We investigate spatial diversity techniques for subcarrier phase-shift keying (PSK)-modulated optical wireless communication links over the Gamma-Gamma channels. Both repetition code and the Alamouti-type orthogonal space-time block code (OSTBC) are considered. Highly accurate series error rate expressions are derived by using a moment generating function approach with a series expansion of the modified Bessel function. Truncation error analyses and asymptotic error rate analyses are also presented. Our asymptotic analyses show that the diversity order of the studied system depends only on the effective number of small-scale cells of the scattering process in the atmosphere. Our performance analyses confirm that the repetition code outperforms OSTBC for subcarrier PSK-based systems over the Gamma-Gamma channels. The asymptotic performance loss of the Alamouti-coded system with respect to the repetition-coded system is also quantified analytically.


This information was presented at the 2012 Herd Health and Nutrition Conferences, organized by the PRO-DAIRY program in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University. This conference provides an opportunity for dairy producers, veterinarians, feed industry representatives and agriservice personnel to increase their knowledge of current herd health and nutrition management techniques while interacting with other professionals. Full conference proceedings may be purchased online at http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/dm/proceedings_orders.html.


Genomic DNA sequences are an irreplaceable source for reconstructing the vanished past of living organisms. Based on updated sequence data, this paper summarizes our studies on species divergence time, ancient population size and functional loss of genes in the primate lineage leading to modern humans (Homo sapiens sapiens). The inter- and intraspecific comparisons of DNA sequences suggest that the human lineage experienced a rather severe bottleneck in the Middle Pleistocene, throughout which period the subdivided African population played a predominant role in shaping the genetic architecture of modern humans. Also, published and newly identified human-specific pseudogenes (HSPs) are enumerated in order to infer their significance for human evolution. Of the 121 candidate genes obtained, authentic HSPs turn out to comprise only 25 olfactory receptor genes, four T cell receptor genes and nine other genes. The fixation of HSPs has been too rare over the past 6–7 Myr to account for species differences between humans and chimpanzees.


Production of coal and natural gas is responsible for one third of anthropogenic methane (CH4) emissions in the United States. Here we examine CH4 emissions from coal and natural gas production in southwestern Pennsylvania. Using a top‐down methodology combining measurements of CH4 and ethane, we conclude that while Environmental Protection Agency inventories appear to report emissions from coal accurately, emissions from unconventional natural gas are underreported in the region by a factor of 5 (±3). However, production‐scaled CH4 emissions from unconventional gas production in the Marcellus remain small compared to other basins due to its large production per well. After normalizing emissions by energy produced, total greenhouse gas emissions from Pennsylvania unconventional natural gas production produce half the carbon footprint compared to regionally produced coal, with carbon dioxide emissions from combustion being the dominant source of greenhouse gas emissions for both sources.


Candida albicans is the most important Candida species causing vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC). VVC has significant medical and economical impact on women's health and wellbeing. While current antifungal treatment is reasonably effective, supportive and preventive measures such as application of probiotics are required to reduce the incidence of VVC. We investigated the potential of the probiotics Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 and Lactobacillus reuteri RC-14 towards control of C. albicans. In vitro experiments demonstrated that lactic acid at low pH plays a major role in suppressing fungal growth. Viability staining following cocultures with lactobacilli revealed that C. albicans cells lost metabolic activity and eventually were killed. Transcriptome analyses showed increased expression of stress-related genes and lower expression of genes involved in fluconazole resistance, which might explain the increased eradication of Candida in a previous clinical study on conjoint probiotic therapy. Our results provide insights on the impact of probiotics on C. albicans survival.


It has been pointed out that high concentration dissolved hydrogen is one of the important factors of PWSCC (primary water stress corrosion cracking) in the primary systems of pressurized water reactors. Application of a substitution for hydrogen may be a fundamental countermeasure of PWSCC. The authors are developing a new water chemistry technology of a hydrogen alternative to suppress PWSCC. In the present paper, corrosion tests of Zircaloy-4 were performed in deaerated 5 mmol dm−3 methanol solution at 320 °C in the absence and presence of gamma-irradiation. The nominal absorbed dose of the test water was 100 kGy. After the immersion tests, the specimens were analyzed. Weight gain per unit surface area, thickness of oxide film and hydrogen storage were measured. In addition, Raman spectroscopy was carried out, to investigate possible deposition of organic compounds on surface of the specimens. The corrosion behavior of Zircaloy-4 without irradiation agreed with literature data. It was concluded that the presence of methanol did not affect the corrosion behavior of Zircaloy-4. The corrosion behavior of Zircaloy-4 hardly depended on 100 kGy gamma-irradiation. On the Raman spectra of the specimens after the immersion tests, the Raman peaks ascribed to polyethylene or graphite were not found. The deposit of decomposition products of methanol would be negligible if any. It seems that polymerization is not the major process in thermal decomposition and radiolysis of methanol, but methanol decomposes into CO2 or carboxylic acids.Copyright © 2013 by ASME


The aim of this research was to evaluate a school-based AIDS education programme in Eastern Europe. Four evaluation segments were undertaken: process and outcome evaluations of the training of AIDS educators and of the educational activities for students. While most AIDS education curricula focus on the content of the education, our findings demonstrate that other aspects--including the characteristics of those educators who appear to be most effective, the way in which education is affected by teachers' attitudes, and the cultural implications of transferring programmes from one country to another--also need to be considered, especially in international environments.


There are many problems for the current water resource estimation methods. For the traditional water resources assessment method, the runoff reduction cannot be accurately estimated, because the unmeasured terms of runoff reduction are either neglected or statistically estimated according to the local population and water use ration. Also, the hydrogeological parameters used to calculate the water replenishment to aquifer are empirical. Furthermore, the traditional water resources assessment method is labor consuming and fund consuming. For the hydrological model, model processes are complicated, and parameters should be calibrated with a lot of observation data. In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, this paper proposes an innovative water resources estimation model based on remote sensing evapotranspiration (ET). There, the water resources are defined as the difference between precipitation and uncontrollable ET. The uncontrollable ET is the natural ET from natural surface and doesn't include the ET from water consumption of humans. By combining the remote sensing ET and land use according to the natural characteristic of land uses, the uncontrollable ET is obtained. While the cropland uncontrollable ET is obtained by extracting the soil evaporation using satellite based Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). A case study result shows that calculated water resources are relatively high correlated with that of obtaining from water resources reports. And the deviation of the calculated water resources can be eliminated by improving the accuracy of the precipitation interpolation and land use classification.


A pot experiment was conducted to study the effectiveness of two arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) species in enhancing
growth of cocoa seedlings. Cocoa seedlings of hybrid UITI X Na32 inoculated with Glomus mosseae and
Seutellospora ealospora either as a single inoculum or as a mixed inoculum and an uninoculated control were
grown in 2 kg sterilized Tai Tak series soil. The experiment was a single factor experiment arranged in a completely
randomized design, with type of inoculum as a factor with four replications. Of the four treatment used, plants
inoculated with mixed inoculum Glomus mosseae and Seutellospora ealospora gave more pronounced and
significant vegetative growth and higher percentage of root colonization than the other treatments. Maximum plant
height and total leaf area of43.7 cm and 1819.2 cm2 respectively were obtained from seedlings inoculated with mixed
inoculum compared to seedlings given either G. mosseae (37.9 cm dan 1007.2 cm2
) , or S. ealospora (32.3 cm and
1316 cm2
) and control (28.5 cm and 736.7 cm2
). The highest percentage of root colonization (72%) was aslo
recorded from seedlings inoculated with mixed inoculum followed by those given S. ealospora (54%) and single
inoculum G. mosseae (43%).


Pump power loss is defined as input power that is not used for the output work of the pump. Less pump power loss means a higher pump efficiency. A common opinion is that the pump power loss is closely related to heat generation of the pump, which may affect not only the endurance of pump materials, but also blood damage in a blood pump. In this study, the relationship between pump power loss and heat generation in centrifugal blood pumps was investigated using the pivot-bearing supported Gyro C1E3 pump (C1E3) and Bio-Medicus pump (BP-80) under four different total pressure heat/flow conditions. A single special torque measuring driver motor was used for operating both the C1E3 and BP-80 in the four conditions. The pump power loss was calculated from the measured motor torque and hydraulic power. The changes in blood temperature were measured while the pump was operated at room temperature (25 degrees C) to obtain the following findings: First, the C1E3 caused less pump power loss and less temperature increase in blood than the BP-80 in all clinical simulated conditions that were tested; and second, the pump power loss and heat generation had a linear correlation with temperature rise from 22 to 25 degrees C in both the C1E3 and BP-80. During this period, approximately 30% of the pump power loss was transformed to heat, independent of the centrifugal blood pump type, provided that heat conduction through the pump housing and tubing was negligible during this particular period.


Eloquently written and meticulously researched, Scripture on the Silver Screen offers all students of Scripture--whether in an academic classroom or at home--an inviting new way to further their biblical literacy. It questions the "Hollywoood Hermeneutic" that too often views the Bible as prop, but also recognizes the contributions of movies that successfully integrate the Bible as a plot-making device. Each chapter begins with a discussion on the focal Bible passage, placing it in its literary and historical context, followed by a summary of the film and its main themes.


