Since the early 1980s, Iran's Islamic Republic has been under various US economic sanctions as a punishment for alleged international transgressions. During this period, the theocratic regime has moved forward on many economic fronts, but has been effectively held back in its efforts to reach the pre-revolution level of national prosperity. US sanctions have had a part in the setback, but not a decisive role. While the regime may survive the enhanced sanctions, the economy is not likely to prosper without American and Western support. since January 1984, Iran's economy has been under various US economic sanctions of increasing scope and intensity. Starting with a ban on the sale of American arms and dual-use technology, the sanctions gradually expanded to the present level with a total embargo on all bilateral trade and investment, and were even extended to secondary boycotts, penalizing foreign companies investing in Iran's oil and gas sector. The economy's performance during the 13-year period has included some successes and many setbacks. Opposition groups have aggrandized the failures and blamed them on the regime's ineptitude, mismanagement, malfeasance, and corruption.1 Government officials, in turn, have accentuated their positive achievements, and attributed their shortfalls to matters beyond their control. Topping the list of the reasons for the regime's problems has been the "imposed" war with Iraq (1980-88), which was allegedly instigated by Washington. During that war, Baghdad is said to have been helped by American arms, intelligence information, and financial credit, while Iran was denied spare parts for its largely American-equipped armed forces. Global arrogance-a code phrase for the Washington-Tel Aviv axis against Iran-was repeatedly singled out as the root cause of Iran's economic difficulties.2 The purpose of this article is to review Iran's economic record and to examine the impact of US sanctions on the Iranian economy. There is no intention here to delve into several related but tangential issues3 such as the true global significance of the Iranian challenge and the appropriateness of the US response; the legality of US unilateral sanctions under the World Trade Organization's charter; the application of US jurisdiction to foreign companies outside America under international law; or the extent of Washington's rift with its allies and partners on the effectiveness of containment vs. dialogue.4 The focus here is on the sanctions' target and impact. WHY SANCTIONS? US coercive measures against the Islamic Republic have been advocated as a punishment for Tehran's alleged misbehavior. Washington has accused the Islamic Republic of attempting to export the Islamic revolution to other Muslim countries and promoting Islamic radicalism in such secular nations in the Middle East and North Africa as Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Tunisia, Turkey, and others, through direct and indirect assistance to local militant Islamic elements. HAMAS (Islamic Resistance Movement) and the Islamic Jihad (Struggle) in the Palestinian Territories, Hizballah (Party of God) in Lebanon, the Shi'ites Freedom Movement in Bahrain, Al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya (Islamic Group) in Egypt, the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) in Algeria, Hizb al-Mujahidin (The Party of Islamic Fighters) in Kashmir, Hizb al-Da`wa (The Call) in Iraq, and other assorted groups from West China and Central Asia to Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey and Saudi Arabia have been mentioned in the press as alleged beneficiaries. Tehran has also been accused of sponsoring or supporting international terrorism and subversion against its enemies and opponents.5 There have been blunt charges or dark hints in Washington's official circles regarding the Islamic regime's involvement in terrorist acts in Bangkok, Buenos Aires, Dhahran, Jerusalem, London, Paris, Tel-Aviv and elsewhere.6 Tehran's refusal to condemn HAMAS suicide bombers as "terrorists" has been cited as evidence of Iran's support for terrorism. …


STATs (signal transducers and activators of transcription) become activated when they are phosphorylated by tyrosine kinases that associate with activated cytokine receptors. The phosphorylated STATs form homodimers or heterodimers that translocate to the nucleus and regulate gene expression. Recent work identified nuclear localization signals (NLSs) in STATS 1 and 2 and now Fagerlund et al. confirm that these protein domains are critical for nuclear localization. They studied STAT1 homodimers or STAT1-STAT 2 heterodimers and their interaction with importin α, a key component of the nuclear transport machinery that binds NLSs on proteins that are moved into the nucleus through the nuclear pore complex. Only the phosphorylated, dimeric STATs interacted with a fusion protein of importin α linked to glutathione S-transferase or localized with importin α in transfected cells. Mutation of the NLS in the STATs prevented interaction with importin α. Many studies have shown that phosphorylation and dimerization of STATs are essential activation events. The altered affinity for binding to importin α acquired by the activated dimers provides a mechanism by which the activation signal is recognized in the nucleus. R. Fagerlund, K. Melén, L. Kinnunen, I. Julkunen, Arginine/lysine-rich nuclear localization signals mediate interactions between dimeric STATs and importin α5, J. Biol. Chem. 277, 30072-30078 (2002). [Abstract] [Full Text]


