more central to the United States' opposition - than has its provision for a standing prosecutor authorized to pursue investigations and indictments of international crimes on his own authority. Existing debate on prosecutorial authority has tracked familiar lines with the Court's supporters maintaining the Prosecutor must be guided by legal criteria and remain impervious to outside political pressures, and with the Court's detractors arguing that stronger political oversight is necessary to prevent an unaccountable Prosecutor from hijacking the Court to pursue a politicized agenda. Thus focused on problems of legality and accountability, the existing debate has offered a limited, and ultimately unsatisfying, perspective on the problem of prosecutorial discretion. This Article seeks to remedy that deficit in two ways. First, I provide a more considered account of the ICC Prosecutor which explores how the very structure of the Court - with its framework of prosecutorial independence and mandatory deference to complementary national proceedings - will impose fundamental prosecutorial policy dilemmas that complicate legalistic accounts of the ICC's work. Second, although these problems reveal a fundamental instability in the standard conception of the ICC, I explore ways in which the ICC Prosecutor may adopt policies that moderate the tension between prosecutorial independence and the legitimacy challenge posed by the substantive dilemmas of prosecutorial discretion. I argue here for a policy of selective political deference by which the Prosecutor defers to the justice policy judgments of legitimate political actors in times of political transition when actual arrests are more likely and competing justice proposals pose a more troubling challenge to the ICC's authority. In addition to supplying a normatively desirable policy, this approach also provides a framework for understanding the policy decisions thus far adopted by ICC's current Prosecutor.


Understanding the brain is an interdisciplinary effort spanning over the fields of computational neuroscience, machine learning and robotics. The collaboration between researchers across these fields should be encouraged by comprehensive simulation platforms. The Neurorobotics Platform (NRP) developed by the Human Brain Project enables such collaboration by allowing researchers to define virtual experiments in which brain models are connected to simulated robots. In this paper, we present how we use the NRP as an education tool to introduce master students to neurorobotics. The students are given the task to define, implement and solve three virtual neurorobotics challenges related to perception, arm motion and locomotion. Without any previous knowledge on neurorobotics, the students completed this task within the course of one semester. We present the challenges, which are now open-source benchmarks available online, as well as example solutions from the students to these challenges. This paper gives a glimpse of what new users are capable of by using the NRP to simulate their neurorobotics experiment. Aside from educating the students, this initiative also allowed to collect their direct feedback on the NRP. This feedback is valuable for the Human Brain Project as a whole since it helps identify how new users interact with the platform.


The hybrid control, as proposed by Kim et al. (2008), employs a primary expansion valve that provides most of the pressure drop, while small secondary balancing valves in the distributor lines to the circuits of the evaporator adjust the refrigerant flow to provide equal circuit exit superheats. This paper shows the experimental results for the application of the hybrid control of expansion valves for a 3-ton R404A large room cooling system. Data with the inbuilt expansion device, a pressure compensated TXV, was taken for a limited number of tests. Baseline data with an electronic expansion valve was taken to determine the best possible performance without using individual circuit flow control. After that, secondary balancing valves were inserted into the distributor lines to complete the hybrid control scheme. The same tests as done with the EXV were repeated to determine the achievable performance improvement. Ice-up tests at high indoor room humidity were conducted with all control schemes to determine the influence of the control scheme on frost build up and system performance. For repeatable results, additional tests with partially blocked evaporator coil were conducted with the hybrid and EXV control scheme. It was found that for TXV and EXV, even with a clean coil, substantial maldistribution occurs. This maldistribution lead to different usage of the individual circuits in terms of area fraction used for evaporation of, and area fraction used for superheating of refrigerant. With the EXV control scheme, the evaporation temperature had to be decreased to obtain sufficient superheat on the circuits that did not feed liquid into the suction header in order to evaporate the liquid of the circuits that fed liquid into the suction header. In addition, this resulted in uneven ice build-up and very poor controllability, which was especially noticeable as severe hunting when using the TXV in the ice-up test. With the hybrid control scheme, the surface usage for evaporation on all circuits was larger than 75% for most of the time, which resulted in a higher evaporation temperature and by that in a greater COP and larger capacity.


This paper proposes an efficient data aggregation and dynamic billing system that it consists of a permissioned blockchain. This blockchain contains a ledger that keeps users' anonimized identities and electricity consumption for predefined time ranges. Using consumption data of users, a billing mechanism is able to bill the users accordingly. In the construction, since all the parties in the system have the ledger, every party has the aggregated usage of the electricity without using very heavy cryptographic operations such as homomorphic encryption, bilinear pairing, etc. Using the ledgers in our model, the aggregation of the users' electricity consumption can be computed by anyone in the system. Moreover, users are able to verify their bills and check any data using a signature scheme. This results that integrity of all data is going to be preserved. The proposed approach mainly uses hash functions to provide the same functionality (aggregation of the users' data consumption, data integrity check and dynamic pricing and billing) with preserving data privacy of the users.


Ascending (or second-price) and uniform-price multiunit auctions have appealing theoretical properties if bidders are symmetric and bid competitively. However, auction designers have long been skeptical about their use in practice. First, asymmetries due to value advantage in ascending (or second-price) auctions with a large common-value component can generate asymmetric equilibria with low revenues. Second, both ascending and uniform auctions are susceptible to collusion. Sequential ascending auctions make it especially easy to form and coordinate bidding rings. Third, uniform auctions are susceptible to low-price equilibria in which bidders can commit to coordinate on high bids for initial units and low bids for final, price-setting units in equilibrium what we call crank-handle bidding. All three of these patterns have been observed separately in certain settings among sophisticated and experienced bidders. We document what we believe is the first case of all three of these phenomena happening among the same, inexperienced bidders across related auctions for shing quota in Faroe Islands. Our findings indiciate that the under performance of ascending and uniform-price auctions are not just theoretical curiosities, but a pervasive phenomenon in practical auction design. We suggest straightforward improvements to auction design that could have mitigated these problems.


Shelled peanuts of Gajah var. with initial moisture content of 7% were stored at 11 kg/bag in four bag types namely: jute bag, polypropylene bag, jute bag doubled with thin polyethylene (PE), and jute bag doubled with thick PE. Storage was done for six months under warehouse conditions with monitoring of relative humidity and temperature. Samples taken at the beginning of storage and every month thereafter were analyzed for moisture content, fungal population, aflatoxin and free fatty acid contents. Statistical analyses showed that moisture content, fungal population, and free fatty acid contents were significantly higher in jute and polypropylene bags than in PE-dou,bled jute bags. No significant differences were obtained in aflatoxin contents among bag types but at the end of six months storage, toxin level in jute bag exceeded the 30 ppb limit. Polypropylene had second highest toxin level at 23 ppb. The PE-doubled bags had 17 and 19 ppb total aflatoxins for thin and thick films, respectively. The results indicated that the immediate packaging of dried shelled peanuts at safe moisture level in plastic films with water vapor transmission rated of 1 g/m2 /24 hr or lower is recommended. This packaging will delay critical increases in moisture content, fungal population, aflatoxin and free fatty acid contents of peanut kernels at ambient storage conditions. Keywords: Peanuts / bag types / fungal population / aflatoxin content / free fatty acid content.


To investigate the contribution of glycation and oxidation reactions to the modification of insoluble collagen in aging and diabetes, Maillard reaction products were measured in skin collagen from 39 type 1 diabetic patients and 52 nondiabetic control subjects. Compounds studied included fructoselysine (FL), the initial glycation product, and the glycoxidation products, N epsilon-(carboxymethyl) lysine (CML) and pentosidine, formed during later Maillard reactions. Collagen-linked fluorescence was also studied. In nondiabetic subjects, glycation of collagen (FL content) increased only 33% between 20 and 85 yr of age. In contrast, CML, pentosidine and fluorescence increased five-fold, correlating strongly with age. In diabetic patients, collagen FL was increased threefold compared with nondiabetic subjects, correlating strongly with glycated hemoglobin but not with age. Collagen CML, pentosidine and fluorescence were increased up to twofold in diabetic compared with control patients: this could be explained by the increase in glycation alone, without invoking increased oxidative stress. There were strong correlations among CML, pentosidine and fluorescence in both groups, providing evidence for age-dependent chemical modification of collagen via the Maillard reaction, and acceleration of this process in diabetes. These results support the description of diabetes as a disease characterized by accelerated chemical aging of long-lived tissue proteins.


