The corporation is the most popular form of business organization. Moreover, as the economies of emerging markets leap forward the popularity of the corporate form continues to grow. In light of its widespread appeal, one is naturally inclined to inquire more about the corporation and how it developed over time. Many questions can be pondered including: where did the corporate form originate; how old is it; has the corporation taken the same form everywhere or have there been local variations; and what are the pre-conditions for the development of the corporate form. All these questions are important not only for their own intrinsic value, but also because of the insights they provide about the development of the corporate sector in emerging markets and about the prospects for convergence, of one kind or another, in corporate governance. Indeed, a series of important papers by Henry Hansmann & Reinier Kraakman and other authors examine these questions both in Rome and in Medieval Europe. The aim of this paper is to explore a number of these questions by examining the economic history and development of the corporate form in Ancient India. The paper finds considerable evidence that urges us toward a significant revision of the history and development of the corporate form.
The examination reveals that business people on the Indian subcontinent utilized the corporate form from a very early period. The corporate form (e.g., the sreni) was being used in India from at least 800 B.C., and perhaps even earlier, and was in more or less continuous use since then until the advent of the Islamic invasions around 1000 A.D. This provides evidence for the use of the corporate form centuries before the earliest Roman proto-corporations. In fact, the use of the sreni in Ancient India was widespread including virtually every kind of business, political and municipal activity. Moreover, when we examine how these entities were structured, governed and regulated we find that they bear many similarities to corporations and, indeed, to modern US corporations. The familiar concerns of agency costs and incentive effects are both present and addressed in quite similar ways as are many other aspects of the law regulating business entities. Further, examining the historical development of the sreni indicates that the factors leading to the growth of this corporate form are consistent with those put forward for the growth of organizational entities in Europe. These factors include increasing trade, methods to contain agency costs, and methods to patrol the boundaries between the assets of the sreni and those of its members (i.e., to facilitate asset partitioning and reduce creditor information costs). Finally, examination of the development of the sreni in Ancient India sheds light on the importance of state structure for the growth of trade and the corporate form as well as on prospects for some kind of convergence in corporate governance.


We investigate the link between age and tolerance of financial risks in the context of attitude to risk questionnaires completed by clients when meeting their financial advisors. Using a unique database comprising the responses to over half a million such questionnaires, we show that risk tolerance declines at an increasing, albeit slow, rate with age. We investigate the explanatory power of the ability to bear losses, declining investment horizon and retirement effects, finding that these variables have considerably greater explanatory power for the cross-section of risk aversion than age, and that they are only able to partially mediate the link between age and risk tolerance. We are unable to uncover any evidence that declining cognitive abilities among older investors are able to explain their lower willingness to take financial risks. Overall, our results are indicative of a modest age effect in risk tolerance that cannot be attributed to changes in other observable characteristics that differ between younger and older investors.


This letter introduces MercuryLive, a platform to enable home monitoring of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) using wearable sensors. MercuryLive contains three tiers: a resource-aware data collection engine that relies upon wearable sensors, web services for live streaming and storage of sensor data, and a web-based graphical user interface client with video conferencing capability. Besides, the platform has the capability of analyzing sensor (i.e., accelerometer) data to reliably estimate clinical scores capturing the severity of tremor, bradykinesia, and dyskinesia. Testing results showed an average data latency of less than 400 ms and video latency of about 200 ms with video frame rate of about 13 frames/s when 800 kb/s of bandwidth were available and we used a 40% video compression, and data feature upload requiring 1 min of extra time following a 10 min interactive session. These results indicate that the proposed platform is suitable to monitor patients with PD to facilitate the titration of medications in the late stages of the disease.


The gray wolf (Canis lupus) is a widely distributed top predator and ancestor of the domestic dog. To address questions about wolf relationships to each other and dogs, we assembled and analyzed a data set of 34 canine genomes. The divergence between New and Old World wolves is the earliest branching event and is followed by the divergence of Old World wolves and dogs, confirming that the dog was domesticated in the Old World. However, no single wolf population is more closely related to dogs, supporting the hypothesis that dogs were derived from an extinct wolf population. All extant wolves have a surprisingly recent common ancestry and experienced a dramatic population decline beginning at least ∼30 thousand years ago (kya). We suggest this crisis was related to the colonization of Eurasia by modern human hunter–gatherers, who competed with wolves for limited prey but also domesticated them, leading to a compensatory population expansion of dogs. We found extensive admixture between dogs and wolves, with up to 25% of Eurasian wolf genomes showing signs of dog ancestry. Dogs have influenced the recent history of wolves through admixture and vice versa, potentially enhancing adaptation. Simple scenarios of dog domestication are confounded by admixture, and studies that do not take admixture into account with specific demographic models are problematic.


Objectives The purpose of the current study was to determine the upper threshold number of cases for which pertussis infection would reach an outbreak level nationally in Iran. Methods Data on suspected cases of pertussis from the 25th February 2012 to the 23rd March 2018 from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Iran was used. The national upper threshold level was estimated using the exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) method and the Poisson regression method. Results In total, 2,577 (33.6%) and 1,714 (22.3%) cases were reported in the Spring and Summer respectively. There were 1,417 (18.5%) and 1,971 (25.6%) cases reported in the Autumn and Winter, respectively. The overall upper threshold using the EWMA and the Poisson regression methods, was estimated as a daily occurrence of 8 (7.55) and 7.50 (4.48–11.06) suspected cases per 10,000,000 people, respectively. The daily seasonal thresholds estimated by the EWMA and the Poisson regression methods were 10, 7, 6, 8 cases and 10, 7, 7, 9 cases for the Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter, respectively. Conclusion The overall and seasonal estimated thresholds by the 2 methods were similar. Therefore, the estimated thresholds of 6–10 cases in a day, per 10,000,000 people could be used to detect pertussis outbreaks and epidemics by health policymakers.


Spurred on by Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Nickel Boys (2019), which is set in Tallahassee, FL, during the 1950s and 1960s, this essay presents a close-up look at James Baldwin's visit to Tallahassee in May 1960. Moving between Baldwin's writings about the South, especially "They Can't Turn Back," published by Mademoiselle magazine in August 1960, and subsequent writing about the movement in Tallahassee, and checking off against Whitehead's fictional treatment, we find a lattice of silences obscuring the names and contributions of Black women. Most importantly, we find that the historic case of the rape of Betty Jean Owens in May 1959, and the subsequent trial that summer, appears neither in Baldwin's nor Whitehead's writing about Tallahassee at the time. This essay establishes the missing names of Black women in the places marked and unmarked by Baldwin in his work at the time, and puts the case of Betty Jean Owens on the historical map where it belongs. In so doing, we figure issues of race, gender, sex, and violence for the ways they twist together, ways suppressed in historical (and even some contemporary) writing, ways crucial to our deepening consideration of Baldwin's work and the history which he drew upon and to which he contributed so profoundly.


The management and widespread sharing of publicly funded research data has gained significant momentum among governments, funders, institutions, journals and data service providers around the world. However, there is no 'one-size-fits-all' approach to open research data across academic disciplines.

Different disciplines produce different types of data and have various procedures for analysing, archiving and publishing it. This briefing paper presents the current state of open research data across academic disciplines. It describes disciplinary characteristics inhibiting a larger take-up of open research data mandates. Additionally it presents the current strategies and policies established by funders, institutions, journals and data service providers alongside general data policies.


Human mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are an important T cell subset that are enriched in tissues and possess potent effector functions. Typically such cells are marked by their expression of Vα7.2-Jα33/Jα20/Jα12 T cell receptors, and functionally they are major histocompatibility complex class I-related protein 1 (MR1)-restricted, responding to bacterially derived riboflavin synthesis intermediates. MAIT cells are contained within the CD161++ Vα7.2+ T cell population, the majority of which express the CD8 receptor (CD8+), while a smaller fraction expresses neither CD8 or CD4 coreceptor (double negative; DN) and a further minority are CD4+. Whether these cells have distinct homing patterns, phenotype and functions have not been examined in detail. We used a combination of phenotypic staining and functional assays to address the similarities and differences between these CD161++ Vα7.2+ T cell subsets. We find that most features are shared between CD8+ and DN CD161++ Vα7.2+ T cells, with a small but detectable role evident for CD8 binding in tuning functional responsiveness. By contrast, the CD4+ CD161++ Vα7.2+ T cell population, although showing MR1-dependent responsiveness to bacterial stimuli, display reduced T helper 1 effector functions, including cytolytic machinery, while retaining the capacity to secrete interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IL-13. This was consistent with underlying changes in transcription factor (TF) expression. Although we found that only a proportion of CD4+ CD161++ Vα7.2+ T cells stained for the MR1-tetramer, explaining some of the heterogeneity of CD4+ CD161++ Vα7.2+ T cells, these differences in TF expression were shared with CD4+ CD161++ MR1-tetramer+ cells. These data reveal the functional diversity of human CD161++ Vα7.2+ T cells and indicate potentially distinct roles for the different subsets in vivo.