Nerve preservation is an important issue during most surgery because accidental transection or injury results in significant morbidity, including numbness, pain, weakness, or paralysis. Currently, nerves are still identified only by gross appearance and anatomical location during surgery, without intraoperative image guidance. Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent light, in the wavelength range of 650-900 nm, has the potential to provide high-resolution, high-sensitivity, and real-time avoidance of nerve damage, but only if nerve-specific NIR fluorophores can be developed. In this study, we evaluated a series of Oxazine derivatives to highlight various peripheral nerve structures in small and large animals. Among the targeted fluorophores, Oxazine 4 has peak emission near into the NIR, which provided nerve-targeted signal in the brachial plexus and sciatic nerve for up to 12 h after a single intravenous injection. In addition, recurrent laryngeal nerves were successfully identified and highlighted in real time in swine, which could be preserved during the course of thyroid resection. Although optical properties of these agents are not yet optimal, chemical structure analysis provides a basis for improving these prototype nerve-specific NIR fluorophores even further.


Zone diagrams are a variation on the classical concept of Voronoi diagrams. Given n sites in a metric space that compete for territory, the zone diagram is an equilibrium state in the competition. Formally it is defined as a fixed point of a certain "dominance" map. Asano, Matoušek, and Tokuyama proved the existence and uniqueness of a zone diagram for point sites in the Euclidean plane, and Reem and Reich showed existence for two arbitrary sites in an arbitrary metric space. We establish existence and uniqueness for n disjoint compact sites in a Euclidean space of arbitrary (finite) dimension, and more generally, in a finite-dimensional normed space with a smooth and rotund norm. The proof is considerably simpler than that of Asano et al. We also provide an example of non-uniqueness for a norm that is rotund but not smooth. Finally, we prove existence and uniqueness for two point sites in the plane with a smooth (but not necessarily rotund) norm.


We propose several heuristic algorithms that reconfigure logical topologies in wide-area wavelength-routed optical networks. Our reconfiguration algorithms attempt to keep the network availability as much as possible during the reconfiguration process. For this purpose, a lightpath is taken as the minimum unit of reconfiguration, which is an all-optical wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) channel. The proposed algorithms are evaluated by using an NFSNFT-like network model with 16 nodes and 25 links. The results show that very simple algorithms provide very small computational complexity but poor performance, i.e., bad network availability, and that an efficient algorithm provides reasonable computational complexity and very good performance. More complex algorithms may improve performance somewhat further but have unrealistically large computational complexity.


The high volume of research outputs related to technologies and strategies for decarbonisation can make it challenging to understand the relevance of the presented proposals. In this paper, a bibliometric-based analysis is proposed to understand better the domains and subdomains of decarbonisation technologies that have given more attention by the scientific community. The results show that carbon capture technologies, renewable energy sources, electric mobility, green hydrogen, and storage systems are the technology innovations that have received the most attention in the period 2013 to 2021. These results confirm the traditional supply-side orientation of research on technology innovations.


For 80 years, Annual Reviews has been synthesizing the literature to help scientists keep up with the wealth of scientific research that is published each year. Our content has traditionally been delivered online and in print as long-form review articles, but with scientists more pressured than ever, we have looked into mobile platforms for new ways to fit information into readers' workflows. We asked ourselves, How are our users changing? How do their needs or habits differ? What is important to them? By leveraging our core role and strengths, Annual Reviews strives to be innovative in our approach to solving readers' future problems. This article looks at our product development and innovation processes and experiences, with examples of lessons learned and hints on where we are going next.