The feasibility of using laser-induced plasma spectroscopy (LIPS) as a rapid and simple method to analyze fluorine, chlorine, and bromine in solid organic compounds was investigated. A Nd:YAG laser at 1064 nm with pulse energy of 100 mJ was used to produce the plasma. This method presents many advantages for the determination of halogens in organic compounds, including very simple sample preparation and near-real-time analysis. Solid organic compounds were measured in air and helium atmospheres. Carbon in organic compounds was chosen as the internal standard for the measurement of F, Cl, and Br. Linear responses for these elements were obtained for both atmospheres. However, the sensitivity was much higher and the background noise was much lower in the helium atmosphere.


In the first five years after the onset of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, one of the largest political upheavals of the twentieth century paralyzed a highly centralized party state, leading to a harsh regime of military control. Despite a wave of post-Mao revelations in the 1980s, knowledge about the nationwide impact of this insurgency and its suppression remains selective and impressionistic, based primarily on a handful of local accounts. Employing a data set drawn from historical narratives published in 2,213 county and city annals, this article charts the temporal and geographic spread of a mass insurgency, its evolution through time, and the repression through which militarized state structures were rebuilt. Comparisons of published figures with internal investigation reports and statistical estimates from sample selection models yield estimates that range from 1.1 to 1.6 million deaths and 22 to 30 million direct victims of some form of political persecution. The vast majority of casualties were due to repression by authorities, not the actions of insurgents. Despite the large overall death toll, per capita death rates were considerably lower than a range of comparable cases, including the Soviet purges at the height of Stalinist terror in the late 1930s.


The possibility that information can be acquired at a distance without the use of the ordinary senses, that is by "extrasensory perception" (ESP), is not easily accommodated by conventional neuroscientific assumptions or by traditional theories underlying our understanding of perception and cognition. The lack of theoretical support has marginalized the study of ESP, but experiments investigating these phenomena have been conducted since the mid‐19th century, and the empirical database has been slowly accumulating. Today, using modern experimental methods and meta‐analytical techniques, a persuasive case can be made that, neuroscience assumptions notwithstanding, ESP does exist. We justify this conclusion through discussion of one class of homogeneous experiments reported in 108 publications and conducted from 1974 through 2008 by laboratories around the world. Subsets of these data have been subjected to six meta‐analyses, and each shows significantly positive effects. The overall results now provide unambiguous evidence for an independently repeatable ESP effect. This indicates that traditional cognitive and neuroscience models, which are largely based on classical physical concepts, are incomplete. We speculate that more comprehensive models will require new principles based on a more comprehensive physics. The current candidate is quantum mechanics.


The Hypertension Singing Bowl was shaped from a year of the author's blood pressure readings, and 3D printed in stainless steel so it would ring. This digitally fabricated singing bowl is an "ultimate particular" that establishes the design space of Acoustic Sonifications. This paper presents early experiments with Acoustic Sonification and analyses them using an Annotated Portfolio to identify interaction, perception, aesthetics and contemplation as important axes of the domain. This illustrates how Annotated Portfolios could also be used to analyse New Interfaces for Musical Expression.


Context. Measuring how the density of the plasma in the Sun's corona varies along fine structures such as coronal loops using emission measure is very difficult as the exact value of the line of sight filling factor and the correct amount of background subtraction are unknown. Aims. To investigate if magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) wave theory can be used to complement existing observational methods to obtain diagnostic information about the density structure of coronal loops by measuring the amplitude profile of the fundamental standing mode of the fast kink wave. Methods. Analytical and numerical approaches are used to show how the amplitude profile of the fundamental fast kink mode changes by varying the amount of density stratification in a coronal loop. Results. Increasing the amount of density stratification in a coronal loop will increase the difference in amplitude profile from one of constant longitudinal density. For a semi-circular TRACE 171 A temperature loop of length 200 Mm and density scale height, H = 50 Mm, the maximum change in amplitude profile is of the order of 50 km. It is also found that the amplitudes of these oscillations are effectively negligible at altitudes lower than the transition region. Conclusions. The effect of density stratification on the amplitude profile of the fundamental standing kink mode of a TRACE 171 A temperature loop may be very subtle. Unfortunately, the observational signatures of this effect are likely to be well below the resolution of the best currently available extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) imagers. Only loops with homogeneous magnetic fields have been addressed here, but inhomogeneous magnetic fields may well dominate over the effect of density stratification on the amplitude profile.


In Israel, as in many other countries, a high school matriculation certificate is required by universities and some jobs. In spite of the certificate's value, Israeli society is marked by vast differences in matriculation rates by region and socioeconomic status. We attempted to increase the likelihood of matriculation among low-achieving students by offering substantial cash incentives in two demonstration programs. As a theoretical matter, cash incentives may be helpful if low-achieving students reduce investment in schooling because of high discount rates, part-time work, or face peer pressure not to study. A small pilot program selected individual students within schools for treatment, with treatment status determined by previous test scores and a partially randomized cutoff for low socioeconomic status. In a larger follow-up program, entire schools were randomly selected for treatment and the program operated with the cooperation of principals and teachers. The results suggest the Achievement Awards program that randomized treatment at the school level raised matriculation rates, while the student-based program did not.


Sport science, in both application and research, has traditionally been the road not taken in understanding sports performance in the Middle East. Similarly, within motor sport, a limited knowledge base exists in either the physiological or psychological aspects of performance. For instance, less than ten articles on motor sport have been published in the major sport science journals. However, as we navigate this territory it will become evident that in the U.A.E. and in Qatar (see Chapter 13), sport science has been recognised as the royal road to excellence in sports performance. This new avenue has the potential, not only to illuminate the processes for identifying and nurturing talent, but as we will see, it has ramifications for our understanding of exercise, health and psychological well-being in contemporary Middle Eastern society. In this chapter, we reviewed the Arab roots of sport science, explored the current approaches of this interdisciplinary domain, and highlighted how sport science has the capacity to influence research and practice in allied fields. The discipline of sport and exericse psychology was elucidated and particular attention was given to the scientist – practitioner model. Furthermore, limitations of particular research topics were noted and the role of both PST and metacognition was alluded to. Debates between two routes to explain the development of expertise were resolved on the basis of recent theories and evidence. And furthermore, the ability of the theory of deliberate practice to provide a road map for talent identification is clarified. And finally, the case study exemplifies an integrated applied sport science based approach to talent identification in motorsport. The consequences of this approach are two-fold. Firstly, as stated by Mohammed Bin Sulaymen (2011b), "this experience that the drivers are getting will be incredibly beneficial to their racing career and their aspirations of racing on a world stage." And secondly, the case study demonstrates the potential of sport science to describe, explain, and predict performance to key stakeholders in the Middle East. To paraphrase the poet Robert Frost, sport science can make all the difference.


Abstract
The authors discuss a large system transformation project they designed and implemented in Slovenia at the start of its independence in the early 1990s. Post-mortem insights are useful for practitioners who embark on similarly broad transformation processes. Design issues are discussed such as structuring the pre-contracting phase to guarantee inclusive stakeholder representation and participation throughout the transformation process and how intervention design needs to allow for experimentation and multi-stakeholder alliance building. Application of action research and action learning in a risk-averse environment typical of central governments helped create a sense of ownership, control, and collective accountability in the partner country.


Although egg cells are visible to the naked eye, the history of cell biology is closely coupled to that of microscopy. In nearly 350 years, cell research has produced an extraordinary rich panorama of studies, concepts and representations. Robert Hooke's 1665 analogy to monk cells, the transition from 'cellular tissue' to single 'cells' around the year 1800, Schleiden and Schwann's identification of the cell as the elementary unit of life, the prominent status it gained during cytology's expansion to the other fields of biomedical inquiry, Schultze's definition as 'a clump of protoplasm containing a nucleus', the worlds of endocellular and ultrastructural organization, the 'compartimentalization' of the cell in the 1950s and 1960s, its role as map for biochemical and molecular research, all these are just few of the many historical answers to the question 'what is a cell and what is it good for?'.