A combined methodology for obtaining at the preparative scale and characterization by nanoelectrospray ionization (nanoESI) quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) mass spectrometry (MS) and tandem MS (MS/MS) of linear polysaccharides modified at the reducing end is presented. Two polydisperse maltodextrins (1000 and 3000 Da) and a high molecular weight polydisperse dextran (6000 Da) were coupled with hexamethylenediamine (HMD). The coupling products were analyzed by nanoESI-QTOF-MS in the positive ion mode and MS/MS using collision-induced dissociation (CID) at low energies. In the HMD-M1000 mixture, the polysaccharide chains containing from 2 to 8 Glc residues were detected, while in HMD-M3000 we identified a complete series of chains containing from 8 to 21 Glc moieties. The employed ESI conditions enhanced the detection of chains with up to 46 Glc residues in the HMD-D6000 sample. By optimized MS/MS, HMD-modified polysaccharides of 3, 4, 5, 12 and 46 degrees of polymerization yielded product ion spectra exhibiting the whole set of Y- and B-fragment ions. The MS structural data were obtained within a few minutes of signal acquisition, with a sample consumption situating the analysis sensitivity in the picomolar range.


SUMMARYWe evaluated the usefulness of the surface electrocardiogram to predict the presence of postoperative trifascicular damage. We used the pre and postoperative electrocardiograms and postoperative His bundle electrograms from 50 patients an average of 3.8 years following tetralogy of Fallot (TF) and ventricular septal defect (VSD) repair. Right bundle branch block (RBBB) and RBBB with left anterior hemiblock (LAH) developed in 88% and 18%, respectively, and 22% had transient postoperative complete heart block (CHB). Mean P-A and A-H conduction times were 16.6 and 84.9 msec and were not different from 37 age-matched normal patients and 61 patients with unoperated TF and VSD. The mean H-V conduction time of 48.5 msec was significantly increased compared to the other two groups. Ten postoperative patients had H-V times of 55 msec or greater, indicating trifascicular damage. Of these, five had electrocardiographic bifascicular block (RBBB with LAH) with or without additional 10 A-V block. The remaining five patients' electrocardiograms did not suggest trifascicular damage. Since postsurgical trifascicular damage may progress to late onset CHB, conduction studies are indicated to identify patients at risk, despite surface electrocardiographic findings.


This Article closely examines the 2011 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association, 131 S.Ct. 2729 (2011), which held that California's effort to restrict children's access to violent video games violated the First Amendment. The Article will show that the Supreme Court widely missed the mark in applying well-established First Amendment law to strike down California's effort to limit a minor's access to material reasonably deemed inappropriate by parents. The Court's principal error was to mischaracterize the statute as a ban on the distribution of material deemed inappropriate by the Legislature. This allowed it to announce simplistically that the case was controlled by United States v. Stevens, 559 U.S. 460 (2010) which rejected "a freewheeling authority to declare new categories of speech outside the scope of the First Amendment," 559 U.S. at 472, in declaring unconstitutional a federal statute that made it a crime to possess a depiction of animal cruelty if done "for commercial gain." Brown contains numerous flaws. If taken literally, it would broadly expand children's First Amendment rights. But Brown is not really about children's rights, it is more about allowing a wealthy corporate enterprise – the violent video industry, to continue sales to an important constituency, young males. In this Article, I demonstrate the many flaws in the majority's opinion, including the irony that Justice Scalia gets to become a champion of children's rights (for an extreme change). But my greatest criticism of Brown is the extent to which the Court ignores, even mocks, the plight of conservative parents who struggle with ways to keep material from their children that American law insists may not be generally banned but that reasonable parents may believe is nonetheless inappropriate for their children. I ultimately argue that a well-worded law (which the California statute was not) should be upheld as constitutional if its purpose was merely to prevent children from purchasing certain material themselves, without making it unlawful for children to have access to the materials with their parents' permission (in much the same way minors currently may not access movie theatres).


AutoCAD and Its Applications: Basics 2015 provides instruction for mastering AutoCAD commands and drawing and dimensioning techniques. The text provides complete coverage of 2D AutoCAD drafting and design. Topics are presented in an easy-to-understand sequence, building upon prior chapter knowledge. ASME standards are referenced throughout the text and examples and illustrations focus on industry practices. Each chapter includes a large selection of drafting problems, including practice problems for the AutoCAD Certified Professional certification exam. More than 280 step-by-step tutorial exercises on the Companion Website provide hands-on reinforcement of topics. Template Development feature helps students build their own drawing templates as they learn about key template components. Supplemental Material and Reference Material documents on the Companion Website allow students to pursue topics of interest. Teaching package includes the Companion Website, Instructors Resource CD, and ExamView Assessment Suite.


Agriculture in the United States is notorious for its cycles of boom and bust. Golden eras of a booming farm economy often fade quickly as economic and financial market conditions change. Today, U.S. agriculture is in the midst of another farm boom. Henderson, Gloy and Boehlje examine the foundation of the boom-bust cycle and find that U.S. farm incomes are swelling because of record high exports and strong demand for biofuels. Simultaneously, with historically low interest rates, farmland values have reached record highs. Although current conditions mirror the past, farmers have hesitated to take on debt in financing new investments, raising the possibility that this time could be different.


In this chapter, follow-ups in political communication are conceived in a broadsense, as any more or less systematic consequence of or result from previouspolitically relevant communicative utterances and events, mostly implying anevaluation of the previous act. Since political communication by its very natureaims at influencing the electorate, follow-ups in general will pursue this goal.An important technique for influencing the public is framing. A frame embodiesa particular view on a specific topic, and entails an evaluation. The successof a frame hinges on its continual repetition, so as to make them part of tacitbackground knowledge among the public. Politicians must use attention attractingdevices in their communication to invoke and establish a certain frame, andto contest competing frames. In this contribution a specific case from Dutchpolitics will be analyzed, exemplifying this approach: Queen Beatrix wore ahead scarf during a visit to a mosque. Dutch politicians and media reacted toher dress from within either of two competing frames: either giving in to anoppressive religion or ideology, or being polite by complying with the host'svalues. Politicians react almost exclusively to support their favorite frame.


This study was carried out on crossbred cows (n=20) and heifers (n=20) belonging to Dairy farm of the College of Veterinary Sciences and A.H. Mhow and clinical cases of progressive farmers brought for AI to the Teaching Veterinary Clinical Complex and at the doorstep of farmers in nearby villages. The cervico-vaginal mucus (CVM) samples were collected from the animals at oestrus before AI and were immediately evaluated for physical properties particularly fern pattern. Pregnancy was confirmed by rectal palpation after 2 months of insemination. Physical profile revealed that the variations in per cent incidence of typical, atypical and nil fern patterns of CVM samples were highly significant (P less than 0.01) in both the groups of conceived and non-conceived cows and he


Purpose: To test the hypothesis that the coronary heart disease is associated with high serum homocysteine and low vitamin B-12, and folic acid concentrations. Methods : In this population-based case control study, 116 coronary artery diseases with appropriate ECG and/or Echo findings and 96 controls without abnormal ECG and/or Echo findings were selected as the study population. Results : The mean value of serum homocysteine levels of the cases (16.88 μmol/L ± 10.84) was not significantly higher than the values of the control group (14.18 ± 4.19 μmol/L) (p=0.02). The mean value of folic acid levels was lower both in male and female cases than that in controls but this difference was also not statistically significant (p= 0.51& 0.05).The mean B12 level also showing higher level in male and female cases but not significantly higher than those of their control group (p=0.48 & 0.62 ). Serum lipid profile [Total Cholesterol TCHL, Low density lipoproteins (LDL), High density lipoproteins (HDL), Triglyceride (TG)] was also found to be inadequate as a potential predictive risk factor in this particular population. Conclusion : These results do not support the hypothesis that coronary heart disease is related to high serum homocysteine concentration. The results are not conclusive due to inability to adequately control for potential confounders as well as inadequate sample size.. Key words : Coronary heart disease, Homocysteine, Vitamin B12, Folic acid, lipid profile.


This document was prepared by the Committee on Clinical Practice Issues in Health and Disease of The American Society for Clinical Nutrition (ASCN). The committee recommends that each major medical center has at least one physician nutrition specialist (PNS) who will be a regional resource for complex nutrition cases and will have a leadership role in the provision of coordinated nutrition services. The PNS will be responsible for nutrition education programs in associated schools of medicine and will be a role model for aspiring physicians. Typically, these individuals will have thorough training in human nutrition research. The PNS should be supported by a unique combination of resources including clinical earnings, teaching hospital and school of medicine salaries, state and federal funds, as well as private sector support. The ASCN should take a leadership role in developing the national identity of the PNS and in achieving recognition of board certification in nutrition.


We consider the rate-distortion problem for recording a Gaussian acoustic field with an array of sensors equipped with microphones. Our analysis is based on the field's spatio-temporal correlation structure, which is induced by the physics of sound propagation. Under certain assumptions about the spectrum of the wave kernel, we determine the rate-distortion functions for various distributed source coding schemes and sampling lattices. Our results also include an answer to the multiterminal rate-distortion problem for the setup considered in the paper


Graphitic carbon deposited from hydrothermal fluids occurs globally, in rocks from all depths in Earth's crust and ranging in age from Precambrian to Tertiary. The varieties of deposits include graphitic cones and "artichokes" filling rock pores, explosively injected veins, graphitic pegmatites with platinum-bearing ores, and isochemical–"iso-isotopic" reactions of calcite + quartz to form graphite + wollastonite. In many deposits, carbon's structure attains well-ordered, nearly perfect graphite crystallinity. The carbon isotope composition of hydrothermal graphitic material ranges widely, from that of biogenic organic debris to that of biogenic carbonate minerals, and overlaps the isotopic composition of mantle carbon as measured in diamonds.