16. Abstract The number of trucks on many highways in Texas and across the nation has increased to the point that special or unique roadway design treatments may be warranted. Increases in truck traffic have resulted from increases in time-sensitive freight (e.g., just-in-time deliveries), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and until recently a robust economy. As particular corridors have become increasingly dominated by truck traffic, or in locations where truck traffic might reasonably be segregated, questions have arisen regarding accommodations and treatments that may be appropriate for those corridors to address issues caused by truck traffic. This research investigated the sensitivity of current Texas design practice to the unique operating characteristics of large commercial vehicles and determined threshold conditions under which design should reflect these larger vehicles. Findings indicate that serious consideration needs to be given trucks when the average annual daily truck traffic (AADTT) reaches 5000 trucks per day during the design period. When the design AADTT reaches 25,000 trucks per day, there may be justification for considering separated truck roadways with a minimum of two lanes in each direction. This research recommends that the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) consider changes in the following design parameters in its Roadway Design Manual (and/or other appropriate documents): stopping sight distance, intersection and channelization, lane width, shoulder width and composition, sideslopes and drainage features, traffic barrier, passive signs, and acceleration lanes.


Little is known about how to generate plausible new scientific ideas. So it is noteworthy that 12 years of self-experimentation led to the discovery of several surprising cause-effect relationships and suggested a new theory of weight control, an unusually high rate of new ideas. The cause-effect relationships were: (1) Seeing faces in the morning on television decreased mood in the evening (>10 hrs later) and improved mood the next day (>24 hrs later), yet had no detectable effect before that (0–10 hrs later). The effect was strongest if the faces were life-sized and at a conversational distance. Travel across time zones reduced the effect for a few weeks. (2) Standing 8 hours per day reduced early awakening and made sleep more restorative, even though more standing was associated with less sleep. (3) Morning light (1 hr/day) reduced early awakening and made sleep more restorative. (4) Breakfast increased early awakening. (5) Standing and morning light together eliminated colds (upper respiratory tract infections) for more than 5 years. (6) Drinking lots of water, eating low-glycemic-index foods, and eating sushi each caused a modest weight loss. (7) Drinking unflavored fructose water caused a large weight loss that has lasted more than 1 year. While losing weight, hunger was much less than usual. Unflavored sucrose water had a similar effect. The new theory of weight control, which helped discover this effect, assumes that flavors associated with calories raise the body-fat set point: The stronger the association, the greater the increase. Between meals the set point declines. Self-experimentation lasting months or years seems to be a good way to generate plausible new ideas.


An adequate understanding of tort law requires distinguishing four senses in which "rights" figure in tort. First and most obviously, tort law imposes duties on actors to refrain from injuring others that are correlative to rights not to be injured in the ways proscribed by tort law. Second, tort law confers on one who suffers a violation of the right of non-injury a right of action, i.e., a legal power to hold the tortfeasor liable. Third, the legal power conferred on tort victims is grounded in a duty owed by the state to its citizens and their corresponding right to an avenue of civil recourse against those who have wronged them. Finally, the victim's right against the state to law for the recourse of wrongs derives in part from the natural right – or, more precisely, the natural privilege – of individuals to make certain demands of those who have wronged them. By distinguishing among the kinds of rights involved in tort law, and explaining how they connect to one another, civil recourse theory explains more satisfactorily than other theories the particular sense in which tort is a law of rights and responsibilities.


This thesis investigates the notion of collocation and the effects of lexical association measures triangulating corpus, lexicographic and experimental evidence. Focusing on institutional academic English, and in particular on the genre of degree course descriptions, a special-purpose corpus is constructed semi-automatically from the web. Two widely-used lexical association measures (Mutual Information and Log-likelihood), a relatively recent one (Lexical Gravity), and bare cooccurrence frequency are used to extract collocation candidates from this corpus using a stratified sampling technique. The 99 phrases thus selected are searched for in two dictionaries (a collocation dictionary and a general purpose learner dictionary), presented to expert informants who evaluate their acceptability, and used in a lexical decision task. The results of these evaluation tasks suggest that a) none of the measures significantly outperforms the others in extracting salient word pairs, even though bare frequency seems to perform marginally better than the others in the lexical decision task, and MI in the acceptability judgement task; b) different measures target different types of phrases (both in terms of the distinction between free/restricted combinations, and in terms of their degree of specialization) ; c) some measures perform better in the top range (e.g. Lexical Gravity), while for other measures the best results are scattered in different frequency ranges (e.g. Mutual Information); d) native speaker and non native speaker expert informants seem to evaluate collocativity in similar ways, even though non natives are more conservative, giving less extreme scores; e) the acceptability judgement questionnaire and the lexical decision task, performed on different groups using different experimental methodologies, provide converging evidence: the expressions that experts find to be the most acceptable are also recognized faster and more accurately by subjects in the test. In turn, f) this experimental evidence is correlated with the corpus evidence extracted by the association measures. The implications of these findings are manyfold. On the theoretical side, they confirm that corpora and lexical association measures provide evidence that is coherent with that obtained from experimental methods targeting language competence. On the descriptive side, the study suggests that the phraseology of degree course description is characterized by a mix of disciplinary terms (``cochlear implants'', ``linear algebra'') and core phraseology typical of the genre (``wide genre'', ``open days''), as well as showing which lexical association measures are more appropriate for targeting the former (Mutual Information) or the latter (Frequency or Lexical Gravity). Lastly on the applied side, these findings can be used to provide guidelines as to the best lexical association measures to use depending on the type of phrases one wants to extract, the amount of manual filtering that can be applied to the task, the number of phrases to extract and so forth.


