TheMSH3 and dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) genes, located on chromosome 5, share a common promoter but are divergently transcribed. Dysregulation of the mismatch repair (MMR) pathway has been found to occur in cell line models due to coamplificationofMSH3asacoincident effect ofDHFRamplification, acquired as a mechanism generating resistance to methotrexate (MTX). The increased levels of MSH3 perturbed MutSa function resulting inhypermutability and increased resistance to thiopurines, drugs whose cytotoxic effects are triggered by MutSa. The relevance of this phenomenon in clinical samples is unknown but is extremely pertinent in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in which children are exposed for prolonged periods to both MTXand thiopurines such that a single amplification event involving both the DHFR and the MSH3 genes may cause chemotherapeutic resistance to both agents. Thus, we have generated a leukaemic cell line (PreB697) and a normal human lymphoblastoid cell line (TK6) that are resistant to a pharmacologically relevant dose of MTX and show that while increased DHFR levels result in MTX resistance, the associated increased levels of MSH3 are insufficient to perturbMutSa functionality, in terms ofMMRcapacity or 6-thioguanine sensitivity. In addition, we show that although low-level DHFR amplification occurs alone in a significant number of samples, both at disease onset and relapse, co-amplification of both MSH3 and DHFR is rarely found in primary ALL samples, even after prolonged MTX therapy and is not at a sufficiently high level to perturb MMR function.


Although my entire career has been spent in Patient Experience, nothing I have learned from data, evidence-based practice, or experience-based correlations, has been near as impactful as what I learned from being a patient. This article discusses my own experiences as a patient. I ask readers to consider instances of avoidable suffering as sources of harm that negatively impact patient perceptions, erode trust in care providers and healthcare delivery systems, and create barriers to engaging patients in their care. Recognizing how avoidable suffering creates harm challenges traditional views of Patient Experience as hospitality-based "soft skills" and helps to establish patient perceptions as valid indicators of quality care.


The authors analyze the notion, sense, criteria, and indicators of evaluation of economic security and perform the evaluation of economic security of modern economic systems with the help of the offered methodology, which leads to the conclusion that one of the most successful countries are characterized by low level of economic security; therefore, there is a necessity for the search for perspectives of the increase of economic security. As a tool for increasing economic security, clustering is offered. The authors performed the structural analysis of formation of modern clusters and allowed allocating the problems of clustering which can be solved by clustering of small innovational enterprises. It is necessary that small innovational enterprises participate in the development of the program; their joint projects should at least concern, or, even better, solve their common problems (which will increase the competitiveness of cluster, as small innovational enterprises are connected by chains of value added with the same large companies); small innovational enterprises should participate – within the limits of their competencies – in the formation of the program of cluster development; there should be no artificial disunion between clusters of large enterprises and clusters of small innovational enterprises (which requires creation of common list of clusters). As a result of the research, the authors come to the conclusion that cluster is a form of increasing competitiveness within one country and in the global market, which stipulates the growth of national economic security. The highest efficiency of cluster is achieved by clustering small innovational enterprises, which stipulates the optimal level of competition in a cluster and leads to creation of innovations – which is a moving force of development of modern economy and the basis for economic security.


Negative circumferential resection margins (CRM) are the cornerstone for the curative treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). However, in up to 18.6% of patients, tumor-positive resection margins are detected on histopathology. In this proof-of-concept study, we investigated the feasibility of optical molecular imaging as a tool for evaluating the CRM directly after surgical resection to improve tumor-negative CRM rates. Methods: LARC patients treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy received an intravenous bolus injection of 4.5 mg of bevacizumab-800CW, a fluorescent tracer targeting vascular endothelial growth factor A, 2–3 d before surgery (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01972373). First, for evaluation of the CRM status, back-table fluorescence-guided imaging (FGI) of the fresh surgical resection specimens (n = 8) was performed. These results were correlated with histopathology results. Second, for determination of the sensitivity and specificity of bevacizumab-800CW for tumor detection, a mean fluorescence intensity cutoff value was determined from the formalin-fixed tissue slices (n = 42; 17 patients). Local bevacizumab-800CW accumulation was evaluated by fluorescence microscopy. Results: Back-table FGI correctly identified a tumor-positive CRM by high fluorescence intensities in 1 of 2 patients (50%) with a tumor-positive CRM. For the other patient, low fluorescence intensities were shown, although (sub)millimeter tumor deposits were present less than 1 mm from the CRM. FGI correctly identified 5 of 6 tumor-negative CRM (83%). The 1 patient with false-positive findings had a marginal negative CRM of only 1.4 mm. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of the fluorescence intensities of formalin-fixed tissue slices yielded an optimal mean fluorescence intensity cutoff value for tumor detection of 5,775 (sensitivity of 96.19% and specificity of 80.39%). Bevacizumab-800CW enabled a clear differentiation between tumor and normal tissue up to a microscopic level, with a tumor-to-background ratio of 4.7 ± 2.5 (mean ± SD). Conclusion: In this proof-of-concept study, we showed the potential of back-table FGI for evaluating the CRM status in LARC patients. Optimization of this technique with adaptation of standard operating procedures could change perioperative decision making with regard to extending resections or applying intraoperative radiation therapy in the case of positive CRM.


The following review has been prepared in collaboration with members of the MRC-NIHR Trials Methodology Research Partnership . The reviewers named above, and other, unnamed discussants of the paper, are all qualified statisticians with experience in clinical trials. Our objective is to provide a rapid review of publications, preprints and protocols from clinical trials of COVID-19 treatments, independent of journal specific review processes. We aim to provide timely, constructive, focused, clear advice aimed at improving both the research outputs under review, as well as future studies. Given our collective expertise (clinical trial statistics) our reviews focus on the designs of the trials and other statistical content (methods, presentation and accuracy of results, inferences). This review reflects the expert opinions of the named authors, and does not imply endorsement by the MRC-NIHR Trials Methodology Research Partnership, its wider membership, or any other organization.


From Lucy Wadham, the bestselling author of The Secret Life of France, Heads and Straights is an autobiographical tale of bohemians, punk, the King's Road in the 1970s and family - part of a series of twelve books tied to the twelve lines of the London Underground, as Tfl celebrates 150 years of the Tube with Penguin. It is also available in a boxset. "A rich, vital family saga, and a feat of narrative compression". (The Times). "Authors include the masterly John Lanchester, the children of Kids Company, comic John O'Farrell and social geographer Danny Dorling. Ranging from the polemical to the fantastical, the personal to the societal, they offer something for every taste. All experience the city as a cultural phenomenon and notice its nature and its people. Read individually they're delightful small reads, pulled together they offer a particular portrait of a global city". (Evening Standard). "Exquisitely diverse". (The Times). "Eclectic and broad-minded ...beautifully designed". (Tom Cox, Observer). "A fascinating collection with a wide range of styles and themes. The design qualities are excellent, as you might expect from Penguin with a consistent look and feel while allowing distinctive covers for each book. This is a very pleasing set of books". (A Common Reader blog). "The contrasts and transitions between books are as stirring as the books themselves ...A multidimensional literary jigsaw". (Londonist). "A series of short, sharp, city-based vignettes - some personal, some political and some pictorial ...each inimitable author finds that our city is complicated but ultimately connected, full of wit, and just the right amount of grit". (Fabric Magazine). "A collection of beautiful books". (Grazia). [Praise for Lucy Wadham]: "Penetrating insight and dry observation". (Independent). "Beautifully clever and intellectually challenging". (Good Housekeeping). "Effortless wit and keen intelligence". (New Statesman). Lucy Wadham was born in London and has lived in France for the past twenty years. She is the author of Lost, shortlisted for the Macallan Gold Dagger for Fiction. Her most recent book is The Secret Life of France.


Protein-DNA interactions are an essential feature in the genetic activities of life, and the ability to predict and manipulate such interactions has applications in a wide range of fields. This Thesis presents the methods of modelling the properties of protein-DNA interactions. In particular, it investigates the methods of visualising and predicting the specificity of DNA-binding Cys2His2 zinc finger interaction. The Cys2His2 zinc finger proteins interact via their individual fingers to base pair subsites on the target DNA. Four key residue positions on the a- helix of the zinc fingers make non-covalent interactions with the DNA with sequence specificity. Mutating these key residues generates combinatorial possibilities that could potentially bind to any DNA segment of interest. Many attempts have been made to predict the binding interaction using structural and chemical information, but with only limited success. The most important contribution of the thesis is that the developed model allows for the binding properties of a given protein-DNA binding to be visualised in relation to other protein-DNA combinations without having to explicitly physically model the specific protein molecule and specific DNA sequence. To prove this, various databases were generated, including a synthetic database which includes all possible combinations of the DNA-binding Cys2His2 zinc finger interactions. NeuroScale, a topographic visualisation technique, is exploited to represent the geometric structures of the protein-DNA interactions by measuring dissimilarity between the data points. In order to verify the effect of visualisation on understanding the binding properties of the DNA-binding Cys2His2 zinc finger interaction, various prediction models are constructed by using both the high dimensional original data and the represented data in low dimensional feature space. Finally, novel data sets are studied through the selected visualisation models based on the experimental DNA-zinc finger protein database. The result of the NeuroScale projection shows that different dissimilarity representations give distinctive structural groupings, but clustering in biologically-interesting ways. This method can be used to forecast the physiochemical properties of the novel proteins which may be beneficial for therapeutic purposes involving genome targeting in general.


