Oxbow says: This book's author does not shy away from expressing her opinions on the destruction of ancient sites in Greece and her belief that the Elgin Marbles are best left in the care of the British Museum, or at least for the time being. The Elgin Marbles leads the reader through a combination of historical narrative and architectural and artistic description, to this point - the controversy over the Parthenon sculptures brought to London by Lord Elgin in the early 19th century. The main part of the book tells the story of the ancient acropolis in Athens both before and after the Golden Age of the city and the Periclean building programme which initiated and built its famous buildings and sculptures. This is all set within a historical survey of the period and Athens' subsequent, fluctuating fortunes under the Romans, under Christian rule, where it survived as a beacon of paganism, under Byzantine rule, during the Crusades, under the Ottomans, and the struggle for spoils from the ancient city, by the French, Turks, Venetians and English, in the early modern period. There follows a detailed account of the Elgin Marbles and their journey from Athens to London, set within an era of antiquarianism and tourism, their acquisition by the British Museum, the controversial cleaning of the 1930s, through to current political debates about their return to Greece. Some may not agree with King's staunch beliefs about the future fate of the Marbles, and perhaps the final chapter is a little self-indulgent in this regard, but with no agreement in sight the political, cultural and ethical debate rages on.


The development of karst is a complex system driven by the dissolution of a host rock and the subsequent removal of dissolved matter by moving water. It is the process that, at various stages, initiates or triggers associated processes including erosion, collapse and subsidence. The dissolution of sulphate rocks proceeds by different mechanisms and at different rates to those associated with the dissolution of carbonate rocks. For each rock type different factors influence the process. This chapter is an attempt to summarise the present knowledge of the dissolution chemistty and kinetics of gypsum and anhydrite. These are important for the genetic interpretation of karst features in these rocks. The gypsum-anhydrite-gypsum transitions and recrystallization processes are also addressed, because of their importance to karst development


Many mutations change the function of FSHR (follicle-stimulating hormone receptor) at the plasma membrane. Mutations in FSHR can lead to ovarian dysgenesis and high gonadotropin levels. We aimed to investigate and compare the frequency of FSHR polymorphism (Ala307Thr and Ser680Asn) in fertile and infertile women. Our study enrolled all of the patients between 21 and 39 years of age who were admitted to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Akdeniz University between May 2009 and November 2010. The patients were divided into two groups corresponding to fertile and infertile. The infertile patients were divided into two subgroups corresponding to good and poor responders based on their response to fertility treatment. The genomic DNA was analyzed, and the Ala307Thr and Ser680Asn polymorphisms were screened in each group. We determined that in the good responder group, homozygosity for the polymorphisms was significantly less frequent (p=0.013). We also found that in the good responder group, the homozygous genotype (A/A) for the Ser680Asn polymorphism was significantly less frequent (p=0.013). In the poor responder group, heterozygosity for the polymorphism Ser680Asn was significantly more frequent (p=0.031). Because a high frequency of the homozygous genotype was found in the control group, we are unable to conclude that a homozygous genotype for these polymorphisms leads to a poor FSH receptor response. However, the frequency of the homozygous genotype was high for both Ser680Asn and Ala307Thr in the poor responder group. Doubleblinded, randomized, controlled, and prospective studies should be conducted with larger samples to reach a definite conclusion.


* Kaye, Jeff and Stephen Quinn (2010). Funding Journalism in the Digital Age: Business Models, Strategies, Issues and Trends. New York: Peter Lang. pp. 185. * Bugeja, Michael and Daniela V. Dimitrova (2010). Vanishing Act: The Erosion of Online Footnotes and Implications for Scholarship in the Digital Age. Duluth, MN: Litwin Books, pp. 86. In a dazzlingly short time, our communication and research habits have dramatically changed. Thanks to technology and the Internet, we've found new ways to share, store, connect, search, and inform. In so doing, we've damaged, outgrown, or abandoned systems that supported "old" ways - as is plainly seen in the news industry's turmoil of the past decade. Some functions those old ways served, however, need protecting. These books address two such challenges. The difficulty of finding new economic underpinnings for the production of journalism has been the focus of heated attention. The need to be able to consistently retrieve what has been shared online has not. Both areas deserve explication, which the books' authors ably provide. Anyone who has said the word "paywall" in discussions of current journalism likely knows it provokes passionate defenses and attacks. The concept - requiring people to pay for digitally distributed news - sparks broad debate over how journalism might be funded, what journalism means and should mean, who qualifies as a journalist, and journalism's role. Jeff Kaye and Stephen Quinn's book brings perspective to those rightfully touchy subjects. After all, business models that sustained huge news organizations and efforts for centuries have crumbled, the authors point out, resulting in slashed staffs and budgets, about ten U.S. newspaper closures annually, and a murky financial outlook. The "talk is of survival" (p. 1). Meanwhile, journalism has flourished "in remarkable ways - from instant global distribution to community participation and more powerful storytelling techniques" (p. 1). What hasn't changed, they note, is a long-held perception that "an informed public is an intrinsic social good" (p. 1). While the book initially appears to view the news industry primarily as victim, it gains in context and breadth as it develops. The opening three-chapter section gives an overview of how emerging technologies and social trends affected mass distribution of news. Increased competition from a growing number of sources drew readers and viewers away from established news outlets. Without masses being attracted in the same numbers to print newspapers and (much less known) to newscasters, advertisers found increasingly fewer reasons to buy ad space or time. Newspapers' dual-product model - selling "eyeballs" to advertisers while bringing in far less money from adnews print sales - foundered. Readers' attention was going to the web. Attempting a similar model online, however, was problematic because of strong competition from online advertisers (such as Craigslist and Google) and an interlaced web culture built on free transfer of information. Other factors in news organizations' slow embrace of the web, the authors explain, included a risk-averse culture, an ability to maintain high profit margins through cuts to the core product, an interest in staking a claim online through quickly built readership, and poor methods for collecting secure payments. Newspapers' first forays into online journalism were in dial-up days, which were slow, frustrating, and pricey for consumers. Nevertheless, news organizations' failure to charge for content from the beginning is seen by some as "Original Sin" (p. 23). The authors cover the 1990s dotcom boom and subsequent bust, the emergence in 2004 of Web 2.0 and social media popularity, and the global financial crisis of 2007-2008. They then explain various approaches to paid-content models including subscriptions, micropayments, and thirdparty fees. Because Kaye and Quinn built a firm foundation, it becomes understandable why news organizations would at the same time lure free "hits" through search engines, social media, reporting strategies, and distributed media of all kinds. …


This essay develops an ontology of sound and argues that sound art plays a crucial role in revealing this ontology. I argue for a conception of sound as a continuous, anonymous flux to which human expressions contribute but which precedes and exceeds these expressions. Developing Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz's conception of the perceptual unconscious, I propose that this sonic flux is composed of two dimensions: a virtual dimension that I term 'noise' and an actual dimension that consists of contractions of this virtual continuum: for example, music and speech. Examining work by Max Neuhaus, Chris Kubick, Francisco Lopez and others, I suggest that the richest works of sound art help to disclose the virtual dimension of sound and its process of actualisation.


This report summarises research conducted to explore the under-representation of women in the ICT and Digital Technologies sector in Scotland, and the possible reasons for, and solutions to, this problem.

A mixture of desk-based and original quantitative and qualitative empirical research was carried out in order to explore the barriers to women entering, staying and progressing in the sector.

The research suggested a number of features of the sector that may put women off entering it, or staying in it, and may explain in part women's lower representation:
• Negative perceptions of people who work in the sector – the nerdy young male of popular and media stereotypes;
• A lack of visible female role models in the industry;
• An expectation of long working hours and a lack of flexibility;
• A male dominated workplace, that is both itself intimidating, and potentially leads to gendered working cultures and practices;
• A feeling among female employees in the sector of not belonging; and
• In some cases, direct instances of discrimination, or negative assumptions about their competences on the part of employers and clients.

The solution to this imbalance is therefore likely to lie in:
• Getting girls engaged in computing and increasing uptake at school level;
• Increasing awareness of opportunities in the sector among secondary pupils, in partnership with industry;
• Supporting female students in further and higher education, offering mentoring and networking opportunities and promoting opportunities in the industry to them; and
• Making employers and those working in the sector more aware of the benefits of diversity and family friendly working practices, and encouraging employees and employers in the sector to challenge unconscious bias.


the criminal justice system (CJS) is the ballast to a nation's stability. by enforcing the rule of law, the police, courts and corrections provide citizens with security. however, when the system becomes so riddled with corruption, what was meant to be a protector becomes a predator. in many fragile states, the CJS is just that – another threat to the average citizen and a resource that the wealthy and powerful use to maintain their position. this distortion of the CJS's purpose occurs through the systematic use of extortion/bribery, sexual favors, political interference and favoritism or, typically, some combination of all four.1 this innovative Practice brief describes an experimental effort to combat these forces within the CJS of lubumbashi, democratic republic of the Congo (drC). it describes the two-year effort, explains the processes used for learning, highlights key results and offers lessons learned, as well as ongoing challenges.