Epithelial ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecological cancer in the Western countries. Approximately 20%–30% of patients with early-stage disease and 50%–75% of those with advanced disease who obtain a complete response following first-line chemotherapy will ultimately develop recurrent disease, which more frequently involves the pelvis and abdomen. Few formal guidelines exist regarding the surveillance of these patients, and there is no agreement in the literature about the type and timing of examinations to perform. Moreover, the objective of follow-up is unclear as recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer continues to be a therapeutic dilemma and quite all the relapsed patients will eventually die of their disease. The follow-up of asymptomatic patients generally include complete clinical history, serum cancer antigen (CA)125 assay, physical examination, and often ultrasound examination, whereas additional radiologic imaging techniques are usually performed when symptoms or signs appear. 18Fluoro-2-deoxy-glucose (18FDG)–positron emission tomography (PET) has a sensitivity of 90% and a specificity of 85% approximately for the detection of recurrent disease, and this examination appears to be particularly useful for the diagnosis of recurrence when CA125 levels are rising and conventional imaging is inconclusive or negative. Recently, technologic advances have led to novel combined 18FDG-PET/computed tomography (CT) devices, which perform contemporaneous acquisition of both 18FDG-PET and CT images. The role of 18FDG-PET/CT for the detection of recurrent ovarian cancer is very promising, and this technique may be especially useful for the selection of patients with late recurrent disease who may benefit from secondary cytoreductive surgery.


We derive an alternative proof for the regret of Thompson sampling (\ts) in the stochastic linear bandit setting. While we obtain a regret bound of order $\wt{O}(d^{3/2}\sqrt{T})$ as in previous results, the proof sheds new light on the functioning of the \ts. We leverage on the structure of the problem to show how the regret is related to the sensitivity (i.e., the gradient) of the objective function and how selecting optimal arms associated to \textit{optimistic} parameters does control it. Thus we show that \ts can be seen as a generic randomized algorithm where the sampling distribution is designed to have a fixed probability of being optimistic, at the cost of an additional $\sqrt{d}$ regret factor compared to a UCB-like approach. Furthermore, we show that our proof can be readily applied to regularized linear optimization and generalized linear model problems.


In Maritime Disputes in Northeast Asia: Regional Challenges and Cooperation, Suk Kyoon Kim provides a multidisciplinary perspective on maritime disputes in Northeast Asia.


INTRODUCTION
The pyo-pneumopericardium is a very rare complication of an incarcerated diaphragmatic hernia. Usually, it depends on the existence of a gastropericardial fistula and, in most cases, it is a deadly complication.

CASE REPORT
We present the case of a 65 year old man who was admitted to our emergency service with clinical signs of septic shock. With the help of the CT scan a pyo-pneumopericardium and incarcerated diaphragmatic hernia was diagnosed. He was subjected to emergency surgical intervention with double approach (thoracic and abdominal), discerning during surgery the existence of a pericardial abscess due to a gastro-pericardial fistula due to an incarcerated diaphragmatic hernia. The gastric fundus was resected with abolition of the gastro-pericardial fistula, evacuation of the pericardial abscess, performing the splenectomy (in order to have a better surgical access) and adequate treatment of the diaphragmatic hernia. Despite the medical efforts, the patient died on the 10th postoperative day due to septic complications. To our knowledge this is the first case reported in the literature of gastro-pericardial fistula complicated with pyo-pneumo-pericardium due to an incarcerated diaphragmatic hernia. In such cases we consider that only by performing a double surgical approach (thoracic and abdominal) we can provide a proper resolution of the case, also based on the objective situation found during surgery, where the splenectomy can provide an easier approach to the diaphragmatic hernia.

KEY WORDS
Diaphragmatic hernia, Gastropericardial fistula, Pyo-pneumopericardium.


The constraints that have been experienced in recent years with the Delmas water supply have largely been as a result of it being situated in a dolomite area, the environmental reality which, from a human and economic standpoint, seems to be a definite drawback. Previous reports on diarrhoea outbreaks in the Delmas area (1993, 2005 and 2007) have consistently noted a groundwater contamination of the A well field's groundwater abstraction boreholes.
While water contamination certainly had a role to play in the diarrhoea outbreaks, there were other contributing environmental factors. Amongst these were the physical environment has been severely polluted and significant interventions in environmental elements, such as local surface water streams, that were recorded during the research process.
The nature and extent of water (raw, potable and waste) management in and by the Delmas Local Municipality will be the focus of this article, and certain significant geohydrological issues to consider in the achievement of effective municipal governance will be debated. Recommendations on the possible improvement of the municipal water services management in and by the Municipality will form part of the debate and may serve as pointers for improving the governance, by local governments, of the geohydrological realities that cause constraints in their various areas of responsibility. These outcomes may also find an application in other similarly problematic municipal areas.


Can capitalism and citizenship co-exist? Advocates of the third way have championed the idea of public-spirited capitalism as the antidote to the many problems confronting the modern world. This book develops a multi-disciplinary theory of citizenship, exploring the human abilities needed for its practice. It then argues that capitalism impedes the nurturing of these abilities. In advancing these arguments, Kathryn Dean draws on the work of a wide range of thinkers including Freud, Marx, Lacan, Habermas and Castells.


In this paper we examine some of the costs and benefits associated with mandatory audit firm rotation using data from Italy, where mandatory audit firm rotation has been in place since 1975. Previous studies on the subject did not find consistent evidence on the association between audit quality and mandatory audit firm rotation, and they fail to control for auditor fees. In this paper, we test whether there is a change in audit quality associated with mandatory audit firm rotation after controlling for audit fees. Further, we test whether there is a change in auditor fees associated with mandatory audit firm rotation. Our results indicate that audit quality, proxied by two different measures of earnings management, improves following mandatory audit firm rotation and this improvement is driven by higher negative (income decreasing) abnormal accruals. Our results also indicate that the total amount of fees paid to the auditor does not change following mandatory audit firm rotation, but the composition of total fees paid to the auditor (audit vs. non audit fees) does appear to change, with audit-related fees increasing as a percent of total fees. The results of this study might be of interest to U.S. and European legislators who are considering implementing mandatory auditor rotation in order to improve financial reporting quality.


Abstract Human (h) embryonic stem cells (ESC) represent an unlimited source of cardiomyocytes (CMs); however, these differentiated cells are immature. Thus far, gene profiling studies have been performed with non-purified or non-chamber specific CMs. Here we took a combinatorial approach of using systems biology to guide functional discoveries of novel biological properties of purified hESC-derived ventricular (V) CMs. We profiled the transcriptomes of hESCs, hESC-, fetal (hF) and adult (hA) VCMs, and showed that hESC-VCMs displayed a unique transcriptomic signature. Not only did a detailed comparison between hESC-VCMs and hF-VCMs confirm known expression changes in metabolic and contractile genes, it further revealed novel differences in genes associated with reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism, migration and cell cycle, as well as potassium and calcium ion transport. Following these guides, we functionally confirmed that hESC-VCMs expressed IKATP with immature properties, and were accordingly vulnerable to hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced apoptosis. For mechanistic insights, our coexpression and promoter analyses uncovered a novel transcriptional hierarchy involving select transcription factors (GATA4, HAND1, NKX2.5, PPARGC1A and TCF8), and genes involved in contraction, calcium homeostasis and metabolism. These data highlight novel expression and functional differences between hESC-VCMs and their fetal counterparts, and offer insights into the underlying cell developmental state. These findings may lead to mechanism-based methods for in vitro driven maturation.


This synthesis of Indian-white relations west of the Appalachians from the end of the French and Indian War to the beginning of the Mexican War is not simply a story of whites versus Indians. The author focuses on relations among the British, the Spanish, the Americans, and Indian tribes in territories claimed by more than one of these groups, with particular emphasis on Indian tribes' pursuit of trade, peace, and guarantees of their land. The broad chronological and geographical scope of this volume encompasses British efforts to enforce new settlement policies after their defeat of the French, the Spanish system of missions and presidios, trade in the Columbia River basin of the Pacific Northwest, the Indian Removal Act and the Trail of Tears, and the establishment of a strong military presence to defend the trade routes of the Great Plains. The author's clear explanations of complex negotiations over trade, land, and policy among countless conflicting groups during a period of transition will be invaluable for students and for the interested general reader.


The idea to create the Telemedicine Project of Kosova and the International Virtual e-Hospital Network of Kosova, was presented at G8-Meeting, in Berlin May 4-5, 2000, by the senior author (RL) then Assistant Professor of Surgery at Virginia Commonwealth University, in Richmond, Virginia during the presentation, the "The anatomy of war and destruction of Kosova: The alumni view on reconstruction of heath in Kosova". Following wide spread acceptance by many countries and institutions around the world of the idea of creating a virtual e-hospital in Kosova,, became a reality. To ensure the creation of a telemedicine center and realization of the project in Kosova, the Telemedicine Association of Kosova was created in Prishtina, September 30, 2000. On February 2, 2001 a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the implementation of TPK was signed between all stakeholders in health in Kosova. After extensive preparation, with the funding from the European Agency for Reconstruction, the Telemedicine Center of Kosova (TCK) was inaugurated on December 10, 2002, making way for the official beginning of the first phase of development of the TPK. This historical moment for Kosova and for the Balkan countries received extensive media coverage locally and abroad. Currently we are at the second year and phase of TPK realization. The Telemedicine Center of Kosova (TCK) is a state-of-the-art telemedicine center, the best in the Balkan and southeastern Europe. As such TCK is providing basic foundations for development of educational medical programs within the Kosova's medical system; as well it is establishing the standards of regional and international consultations and collaboration in the Balkan Peninsula. Furthermore, it is providing a solid basis for creation of human capacity that will lead and implement telemedicine program in the nine regional telemedicine centers of Kosova, for many years and decades to come.