Highly-ported memories are pervasive within superscalar processors. Accordingly, they have been targets for full-custom design using multi-ported versions of the 6T SRAM bitcell. Unfortunately, full-custom design of highly-ported memories is becoming exceedingly difficult in deep sub-micron technologies. This paper makes the case for implementing highly-ported memories with standard cells (flip-flops, muxes, clock buffers). In lieu of exotic peripheral circuits for each port, standard-cell SRAMs use muxes. Consequently, area differences between full-custom and standard-cell designs are greatly reduced at a high number of ports. To also compete with full-custom memories in terms of timing and power, we introduce a standard-cell memory compiler with three key features: (i) per-row clock gating, (ii) a new tri-state based mux standard cell, and (iii) a modular layout strategy, which is the centerpiece of the memory compiler. For a 16-read/8-write 128-entry register file, our modular standard-cell memory consumes 13% more area and 4% more power, and is 35% faster, than the custom memory produced by FabMem. The automatic (built-in) robustness of standard cell designs further weigh in their favor, contrasted with exquisite transistor sizing/tuning of intertwined sub-circuits in a full-custom design.


This study addresses the effects of atmospheric-pressure plasma on the properties of methylammonium lead halide perovskite thin films. Plasma-treated films then were used to fabricate an inverted p-i-n perovskite solar cell. The plasma treatment employed a large-area plasma of extremely high-volume power density, up to 100 W/cm3, capable of generating diffuse, homogeneous and cool plasma (less than 70 °C) in ambient air, as well as in other technical-grade gases including nitrogen, argon, methane, hydrogen, carbon dioxide and pure water vapour. Although the temperature of the plasma remained very low, the population of energetic states proved sufficient to induce both physical and chemical changes on the surfaces of perovskite films. The results demonstrate that plasma treatment leads to perovskite films with homogeneous surfaces. Photoluminescence measurement revealed that plasma treatment enhanced the intensity of peaks, a property that may be attributed to improved crystallinity. Most importantly, plasma treatment of perovskite films improved the performance of the perovskite solar cells.


Bilastine is a potent inhibitor of the histamine H1 receptor. It was recently approved in 28 countries of the European Union for the symptomatic treatment of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and urticaria in adults and children older than 12 years. Data from preclinical studies confirmed its selectivity for the histamine H1 receptor over other receptors, and demonstrated antihistaminic and antiallergic properties in vivo. Studies in healthy volunteers and patients have shown that bilastine does not affect driving ability, cardiac conduction or alertness. Bilastine has demonstrated a good safety profile, without serious adverse effects or antimuscarinic effects in clinical trials. There were no significant changes in laboratory tests, electrocardiograms or vital signs. In clinical studies, oral treatment with bilastine 20 mg once daily improved allergic rhinitis with greater efficacy than placebo and comparable to cetirizine and desloratadine. Bilastine 20 mg was more effective than placebo and equivalent to levocetirizine in chronic urticaria, relieving symptoms, improving quality of life and controlling sleep disorders.


The World Health Organization recommend weaning food is given to infants aged 624 months. In Madura culture still exist the practice of giving weaning food before infants reach six months old. The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors of giving weaning food for infants (0-6 months old) based on transcultural nursing theory. Design used was descriptive with cross-sectional approach. Population was Madurese mothers who have infants (0-6 months old) who has been given early weaning food. A total of 61 respondents were chosen by cluster sampling method. Variables in this study were education, economic, political and legal, cultural values and lifestyles, kinship and social, religious and philosophical, and technology. Data were collected by using structured interview and described by using frequency and percentage distribution. The results had showed educational mostly were primary and middle education (92%). Economic mostly come from low economic status (70%). Political and legal mostly positive (54%). Cultural values and lifestyles mostly negative (62%). Kinship and social mostly negative (64%). Religious and philosophical mostly positive (64%). Technology factor dominantly low (56%). Based on transcultural nursing theory it is shown a diversity in positive and negative values. Further research was suggested to reduce the practice of giving weaning food behavior of Madurese mothers which suits with local culture.


Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanomaterials are attracting increasing interest, mostly because of their superior photocatalytic and antibacterial properties. In this work, we report the synthesis, by a "green" aqueous sol–gel route, of TiO2 doped with Eu and Nd (1 and 5 mol%), in order to extend its photocatalytic activity to the visible range, and also take advantage of the luminescent features of the rare earth metals (REs). Gels were dried in an oven at 75 °C, and then thermally treated at 450 °C in a static air flow furnace. Semi-quantitative phase composition (QPA) and microstructure (crystalline domain shape and size distribution) of the synthetic powders were studied by means of advanced X-ray methods: Rietveld refinements, and the whole powder pattern modelling (WPPM) technique, respectively. From these X-ray techniques, it was seen that the unit cell volume of RE-modified titania underwent a huge expansion, thus suggesting the incorporation of RE into the TiO2 lattice, accompanied by a decrease in the average crystalline domain diameters of anatase, rutile and brookite. The optical properties were also investigated by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). Photoluminescent behaviour was assessed in the visible and near infra-red (NIR) spectral ranges. Photocatalytic activity of the samples was assessed both in liquid–solid and in gas–solid phases. The influence of the lighting conditions (UV- and visible-light exposure) was also taken into account for evaluating the photocatalytic activity. Nd–TiO2 was shown to be a bifunctional material, having both photocatalytic activity and NIR photoluminescent emission induced by the same excitation source, an unprecedented result.


Closed or nearly closed regions are an important form of perceptual structure arising both in natural imagery and in many forms of human-created imagery including sketches, line art, graphics, and formal drawings. We present an effective algorithm especially suited for finding perceptually salient, compact closed region structure in hand-drawn sketches and line art. We start with a graph of curvilinear fragments whose proximal endpoints form junctions. The key problem is to manage the search of possible path continuations through junctions in an effort to find paths satisfying global criteria for closure and figural salience. We identify constraints particular to this domain for ranking path continuations through junctions, based on observations of the ways that junctions arise in line drawings. In particular, we delineate the roles of the principle of good continuation versus maximally turning paths. Best-first bidirectional search checks for the cleanest, most obvious paths first, then reverts to more exhaustive search to find paths cluttered by blind alleys. Results are demonstrated on line drawings from several sources including line art, engineering drawings, sketches on whiteboards, as well as contours from photographic imagery.


Abstract Background The efficacy of public health measures to control the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has not been well studied in young adults. Methods We investigated SARS-CoV-2 infections among U.S. Marine Corps recruits who underwent a 2-week quarantine at home followed by a second supervised 2-week quarantine at a closed college campus that involved mask wearing, social distancing, and daily temperature and symptom monitoring. Study volunteers were tested for SARS-CoV-2 by means of quantitative polymerase-chain-reaction (qPCR) assay of nares swab specimens obtained between the time of arrival and the second day of supervised quarantine and on days 7 and 14. Recruits who did not volunteer for the study underwent qPCR testing only on day 14, at the end of the quarantine period. We performed phylogenetic analysis of viral genomes obtained from infected study volunteers to identify clusters and to assess the epidemiologic features of infections. Results A total of 1848 recruits volunteered to participate in the study; within 2 days after arrival on campus, 16 (0.9%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, 15 of whom were asymptomatic. An additional 35 participants (1.9%) tested positive on day 7 or on day 14. Five of the 51 participants (9.8%) who tested positive at any time had symptoms in the week before a positive qPCR test. Of the recruits who declined to participate in the study, 26 (1.7%) of the 1554 recruits with available qPCR results tested positive on day 14. No SARS-CoV-2 infections were identified through clinical qPCR testing performed as a result of daily symptom monitoring. Analysis of 36 SARS-CoV-2 genomes obtained from 32 participants revealed six transmission clusters among 18 participants. Epidemiologic analysis supported multiple local transmission events, including transmission between roommates and among recruits within the same platoon. Conclusions Among Marine Corps recruits, approximately 2% who had previously had negative results for SARS-CoV-2 at the beginning of supervised quarantine, and less than 2% of recruits with unknown previous status, tested positive by day 14. Most recruits who tested positive were asymptomatic, and no infections were detected through daily symptom monitoring. Transmission clusters occurred within platoons. (Funded by the Defense Health Agency and others.)


In this paper, a microscopic simulation model for overtaking in opposing traffic and its application is presented. Core elements of the model are sub-models to determine the desire to overtake, the decision to initiate the overtaking process and the actual execution of the overtaking process. The model includes rules to abort an overtaking maneuver and allows overtaking of platoons of vehicles. The functionality of the model and its sensitivity with respect to the main model parameters (look ahead distance, overtaking speed and the assumed speed of the oncoming vehicles) and more general networks characteristics (traffic volumes in overtaking lane and opposing lane, length of overtaking lane, truck percentage) is analyzed as a proof of concept. Finally, the model is applied to analyze the potential impact of connected vehicles on the overtaking behavior, showing that the number of overtaken vehicles may significantly increase, assuming an improved knowledge of the surrounding traffic conditions through vehicle connectivity.


This paper is a case history that discusses diagnosis and correction of a variable pitch propeller type (Kaplan) hydraulic turbine problem. The turbine problem involved fatigue failures of its guide bearing. Diagnostic testing performed in Oct. '89 suggests a self excited, subsynchronous hydraulic whirling vibration caused the fatigue failures. Hydraulic whirling was caused by not operating the turbine at peak efficiency. The self excited vibration was eliminated in Dec. '89 by adjusting the governor's blade angle and wicket gate control system. A turbine bearing has not failed since governor adjustment. Besides eliminating turbine equipment failures, power oscillation, guide bearing temperature, noise and draft tube surges were also reduced. Several relationships between variable pitch propeller turbine vibration and efficiency are discussed. Methods to measure and analyze turbine vibration and relative efficiency are also discussed. Finally, economic benefits associated with improved hydraulic efficiency are discussed.