AIM
The purpose of the study was to evaluate the feasibility and reliability of comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) in the detection of genomic imbalances in Chinese malformed fetuses.

METHODS
Genomic DNA was extracted from umbilical cord blood or fresh amniotic fluid of 9 malformed fetuses and labeled with SpectrumGreen dUTP or SpectrumRed dUTP. A pair of CGH analyses in which the fluorochromes were exchanged was carried out for each sample.

RESULTS
Samples from 9 malformed fetuses were analyzed successfully by CGH. Numerical chromosome aberrations were detected in samples from cases 4, 8 and 9, and were verified by fluorochrome-exchanged CGH. Trisomy 21q was detected in case 4, del 2p24-pter and dup 12p13 was detected in case 8, and del 1p33-pter and del 22q11-12 were detected in case 9.

CONCLUSION
CGH is a reliable technique for the detection of genomic imbalances. Fluorochrome-exchanged CGH can reduce inconsistencies in the results caused by deviations in the process of DNA labeling and hybridization, and increase the accuracy and reliability in cases when conventional cytogenetic analysis is unavailable.


BACKGROUND
The Enhanced Primary Care (EPC) program is designed to promote better management of and improved health outcomes for people with chronic illness. Specific Medicare item numbers provide government funding to encourage general practitioners to take up health assessments, care plans and case conferences.

AIM
We investigated elements of the EPC program from a rural general practice perspective.

METHOD
Questionnaires summarising experience of EPC for patients and health care providers, undertaken over four weeks at three rural general practices, and observation.

RESULTS
The EPC program assisted the management and coordination of care for patients with multidisciplinary care needs. General practitioners were generally positive about the EPC program. The main barrier was the extra time required. The main concern of allied health workers was the lack of appropriate remuneration for their participation. Patients were positive in their responses, but many appeared to lack the motivation and self management skills to take full advantage of the program.

DISCUSSION
Strategies seeking to increase the uptake of EPC items need to address efficiency and accessibility, and funding for participating health professionals.


Purpose of this study is to analyze and discuss the  influence of brand community and product quality of the WOM ( Word Of Mouth )   through satisfied as an intervening variable. This research is a research kausal that kind of research conclusively analyzed quantitatively, Respondents in this study are members of the community who owns and uses a Yamaha V-Ixion. Using Yamaha V-Ixion more than 6 months and has been active in events or forums for approximately 6 months of membership. By the age limit 17 years of age (for age are considered an adult and have a sim). The sampling method usimg non-probability sampling and saturated sampling is used for sampling techniques. Sample is using 100 people.  Data collection techniques used in this study was a questionnaire, while data analysis using path analysis with AMOS program.  The results of this study that the brand community and quality of products significantly influence satisfaction and a positive influence on WOM ( Word Of Mouth )  .The results also indicate that the testmediation brand community and product quality to the WOM ( Word Of Mouth )   through satisfied partially proven. Keywords : Brand Community, Quality Products, WOM ( Word Of Mouth )  , Satisfaction


This paper proposes a dynamic weighted model to measure the connectivity of intercity passenger transportation in China. We consider both quality and quantity of the connections of two transport modes: air and rail. Among the 23 major cities selected, Shanghai is revealed to have the highest connectivity level, leading in both air and rail connectivity. Hong Kong, Kunming, and Urumqi are the three cities that predominantly rely on air transportation whose contribution to the connectivity exceeds 80%. This research also suggests that the connections between international cities and China's domestic network are highly concentrated on a few cities, namely, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou, and that Seoul is the best connected international city in terms of its transport links with China. Shanghai-Nanjing has been found to be the best-connected city pair, primarily due to the significant contribution from high-speed rail (HSR) service. Our study shows that the contribution from train service is more than 80% for 19 of the 20 top-ranking domestic routes measured by connectivity. In addition, HSR has become a preferred and dominant option over air on a number of long-distance routes up to 1,300km. This finding has significant policy implications for transportation infrastructure planning and investment.


SHARPIN binds to the α subunit of integrins to attenuate activation. Integrins are heterodimers of α and β subunits that control cellular adhesion to extracellular matrix proteins. The activity state of integrins is dynamically regulated to enable cells to migrate, divide, or remain stationary depending on the context and extracellular signals. Integrins can adopt three conformations—two that are inactive with low to moderate ligand affinity and one with high affinity for ligand that is considered the active state—and the active and inactive conformations can be detected with specific antibodies (see Bass). The currently known regulators of integrin conformation interact with the cytosolic domain of the β subunit to either promote the open state or inhibit the binding of proteins that promote this state. Rantala et al. identified SHARPIN as an inhibitor of integrin activation that bound to the α subunit. Knockdown of SHARPIN increased the binding of antibodies specific for active β1 integrins, while reducing binding of antibodies specific for inactive β1 integrins. Overexpression of SHARPIN decreased active β1 integrins. SHARPIN knockdown also increased the rate of cell migration on low concentrations of matrix and increased cell adhesion to fibronectin. In vitro pull-down assays showed that SHARPIN bound to peptides from the α1 or α2 cytoplasmic tail but not those from the β1 tail, and this interaction was also detected in cultured cells by fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between labeled proteins. SHARPIN colocalized with inactive β1 integrins in membrane ruffles but did not colocalize with active β1 at sites of matrix adhesion. Coimmunoprecipitation of SHARPIN with α integrins was increased in cells in suspension compared with that in cells attached to dishes, consistent with enhanced binding to unoccupied integrins. FRET and proximity ligation assays indicated that SHARPIN interfered with the binding of the activating proteins kindlin and talin to the β1 subunit. Analysis of mice or cells from mice with a mutation in the SHARPIN-encoding gene showed that a subpopulation of keratinocytes exhibited enhanced binding to the antibody that recognizes active β1 integrins, and isolated splenocytes exhibited increased active β1 integrins and binding of an integrin ligand. Thus, SHARPIN appears to be a key regulator of integrin activity and does so through an interaction with the α subunit. J. K. Rantala, J. Pouwels, T. Pellinen, S. Veltel, P. Laasola, E. Mattila, C. S. Potter, T. Duffy, J. P. Sundberg, O. Kallioniemi, J. A. Askari, M. J. Humphries, M. Parsons, M. Salmi, J. Ivaska, SHARPIN is an endogenous inhibitor of β1-integrin activation. Nat. Cell Biol. 13, 1315–1324 (2011). [PubMed] M. D. Bass, SHARPINing integrin inhibition. Nat. Cell Biol. 13, 1292–1293 (2011). [PubMed]


PURPOSE
To analyze the frequency of perforation of the sinus membrane during maxillary sinus floor elevation (SFE) and to assess possible risk factors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Seventy-seven cases of SFE performed with a lateral window approach were evaluated retrospectively. Clinical and radiographic variables potentially influencing the risk of sinus membrane perforation were evaluated and divided into patient-related factors (age, sex, smoking habit); surgery-related factors (type of surgical approach, side, units, sites, and technique of osteotomy); and maxillary sinus-related factors (presence and height of septum, height of residual ridge, thickness of lateral sinus wall, width of antrum, and thickness and status of sinus membrane).

RESULTS
The following factors presented with at least a 10% difference in rates of perforations: smokers (46.2%) versus nonsmokers (23.4%), simultaneous (32%) versus staged (18.5%) approach, mixed premolar-molar sites (41.2%) versus premolar-only sites (16.7%) versus molar-only sites (26.2%), presence of septa (42.9%) versus no septa (23.8%), and minimum height of residual ridge ≤4 mm (34.2%) versus > 4 mm (20.5%). These same parameters, except minimum height of residual ridge, also showed an odds ratio above 2. However, none of the comparisons reached statistical significance.

CONCLUSION
The present study failed to demonstrate any factor that statistically significantly increased the risk of sinus membrane perforation during SFE using the lateral window approach.


Background: Setting and achieving goals is fundamental to rehabilitation practice but has been criticized for being a-theoretical and the key components of replicable goal-setting interventions are not well established. Purpose: To describe the development of a theory-based goal setting practice framework for use in rehabilitation settings and to detail its component parts. Methods: Causal modelling was used to map theories of behaviour change onto the process of setting and achieving rehabilitation goals, and to suggest the mechanisms through which patient outcomes are likely to be affected. A multidisciplinary task group developed the causal model into a practice framework for use in rehabilitation settings through iterative discussion and implementation with six patients. Results: Four components of a goal-setting and action-planning practice framework were identified: (i) goal negotiation, (ii) goal identification, (iii) planning, and (iv) appraisal and feedback. The variables hypothesized to effect change in patient outcomes were self-efficacy and action plan attainment. Conclusions: A theory-based goal setting practice framework for use in rehabilitation settings is described. The framework requires further development and systematic evaluation in a range of rehabilitation settings.