Large quantities of weapon grade (WG) plutonium have been accumulated in the nuclear warheads. Plutonium and heavy water moderator can give a good combination with respect to neutron economy. TRISO type fuel can withstand very high fuel burn up levels. The paper investigates the prospects of utilization of TRISO fuel made of WG-plutonium in CANDU reactors. Three different fuel compositions have been investigated: 1: 90 % ThC + 10 % PuC, 2: 70 % ThC + 30 % PuC and 3: 50 % ThC + 50 % PuC. The temporal variation of the criticality k∞ and the burn-up values of the reactor have been calculated by full power operation up to 17 years. Calculated startup criticalities for these fuel modes are k∞,0 = 1.6403, 1.7228, 1.7662, respectively. Attainable burn up values and reactor operation times with the same fuel charge will be 94 700, 265 000, 425 000 MW.D/MT and ~ 3.5, 10, 17 years, respectively. These high burn ups would reduce fuel fabrication costs and nuclear waste mass for final disposal per unit energy drastically.


The Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) caused by the Human
Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), is one of the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in
sub-Saharan Africa where about 22.9 million people accounting for over 68% of the
infections worldwide are living with AIDS. It kills young economically productive
individuals, causing hardship to families, increased expenditure on health care and
adversely affects the economic growth in the region. There is still neither a cure nor a
vaccine for HIV infection while the therapies used only delay the onset of AIDS. The Tcell
recognition molecules CD4 act as receptors, the chemokine receptors CCR5 and
CXCR4 s co-receptors for viral entry into target cells, whereas chemokine receptors
CCR2, CCR3, CCR8, D6, RDC1 and CX3CR1 act as secondary coreceptors.
Polymorphisms in chemokines and their receptors have been shown to influence the rate
of infection, disease progression and viral suppression in individuals receiving
antiretroviral therapy. Moreover, an allele mutation namely CCR5-32 confers resistance
against HIV-1 infection. This mutation results in a truncated protein devoid of cell
surface receptor. The chemokine receptor CX3CR1 gene polymorphism T280M has been
shown to increase susceptibility to HIV infection and progression to AIDS in French
Caucasian studies. However, the existence of the polymorphism among Africans is still
not fully understood. The im of thiLstudy w~s to, determine the prevalence and
geographical distribution of T280M polymorphism in various regions in Kenya. Samples
were collected from five provinces of Kenya, two with a high prevalence of HIV-1
(Western and Nyanza), two with a low prevalence (Central and North Eastern) and one
cosmopolitan population (Nairobi) to determine whether this mutation exists. Whole
blood samples from adults in these provinces were collected, genomic DNA extracted
and CX3CR1 gene amplified using gene specific primers. BSMBI restriction enzyme was
used to determine the existence of the T280M mutation in the sampled population. The
results of this study show that T280M polymorphism exists in Kenya. The wild type
phenotype had the highest frequency of 70% then heterozygous with a frequency of
28.5% while homozygous mutant were 1.5% in the population. Homozygous mutant was
only found in Nyanza and Nairobi provinces. There is no significant difference in the
geographical distribution of CX3CR1-280M polymorphism in the sampled population
p=0.382. Pair wise analysis showed no significant difference in the prevalence of the
polymorphism with province P>0.05. However, there is a trend towards high prevalence
ofT280M polymorphism in Nyanza and Western provinces compared to other regions. It
was concluded that other factors therefore other than T280M polymorphisms are
responsible for variation in the prevalence of HIV in the five provinces studied. The
results of this study provide information for future studies on the prevalence and
geographical distribution of T280M polymorphism in different provinces of Kenya.


Resumen The purpose of this study is to investigate the use of the Spanish prepositions por and para (P&P) by heritagelanguage (HL) learners to analyze whether they demonstrate automaticity in their application, as is common with L1 Spanish speakers (i.e. "it just sounds right"), or if they rely on the conscious, declarative knowledge of the prescriptive uses of these prepositions, as is common with speakers for whom Spanish is an L2. Upper and lower HL learners and upper and lower FL learners (non-HL learners) were asked to complete a cloze test and a grammaticality judgment task and were asked to explain their judgments. The explanations given by students provide a glimpse into the type of knowledge, whether declarative or procedural, that students tap into when using P&P. This study found that while FL learners relied on declarative knowledge in the application of P&P, HL learners demonstrated a level of automaticity and procedural knowledge in their use of these prepositions. This suggests that HL learners have internalized the uses of P&P though communicative exposure throughout their childhood, which may be more effective than the explicit instruction FL learners have received on these structures. This study aims to add to the growing body of literature on heritage language processes and development. Keywords/Palabras clave heritage learners, L2 learners, SLA, declarative vs. procedural, por and para Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. This linguistics article is available in Entrehojas: Revista de Estudios Hispanicos: http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/entrehojas/vol3/iss1/5


In most cities, the taxi industry is highly regulated and utilizes technology developed in the 1940s. Ride sharing services such as Uber and Lyft, which use modern internet-based mobile technology to connect passengers and drivers, have begun to compete with traditional taxis. This paper examines the efficiency of ride sharing services vis-a-vis taxis by comparing the capacity utilization rate of UberX drivers with that of traditional taxi drivers in five cities. The capacity utilization rate is measured by the fraction of time a driver has a fare-paying passenger in the car while he or she is working, and by the share of total miles that drivers log in which a passenger is in their car. The main conclusion is that, in most cities with data available, UberX drivers spend a significantly higher fraction of their time, and drive a substantially higher share of miles, with a passenger in their car than do taxi drivers. Four factors likely contribute to the higher capacity utilization rate of UberX drivers: 1) Uber's more efficient driver-passenger matching technology; 2)the larger scale of Uber than taxi companies; 3) inefficient taxi regulations; and 4) Uber's flexible labor supply model and surge pricing more closely match supply with demand throughout the day.


In the apportionment problem, a fixed number of seats must be distributed among parties in proportion to the number of voters supporting each party. We study a generalization of this setting, in which voters cast approval ballots over parties, such that each voter can support multiple parties. This approval-based apportionment setting generalizes traditional apportionment and is a natural restriction of approval-based multiwinner elections, where approval ballots range over individual candidates. Using techniques from both apportionment and multiwinner elections, we are able to provide representation guarantees that are currently out of reach in the general setting of multiwinner elections: First, we show that corestable committees are guaranteed to exist and can be found in polynomial time. Second, we demonstrate that extended justified representation is compatible with committee monotonicity.


The Chironomidae popularly are called "non-biting midges" to distinguish them from their biting relatives. Although the impact of these flies excludes human-feeding and disease transmission, chironomids are still the subject of much study.

This book presents current research on topics such as the use of chironomid larvae in pollution monitoring; austral chironomid patterns; biology and control; chironomid communities and auto-ecology; morphology and systematics of chironomids. The value of chironomids and other aquatic biota in the monitoring of waterway health is emphasised with reviews from both the northern and southern hemispheres.


Abstract Background: Hearing aids (HAs) are important for the rehabilitation of individuals with hearing loss. Although the rehabilitation of speech communication is well understood, less attention has been devoted to understanding hearing-impaired instrumentalists' needs to actively participate in music. Despite efforts to adjust HA settings for music acoustics, there lacks an understanding of instrumentalists' needs and if those HA adjustments satisfy their needs. Purpose: The purpose of the current study was to explore the challenges that adult HA-wearing instrumentalists face, which prevent them from listening, responding to, and performing music. Research Design: A qualitative methodology was employed with the use of semistructured interviews conducted with adult amateur instrumentalists. Study Sample: Twelve HA users who were amateur ensemble instrumentalists (playing instruments from the percussion, wind, reed, brass, and string families) and between the ages of 55 and 83 years (seven men and five women) provided data for analysis in this study. Amateur in this context was defined as one who engaged mindfully in pursuit of an activity. Data Collection and Analysis: Semistructured interviews were conducted using an open-ended interview guide. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analyzed using conventional qualitative content analysis. Results: Three categories emerged from the data: (1) participatory needs, (2) effects of HA use, and (3) effects of hearing loss. Participants primarily used HAs to hear the conductor's instructions to meaningfully participate in music rehearsals. Effects of HA use fell within two subcategories: HA music sound quality and use of an HA music program. The effects of hearing loss fell within three subcategories: inability to identify missing information, affected music components, and nonauditory music perception strategies. Conclusions: Not surprisingly, hearing-impaired instrumentalists face challenges participating in their music activities. However, although participants articulated ways in which HAs and hearing loss affect music perception, which in turn revealed perspectives toward listening using the auditory system and other sensory systems, the primary motivation for their HA use was the need to hear the conductor's directions. These findings suggest that providing hearing-impaired instrumentalists access to musical experience via participation should be prioritized above restoring the perception of musical descriptors. Future research is needed with instrumentalists who no longer listen to or perform music because of hearing loss, so that the relationship between musical auditory deficiencies and participation can be better explored.


Dream-ESP is a form of extra-sensory perception (ESP) in which a dreaming perceiver ostensibly gains information about a randomly selected target without using the normal sensory modalities or logical inference. We conducted a meta-analysis on dream-ESP studies (dating from 1966 to 2016), and found a number of significant effects indicating support for the ESP hypothesis (Storm et al., 2017). Howard (2018) critiqued our study, and found much weaker effects based on a re-analysis of our data, to which he applied inverse-variance weights to the study values. Although Howard replicated a number of our findings, his other findings can be challenged. We discuss meta-analytic approaches, including the controversial issues of publication bias and what to do with outliers, and we present some re-analyses.