In the slipstream of targeting the adaptive immune system, innate immunotherapy strategies are being developed. In this context, technologies based on natural carrier vehicles that inherently interact with the innate immune system, are increasingly being considered. Immunoregulatory nanotherapeutics based on natural apolipoprotein A1 (apoA1) are discussed here. This protein is a helical, amphipathic macromolecule and the main constituent of high‐density lipoprotein. In that capacity, apoA1 interacts specifically with innate immune cells, such as monocytes and macrophages, to collect and transport lipophilic molecules throughout the body. Exactly these unique features make apoA1 a compelling elementary constituent of biocompatible self‐assembled nanotherapeutics. Such apoA1‐based nanotherapeutics (A1‐nanotherapeutics) can be engineered and functionalized to induce or mitigate an innate immune response or to orchestrate an adaptive immune response through antigen delivery to dendritic cells. The authors first discuss apoA1's properties and how these can be exploited to generate libraries of A1‐nanotherapeutics using advanced manufacturing approaches such as microfluidics or continuous flow methods. Using high‐throughput in vitro screening methods and in vivo imaging to identify promising formulations are then recommend. Finally, three distinct immunotherapy strategies are proposed to effectively treat a variety of diseases—including cancer, infection, and cardiovascular disease—and promote allograft survival in transplantation.


This feature addresses the history of economic terms and ideas. The hope is to deepen the workaday dialogue of economists, while perhaps also casting new light on ongoing questions. If you have suggestions for future topics or authors, please contact either Beatrice Cherrier, CNRS & CREST, ENSAE-Ecole Polytechnique ( email@example.com) or Joseph Persky, University of Illinois at Chicago (firstname.lastname@example.com)


A survey for N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and seven other nitrosamines in six UK drinking water supply systems was conducted. At the time of the study, there was no NDMA data for UK drinking waters, and the study remains one of few globally to report concentrations of the other seven nitrosamines in water supply systems. Five of the six water supply systems were selected as probable to have elevated nitrosamine concentrations because of the known source water characteristics and/or treatment practices; the sixth supply system had none of the suspected risk factors and was included as a control case. Sampling was conducted in five intervals and included samples collected from the source water, post-filter, post-disinfection and the distribution system. NDMA was measured barely above the method detection limit (0.9 ng l -1 ) in a few isolated samples in one distribution system; however, otherwise the majority of samples contained no detectable NDMA or other nitrosamines. An exception was that N-nitrosodibutylamine (NDBA) was consistently detected in one distribution system, up to a maximum concentration of 6.4 ng | -1 . There were no identifiable relationships to link source water characteristics, the particular treatment processes or distribution system contact time with the observed nitrosamine concentrations.


The subject of this thesis is the impact of religious
reformation on the inhabitants of a small urban centre,
with some reference to the experience of nearby settlements. Dedham has a place in national history as a centre
of the Elizabethan Puritan Movement but the records of the
Dedham Conference (the local manifestation of that
movement), also illustrate the development of Reformed
religion in Dedham and associated parishes.
The contents of the thesis may be divided into four
sections. The first of these concerns the material life of
the inhabitants of Dedham and the way in which this
generated both the potential for social cohesion and the
possibility of social conflict. The second section
examines the attempt at parish reformation sponsored by the
ministers associated with the Dedham Conference and the
militant and exclusive doctrine of the Christian life
elaborated by the succeeding generation of preachers.
The third element of the thesis focuses on the way in
which the inhabitants articulated the expression of a
Reformed or Puritan piety and, on occasion, the rejection
of features of that piety. The ways in which the townspeople promoted the education of their children, the
relief of the poor and the acknowledgement of ties of
kinship and friendship, have been examined in terms of
their relationship to a collective mentality characterized
by a strong commitment to 'godly' religion.
The fourth and final section seeks to examine how a
group, characterized by the particular mindset discussed
earlier, responded to the political crisis and increasing
polarization of opinion which culminated in the outbreak of
the English Civil War.
The Conclusion attempts to integrate the topics
examined in these sections and to show how, despite the
rigour and exclusiveness which characterized the rhetoric
of the preachers, Puritanism in Dedham tended to foster
social cohesion rather than social division.


Many studies find that high shares of native friends are positively related to immigrant youths' identification with the host country. By examining various immigrant groups together, these studies imply that having native friends matters in the same way for the national identification in different immigrant groups. In contrast, we argue that the extent to which having native friends affects immigrants' national identification depends on both immigrant group characteristics and the receiving context, especially on ethnic boundaries and related group differences in perceived discrimination and the compatibility of ethnic and national identities. Analyses based on data from the National Educational Panel Study in Germany that are representative of 15-year-old adolescents in secondary schools indeed reveal pronounced group differences: While national identification of ethnic German repatriates as well as of adolescents of former Yugoslavian and Southern European origin is related to the share of native friends, as hypothesized, we do not find this association for immigrants of Turkish and Polish origin. Our finding underlines the importance of theoretically as well as empirically accounting for group differences.


To establish an efficient regeneration system for Anthurium andreanum cv Rubrun, seeds from plant spadixes were germinated on a medium supplemented with 2.2 mM BA. After 2 weeks, 74% of the seeds germinated and four weeks later, micro-cuttings from these plantlets were subcultured on a medium containing 4.4 mM BA and 0.05 mM NAA. On average, 3.6 shoots per explant were obtained. Four weeks old in vitro plants from germinated seeds and the plantlets obtained from micro-cuttings, showed callus proliferation at the stem base. These tissues were subcultured on a medium supplemented with 8.9 mM BA and 2.7 mM NAA. After 6 weeks of culture, about 43.8 plantlets per square cm of callus were obtained. Anatomical studies showed the organogenic nature of these calli. Anthurium andreanum plants regenerated by organogenesis were transferred to pots and a rate of 80% of plant acclimatization was obtained.


ABSTRACT Clonal marking techniques based on the Cre/lox and Flp/FRT systems are widely used in multicellular model organisms to mark individual cells and their progeny, in order to study their morphology, growth properties and developmental fates. The same tools can be adapted to introduce specific genetic changes in a subset of cells within the body, i.e. to perform mosaic genetic analysis. Marking and manipulating distinct cell clones requires control over the frequency of clone induction, which is sometimes difficult to achieve. Here, we present Valcyrie, a new method that replaces the conventional Cre or Flp recombinase-mediated excision of a marker cassette by CRISPR-mediated excision. A major advantage of this approach is that CRISPR efficiency can be tuned in a predictable fashion by manipulating the degree of sequence complementarity between the CRISPR guide RNA and its targets. We establish the method in the beetle Tribolium castaneum. We demonstrate that clone marking frequency can be tuned to generate embryos that carry single marked clones. The Valcyrie approach can be applied to a wide range of experimental settings, for example to modulate clone frequency with existing tools in established model organisms and to introduce clonal analysis in emerging experimental models. Summary: A clonal analysis approach based on CRISPR-mediated excision, which allows control over the frequency of clonal labelling, is proposed and tested in the beetle Tribolium castaneum.


Many ground-water modeling studies can be performed on currently available microcomputers. The greatest problem associated with the proliferation of ground-water modeling software for a large number of microcomputers will be misapplication by inexperienced modelers. A review of Battelle, Pacific Northwest Laboratories' (Battelle-Northwest) research in developing and applying ground-water modeling indicates that current software is inadequate for the inexperienced modeler. Software developed for future ground-water modeling applications will bear increased responsibility for defining the relative importance of the physical processes involved as well as helping users properly evaluate results.


The housing market is an essential part of a nation's economy and represents the most important component of the wealth accumulation. There is also a relatively recent, growing recognition about importance of the interactive nexus between house prices and macroeconomic variables. This casual relationship is apparently stronger in developed countries having strong real estate-finance linkages. But it would be also important to underline that globalization of the financial and real estate markets may also result similar outcomes in emerging countries. By utilizing Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) and Granger Causality Tests for the period (2007:6) to (2011:12), the primary purpose of this paper is to examine dynamic causal relationships between house prices and a wide range of macro-economic indicators (including rent values, volume of mortgage loans, consumer price index, monetary aggregate, Istanbul Stock Exchange REIT index, exchange rates, unemployment rate, construction cost index, consumer confidence index, construction permits, mortgage loan interest rate, gross domestic product, current account deficit and CDS spreads). In this context, the paper also empirically analyzes the negative impacts of global financial crisis into Turkish housing markets. To our knowledge, this paper is the first attempt to use actual country-wide house price index in an analysis related to Turkish housing markets.


Abstract Background Depressive and anxiety disorders are highly comorbid, which has been theorized to be due to an underlying internalizing vulnerability. We aimed to identify groups of participants with differing vulnerabilities by examining the course of internalizing psychopathology up to age 45. Methods We used data from 24158 participants (aged 45+) in 23 population-based cross-sectional World Mental Health Surveys. Internalizing disorders were assessed with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). We applied latent class growth analysis (LCGA) and investigated the characteristics of identified classes using logistic or linear regression. Results The best-fitting LCGA solution identified eight classes: a healthy class (81.9%), three childhood-onset classes with mild (3.7%), moderate (2.0%), or severe (1.1%) internalizing comorbidity, two puberty-onset classes with mild (4.0%) or moderate (1.4%) comorbidity, and two adult-onset classes with mild comorbidity (2.7% and 3.2%). The childhood-onset severe class had particularly unfavorable sociodemographic outcomes compared to the healthy class, with increased risks of being never or previously married (OR = 2.2 and 2.0, p < 0.001), not being employed (OR = 3.5, p < 0.001), and having a low/low-average income (OR = 2.2, p < 0.001). Moderate or severe (v. mild) comorbidity was associated with 12-month internalizing disorders (OR = 1.9 and 4.8, p < 0.001), disability (B = 1.1–2.3, p < 0.001), and suicidal ideation (OR = 4.2, p < 0.001 for severe comorbidity only). Adult (v. childhood) onset was associated with lower rates of 12-month internalizing disorders (OR = 0.2, p < 0.001). Conclusions We identified eight transdiagnostic trajectories of internalizing psychopathology. Unfavorable outcomes were concentrated in the 1% of participants with childhood onset and severe comorbidity. Early identification of this group may offer opportunities for preventive interventions.