This thesis deals with the nature of metarepresentation in language. It proposes
linguistic-semantic and pragmatic analyses of a variety of metarepresentational
expressions in English, using the framework of relevance theory (Sperber and Wilson
1986/1995). The main aim is to deepen the relevance-theoretic analysis of
metarepresentation, to apply it to a range of data which have not been previously
analysed in this framework, and to compare the resulting account with alternative
semantic and pragmatic accounts.
Chapter 1 looks at various types of quotation (including mention, reported
speech and thought, and mixed quotation) and surveys some of the problems
encountered by traditional and more recent alternative accounts; the chief problem
being that they either do not acknowledge the range and variety of semantic
indeterminacies in quotation, or do not provide an adequate account of how these
indeterminacies are resolved during utterance comprehension. Chapter 2 introduces
relevance theory and shows how the comprehension strategy it provides can be used
to resolve the various indeterminacies in quotation. It also shows how the relevance-theoretic
notion of metarepresentation (representation by resemblance) can be applied
not only to paradigmatic cases of direct and indirect quotation, but also to a range of
other cases involving the exploitation of linguistic or conceptual resemblances. What
is common to all these cases is that a representation is used with a guarantee of
faithfulness to some other representation, rather than truthfulness to some state of
affairs. The claim that a metarepresentation can be faithful enough without being
identical to the original is illustrated and explored.
The remaining chapters extend the analysis to more complex and
controversial cases. Chapter 3 looks at previous accounts of metalinguistic negation,
and develops a relevance-theoretic account whose linguistic-semantic and pragmatic
properties are investigated and compared with previous relevance-theoretic accounts.
Chapter 4 looks at previous treatments of echo questions, both inside and outside
relevance theory and extends the relevance-theoretic analysis to deal with some
standard and non-standard types of echoic question. Chapter 5 deals with a variety of
metarepresentational conditionals, and develops a relevance-theoretic account,
comparing it with previous accounts. My conclusion is that the relevance-theoretic
approach can yield analyses that are better justified than previous accounts on both
descriptive and explanatory grounds.


The Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) Model assumes that employee health and well-being result from the interplay between job demands and job resources. Based on its openheuristic nature, the JD-R model can be applied to various occupational settings, irrespective of the particular demands and resources involved. However, the model has been developed and tested in western countries so that it is still an open question whether it can be applied in the Chinese work context. The objective of this dissertation isto validateand expandthe Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) Model in the Chinese work context. Several main research findings were found in this PhD study. Firstly, the robustness of the structure of western well-being measures (MBI, UWES, DUWAS) was confirmed in the Chinese work context. However, the wording of some items of the student version of the MBI should be modified to better match the Chinese culture. Secondly, when western measures are applied to eastern countries, the influence of socio-cultural differences should be considered. For instance, mean levels of work engagement and workaholism differ across eastern and western countries, which is likely to be due to differences in culture-based value systems. Thirdly, the western JD-R model can be applied in the Chinese work context. In addition to generic job characteristics, typical and specific job characteristics such as job insecurity, remuneration, and guanxi reciprocity may be included in order to tailor the JD-R model to the Chinese local work context. Fourthly, the relations between job demands and job resources can be explored in a new and different way, namely by studying the joint cognitive appraisal of the balance of job demands and job resources. Fifthly, the results that are obtained with the JD-R model at least partly reflect differences between occupations, such as nurses, police officers, and blue collar workers working in small, family-owned businesses. For example, task–related and social–related resources showed differential effects on the well-being of nurses and police officers, and the joint cognitive appraisal of job demands and job resources (the perception of equity) was differentially (linearly or non-linearly) related to well-being (burnout and engagement) among nurses compared to blue collar workers. This PhD thesis showed that western measures of employee well-being (MBI, UWES and DUWAS) and western occupational well-being models (JD-R model) can be applied to a Chinese work context. From the findings reported in this thesis, we can be reasonably confident in claiming at least some cross-cultural universality when it comes to western measures and models of occupational well-being.


The Arabia-Eurasia collision has been linked to global cooling, the slowing of Africa, Mediterranean extension, the rifting of the Red Sea, an increase in exhumation and sedimentation on the Eurasian plate, and the slowing and deformation of the Arabian plate. Collision age estimates range from the Late Cretaceous to Pliocene, with most estimates between 35 and 20 Ma. We assess the consequences of these collision ages on the magnitude and location of continental consumption by compiling all documented shortening within the region, and integrating this with plate kinematic reconstructions. Shortening estimates across the orogen allow for ~350 km of Neogene upper crustal contraction, necessitating collision by 20 Ma. A 35 Ma collision requires additional subduction of ~400‐600 km of Arabian continental crust. Using the Oman ophiolite as an analogue, ophiolitic fragments preserved along the Zagros suture zone permit ~180 km of subduction of the Arabian continental margin plus overlying ophiolites. Wholesale subduction of this more dense continental margin plus ophiolites would reconstruct ~400‐500 km of postcollisional Arabia-Eurasia convergence, consistent with a ca. 27 Ma initial collision age. This younger Arabia-Eurasia collision suggests a noncollisional mechanism for the slowing of Africa, and associated extension.


We aimed to determine whether multiresolution fractal analysis of voxel-based dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) parametric maps can provide early prediction of breast cancer response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). In total, 55 patients underwent 4 DCE-MRI examinations before, during, and after NACT. The shutter-speed model was used to analyze the DCE-MRI data and generate parametric maps within the tumor region of interest. The proposed multiresolution fractal method and the more conventional methods of single-resolution fractal, gray-level co-occurrence matrix, and run-length matrix were used to extract features from the parametric maps. Only the data obtained before and after the first NACT cycle were used to evaluate early prediction of response. With a training (N = 40) and testing (N = 15) data set, support vector machine was used to assess the predictive abilities of the features in classification of pathologic complete response versus non-pathologic complete response. Generally the multiresolution fractal features from individual maps and the concatenated features from all parametric maps showed better predictive performances than conventional features, with receiver operating curve area under the curve (AUC) values of 0.91 (all parameters) and 0.80 (Ktrans), in the training and testing sets, respectively. The differences in AUC were statistically significant (P < .05) for several parametric maps. Thus, multiresolution analysis that decomposes the texture at various spatial-frequency scales may more accurately capture changes in tumor vascular heterogeneity as measured by DCE-MRI, and therefore provide better early prediction of NACT response.


European colonialism had two key economic aspects: the extraction of colonial wealth by colonizers, and the relevance of trade for colonial economies. I build a simple model of colonialism which puts these two elements at centre stage. By controlling policy in the colony, the colonizer can appropriate part of her wealth; the colony, however, can stage a successful revolution at a stochastic cost. I assume there is some exogenous, non-contractible policy gain from independence, so that the colonizer is forced to concede it when the cost of revolution is low. I incorporate this mechanism in a three-country, Heckscher-Ohlin model where countries (the colonizer, the colony and a third independent country) can decide whether to trade with each other, and the colonizer can threaten to stop trading with the colony if she rebels. Thus, the attractiveness of revolution and the sustainability of colonial power come to depend on the capacity of the colony to access international markets against the will of the colonizer which, in turn, depends on the distribution of world factor endowments. I present historical evidence in support of my theory. My results have important implications for the debate on the economic legacy of colonialism.


Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks pose a severe threat to the availability of web applications. Traditionally, attackers have employed botnets or amplification techniques to send a significant amount of requests to exhaust a target web server's resources, and, consequently, prevent it from responding to legitimate requests. However, more recently, highly sophisticated DoS attacks have emerged, in which a single, carefully crafted request results in significant resource consumption and ties up a web application's back-end components for a non-negligible amount of time. Unfortunately, these attacks require only few requests to overwhelm an application, which makes them difficult to detect by state-of-the-art detection systems. In this paper, we present Rampart, which is a defense that protects web applications from sophisticated CPUexhaustion DoS attacks. Rampart detects and stops sophisticated CPU-exhaustion DoS attacks using statistical methods and function-level program profiling. Furthermore, it synthesizes and deploys filters to block subsequent attacks, and it adaptively updates them to minimize any potentially negative impact on legitimate users. We implemented Rampart as an extension to the PHP Zend engine. Rampart has negligible performance overhead and it can be deployed for any PHP application without having to modify the application's source code. To evaluate Rampart's effectiveness and efficiency, we demonstrate that it protects two of the most popular web applications, WordPress and Drupal, from real-world and synthetic CPU-exhaustion DoS attacks, and we also show that Rampart preserves web server performance with low false positive rate and low false negative rate.


Extracted from text ... Moneyweb's PERSONAL FINANCE December 2005 15
PENSIONS
Is your fund party
to anti-competitive
behaviour?
The latest broadside to be fired at the pensions industry
is that of anti-competitive behaviour.
By STEVEN JONES
THE pension fund industry has
come under fire from the Pension
Funds Adjudicator in recent times
for giving its clients a raw deal -
and now it looks like the
Competition Commission may be
about to enter the fray as well.
In an interview on the
Moneyweb Power Hour on 17
November 2005, Karin McKenzie,
the assistant Pension Funds
Adjudicator, indicated that 17 rulings
had been released the ..