The selective and efficient removal of pollutants is essential for wastewater treatment and resource recycling. In this study, an ultra-thin molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) membrane with a thickness of 1 nm was synthesized by a facile atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) method using layered double hydroxides (LDH) as the template substrate. The as-prepared MIPs membrane was characterized by XRD, TEM, AFM, FTIR and BET measurements. This material was then applied for the selective preconcentration of Rhodamine B (RhB) in water. Benefiting from the surface-imprinting technique, a high adsorption capacity of 100.1 mg g−1 was obtained with an enrichment multiple of 27.3 times. It was interesting that the MIPs adsorption was temperature-sensitive, which was employed as a simple and environmentally friendly desorption strategy by changing the operating temperature. The applicability of the material was demonstrated by recovering RhB from real water samples. These membrane-structured MIPs are highly selective, reproductive, and can be produced on a large scale, and thus are promising adsorbents for wastewater treatment and organic resource recycling.


Multifaceted social problems such as safety, social inclusion, poverty, mobility, rural development, city regeneration, or labour market integration require integrated approaches to steering. NPM-related fragmentation of policy and fragmentation of implementation lead to unsatisfactory public outcomes and a heightened experienced loss of control on the part of policy makers. Governments are therefore looking for new instruments to address the boundary-spanning nature of many social problems. In their quest for achieving valued social outcomes, they struggle with their new role, and the insufficiency of both markets and hierarchies. In this book, authors explore new organisational mechanisms, arrangements and ideas to deal with this fragmentation. New post-NPM steering and coordination practices come in various shapes and names, and current research suffers from considerable terminological confusion. The book first looks at various new organisational arrangements and mechanisms, including whole-of-government, collaborative governance, network governance, and outcome steering. It then goes on to unpack the outcomes these new steering instruments are supposed to achieve, and explores their effect on democracy, power, and the role of government.


This study uses airborne data from multiple field campaigns off the California coast to determine the extent to which a size distribution parameter and a cloud water chemical measurement can capture the effect of giant cloud condensation nuclei (GCCN), specifically sea salt, on marine stratocumulus cloud properties. The two GCCN proxy variables, near‐surface particle number concentration for diameters >5 µm and cloud water chloride concentration, are significantly correlated (95% confidence) with each other, and both exhibit expected relationships with other parameters (e.g., surface wind) that typically coincide with sea salt emissions. Factors influencing the relationship between these two GCCN proxy measurements include precipitation rate (R) and the standard deviation of the subcloud vertical velocity owing likely to scavenging effects and improved mixing/transport of sea salt to cloud base, respectively. When comparing 12 pairs of high and low chloride cloud cases (at fixed liquid water path and cloud drop number concentration), the average drop spectra for high chloride cases exhibit enhanced drop number at diameters exceeding 20 µm, especially above 30 µm. In addition, high chloride cases coincide with enhanced mean columnar R and negative values of precipitation susceptibility. The difference in drop effective radius between high and low chloride conditions decreases with height in cloud, suggesting that some GCCN‐produced raindrops precipitate before reaching cloud tops. The sign of cloud responses (i.e., R) to perturbations in giant sea salt particle concentration, as evaluated from Modern Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications version 2 reanalysis data, is consistent with the aircraft data.


Soft continuum manipulators provide a safe alternative to traditional rigid manipulators, because their bodies can absorb and distribute contact forces. Soft manipulators have near infinite potential degrees of freedom, but a limited number of control inputs. This underactuation means soft continuum manipulators often lack either the controllability or the dexterity to achieve desired tasks. In this work, we present an extension of McKibben actuators, which have well-known models, that increases the controllable degrees of freedom using active reconfiguration of the constraining fibers. These Active Fiber Reinforced Elastomeric Enclosures (AFREEs) preform some combination of length change and twisting, depending on the fiber configuration. Experimental results shows that by changing the fiber angles within a range of -30 to 30 degrees and actuating the resulting configuration between 10.3 kPa and 24.1 kPa, we can achieve twists between ± 60 degrees and displacements between -2 and 4 mm. By additionally controlling the fiber lengths and pressure, we can modify the AFREE kinematics further, creating dynamic behaviors and trajectories of actuation. The presented actuator creates the possibility to reconFigure actuator kinematics to meet desired soft robot motions.


The northwest boundary fence and entry, detail of the pedestrian entrance; The Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) is an architecture museum and research centre located in Montreal. The architect Phyllis Lambert is the founder and director. The CCA shares the site of the historic Shaughnessy House built in 1874 to the design of William T. Thomas. The new building, designed by Peter Rose with consulting architect Phyllis Lambert and associate architect Erol Argun, was integrated with the Shaughnessy House in 1989. Simultaneously, conservation and restoration of the original 20,000-square-foot structure were carried out under the supervision of Denis Saint-Louis. With its Devencore Conservatory and striking reception rooms, Shaughnessy House is today one of the rare 19th-century Montreal houses open to the public. The building --130,000 square feet housing exhibition galleries, the Paul Desmarais Theatre, and the Bookstore, as well as the Library, state-of-the-art conservation and collection facilities, curatorial offices, and Study Centre in the Alcan Wing --has received numerous design awards in the United States and Europe. The CCA garden is laid out as a series of narrative episodes --Orchard, Meadow, Arcade (mirror of the Shaughnessy House), Esplanade, Belvedere, and Allegorical Columns --each of which relates to the wider history of architecture as well as to the city that surrounds the site. Source: Canadian Centre for Architecture; http://www.cca.qc.ca (accessed 1/9/2008)


This case series (see also the B [UVA-OM-1110], C [UVA-OM-1111], D [UVA-OM-1112], E [UVA-OM-1113], F [UVA-OM-1156], and G [UVA-OM-1158] cases) focuses students on the boom-and-bust behaviors in the Northern Forest sawmill industry. Stakeholders, from landowners to sawmill owners to government officials to environmentalists, all want to make sure that the overall demand for saw logs, as driven by sawmill capacity, does not exceed the rate at which the trees are growing. They do not want sawmill demand to "overshoot" the productive capacity of the forest resource, a classic problem in renewable-resource economies that the region had experienced approximately a century earlier. Students are called upon to use system-thinking skills (analysis of reference modes of behaviors, causal-loop mapping, and stock-flow mapping) in creating their causal hypotheses of the underlying system structure. Students are asked to design system-structure policies to help sustain both the industry and the natural resources of the region.


Using a linked employer-employee data set on the German construction industry, we analyse the effects of the introduction of minimum wages in this sector on labour market dynamics. In doing so, we focus on accessions and separations, as well as the underlying labour market flows, at the establishment level. The fact that minimum wages in Germany are sector-specific enables us to use other industries as control groups within a difference-in-differences framework. We find that both accessions and separations rise in East Germany as a result of the minimum wage introduction. The evidence on detailed worker flows suggests that this is mainly due to increased recalls. Furthermore, the minimum wage introduction lowered job-to-job transitions in East Germany, which can be explained by a more compressed wage distribution making on-the-job search less worthwhile. No clear effects on labour market dynamics in West Germany arise.


Early adolescence is a crucial period for preventing teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. This study evaluated STAR LO, a theater-based intervention designed to affect antecedents of sexual activity among urban early adolescents ( N = 1,143). Public elementary/middle schools received the intervention or served as a wait-listed comparison group in a quasi-experimental study. Students completed pretest and posttest question-naires. Multivariate regression models were used to examine treatment effects. Comparison students showed significantly greater increases in sexual intentions and decreases in pro-abstinence attitudes and intended age of first sex than treatment group adolescents. Comparison girls showed significantly greater increases in desire to be a teen parent than STAR LO girls. Treatment group adolescents exhibited greater increases in sexual knowledge than comparison group adolescents, with stronger effects for boys than girls. The results suggest that this theater-based prevention program can help early adolescents develop knowledge, attitudes, and intentions that may prevent future sexual risk behavior.


Abstract Nowadays, the surgical microscope is the goldstandard for microsurgical procedures. Additional functionalities such as surgical navigation, data injection or imageoverlay are providing additional valuable information to the surgeon. For substituting the conventional optical system by a fully-digital multi-camera setup the three dimensional (3D) reconstruction of the scenery in the field of view is required. However, for in camera-based systems, an exact alignment of the cameras is a challenging task. Therefore, a final adjustment through a digital image rotation becomes necessary. Even though the digital rotation is a commonly used procedure, it leads to unavoidable errors because of the discretized grid of the image. Previous research reported in literature has demonstrated that the method of digitally rotating the images combined with the Fourier interpolation delivers the results of best quality. Nevertheless, the performance evaluation of this algorithm was carried out rotating an image in multiple threestep rotations to a total of 90 or 180 degrees and comparing it to the original image rotated in one step. This is a valid approach because a rotation of 90 or 180 degrees does not produce rotation artifacts. In this research project, we verify the performance of the three-step rotation algorithm using recorded images for which the test pattern was rotated as ground truth. A series of photographs with a rotation angle of 3 to 45 degrees was created. The advantage of this setup is that the result of the digital rotation can be directly compared to the recorded image. In addition, with the knowledge obtained about the interpolation error, we can improve pixel matching in the further triangulation used for 3D reconstruction. By doing so, the estimation of the interpolation error helps to reduce the triangulation error.


Abstract: We describe a set of thin-skinned structures from the offshore Camamu Basin. The margin is about 40 km wide and the sea floor has a slope of up to 10%. The sedimentary cover is up to 7 km thick. Neocomian strata accumulated during continental rifting. Aptian strata consist mainly of coarse clastic sediment and evaporite. Late Cretaceous strata are thin or absent and the Tertiary succession is about 1 km thick, above a prominent Eocene unconformity. The Neocomian and Aptian sequences contain abundant thin-skinned structures, which are extensional near the continental shelf and compressional toward the toe of the slope. The structures have detached on Aptian evaporite and on the base of Neocomian shale. One giant slide is about 5 km thick and 60 km wide. It displays mirror symmetry about a vertical plane perpendicular to the margin, as occurs in physical models. The main phase of sliding occurred between the Campanian and the middle Eocene. The trigger may have been a regional phase of uplift and exhumation, for which there is independent evidence on the shelf and inland.