Turbulent overturns are distinguished from salinity-compensated intrusions in high-resolution moored thermistor string observations. The buoyancy frequency N is used to make the time dimensionless, "t*." This results in a primary, visual means to easily compare the duration of overturns with N, the natural frequency that separates internal waves from turbulent overturns. As a secondary means, the shapes of overturns are investigated. Above various sloping topography between 500 and 1,000 m water depth where the buoyancy period varies between ~1,300 and 2,600 s, vertical overturns of ~40 m last ?t* =0.2–0.4. This corresponds with the timescale of growth of model-stratified turbulence in the wake of a grid. Smaller-scale, weaker-turbulent, shear-induced Kelvin-Helmholtz overturns of ~5 m are observed to last approximately ?t* = 0.03, whereas the passage of their train of multiple consecutive overturns lasts up to approximately ?t* = 0.95. Although the shape of overturns can distinguish salinity-compensated intrusions from turbulent overturns, the present observations from internal wave breaking above sloping topography show complex results of mixed features


MOTIVATION
Sensitive detection and masking of low-complexity regions in protein sequences. Filtered sequences can be used in sequence comparison without the risk of matching compositionally biased regions. The main advantage of the method over similar approaches is the selective masking of single residue types without affecting other, possibly important, regions.

RESULTS
A novel algorithm for low-complexity region detection and selective masking. The algorithm is based on multiple-pass Smith-Waterman comparison of the query sequence against twenty homopolymers with infinite gap penalties. The output of the algorithm is both the masked query sequence for further analysis, e.g. database searches, as well as the regions of low complexity. The detection of low-complexity regions is highly specific for single residue types. It is shown that this approach is sufficient for masking database query sequences without generating false positives. The algorithm is benchmarked against widely available algorithms using the 210 genes of Plasmodium falciparum chromosome 2, a dataset known to contain a large number of low-complexity regions.

AVAILABILITY
CAST (version 1.0) executable binaries are available to academic users free of charge under license. Web site entry point, server and additional material: http://www.ebi.ac.uk/research/cgg/services/cast/


Based on the point spread function of holographic system, the lateral resolution of digital holographic imaging system without any pre-magnification is studied. The expression of resolution limitation of holographic imaging system is thus presented. We investigate the possibilities to improve the lateral resolution. The simple experimental setup with an off-axis arrangement is built. By using a U.S. Air Force (USAF) test target as microscopic object, the recorded holograms are reconstructed digitally based on the principle of Fresnel diffraction. The lateral resolution of 2.76 micron without any pre-magnification is demonstrated experimentally, which matches the theoretical prediction well.


Many of the existing reinforced concrete structures throughout the world are in urgent need of strengthening, repair or reconstruction because of deterioration due to various factors like corrosion, lack of detailing, failure of bonding between beam-column joints, increase in service loads, etc., leading to cracking, spalling, loss of strength, deflection, etc., Direct observation of these damaged structures has shown that damage occurs usually at the beam-column joints, with failure in bending or shear, depending on geometry and reinforcement distribution type.A nonlinear finite element analysis that is a simulation technique is used in this work to evaluate the effectiveness of retrofitting technique called "wrapping technique" for using carbon fibres (FRP) for strengthening of RC beam-column connections damaged due to various reasons. After carrying out a nonlinear finite element analysis of a reinforced concrete frame (Controlled Specimen) and reinforced concrete frame where carbon fibres are attached to the beam column joint portion in different patterns ,the measured response histories of the original and strengthened specimens are then subsequently compared. It is seen that the strengthened specimens exhibit significant increase in strength, stiffness, and stability as compared to controlled specimens. It appears that the proposed simulation technique will have a significant impact in engineering practice in the near future.


This research examines the trajectories that young men and women in Mexico
experienced during their transition to adulthood in the 1980s and 1990s. The study,
particularly, considers two groups of significant markers of adulthood: social
transitions (leaving education, entry into the labour force, parental home leaving), and
family formation transitions (first sex, first partnership, and first birth). The thesis
investigates the ways that these transitions were experienced among Mexican youth:
first, by establishing the main interactions between social transitions and family
formation transitions to adulthood; and second, by providing evidence of the main
trajectories followed by young men and women in their passage to adulthood from a
life course perspective.
Applying Event History techniques to retrospective data from the 2000
Mexican National Youth Survey, results show that young men and women
experienced different patterns of trajectories in their transit to adulthood marked by a
strong gender component. While young men showed a lag between the experience of
social and family formation transitions characterized by work-oriented trajectories,
young women often experienced almost simultaneous occurrence of social and family
formation transitions leading to predominantly family-oriented trajectories to
adulthood. Differences between urban and rural respondents were also found to be
significant.
Another conclusion of the study is that many young people found great
difficulty in obtaining their first job after leaving education, leading to high
unemployment. Despite the lack of employment opportunities for Mexican young
people, family formation transitions were not substantially postponed until later ages
unlike many developed nations. The findings also confirm the importance of
education on the experience of transitions to adulthood. The study shows the need to
restructure the Mexican educational system to enable young people to work and study
simultaneously, without having to leave education immediately after entering the
labour force. These findings highlight the need to strengthen and reinforce current
education policies to stimulate labour force participation of young women.


Tecumseh Lake, in east-central Oklahoma, completed about 1934, has been identified by the Oklahoma Water Resource Board as a water supply critical to future development of the state. Aerial photographs provided data on agricultural land use changes in the watershed since 1937. Cesium-137, a fallout product of atmospheric nuclear tests during the 1950s and 1960s, was used as a tracer to identify sediment layers and determine deposition rates. Cesium-137 concentration in lake bottom sediment cores indicates a distinct reduction in sediment deposition associated with a major shift in land use from cotton to grass pasture by 1951, and suggests that sedimentation rates could be accelerated by land clearing for urban development in the future. Cesium-137 data provide a better understanding of how, based upon a chronological photographic history of the watershed, a water supply lake such as Tecumseh Lake is impacted over time by major changes in land use and watershed management. This study indicates that important impacts on the lake are evident in less than the 50 to 100 years typically used as planning criteria for water supply lakes.


Introduction Management is planning, organizing, and supervising in organisations or institutions like university libraries. There are several interpretations of the term "supervision," but typically supervisors oversee the productivity and progress of employees who report directly to them. For example first level supervisor supervise entry level employees. Supervision requires leadership, although leadership does not necessarily involve supervision (Mcnamara, 2008). Leader and supervisors may struggle because they have not mastered the fundamental structures and processes of leadership and supervision, including inspecting performance, instructing and guiding, correcting and advising staff. In this study, special collections refers to information resources collected because of their special nature, rarity, type, subject, and origin. It includes United Nations publications, Africana, Archives, and Government publications. Love and Feather (1998) describe special collections as materials which are distinguished by their age, rarity, provenance, subject, or some other defining characteristic. The origin of modern special collections can be traced back to the 18th and 19th centuries, when book collecting was a private endeavour and the antiquarian book trade developed (Genest & Salter, 2003). The future of special collections in federal and state Nigerian university libraries is threatened by inadequate collections, inaccessibility of information materials, inadequate space and facilities for staff and clients, lack of online databases, unavailability of document request. These worrisome problems persist due to the continued poor supervision of special collections (Okore, 1998; Onifade, 2006; and Asogwa, 2003), The problem of this study put as a question is: what supervisory styles have been adopted in managing special collections in federal and state university libraries in Nigeria? Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study is to assess supervisory styles adopted in managing special collections in Nigerian federal and state university libraries. Specifically, the study is designed to assess the extent to which various approaches are adopted. Literature Review In this study, materials collected because they are primary sources, unique, and rare, are regarded as special collections. Sturges (1998) reviews the literature published about rare books and special collections worldwide. Issues covered include: the unique nature of the collections; access; preservation; dispersals, standards and ethics, staffing and training; and the role of bibliography and scholarship. According to Macnamara (2008), special collections professional provide management in varying roles and settings. Skills in managing people, resources, material, and projects are required. Adebayo (2009) emphasises the need for adequate manpower and facilities with peer group assessment to assure quality. Usoro (2009) discusses the organising function, which is breaking down tasks into individual assignments, and delegation of authority to the supervisor of the unit. McKinzie (2000) describes a system of checks and balances in supervising materials, including special collections. There are different kinds of supervision and styles of supervisory leadership. Gent and Kempster (2002) indicate three types of management styles: autocratic, democratic and laissez-faire. The laissez- faire leader is the individual described by Blake and Mouton(1995) as the "impoverished leader," who is committed neither to the task nor the team. Covey (2001) observes that, "when all the fashionable management hype and buzz words have been stripped away, what is left at the core, are the basic, universal principles such as integrity, trust, respect, fairness, and compassion." Weber's study on modern bureaucracy, quoted by Aguolu and Aguolu (2002) gives prominence to obedience to rules and regulations. …


Zinc oxide (ZnO) has found many important applications such as optoelectronic devices, sensors and varistors. The challenging part however is synthesizing ZnO nanoparticles and its utilisation as EM detectors. Sol-gel and self-combustion techniques were chosen in this study due to the ability to produce single phase and nano-size samples. The starting mixture consists of 10 grams of zinc (II) nitrate, Zn(NO3)2.6H2O salt which was dissolved in 50 mL of nitric acid, HNO3.The solution was stirred at 250 rpm continuously for 1 day. The mixture was then gradually heated for every 15 minutes until it combusted at 110oC for the self-combustion technique. For the sol-gel technique, the dissolved mixture was heated at 40oC, 50oC, 60oC and 70oC until the gelatine was formed. After the drying process, the as-prepared samples were annealed at 100oC and 200 oC for 1 hour for each technique. Characterizations were performed by using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Raman Spectra and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).The XRD analysis showed a major peak of [101] plane at 2Ө for the self-combustion technique and the sol-gel technique. Raman results for the samples prepared via sol-gel and self-combustion techniques had shown the major peak of ZnO that is located at the Raman shifts of 437.67 cm-1. Using the Scherrer equation, single crystal nano particle of ZnO was successfully obtained in the range of 38.49 nm to 50.70 nm for the sample prepared via the sol gel technique. By the self-combustion technique, the average dimension of the as-prepared sample is in the range of 34-49 nm. Further heat treatment resulted in a major change of the Raman shift corresponding to the single phase ZnO nano particles. The best samples were used as electromagnetic (EM) detectors. The EM detectors are polymer based composite which were prepared using a casting technique.