Adult humans process communicative interactions by recognizing that information is being communicated through speech (linguistic ability) and simultaneously evaluating how to respond appropriately (social-pragmatic ability). These abilities may originate in infancy. Infants understand how speech communicates in social interactions, helping them learn language and how to interact with others. Infants later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), who show deficits in social-pragmatic abilities, differ in how they attend to the linguistic and social-pragmatic information in their environment. Despite their interdependence, experimental measures of language and social-pragmatic attention are often studied in isolation in infancy. Thus, the extent to which language and social-pragmatic abilities are related constructs remains unknown. Understanding how related or separable language and social-pragmatic abilities are in infancy may reveal whether these abilities are supported by distinguishable developmental mechanisms. This study uses a single communicative scene to examine whether real-time linguistic and social-pragmatic attention are separable in neurotypical infants and infants later diagnosed with ASD, and whether attending to linguistic and social-pragmatic information separately predicts later language and social-pragmatic abilities 1 year later. For neurotypical 12-month-olds and 12-month-olds later diagnosed with ASD, linguistic attention was not correlated with concurrent social-pragmatic attention. Furthermore, infants' real-time attention to the linguistic and social-pragmatic aspects of the scene at 12 months predicted and distinguished language and social-pragmatic abilities at 24 months. Language and social-pragmatic attention during communication are thus separable in infancy and may follow distinguishable developmental trajectories.


Choices rely on a transformation of sensory inputs into motor responses. Using invasive single neuron recordings, the evolution of a choice process has been tracked by projecting population neural responses into state spaces. Here, we develop an approach that allows us to recover similar trajectories on a millisecond timescale in non-invasive human recordings. We selectively suppress activity related to three task-axes, relevant and irrelevant sensory inputs and response direction, in magnetoencephalography data acquired during context-dependent choices. Recordings from premotor cortex show a progression from processing sensory input to processing the response. In contrast to previous macaque recordings, information related to choice-irrelevant features is represented more weakly than choice-relevant sensory information. To test whether this mechanistic difference between species is caused by extensive over-training common in non-human primate studies, we trained humans on >20,000 trials of the task. Choice-irrelevant features were still weaker than relevant features in premotor cortex after over-training.


The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) has created a new wave of interest in the Full Faith and Credit Clause and its apparent contradictions. Important recent scholarship has shown that American lawyers in the eighteenth century often viewed the term "full faith and credit" as referring to an evidentiary rule. This interpretation ameliorates, but does not actually resolve, the apparent conflict between the first sentence of the Clause, which seems to create a mandatory rule of sister state deference, and the second sentence of the Clause, which seems to give Congress plenary power to abrogate that rule. Rather than seek a chimerical general understanding of the Clause, this Article focuses on James Madison to provide a new and strikingly different historical account of the creation of the Full Faith and Credit Clause. It shows how the Full Faith and Credit Clause was part of a broader plan by Madison and others to curb the ability of states to take acts that were harmful to one another and to the nation, particularly those which, by interfering with vested contract and property rights, jeopardized the country's economic well-being. Madison purposely sought a Clause that would embody a vague but dynamic deference obligation that could be increased by Congress over time. Madison's actions and writings regarding the Full Faith and Credit Clause strongly suggest that he would have considered congressional actions to weaken or abrogate existing deference obligations not just unwise and unjust, but unconstitutional. Unlike powers which appropriately belonged to the federal legislature irrespective of how they were exercised, Madison's justification for the powers granted under the second sentence of the Clause was based on how Madison expected those powers to be used, namely, to "provide for the harmony and proper intercourse among the states." What emerges from this analysis is a picture of the Full Faith and Credit Clause that has significant similarities to the "one way ratchet" interpretation which has been used to argue that the DOMA is unconstitutional, but one in which the presumed constraints on congressional action are the product of national interest, political virtue, and natural law as well as the language of the Full Faith and Credit Clause.


This book is the first to present a new area of mathematical research that combines topology, geometry, and logic. Shmuel Weinberger seeks to explain and illustrate the implications of the general principle, first emphasized by Alex Nabutovsky, that logical complexity engenders geometric complexity. He provides applications to the problem of closed geodesics, the theory of submanifolds, and the structure of the moduli space of isometry classes of Riemannian metrics with curvature bounds on a given manifold. Ultimately, geometric complexity of a moduli space forces functions defined on that space to have many critical points, and new results about the existence of extrema or equilibria follow. The main sort of algorithmic problem that arises is recognition: is the presented object equivalent to some standard one? If it is difficult to determine whether the problem is solvable, then the original object has doppelgangers--that is, other objects that are extremely difficult to distinguish from it. Many new questions emerge about the algorithmic nature of known geometric theorems, about "dichotomy problems," and about the metric entropy of moduli space. Weinberger studies them using tools from group theory, computability, differential geometry, and topology, all of which he explains before use. Since several examples are worked out, the overarching principles are set in a clear relief that goes beyond the details of any one problem.


On reflecting about the prospects of advancing the egalitarian cause in the United States, John Roemer makes the case for more traditional strategies than the coupon socialism model he advocated in earlier work. First of all, he suggests, an ethos of solidarity must be developed and the super-rich be subjected to higher taxation. This comment assesses this proposal. On the one hand it is discussed whether the ethos of solidarity Roemer calls for in order to counteract the culture of greed among American elites requires nurturing an undesirable culture of envy among the rest of the population. On the other hand it is considered whether the neoclassical principal-agent model—that Roemer believes must be contested in order to popularize a steep progressive income tax—might be one of the more promising tools to restructure the incentives of economic elites and curb casino capitalism.


"The War in American Culture" explores the role of World War II in the transformation of American social, cultural, and political life. World War II posed a crisis for American culture: to defeat the enemy, Americans had to unite across the class, racial and ethnic boundaries that had long divided them. Exploring government censorship of war photography, the revision of immigration laws, Hollywood moviemaking, swing music, and popular magazines, these essays reveal the creation of a new national identity that was pluralistic, but also controlled and sanitized. Concentrating on the home front and the impact of the war on the lives of ordinary Americans, the contributors give us a rich portrayal of family life, sexuality, cultural images, and working-class life in addition to detailed consideration of African Americans, Latinos, and women who lived through the unsettling and rapidly altered circumstances of wartime America. Lewis A. Erenberg is professor of history at Loyola University of Chicago and Susan E. Hirsch is associate professor of history at Loyola.


Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to identify the antibodies of toxoplasmosis, brucellosis and chlamydiosis in Nineveh governorate-north of Iraq. Sera from 100 sample of sheep aborted from any reason were randomly collected. The results showed that 32.8%, 56% and 11.2% were positive for toxoplasmosis, brucellosis and chlamydiosis respectively. Percentage of identified and unidentified agents causing abortion were 63% and 37% respectively. First of occurrence of abortion was the most common in the unidentified pathogen (27 cases), however, the repeated occurrence of abortion was almost caused by toxoplasmosis which was 19 cases. Stillbirth was found to be the commonest in brucella infection as compared with other months of abortion or other pathogens causing abortion. Chlamydiosis were the first record in this region. The findings of the current work indicated that toxoplasmosis and brucellosis was widely prevailing and may be the cause of sheep abortion in northern Iraq.


Aikana and Kwaza are highly endangered language isolates in southeastern Rondonia, Brazil. Today, their speakers live in indigenous reserves with the last speakers of Latunde (Northern Nambikwaran) and Salamai (Monde, Tupian). Whereas the elderly try to maintain indigenous cultures and languages, younger generations are increasingly oriented towards Western lifestyle, and Portuguese is becoming the family language. Protection of indigenous heritage is guaranteed in the Brazilian constitution, but the authorities have little knowledge about Indians and languages, and indigenous communities are sometimes indifferent or even divided over the issue. Aikana will probably survive this century. The future of Kwaza is unclear. Documentation and description of languages and cultures can be adapted to the community's needs and play a role in preservation.


Synchrotron X-ray imaging is a powerful method to investigate internal structures down to the micro and nanoscopic scale. Fast cameras recording thousands of frames per second allow time-resolved studies with a high temporal resolution. Fast image reconstruction is essential to provide the synchrotron instrumentation with the imaging information required to track and control the process under study. Traditionally Filtered Back Projection algorithm is used for tomographic reconstruction. In this article, we discuss how to implement the algorithm on nowadays GPGPU architectures efficiently. The key is to achieve balanced utilization of available GPU subsystems. We present two highly optimized algorithms to perform back projection on parallel hardware. One is relying on the texture engine to perform reconstruction, while another one utilizes the Core computational units of the GPU. Both methods outperform current state-of-the-art techniques found in the standard reconstructions codes significantly. Finally, we propose a hybrid approach combining both algorithms to better balance load between G PU subsystems. It further boosts the performance by about 30 % on NVIDIA Pascal micro-architecture.


This paper reports on the encapsulation of a piezoresistive silicon/Pyrex liquid flow sensor using metal to glass anodic bonding. The bonding technique allowed integrating robust metallic microfluidic interconnects and eliminating the use of glue and O-rings. The bonding parameters of a silicon/Pyrex/metal triple stack were chosen to minimize the residual stress and to obtain a strong and liquid tight bonding interface. The silicon/Pyrex liquid flow sensor was successfully bonded to metallic plates of Kovar and Alloy 42, on which tubes were fixed and a printed circuit board (PCB) was integrated. A post-bonding annealing procedure was developed to reduce the residual bonding stress. The characteristics of the encapsulated liquid flow sensor, such as the temperature coefficient of sensitivity, fulfilled the specifications. Wafer level packaging using metal to glass anodic bonding was considered to reduce the packaging size and cost.