The road to recovery of a deteriorated system is often different, and fraught with more barriers, than the path to the system's deterioration. This phenomenon is called hysteresis, and is inherent to systems presenting alternative stable states. In such systems, the stability of a given state is the product of positive feedback loops. A broad range of natural systems have been predicted to show hysteretic behaviour, but hysteresis has so far only been unambiguously demonstrated at cellular or metabolic levels, not yet at the population or ecosystem level. To extend our understanding of hysteresis at the population level, we performed an experiment on light-stressed cyanobacteria and found hysteresis between alternative stable states. Furthermore, during the experiment, the cyanobacteria adapted physiologically to high light levels, and deviated from their theoretically predicted pathway of hysteresis, therewith also avoiding extinction. Our experiment confirmed that a population that loses resilience due to deteriorating external conditions can show a delayed – hysteretic – recovery-response when conditions are improved. This population-level study also indicates that the slowness of these systems may obscure the true state they are in, which is important to factor into ecosystem monitoring. Additionally, we show that adaptation can drastically alter the systems' predicted behaviour to ecosystem management. Flexibility of species and slowness should, therefore, be included in the monitoring and prediction of ecosystem responses to environmental changes.


Major depression is a chronic illness with a high prevalence and is a major component of disease burden. Depressive disorders were the second leading cause of years lived with disability in 2010 in Canada, the United States and globally.1,2 When depression-related deaths due to suicide and stroke are considered, depression has the third highest global burden of disease.3 Major depression is growing in overall disease burden in Canada and around the world; it is predicted to be the leading cause of disease burden by 2030, and it is already the leading cause in women worldwide.4 Between 1990 and 2010 in Canada, major depressive disorder showed a 75% increase in disability-adjusted life years,1 the second greatest increase in prevalence after Alzheimer disease; in comparison, the increase in the United States was 43%.2 At the same time, the female:male ratio of global disability from major depression remained unchanged at 1.7:1. Although differences in socioeconomic factors, including abuse, education and income, may impact the higher rate of depression in women,5 this editorial focuses on biological contributors that are experimentally tractable and may help to understand how and why depression is more prevalent in women and lead to better treatments.

The prevalence of major depression is higher in women than in men;6,7 in 2010 its global annual prevalence was 5.5% and 3.2%, respectively, representing a 1.7-fold greater incidence in women.1,8 In Canada, the prevalence was 5.0% in women and 2.9% in men in 2002 (1.7-fold greater incidence in women) and increased to 5.8% and 3.6%, respectively, in 2012 (1.6-fold greater incidence in women).9,10 The finding of similar female:male prevalence ratios in developed countries and globally suggests that the differential risk may primarily stem from biological sex differences and depend less on race, culture, diet, education and numerous other potentially confounding social and economic factors. There is no clear evidence that the rate of depression is greater in countries where women have markedly lower socioeconomic status than men than in countries where there may be more equal footing.5 Depression is more than twice as prevalent in young women than men (ages 14–25 yr), but this ratio decreases with age.9,10 Indeed, starting at puberty, young women are at the greatest risk for major depression and mental disorders globally.1 Importantly, before puberty, girls and boys have similar rates of depression; the rate is perhaps even higher for boys.6 At ages older than 65 years, both men and women show a decline in depression rates, and the prevalence becomes similar between them.9,11 A greater prevalence of depression in women is also reflected in prescriptions for antidepressant medications. In Canada between 2007 and 2011, antidepressants were prescribed more than twice as often to women than men (9.3% v. 4.2% in patients aged 25–44 yr, 2.2-fold; 17.2% v. 8.2% in patients aged 45–64 yr, 2.1-fold).12 The age discrepancy between the peaks in the prevalence of depression (age 14–25 yr)10 and the prevalence of antidepressant use (> 45 yr) suggests that young adults with depression may not always receive antidepressant treatment until many years after the onset of illness. This delay in medication could contribute to the higher rates of depression during adolescence and young adulthood and would be important to study more rigorously comparing treated and nontreated cohorts. Delay in antidepressant treatment might reflect stigma or underdiagnosis in adolescence. New antistigma and educational programs targeted to youth may help reduce depression in this age group.13

Why then is depression more prevalent among women? The triggers for depression appear to differ, with women more often presenting with internalizing symptoms and men presenting with externalizing symptoms.14 For example, in a study of dizygotic twins, women displayed more sensitivity to interpersonal relationships, whereas men displayed more sensitivity to external career and goal-oriented factors.15 Women also experience specific forms of depression-related illness, including premenstrual dysphoric disorder, postpartum depression and postmenopausal depression and anxiety, that are associated with changes in ovarian hormones and could contribute to the increased prevalence in women. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear; thus, treatments specific to women have not been developed.

The fact that increased prevalence of depression correlates with hormonal changes in women, particularly during puberty, prior to menstruation, following pregnancy and at perimenopause, suggests that female hormonal fluctuations may be a trigger for depression. However, most preclinical studies focus on males to avoid variability in behaviour that may be associated with the menstrual cycle. Nevertheless, primate and rodent studies consistently implicate a role for female hormones, such as estrogen, in depression. Perhaps the most naturalistic depression studies to date to address the role of female hormones involved small groups (n = 4–5) of female macaque primates that formed lifelong social hierarchies with dominant and subordinate females. The latter showed a depression-like phenotype16 that has been associated with a brain-wide decrease in serotonin 1A (5-HT1A) receptor levels and decreased hippocampal volume.17,18 Interestingly, the reduced hippocampal volume was more extensive in postmenopausal monkeys than in ovarian-intact monkeys, suggesting that ovarian function may be protective. Consistent with this finding, the risk of depression appears to increase during the perimenopausal transition.19 Emerging evidence indicates that hormone replacement therapy, particularly during the perimenopausal period, can be effective in the prevention of postmenopausal depression in women.20 Another study involving female macaques examined relocation stress–sensitive alterations in their menstrual cycles and showed depression-related behaviours and reductions in the function of the brain serotonin system.21 In this light, a recent study has indicated that women who reported using an oral contraceptive (especially monophasic contraceptives) showed reduced rates of major depression and anxiety compared with nonusers,22 suggesting that moderating the cycling of estrogen may be protective. Taken together these studies suggest that estrogen may have a protective effect on the pathology that underlies depression and that decreases in estrogen may increase the risk for depression.

Why then do men, who lack systemic estrogen, have lower rates of depression than women? Accumulating research has shown that in the male brain testosterone is converted into estrogen by endogenous aromatase (CYP19). Estrogen could mediate protective actions through estrogen receptors expressed throughout the male brain (especially estrogen receptor β).23 In addition, the presence of androgen receptors in men may confer protection, for example in hippocampal neurons.24 Since testosterone does not cycle in men as estrogen does in women, there may be a more consistent protection in men. However, men also have sexually dimorphic brain nuclei, particularly in the hypothalamus, so the lower prevalence of depression in men is probably more complex owing not only to hormonal differences, but also to developmental differences in brain circuitry.23

In the most fundamental terms, the sex difference in depression rates reflects the fact the men and women are different: women have 2 copies of the X chromosome, while men have 1 copy each of X and Y chromosomes, the latter not being present in women. Understanding how this fundamental genetic difference confers sexual differences in predisposition to mental illness is a complex, multilevel puzzle that remains to be clarified. Society-driven risk factors for depression in women likely have a biological origin, such as differences in physical strength and personality traits, leading to a higher prevalence of depression in women. Perhaps what needs to change are social attitudes to promote equality; yet, this has been occurring in the West and has yielded no clear change in the female:male depression ratio.5 However, despite this complexity, recent evidence suggests that biological factors, such as the variation in ovarian hormone levels and particularly decreases in estrogen, may contribute to the increased prevalence of depression and anxiety in women and that strategies to mitigate decreases in estrogen levels may be protective. Identifying ligands that more specifically target the brain (e.g., estrogen receptor-β-selective ligands) may protect from depression but avoid adverse effects of estrogen therapy.25


RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
Restricted randomization, such as blocking or minimization, allows for the creation of balanced groups and even distribution of covariates, but it increases the risk of selection bias and technical error. Various methods are available to reduce these risks but there is limited evidence about their current usage, and there are also indications that reporting of these methods may not be adequate. This review aims to identify how frequently different methods of restriction are being used and to assess the reporting of these methods against established reporting standards.

METHODS
82 reports of randomized controlled trial were reviewed. For each trial, the reported method of randomization was recorded and the reporting of randomization was assessed. Where the method of randomization was not clear from the main paper, protocols and other published materials were also reviewed, and authors were contacted for further information.

RESULTS
For 11% of trials the method of randomization was not reported in either the paper or a published protocol, and in a further 39% of cases the report omitted key details so that the predictability of the method could not be evaluated. In total, 88% of trials appear to have used some form of restricted randomization, and all of those that report the exact methods used either blocking or minimization. 15% of trials reported using blocks of six or less and 4% used minimization with no random element reported, both of which are highly predictable.

CONCLUSION
Our results indicate that the majority of trials use some form of restriction, with many using relatively predictable methods that put them at greater risk of selection bias and technical error. Reporting of randomization methods often falls short of the minimum requirements set out by the CONSORT statement, leaving the reader unable to make an informed judgement about the risk of bias.