Key concepts:

For the beginning of cell biology as a new research field it was not sufficient to be merely able to see cells.

The development of cell biology was coupled with the evolution of optical instruments and of anatomical theory.

One indispensable prerequisite for the formulation of the first cell theory was the shift from the concept of cellular tissue to that of cells as single units.

Cell research underwent 'golden ages' whenever cells were considered the basic units of life.

Many outstanding life scientists did not attribute central importance to cells.

The study of cells was (and still is) extraordinarily rich in different ways of seeing, describing, depicting and conceiving.

Though it originated from a specific theory, the history of cell biology is characterized by its growing independence from general theory.

Throughout its history cell biology was characterized by its ability to expand into neighbouring research fields and to integrate their concepts and methods.

Keywords:

cell biology;
cytoplasm;
organelles;
cell membrane;
cell division;
microscopy


Abstract Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is characterized by a highly variable clinical course. Del(11q) and del(17p), routinely studied by conventional G-banding cytogenetics (CGC) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), have been related to progression and shorter overall survival. Recently, array-based karyotyping has gained acceptance as a high-resolution new tool for detecting genomic imbalances. The aim of the present study was to compare genomic arrays with CGC and FISH to ascertain whether the current techniques could be substituted in routine procedures. We analyzed 70 patients with CLL using the Cytogenetics Whole-Genome 2.7M Array and CytoScan HD Array (Affymetrix), CGC and FISH with the classical CLL panel. Whereas 31.4% and 68.6% of patients presented abnormalities when studied by CGC and FISH, respectively, these rates increased when arrays were also analyzed (78.6% and 80%). Although abnormality detection is higher when arrays are applied, one case with del(11q) and three with del(17p) were missed by genomic arrays due to their limited sensitivity. We consider that the complete substitution of CGC and FISH by genomic arrays in routine laboratories could negatively affect the management of some patients harboring 11q or 17p deletions. In conclusion, genomic arrays are valid to detect known and novel genomic imbalances in CLL, but should be maintained as a complementary tool to the current techniques.


The aim of this paper is to conceptualize and design a risk topography that outlines a data acquisition and dissemination process that informs policymakers, researchers and market participants about systemic risk. Our approach emphasizes that systemic risk (i) cannot be detected based on measuring cash instruments, e.g., balance sheet items and income statement items; (ii) typically builds up in the background before materializing in a crisis; and (iii), is determined by market participants' response to various shocks. We propose that regulators elicit from market participants their (partial equilibrium) risk as well as liquidity sensitivities with respect to major risk factors and liquidity scenarios. General equilibrium responses and economy-wide system effects can be calibrated using this panel data set.


This paper is a continuation of a previous paper, in which the structure of certain regular semigroups, called generalized inverse semigroups, has been studied. A semigroup is called strictly regular if it is regular and the set of all its idempotents is a subsemigroup. A generalized inverse semigroup is strictly regular, but the converse is not true. Hence, the class of generalized inverse semigroups is properly contained in the class of strictly regular semigroups. The main purpose of this paper is to establish some results which clarify the structure of strictly regular semigroups. The concept of a quasi-direct product of a band (that is, an idempotent semigroup) and an inverse semigroup is introduced, and in particular it is proved that any semigroup is strictly regular if and only if it is a quasi-direct product of a band and an inverse semigroup.


Each day, millions of consumers venture online to search and exchange product information, seek out, and share opinions. Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) communication has been shown to influence consumer actions across a variety of industries (King, Racherla, and Bush 2014). A significant portion of eWOM occurs on social media platforms. Whether it is a status update of an upcoming vacation on Facebook, a picture of a laundry room makeover on Pinterest, or a YouTube video discussing the features on the new iPhone, consumers are turning to a variety of social platforms to make everyday purchasing decisions easier for themselves and others. Indeed, social word of mouth (sWOM)--a subset of eWOM--has incredible reach with the potential to influence over 2billion active social media consumers. The purpose of this book is to examine the influence of sWOM and provide guidance on how to operationalize its growing power. Our goal in writing this book was to bring together industry best practices and academic research to help you construct social media content that speaks with your brand voice, stimulates engagement, inspires consumers to share (#share), and that complies with industry and federal guidelines. Each chapter highlights a key area of sWOM that will further your understanding of the topic and provides actionable information to assist you in mobilizing positive sWOM for your company.


Field based environmental monitoring projects often fail to gather supporting temporal information on the surroundings, yet these external factors may play a significant part in understanding variations in the collected datasets. For example when sampling air quality the values may change as a result of a bus passing the sampling point, yet this temporal local information is difficult to capture at a consistently high resolution over extended time periods. Here we develop an application which runs on a mobile phone able to capture visual and audio data with corresponding time and location details. We also develop a desktop analysis tool which synchronises the display of this dataset with those captured from environmental sensors. The result is a tool able to assist researchers in understanding local changes in environmental datasets as a result of changes in the nearby surrounding environment.


Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) plays an important role in regulating protein synthesis. This paper discusses the effects of glutamine and electrical stimulation on protein content and the mTOR pathway in C2C12, providing theories on how glutamine improves sports performance and recovery. After 5 days of differentiation, C2C12 myotubes were incubated in 4 mM or 10 mM doses of glutamine for 48 hours, and then stimulated to contract for 90 mins at 15v, 3Hz, and 30ms. After electrical stimulation, samples of Es and Gln+Es were harvested at 0, 6, 18, and 24 hours. The BCA Protein Assay Kit was used to measure total protein content (μg/ cm2). The expression of mTOR and S6K1 were measured by RT-PCR. The expression of p-S6 and myosin heavy chain (MHC) were measured by western blot. The results showed that total protein content, mTOR, p-S6, MHC expression of Gln were greater than that in Con (P<0.05). Compared with the protein content found in Con, that of Es18 and Es24 increased significantly (P<0.01). When the expression of mTOR and p-S6 were compared, it was apparent that Gln+Es and Es had similar trends, which was a decline in protein followed by a subsequent rise. The difference was that Es reached the peak in 18 hours, while Gln+Es did so in 6 h. The MHC expression in both Es and Gln+Es changed stable with a similar trend, decline followed by rise. Electrical stimulation and glutamine promote expression of MHC through the mTOR pathway, increase protein synthesis, and promote the rise of protein content and muscle recovery.


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 Transport, the environment and social exclusion
Karen Lucas, Tim Grosvenor and Roona Simpson

In the last 20 years there has been a dramatic growth in both vehicle numbers and the distances driven in all industrialised societies, and car-ownership is now the norm for most households. Ever-rising car-ownership has led to concern about the harmful effects of transport on the natural environment and quality of life. Nevertheless, this study suggests that policies which aim to mitigate the environmental impacts of traffic may sometimes come into conflict with the social inclusion of low-income and other disadvantaged groups and communities.

This study analyses current evidence on the opinions and perspectives, behaviour and expenditure patterns of low-income and other disadvantaged groups on transport and travel. In addition, it reports on qualitative case study research in five different locations in the UK. It explores to what extent the availability and affordability of local services influences people's decisions about travel, the distances people are prepared to travel to reach services, and the impact of reliability and availability of current transport provision. The particular transport needs of some low-income groups (for example women shift-workers) and some areas (rural or isolated homes) are also explored.

The researchers conclude that discouraging car use will not be effective unless adequate public transport measures are put into place first.


Academic Information Systems (IS) research has a serious utilization and relevance problem. To increase IS research utilization and relevance, scholars argue that the mainstream IS research, which is based on the behavioral science paradigm, should be complemented with research based on the design science paradigm. The current IS design science frameworks have a strong focus on the IT artefact, in most cases an exclusive focus on the IT artefact. The frameworks have very little discussion and clarifications regarding underpinning philosophies, but most seem to be based on positivism, traditional realism, or pragmatism. This paper presents an alternative framework for IS design science research. The framework builds on that the aim of IS design science research is to develop practical knowledge for the design and realization of different classes of IS initiatives, where IS are viewed as socio-technical systems and not just IT artefacts. The underpinning philosophy of the framework is critical realism which has been developed as an alternative to positivism and traditional realism as well as to constructivism (relativism). The framework proposes that the output of IS design science research is practical IS design knowledge in the form of field-tested and grounded technological rules. The IS design knowledge is developed through an IS design science research cycle. The paper presents how technological rules can be developed as well as the nature of such rules.