Abstract A sticky trap for fruit flies was developed that is 2.5× more effective than yellow panel traps of equal surface area for capture of Mexican fruit flies (Anastrepha ludens (Loew)). The trap consists of a slightly conical yellow cardboard cylinder coated on the outside surface with trapping adhesive. In trapping efficacy, these stand-alone cylinders were equivalent to plastic Liquibaitor trap tops with similar cylinders fitted over the trap top with the sticky surface facing outward. Liquibaitor trap tops with cylinders mounted on the inside with their sticky surfaces facing inward were ineffective, and Liquibaitor tops with cylinders both inside and outside were not more effective than those with the sticky surface only on the outside. Besides the increased attractiveness of the stand-alone cylinders with the sticky surface outside, advantages of this design are that lures can be suspended from the trap hanger inside the cylinder where they do not contact the sticky surface, sticky cylinders can be changed in the field without disturbing lures that are suspended from the hangers, and traps can be stacked like Dixie cups for storage and transport.


What are the determinants of democratization? Do the factors that move countries toward democracy also help them refrain from backsliding toward autocracy? This book attempts to answer these questions through a combination of a statistical analysis of social, economic, and international determinants of regime change in 165 countries around the world in 1972–2006, and case study work on nine episodes of democratization occurring in Argentina, Bolivia, Hungary, Nepal, Peru, the Philippines, South Africa, Turkey, and Uruguay. The findings suggest that democracy is promoted by long-term structural forces such as economic prosperity, but also by peaceful popular uprisings and the institutional setup of authoritarian regimes. In the short-run, however, elite actors may play a key role, particularly through the importance of intra-regime splits. Jan Teorell argues that these results have important repercussions both for current theories of democratization and for the international community's effort in developing policies for democracy promotion.


A planar finite element model is created for modeling the equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) processing of copper, by which the technological parameters can be determined for different initial parameters of the ECAP process. The structure of the model is described, as well as the extraction
of the force and work data, furthermore results for the effect of the initial parameters, e.g. the friction and the frictional model on the extrusion force and work characteristics are shown.


We first study the ring of q-polynomials over Fq by constructing an isomorphism between this ring and the polynomial ring over Fq and by presenting several important facts about the polynomials in this ring. We also give characterizations for permutation polynomials of Fpn derived from p-polynomials over Fpn, based on a paper of P. Charpin and G. Kyureghyan. Furthermore, we present several results on q-polynomials over Fqn with kernel of any given dimension, following a paper by S. Ling and L.J. Qu.


Since there was a need for an Educational Management Information System (EMIS) in the Ministry of Education in Afghanistan, we designed and implemented a prototype for use in the ministry and investigated the appropriateness of using Agile methods for producing the EMIS. The prototype consisted of a database containing data about schools and a Dari interface which was used by educational planners, managers and policy makers of the ministry for decision making and planning. Agile methods are relatively new in software engineering and have an approach and development guidelines which strive for user satisfaction and early incremental delivery of software. We adapt them to local conditions due to their collaborative client-developer approach. The interface, a key component, is easy to use and efficient. The key research result is an evaluation concerning the appropriateness of using Agile Methods for developing the EMIS. Focus groups and surveys were used to develop the prototype and accomplish the study.


The Olympic Games is recognised worldwide as the largest sports mega‐event – certainly, the event attracting the largest amount of media coverage globally. As well as a sports event, the Olympics are a cultural phenomenon, with a history spanning more than 100 years and supported by a global network of organisations with an educational and intercultural remit that defines itself as a Movement and aspires to promote Olympism as a 'philosophy of life', headed by the International Olympic Committee. What is less known is that the Games also incorporate 100 years of Olympic cultural and arts programming and that such experience is playing a growing role defining or contributing to respective host cities' cultural policies. This paper offers an overview of the cultural dimension of the Olympic Games and the development of Games‐specific cultural programming. After an introductory section providing a discussion and framework to the notion of cultural policy‐making within the Olympic Games, the paper presents an historical account of 'official' Olympic cultural programming, in the summer editions of the Games, from the initial conception by Pierre de Coubertin in 1906 up to the last implementations on occasion of the Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Games. The paper ends with a brief revision of the current challenges and prospects that the programme, now denominated by the Cultural Olympiad and spanning over four years, holds within the Olympic Movement and for future host cities such as London in the lead to 2012.


Neonatal features in the newborn are thought to trigger parental care, the most fundamental prosocial behaviour. The underlying mechanisms that release parental care have not yet been resolved. Here we report sex differences in the ability to discriminate cues to cuteness despite equivalence in the capability to discriminate age and facial expression. These differences become apparent in a task where adults were asked to choose the cuter of two babies. While women could reliably choose the cuter infant, men had more difficulty in doing so. When showing the exact same face pairs but asking to choose the younger or the happier baby, there was no sex difference. These results suggest that the sex difference in the ability to discriminate cues to cuteness in infants underlies female-specific emotive responses. We argue that this reactivity expressed by women evolved to ensure that a female allocates her caretaking resources to her youngest offspring while it needs mothering care. Female and male responses to cuteness, age and emotion in infant faces Running headline: Male and female responses to infant faces Janek S. Lobmaier, Reiner Sprengelmeyer, Ben Wiffen, & David I. Perrett 1 School of Psychology, University of St Andrews, St Mary's Quad, South Street, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9JP, Scotland. 2 University of Bern, Institute of Psychology, Muesmattstrasse 45, 3012 Bern, Switzerland Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to: Janek Lobmaier or David Perrett Email: firstname.lastname@example.com; firstname.lastname@example.com, Phone: +44 (0) 1334463044 Fax: +44 (0) 13344633042


Sclerotinia drop on lettuce is caused by two soil-borne fungi, Sclerotinia minor and S. sclerotiorum. This disease is favored by moist soil and moderate temperatures. Some registered products as well as new chemistries in development were compared for their ability to suppress Sclerotinia drop on lettuce during the winter vegetable growing season in 2006-2007. Sclerotia of each pathogen were incorporated into plots after lettuce thinning and just before the first application of test compounds. In plots infested with S. minor, Sclerotinia drop was reduced most effectively by some of the treatments containing boscalid, (Endura), fluazinam (Omega), Coniothyrium minitans (Contans), potassium silicate (Silmatrix), and polyoxin D (Endorse), where disease reduction compared to untreated plants ranged from 34 to 53%.. In plots infested with S. sclerotiorum, disease was reduced most effectively by application of iprodione (Rovral) and Omega followed by cyprodinil+fludioxonil (Switch), where Sclerotinia drop reduction compared to untreated plants ranged from 40 to 52%. Several other treatments provided significant but lessor degrees of disease control in the presence of S. minor and S. sclerotiorum. Two applications of the biopesticide Contans significantly reduced disease in plots infested with either S. minor or S. sclerotiorum. There was no statistical difference in disease control for either pathogen between application of Endura at 50 or 100 gal/acre. Two applications of Endura resulted in significantly higher disease control compared to one application of this product for plots infested with S. sclerotiorum; however, there was no difference in plots containing S. minor. For a valid comparison of products for control of Sclerotinia drop of lettuce, it is important to compare the results obtained from more than one field study. The reader is urged to review previous studies in addition to this report to get an accurate picture of the relative efficacy of tested compounds for control of Sclerotinia drop. Fungicides are not the only tools available to growers to manage Sclerotinia drop. Cultural methods, such as soil solarization or soil flooding in the summer, as well as crop rotation, can greatly reduce the number of viable sclerotia in an infested field. Use of these cultural methods alone or in combination with fungicide treatments can result in dramatic reductions in the incidence of Sclerotinia drop of lettuce.


We assess the literature on innovation and upscaling for negative emissions technologies (NETs) using a systematic and reproducible literature coding procedure. To structure our review, we employ the framework of sequential stages in the innovation process, with which we code each NETs article in innovation space. We find that while there is a growing body of innovation literature on NETs, 59% of the articles are focused on the earliest stages of the innovation process, 'research and development' (R&D). The subsequent stages of innovation are also represented in the literature, but at much lower levels of activity than R&D. Distinguishing between innovation stages that are related to the supply of the technology (R&D, demonstrations, scale up) and demand for the technology (demand pull, niche markets, public acceptance), we find an overwhelming emphasis (83%) on the supply side. BECCS articles have an above average share of demand-side articles while direct air carbon capture and storage has a very low share. Innovation in NETs has much to learn from successfully diffused technologies; appealing to heterogeneous users, managing policy risk, as well as understanding and addressing public concerns are all crucial yet not well represented in the extant literature. Results from integrated assessment models show that while NETs play a key role in the second half of the 21st century for 1.5 °C and 2 °C scenarios, the major period of new NETs deployment is between 2030 and 2050. Given that the broader innovation literature consistently finds long time periods involved in scaling up and deploying novel technologies, there is an urgency to developing NETs that is largely unappreciated. This challenge is exacerbated by the thousands to millions of actors that potentially need to adopt these technologies for them to achieve planetary scale. This urgency is reflected neither in the Paris Agreement nor in most of the literature we review here. If NETs are to be deployed at the levels required to meet 1.5 °C and 2 °C targets, then important post-R&D issues will need to be addressed in the literature, including incentives for early deployment, niche markets, scale-up, demand, and—particularly if deployment is to be hastened—public acceptance.