We empirically evaluate the impact of media and information on wine buying decisions. In particular, the analysed factors are: advertisements/reviews on traditional media (e.g. magazines, newspapers, TV); advertisements/reviews on new media (e.g. forums, blogs, websites); price; brand; word of mouth; previous personal experience. A growing number of specialized sites, blogs and forums is devoted to wines and many of those feature competent, professional reviews and suggestions. Since wine is a traditional good, not linked to technology, the research question is to empirically analyse whether these new channels have an influence on consumers' behaviour and decisions, or not. In order to study this, a questionnaire has been created and spread to potential Italian buyers, gathered from specialized websites and blogs, wineries or social channels. A Likert scale (1-7) has been used to evaluate the level of agreement towards the impact on buying decision of the mentioned factors. A total of 460 full questionnaires have been returned; the data have been analysed by statistical means, to compare the impact on consumers' behaviour of new media compared to more traditional sources of information. After that, a simulation model has been used, parametrized with the data coming from the questionnaire, to show how new and social media, when used as a marketing and communication mean from the company, can impact the diffusion of a message towards potential customers, in this specific use case.


Many cells will respond to a tug or a nudge by activating appropriate signaling pathways that ultimately regulate gene expression. But just how cells sense such mechanical strain remains poorly understood. Kumar et al. report observations that begin to reveal previously unrecognized complexity in the sensory machinery. The authors studied responses of diaphragm muscle from mice in vitro. The diaphragm has the unusual property of experiencing mechanical load not only axially, that is, in the direction along the length of the muscle fibers, but also transversely, across the fibers. Both axial and transverse stretching activate the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) ERK1 and ERK2, which in turn are linked to activation of p90 RSK (ribosomal protein S6 kinase) and activation of the AP1 transcription factor complex. However, transverse stretching was more effective in activating such signals than was axial stretching. The cell's capacity to detect the direction of mechanical stress was revealed in experiments with pharmacological inhibitors that interfered with specific signaling pathways. Axial stretching activated ERK1 and ERK2 by a mechanism that required signaling through phosphoinositide 3-kinase, intracellular calcium release, protein kinase C, and the MAPK kinases MEK1 or MEK2. In contrast, transverse stretching of the muscle cells activated ERKs 1and 2 in a manner that required cAMP (adenosine 3′-5′ monophosphate)-dependent protein kinase. The authors conclude that diaphragm muscles appear to have two distinct pathways leading to ERK activation and altered gene expression with each responding to mechanical stress in a particular direction. A. Kumar, I. Chaudhry, M. B. Reid, A. M. Boriek, Distinct signaling pathways are activated in response to mechanical stress applied axially and transversely to skeletal muscle fibers. J. Biol. Chem. 277, 46493-46503 (2002). [Abstract] [Full Text]


The project ALEGRO is one of the initial projects of the "Forschungshafen Rostock" initiative (Research
Port Rostock) geared towards the development and setup of maritime Ground Based Augmentation Systems (GBAS).
The development of differential positioning methods was accelerated by the civilian community of GPS users at the beginning
of the 1990s in order to effectively reduce accuracy problems with single-frequency GPS positioning. At the
same time, IALA DGNSS networks were set up for maritime applications in order to reliably ensure accuracy to within
10 m in coastal areas, in compliance with the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) requirements for GPS-based
positioning systems. Meanwhile, the performance requirements set by the IMO for GNSS-based localizations have risen.
To ensure accuracy in the decimetre range while simultaneously monitoring integrity in port areas, augmentation systems
are still required, though with more modern techniques. According to initial studies by IALA (International Association
of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities), augmentation systems suitable for this are those which use
pseudolites or phase-based differential methods.
To fulfil the safety requirements, users of GNSS/GBAS-based localization systems must be informed within a few seconds
in case of the occurrence of system errors and signal interference that result in losses of accuracy greater than the
tolerable positioning error. The challenge here is to develop integrated systems allowing high-precision localizations
combined with integrity monitoring under all conditions. This technology is the prerequisite on the road to automated
berthing manoeuvres.
The primary goal of this project was the development of hardware and software for a phase-based GBAS (Ground Based
Augmentation System) experimentation system at the Port of Rostock. The key element in the GBAS processing system
is the "GNSS Performance Assessment Facility". It derives pseudorange domain and position domain alarms from the incoming
receiver data streams to provide a first real-time integrity monitoring of the used GNSS.
The decision process for the selection of measured values, to be broadcast from the reference station to the users is based
on specific test algorithms. To obtain quality estimations these algorithms infer from the relationship between reference
values measured in real time, station-specific reference values, and positioning with the DIA process (Detection, Identification and Adaptation) at the established location.


Are sociologists always critical about genetics? Are philosophers always more supportive? This is the impression of many sociologists in the United Kingdom who argue that contemporary British philosophers criticise genetic technologies and applications in ways that scientists and medical doctors can deal with. They emphasise matters like informed consent, but pay less or no attention to the wider social consequences of technologies, practices and policies. Philosophers in their turn may see sociologists as irrationally hostile to science and medical practice. Some of them refuse to criticise genetics, arguing that there is nothing to criticise. Others feel that their criticisms are in fact more accurate than the concerns raised by sociologists. And yet others point out that the impression of uncritical support can only be true of a certain specific group. Philosophers have so many internal disagreements among themselves that the generalisation can hardly be justified. In this paper an attempt is made by a sociologist (ML) and a philosopher (MH) to understand how sociological and philosophical perspectives on bioethics may differ in discussions about genetics. The paper, which proceeds in dialogue form, is based on our email correspondence on the advantages and disadvantages of genetic technologies and their applications, and on the idea of social consequences as understood by scholars from two different disciplines.


A novel WDM-PON system delivering bidirectional 1.25-Gbps data and broadcasting data is proposed. A subcarrier signal modulates optical carriers of a Fabry-Perot-laser-diode based broadband light source to broadcast to all users. Reflective semiconductor optical amplifiers are used as modulators for the baseband data at both the optical line terminal and the remote optical network unit for a channel. Bit error rate and error vector magnitude were measured to demonstrate the proposed scheme.


This article looks at extreme speech practices in Danish weblogs and Facebook comment threads that treat issues of refugees, migration, Islam, and opponents as a cultural war of values and conflict. The article highlights the ritualized ways in which anti-immigrant sentiments are being communicated, received, and responded to. Such recurrent ritualistic communicative patterns include the use of a distinct indignant tone, sarcasm, racialized reasoning, and the use of "high-fives," as well as a general indifference to facts. The article argues that these online speech patterns can best be understood as a form of "ritualized opposition" that relies on extremist, divisive use of language and a naturalization of racialized difference in its attempt to recruit and consolidate communities of support.


This technical paper investigates potential avenues for reducing economic losses resulting from natural hazards, and discusses ex ante and ex post issues affecting disaster risk management. It also assesses how both types of measures can be jointly used to reduce the economic impact of disasters on sovereign governments and the IDB. Opportunities and instruments for risk transfer, particularly at the higher layers of risk, are discussed in detail. The proposed risk management framework utilizes financial instruments to enable the government to transfer risk as potential losses begin to exceed its ability to cover them. To this end, this paper proposes a balanced risk management strategy, both for the borrowing member countries and the IDB, which includes specific components to address different layers of risk.


The relationship between the political strategy of the German chancellors after the Second World War toward the media and their media socialization as well as their media biography is analyzed using secondary sources, (auto)biographies, and other media sources. We interpret the influence of the chancellors' social background and early influences, their experiences in journalism, the interplay between the chancellors(-to-be) and the media, and their media politics from the perspective of their media socialization and mediatization theory. We identify different types of fundamental perspectives on the media the politicians have taken, and conclude that media socialization continues on a new strategic level during their whole career while their social background continues to play an important role.