A large body of research has found that, by being better able to serve as cultural translators and role models, demographically-similar teachers can increase students' achievement. These studies have tended to focus on the role of race and gender similarities between student and teacher. This study is the first to examine the role of native language similarity. Using a nationally representative dataset from the United States which allows each student to be matched with two of his subject teachers, this study exploits variation in contemporaneous test scores and whether the student shares the same native language as the teacher across two different academic subjects, within-student, to identify the effect of being assigned to a linguistically-similar teacher. The effect is examined separately for students who are native Spanish-speakers and students who are native English-speakers. It finds that, unconditional on teacher ethnicity, assignment to a native Spanish-speaking teacher reduces the achievement of native Spanish-speaking students, particularly in Science and English. However, once differences in teacher ethnicity are controlled for, a native Spanish-speaking student does no worse or better on his test score when assigned to a native Spanish-speaking teacher than when assigned to a non-native Spanish-speaking teacher. For native English-speaking students, assignment to a linguistically-similar teacher has no impact on achievement. This finding applies regardless of whether teacher ethnicity is controlled for.


INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Urethral slings are a durable treatment for stress urinary incontinence. However, there is a paucity of data on the use of slings in the very elderly. Here, we sought to evaluate the use of urethral slings to treat incontinence in female octogenarians. METHODS: The Premier Hospital Database (2003-2015) was queried using International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9) procedural codes (CPT) codes for urethral sling procedures. Slings were classified by type (retropubic, transobturator, or single incision). Advanced age was defined as 80 years old. Prolonged length of stay (pLOS, 1day), prolonged operative time (pOT, 90 minutes), major post-operative complications, sling type, and excess cost ($5397) were analyzed. Each threshold represents 75th percentile. Chi-squared and logistic regressions were used for analysis. RESULTS: A total of 143,474 women who underwent urethral sling placement were identified, with a median age of 55 years (25-85). Of these, 59,212 were 80 years old (41.3%). There was no association between advanced age and sling type (p=0.142). Sling placement was associated with an overall post-operative complication rate of 0.35% (503/143,474). Age 80 was associated with a higher rate of major post-operative complications (OR 5.99, 1.72% vs. 0.29%, p<0.0001), pOT (27.2% vs. 20.3%, p<0.0001), pLOS (32.7% vs. 21.6% p<0.0001), and excess cost (35.5% vs 24.6%, <0.0001). When controlled for pOT and Charleson Comorbidity Index (CCI), age was still associated with increased rate of major complications (OR 3.44, p<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: While octogenarians are more likely than younger women to experience major complications after sling placement, the observed rate was only 1.7%. In our nationally-representative sample, age ≥80 was also associated with pOT, pLOS, and excess cost. Thus, urethral sling should be considered for well-selected octogenarians suffering from stress incontinence, but every effort should be made to medically optimize these patients pre-operatively, and patients should be counseled appropriately on their increased risk. Source of Funding: None


Mission and safety critical software-reliant systems, aka. Cyber-physical systems, face the increasing challenges of exponential increase in verification related software rework cost. Industry studies show that 70% of defects are introduced in requirements and architecture design, while 80% are discovered post-unit test. The Architecture Analysis & Design Language (AADL) standard was targeted to address these issues through virtual system integration to analytically discover these system level issues regarding operational system properties early in the life cycle.
 After a summary of the challenges, the presentation highlights the expressive, analytical, and auto-generation capabilities of the AADL core language as well as several of its standardized extensions. The presentation then illustrates the importance of the analytical virtual system integration capabilities on several realistic industrial examples. In this context we discuss the benefit of well-defined semantics of nominal and fault behavior, timing, semantics of the model in AADL over other MBD notations.
 The presentation concludes by outlining a four part improvement strategy: architecture-led requirement specification to improve the quality of requirements, architecture refinement and incremental virtual system integration to discover issues early, compositional verification through static analysis to address scalability, and incremental verification and testing throughout the life cycle as assurance evidence.


Morphological characteristics including leaf size, shape, color, type of margins, type and degree of pubescence, and stomatal density, and anatomical characteristics including arrangement of tissues, relative size and shape of cells, and types of cells or tissues, of winter rosette leaves and summer leaves of some native forbs were compared. Morphological results were obtained by observing whole leaves. Later the leaves were pressed and then photographed. Comparison of stomatal densities were made by observing microscopic slides of epidermal peels. Photomicrographs of the epidermal sections were taken. Anatomical results were obtained by observing microscopic slides containing leaf cross-sections. Photomicrographs of the cross-sections were taken. Morphologically, the winter rosette leaves differed from summer leaves in that rosette leaves: (1) usually had fewer lobes when leaves were divided, (2) were relatively smaller, (3) of ten contained purple coloration, and (4) usually had a slightly higher density of trichomes. Two species showed variations in leaf margins. Variations of stomatal densities were also observed. Anatomically, winter rosette leaves differed from summer leaves in that most rosette leaves had: (1) a lower length to width ratio of palisade parenchyma cells, (2) a cross-section of reduced length and width, (3) a reduced amount of spongy or water storage parenchyma cells, and (4) a reduced amount of palisade parenchyma per volume of leaf.


Gakkel Ridge is situated within the Arctic Ocean and spans from eastern Greenland to the continental Siberian shelf. It is termed an ultraslow spreading ridge (full spreading rate 6-14 mm/yr). At ultraslow spreading ridges, heat loss by conductive cooling is thought to decrease magma supply and focus magmatism in widely spaced discrete volcanic centres. In 1999 lasting over 7 months, the largest ever earthquake swarm at a mid-ocean ridge was teleseismically registered worldwide. It originated from around 85°E which was postulated to be a volcanic complex and featured 252 recorded events, including 11 events with a magnitude mb>5.0. The unprecedented duration, magnitude and number of events ran counter to expectations at this location. Preliminary analysis with unreviewed datasets showed changing source-mechanisms from extensional to events with a greater non-double-couple component at around March, 4th and an abrupt decrease in the number of events on the 15th of April. Also the epicentres of the larger events seemed to migrate with advancing time to the NW, farther away from the volcanic centre.As these analyses were based on preliminary datasets it seemed indicated to relocalize the earthquakes when the reviewed bulletin of the International Seismological Centre was released. This relocalization was done with the earthquake localization programme NonLinLoc using a probabilistic approach and grid-search. The calculation of travel times used as velocity model both AK135 and IASP91 combined with a regional velocity model for recording stations with epicentral distance < 30°. We tested extensively the influence of location algorithm, velocity model, station coverage and weighting on the localization result. The new locations of the epicentres show a clustering of events within the central rift valley and the southern rift flank. The dataset was further reviewed with regard to the quality of the localization and reduced to 93 well located events whose epicentre locations are largely independent of the above tested parameters. The 68% error in ellipse semi-major axes of the new localization is in the order of 15 km for the best events.An analysis of the respective epicentral distance to the volcanic complex with advancing time showed diffuse activation around the volcanic complex within the rift valley before the 15th of April, to the NW migrating epicentres with additional activation of the valley walls after April 15th. We postulate that the change in seismicity rate and the following change in source mechanism might mark the onset of volcanic activity. Suspiciously, at the beginning of April three events with highly correlating waveforms were registered. They locate at the southern rift valley wall and in the vicinity of a central rift valley volcano termed Oden volcano and their source mechanism should give significant insights into the developing activity.


BACKGROUND
Treatment of hypertension in the elderly significantly reduces cardiovascular events and confers greater absolute benefit compared with treating younger adults. However, this group has been undertreated in the past.

AIM
To perform a reliable and valid multipractice audit of the current management of elderly hypertensive patients.

METHOD
An observational study conducted as multiple standardized audits in general practices. The notes of 6139 patients aged 65 years or over from 76 general practices in Merseyside were examined to determine the percentage of elderly patients who had their blood pressure recorded. The percentages of hypertensive patients who were diagnosed, treated, and controlled was also recorded.

RESULTS
Eighty-one per cent of the sample had their blood pressure recorded. Fifty-three per cent of patients over the age of 65 were identified as hypertensive; 64% of hypertensive patients are receiving antihypertensive medication and 54% of treated hypertensive patients can be considered controlled. However, very small changes in the criteria used to define blood pressure control have dramatic effects on the results. Digit preference and the number of available blood pressure recordings also significantly affect the results.

CONCLUSION
The management of hypertension in the elderly by Merseyside general practitioners (GPs) gives better results than predicted by the 'rule of halves'. Elderly hypertensive patients are more likely to be detected and treated, but only half achieve control to 160/90. The results are particularly sensitive to the degree of digit preference, the number of available recordings, and to the precise definition used for control.