Over the last two decades, the cultural and cognitive artifacts that information and communication technologies circulate have become entangled with human and technical actors to the point of inseparability. These entanglements are primarily driven by the proliferation and wide adoption of online and mobile technologies. As a result, we discern the migration of previously physical artifacts to the digital realm and a transformation of the relations between users, information, and technology. A prominent example of the shift from physical to digital is the transformation of the print newspaper genre to the digital newspaper genre. Adopting a sociomaterial approach and building on genre theory, this paper presents an investigation of the nature and emergence of the digital newspaper based on an ethnographic study of a major news and publishing company. We find significant changes in the context, the news offering, and the roles of actors involved with the newspaper artifact – emerging with the introduction and adoption of disparate media. Drawing on the empirical findings, we conclude that the digitization of the newspaper emphasizes the central importance of the medium and transforms the author-reader relations from interaction to intra-action. Hence, the print to digital shift is demonstrated to have profoundly altered the very notion of the newspaper genre.


Introduction. Analytical solutions for problems of structural mechanics are not only an alternative approach to solving problems of strength, reliability and dynamics of structures, but also the possibility for simple performance evaluations and optimization of structures. Frequency analysis of planar trusses, most often used in construction and engineering, is an important part of the study of structures. Objectives - development of a three-parameter induction algorithm for deriving the analytical dependence of the natural oscillation frequencies of the truss on the number of panels. Materials and methods. A flat, statically definable truss with one additional external link and double braces has been considered. The inertia properties of the truss are modeled by point masses located in the nodes of the lower straight truss belt. Each mass is assumed to have only one vertical degree of freedom. The stiffness of all truss rods is assumed to be the same. The task is to obtain analytical dependences of the oscillation frequencies of the proposed truss model on the number of panels. The derivation of the desired formulas is performed by the method of induction in three stages - according to the numbers of rows and columns of the compliance matrix, calculated using the Maxwell - Mohr formula and the number of panels. To find common members of the obtained sequences of coefficients, an apparatus was used to compile and solve the recurrent equations of the Maple computer mathematics system. The task of determining frequencies has been reduced to the eigenvalue problem of a bisymmetric matrix. Results. For the elements of the compliance matrix, general formulas have been found, according to which the frequency equations are compiled and solved. It is shown that in the frequency spectra of trusses with different numbers of panels there is always one common frequency (middle frequency) located in the middle of the spectrum. An expression is found for the maximum value of the average oscillation frequency as a function of the height of the truss. Conclusions. The proposed truss scheme, despite its external static indeterminacy and the lattice, which does not allow for the calculation of forces by such methods as the method of cutting nodes and the cross section method, allows analytical solutions for the natural frequencies of loads in the nodes. The obtained formulas have a rather simple form, and some general properties, such as frequency coincidences for different numbers of panels and the presence of an analytically calculated maximum of the average frequency function of the truss height, make this solution convenient for practical structural evaluations.