The proliferation of mobile computing devices and wireless networking products over the past decade has led to an increasingly nomadic computing lifestyle. A computer is no longer an immobile, gargantuan machine that remains in one place for the lifetime of its operation. Today's personal computing devices are portable, and Internet access is becoming ubiquitous. A well-traveled laptop user might use half a dozen different networks throughout the course of a day: a cable modem from home, wide-area wireless on the commute, wired Ethernet at the office, a Bluetooth network in the car, and a wireless, local-area network at the airport or the neighborhood coffee shop. Mobile hosts are prone to frequent, unexpected disconnections that vary greatly in duration. Despite the prevalence of these multi-homed mobile devices, today's operating systems on both mobile hosts and fixed Internet servers lack fine-grained support for network applications on intermittently connected hosts. We argue that network communication is well-modeled by a session abstraction, and present Migrate, an architecture based on system support for a flexible session primitive. Migrate works with application-selected naming services to enable seamless, mobile "suspend/resume" operation of legacy applications and provide enhanced functionality for mobileaware, session-based network applications, enabling adaptive operation of mobile clients and allowing Internet servers to support large numbers of intermittently connected sessions. We describe our UNIX-based implementation of Migrate and show that sessions are a flexible, robust, and efficient way to manage mobile end points, even for legacy applications. In addition, we demonstrate two popular Internet servers that have been extended to leverage our novel notion of session continuations to enable support for large numbers of suspended clients with only minimal resource impact. Experimental results show that Migrate introduces only minor throughput degradation (less than 2% for moderate block sizes) when used over popular access link technologies, gracefully detects and suspends disconnected sessions, rapidly resumes from suspension, and integrates well with existing applications. Thesis Supervisor: Hari Balakrishnan Title: Associate Professor of Computer Science and Engineering Thesis Supervisor: M. Frans Kaashoek Title: Professor of Computer Science and Engineering


Introduction: In nonpregnant "quitters," adherence to nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) increases smoking cessation. We investigated relationships between adherence to placebo or NRT patches and cessation in pregnancy, including an assessment of reverse causation and whether any adherence: cessation relationship is moderated when using nicotine or placebo patches. Methods: Using data from 1050 pregnant trial participants, regression models investigated associations between maternal characteristics, adherence and smoking cessation. Results: Adherence during the first month was associated with lower baseline cotinine concentrations (β −0.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] −0.15 to −0.01) and randomization to NRT (β 2.59, 95% CI 1.50 to 3.68). Adherence during both treatment months was associated with being randomized to NRT (β 0.51, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.72) and inversely associated with higher nicotine dependence. Adherence with either NRT or placebo was associated with cessation at 1 month (odds ratio [OR] 1.11, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.13) and delivery (OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.09), but no such association was observed in the subgroup where reverse causation was not possible. Amongst all women, greater adherence to nicotine patches was associated with increased cessation (OR 2.47, 95% CI 1.32 to 4.63) but greater adherence to placebo was not (OR 0.98, 95% CI: 0.44 to 2.18). Conclusion: Women who were more adherent to NRT were more likely to achieve abstinence; more nicotine dependent women probably showed lower adherence to NRT because they relapsed to smoking more quickly. The interaction between nicotine-containing patches and adherence for cessation suggests that the association between adherence with nicotine patches and cessation may be partly causal. Implications: This study used placebo randomized controlled trial data to investigate both associations between women's characteristics and adherence to NRT patch treatment, and the relationship between adherence to NRT patch treatment and odds of cessation in pregnant quitters. Greater adherence was seen with NRT patches, and greater adherence with NRT patches increased the odds of smoking cessation. A likely explanation for findings is that NRT patches, if used sufficiently, may be effective for at least some pregnant women who try to stop smoking. Trials testing interventions which encourage women's adherence to higher dose NRT are indicated.


Negotiations to restructure sovereign debt are time consuming, taking almost a decade on average to resolve. In this paper, we analyze a class of widely used complete information models of delays in sovereign debt restructuring and show that, despite superficial similarities, there are major differences across models in the driving force for equilibrium delay, the circumstances in which delay occurs, and the efficiency of the debt restructuring process. We focus on three key assumptions. First, if delay has a permanent effect on economic activity in the defaulting country, equilibrium delay often occurs; this delay can sometimes be socially efficient. Second, prohibiting debt issuance as part of a settlement makes delay less likely to occur in equilibrium. Third, when debt issuance is not fully state contingent, delay can arise because of the risk that the sovereign will default on any debt issued as part of the settlement.


The aim of this study was to assess a model for the surface degradation kinetics of natural wood exposed to artificial weathering. The photochemical and physical processes of weathering result in simultaneous changes of both the wood matrix composition (i.e. lignin content, cellulose crystallinity index, cellulose polymerization degree) and wood's appearance (i.e. colour, gloss, roughness). European larch, a popular cladding material, was used for experimental samples. Weathering was conducted in a QUV artificial weathering machine for 672 h according to the EN927-6 standard. The response of wood was assessed using multi-sensor measurements. Results revealed that changes in colour are evident already after 28 h of artificial weathering, with an increase in a* and b*, and a decrease in L*. That initial trend was reversed afterward, with the colour changing to grey. Due to the particular shape of the curves representing colour coordinates, it is difficult to use CIE L*a*b* parameters to model the weathering dose. However, the degradation curve established for selected near infrared bands was useful to build a dose–response model of wood surface degradation. In all cases, a clear trend of change in absorbance values that progressed along with the weathering dose was observed. These curves, unlike the CIE L*a*b* values, are monotonic, meaning that dose value corresponded with only one value of absorbance. Principal component analysis of the near infrared spectra allowed clustering of the spectra by different dose classes, with the main differentiation in the reference class and in the final class (maximum dose). It was found that the discrimination between spectra at diverse cumulative weathering doses was more evident for earlywood than for latewood. This confirms the hypothesis that degradation kinetics differ depending on the anatomical configuration of wood. This research is a first step for establishing dose–response model for natural weathering, where precise quantification of weathering parameters is more challenging.


RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) experiments now span hundreds to thousands of samples. Current spliced alignment software is designed to analyze each sample separately. Consequently, no information is gained from analyzing multiple samples together, and it is difficult to reproduce the exact analysis without access to original computing resources. We describe Rail-RNA, a cloud-enabled spliced aligner that analyzes many samples at once. Rail-RNA eliminates redundant work across samples, making it more efficient as samples are added. For many samples, Rail-RNA is more accurate than annotation-assisted aligners. We use Rail-RNA to align 667 RNA-seq samples from the GEUVADIS project on Amazon Web Services in under 16 hours for US$0.91 per sample. Rail-RNA produces alignments and base-resolution bigWig coverage files, ready for use with downstream packages for reproducible statistical analysis. We identify expressed regions in the GEUVADIS samples and show that both annotated and unannotated (novel) expressed regions exhibit consistent patterns of variation across populations and with respect to known confounders. Rail-RNA is open-source software available at http://rail.bio.


Partitioning of horizontal deformation between localized and distributed modes in regions of oblique tectonic convergence is, in many cases, hard to quantify. Here we use the geometry of river basins and numerical modeling to evaluate modes and rates of horizontal deformation associated with the Arabia-Sinai relative plate motion in Lebanon. We focus on river basins that drain Mount Lebanon to the west and are bounded by the Yammouneh fault, a segment of the Dead Sea fault system that transfers left-lateral deformation across the Lebanese restraining bend. We quantify a systematic counterclockwise rotation of these basins and evaluate drainage area disequilibrium using the χ metric. The analysis indicates a systematic spatial pattern whereby tributaries of the rotated basins appear to experience drainage area loss or gain with respect to channel length. A kinematic model reveals that since the late Miocene, 23%–31% of the relative plate motion parallel to the plate boundary has been distributed along a wide band of deformation to the west of the Yammouneh fault. Taken together with previous, shorter-term estimates, the model indicates little variation of slip rate along the Yammouneh fault since the late Miocene. Kinematic model results are compatible with late Miocene paleomagnetic rotations in western Mount Lebanon. A numerical landscape evolution experiment demonstrates the emergence of a similar pattern of drainage area disequilibrium in response to progressive distributed shear deformation of river basins with relatively minor drainage network reorganization.


When the genera Septatrocholina BouDagher-Fadel and Banner and Alzonorbitopsella BouDagher-Fadel were erected (BouDagher-Fadel 2008, pp. 161; 175), the genotypes Septatrocholina banneri and Alzonorbitopsella arabia, respectively, were described and figured, but through an oversight the holotypes and paratypes were not identified among the illustrated specimens. The type specimens are here subsequently designated, in accordance with ICZN 1999, article 69, and are further described. The type specimen slides are deposited in the invertebrate collections of the Natural History Museum, London.


Metal transfer is a phenomena associated with adhesive wear during dry-sliding, boundary lubrication, and elastohydrodynamic lubrication. Coatings, lubricants, and proper wear couple selection are traditionally implemented to reduce metal transfer. Ion implantation is a surface modification technique that has been studied for over 30 years with the goal of improving tribosurfaces. It has the following advantages over traditional techniques: it is a non-equilibrium process in that any element can literally be implanted into a surface, is non-evasive in that bulk material chemistry, structure, dimensionality is unaltered, and coating adhesion is not a factor. The goal of this study was to attempt to study the reduction in metal transfer by ion implantation using a single-pass, 1100-O Al pin on implanted ISF steel disk wear test. Characterization/analysis was performed with electron microscopy, surface analysis, profilometry, and Density Function Theory. We have shown that ion implantation of nitrogen, carbon and sulfur reduces metal transfer through the combination of mitigating two independent processes: a two-body processes involving adhesion at the surface and a complicated three-body process, known as the Mutual Material Transfer mechanism, which is affected by the amount of debris tribooxidation. The reduction in adhesion results from the weakening of a mixed layer between the aluminum and implanted surface through the incorporation of the implanted impurities in that layer. The incorporation of implanted material wear particles into the wear debris mitigates the three-body process because these particles lose their metallicity through implantation and subsequent oxidation during wear-testing resulting in "less metallic" debris. With this contribution, it is hoped that a better understanding of metal transfer and the effect of ion implantation on the tribology of surfaces will be put forth. On the Inhibition of Metal Transfer by Ion Implantation


The effect of a cooling jet from ceiling on thermal comfort, perception and subjective performance in warm office environment (29.5 °C) was studied. Altogether, 29 participants (13 male and 16 female) participated. All participants were tested in both thermal conditions and the order of the thermal conditions was counterbalanced between the participants. During the experiment, participants filled questionnaires and performed computerised tasks. Using the cooling jet significantly improved the whole body and local thermal comfort. It also improved the perception of the whole working environment. The indoor air was perceived fresher when the cooling jet was provided. Fatigue increased in time significantly only when the cooling jet was not provided. Eye symptoms increased in time only with the cooling jet. The cooling jet increased the sensation of draught, but still the warm room air temperature was perceived to impair the performance more than draught. The room air temperature was perceived to be better for working effectively for a long period of time with the cooling jet.