MiNcheva, N., M. OblakOva, M. lalev and P. hristakieva, 2015. investigation on production traits of broiler chicken hybrid combinations. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 21: 184-188 the experiment was carried out in the selection base of the Poultry farm, institute of agriculture – stara Zagora between April and June 2012. Two broiler chicken genotype combinations were used: the first was the offspring of line M roosters with line k hens (M x k), and the second – of line M roosters with line l hens (M x l). For this purpose, 300 eggs of each combination were set for incubation. the fertility rate, embryonic death rate, weight loss between incubation days 0 and 18, and the hatchability of set and fertile eggs were determined. the number of chickens included in the study was 100 from each genotype (50 males and 50 females). all chicks were sexed, wing-banded and placed in 4 floor pens with wood shavings as litter material until 49 days of age. The body weight was determined individually by weighing chickens at 1, 14, 28, 42 and 49 days of age. Feed conversion was calculated based on data on feed intake and weight gain of chickens. by the end of the experiment, a slaughter analysis was performed of three female and three male broilers with a live weight close to the group average. the results on fertility rate and hatchability from eggs set and fertile eggs in studied broiler combinations showed a tendency towards higher values for the М х L combination 94.45%, 87.50% and 92.57%, respectively. the body weight of the two different studied broiler genotypes was almost the same by the end of the experiment in both male and female birds. Proportions of bratfertig and grill (as percentage of live weight at slaughter) were better in male M x l hybrids compared ot male M x k birds. in females, higher relative values of boneless breast were established in M x k compared to M x l broilers. therefore, both combinations carrying the traits of meat type chicken lines from the institute of agriculture – stara Zagora, are appropriate for efficient production of commercial broiler chickens.


Driving requires possessing sufficient cognitive, visual and motor skills and drivers must have adequate motor strength, speed and coordination. Perhaps more importantly, cognitive skills including concentration, attention, adequate visual perceptual skills, insight and memory need to be present. The normal ageing process leads to declines in these motor and cognitive skills, and when combined with a cerebral disease, it may significantly impair the person's driving performance. The objective of this paper is the analysis of driving behaviour of drivers with cognitive impairment due to various brain pathologies, in urban areas, using a driving simulator. An experiment with three assessments for healthy and impaired drivers is carried out: a medical/neurological assessment, a neuropsychological assessment and a driving simulator experiment, in which participants drive in urban area in low and high traffic volumes, and thus, the driving performance of the two driver groups can be analysed. More specifically, the brain pathologies examined include early Alzheimer's disease (AD), early Parkinson's disease (PD), and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and the vehicle control measures examined are both longitudinal and lateral (speed, lateral position, space headway, reaction time at unexpected incidents, accident probability). So far, 97 participants (out of which 35 impaired) have completed the experiment and the results suggest that there are significant differences in the driving performance of healthy drivers and drivers with cognitive impairments. Impaired drivers appear to drive at slower speeds, tend to drive to the right border of the road, have higher mean headways, react slower at unexpected incidents than the healthy ones and are more likely to get involved in an accident. More specifically, AD and PD drivers seem to have increased accident probability in high traffic urban environment and cannot adjust their driving behaviour in different driving conditions.


The cloud of Linked Open Data is steadily growing, yet it remains largely inaccessible to the general public, due to the technical barrier posed by the requirement to know a formal query language such as SPARQL. In this article, we present a new approach for visual query formulation toward arbitrary SPARQL endpoints, and we show a working prototype developed to improve the accessibility to Linked Open Data sources for non-computer experts. We show how the prototype can be employed to simplify access to governmental Linked Open Data with a case study from the Norwegian Entity Registry.


Background: The etiology of urticaria is recognized only in a minority of cases. Allergies to a wide variety of agents have been suspected, as well as hyper reactivity to food additives or drugs. Recently, autoimmune reaction to immunoglobulin E (IgE) and later to high-affinity IgE receptors on mast cells has been reported. The aim of this study was to show elevated serum IgE levels in the patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) so that the underlying disease and the cause of CIU may be atopic condition or an occult disease with raised serum IgE. Method: Altogether, 57 patients (30 women and 27 men, with an age range from 14 to 75 years ; mean age of 35.86 years), who suffered from chronic urticaria with a duration of 3 months to 8 years were included in this study and serum IgE level was assessed. Result: Thirty three patients had elevated serum IgE levels. The range of IgE levels were 114-3280 U (geometric mean greater than 100 ku/l) and mean IgE level was 411.39 U. Conclusion: Although the causes of CIU are often not clear, at least one causes of CIU may be atopy or other diseases that may be hidden and show elevated serum IgE. The patients present with CIU along with elevated serum IgE, should be investigated for atopy or other diseases that may be associated with elevated serum IgE. (Iran J Dermatol 2009;


Approximately 2% of de novo single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) appear as part of clustered mutations that create multinucleotide variants (MNVs). MNVs are an important source of genomic variability as they are more likely to alter an encoded protein than a SNV, which has important implications in disease as well as evolution. Previous studies of MNVs have focused on their mutational origins and have not systematically evaluated their functional impact and contribution to disease. We identified 69,940 MNVs and 91 de novo MNVs in 6688 exome-sequenced parent–offspring trios from the Deciphering Developmental Disorders Study comprising families with severe developmental disorders. We replicated the previously described MNV mutational signatures associated with DNA polymerase zeta, an error-prone translesion polymerase, and the APOBEC family of DNA deaminases. We estimate the simultaneous MNV germline mutation rate to be 1.78 × 10−10 mutations per base pair per generation. We found that most MNVs within a single codon create a missense change that could not have been created by a SNV. MNV-induced missense changes were, on average, more physicochemically divergent, were more depleted in highly constrained genes (pLI ≥ 0.9), and were under stronger purifying selection compared with SNV-induced missense changes. We found that de novo MNVs were significantly enriched in genes previously associated with developmental disorders in affected children. This shows that MNVs can be more damaging than SNVs even when both induce missense changes, and are an important variant type to consider in relation to human disease.


This article outlines a novel way of performing experimental"Wizard of Oz"(WOz) User Experience (UX)research that specifically targets driving in different levels of self-driving modes. The reasons for exploring the possibilities of combining experimental and ethnographic WOz-testing have been twofold. On the one hand, this mixed-method approach responds to a growing body of critique concerning how the WOz test is biased by the claim that it explores real-life behaviour in an experimental setting. On the other hand,our approach also meets the demands for innovative research methodologies that can contribute to deeper understandings of how to better evaluate and account for human expectations and experiences when automated technologies become integrated in everyday life contexts. This knowledge is inevitable for a broader understanding of the overall user experience and expectations of autonomous driving and, more specifically, building an interdisciplinary collaborative testing approach.


Although researchers have long been aware that the species-typical architecture of the human mind is the product of our evolutionary history, it has only been in the last three decades that advances in such fields as evolutionary biology, cognitive psychology, and paleoanthropology have made the fact of our evolution illuminating. Converging findings from a variety of disciplines are leading to the emergence of a fundamentally new view of the human mind, and with it a new framework for the behavioral and social sciences. First, with the advent of the cognitive revolution, human nature can finally be defined precisely as the set of universal, species-typical information-processing programs that operate beneath the surface of expressed cultural variability. Second, this collection of cognitive programs evolved in the Pleistocene to solve the adaptive problems regularly faced by our hunter-gatherer ancestors--problems such as mate selection, language acquisition, cooperation, and sexual infidelity. Consequently, the traditional view of the mind as a general-purpose computer, tabula rasa, or passive recipient of culture is being replaced by the view that the mind resembles an intricate network of functionally specialized computers, each of which imposes contentful structure on human mental organization and culture. The Adapted Mind explores this new approach--evolutionary psychology--and its implications for a new view of culture.


All articles submitted for publication in this journal should be typed with double or treble spacing. Oar bon copies should not be sent. Authors are requested to avoid the use of abbreviations and not to underline either words or phrases.


On June 17th, 1896, the tercentenary of the discovery of Spitsbergen by Barentz, we first sighted the western coast of the great island, the unknown interior of which Sir Martin Conway's expedition had been organized to explore. The sea was strewn with floes, which barred direct approach to the shore, and the incidents of the passage through the ice helped us to realize that we were 13° north of the Arctic Circle, far within the area which, according to a once popular theory, was formerly buried beneath a massive cap of ice. But the first near view of the land was calculated to destroy whatever faith we might have had in the former existence of a north polar ice-cap. For the sharp, serrated ridges of Mount Starashchin (see Pl. XIX, fig. 2) and Dodman Den, which guard the entrance to Ice Fiord, indicate that Western Spitsbergen has not at any recent time been wholly submerged beneath an ice-cap. Confluent series of glaciers occur in Spitsbergen at the present day, and form the so-called 'inland ice-sheets.' One such can be seen to the north of Ice Fiord, rising gradually from the shore to the sky-line; while on the plateau south of the fiord are smaller, disconnected glaciers. Hence, during the passage up Ice Fiord, between the great ice-sheet to the north and the scattered glaciers to the south, through the ice-floes among which the steamer carefully threaded its way, and past the huge piles of ice heaped along the shore, we


For the past few decades, daily winter temperatures over East Asia have been higher and less variable. Generally, these simple temperature-distribution shifts should lead to a decrease in the occurrence of cold extremes, but observations of the changes in the extremes are often complicated. In the present study, the change in the occurrence of relatively cold events (daily temperature anomaly, ≤-2σ for that season) in each winter monsoon over East Asia was examined using ground observations of daily temperature for the period 1954-2006. The time-mean temperature for each winter was subtracted to remove the interannual variability and long-term trend. Our analyses reveal that the intraseasonal temperature distribution over East Asia has changed with a negative skew, and the frequency of the relatively cold events has slightly increased (by 0.09 days per decade) over the past few decades, on an average, for the entire analysis domain (east of 1 05°E, 122 stations). In particular, the increase occurs more dominantly (82° o of the total stations) in regions north of 40°N where a stronger warming has progressed. The frequency of relatively cold events is found to be significantly correlated with the variance of the Siberian high and the mean of the Arctic Oscillation. The increasing trend in the frequency of relatively cold events may serve to partly countervail the decrease (-1.12 days per decade) in the frequency of absolute cold events (daily temperature anomaly, ≤2σ overall) across the entire observation period.