Infantile hemangioma (IH) is the most common vascular tumor of infancy, and it uniquely regresses in response to oral propranolol. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as key regulators of vascular development and are dysregulated in many disease processes, but the role of miRNAs in IH growth has not been investigated. We report expression of C19MC, a primate-specific megacluster of miRNAs expressed in placenta with rare expression in postnatal tissues, in glucose transporter 1-expressing (GLUT-1-expressing) IH endothelial cells and in the plasma of children with IH. Tissue or circulating C19MC miRNAs were not detectable in patients having 9 other types of vascular anomalies or unaffected children, identifying C19MC miRNAs as the first circulating biomarkers of IH. Levels of circulating C19MC miRNAs correlated with IH tumor size and propranolol treatment response, and IH tissue from children treated with propranolol or from children with partially involuted tumors contained lower levels of C19MC miRNAs than untreated, proliferative tumors, implicating C19MC miRNAs as potential drivers of IH pathogenesis. Detection of C19MC miRNAs in the circulation of infants with IH may provide a specific and noninvasive means of IH diagnosis and identification of candidates for propranolol therapy as well as a means to monitor treatment response.


The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how the price of advertising space affects the demand for help-wanted advertising. To do so, this thesis develops and estimates an econometric model to explain and predict the demand for help-wanted advertising placed in a newspaper. For the most part, economic theory and the literature suggest that basic economic and demographic factors explain the demand for help-wanted advertising. The literature and empirical studies confirm an inverse relationship exists between unemployment rates and help-wanted advertising. This thesis confirms these findings using firm specific data for a major metropolitan newspaper. Surprisingly few other studies explore whether the price for advertising is also an important determinant of demand. My model includes both unemployment data and average price of help-wanted ads and finds that price is an important determinant for the demand for help-wanted advertising. Closer scrutiny of these relationships should remove some of the uncertainty associated with what now appears to be a volatile demand.


An estimated 90% of the one billion people who require a particular assistive product (AP) do not have access to that device. The lack of an AP, a device which helps to enable human life, is especially poignant within lowand middle-income countries. Issues that affect access to appropriate AP are currently seen through the lens of supply and demand side failures. Actions and policies that try to address access to assistive technology (AT) through a limited market failure perspective will not be able to deliver AT in the comprehensive way necessary to meet need, while ensuring the AT is user-appropriate and of high quality. In order to meet user need, new thinking is needed that recognises the value of AT by considering how the AT innovation ecosystem creates meaningful economic and social value. In order to unleash the full potential of AT value, this paper proposes a public sector-led, mission-oriented approach. While setting the mission and the directionality is the role of government, NGOs, industry, AT users and the charity sector are able to drive forward the agenda of AT access through their own essential and complementary roles. A mission-oriented approach will use tools such as market-shaping and stakeholder co-creation to set an agenda by which AT innovation and access can be positioned as a meaningful step in tackling societal challenges. Through a missions approach the value of AT will be properly captured and society can come closer to addressing issues surrounding healthy ageing, enabling human capability and equity.


Effective use of the large amounts of timely data to be provided by the coming generation of space-based radars will require automatic methods of image interpretation. The key to such interpretation is an image representation, based on low-level operations, which can support the introduction of high-level (rule-based) knowledge. This representation, described in this paper as a segmented image database (SID), is dependent on the performance of the low-level operations (segmentation, edge-detection and thin-line-detection) which generate it. Methods of quantifying the performance of these operations are described. Use of the SID to support classification based on context, and image-map matching that uses image structure, rather than geometrical matching, are demonstrated.


Abstract The paper with the title "Constitutional Justice" aims to analyse a topic of urgent actuality and of particular importance in the contemporary society. We have tried to show in this paper the importance of the Constitutional control in the rule of law. Starting from the idea of necessity of existence of a Constitution in a democratic State and, implicitly, of a body to follow-up the compliance with its provision, we have tried to highlight in this paper the role of Romanian Constitutional Court and not only, by presenting one of its most important attributions which is the control of the law constitutionality.


Language acquisitional processes are assumed to be interactional by nature: the language teacher (mother) and the language learner (pupil/child) influence each other's communicative behavior in such a way that linguistic input is optimalized for both the informational transfer and the acquisition of language. This viewpoint was developed on the basis of data obtained from younger children (1;0 - 4;0) and was restricted to the acquisition of new structures.It was questioned whether the interactional theory could be maintained for a developmental later stage (concrete operational; Piaget) and for the development of speech styles rather than for the acquisition of new struc-tures and whether the theory could be maintained in spite of the fact that children at age 5-8 restrict their attention to the mere formal (syntactic) aspects of language.The analysis of speech data in a first grade school (beginning and end of the year) suggest that1.) The teacher tries to treat the four groups of children (boys and girls; lower and middle class) equally in terms of number of utterances addressed to (the members of) these groups. At the end of the year it appears that she gave up this strategy during the year.2.) The children, however, differ remarkably with respect to the number of utterances they produce, but show initially only incidental differences with respect to the qualitative features (illocutional aspects, type of predicate, first, second, third person subject * first argument). 3.) The teacher differentiates qualitatively in her utterances in these terms between the four groups on the basis of quantitative differences of the groups .4.) At the end of the year the children differ qualitatively with respect to the features mentioned under 2.5.) The sequential analysis of semantic features confirmed that the teacher initiates the conversational differences in her dialogues with the children of each speech group.6.) Bandura's Social Learning Theory has to be rejected if we want to explain the development of speech styles, as the results ask for a directly steering and influencing theory.


New Zealand's productive systems and natural ecosystems depend on a robust biosecurity framework to exclude invasive pests, diseases and weeds. Risk assessment is an important component of this biosecurity framework identifying potential threats posed by invasive organisms to specific plants and plant systems before they arrive in New Zealand. A major challenge in risk assessment is determining the potential impact of a pest or disease when it is not present in New Zealand. The International Plant Sentinel Network (IPSN), a network of botanic gardens and arboreta, aims to provide early warning of new and emerging tree and plant pests and diseases. The utility of the IPSN in providing information on the potential impact of myrtle rust for New Zealand's indigenous Myrtaceae. Botanic gardens were identified around the world with New Zealand Myrtaceae and where myrtle rust is present. This is a first step in an ex-post study on the use of sentinel or expatriate plants as a biosecurity risk-assessment tool. The approach could be extended to other plant pathogens or pests to explore their impact on New Zealand indigenous or cultivated plant species overseas.


Aim: To determine whether there is an association between Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD) and shorter axial length (AL), shallower anterior chamber depth (ACD) and higher spherical equivalent (SE). In addition, to evaluate whether there is a correlation between AL and severity of corneal decompensation in FECD, using corneal thickness as a proxy.
Design: Retrospective cohort study.
Methods: This was a single-centre study conducted in a cornea clinic in Sydney, Australia. Detailed clinical measurements of 91 eyes of 50 FECD patients were compared with 110 eyes of 55 controls. Main outcome measures included AL, ACD and SE. Other outcome measures included central corneal thickness, visual acuity, intraocular pressure and keratometry.
Results: Mean AL of FECD patients was 23.6 mm (standard deviation [SD] ±0.9 mm), compared with 24.7 mm (SD ±1.8 mm) for controls (1.1 mm difference [95% confidence interval [CI] 0.5-1.6], p < 0.001, independent sample t-test); corresponding means for ACD were 3.0 and 3.3 mm (0.32 mm difference [95%CI 0.2-0.5], p < 0.001, independent t-test). Eleven out of the 22 FECD patients with available refraction data had hypermetropic refraction compared with 16 out of 36 controls (p = 0.68, chi-squared test). The mean SE of FECD patients (+0.10D) was higher than controls (−1.33D) (1.4D difference [0.1-2.8], p = 0.04, independent t-test). No statistically significant correlation was found between AL and corneal thickness (p = 0.28, linear regression).
Conclusion: In this retrospective cohort study, a strong association was established between FECD and small eyes, with shorter AL and shallower ACD, compared with controls. These results have important implications for surgical planning, as shorter AL and ACD in FECD patients likely contribute to their high risk of corneal decompensation following cataract surgery.


This study examines the circulation, flushing time and hydrodynamic connectivity in Halifax Harbour based on three-dimensional currents produced by a multi-nested coastal ocean circulation modelling system. The time-mean currents produced by the modelling system feature two-layer estuarine circulation with a seaward flow in the upper layer and a landward flow in the lower layer in the Harbour. The hydrodynamics in the Harbour are also affected significantly by tides and wind forcing. Based on numerical passive tracer experiments, the estimated e-folding flushing time is about 40 and 90 days in the upper and the entire Bedford Basin, respectively. By comparison, the flushing time is about 2–5 days over the Inner and Outer Harbour, and only about 1 day in the Narrows. Analysis of passive particle trajectories carried by the model currents demonstrates that movements of particles in the Harbour are strongly affected by tidal and storm-induced currents. Hydrodynamic connectivity in the study region is also quantified in terms of a connectivity matrix calculated from particle trajectories.