Information on publication metrics and how it can assist in getting a grant or promotion. Measures include citation metrics, journal quality indicators, benchmarking, altmetrics and collaboration measures.


Angles: Present developments in construction engineering are aiming towards bigger and
more slender structures, where wind loading becomes an even more decisive factor in
its design. These structures are very often conceived with special geometrical shape that
leads to highly difficult (sometimes impossible) approaches to determine the wind load effects. Therefore wind tunnel investigations have been regularly used to get a reliable approach to the real wind conditions on and around the structure.
The appearance in early 1960's of Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) let us
predict the fluid fields and other physics in detail for an application of interest by using numerical methods and algorithms. Before the appearance of CFD the fluid mechanics advancements where done with the combination of experiments and basic theoretical analyses, which have the disadvantage of not including all the required physics of the flow. But now, the role of CFD in engineering predictions has become so strong, that today it can be seen as a new "third dimension" in fluid dynamics. CFD had rapidly become a popular tool in engineering analyses.
CFD calculations in civil engineering are still an immature alternative to wellestablished methods like wind tunnel. The large computational effort and timeconsuming
calculations together with the difficulties of modeling the atmospheric boundary layer and its turbulent structures had been the main drawbacks for dealing with wind effects on structures. Nevertheless in the latest years, an always increasing computer power has opened the possibilities of simulation in the field structural aerodynamics, as they start giving accurate results with affordable time expense.
One of the main deficiencies of CFD is the CFD solutions of turbulent flows.
These solutions contain turbulence models which are just approximations of the real
physics. Therefore, all CFD solutions of turbulent flows are subject to inaccuracy. CFD community is directly attacking this problem in the most basic sense. There is work today on the direct computation of turbulence. This is currently a wide open area of CFD research.
It is the purpose of this study to compare the CFD solutions of a turbulent flow
with the solutions obtained in a wind tunnel experiment, in order to validate its use. This study focuses on generating a suitable model for a lightweight solar module and carry out a numerical investigation of the flow around it and determining the uplift forces using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) calculations.
Finally the results will be validated with the results obtained in the experiments
done in a wind tunnel by the Institute of Steel Construction of the RWTH University of
Aachen.


Abstract The effects of substituent type and position on the aromaticity of certain derivatives of oxazole, imidazole and thiazole have been theoretically investigated by using density functional theory at the levels of B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) and B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p) methods. The second heteroatom substitution decreases aromaticity of furan, pyrrole and thiophene. The decreased aromaticity is gained back to some extent by the substitution of strong electron withdrawing groups or atoms (NO2 and F). Nucleus-independent chemical shift (NICS) data have been considered to determine the aromaticity of the systems. The most effective substitution to enhance the aromaticity has been calculated to be at position 4. The variation of the bond lengths of the main skeleton supports the findings through NICS calculations. The frontier molecular orbital energies have also been reported to draw a general correlation between these energies and the aromaticity of the system.


James Pennington's creativity as a scientific economist is matched only by his obscurity. He exemplifies the pioneering innovator who never gets his due recognition. Alone and with others he launched (1) the idea that checking deposits are money just like coin and notes, (2) the theory of the multiple expansion of bank deposits, (3) the currency principle according to which a mixed paper-metal currency can be made to behave as if it were entirely metallic, and (4) the notion that reciprocal demand fixes the terms of trade between the comparative cost ratios of two trading nations. Any one of these contributions should have made him famous. But they failed to do so and his name, neglected enough in his own time, is virtually unknown today.


Airborne radar reflectivity measurements at frequencies of 9.6 and 94 GHz, with collocated, in situ particle size distribution and ice water content measurements from the Cirrus Regional Study of Tropical Anvils and Cirrus Layers (CRYSTAL) Florida Area Cirrus Experiment (FACE) in Florida in July 2002, offer one of the first opportunities to evaluate and improve algorithms for retrieving ice water content from single-wavelength spaceborne radar measurements. Both ice water content and radar reflectivity depend on the distribution of particle mass with size. It is demonstrated that single, power-law, mass dimensional relationships are unable to adequately account for the dominating contribution of small particles at lower reflectivities and large particles at higher reflectivities. To circumvent the need for multiple, or complex, mass dimensional relationships, analytic expressions that use particle ensemble mean ice particle densities that are derived from the coincident microphysical and radar observations are developed. These expressions, together with more than 5000 CRYSTAL FACE size distributions, are used to develop radar reflectivity–ice water content relationships for the two radar wavelengths that appear to provide improvements over earlier relationships, at least for convectively generated stratiform ice clouds.


Geophysical and geographic information systems (GIS) methods have been applied to investigate the
regional three-dimensional geological setting and geophysical signature of sediment-hosted Zn-Pb
mineralisation in the Proterozoic Carpentaria Zinc Belt of northern Australia. The study focused on the
setting of two particular Zn-Pb deposits, HYC in the McArthur Basin and Lady Loretta in the Mount lsa
Basin.
A GIS incorporating geophysical interpretations, geological and geochemical data was designed and
implemented for a region in the McArthur Basin encompassing the giant HYC Zn-Pb-Ag deposit. The
GIS incorporates geological attributes that encode depth information implicit in the stratigraphic column.
This data structure, in conjunction with topological attributes, allows queries based on the stratigraphic
relationships of spatial elements.
The GIS was used to identify and analyse constraints on base metal metallogeny and to gain insights into
the 3-D evolution of the McArthur Basin. Mass balance calculations derived from lithogeochemical data,
together with volumes calculated from geophysical and stratigraphic data, indicate that an unrealistic
proportion of the carbonate-dominated McArthur Group would have been required to source sufficient
base metal to form the HYC mineralised system. At least a major portion of the metals contained in HYC
are inferred to have originated deeper in the basin. Automatic identification of the location and
magnitude of unconformities on geological maps was used to suggest the location and size of active subbasins
at the time of the formation of HYC mineralisation. HYC's situation at the northeastern edge of
one of these sub-basins is consistent with topographic and bounding growth fault control on the
palaeohydrogeological regime that focused mineralising fluids in the vicinity of the deposit.
Petrophysical measurements from the Mount Isa Basin indicate that the only highly magnetic units are the
Eastern Creek and Kamarga Volcanics. All other units, including Fiery Creek Volcanics basalts, are at
most weakly magnetic. Densities of Proterozoic sedimentary units are largely a function of the relative
proportion of carbonate and siliciclastic material. The same, albeit weaker relationship was observed
with respect to sonic velocity and resistivity, though acoustic impedance contrasts between basin units
remain significant.
Pb-Zn ore at Lady Loretta has a high density contrast with the highly pyritic layers enclosing it, which in
turn are significantly denser than the host dolomitic siltstone. The Lady Loretta ore is also much more
chargeable than any of its host units, but there is little resistivity contrast between the ore and host
carbonaceous siltstones. Gravity and IP methods are indicated as most likely to distinguish base metal
mineralisation from other conductive bodies in this region.
Airborne magnetic and radiometric data flown over the Lady Loretta region were processed and
interpreted to identify areas of anomalous response with respect to the 'normal' signatures of individual
basin units: Integration of magnetic, radiometric and lithogeochemical data from the Eastern Creek
Volcanics has enabled geophysical identification of alteration phases. Magnetite destruction, Fe
depletion and possibly K depletion, consistent with chlorite + albite-type alteration, are associated with
subdued magnetic signals adjacent to Zn-Pb (Lady Loretta) and Cu (Lady Annie) mineralisation.
Anomalously high levels of K and quiet magnetic responses are apparent adjacent to the Mammoth Cu
deposits. Variable K, Th and U signals from McNamara Group sequences are interpreted to indicate the
location and nature of syn-depositional basin structures and sediment source regions, including evidence
of anomalous sub-basin development represented by the Lady Loretta host sequence.
The structure and volume of basin units in the Lady Loretta area were inferred from geophysical
modelling. Basin structures in this region have been overprinted to varying degrees by the lsan Orogeny.
In lower strain areas, there is a WNW trend in pre-Isan Orogeny structures. The area north of the Redie
Creek and Leopard Faults appears to have been persistently uplifted from Myally Subgroup through to
early McNamara Group time, with a depocentre to the south during this period. The Lady Loretta deposit
is situated on the north-western margin of this former depocentre, immediately adjacent to the uplifted
area to the north. The proximity to mineralising fluid conduits in the form of bounding or former growth
faults was probably a major factor in the formation of the Lady Loretta mineralisation.
GIs and geophysics can be used at all scales in exploration for Zn-Pb mineralisation. Analysis of
regional geophysics, geology and geochemistry in a GIS can identify provinces and regions containing
the requisite source lithologies, basin architecture and trap rocks to generate major Zn-Pb deposits. More
detailed analysis of geophysical data can distinguish areas where 'base metal-depleting' alteration may
have originated mineralising fluids from potentially rich source rocks such as the Eastern Creek
Volcanics. Geophysical analysis can also help to locate structures capable of focusing mineralising fluids
in favourable areas and, with gravity and IP methods, directly detect Lady Loretta-style deposits.