In this paper we consider the forecasting performance of a range of semi- and non- parametric methods applied to high frequency electricity price data. Electricity price time-series data tend to be highly seasonal, mean reverting with price jumps/spikes and time- and price-dependent volatility. The typical approach in this area has been to use a range of tools that have proven popular in the financial econometrics literature, where volatility clustering is common. However, electricity time series tend to exhibit higher volatility on a daily basis, but within a mean reverting framework, albeit with occasional large 'spikes'. In this paper we compare the existing forecasting performance of some popular parametric methods, notably GARCH AR-MAX, with approaches that are new to this area of applied econometrics, in particular, Artificial Neural Networks (ANN); Linear Regression Trees, Local Regressions and Generalised Additive Models. Section 2 presents the properties and definitions of the models to be compared and Section 3 the characteristics of the data used which in this case are spot electricity prices from the Californian market 07/1999-12/2000. This period includes the 'crisis' months of May-August 2000 where extreme volatility was observed. Section 4 presents the results and ranking of methods on the basis of forecasting performance. Section 5 concludes.


Today, there is increasing pressure on the water infrastructure and although unsustainable water extraction and wastewater handling can continue for a while, at some point water needs to be managed in a way that is sustainable in the long-term. We need to handle water utilities "smarter".

New and effective tools and technologies are becoming available at an affordable cost and these technologies are steadily changing water infrastructure options. The quality and robustness of sensors are increasing rapidly and their reliability makes the automatic handling of critical processes viable. Online and real-time control means safer and more effective operation.

The combination of better sensors and new water treatment technologies is a strong enabler for decentralised and diversified water treatment. Plants can be run with a minimum of personnel attendance. In the future, thousands of sensors in the water utility cycle will handle all the complexity in an effective way.

Smart Water Utilities: Complexity Made Simple provides a framework for Smart Water Utilities based on a M-A-D (Measurement-Analysis-Decision). This enables the organisation and implrementation of "Smart" in a water utility by providing an overview of supporting technologies and methods.

The book presents an introduction to methods and tools, providing a perspective of what can and could be achieved. It provides a toolbox for all water challenges and is essential reading for the Water Utility Manager, Engineer and Director and for Consultants, Designers and Researchers.

ISBN: 9781780407586 (eBook)

ISBN: 9781780407579 (Print)


This dissertation discusses the changing nature of comics and comic books in a digital
age. Its focus is on comics as an artistic form that developed in connection with
technologies belonging to print culture and the age of mechanical reproduction. This
fact is both reflected and challenged by the digitization of printed comics, digital comics
(comics created with computers that can be read on different electronic platforms, either
networked or not) and webcomics (comics made mainly to be read on computers
online).
It claims that comics as a communicative and artistic system has expressed itself as a
type of materiality. Materiality in this case refers not only to the publications
themselves but the processes involved in their creation and in their interaction with the
reader in specific settings.
Through an analysis that combines previous comics scholarship with critical theory,
theories of electronic text and the history of the book, this thesis argues comic books'
materiality is distinct and yet interacts with other media such as traditional books, film
electonic texts, etc. The materiality of comics produces and is simultaneously the
consequence of particular textual topologies, which have made comics partially
untranslatable to digital and other media, or that at least interrogate the idea that such
translation (or migration) can be done without significant loss or without becoming
something else.
The study concludes that digital media is presenting unique opportunities for comics
textuality. Amongst other risks, were there to be a total migration from a printed culture
to a digital one, a complex dimension of comic book reading as an interactive social
experience organised around physical, historical materiality would be lost and replaced
by an altogether different one. The evidence indicates that the current digital revolution
in comic books fully includes, and not excludes, the culture of print.


Purpose of review Recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury is one of the most common and serious complications associated with thyroid and parathyroid surgery. Although routine visual identification of the RLN is considered the current standard of care, the role of intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) of the RLN is more controversial. Recent findings Despite initial enthusiasm that IONM might substantially reduce the rate of RLN injury, most studies failed to show a significant difference in the rate of RLN injury when the use of IONM was compared with visualization of the RLN alone. However, a small number of investigators have reported statistically significant differences in the rates of nerve injury when IONM is used to augment visualization alone, particularly in certain high-risk situations. Despite a lack of conclusive data showing benefit, the use of IONM as an adjunct to visual identification of the RLN has gained increasing acceptance among surgeons. IONM remains an excellent tool to help verify the identity of the RLN, confirm its functional integrity, and pinpoint the site of nerve injury in the event of dysfunction. Summary The utility of IONM in reducing the rate of RLN injury is largely unproven and remains controversial. However, the use of IONM may be helpful in certain high-risk cases. Promising new technology, such as vagal nerve monitoring, may allow more real-time monitoring of the functional integrity of the RLN and allow the surgeon to react in a timely manner to evolving dysfunction in order to abort maneuvers that may risk definitive injury.