Many nuclear power plants are located near international borders. For several years, the construction of a new nuclear power plant near the border with Belarus has been discussed in Lithuania. Based on a retrospective on the discussions about the construction of the Temelin nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic, near the border with Austria, this article considers the question of which cooperation obligations are incumbent on the installing States with regard to the neighboring country. Here, the text first addresses the question whether the establishment of nuclear power plants near international borders is permissible under international law at all. While there is a lack of state practice, which would be necessary for the development of a rule of customary international law rule to this effect, the principle of state sovereignty, which is laid down in the Charter of the United Nations, could preclude the construction of nuclear power plants near the border because the establishment of the power plant would require the neighboring state to take precautionary measures for potential accidents in the power plant across the border. An intrusion into the sovereignty of the neighboring state, which is incompatible with international law, can already exist if a serious danger for the neighboring state is created, even if this danger has not (yet) been turned into a concrete damage. Due to the serious extent of the potential damages, the normal operation of a nuclear power plant already amounts to an ultra-hazardous activity, which can lead to a liability which requires neither the illegality of the damaging act, nor a culpable action on the part of the causing state. The current customary international law already gives the neighboring State a right to be consulted by the constructing State. On the basis of consultations between the Czech Republic and Austria, it will be shown which requirements such consultations must meet. In addition, Lithuania's obligations under the Espoo Convention will be touched upon shortly.


In order to effectively manage organizational information assets, more and more organizations are beginning to implement content management systems (CMS) to consolidate multiple information sources into a single, centralized repository. While organizations implement CMS in attempts to help employees easily identify information sources and quickly locate relevant organizational documents, prior findings have suggested that many CMS projects fail to reach the expected adoption rates. The present paper proposes that advanced information technologies such as CMS may pose a problem of information overload. Drawing upon the information processing theory, this paper develops a research model examining users' experiences and interactions with CMS in relation to information seeking and retrieval in organizations. In particular, the model centres on exploring some potential causes of individuals' perceived information overload when using a CMS, and clarifying the effects of information overload on actual performance outcomes and on users' system evaluations. The present paper responds to calls for more empirical research aimed at understanding the challenges and issues surrounding user adoption of CMS. Further, the proposed research model provides a conceptual basis to inform future research initiatives for advancing CMS designs and improving the implementation processes of CMS in organizations.


The standard theory of inequality measurement assumes that the equalisand is a cardinal quantity, with known cardinalization. However, one often needs to make inequality comparisons where either the cardinalization is unknown or the underlying data are categorical. We propose an alternative approach to inequality analysis that is rigorous, has a natural interpretation, and embeds both the ordinal data problem and the well-known cardinal data problem. We show how the approach can be applied to the inequality of happiness and of health status.


The studies in this thesis are focused on the impact the presence of a network disruptor has on network formation models. In particular, we build two theoretical models to study the effect of network disruption on network formation and test the effect network disruption has on equilibrium selection in a laboratory experiment. We find that the network disruptor in each model we study has a significant effect on network formation and equilibrium selection. We first present a structural model of network design and disruption by modeling a two-stage full information game between a network designer and a network disruptor. We first investigate the threat of attack on the links of the network and then on the nodes of a network. Our results show that in a purely structural model between a network designer and a network disruptor the presence of a network disruptor leads to the network designer using additional links to build a robust network for relatively low linking costs and not connecting all nodes in one component for high linking costs. Thus, the network disruptor has a mostly negative effect, leading to over - or underconnectedness as compared to a benchmark case without a network disruptor. In the second part of this dissertation we then use the knowledge gained from this purely structural approach and look at the incentives of individual subjects in a network formation game, when the presence of a network disruptor is common knowledge. We introduce a network disruptor who can target the links of a network to a model of network formation in which the players are assumed to be rational, self-interested and myopic. In such a model in which the nodes themselves are individual players, the effect of a network disruptor is ambivalent. For low linking costs it leads to overconnectedness as compared to the benchmark case. However, for high linking costs it may lead to an increase in efficiency as connected networks are pairwise stable, while in the benchmark case only the empty network is pairwise stable. Finally in the network formation experiment, we find that overall groups almost exclusively reach an equilibrium network. They reach the empty network more often than the other two equilibria and also significantly more often when a network disruptor is present than when there is no disruptor. We test two competing hypotheses on the effect of a network disruptor on equilibrium selection, as his influence is either on the forwardlookingness of players or on their perceived risk. We find that the influence on the perceived risk is the dominant result. This implies that players will often end up in the empty network instead of a connected network. Overall the effect a network disruptor has on a network formation model thus depends on the model itself, as well as the costs of links and the possible equilibria. However, in all variants we have shown in this dissertation the presence of a network disruptor has a significant effect on the optimal network structure.


This article compares the legal culture of equality in the United States with the legal cultures of other constitutional democracies. It looks at two manifestations of equality: equality in its narrow sense – as a nondiscrimination mandate – and equality in its broader, substantive sense – as establishing a positive right to access the social goods or resources necessary to sustain equally valued individuals. The article ultimately argues that the foundational difference between the manner in which equality is understood in the United States and how it is understood in much of the rest of the world arises from the recognition and acceptance in other countries that human need and vulnerability are not only an individual responsibility but also a state responsibility. The U.S. Constitution is ancient by international standards, and it embodies and idealizes an antiquated political-legal subject and a restricted sense of state responsibility that is unrealistic for defining the appropriate legal relationships that exist between the modern state, the lives of individuals, and the operation of complex societal institutions. Clinging to the idea of a "liberal" constitutional or political legal subject that was prevalent when the U.S. Constitution was drafted has impeded the evolution of a concept of equality that would complement our developing understanding of what is necessary in terms of state responsibility to ensure that all people are treated as "created equal." This article concludes by offering the concept of the "vulnerable subject" as a more viable and appropriate figure around which to build contemporary policy and law and suggesting some measures legislatures and courts could take to build a more responsive and responsible state that would function to ensure meaningful equality of access and opportunity.


P Langhorne

Professor P Langhorne, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK; email@example.com

For patients in hospital with stroke, does organised stroke unit (OSU) care improve patient outcomes more than alternative forms of care?

Studies selected compared OSU care with alternative care for patients in hospital with stroke, defined as a focal neurological deficit due to cerebrovascular disease, excluding subarachnoid haemorrhage and subdural haematoma. Core features of inpatient OSUs included delivery of a complex package of care by a multidisciplinary team specialising in stroke management. Outcomes were mortality and composite outcomes of mortality and dependency (need for physical assistance with transfers, mobility, dressing, feeding, or toileting) or need for institutional care (residential or nursing home care, or continued hospital stay) at the end of scheduled …


Abstract. The stochastic fields method for turbulent reacting flows has been applied to the issue of sub-grid scale emission heterogeneity in a mesoscale model. This method is a solution technique for the probability density function (PDF) transport equation and can be seen as a straightforward extension of currently used mesoscale dispersion models. It has been implemented in an existing mesoscale model and the results are compared with Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) data devised to test specifically the effect of sub-grid scale emission heterogeneity on boundary layer concentration fluctuations. The sub-grid scale emission variability is assimilated in the model as a PDF of the emissions. The stochastic fields method shows excellent agreement with the LES data without adjustment of the constants used in the mesoscale model. The stochastic fields method is a stochastic solution of the transport equations for the concentration PDF of dispersing scalars, therefore it possesses the ability to handle chemistry of any complexity without the need to introduce additional closures for the high order statistics of chemical species. This study shows for the first time the feasibility of applying this method to mesoscale chemical transport models.


Metamaterials are often defined as artificial compositions designed to exhibit desired physical properties. These materials attract a lot of research attention due to unusual behavior that may not yet have been seen in nature. Although there is no commonly accepted definition for metamaterials, they are typically associated with peculiar macroscale properties resulting from their substructure. The electromagnetic metamaterial concept was first developed in 1968. As the wave theory is similar in every field, the achievements in optics were reflected in acoustics several decades later. This allowed developing acoustic metamaterials with such extraordinary properties as negative refractive index, negative bulk modulus and mass density, acoustic lensing, sound wave spectral decomposition, and acoustic bandgaps. All of those features are not only attractive scientifically, but are of interest for plenty of potential applications, including sound and vibration insulation, waveguiding, audible and high-frequency filtering, and even seismic absorption. On the other hand, cellular solids and saturated porous media have been studied for a long time. These media are abundant in nature as granular soils, wood, rocks, bones, and foams. Wave analysis in such environments typically requires some crucial assumptions which do not allow extending a theory to other configurations. An example of such a constraint is the openness of the cells in a medium. Many porous media applications are found in geophysics - particularly gas and oil extractions - the permeability of the cells plays an important role. The ad-hoc dynamic models for such media operate only with open-cell configuration. Moreover, the study is limited to the low-frequency analysis, omitting the influence of wave scattering. The latter, however, is the key source of dispersion in acoustic metamaterials. Scattering may have two origins, geometrical or resonant. Bragg's scattering is determined by the geometrical configuration, such that constructive interference occurs only when the incident wave matches the characteristic size of a unit cell. This makes such systems practically inconvenient. The concept of resonant scattering, introduced about a decade ago, has much fewer limitations and is mostly determined by the dynamics of matrix inclusions. In this thesis, a closed-cell cellular solid with thin vibrating walls and fluid-filled cells is proposed as a new class of acoustic metamaterials. First, the dynamics of a prototypical square cell is investigated numerically considering periodic boundary conditions and taking into account fluid-structure interaction. The results are compared to Biot's theory of saturated porous media in the limit of a closed-cells system. The proposed configuration is studied with respect to dispersion sources, showing the presence of local resonant behavior for different combinations of relative density and entrained fluid. Surprisingly, semi-analytical models can be used to provide a bottom-up explanation of the structure's dynamic behavior. The presence of two pressure waves, slow and fast, is confirmed numerically and analytically. Finally, an experimental proof-of-concept was carried out. Periodic cellular solids represent a versatile acoustic metamaterial platform characterized by low cost, simple, scalable design, which makes possible achieving the desired macroscopic behavior using different types of fluids and bulk materials.