Abstract In the light of the Brexit vote, and the recent surge in nationalism and xenophobia in Europe, this article analyses the condition of the immigrant within fashion to pose the question: how can fashion contribute to an understanding of immigration as a constitutive aspect of contemporary society? Considering Brexit as symptomatic of wider political changes that are currently informing other Western countries, the discussion focuses on the reactions of London's fashion world to the political scenario in Britain. "I am an immigrant" is a statement that has recently appeared in several collections and campaigns, with designers and high street brands publicly airing their pro-immigration messages. The discussion embraces philosophical contributions on the nation-state, sovereignty, and citizenship, and applies the notion of "conviviality," as outlined by Paul Gilroy, to discuss London's fashion and its reactions to the anti-immigration stance of the pro-Brexit front. It then unravels the idea of national identity as a romantic construct, and analyses works, within fashion, that challenge current perceptions of immigration as well as assumptions about cultural homogeneity. By deconstructing, through fashion, the very idea of national and cultural identity, we can in fact question binary oppositions associated to the category of the immigrant, such as "citizen"/"alien," "inside"/"outside."


OF DISSERTATION CAMPAIGNING FOR JUDICIAL OFFICE, 2012 Concerns over the way in which judicial campaigns are conducted have been voiced since the 1970s. Judicial elections are thought to have become rough and tumble contests, featuring increasing campaign expenditures and controversial campaign speech. With the widespread deregulation of judicial candidate campaign speech in the early 2000s, scholars have become increasingly concerned with how judicial candidates campaign. This dissertation examines the role of the media in judicial elections, campaign communication methods used by candidates, how candidates develop campaign messages, controversial campaign speech, the consequences of campaigning, and candidates' attitudes toward judicial selection reform. Data gathered from a survey of judicial candidates who ran for election in 2012 (n=490) and follow-up interviews with candidates (n=35) were used to address the research questions posed by this investigation. Findings reveal a number of areas of concern with judicial elections beyond campaign speech, including lack of media coverage, lack of access to adequate communication channels, and concerns over external group involvement in judicial elections. Controversial speech is rare in judicial campaigns and few candidates favor strong speech regulations, which are viewed as barriers between the office and the public.


Reinitiation is a gene-specific translational control mechanism characterized by the ability of some short upstream uORFs to retain post-termination 40S subunits on mRNA. Its efficiency depends on surrounding cis-acting sequences, uORF elongation rates, various initiation factors, and the intercistronic distance. To unravel effects of cis-acting sequences, we investigated previously unconsidered structural properties of one such a cis-enhancer in the mRNA leader of GCN4 using yeast genetics and biochemistry. This leader contains four uORFs but only uORF1, flanked by two transferrable 5′ and 3′ cis-acting sequences, and allows efficient reinitiation. Recently we showed that the 5′ cis-acting sequences stimulate reinitiation by interacting with the N-terminal domain (NTD) of the eIF3a/TIF32 subunit of the initiation factor eIF3 to stabilize post-termination 40S subunits on uORF1 to resume scanning downstream. Here we identify four discernible reinitiation-promoting elements (RPEs) within the 5′ sequences making up the 5′ enhancer. Genetic epistasis experiments revealed that two of these RPEs operate in the eIF3a/TIF32-dependent manner. Likewise, two separate regions in the eIF3a/TIF32-NTD were identified that stimulate reinitiation in concert with the 5′ enhancer. Computational modeling supported by experimental data suggests that, in order to act, the 5′ enhancer must progressively fold into a specific secondary structure while the ribosome scans through it prior uORF1 translation. Finally, we demonstrate that the 5′ enhancer's stimulatory activity is strictly dependent on and thus follows the 3′ enhancer's activity. These findings allow us to propose for the first time a model of events required for efficient post-termination resumption of scanning. Strikingly, structurally similar RPE was predicted and identified also in the 5′ leader of reinitiation-permissive uORF of yeast YAP1. The fact that it likewise operates in the eIF3a/TIF32-dependent manner strongly suggests that at least in yeasts the underlying mechanism of reinitiation on short uORFs is conserved.


The Gezira Scheme of northern Sudan has been consistently portrayed as a totalising institution which imposed a distinctly new form of social and economic organisation upon a tenant body. This study reassesses the impact of the Gezira Scheme, suggesting that the changes brought by the Scheme were of degree rather than type, and did not disrupt the cultural values at the heart of society. It credits the Sudanese actors within the Scheme with an agency previously denied to them, and looks holistically at the region's experience of governance. The Scheme is thus seen not as a controlling and oppressive institution, but rather as a tool used by a flexible and forward-looking society to improve personal circumstances. To these ends both the economic and administrative structures of central government were embraced and adapted to meet pre-existing cultural values whilst retaining the existing flexible forms of community authority. Tenants used a system created as a result of a flawed government imagination of Gezira society to pursue existing aspirations that had formerly been attainable only by a small wealthy elite. In this way, a tenant elite was created that defined itself economically and ethnically in relation to a majority non-tenant population. With devolutionary policies responding primarily to the needs of the Scheme, this economic dominance of tenants was reinforced by their political dominance of institutions of local governance. Experienced in mediating with central state structures, the tenants who controlled courts and councils were able to control their own experience of governance. Tenant elitism was ultimately revealed through the establishment of a self-identified interest group that was organised institutionally from the 1940s. Embracing both government and Scheme, tenants campaigned in defence of stated financial 'rights' based on a notion of elevated citizenship. However, the inability of all tenants to attain these universal aims split the tenant body and established a future pattern of instability within the Gezira Scheme.


The sophisticated methods of neuroscience—including molecular genetics, structural and functional neuroimaging, animal models, and experimental tasks that approximate real-world behaviors in human research—have yielded important insights about typical functioning and neurobehavioral disorders. Translational neuroscience endeavors to use this knowledge to improve the human condition by developing and improving interventions for these disorders. This paper reviews the literature on the contribution of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and two related techniques, resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) and real-time fMRI (rt-fMRI), to the diagnosis and treatment of behavioral problems and psychiatric disorders. It also explains how incorporating neuroscience principles and techniques into research on the prevention of substance misuse and antisocial behavior may spur advances and innovations in this important area. This article argues that fMRI's potential contribution to these prevention efforts has yet to be fully realized, explores new ways in which the technique could be adapted to that end, highlights some of the work by researchers in the vanguard of this effort, and notes limitations of fMRI and ethical concerns the technique raises.


Music is a self-transformative process, practice and ethic. The co-mediation of music and the self represents an assemblage of distinct yet simultaneously occurring parts where contradictions can exist alongside their more pragmatic uses. In this dissertation, I note such an assemblage in the case of Rob "Fresh I.E." Wilson. Wilson's case provides a striking example of musical self-transformation in that his biography follows a trajectory from abusive conditions in Winnipeg's infamous North End during the 1970s, and a life centered around drugs and pimping in the 1990s, to its lyrical renunciation according to his newfound beliefs as he converted his hip-hop to Christianity and joined the ranks of Grammy nominees in 2003 and 2005. Yet music was not all good for Rob. Despite fame and influence, by the end of the decade, he was overwhelmed by the demands of a grueling tour schedule and the pressure to remain relevant. His rising self-doubt pushed him to suicidal ideation. And yet, despite successfully restructuring his musical practice, now independent of the music industry, Rob's Christian-themed hip-hop still situates him between the rock of the institutional church and the hard place of having to constantly build a following. The constantly evolving nature of the contemporary Christian music industry and hip-hop's unique conditions in Canada, combined with the church's refusal to accept hip-hop as a legitimate mode of worship and Rob's refusal to leave, creates a distinct set of challenges.
In this dissertation, I use ethnographic research methods to explore the ways in which Wilson negotiates such challenges. I employ biographical methods to trace his present practice to the conditions of his formative and educational years. Not to limit this study to my case's word alone, I use historical methods to trace the trans-national links between Rob and hip-hop as it has become institutionalized, and before that, to its roots in African American religious musical practices since modern slavery. Finally, I use critical social theory to assess the significance of Rob's musical self-practice to himself and his scene, within the whole of the cultural realm.


There has been a surprisingly limited amount of research comparing the direct assessment of writing by teachers of English as a mother tongue and English as a second language (abbreviated as English and ESL respectively) given the amount of common ground they share as teachers of writing. This study aims to investigate whether these two groups of teachers rate writing samples differently using both holistic (global) and analytical (multiple trait) scoring methods. The research compares the assessments made by four experienced teachers from each of these two rater groups of the same set of 20 native speaker (English) and 20 non native speaker (ESL) essays written by final year secondary students. While no significant difference was found between the single global essay ratings of the two groups of teachers, this was not the case for the essay totals obtained by combining the global and analytical scores. The comparison based on these essay totals indicated that overall English teachers rated all of the essays significantly more harshly than ESL teachers. These findings suggested that the analytical scoring method may be more faithful to real dissimilarities which exist between raters of different backgrounds and professional experience than is the holistic scoring method in the assessment of writing. The choice of scoring procedure when both types of raters are used, therefore, is likely to determine whether or not these differences are highlighted and thus the overall level of inter-rater reliablity.