Abstract The digitalization of journalism has resulted in an increased overlap between technology and journalism in the newsroom. This development has profound implications for journalism education. The present study investigates a team-based experiential learning project between journalism and computer science students in a digital feature journalism course. Using the concept of trading zones as our analytical lens, we explore the students' thoughts and opinions regarding professional roles and boundaries as well as areas of tension and spaces of mutual understanding in the collaborative context. Using mixed methods and data from questionnaires, observations and semi-structured interviews, the study demonstrates how trading zones between journalism and computer science students varied from homogenous collaboration to heterogeneous coercion, with diverse experiences of collaboration, coordination and collapse.


Broad and up-to-date coverage of the principles and practice in the fast moving area of Distributed Systems. Distributed Systems provides students of computer science and engineering with the skills they will need to design and maintain software for distributed applications. It will also be invaluable to software engineers and systems designers wishing to understand new and future developments in the field. From mobile phones to the Internet, our lives depend increasingly on distributed systems linking computers and other devices together in a seamless and transparent way. The fifth edition of this best-selling text continues to provide a comprehensive source of material on the principles and practice of distributed computer systems and the exciting new developments based on them, using a wealth of modern case studies to illustrate their design and development. The depth of coverage will enable readers to evaluate existing distributed systems and design new ones.


Mathematical methods take an important part in reconstruction technologies of radiographic image. Back projection, iterative, and analytical (Two-dimensional Fourier, Filtered Back Projection) methods are the most important procedures for image reconstruction. Whenever there exists numerous projections, analytical methods have a great performance in speed and accuracy and due to these advantages they are comprehensively used for X-ray imaging. One of the widespread used methods in tomographic image reconstruction is Filtered Back Projection (FBP) algorithm. This paper presents an application of this reconstruction algorithm for a generated image of the object. Shepp-Logan filter is used to form the filtered back projection image and performance improvement is investigated. The obtained images indicate that FBP algorithm can be substantial for various applications in the field of medicine and industry.


ABSTRACT Two models for the heating responsible for granite generation during convergent deformation may be distinguished on the basis of the length- and time-scales associated with the thermal perturbation, namely: (1) long-lived, lithospheric-scale heating as a conductive response to the deformation, and (2) transient, localised heating as a response to advective heat sources such as mantle-derived melts. The strong temperature dependence of lithospheric rheology implies that the heat advected within rising granites may affect the distribution and rates of deformation within the developing orogen in a way that reflects the thermal regime attendant on granite formation; this contention is supported by numerical models of lithospheric deformation based on the thin-sheet approximation. The model results are compared with geological and isotopic constraints on granite genesis in the southern Adelaide Fold Belt where intrusion spans a 25 Ma convergent deformation cycle, from about 516 to 490 Ma, resulting in crustal thickening to 50–55 km. High-T metamorphism in this belt is spatially restricted to an axis of magmatic activity where the intensity and complexity of deformation is significantly greater, and may have started earlier, than in adjacent low-grade areas. The implication is that granite generation and emplacement is a causative factor in localising deformation, and on the basis of the results of the mechanical models suggests that granite formation occurred in response to localised, transient crustal heating by mantle melts. This is consistent with the Nd- and Sr-isotopic composition of the granites which seems to reflect mixed sources with components derived both from the depleted contemporary mantle and the older crust.


Abstract Tony Hallam's contributions to mass extinction studies span more than 50 years and this thematic issue provides an opportunity to pay tribute to the many pioneering contributions he has made to this field. Early work (1961) on the Jurassic in Europe revealed a link, during the Toarcian Stage, between extinction and the spread of anoxic waters during transgression – the first time such a common leitmotif had been identified. He also identified substantial sea-level changes during other mass extinction intervals with either regression (end-Triassic) or early transgression (end-Permian) coinciding with the extinction phases. Hallam's (1981) study on bivalves was also the first to elevate the status of the end-Triassic crisis and place it amongst true mass extinctions, changing previous perceptions that it was a part of a protracted period of turnover, although debates on the duration of this crisis continue (Hallam, 2002). Conflicting views on the nature of recovery from mass extinctions have also developed, especially for the aftermath of the end-Permian mass extinction. These discussions can be traced to Hallam's seminal 1991 paper that noted the considerable delay in benthic recovery during Early Triassic time and attributed it to the persistence of the harmful, high-stress conditions responsible for the extinction itself. This idea now forms the cornerstone of one of the more favoured explanations for this ultra-low diversity interval.