For generations, historians of the right, left, and center have all debated the best way to understand V. I. Lenin's role in shaping the Bolshevik party in the years leading up to the Russian Revolution. At their worst, these studies locate his influence in the forcefulness of his personality. At their best, they show how Lenin moved other Bolsheviks through patient argument and political debate. Yet remarkably few have attempted to document the ways his ideas changed, or how they were in turn shaped by the party he played such a central role in building. In this thorough, concise, and accessible introduction to Lenin's theory and practice of revolutionary politics, Paul Le Blanc gives a vibrant sense of the historical context of the socialist movement (in Russia and abroad) from which Lenin's ideas about revolutionary organization spring. What emerges from Le Blanc's partisan yet measured account is an image of a collaborative, ever-adaptive, and dynamically engaged network of revolutionary activists who formed the core of the Bolshevik party.


We present a complete polymorphic effect inference algorithm for an ML-style
language with handlers of not only exceptions, but of any other algebraic
effect such as input & output, mutable references and many others. Our main aim
is to offer the programmer a useful insight into the effectful behaviour of
programs. Handlers help here by cutting down possible effects and the resulting
lengthy output that often plagues precise effect systems. Additionally, we
present a set of methods that further simplify the displayed types, some even
by deliberately hiding inferred information from the programmer.


Ventilated Improved Pit-latrine is a commonly used toilet facility in most developing countries, and faecal sludge accumulating in this facilities need to be disposed carefully in an environmentally safe manner. One such option is through the deep row trenching of ventilated improved pit-latrine (VIP) faecal sludge as nutrients in forest plantations. This experiment was to simulate the process of leachate losses compared to measured values, to determine subsurface losses. The modelling and simulation of the process of water, nitrate and phosphorus transport processes was carried out to monitor changes in concentration over time and to monitor the movement of solutes and any change taking place in the surrounding soil water and groundwater using HYDRUS-2D model. The study demonstrated that the nutrient migration processes can be approximated with the conceptual simplifications of the inputs to the model based on field evidence, soil survey data and applicable literature. The study revealed the presence of sandy alluvial formation at the site, and the presence of unsaturated zone below the entrenched faecal sludge retarded nutrient transport.


The role of explicit information (EI) as an independent variable in instructed SLA is largely underresearched. Using the framework of processing instruction, however, a series of offline studies has found no effect for EI (e.g., Benati, 2004; Sanz & Morgan-Short, 2004; VanPatten & Oikkenon, 1996). Fernández (2008) presented two online experiments with mixed results. She found an effect for EI with processing instruction on one target structure (subjunctive in Spanish) but not the other structures (object pronouns and word order in Spanish). Thus, the effects of EI could be related to the target structure or to a processing problem, or both. The present study is a conceptual replication of one of Fernández's experiments. The target was German accusative case markings on articles with both subject (S)- verb (V)- object (O) and OVS word orders. As shown by Jackson (2007) and LoCoco (1987), learners of German as a second language misinterpret OVS sentences as SVO, ignoring case markings as a cue of who does what to whom. Thus, the goal of the instructional intervention was to push learners to process case markings and word order correctly. The treatment consisted of structured input items (Farley, 2005; Lee & VanPatten, 2003) under two conditions: +/−EI. Following Fernández, the treatment was conducted via computer using e-Prime, and learners' responses were recorded as they made their way through the items. Whereas Fernández did not find an effect for EI for word order and object pronouns in Spanish, we found an effect for word order and case markings in German: (a) Twice as many learners in the +EI group reached criterion (began to process input strings correctly) compared with the −EI group, and (b) learners in the +EI group began processing word order and case markings sooner than in the −EI group. Even though the processing problem was the same in both Fernández's and our experiments, we attribute the difference in results to the interaction of particular structures with the processing problem and call for additional research on the role of EI not just in processing instruction but in all formal interventions.


Wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical networks are rapidly becoming the technology of choice in next-generation Internet architectures. This dissertation addresses the important issues of improving four aspects of optical networks, namely, routing efficiency, fairness, differentiated quality of service (QoS) and throughput.
A new approach for implementing efficient routing and wavelength assignment in WDM networks is proposed and evaluated. In this approach, the state of a multiple-fiber link is represented by a compact bitmap computed as the logical union of the bitmaps of the free wavelengths in the fibers of this link. A modified Dijkstra's shortest path algorithm and a wavelength assignment algorithm are developed using fast logical operations on the bitmap representation.
In optical burst switched (OBS) networks, the burst dropping probability increases as the number of hops in the lightpath of the burst increases. Two schemes are proposed and evaluated to alleviate this unfairness. The two schemes have simple logic, and alleviate the beat-down unfairness problem without negatively impacting the overall throughput of the system. Two similar schemes to provide differentiated services in OBS networks are introduced.
A new scheme to improve the fairness of OBS networks based on burst preemption is presented. The scheme uses carefully designed constraints to avoid excessive wasted channel reservations, reduce cascaded useless preemptions, and maintain healthy throughput levels.
A new scheme to improve the throughput of OBS networks based on burst preemption is presented. An analytical model is developed to compute the throughput of the network for the special case when the network has a ring topology and the preemption weight is based solely on burst size. The analytical model is quite accurate and gives results close to those obtained by simulation.
Finally, a preemption-based scheme for the concurrent improvement of throughput and burst fairness in OBS networks is proposed and evaluated. The scheme uses a preemption weight consisting of two terms: the first term is a function of the size of the burst and the second term is the product of the hop count times the length of the lightpath of the burst.


The concept of interpretive activism as a relational position and a practical accomplishment is a useful analytical tool for the study of audiences conceived not as a conglomerate of individuals but as loose networks in which the ability to construct and impose political meanings is unequally distributed. An analysis of the political uses of Verdi's operas in the 1840s demonstrates the power of interpretive activists to impose on audience co-members a political interpretation of cultural objects. There is significant variation in the ways in which these operas were used for the construction of expressive collective statements by contemporary audiences. Opera performances were interpreted as symbolic representations of different political idioms, and audiences expressed their political stance by both affiliating with, and disaffiliating from, these performances. The practices of interpretive activists, not the patriotic symbolism inherent in the operas, account for this variation in outcome. Symbolism, along with the formal properties of opera and the normative enforcement of behavior, is just one of the different contextually grounded resources that interpretive activists use for the construction and imposition of politicized interpretations of cultural objects.


OBJECTIVE
To describe clinical and diagnostic imaging features of zygomatic sialadenitis in dogs.

DESIGN
Retrospective case series.

ANIMALS
11 dogs with zygomatic sialadenitis and 20 control dogs without evidence of retrobulbar disease.