We present here and in the companion papers an analysis of sustainability in the Middle Rio Grande region of the U.S.-Mexico border and propose an interdisciplinary research agenda focused on the coupled human and natural dimensions of water resources sustainability in the face of climate and social change in an international border region. Key threats to water sustainability in the Middle Rio Grande River region include: (1) increasing salinization of surface and ground water, (2) increasing water demand from a growing population in the El Paso/Ciudad Juarez area on top of an already high base demand from irrigated agriculture, (3) water quality impacts from agricultural, municipal, and industrial discharges to the river, (4) changing regional climate that portends increased frequency and intensity of droughts interspersed with more intensive rainfall and flooding events, and (5) disparate water planning and management systems between different states in the U.S. and between the U.S. and Mexico. In addition to these challenges, there is an increasing demand from a significant regional population who is (and has been historically) underserved in terms of access to affordable potable water. To address these challenges to water resources sustainability, we have focused on: (1) the determinants of resilience and transformability in an ecological/social setting on an international border and how they can be measured and predicted; and (2) the drivers of change … what are they (climate, social, etc.) and how are they impacting the coupled human and natural dimensions of water sustainability on the border? To tackle these challenges, we propose a research agenda based on a complex systems approach that focuses on the linkages and feedbacks of the natural, built/managed, and social dimensions of the surface and groundwater budget of the region. The approach that we propose incorporates elements of systems analysis, complexity science, and the use of modeling tools such as scenario planning and back-casting to link the quantitative with the qualitative. This approach is unique for our region, as are our bi-national focus and our conceptualization of "water capital". In particular, the concept of water capital provides the basis for a new interdisciplinary paradigm that integrates social, economic, and natural sectors within a systems framework in order to understand and characterize water resources sustainability. This proposed approach would not only provide a framework for water sustainability decision making for our bi-national region at the local, state, and federal levels, but could serve as a model for similar border regions and/or international rivers in arid and semi-arid regions in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Latin America.


Autochthonous world of the Arctic aboriginal peoples is traditionally associated with the indigenous smallnumbered peoples of the North Yukaghirs, Chukchis, Evenks, and other ethnic groups including Russian old-timers (russkoustintsy and pokhodchane). Though being Russian in terms of language and ethnic identity, they are legally incorporated in Yakutia to the same category for being culturally close to the traditional cultures of the indigenous peoples of the North. The relevance of invoking this theme is due to the need for non-ideological interpretation of the problem concerned "Russian world", which is a cultural and historical concept of the community that is engaged by its adherence to Russia, as well as to the Russian language and culture. Studying the essays by Valentin Rasputin, in particular, his essay "Russkoye Ustye", as well as the book "Next to the Ice on the Edge of Oecumena: Russkoye Ustye. Return to Roots", whose compiling editor is an old-timer, Russians' descendant Igor Chikachyov, enables us to analyse the topic from the perspective of hermeneutic approach. Identifying the historical and aesthetic context of the essay by V. Rasputin and the book of Igor Chikachev about the culture of Russian old-timers of the Arctic allows drawing conclusion that their content was inspired by the search, the acquisition, and the postulation of existential foundations of Russian national mentality. Rasputin's interest towards the culture of Russkoye Ustye, his meeting with the Russian old-timer Alexey Chikachyov allowed the writer to include in the essay his own ideological codes; to turn spatial and temporal realities into aesthetic coordinates (river, the Indigirka, the village of Russkyoe Ustye, tundra-sendukha). Кeywords: Arctic, Yakutia, Siberia, Russian old-timers, V. Rasputin, Chikachyov, essay, the indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North.


This article outlines key developments internationally over the last 40 years in indigenous immersion education. Most notable here has been the establishment of community-based, bottom-up immersion programs, instigated by indigenous communities with the aim of maintaining or revitalizing their indigenous languages. As such, the article addresses a relative lacuna in immersion education literature, which has to date focused primarily on second- and foreign-language contexts. The article first provides a wider sociohistorical and sociopolitical context, focusing on key developments in international law, and in specific national contexts, which have facilitated the establishment of these indigenous immersion programs. The interrelationship between indigenous immersion educational policy and pedagogy is then explored, highlighting, in the process, the various challenges involved in developing, implementing, and maintaining effective indigenous immersion programs. Finally, international exemplars of indigenous education programs are discussed, including, Hawaiian, Navajo, and Cherokee programs in the U.S., and Māori-medium education in Aotearoa/New Zealand.


The majority of old and long-to-root roses are enough frost resistant to grow on their own roots in moderate and cool climates. The most often used method of rose propagation are single node stem cuttings derived from blooming shoots. The long duration of rhizogenesis exposes cuttings to stress conditions and precocious ageing processes, which result in a low rooting percentage. It was hypothesized that in the short season of flowering the amount of nutrients in shoots of stock plants changes, thus affecting the process of rhizogenesis, as well as a condition of rooted cuttings, which may be estimated by the contents of the biologically active components. The shoots of four rose cultivars were cut in four phenological stages: flower buds closed, flowers opened, just after petal shedding and 7-14 days after petal fall. The rooting percentage were counted after 10 weeks of rooting. The evaluation of plant material were carried out before and after rooting, including: soluble proteins, chlorophyll a and b, carotenoids, polyphenolic acids, reducing and total soluble carbohydrates. The research revealed variability, characteristic for each examined cultivar, in the contents of the biologically active compounds, both before and after rooting, in cuttings harvested from stock plants in successive phases of development. Decrease in pigment contents in leaves of rooted cuttings may suggest a progressing senescence, both during propagation and later in a vegetative season. The cuttings of 'Mousseuse Rouge' rooted similarly when harvested in each of the phenological phases (53.8-67.5%). For other cultivars the highest rooting percentage was obtained for cuttings harvested from shoots with closed flower buds: ('Hurdals' 47.5%, 'Maiden's Blush' 55.0%, 'Semiplena' 67.5%). In these cultivars a relationship between rooting percentage and changes in the contents of pigments, sugars or/and polyphenolic acids in successive phenological phases was shown.


Abstract Important artifacts have been found in situ (i.e., not redeposited) within lacustrine deposits in the Valsequillo region. These deposits contain many diatoms which indicate an age corresponding to the Sangamonian Interglacial sensu lato (80,000 to ca. 220,000yr BP). Two of the four samples in this study are associated with the Dorenberg skull or with stratigraphic units which contain bifacial tools. The remaining two samples are from diatomaceous deposits which are also Sangamonian and stratigraphically above the artifact units. These four diatomaceous samples yielded 30 extinct and 143 extant diatom taxa. The ages of the four samples correspond to other diatomaceous samples (some of which are associated with artifacts) from nearby Valsequillo localities. A post-Sangamonian age for these four diatom-bearing samples is discounted by the presence of Navicula bronislaae and N. dorenbergi, both of which have short stratigraphic ranges and are known only from the Sangamonian (or its equivalents), and by 13 diatoms which evidently have known long stratigraphic ranges and extinctions before the end of the Sangamonian. An age no older than Sangamonian for the artifacts and their enclosing diatomaceous deposits is indicated by the presence of two diatoms (Epithemia zebra var. undulata and Navicula creguti) known only from Sangamonian (or = age) or younger and by an extant diatom, Cymbella cistula var. gibbosa (C. gibbosa), which has its first occurrence in the Sangamonian.


Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) is an ultra-sensitive analytical method which has been instrumental in developing microdosing as a strategic tool in early drug development. Considerable data is available for AMS microdosing using typical pharmaceutical drugs with a molecular weight of a few hundred Daltons. The so-called biopharmaceuticals such as proteins offer interesting possibilities as drug candidates; however, experimental data for protein microdosing and AMS is scarce. The analysis of proteins in conjunction with early drug development and microdosing is overviewed and three case studies are presented on the topic. In the first case study AMS experimental data is presented, for the measured concentration of orally administered recombinant insulin in the blood stream of laboratory rabbits. Case study 2 concerns minimum sample size requirements. AMS samples normally require about 1 mg of carbon (10 microL of blood) which makes AMS analysis unsuitable in some applications due to the limited availability of samples such as human biopsies or DNA from specific cells. Experimental results are presented where the sample size requirements have been reduced by about two orders of magnitude. The third case study concerns low concentration studies. It is generally accepted that protein pharmaceuticals may be potentially more hazardous than smaller molecules because of immunological reactions. Therefore, future first-in-man microdosing studies might require even lower exposure concentrations than is feasible today, in order to increase the safety margin. This issue is discussed based on the current available analytical capabilities.