Physical inactivity has been associated with several diseases and conditions with multiple candidate genes proposed to regulate voluntary physical activity. However, there has not been a reliable method to silence candidate genes in vivo to determine causal mechanisms of physical activity regulation. The novel molecular biology tool, Vivo-morpholinos, is a potential method to transiently silence specific genes. Thus, the aim of this study was to validate the use of Vivo-morpholinos in a mouse model for voluntary physical activity with several sub‐objectives. We observed that Vivomorpholinos achieved between 60 – 97% knockdown of Drd1-, Vmat2-, and Glut4-protein in skeletal muscle, the delivery moiety of Vivo-morpholinos (scramble) did not influence physical activity and that a cocktail of multiple Vivo-morpholinos can be given in a single treatment to achieve protein knockdown of two different targeted proteins in skeletal muscle simultaneously. Knocking down Drd1, Vmat2, or Glut4 protein in skeletal muscle did not affect physical activity. Vivo-morpholinos injected intravenously alone did not significantly knockdown Vmat2‐protein expression in the brain (p=0.28). However, the use of a bradykinin analog to increase blood‐brain‐barrier permeability in conjunction with the Vivomorpholinos significantly (p=0.0001) decreased Vmat2‐protein in the brain with a corresponding later over‐expression of Vmat2 coincident with a significant (p=0.0016) increase in physical activity. We conclude that with appropriate research design, Vivo-morpholinos can be a valuable tool in determining causal gene‐phenotype relationships in whole animal models.


With the application and promotion of electric vehicles, vehicle security problems caused by actuator reliability have become increasingly prominent. Firstly, the paper analyses and sums motor failure modes and their effects of permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) , which is commonly used on electric vehicles. And then design a hierarchical structure of the vehicle control strategies and the corresponding algorithms, and adjust based on the different failure modes. Finally conduct simulation conditions in CarSim environment. Verify the control strategy and algorithm can maintain vehicle stability and reduce the burden on driver under motor failure conditions.


ABSTRACT Travelers increasingly consider electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) from online review platforms when making their accommodation decisions. Theory predicts that e-WOM increases sales, but little is known regarding the role that branding plays in the relation between e-WOM and hotels' financial performance. This study relied on financial data (including Revenue per Available Room—RevPAR—and sales profitability) and 34,164 online customer reviews gathered from TripAdvisor (as a proxy for e-WOM) based on panel data from 221 hotels, including not-branded and branded chain hotels in France from 2005 to 2013. The results show that the volume of reviews has no effect on RevPAR growth for branded chain hotels and a positive effect on RevPAR growth for not-branded chain hotels. In addition, the direct effect of the valence of online reviews and its interaction effect with the yearly and cumulative volume of online reviews on RevPAR growth and sales profitability is shown to apply to not-branded chain hotels but not to branded chain hotels. This study contributes to the e-WOM literature by revealing the role of a brand in e-WOM's impact on hotel financial performance. Based on our results, managers of branded chain hotels should know that they might find it difficult to leverage e-WOM to achieve higher RevPAR growth and greater sales profitability, as their economic advantages derive from their brand instead of e-WOM.


An Ordovician metamorphic event is recorded by means of conodont paleothermometry in the slope sedimentary sequences of the Western Precordillera. Allochthonous conodonts from reworked deposits of the eastern carbonate platform with CAI 4.5–5 and autochthonous conodonts from the olistostrome matrix with CAI 3 allow for constraining the metamorphic age within the Paltodus deltifer and Lenodus variabilis zones (i.e., ca. 480–465 Ma). The conodont data support an Ordovician instead of an alternative Devonian collision for the Cuyania terrane with the proto-Andean margin of Gondwana, which is consistent with the earlier proposed, but still contentious, microcontinent model. In the latter scenario, the collision of the Cuyania terrane caused unroofing and cannibalism of the leading edge of the carbonate succession and basement rocks. The erosion of these rocks supplied detritus and metamorphosed conodonts to the deeper basinal settings of the Western Precordillera. As the deformation front migrated into the peripheral foreland of the Eastern and Central Precordillera, nonmetamorphosed conodonts were eventually incorporated into the west-prograding synorogenic clastic wedge. The occurrence of allochthonous and autochthonous conodonts in the slope facies of the Western Precordillera provides a time constraint for the early accretion of the Cuyania terrane and its transition to an evolving foreland mountain system in the Ordovician period.


When "Marguerite Duras" was published in France in 1998, it reached the top of the bestseller lists immediately, and Duras, who had led an unapologetically controversial life, was propelled once again into the headlines. The author of "The Lover," "Hiroshima Mon Amour," and "The War: A Memoir," Duras has long been a symbol of France's complex role in World War II and the country's troubled colonial relations in Asia, as well as a fascinating embodiment of the tensions between autobiography and fiction. Now available in English, "Marguerite Duras" confronts the truths and falsehoods in the life of the enigmatic author. Adler, through her exploration of the events central to Duras's career, including her affair with and eventual denunciation of a Nazi collaborator and her childhood in Indochina, reveals Duras as the consummate pragmatist. She has combed through archives, unearthed letters, studied unpublished manuscripts, and interviewed scores of Duras's friends, lovers, enemies, and colleagues as well as Duras herself and she emerges with the richest portrait we have of Duras's life: her upbringing, her student days at the Sorbonne, her career as a novelist and filmmaker, and her involvement in French politics through the most complex decades of the twentieth century. "The masks and the truth" was the headline of a French review of "Marguerite Duras," and Adler explores both, probing the line between fiction and selfhood and between political activities and personal responsibility."


To facilitate the interpretation of test scores from the new TOEIC® speaking and writing tests as measures of English-language proficiency, we administered a self-assessment inventory to TOEIC examinees in Japan and Korea, to gather their perceptions of their ability to perform a variety of everyday English-language tasks. TOEIC scores related relatively strongly to test taker self-reports for both speaking and writing tasks. The results were extraordinarily consistent, with examinees at each higher TOEIC score level being more likely to report that they could successfully accomplish each of the everyday language tasks in English. The pattern of correlations also suggested modest discriminant validity of the new TOEIC speaking and writing measures, suggesting that both measures contribute uniquely to the assessment of English-language proficiency.


Multisensor systems with optical 3D sensors are frequently employed to capture complete surface information by measuring workpieces from different views. During coarse and fine registration the resulting datasets are afterward transformed into one common coordinate system. Automatic fine registration methods are well established in dimensional metrology, whereas there is a deficit in automatic coarse registration methods. The advantage of a fully automatic registration procedure is twofold: it enables a fast and contact-free alignment and further a flexible application to datasets of any kind of optical 3D sensor. In this paper, an algorithm adapted for a robust automatic coarse registration is presented. The method was originally developed for the field of object reconstruction or localization. It is based on a segmentation of planes in the datasets to calculate the transformation parameters. The rotation is defined by the normals of three corresponding segmented planes of two overlapping datasets, while the translation is calculated via the intersection point of the segmented planes. First results have shown that the translation is strongly shape dependent: 3D data of objects with non-orthogonal planar flanks cannot be registered with the current method. In the novel supplement for the algorithm, the translation is additionally calculated via the distance between centroids of corresponding segmented planes, which results in more than one option for the transformation. A newly introduced measure considering the distance between the datasets after coarse registration evaluates the best possible transformation. Results of the robust automatic registration method are presented on the example of datasets taken from a cutting tool with a fringe-projection system and a focus-variation system. The successful application in dimensional metrology is proven with evaluations of shape parameters based on the registered datasets of a calibrated workpiece.


Ever since Georg Simmel's seminal works, social relations have been a central building block of sociological theory. In relational sociology, social identities are an essential concept and supposed to emerge in close interaction with other identities, discourses and objects. To assess this kind of relationality, existing research capitalises on patterns of meaning making that are constitutive for identities. These patterns are often understood as forms of declarative knowledge and are reconstructed, using qualitative methods, from denotative meanings as they surface: for example, in stories and narratives. We argue that this approach to some extent privileges explicit and conceptual knowledge over tacit and non-conceptual forms of knowledge. We suggest that affect is a concept that can adequately account for such implicit and bodily meanings, even when measured on the level of linguistic concepts. We draw on affect control theory (ACT) and related methods to investigate the affective meanings of concepts (lexemes) denoting identities in a large survey. We demonstrate that even though these meanings are widely shared across respondents, they nevertheless show systematic variation reflecting respondents' positions within the social space and the typical interaction experiences associated with their identities. In line with ACT, we show, first, that the affective relations between exemplary identities mirror their prototypical, culturally circumscribed and institutionalised relations (for example, between role identities). Second, we show that there are systematic differences in these affective relations across gender, occupational status and regional culture, which we interpret as reflecting respondents' subjective positioning and experience vis-à-vis a shared cultural reality.


The article examines rate regulation in the U.S. property and casualty insurance market. Although the regulation of rates is aimed at promoting insurer solvency and preventing oligopolistic pricing, it may also lead to market inefficiencies. This study argues that rate regulation in the U.S. seems to be based more on an historical tradition than on solid economic arguments and proposes rate deregulation as a superior alternative to the current regulation model.The U.S. property and casualty insurance market presents the structural features of a competitive market. It is characterized by a large number of firms selling products with identical features and the evaluation of the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index for industry concentration indicates that the market is not concentrated. Furthermore, the trend toward an increase in the level of market concentration is oftentimes the result of market competition which results in low-cost and efficient firms replacing high-cost firms. The property and casualty insurance market is also widely regarded as having low barriers to entry for new firms. Even though the market does not have monopolistic or oligopolistic characteristics that would justify rate regulation, purely competitive rate setting systems are seldom used throughout the United States. The article highlights that rate regulation in the U.S. may be adversely impacting insurer profitably, as rate changes are impeded as market conditions change. There is empirical evidence that property and casualty insurance companies have experienced a lower rate of return than other industries. Statistics suggest that these artificially low returns may have led to many insurers' exits from the market. In particular, with regard to some lines, over the 2000-2009 period, more insurers exited the market than entered it. Deregulation would eliminate compliance costs and allow rate changes. Even if rate deregulation leads to higher rates, in the long run this would be offset by greater market availability and consumer choice. The need for rate regulation and the desirability of more effective solvency regulation should be distinguished. Solvency concerns can be addressed by focusing on insurers' reserves and increasing the monitoring of the financial conditions of insurers. There is no evidence that rate regulation has eliminated the possibility of insurer insolvency. It is more likely that allowing insurance companies to set rates commensurate with their costs will enhance their financial strength. For these reasons policy makers should consider greater insurance rate deregulation.The European Union can provide a helpful case study in considering rate setting deregulation in the U.S. since EU Member States do not have the right to regulate insurance prices, after the European Parliament passed the third non-life insurance Directive in 1992. Previously, Member States exercised considerable rate setting power. The experience has been a positive one. Competition increased, especially in heavily regulated markets and premium rates decreased. The number of insolvencies decreased as prices were better aligned with costs.