This essay establishes how the scholarly labors that brought Edward Taylor's works to light in the 1930s foreclosed any understanding of them as queer. The absence of a queer critical reception history is this essay's subject, and to trace that absence, it focuses on the material and intellectual terms of Taylor's initial critical reception and on the political forces and critical assumptions that bear on those terms. Taylor's devotional Meditations offer an exemplary case for understanding how many of the ordinary labors associated with recovery and publication—the scholarly acts that stand, ultimately, behind nearly any interpretation of any literary text, including genre classification, editorial presentation, and genealogical authentication—have often been versions of what Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick described in the late 1980s as "the extremely elusive and maddeningly plural ways in which cultures and their various institutions efface and alter sexual meaning."


Researchers have identified several problems with the Grounded Theory Method, which include fundamental concerns about its ontological foundations and epistemological stance. Many IS researchers consider such issues unproblematic or are unaware of them. This situation is compounded by the fact it is employed selectively as part of positivist, post-positivist or interpretivist research approaches; indeed, some researchers argue that the method is paradigmatically neutral. Accordingly, there have been recent calls in reference disciplines for researchers to address the method's problematic ontological and epistemological grounding. The objective of this paper is, therefore, to help IS researchers understand better these issues. The paper draws on phenomenological hermeneutics to achieve this aim. This essay therefore makes a contribution to IS research through its constructive analysis of the Grounded Theory Method, by identifying the method's strengths and weaknesses, and by providing insights into how the latter can be strengthened in interpretivist studies using phenomenological hermeneutics.


Title of Dissertation: Estimation of Land Surface Radiation Budget from MODIS Data Hye-Yun Kim, Doctor of Philosophy, 2008 Directed By: Dr. Shunlin Liang, Professor Department of Geography Land Surface Radiation Budget (SRB) is responsible for the available energy between the Earth and atmosphere system. Net radiation is the driving force for the transportation and exchange of all matter at the interface between the Earth's surface and the atmosphere, and therefore, significantly affects the climatic forming and change. Accurate estimation of shortwave net radiation (Sn), cloudy-sky allwave net radiation (Rn), and daily integrated Sn at high spatial resolution is essential in regional and global land surface models. The current SRB products have fine temporal and coarse spatial resolutions not suitable for land applications. New hybrid algorithm for Sn estimation has been developed in this study. Sn is estimated from MODIS data under both clearand cloudy-sky conditions without requiring coarser resolution ancillary data. Therefore, estimated Sn retains the spatial resolution of the raw input data. Surface all-wave (both shortwave and longwave) net radiation (Rn) controls the input of latent and sensible heat flux into the atmosphere over the Earth's surface. Meteorological datasets are spatially limited and satellite data have the advantage of global spatial coverage; however, difficulty in accurately estimating cloudy-sky longwave net radiation (Ln) undermines efforts to estimate cloudy-sky all-wave net radiation. This study presents methods for estimating cloudy-sky Rn using Sn and other surface variables at 1 km spatial resolution. Daily integrated Sn is closely related to carbon, water and energy flux simulations. A daily integrated Sn product with a 1-km spatial resolution supports recent high resolution numerical climate and ecosystem simulations. This study describes a method for estimating daily integrated Sn in 1 km resolution based on instantaneous Sn data. All these algorithms have been validated using seven sites of a SURFace RADiation budget observing network (SURFRAD) in United States, instantaneous Sn is also compared with GEWEX/SRB and ISCCP data. The new hybrid algorithm developed in the study can be easily implemented to generate operational global products. These finer spatial resolution datasets capture the specific sequence of the redistribution of the available energy at the Earth's surface; therefore, they support recent high resolution land surface models. Estimation of Land Surface Radiation Budget from MODIS Data


Abstract. There has been much recent interest in developing data-driven models for weather and climate predictions. These have shown reasonable success in modelling atmospheric dynamics over short time scales, however there are open questions regarding the sensitivity and robustness of these models. Using model interpretation techniques to better understand how data-driven models are making predictions is critical to developing trust in these alternative prediction systems. We develop a simple regression model of ocean temperature evolution, Ocean Temperature Regressor v1.0, and investigate its sensitivity to improve understanding of whether data-driven models are capable of learning the complex underlying dynamics of the systems being modelled. We investigate model sensitivity in a variety of ways and find that Ocean Temperature Regressor v1.0 behaves in ways which are, for the most part, in line with our knowledge of the ocean system being modelled. Specifically we see that the regressor heavily bases its forecasts on, and is dependent on, variables which we know are key to the physical dynamics inherent in the system, such as the currents and density. By contrast, inputs to the regressor which have limited direct dynamic impact, such as location, are not heavily used by the regressor. We also find that the regression model requires non-linear interactions between inputs in order to show any meaningful predictive skill – in line with out knowledge of the highly nonlinear dynamics of the ocean. Further sensitivity analysis is carried out to interpret that the ways in which certain variables are used by the regression model. Results here are again mostly in line with our physical knowledge of the system, for example, we see that information about the vertical profile of the water column reduces errors in areas associated with convective activity, and information about the currents is used by the regressor to reduce errors in regions dominated by advective processes. Our results show that even a simple regression model is capable of "learning" much of the physical dynamics inherent in the ocean system being modelled, which gives promise for the sensitivity and generalisability of data-driven models more generally.


The Mathletics database now comprises many mathematical topics from
GCSE to level 2 undergraduate. The aim of this short paper is to document,
explore and provide some solutions to the pedagogic issues we are facing
whilst setting online objective questions across this range. Technical issues
are described in the companion paper by Ellis, Greenhow and Hatt (2006).
That paper refers to "question styles to stress that we author according to the
pedagogic and algebraic structure of the content of a question; random
parameters are chosen at runtime ... This results in each style having
thousands, or even millions, of realisations seen by the users." With this
emphasis, and with new topics being included, new question types beyond
the usual multi-choice (MC) etc have been developed to ask appropriate and
challenging questions. We feel that their pedagogic structure (and underlying
code) is widely applicable to testing beyond the scope of Mathematics. This
paper describes three of the new question types: Word Input, Responsive
Numerical Input and 4/True/False/Undecidable/Statement/Property. Of
generic importance is the fact that each of these question types can include
post-processing of submitted answers; sample Javascript coding that checks
the validity of the input(s) before marking takes place is described. In common
with most of the rest of the question style's content this could be exported to
other CAA systems.
Ellis et al (2005) and Gill & Greenhow (2006) describe initial results of a trial
of level 1 undergraduate mechanics questions. This academic year we have
expanded the range of tests to foundation and level 1 undergraduate algebra
and calculus, involving several hundred students. First and foremost we have
underlined the value of Random Numerical Input (RNI) question types
compared with traditional Numerical Input (NI) types for which answer files
resulting from questions with randomised parameters are exceptionally
difficult to interpret. Despite our current lack of a consistent and fullymeaningful
way of encoding the mal-rules within the question outcome
metadata, mal-rule-based question types (MC, RNI etc) have been analysed
in terms of difficulty, discrimination and item analysis. In the case of multiplechoice
questions any weaknesses are separately identified as skill-based or
conceptual.


Stem cell proliferation is controlled through cell cycle arrest and activation. In the central nervous system of Drosophila melanogaster, neuroblast quiescence and activation takes place in defined spatial and temporal patterns. Two genes have been identified that regulate the pattern of neuroblast quiescence and proliferation. ana, which has been previously described by Ebens and coworkers (Ebens, A., Garren, H., Cheyette, B. N. R. and Zipursky, S. L. (1993). Cell 74, 15-28), encodes a secreted glial glycoprotein that inhibits premature neuroblast proliferation. We previously showed that trolsd causes a dramatic drop in the number of dividing cells in the larval brain late in development. This study presents evidence that this decrease results from a failure to activate proliferation in the quiescent neuroblast population at the appropriate time. However, trolsd does not affect the maintenance of cell division in already dividing mushroom body neuroblasts. The quiescent optic lobe and thoracic neuroblasts affected by trolsd proliferate in a trol mutant background if they have been activated by a lack of the ana proliferation repressor, demonstrating that trolsd does not affect cellular viability, nor does trol represent a celltype-specific mitotic factor. This also shows that trol acts downstream of ana to activate proliferation of quiescent neuroblasts in an ana-dependent pathway, possibly by inactivating or bypassing the ana repressor. These results suggest that trol and ana are components of a novel developmental pathway for the control of cell cycle activation in quiescent neuroblasts.