Instructional methods employed by teachers of singing are mostly drawn from personal experience, personal reflections, and methods encountered in their own voice training (Welch & Howard, 2005). Even in Academia, singing pedagogy is one of the few disciplines in which research of teaching/learning practice efficacy has not been established (Crocco, et al., 2016). This dissertation argues the reason for this deficit is a lack of operationalization of constructs in singing, which, to date has not been undertaken. The researcher addresses issues of paradigm, epistemology, and methodology to suggest an appropriate model of experimental research towards the assessment of teaching/learning practice efficacy. A study was conducted adapting attentional focus research methodologies to test the effect of attentional focus on singing voice quality in adult novice singers. Based on previous attentional focus studies, it was hypothesized that external focus conditions would result in superior singing voice quality than internal focus conditions. While the hypothesis was partially supported by the data, the researcher welcomed refinement of the suggested research model. It is hoped that new research methodologies will emerge to investigate singing phenomena, yielding data that may be used towards the development of evidence-based frameworks for singing training. ii DEDICATION To Steve, without whom this could have never been possible.


Trends in age-specific and age-standardized death certification rates from all cerebrovascular diseases and various diagnostic subcategories in Italy during the period 1955-78 have been analysed. In both sexes, a decrease in excess of 25% was evident in the overall age-standardized cerebrovascular disease mortality. However, rates were roughly stable in males up to age 50 and in females up to age 45, and slightly but consistently increasing in the younger age groups (under 40), mostly in females. The largest downward trends were for both sexes in the 55 to 74 age groups, and the declines were more marked in females, averaging 3% per year. Since death certification is most reliable in the younger age groups and it is difficult to imagine any modification of risk factors which should affect mortality in later middle age but not in younger age groups, there is no obvious and simple interpretation of this pattern of trends. A comparison with similar trends in ischemic heart disease and other causes of death suggests that the decline in overall cerebrovascular disease mortality might be partially or largely artefactual, though a between-sexes comparison indicates that at least part of the decrease registered in females may well be real. The extent of the decline, however, has been almost certainly more limited in Italy than in most other Western countries. Only in the younger age group (30-34) did rates show a larger increase in females, which might be related to increased prevalence of cigarette smoking, or the use of oral contraceptives.


BACKGROUND
Cardiac rehabilitation is an evidence-based health service model for providing secondary prevention strategies following an acute cardiac event. In spite of the benefits of cardiac rehabilitation, there are striking cultural and ethnic disparities with regard to access to and usage of these programmes.

OBJECTIVE
To investigate the challenges in providing cardiac rehabilitation to culturally diverse populations in Australia to inform culturally competent care.

METHOD
This was a qualitative study using interviews with 25 health professionals from diverse professional and language backgrounds working in cardiac rehabilitation and participant observation of educational and counselling sessions in four cardiac rehabilitation programmes in metropolitan Sydney, Australia.

RESULTS
Providing cardiac rehabilitation to patients from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds presented greater challenges than did provision to the mainstream population. These challenges resulted from the interaction of multiple and complex factors such as patients, providers, structural and organisational characteristics within the treatment setting. Communication issues, reconciling health messages with culturally specific issues such as diet, social and family structure and implementation of self-management strategies are significant challenges.

CONCLUSION
Strategies are needed to overcome cross-cultural challenges and ensure effective and equitable cardiac rehabilitation service delivery.


Public employees' competence is critical in ensuring the
efficiency and effectiveness of the public services. There fore, it is of vital
importance for adult educators or HRD managers to understand the major
motivational orientations and factors which enhance or inhibit public
employees' motivation and effective participation incompetency-based or
in-service training programmes.
The general objective of this study was to determine public
employees' major motivational orientations and motivation toward sin service training and the factors that can be associated with them.
Specifically, it aimed to determine: (1) the major motivational orientation sand the level of motivation amongst public employees towards in-service training.


Abstract The hierarchical construction of solid models with current computer-aided design systems provide little support in creating and editing free-form surfaces commonly encountered in industrial design. In this work, we propose a new design exploration method that enables sketch-based editing of free-form surface geometries where specific modifications can be applied at different levels of detail. This multilevel detail approach allows the designer to work from existing models and make alterations at coarse and fine representations of the geometry, thereby providing increased conceptual flexibility during modeling. At the heart of our approach lies a multiscale representation of the geometry obtained through a spectral analysis on the discrete free-form surface. This representation is accompanied by a sketch-based surface editing algorithm that enables edits to be made at different levels. The seamless transfer of modifications across different levels of detail facilitates a fluid exploration of the geometry by eliminating the need for a manual specification of the shape hierarchy. We demonstrate our method with several design examples.


The aim of this study is to verify the feasibility of control of one-dimensional (1-D) rotating machine using neural activities of Prefrontal cortex (PFC) in a BCI system. In this study, adult male Sprague-Dawley rats received bilateral implantation of recording micro-electrodes in PFC area. The spontaneous activities of a pair of PFC neurons of water-deprived rats were encoded and converted through a triple-step threshold comparator algorithm to three commands for one-dimensional movement control of a robotic wheel for accessing water. Averaged activities of two PFC neurons were quantized in every 200 ms to four ranges of activities around the mean firing rates (±0.5 SD) and were converted to four values. After comparison of the values of two chosen neuron units, direction and speed of rotation were decided. Rats were trained to complete one-dimensional control task to obtain water reward. The results indicated the percentage of stop event increased alone with more training. Different brain activity significantly influenced total water-drinking duration and non-water-drinking duration. Events generated from neuronal activity differed according to variant experimental sessions. Correlation between two signal units impacted controlling performance. Overall, the results of this study suggest that rats were able to manipulate the 1-D BCI system by differentially modulating PFC single neuron activities according to different circumstances. words: brain-computer interface, prefrontal cortex, rat, one-dimensional, single neu


The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) introduced a mandate requiring chain restaurants to post calorie counts on menus and menu boards. This paper investigates whether and why calorie posting laws work. To do so, we develop a model of calories consumed that highlights two potential channels through which mandates influence choice and outlines an empirical strategy to disentangle these alternatives. We test the predictions of our model using data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to compare changes in body mass index (BMI), obesity, and consumer well-being in locations that implemented calorie-posting laws between 2008 and 2011 to those in neighboring locations without such laws. We find that calorie mandates lead to a small but statistically significant reduction in average BMI of 0.2 kg/m 2 (1.5 pounds) and reductions in self-reported measures of life satisfaction. Quantile regressions provide evidence that reductions in BMI and life satisfaction are concentrated among those with healthy weight. Viewed in its totality, the pattern of results is consistent with an economic model in which calorie labels influence consumers both by providing information and by imposing a welfare-reducing moral cost on unhealthy eating.


Lead in petrol has been identified as a health hazard and attempts are being made to create a lead-free atmosphere. Through an intensive study a review is made of the various options available to the automobile and petroleum industry. The economic and atmospheric penalties coupled with automobile fuel consumption trends are calculated and presented in both graphical and tabulated form. Experimental measurements of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions are also presented for certain selected fuels. Reduction in CO and HC's with the employment of a three-way catalyst is also discussed. All tests were carried out on a Fiat 127A engine at wide open throttle and standard timing setting. A Froude dynamometer was used to vary engine speed. With the introduction of lead-free petrol, interest in combustion chamber deposits in spark ignition engines has ben renewed. These deposits cause octane requirement increase or rise in engine knock and decreased volumetric efficiency. The detrimental effect of the deposits has been attributed to the physical volume of the deposit and to changes in heat transfer. This study attempts to assess why leaded deposits, though often greater in mass and volume, yield relatively lower ORI when compared to lead-free deposits under identical operating conditions. This has been carried out by identifying the differences in the physical nature of the deposit and then through measurement of the thermal conductivity and permeability of the deposits. The measured thermal conductivity results are later used in a mathematical model to determine heat transfer rates and temperature variation across the engine wall and deposit. For the model, the walls of the combustion cylinder and top are assumed to be free of engine deposit, the major deposit being on the piston head. Seven different heat transfer equations are formulated describing heat flow at each part of the four stroke cycle, and the variation of cylinder wall area exposed to gas mixture is accounted for. The heat transfer equations are solved using numerical methods and temperature variations across the wall identified. Though the calculations have been carried out for one particular moment in the cycle, similar calculations are possible for every degree of the crank angle, and thus further information regarding location of maximum temperatures at every degree of the crank angle may also be determined. In conclusion, thermal conductivity values of leaded and lead-free deposits have been found. The fundamental concepts of a mathematical model with great potential have been formulated and it is hoped that with future work it may be used in a simulation for different engine construction materials and motor fuels, leading to better design of future prototype engines.


Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-transmitted pathogen responsible for an acute infection of abrupt onset, characterized by high fever, polyarthralgia, myalgia, headaches, chills, and rash. In 2006, CHIKV was responsible for an epidemic outbreak of unprecedented magnitude in the Indian Ocean, stressing the need for therapeutic approaches. Since then, we have acquired a better understanding of CHIKV biology, but we are still missing active molecules against this reemerging pathogen. We recently reported that the nonstructural nsP2 protein of CHIKV induces a transcriptional shutoff that allows the virus to block cellular antiviral response. This was demonstrated using various luciferase-based reporter gene assays, including a trans-reporter system where Gal4 DNA binding domain is fused to Fos transcription factor. Here, we turned this assay into a high-throughput screening system to identify small molecules targeting nsP2-mediated shutoff. Among 3040 molecules tested, we identified one natural compound that partially blocks nsP2 activity and inhibits CHIKV replication in vitro. This proof of concept suggests that similar functional assays could be developed to target other viral proteins mediating a cellular shutoff and identify innovative therapeutic molecules.