The on-board identification of ore minerals during a cruise is often postponed until long after the cruise is over. During the M127 cruise, 21 cores with deep-seafloor sediments were recovered in the Trans-Atlantic Geotraverse (TAG) field along the Mid Atlantic Ridge (MAR). Sediments were analyzed on-board for physicochemical properties such as lightness (L*), pH and Eh. Selected samples were studied for mineral composition by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). Based on XRD data, sediment samples were separated into high-, low- and non-carbonated. Removal of carbonates is a common technique in mineralogical studies in which HCl is used as the extraction agent. In the present study, sequential extraction was performed with sodium acetate buffer (pH 5.0) to remove carbonates. The ratio between the highest calcite XRD reflection in the original samples (Iorig) vs its XRD-reflection in samples after their treatment with the buffer (Itreat) was used as a quantitative parameter of calcite removal, as well as to identify minor minerals in carbonated samples (when Iorig/Itreat > 24). It was found that the lightness parameter (L*) showed a positive correlation with calcite XRD reflection in selected TAG samples, and this could be applied to the preliminary on-board determination of extraction steps with acetate buffer (pH 5.0) in carbonated sediment samples. The most abundant minerals detected in carbonated samples were quartz and Al- and Fe-rich clays. Other silicates were also detected (e.g., calcic plagioclase, montmorillonite, nontronite). In non-carbonated samples, Fe oxides and hydroxides (goethite and hematite, respectively) were detected. Pyrite was the dominant hydrothermal mineral and Cu sulfides (chalcopyrite, covellite) and hydrothermal Mn oxides (birnessite and todorokite) were mineral phases identified in few samples, whereas paratacamite was detected in the top 20 cm of the core. The present study demonstrates that portable XRD analysis makes it possible to characterize mineralogy at cored sites, in particular in both low- and high-carbonated samples, before the end of most cruises, thus enabling the quick modification of exploration strategies in light of new information as it becomes available in near-real time.


Bovine longissimus muscle was prerigor pressure treated at 103.5 MNm2 at 37 °C for 2 min and immediately sampled, fixed and examined by light microscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Parameters like pH, Warner-Bratzler shear force values and sarcomere length were measured and related to the microscopic observations. Pressure treated samples have shorter sarcomere length, lower pH and W-B values. Physical changes include separation of sarcolemmal and endomysial sheath, contraction bands, disruption of myofibrillar structure and increased interfibrillar and intermyofibrillar spaces. At the subcellular levels, disappearance of glycogen granules, appearance of swollen mitochondria, sarcoplasmic reticulum and in some cases ruptured mitochondria were observed . These morphological changes in mitochondria and sarcoplasmic reticulum should furnish the additional Ca + to account for the pressure induced contraction. The interactions between the chemical and physical effects should account for the tenderizing effect of pressure treatment. Initial paper received January 15, 1982. Revised manuscript received March 31, 1982. For this paper contact E.A. Elgasim, (telephone number 503 754 3414).


Many fruit plants have a chill hour requirement for breaking dormancy. Various models estimate chilling, but two models are commonly used for fruit crops. From 2000 to 2016, chill hour data were collected by Mississippi State University experiment station employees as well as by local fruit producers; however, the number of participants in the process dwindled over time. To address this issue, we developed a mobile-friendly web application to interface with Weather Underground data. From these data, fruit growers can assess growing conditions that affect plant physiology and prepare for events in the upcoming season. Extension professionals can introduce the app to fruit growers in their areas.


In this paper a distinction is made between the immediate technical-financial causes that unleashed the crisis in the United States, and its macroeconomic causes, which also explain its international transmission. Two formal paradigmatic models are considered. The first is Li's formula on default correlation ("The Formula that Killed Wall Street"), whose misuse gave rise to the crisis. The second is the international financial multiplier set forth by Paul Krugman. After examining these two models, the paper concludes that, contrary to widespread opinion, the crisis was indeed foreseen by some economists, who, coming from the non-mainstream side of the profession, were largely ignored. JEL: G01, F3, E44


This volume publishes a collection of papers inspired by the sessions on "The Archaeology of Fire" held at the 6th and 7th European Association of Archaeologists Conferences in Lisbon and Esslington in 2000 and 2001. In archaeological literature the number of studies on fire is minimal. In archaeological research fire seems to have been the forgotten phenomenon, all attention being focussed on material culture. The 15 papers here (covering the Palaeolithic to the Iron Age and regions from Scandinavia to Italy, Spain to the Black Sea) reflect on the approaches to the study of fire, as an essential phenomenon in human evolution. Included are studies of anthracology, ethnoarchaeology, field archaeology, symbolism, technology and experimental archaeology, whose ideas converge to some universals, such as the relationship of fire with environment, materials, human body, its quality of transformability, and its anthropological centrality.


Heat shock inducible lysyl‐tRNA synthetase of Escherichia coli (LysU) is known to be a highly efficient diadenosine 5′,5′′′‐P1,P4‐tetraphosphate (Ap4A) synthase. However, we use an ion‐exchange HPLC technique to demonstrate that active LysU mixtures actually have a dual catalytic activity, initially producing Ap4A from ATP, before converting that tetraphosphate to a triphosphate. LysU appears to be an effective diadenosine 5′,5′′′‐P1,P3‐triphosphate (Ap3A) synthase. Mechanistic investigations reveal that Ap3A formation requires: (a) that the second step of Ap4A formation is slightly reversible, thereby leading to a modest reappearance of adenylate intermediate; and (b) that phosphate is present to trap the intermediate (either as inorganic phosphate, as added ADP, or as ADP generated in situ from inorganic phosphate). Ap3A forms readily from Ap4A in the presence of such phosphate‐based adenylate traps (via a 'reverse‐trap' mechanism). LysU is also clearly demonstrated to exist in a phosphorylated state that is more physically robust as a catalyst of Ap4A formation than the nonphosphorylated state. However, phosphorylated LysU shows only marginally improved catalytic efficiency. We note that Ap3A effects have barely been studied in prokaryotic organisms. By contrast, there is a body of literature that describes Ap3A and Ap4A having substantially different functions in eukaryotic cells. Our data suggest that Ap3A and Ap4A biosynthesis could be linked together through a single prokaryotic dual 'synthase' enzyme. Therefore, in our view there is a need for new research into the effects and impact of Ap3A alone and the intracellular [Ap3A]/[Ap4A] ratio on prokaryotic organisms.


This study empirically evaluates the question of whether or not the promotion of democracy in the Middle East will reduce terrorism, both in terms of terrorist attacks sustained by Middle Eastern countries and in terms of attacks perpetrated by terrorist groups based in Middle Eastern countries. Using a series of pooled, time-series negative binomial statistical regression models on 19 countries from 1972 to 2003 the analysis demonstrates that the more politically liberal Middle Eastern states—measured both in terms of democratic processes and in terms of civil liberties protections—are actually more prone to terrorist activity than are Middle Eastern dictatorships. The study demonstrates, furthermore, that an even more significant predictor of Middle Eastern terrorist attacks is the intensity of state failures, or episodes of severe political instability that limit central government projection of domestic authority, suffered by states in the region. States that are unable to respond to fundamental challenges to political stability posed by internal political strife, ethnic conflict or the phenomenon of "stateless areas," geographic or political spaces within states that eschew central government authority, are significantly more likely to host or sustain attacks from terrorist groups. The findings have implications for current United States antiterrorism policy toward the Middle East and provide a statistical/empirical foundation to previous studies on the relationship between terrorism and state failure.


We develop a dynamic model of the world economy that jointly endogenizes individual decisions about fertility, education and migration. We then use it to compare the short- and long-term effects of immigration restrictions on the world distribution of income. Our calibration strategy replicates the economic and demographic characteristics of the world, and allows us to proxy bilateral migration costs and visa costs for two classes of workers and for each pair of countries. In our benchmark simulations, the world average level of income per worker increases by 12% in the short term and by approximately 52% after one century. These results are highly robust to our identifying strategy and technological assumptions. Sizable differences are obtained when our baseline (pre-liberalization) trajectory involves a rapid income convergence between countries or when we adjust visa costs for a possible upward bias. Our quantitative analysis reveals that the effects of liberalizing migration on human capital accumulation and income are gradual and cumulative. Whatever is the size of the short-term gain, the long-run impact is 4 to 5 times greater (except under a rapid convergence in income).