Background and aims: The pace of change in the delivery of health care along with professional responsibilities of clinical staff to provide high quality services, wants to the necessity of incorporating of research evidence in decision-making. Implementation of EBP has positive implications for clinical staff, patients, and organizations. Implementation of EBP in clinical settings is a long-term process and requires multiple strategies such as individual and organizational factors as well as factors related to the patients. This study was conducted to evaluate strategies of integration of EBP in clinical practice. Methods: This review study was performed on the articles related to facilitators and barriers of implementation of EBP. Results: The literature review indicated that multiple strategies can be used to integrate EBP in clinical settings, including: – Creation of a learning environment and designing and delivering training programs such as EBP journal clubs. – Enjoying from EBP experts and faculty members for advice on implementation of EBP. – Research consulting and creation of further interaction between clinicians and research centers. –  The discussion meetings of inter-professional and inter-wards. –  Promotion of the culture of evidence-based decision making in the clinical arena. – The increasing use of clinical guidelines, development of health care standards. – Providing conditions and accessing resources to research results (time, resources of human, financial and equipment). – Providing resources and free access to EBP database and centers and knowledge management units. – Encourage and support employees interested in EBP. – Identify barriers of EBP implementation and strategies to overcome these barriers. – Monitoring and evaluation of EBP in the organization and providing appropriate solutions. Conclusion: Transformational managers and policy makers can determine a strategic planning according to the barriers and facilitators of EBP, and then can provide the culture and the necessary infrastructure to help clinical staff to develop EBP competencies and a professional environment which resulted in personal and professional growth of staff and improvement of quality of care.


Over the past several million years the diversity of Banksia species in
Tasmania has declined. On the Tasmanian mainland today there are only
two species of Banksia . These are the widespread and morphologically
diverse Banksia marginata and Banksia serrata which has a very restricted to
the State's northwest.
It is not clear when the decline in Banksia began in Tasmania, but Pleistocene
sediments in western Tasmania demonstrate a relatively recent extinction for
at least some Banksia species. The most recent recorded Banksia
extinctions from Tasmania are B. kingii and B. strahanensis. These extinct
fossil species are closely related to the extant mainland species B. saxicola/B.
canei and B. spinulosa/B. spinulosa var. cunninghamii respectively.
Based on this information it is interesting that B. marginata managed to
survive the climatic upheavals of the Quaternary in Tasmania while most
other Banksia species were unable to.
This thesis investigates whether the extinction of B. kingii and B. strahanensis
from Tasmania during the Pleistocene could be linked to a physiological
incapacity to tolerate the climatic stresses of the Pleistocene glaciations, i.e.
drought and cold. A physiological examination of the drought and cold tolerance of the closest
living relatives of the fossil species implies that the frost and drought tolerance
of B. kingii and B. strahanensis were no less remarkable than that displayed
by a sample of Tasmanian populations of the very successful Banksia
marginata. It is therefore concluded that the Pleistocene extinction of B. kingii
and B. strahanensis from Tasmania is unlikely to be due to a physiological
weakness of drought and cold.
This study highlights the physiological mechanisms used Banksia marginata,
B. sax/cola, B. canei and B. spinulosa var. cunninghamii to survive climatic
stress. All species were able to significantly increase their bulk elastic
modulus in response to drought stress. Banksia marginata and B. spinulosa
var. cunninghamii were also able increase their apoplastic water content in
response to drought stress. The capacity for osmotic adjustment was not characteristic of any of the species examined. It is interesting that all of the
species examined underwent osmotic de-adjustment in response to drought
stress.
Frost experiments indicate that all of the Banksia examined have reasonable
frost tolerance. Although B. spinulosa var. cunninghamii was generally less
frost tolerant than the other species, the results were usually significant. The
frost results iimply that sensitivity of the fossil species to frost would have
unlikely to cause their extinction from Tasmania during the Pleistocene
glaciations. Indeed many of the Banksia marginata populations and B. canei
and B. saxicola were able to significantly improve their frost tolerance when
exposed to drought stress. The drought and frost experiments in this study
successful highlight the similarities of drought and cold stress in their effect on
plant physiology. Banksia marginate was examined in more detail than the closest living
relatives of the fossil species. This was done to help determine whether its
current success in Tasmania is the result of its capacity for physiological
plasticity and the genetic diversity of the species. The physiology results
indicate that this species is very desiccation tolerant, thus giving it an
excellent capacity to deal with drought and cold stress. The physiology
results in general also indicated significant differences the drought and frost
tolerance among populations of B. marginata. A small isozyme study was
performed which suggested there could be a genetic basis to the
physiological differences observed among two populations studied along an
altitudinal cline.
An attempt was also made to determine whether the high degree of
morphological variation evident in Tasmanian populations of B. marginate
could be positively correlated with physiological variation, which it couldn't.
Further work would need to done for this result to be accepted as conclusive.
It is likely that the success of Banksia marginata in Tasmania today is related
to a combination of genetic diversity of the species, its physiological plasticity
and its general hardy nature as evident from its extremely drought tolerant
tissues.
The extinction of B. kingii and B. strahanensis from Tasmania during the
Pleistocene may have resulted during the interglacial periods of the
Pleistocene. Glacials are of a much longer duration than interglacials.
Interglacials may have been very climatically stressful for the Banksia. Other
hypotheses are considered in the thesis.
It is also likely that the genetic diversity of B. kingii and B. strahanensis was
less than B. marginata during the Pleistocene. This theory is based on the
current day morphological variation in the closest living relatives of the fossil
species which is considerably less than displayed by B. marginata. In
addition, the closest living relatives today have much narrower distributions
than B. marginata, hence perhaps having less chance of surviving the climatic
stress of the Pleistocene than the more widely dispersed and genetically
diverse B. marginata which may have had greater genetic reserves for natural
selection to act on.


Background: Iron is the world's most commonly used metal and can usually be found with other elements in the form of steel. In this era of machines, it is the inevitable part in production of various materials like eyeglass frames, jet aircraft, the space shuttle, automobiles, and surgical instruments. Occupational factors make an important contribution to the global burden of disease, but the reliable data on occupational disease are much more difficult to obtain. Hence, the current study was carried out to find out the morbidity pattern among iron and steel workers Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study. was carried out after obtaining permission from Institutional Ethics Committee in an iron and steel factory. Worker's detailed information regarding profile was taken in pretested questionnaire format after obtaining the informed written consent and explaining the purpose of study. Workers were also interviewed regarding their years of job, job satisfaction, usage of protective devices, and history of injuries during work. Worker's detailed general and systemic examination was conducted. Results: The overall prevalence of morbidities among the workers was 60%. It was observed that commonest morbidity in the workers was lumbago (musculoskeletal pain), that is, 33.25%which was more in Group B (49.73%) than Group A (18.78%), followed by occupational dermatitis (27%) which more common in Group A (33.33%) than Group B (19.79%). It was seen that occupation-related morbidities were more prevalent in Group A, i.e. Exposed group (P < 0.001). Conclusion: It was observed that occupation-related morbidities were more common in exposed group (EG) than that of nonexposed group (NEG) and the difference was found to be statistically significant (P < 0.001).


The human pathogen Salmonella senses ʟ-arginine and responds by increasing c-di-GMP and cellulose synthesis. Monitoring bacterial signaling Certain environments trigger bacteria to form aggregates called biofilms, which contribute to antibiotic resistance of human pathogens. In Salmonella, increasing the second-messenger cyclic-di-GMP (c-di-GMP) reduces motility and promotes biofilm formation. Mills et al. expressed a biosensor for c-di-GMP in Salmonella Typhimurium and used flow cytometry to identify compounds that altered c-di-GMP concentration. Of the compounds tested, ʟ-arginine produced the greatest response at the lowest concentrations. Cellulose synthesis is a c-di-GMP–dependent process required for biofilm formation. Compounds that increased c-di-GMP concentration enhanced cellulose synthesis, whereas compounds that reduced c-di-GMP inhibited cellulose synthesis. This biosensor–flow cytometry screening method should aid in identifying compounds that inhibit bacterial c-di-GMP production and, therefore, reduce biofilm formation, and in exploring the pathways through which bacteria respond to signals in the environment. Cyclic-di-GMP (c-di-GMP) is a bacterial second messenger that transduces internal and external signals and regulates bacterial motility and biofilm formation. Some organisms encode more than 100 c-di-GMP–modulating enzymes, but only for a few has a signal been defined that modulates their activity. We developed and applied a high-throughput, real-time flow cytometry method that uses a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)–based biosensor of free c-di-GMP to screen for signals that modulate its concentration within Salmonella Typhimurium. We identified multiple compounds, including glucose, N-acetyl-d-glucosamine, salicylic acid, and ʟ-arginine, that modulated the FRET signal and therefore the free c-di-GMP concentration. By screening a library of mutants, we identified proteins required for the c-di-GMP response to each compound. Furthermore, low micromolar concentrations of ʟ-arginine induced a rapid translation-independent increase in c-di-GMP concentrations and c-di-GMP–dependent cellulose synthesis, responses that required the regulatory periplasmic domain of the diguanylate cyclase STM1987. ʟ-Arginine signaling also required the periplasmic putative ʟ-arginine–binding protein ArtI, implying that ʟ-arginine sensing occurred in the periplasm. Among the 20 commonly used amino acids, S. Typhimurium specifically responded to ʟ-arginine with an increase in c-di-GMP, suggesting that ʟ-arginine may serve as a signal during S. Typhimurium infection. Our results demonstrate that a second-messenger biosensor can be used to identify environmental signals and define pathways that alter microbial behavior.