PROCEDURES
Medical records were searched for dogs with zygomatic sialadenitis that underwent some combination of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and ultrasonography. Signalment, clinical signs, results of clinicopathologic tests, cytologic and histologic diagnosis, treatment, qualitative disease features, and disease course were recorded. Images obtained via MRI or CT were analyzed for pre- and postcontrast signal intensity or density, respectively; zygomatic salivary gland area was determined. Results were compared with those of control dogs that underwent the same imaging procedures (n = 10/method). Ultrasonographic images of affected dogs were assessed qualitatively.

RESULTS
Most (9/11) affected dogs were medium- or large-breed males (mean age, 8 years) with unilateral disease. Affected dogs had clinical signs of retrobulbar disease and cytologic or histologic evidence of zygomatic sialadenitis. Sialoceles were detected in 7 affected glands. Compared with values for control dogs, MRI findings in affected dogs (n = 7) included gland enlargement, T1-weighted hypointensity, T2-weighted hyperintensity, and increased contrast enhancement; CT features in affected dogs (2) included gland enlargement and hypodensity on unenhanced images. Retrobulbar masses were identified via ultrasonography in 9 of 10 orbits examined, and zygomatic salivary gland origin was detected in 4.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Visualization of anatomic structures for diagnosis of zygomatic sialadenitis and evaluation of adjacent structures was excellent via MRI and CT Ultrasonography was less definitive but useful for sample collection.


A net gain in long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) occurs in Arenicola marina bioturbated mesocosms in the light and dark when brewery yeast is the only food. Fatty acid profiles were determined by GC-MS and quantified for system units. Bacterial fatty acid biosynthesis is indicated by accumulation of the bacterial fatty acids anteiso 14:0, iso 15:0, iso 16:0, anteiso 16:0, iso 17:0, C16:1n-7 and C18:1n-7 (cis-vaccenic acid). De novo production of longer chain PUFA within the worm tissues is implicated by a chain elongation converting linoleic acid (C18:2n-6) to C20:2n-6 and subsequent desaturation, resulting in a gain of arachidonic acid (C20:4n-6) and eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5n-3) via the intermediary C20:3n-6. To test for the presence of PUFA-synthesising bacteria in system units, 495 cloned 16S rDNA fragments were compared with the databases and degenerate PCR primers were designed for the ketoacyl acyl carrier protein synthase gene highly conserved in the polyketide synthase region of known PUFA-synthesising Gammaproteobacteria. Gammaproteobacteria related to known PUFA producers were not abundant (<1% of clones) and PCR primers, whose specificity was confirmed by conspecific amplification of DNA product from genomic DNA of Shewenella frigidimarina 12253T and Colwellia psychrethraea 8813T, did not amplify product from mesocosm DNA samples. PUFA production is therefore primarily due to processes within the lugworm A. marina. Biosynthesis by invertebrates may be significant in benthic ecosystems and their culture has the potential to contribute to non-fishery sources of essential fatty acids required for aquaculture feeds.


Criminologists and crime prevention practitioners are increasingly aware of the importance of places of crime. A place is a very small area, usually a street corner, address, building, or street segment. A focus on crime places contrasts with a focus on neighborhoods. Neighborhood theories usually highlight the development of offenders. while place level explanations emphasize crime events. Three perspectives suggest the importance of places for understanding crime: rational choice; routine activity theory; and crime pattern theory. Though these perspectives are mutually supportive, routine activity theory and crime pattern theory provide different explanations for crime occurring at different places. Five areas of research help us understand the importance of places: crime concentration about particular facilities (e.g., bars); the high concentration of crime at some addresses and the absence of crime at others; the preventive effects of various place features; the mobility of offenders; and studies of how offenders select targets. Concern has been expressed that efforts to prevent crime at specific locations will only move it to other, unprotected locations. Recent research suggests that these fears may be exaggerated, and that under some circumstances the opposite effect occurs: instead of crime displacing, the benefits of the prevention efforts diffuse to unprotected locations. This paper concludes with a review of the 14 original articles in this volume.


Essential oils have found vast applications in many fields including aromatherapy, flavor and fragrance industries. Ixora coccinea Linn. is a reputable medicinal plant with long history of use in Nigeria. This study aimed to investigate the chemical constituents and antimicrobial activity of the leaf Essential Oil (EO) of Ixora coccinea grown in Nigeria. EO was obtained by hydrodistillation with yield of 0.16% (w/w). Chemical constituents of EO were determined using Gas Chromatography coupled to Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The GC-MS analysis identified 43 compounds, representing 94.67% of the oil constituents. The analysis revealed eight classes of compounds including hydrocarbons, alcohols, carboxylic acids, esters, aldehydes, ketones, sesquiterpenoids and triterpenoids. Hydrocarbons accounted for 33.77% with decane (11.12%) as the highest; alcohols comprised 28.86% of the oil with the highest being linalool (10.54%). Esters made up 14.15% of the oil. Carboxylic acid (10.91%) was dominated by malonic acid (10.26%); sesquiterpenoids made up 6.84% of the oil dominated by 3,7,11-trimethyl-1,6,10-dodecatrien-3-ol (3.07%). Aldehydes made up 3.36% of EO dominated by heptadecanal (2.30%). Ketones accounted for 1.38% of the oil. The inhibitory effect of EO was evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (BCG) using broth microdilution method. The essential oil showed significant antimicrobial effects against the test organisms, with Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) ranging from 50 to 200 I¼g/mL. This result showed that EO could serve as adjunct therapy in the treatment of community acquired infections.


ABSTRACT This paper compares the representation of indigenous tourism experiences in advertisement materials with representations gathered from site visits and tourism sector interviews in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug (NAO) in northern Russia. The study shows that a majority of the visual images and text used for marketing of the area construct a picture of an indigenous people living 'in harmony' with nature, representing a romanticized and historical image of indigenous communities. In contrast with these marketing images, large variations exist in everyday practices and among the numerous practical considerations related to the recent and limited development of tourism in the NAO.


In almost all cases, the transport industry has adopted safety management systems (SMS) in response to a regulatory initiative. SMS vary dramatically across transport modes and jurisdictions – often because of the influence of different legacy regulatory programmes, and the attendant cultures. Consequently, there is no single path to guarantee a regulatory authority success in designing and implementing SMS regulations. For many, SMS has become a voyage of discovery, an experiment in proactive safety management that is being conducted in real time. SMS has been a "step change" that has challenged industries in all modes of transport. It has severely taxed the capabilities of many regulatory authorities. It is arguably the most significant regulatory change that has occurred in the transportation industry in recent times. Regulating SMS has often led to revised legislation, regulations or standards; whole scale restructuring of the regulatory agency; new or revised regulatory protocols, processes, activities, and tools; and new information technology (IT) and new processes for information management (IM). SMS will continue to evolve in the coming decades. The paper draws on lessons learned to explore strategies that can be used to design, implement and operate the related regulatory programmes. Observations are provided to help decision makers manage the challenges they will predictably face. The critical role of dynamic, wide-reaching communications and strategic planning, with industry and within the regulatory organisation, is underlined.


Climate change is emerging as one of the key security challenges of the 21st century, a challenge that will increasingly have effects in the realm of counter-terrorism. Since January 2002, the United States Government has grounded its counter-terrorism policies within an international/diplomatic framework of well-governed states that have the capacity and willingness to cooperate with the United States. Climate change threatens to undermine this objective. For example, several countries with which the United States hopes to forge long-term counter-terrorism alliances are geographically situated in areas that may be strongly affected by climate change. In Asia, three countries in particular — Indonesia, the Philippines, and Bangladesh — demonstrate the nexus between possible climate change effects and counter-terrorism. In these countries, increased poverty and reduced state capacity, a foreseeable outcome of predicted climate change events, contribute to the creation or sustenance of functional space which may allow terrorist groups to flourish.