This review focuses on synthesizing and analyzing the scientific research that has been carried out into cricket equipment. Specifically, it relates to the elements which have contributed to the safety aspects of the game, with the primary focus of the research aimed at addressing the safety aspects of batsmen who may be faced with a ball being projected up to 44m slsupg-1l/supg from a distance of about 18 meters. The research has covered the safety aspects relating to batting gloves, helmets and pads and the thermoregulation of batting helmets and clothing worn by cricketers. Further, although cricket bats are used primarily to score runs and prevent the batsman from being dismissed, the impact and rebound characteristics of traditional English willow, Kashmir willow and composite cricket bats was assessed. In conclusion, cricket equipment for batsmen has been researched and in most cases has been found to offer the cricket batsman sufficient protection. However, it is clear that there is a need for further scientific research into the design of equipment, particularly cricket bowling boots for fast bowlers.


Crystalline phenyl diketopyrrolopyrroles are often overlooked as charge transfer mediating materials in optoelectronic applications. We report an experimentally ratified two dimensional π–π model dimer system dispelling previous misconceptions regarding the potential of these materials as organic semiconductors and that will enable researchers to screen and predict charge transport potential solely on the basis of their single crystal derived π-stacking architectures. In testing our model system versus the available database of phenyl diketopyrrolopyrrole single crystal structures we reveal that these materials are characterised by intrinsically large thermal integrities and in many cases large charge transfer integrals, not solely restricted to dimeric interactions exhibiting close intermonomer arrangements and bearing low torsion of the core phenyl rings. This study will be of significant interest to the increasingly large community engaged in the quest to engineer π-conjugated organic based semiconducting devices and particularly those employing crystalline diketopyrrolopyrroles.


The verb "to dwell" has seen its meaning gradually expanded beyond the field of housing to cover wider ranges. In its various extensions, the debate on housing today has been mainly developed within the urban environment, while in the mountain (and alpine) context there seems to be a greater interest in matters of expressive language. The echoes of the close coherence between building, living and housing that characterised the Alps of the past are now far away. This contribution investigates how, in light of a point of view on dwelling between housing and territory, architecture can help to develop a project for the home that represents the new vitality that is affecting the Alps and its society. Ethics of the job, meaning of building, response to social questions, relational value of the architectural form and of the "in-between" space are some themes that are introduced as possible tools for a practice on the subject.


Background: Tobacco smoking and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) are known risk factors for asthma, but their association with atopic eczema is unclear. Objective: To investigate the association of smoking and exposure to ETS with prevalence of atopic eczema in a national sample of 13- to 14-year-olds in Israel. Methods: Cross-sectional study within the framework of the International Study on Asthma and Allergies in Childhood. Results: Complete data were available for 10,298 schoolchildren. Atopic eczema as well as asthma and allergic rhinitis were significantly more prevalent in smokers than nonsmokers. Multiple regression analysis revealed a dose-response association between smoking and atopic eczema compared to not smoking: occasional smokers, odds ratio (OR) = 1.6 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.2-2.3); daily smokers, OR = 2.2 (95% CI = 1.4-3.6). Exposure to ETS at home was significantly associated with asthma (OR = 1.25; 95% CI = 1.1-1.5) but not atopic eczema. Conclusions: The dose-response association between active smoking and atopic eczema in adolescents is a novel observation which deserves further consideration.


Devastating natural disasters have profoundly shaped human history, leaving us with a respect for the mighty power of the earth-and a humbling view of our future. Paleontologist and geologist Donald R. Prothero tells the harrowing human stories behind these catastrophic events. Prothero describes in gripping detail some of the most important natural disasters in history: * the New Madrid, Missouri, earthquakes of 1811-1812 that caused church bells to ring in Boston* the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people* the massive volcanic eruptions of Krakatau, Mount Tambora, Mount Vesuvius, Mount St. Helens, and Nevado del Ruiz His clear and straightforward explanations of the forces that caused these disasters accompany gut-wrenching accounts of terrifying human experiences and a staggering loss of human life. Floods that wash out whole regions, earthquakes that level a single country, hurricanes that destroy everything in their path-all are here to remind us of how little control we have over the natural world. Dramatic photographs and eyewitness accounts recall the devastation wrought by these events, and the people-both heroes and fools-that are caught up in the earth's relentless forces. Eerie, fascinating, and often moving, these tales of geologic history and human fortitude and folly will stay with you long after you put the book down.


I INTRODUCTION Of the 146,047,000 civilians in the U.S. labor force in 2007, approximately 82% identified themselves as White, 11% as Black or African American, 14% as of Hispanic or Latino/a ethnicity, and 5% as Asian. (1) That year, the median household income for all racial groups was $50,233. (2) With a poverty threshold of $21,027 for a family of four, (3) the median income figure seems to suggest that many Americans, at least until the recent economic crisis, (4) were making do? Yet a closer look at the data reveals a sobering reality, one of persistent economic inequality. In the United States, income distribution is highly concentrated at the top, with the top 1% of the population earning more than 20% of all income and the top 10% earning almost half of all income? Moreover, notwithstanding the rags-to-riches fairytales that have captured the imaginations of so many Americans, (7) the likelihood of moving from the bottom to the top is small. (8) The situation is worse for people of color. Despite measurable progress within some subgroups, (9) people of color still tend to earn significantly less than their White counterparts; (10) they tend to be segregated into lower-paying and lower-status occupations; (11) they tend to be unemployed at a substantially higher rate than Whites; (12) and they are twice as likely to be impoverished as Whites. (13) These facts indicate that a sizable portion of the U.S. population exists in a state of frightening vulnerability, a condition that is no doubt heightened during times of economic transformation, downturn, or recession. (14) This paper explores some of the factors contributing to this vulnerability by examining the interplay between race and class (15) in the employment setting. Part II considers historical and contemporary forces leading to workforce stratification in the United States and highlights some of the ways in which people of similar economic statuses have been differently situated due to their race and the ways in which racially similar people have been differently situated due to their economic class. Part III assesses existing challenges to socioeconomic mobility in the United States. Part IV explores the potential for labor law and antidiscrimination law to ameliorate existing disparities. Importantly, my goal in this paper is not to propose policy recommendations or a "new paradigm" for thinking about racism, classism, and hierarchy. My purpose is merely to examine contemporary employment problems through a broader historical lens as we collectively attempt to unravel (or at least to understand) more threads in the tapestry that is inequality in America. II U.S. WORKFORCE STRATIFICATION: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE Much of the socioeconomic stratification in the United States has historical roots. From its inception in the seventeenth century, the U.S. economy required laborers to work the fields of the South, to build the cities of the North, to facilitate western migration, and ultimately, to develop the West. Often where one wound up in the labor hierarchy was not a result of historical accident, but rather of design. (16) It is impossible to offer a nuanced account or to even summarize the entire history of labor in the United States in a few pages. Thus, this paper focuses on three aspects of that history--indentured servitude, slavery, and nineteenth-century Chinese and Japanese immigration--in an attempt to highlight the early interplay of race and class in determining access to opportunity and to suggest ways in which that early history may augment understanding of present conditions. The analysis is regrettably incomplete, for it does not explicitly consider the experiences of numerous groups (notably indigenous peoples, (17) Mexicans and Mexican Americans, and other Latino/a immigrant populations) whose stories form an essential part of the fabric of U.S. history and contemporary life. A. …


We formulate the service composition problem as a multi-objective stochastic program which simultaneously optimizes the following quality of service (QoS) parameters: workflow duration, service invocation costs, availability, and reliability. All of these quality measures are modelled as decision-dependent random variables. Our model minimizes the average value-at- risk (AVaR) of the workflow duration and costs while imposing constraints on the workflow availability and reliability. AVaR is a popular risk measure in decision theory which quantifies the expected shortfall below some percentile of a loss distribution. By replacing the random durations and costs with their expected values, our risk-aware model reduces to the nominal problem formulation prevalent in literature. We argue that this nominal model can lead to overly risky decisions. Finally, we report on the scalability properties of our model.


Videogames may rely on the highly logical nature of computing technology, but that does not mean they are immune to the dark touch of Gothic; far from it. Gothic themes, characters, stories, and environments can be found across a wide range of videogames, from puzzle games to multiplayer online games and from shoot 'em ups to strategy games. More wide-ranging and focused work is certainly required as there is a major lack of sustained scholarly engagement with Gothic in videogames.[1] In an effort to begin the task of remedying this and as part of a more extensive project (a book entitled 'Gothic Games' [forthcoming]), this paper plots some initial coordinates of the domain, locating some of its major features, and provides a framework for evaluating the uses of Gothic in games. The foundation on which this analysis rests is an amalgam of two materials. The first is comprised of concepts, models and ideas that have been developed specifically for the analysis of videogames within what has become known as Game Studies. The second is drawn from concepts, models and ideas developed for the analysis of Gothic within what has become known as Gothic Studies. Game and Gothic Studies are both based in the Humanities and share through the lens of Cultural Studies a common attentiveness to the formation and reception of certain types of texts and their "meaning potential"; laden with signification and organized around patterns, texts both carry and are constitutive of culture. As Mikko Lehtonen puts it, "texts are not stuck on top of the rest of the world, as messages detachable from it, but participate in a central way in the making of reality as well as forming our image of it"(2000, 11). Gothic Studies evaluates texts, the way they are used and engaged with across a range of media and cultural practices. Game Studies focuses specifically on the formal specificities of games and the way they are played and engaged with. This paper calls on material from both provinces to fulfil its primary aim of understanding the effect that videogame media have on the appearance of Gothic in games and to stage its argument that videogame media has the capability to produce a powerful and compelling addition to Gothic fiction's arsenal of affect. [1] While there is work focused specifically on horror games, such as Perron's collection Horror Video Games (2009), there is no book or edited collection on the topic of Gothic in games. The author has however written several articles on the Gothic in games including entries in Blackwell Guides to the Gothic - See more at: http://www.revenantjournal.com/contents/the-gamification-of-gothic-coordinates-in-videogames/#sthash.fmc6fBZN.dpuf