Efforts to reduce negative impacts from consumption and production include voluntary market-based initiatives. Examples are the concept of eco-labelling and the concept of green procurement. These have emerged as policy instruments with great potentials to steer product innovation and purchasing decisions in a sustainable direction. This potential has been recognized by the United Nations, the European Union, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and national governments through, e.g., various programmes and schemes. The aim of this thesis is to assess current criteria development processes within eco-labelling and green procurement from a strategic sustainability perspective and to describe possible improvement potentials from such a perspective to make these instruments more supportive of sustainable product and service innovation. A previously published framework for strategic sustainable development, including a definition of sustainability and generic guidelines to inform strategies towards sustainability, is adapted and used for this purpose. Criteria development processes in two Swedish eco-labelling programmes and at a governmental expert body for green procurement are studied. This includes interviews with criteria developers, studies of process documents and a case study at the governmental expert body for green procurement in which two criteria development processes were shadowed. The result reveals several strengths but also gaps and thus potentials for improvement. The criteria development processes and the resulting criteria mostly concern the current market supply and a selection of current environmental impacts outside the context of long-term objectives. Neither sustainability nor any other clearly defined long-term objective is agreed upon, and the criteria are not structured to support procurers, suppliers and product developers in a systematic and strategic stepwise approach towards sustainability. Recommended improvements include a more thorough sustainability assessment, communication of clearer objectives, broader competence in the criteria development groups and more emphasis on the dialogue and interaction between key actors. This includes an extended view on both the product concept and actors involved. Based on this, a new criteria development prototype is suggested, which aims at widening the scope from some currently known product impacts to the remaining gap to sustainability. During its further development and implementation, the criteria development prototype will be tested in successive iterations of action research together with experienced practitioners within eco-labelling and green procurement.


For centuries, erotic art has brought together the intense passions of both artistic expression and human sexuality. This volatile mixture continues to draw a full spectrum of reactions, from ecstasy to outrage. Above all, it provokes an unquenchable curiosity that lures us into the mysterious realm of forbidden art. Featured here, in beautiful color, are over 500 works of erotic art. Through drawings, paintings, and sculpture, these visions of erotica span diverse countries, cultures, centuries, and lifestyles. Whether it is controversial, humorous, lovely, deviant, mythical, or even instructional, each piece was created within the boundaries of its own social context, and provides a candid, thought-provoking glimpse into another time and place.


This paper presents a method of enhancing the performance of a four-phase switched reluctance motor by using capacitors to produce additional supply voltage during the rise and fall periods of motor phase current. The voltage rating of the inverter components increases and extra capacitor/diode combinations are needed. The operation and analysis of a series voltage boost circuit are detailed for different modes of operation with a study of the effect of the boost capacitor voltage on the current waveform. Different voltage boost circuit configurations are compared. The predicted and measured results show that the boost circuit increases both torque and output power and improves the efficiency of the machine, especially at high speeds.


Groundnut ( Arachis hypogaea L.) is the most important grain legume in Ghana. However, its production is constrained by a myriad of biotic and abiotic stresses which necessitate the development and use of superior varieties for increased yield. Germplasm characterisation both at the phenotypic and molecular level is important in all plant breeding programs. The aim of this study was to characterise selected advanced breeding groundnut lines with different phenotypic attributes at the molecular level using simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers in Ghana. A total of 53 SSR markers were screened and 25 were found to be polymorphic with an average polymorphic information content (PIC) value of 0.57. Of the 48 groundnut genotypes studied, 67% showed very close relationship (~100% similarity) with one or more genotypes among themselves. In fact, there were 14 instances where two to three genotypes within the same sub-cluster exhibited 100% similarity even though they displayed different phenotypic attributes. The remaining 33% of the groundnut genotypes were distant from each other and could therefore serve as effective parental material for future work. In this study, the SSR-based markers were found to be quite discriminatory in discerning variations between and among groundnut lines even where the level of variation was low. Microsatellite-based markers therefore represent a useful tool for dissecting genetic variations in cultivated crops, especially groundnut.


ABSTRACT Ross River virus (RRV) and Semliki Forest virus (SFV) are two alphaviruses that have a high degree of amino acid homology, as well as a very broad host range. We show here that envelope glycoproteins derived from both viruses can pseudotype human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-derived lentivirus vectors. Both RRV and SFV glycoproteins considerably expand the host range of the lentivirus vector, and vectors can be efficiently concentrated by ultracentrifugation. A systematic analysis comparing the alphaviral glycoproteins to the vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein (VSV-G) revealed that lentivirus vectors incorporate RRV glycoproteins with an efficiency comparable to that of VSV-G. Both pseudotypes have comparable physical titers, but infectious titers with the RRV pseudotype are lower than with VSV-G. Incorporation of SFV glycoproteins into lentivirus vector is less efficient, leading to decreased physical and infectious titers. The transduction rates with VSV-G-, RRV-, and SFV-pseudotyped lentivirus vectors into adherent cell lines can be significantly increased by using a combination of Polybrene and plates coated with CH-296 recombinant fibronectin fragments. Together, our data suggest that RRV and SFV glycoproteins might be suitable as alternatives to VSV-G for pseudotyping lentivirus vectors.


This thesis studies formal semantics for a family of rewriting formalisms that have arisen as category theoretical abstractions of the so-called algebraic approaches to graph rewriting. The latter in turn generalize and combine features of term rewriting and Petri nets. Two salient features of (the abstract versions of) graph rewriting are a suitable class of categories which captures the structure of the objects of rewriting, and a notion of independence or concurrency of rewriting steps – as in the theory of Petri nets.

Category theoretical abstractions of graph rewriting such as double pushout rewriting encapsulate the complex details of the structures that are to be rewritten by considering them as objects of a suitable abstract category, for example an adhesive one. The main difficulty of the development of appropriate categorical frameworks is the identification of the essential properties of the category of graphs which allow to develop the theory of graph rewriting in an abstract framework. The motivations for such an endeavor are twofold: to arrive at a succint description of the fundamental principles of rewriting systems in general, and to apply well-established verification and analysis techniques of the theory of Petri nets (and also term rewriting systems) to a wide range of distributed and concurrent systems in which states have a "graph-like" structure.

The contributions of this thesis thus can be considered as two sides of the same coin: on the one side, concepts and results for Petri nets (and graph grammars) are generalized to an abstract category theoretical setting; on the other side, suitable classes of "graph-like" categories which capture the essential properties of the category of graphs are identified. Two central results are the following: first, (concatenable) processes are faithful partial order representations of equivalence classes of system runs which only differ w.r.t. the rescheduling of causally independent events; second, the unfolding of a system is established as the canonical partial order representation of all possible events (following the work of Winskel). Weakly ω-adhesive categories are introduced as the theoretical foundation for the corresponding formal theorems about processes and unfoldings.

The main result states that an unfolding procedure for systems which are given as single pushout grammars in weakly ω-adhesive categories exists and can be characetrised as a right adjoint functor from a category of grammars to the subcategory of occurrence grammars. This result specializes to and improves upon existing results concerning the coreflective semantics of the unfolding of graph grammars and Petri nets (under an individual token interpretation). Moreover, the unfolding procedure is in principle usable as the starting point for static analysis techniques such as McMillan's finite complete prefix method. Finally, the adequacy of weakly ω-adhesive categories as a categorical framework is argued for by providing a comparison with the notion of topos, which is a standard abstraction of the categories of sets (and graphs).


This authoritative text is the only comprehensive reference available on electrophysiologic vision testing, offering both practical information on techniques and problems as well as basic physiology and anatomy, theoretical concepts, and clinical correlations. The second edition, of the widely used text, offers extensive new material and updated information: 65 of the 84 chapters are completely new, with the changes reflecting recent advances in the field. The book will continue to be an essential resource for practitioners and scholars from a range of disciplines within vision science. The contributions not only cover new information -- important material that is likely to become more important in the next decade -- but also offer a long-range perspective on the field and its remarkable development in the last century. After discussing the history and background of clinical electrophysiology, the book introduces the anatomy of the retina and principles of cell biology in the visual pathways at the molecular, physiological, and biochemical levels. It relates these new findings to the techniques and interpretations of clinical tests, including the electro-oculogram (EOG), electroretinogram (ERG), and visual evoked potentials (VEP), which are discussed in detail, as are equipment, data acquisition and analysis, principles and protocols for clinical testing, diseases and dysfunction, and animal testing. Notable additions for this edition include chapters on the origin of electroretinogram waveforms, multifocal techniques, testing in standard laboratory animals, recent advances in analysis of abnormalities in disease, and the applications of these techniques to the study of genetic abnormalities.