This study was undertaken to assess the importance of streambank erosion to the total in-stream sediment of two agricultural watersheds within the Central Claypan Areas. The objective of this research was to determine the effect of stream order, adjacent land use, and season on streambank erosion rates. Thirty-four study sites were established in 2007 and 2008 within Crooked and Otter Creek watersheds, two claypan watersheds located in northeastern Missouri. At each site, field assessments of severely to very severely eroding bank length were determined along 300 to 400 m (984 to 1,312 ft) stream reaches. A factorial experimental design was implemented with four land uses (crop, forest, pasture, and riparian forest), three seasons, and three stream orders (1st, 2nd, and 3rd). Each treatment was replicated three times for each stream order, except for the cropped 3rd order treatment as only one suitable treatment site could be found. Streambank erosion was measured using erosion pins, which were installed in randomly assigned plots that included at least 20% of the eroded bank length within each site. The effect of different seasons was assessed by measuring the length of the exposed pins three times per year (March, July, and November). The bulk density and carbon and nitrogen content of bank material were also determined. Sediment loss rates showed that season and the three-way interaction between season, land use, and stream order were highly significant. Erosion rates were consistently higher in the winter months than spring/summer and fall seasons; however, the significant three-way interaction precluded a simple interpretation of the seasonal effect. Soil nutrient concentration data showed that forest sites had significantly lower C and N concentrations than other land uses. At the watershed scale, bank sediment accounted for 79% to 96% of the total in-stream sediment and 21% to 24% of the total N exported from the study area. These results indicate that streambanks are the dominant source of sediment and a significant source of N in these streams. Therefore, improved management of riparian areas to decrease streambank erosion would result in significant water quality improvement in streams of the Central Claypan Areas in northeastern Missouri.


The 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded to Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice for the discovery of Hepatitis C virus. Hepatitis, from the Greek names for liver and inflammation, is a disease characterized by poor appetite, vomiting, fatigue and jaundice yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes. Chronic hepatitis leads to liver damage, which may progress to cirrhosis and liver cancer. Viral infection is the leading cause of hepatitis, with some forms persisting without symptoms for many years before life-threatening complications develop. Until the 1960's, exposure to blood from infected individuals was a major health hazard, with up to 30% risk of chronic hepatitis following surgery or multiple blood transfusions. This risk was only partially reduced by the discovery of the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and the eventual elimination of HBV-contaminated blood through testing. A more insidious form of hepatitis, characterized by very mild symptoms in the acute phase and a high risk of progression to chronic liver damage and cancer, remained. The work of Alter, Houghton and Rice characterized this form of hepatitis to be a distinct clinical entity, caused by an RNA virus of the Flavivirus family, now known as Hepatitis C virus (HCV). This pioneering work has paved the way for the development of screening methods that have dramatically reduced the risk of acquiring hepatitis from contaminated blood and has led to the development of effective antiviral drugs that have improved the lives of millions of people.


The 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of cis-[Co(N3)2(en)2]NO31 with different organonitriles (NCR) under focussed microwave irradiation produced bis-tetrazolate complexes [Co(N4CR)2(en)2](NO3). Interestingly, in the case of 3-cyano pyridine the reaction produced both cis- and trans-isomers (cis-2 and trans-2), whereas for 4-cyano pyridine the compound obtained was exclusively cis (cis-3) and for 4-bromobenzonitrile it was only the trans- (trans-4) compound which was isolated. This indicates a probable role of remote substitution of the phenyl ring in dictating the formation of the preferential isomer. When starting from the trans-isomer of the diazido complex (trans-[Co(N3)2(en)2]ClO4, 1a), upon reacting with different nitriles a mixture of cis- and trans-isomers of [Co(N4CR)2(en)2]ClO4 was produced in each case, with a greater preference towards cis-geometry [R = 4-NC5H4 (cis-5 and trans-5), 4-BrC6H4 (cis-6 and trans-6) and C6H5 (cis-7 and trans-7)]. The preferential formation of the cis-analogue of compound trans-4 when starting from the trans-precursor was quite curious. A theoretical investigation of compounds trans-4 and cis-6 reveals that the greater stability of the trans-complex 4 may arise from additional van der Waals interactions in the solid state because of the presence of an extra DMF molecule as solvent of crystallization. However, an interacting counter-anion and a probable halogen–halogen interaction may also contribute to the formation of preferential isomers for cycloaddition complexes, even in the solution state.


Mobile ad-hoc networks have to suffer with different types of packet dropping attacks. Therefore, we need strong mechanism to detect these malevolent nodes and to classify normal and abnormal nodes as per the behavior of nodes. Machine learning techniques distinguish outlier nodes quickly and accurately provide classification by observing behavior of those nodes in the network. In this paper, we study various machine learning techniques as artificial neural network, support vector machine, decision tree, Q-learning, Bayesian network for identifying the malicious nodes. These techniques are able to detect black hole, gray hole, flooding attacks and other packet dropping attacks. These types of misbehaving nodes are identified and future behaviors of the nodes are predicted with supervised, un-supervised, reinforcement machine learning techniques.


Objective: Although transfusion load is considered to be the main cause of iron overload (IO) in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), patients without transfusion history may also present with IO at diagnosis. This retrospective study was assessed to investigate the potential role of baseline ferritin in MDS prognosis. Material and Methods: A total of 87 patients median age: 62(2183); male/female: 53/34] were included in this study. Results: Serum ferritin levels, which were positively correlated with International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS), World Health Organization Prognostic Scoring System (WPSS), C reactive protein (CRP) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels, were relatively higher in patients with excess marrow blasts (≥5%) at diagnosis. Serum CRP, reticulocyte percentage, LDH and alanine transaminase levels were higher as well as IPSS and WPSS, while hemoglobin and platelet count were lower in the high-ferritin group. Percentage of marrow blasts at diagnosis, IPSS and WPSS had significant prognostic impact on overall survival. Although ferritin levels were associated with certain prognostic markers, an independent impact of ferritin on prognosis or survival was not demonstrated. Conclusion: The prognostic role of ferritin should be confirmed in larger prospective studies in order to include this feasible candidate in standard prognostic scoring systems in MDS.


The majority of embryonic mortality in cattle occurs before maternal recognition of pregnancy at Day 16 postconception. In vitro-derived embryos exhibit a greater incidence of loss than their in vivo-derived counterparts. To better understand the causes of such embryonic loss, the aim of the current study was to compare transcript profiles of Days 7 and 13 bovine embryos derived in vitro or in vivo using the bovine Affymetrix microarray. We wanted to answer 3 questions: (1) what genes differ on Day 7 between blastocysts derived in vivo or in vitro, (2) what genes differ between Day 13 embryos derived from in vitro or in vivo embryos, and (3) what genes change between the blastocyst stage (Day 7) and the initiation of elongation (Day 13) and how are these temporal changes affected by the origin of the embryo. Day 7 bovine blastocysts were produced either in vitro by maturation, fertilization, and culture or in vivo by superovulation, AI, and nonsurgical embryo recovery. Half of the Day 7 blastocysts were snap frozen in liquid nitrogen in pools of 25 (microarray) or 10 (quantitative RT-PCR), and the other half were transferred in groups of 10 to synchronized heifers (10 recipients per group) ipsilateral to the corpus luteum and recovered on Day 13 by flushing the uterus after slaughter. Day 13 conceptuses were snap frozen individually. Three replicate pools of 25 Day 7 blastocysts and 5 Day 13 conceptuses were used for microarray analysis. Of the 24 128 probe-sets on the array, approximately 9500 genes were actively expressed in Days 7 and 13 embryos, irrespective of source. In Day 7 blastocysts, 50 genes were found to be differentially expressed (≥ 1.5-fold; P ≤ 0.05), of which 19 were up-regulated and 31 down-regulated in the in vivo compared with in vitro embryos. In Day 13 conceptuses, 288 genes were found to be differentially expressed (≥1.5-fold; P ≤ 0.05), of which 133 were up-regulated and 155 down-regulated in the in vivo compared with in vitro embryos. The comparison between Days 7 and 13 embryos revealed significant temporal changes in transcript profile, with 1806 and 909 transcripts differentially expressed in in vitro and in vivo-derived embryos, respectively. Across the 3 array comparisons between Days 7 and 13 embryos, 444 genes were consistently exclusively present in in vivo embryos, whereas 1341 were exclusively present in in vitro embryos. Array validation was done by quantitative RT-PCR analysis of fatty acid desaturase 1 (FADS1), cytochrome P450, family 51, subfamily A, polypeptide I (CYP51), and hyaluronan binding protein 2 (HABP2) genes. In conclusion, these results indicate that the origin of the blastocyst can have a significant effect on the transcript profile of the conceptus at the initiation of elongation and might be associated with the likelihood of embryo survival/loss subsequently. Further hierarchical clustering analysis and quantitative RT-PCR data will address the functional roles for certain known genes and novel candidate genes related to embryonic mortality. This work was supported by a grant (AGL2006-05616) from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology.