Dar es Salaam is frequently affected by severe flooding causing destruction and impeding daily life of its 4.5 million inhabitants. The focus of this paper is on the role of poverty in the impact of floods on households, focusing on both direct (damage to or loss of assets or property) and indirect (losses involving health, infrastructure, labor, and education) impacts using household survey data. Poorer households are more likely to be affected by floods; directly affected households are more likely female-headed and have more insecure tenure arrangements; and indirectly affected households tend to have access to poorer quality infrastructure. Focusing on the floods of April 2018, affected households suffered losses of 23 percent of annual income on average. Surprisingly, poorer households are not over-represented among the households that lost the most - even in relation to their income, possibly because 77 percent of total losses were due to asset losses, with richer households having more valuable assets. Although indirect losses were relatively small, they had significant well-being effects for the affected households. It is estimated that households' losses due to the April 2018 flood reached more than US$100 million, representing between 2-4 percent of the gross domestic product of Dar es Salaam. Furthermore, poorer households were less likely to recover from flood exposure. The report finds that access to finance play an important role in recovery for households.


The Markov Decision Problem (MDP) is a widely applied mathematical model useful for describing a wide array of real world decision problems ranging from navigation to scheduling to robotics. Existing methods for solving MDPs scale poorly when applied to large domains where there are many components and factors to consider.
In this dissertation, I study the use of non-tabular representations and human input as scaling techniques. I will show that the joint approach has desirable optimality and convergence guarantees, and demonstrates several orders of magnitude speedup over conventional tabular methods. Empirical studies of speedup were performed using several domains including a clone of the classic video game, Super Mario Bros. In the course of this work, I will address several issues including: how approximate representations can be used without losing convergence and optimality properties, how human input can be solicited to maximize speedup and user engagement, and how that input should be used so as to insulate against possible errors.


Constructing a general, three-dimensional model of the subsurface density distribution by minimum-structure, or Occam-style, inversion of gravity data has been practical now for several years. The usual approach is to seek a model that is simple in the sense of having the least amount of spatial variation while still reproducing the observations (hence the description "minimum-structure"). This has the advantage of generating models with few, if any, fictitious features. However, often the models produced bear only a gross, diffuse resemblance to geology. It has been recognized since the inception of the minimum-structure inversion technique that geological information can be incorporated by seeking a model that is simple in the sense of being as close as possible to a reference model while still fitting the observations. This is rarely done, often because insufficient geological information is available, or because inversion of geophysical data is no longer thought to be useful once a target has been fou...


Introduction. We estimate the total yearly volume of peer-reviewed scientific journal articles published world-wide as well as the share of these articles available openly on the Web either directly or as copies in e-print repositories.
Method. We rely on data from two commercial databases (ISI and Ulrich's Periodicals Directory) supplemented by sampling and Google searches.
Analysis. A central issue is the finding that ISI-indexed journals publish far more articles per year (111) than non ISI-indexed journals (26), which means that the total figure we obtain is much lower than many earlier estimates. Our method of analysing the number of repository copies (green open access) differs from several earlier studies which have studied the number of copies in identified repositories, since we start from a random sample of articles and then test if copies can be found by a Web search engine.
Results. We estimate that in 2006 the total number of articles published was approximately 1,350,000. Of this number 4.6% became immediately openly available and an additional 3.5% after an embargo period of, typically, one year. Furthermore, usable copies of 11.3% could be found in subject-specific or institutional repositories or on the home pages of the authors.
Conclusions. We believe our results are the most reliable so far published and, therefore, should be useful in the on-going debate about Open Access among both academics and science policy makers. The method is replicable and also lends itself to longitudinal studies in the future.


This illuminative evaluation utilises a mixed-method design to explore the first assessment
experience of first year student nurses and consider how aspects of this experience impact on
their self-beliefs regarding academic ability. The study investigates the experience of a cohort of
student nurses as they go through their first summative assessment of theory on their Nursing
diploma course at a post-1992 University in the West Midlands of the United Kingdom. It aims to
elicit, from their perspective, aspects of the assessment process that enhance their confidence
and self-belief about ability, and those that serve to undermine it. The study considers whether
the assessment experience differs for students with different levels of pre-entry academic
qualifications, age, or history of family experience of higher education, and will examine students'
conceptualisations of intelligence to ascertain if these beliefs relate to their learning behaviours or
achievement.
Most students believed that their intelligence could be improved with effort, utilised tutorial and
peer support and believed that learning and understanding were more important than
assessment. Following this assessment experience, however, there was a shift in these beliefs,
with more students seeing the assessment as most important. The assessment grade received by
students, peer support and tutorial support had the greatest positive, and negative, impact on
student self-beliefs, with formative feedback having less impact. This cohort of students
experienced a good level of achievement and a significant improvement in confidence to undergo
their next assessment. Achievement was not related to pre-course academic qualifications, or to
family experience of higher education, but mature students achieved better grades when
compared with younger peers. This finding supports the inclusion of mature students with weaker
academic backgrounds, raising questions about how to continue to include them in the nursing
profession as it progresses to all graduate registration.
This study highlights the need to create a learning milieu that has learning and understanding at
its core, fosters effective peer support and includes students far more in the assessment process,
supporting development of the positive self-beliefs, confidence and self· reliance essential to their
academic and professional development.


We present a hybrid time-dependent density functional/molecular mechanics (TDDFT/MM) simulation study on the optical properties of aminocoumarins in gas phase and solution. As solvation is described through a molecular approach, the effects due to the inhomogeneities of the electric field of the solvent molecules are fully included. We focus on the ground state and first excited singlet state properties of C151, C35 and C153, three aminocoumarins for which a homogeneous set of experimental data is available. Our approach is able to give quantitative information on the redshifts in water and acetonitrile, two solvents which show different H-bonding properties. In addition, it is able to quantify the effects of chemical substituents, such as the spectral redshift due to the increased alkylation at the amino position.


ABSTRACT Sovereign wealth funds – large state-owned investment funds – are key players in international finance, but little is known about their underlying political drivers. Why do some states with surpluses choose to create sovereign wealth funds, while others advocate private finance institutions instead? This article speaks directly to this question by investigating the variation in sovereign wealth fund choices across nations with excess reserves. Thereby it contributes to an emerging stream of social network analysis within the international political economy literature. It develops an argument in least likely cases (i.e. Hong Kong and Singapore) about how the structure of domestic state-society relations – in form of policy networks – explains variation in sovereign wealth fund choices, which benefits some actors over others. By analysing primary archival material and through interviews with former policy-makers, this article opens the black box of policy-making behind the choices of state finance institutions.


Synopsis Several in situ trackways and individual chirotheriid footprints have been found at a number of locations along the southern coast of the Isle of Arran. A locality on the coast near Sliddery has five trackways with three of over 17 footprints and one locality west of Kildonan also has a trackway with over 10 footprints. They are all from the Triassic Auchenhew Beds, but may belong to several levels within these beds. The state of preservation of the footprints is variable, but a combination of morphological characters and landmark polygons suggests that they belong to Isochirotherium herculis (Egerton) 1838. Previously described footprints from Arran, originally described as Chirotherium barthii (Clark et al. 2002), are reidentified as I. herculis.


Recent observations of CH4 in the Martian atmosphere suggest that CH4 has been added relatively recently. Several mechanisms for recent CH4 release have been proposed including subsurface biological methanogenesis, abiogenic hydrothermal and/or volcanic activity, dissociation of CH4 hydrates, atmospheric photolysis, or addition of organics via bolide impact. This study examines the effects of increasing salinity on gas hydrate stability and compares estimates of the Martian geothermal gradient to CH4 and CO2 hydrate stability fields in the presence of high salinity brines. The results demonstrate that salinity increases alone result in a significant decrease in the predicted hydrate stability zone within the Martian subsurface and may be a driving force in CH4 hydrate destabilization. Active thermal and/or pressure fluctuations are not required in order for CH4 hydrates to be the source of atmospheric CH4.


Americans collectively save hundreds of billions of dollars for their children's education in Section 529 college savings plans. These plans are sponsored by states and largely exempt from the legal regimes that typically apply to money managers. This is the first academic study to comprehensively evaluate the quality of menus offered by these plans. While some plans are cost-efficient, there is considerable variation, and many plans are egregiously expensive. While large 401(k) plans have average total costs of 0.3%, college savings plans average 0.31% in administrative fees alone, with investment expenses adding another 0.32%. Plans distributed through brokers are particularly costly. Controlling for size, broker-sold investments are twice as expensive as those sold direct to consumers, even before accounting for brokerage sales charges that may exceed five percent of invested assets. A careful examination of plans' legal disclosures shows that some states generate significant revenue from plan fees and use that revenue to support activities that do not directly benefit plan investors, including subsidizing defined-benefit style plans. This cross-subsidization may undermine incentives for state administrators to negotiate lower costs and is in tension with state boards' role as fiduciaries. These results raise questions about whose interests are served by 529 plans and whether investors are adequately protected by existing regulations.


In this paper, we study a single-sensor imaging system that uses a multispectral filter array to spectrally sample the scene. Our system captures information in both visible and near-infrared bands of the electromagnetic spectrum. Due to manufacturing limitations, the visible filters in this system also transmit the NIR radiation. Similarly, visible light is transmitted by the NIR filter, leading to inaccurate mixed spectral measurements. We present an algorithm that resolves this issue by separating NIR and visible information. Our method achieves this goal by exploiting the correlation of multispectral images in both spatial and spectral domains. Simulation results show that the mean square error of the data corrected by our method is less than 1/20 of the error in sensor spectral measurements.