In this article, we discuss the constitutionality of President Bush's domestic electronic surveillance program, revealed to exist by the New York Times in late 2005. While full details of the President's program remain unclear, Times reporter James Risen, relying on information provided by administration sources, has characterized the effort by the NSA as possibly the largest domestic spying operation since the 1960s, larger than anything conducted by the FBI or CIA inside the United States since the Vietnam War. Pursuant to the President's executive order, he continues, the NSA may be eavesdropping on as many as five hundred people in the United States at any moment, and it potentially has access to the phone calls and e-mails of millions more. Another report suggests that tens of thousands of Americans have had their calls monitored under the auspices of the NSA's program. Shortly after the revelation of the domestic electronic surveillance program, United States Representative Michael Capuano (D-Massachusetts) asked professors of constitutional law teaching at Massachusetts-area law schools to provide him with opinions regarding the constitutionality of the President's program. We responded to Representative Capuano's request independently and in this article combine our responses to address more comprehensively the constitutional questions raised by the President's domestic electronic surveillance program. We conclude, first, that the President lacked the statutory or constitutional power to authorize such a program and, second, that the program runs afoul of the letter and the spirit of the constitutional protection against unreasonable searches and seizures embraced by the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution.


In a world in which 50 percent of the population is virtually excluded from the benefits of information and communication technology, bridging the digital gap has become an imperative for the international community, particularly for the industrialized countries. The objective of this study is to define the role of new communication technologies in shaping good governance and people-centered development in accordance with the principles contained in the United Nations Millennium Declaration. The extensive and diverse efforts to use information and communication technology to improve public administration and strengthen democracy being carried out by the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean are the primary catalyst for this book.


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This important Handbook reveals that most urban growth takes place in the less developed world and much of it represents over-urbanization – that is, urbanization in which most migrants cannot effectively compete for employment, cannot find adequate shelter and do not have the means to feed themselves properly. Yet, compared to rural poverty, urban poverty is widely regarded as the lesser of the two evils.


Household adoption of new agricultural technologies, including improved maize and bean varieties in Mozambique, is still relatively low. As a result, the average maize and common bean production remains low. This study identifies factors that are associated with households' adoption of improved maize and bean varieties, using Trabalho de Inquerito Agricola (TIA) 2007 data and the probit model to estimate the likelihood of household adoption of improved varieties of maize and common beans at both the national and regional levels. At the national level, the results indicate that household head's education, access to extension services and credit are associated with the household's adoption decision. However, association membership is negatively associated with the adoption decision. Education and extension are only statistically significant for the improved maize analysis. These findings suggest that households who had access to support services are more likely to adopt improved varieties. Household adoption of improved maize and bean varieties could be increased from the current 12% and 15% percent adoption rates, respectively, if 1) the current extension programs are strengthened to better respond to households' information needs, as well as to serve more households in different geographical areas, and 2) household access' to credit is expanded.


Abstract: Yield component breeding and modification of the plant architecture offer possibilities to develop more efficient breeding systems for increased grain yield. Heterosis and heterobeltiosis studies were done at Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan following Matzinger' approach (1956) among seven wheat genotypes viz., Shahkar-95, Parwaz-94, Iqbal-2000, Uqab2000, MH-97, 4072 and Punjab-96 for crosses in all possible combinations. Yield and yield related traits like plant height, number of tillers/plant, spike length, spikelets/spike, spike density, grain/spike, 1000-grains weight and grains yield/plant were investigated. Results for analysis of variance indicated significant differences among genotypes for many plant traits under study. Maximum significant heterosis (21.95%) was found in grain yield/plant followed by spike length (14.62%) and grain yield/spike (13.68%). While maximum heterobeltiosis was recorded for grain yield/plant (11.33%), followed by spike length (9.13%). It is concluded that 4072 x Punjab-96 cross showed best performance followed by Parwaz-94 x MH-97, Iqbal-2000 x parwaz94 than other crosses under study. These crosses cab be utilized in further breeding programme as parents for contributing high yield not only under optimum environment but also under drought conditions as water use efficient crosses. The results of heterosis suggest that hybrid vigor is available for the commercial production of wheat and selection of desirable hybrid among the crosses having heterotic effects in other characters is the best way to improve the grain yield of bread wheat.


Recently, a new xDSL successor called G.fast, which can occupy frequencies up to 106 or 212~MHz, has been introduced in ITU-T G.9700 series of recommendations. Moreover, a new model of transmission characteristics suitable for various types of metallic cables has been designed and described as well. The model is based on 9 parameters specified for each type of metallic cable and can provide accurate estimations. However, its complexity together with the number of required parameters makes its practical application questionable, since the most important metallic cable characteristic, the attenuation, can be estimated using much simpler models. Therefore, two innovative attenuation models suitable for frequencies up to 250 MHz were designed and they will be introduced in this paper. The main motivation was to achieve an accurate approximation of attenuation character for various types of metallic cables, while maintaining low mathematical complexity and a number of necessary parameters. Both models were compared with attenuation characteristics measured for variety types of real metallic cables and also with other standard attenuation models. The results are included in this article as well.


This dissertation consists of two self-contained chapters that explore intriguing properties of procurement auctions. The first chapter empirically analyzes procurement auctions in which suppliers must decide their bids based on expectations about how future market conditions will affect their costs. While previous literature has focused on the uncertainty about winning or losing the auction, I examine the risk that is intrinsic to the contract. I use data from government procurement auctions in the State of Sao Paulo in Brazil for fresh produce to study the effect of contract risk on auction outcomes. I find that suppliers are risk averse and therefore include a risk premium in the prices they bid, which can reach 38\% of the price for some goods. In addition, I show that a simple change in the payment scheme, in which the government pays a fixed amount plus 40\% of the reference index of wholesale prices, could reduce the risk premium to less than 1\% of the bid price for all goods analyzed. The second chapter analyzes the phenomenon of jump bidding, when a bidder places a bid that is larger than necessary to outbid the current winning bid. Models that explain this type of behavior say that jump bidding arise as a signaling strategy to communicate strength to competitors. However, using a large dataset of procurement auctions that spans across different industries, the predictions of those models do not match the patterns observed in the data. I find that winners place smaller jumps on average, which contradicts the signaling strategy and suggests that jumps might not be monotonic in the bidders' valuations. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Applied Economics First Advisor Joseph Harrington


Increases in atmospheric CO2 cause decreases in calcium carbonate saturation, which is predicted to affect the calcification process of most marine calcifiers. At the same time, the increase of seawater pCO2 is also known to increase the productivity of primary producers. Giant clams host symbiotic dinoflagellates ('zoo xan thellae': Symbiodinium spp.) that provide nutrition and use CO2 as their primary source for photosynthesis. This leads to the hypothesis that increased seawater pCO2 rise could positively affect the production of giant clam zooxanthellae, and dampen effects of CO2 on host giant clams. To test this hypothesis, we measured the shell growth rate, photosynthesis rate, respiration rate and zooxanthellae density of the juvenile Tridacna crocea reared under three different pCO2 conditions. Results revealed that negative shell growth of juvenile Tridacna crocea was observed once seawater Ωarag reached less than 2.33. Additionally, although zooxanthellae density in T. crocea increased with seawater pCO2 rise, zooxanthellae productivity did not change, suggesting that the produc tivity per zooxanthella decreased in high pCO2 seawater. Our findings suggest future seawater pCO2 rise will not increase productivity of zooxanthellae, thus giant clam will be negatively impacted in the coming centuries.