The H 2 O and CO 2 channel contents of cordierite in migmatites from the Bayerische Wald (Variscan Belt, Germany) were measured by infrared spectroscopy, directly from thin polished rock sections. Cordierite is characterized by low H 2 O and CO 2 contents of 0.38 to 0.74 and 0.04 to 0.10 wt%, respectively. Errors are mainly introduced by the varying orientations of the cordierite sections and are estimated to be 10–12% relative for the average total H 2 O content of a sample. The orientation effects are even more pronounced for CO 2 . Whereas the total cordierite H 2 O contents vary between the samples within the given range, the H 2 O contents of cordierite grains within a single sample show no variations, neither between cordierite formed by different reactions, nor between cores and rims. Only in one sample could an increase be observed in total H 2 O contents from cores to rims. The CO 2 contents vary between the samples and in some cases also within the samples. The low volatile contents are not consistent with equilibration of cordierite with H 2 O-CO 2 fluids. Most likely, they are due to equilibration with peraluminous water-undersaturated melts. The melt H 2 O contents calculated with the cordierite H 2 O contents of the Bayerische Wald, using recently published partition coefficients, are in the range of melt H 2 O contents from dehydration melting experiments. The variation of cordierite H 2 O contents between the studied samples can be explained by locally differing melting reactions and melt percentages. The lower range of the H 2 O concentrations of cordierite could also be due to dehydration, assuming the most unfavourable circumstances. However, the presence of Na, CO 2 and N 2 acting as channel blockers, the 1:1 ratio of H 2 O I: H 2 O II and rapid cooling of the rocks down to 500°C argue against significant dehydration. Therefore, in-situ FTIR spectroscopy on cordierite can be a useful tool to determine fluid/melting conditions in migmatites where clear evidence of partial melting is lacking, and calculated temperatures are between the H 2 O-saturated and the dehydration-melting solidus.


Computer-mediated classrooms coupled with heightened emphasis on removing geographic limitations have led to growing dependence on asynchronous learning networks as a delivery medium. An increasingly robust body of literature suggests both positive and negative implications of knowledge delivery using this medium. However, much less is known about the implications of this delivery method relative to the cultural differences which exist in a geographically limitless environment. Exploratory research from a graduate level course was used to ascertain some of the basic cross cultural issues which may be relevant in this environment. Using cultural context as a separator, twenty four participants evenly split between low context participants and high context participants were polled regarding their experience in the course. The poll addressed a number of key issues finding increasing frequency in the asynchronous learning network literature. Results confirm some of the published benefits as touted in the literature, but identify an additional set of issues for further research and evaluation.


ABSTRACT Three new species of Ulnaria (Kützing) Compère are described based on light and scanning electric microscopy observations. Ulnaria oxybiseriata D.M. Williams & Bing Liu, sp. nov., has linear-lanceolate to lanceolate valves with apiculate and produced ends, biseriate striae, and a central area mostly forming an incomplete fascia surrounded by shortened striae on one side. Ulnaria jinbianensis S. Blanco & Bing Liu, sp. nov., bears linear-lanceolate valves with rostrate to subrostrate ends in larger valves and cuneate ends in smaller valves, uniseriate stria, and a central area forming a rectangular to trapezoid fascia. Ulnaria dongtingensis Bing Liu, sp. nov., possesses a narrow-lanceolate valve outline with produced rostrate to capitate ends, uniseriate stria, and a central area forming almost square fascia. The valvocopula of all three new species bears the same ultrastructure: 1) a complete valvocopula is a closed ring with the same shape as the valve outline, closely attached to the mantle interior surrounding the valve margin; 2) each valvocopula present a row of poroids which bisects the pars interior and exterior; 3) valvocopula with sawtooth-shaped projections attached to the valve over virgae internally; and 4) the valvocopula closed and hyaline at both apices. All three species were found in alkaline freshwater (around pH 8) with moderate conductivity (c. 102-221 µS/cm).


The Pastoral Epistles present difficult questions for the modern interpreter, including such matters as their authorship, literary characteristics, and social orientations. Raymond Collins carefully leads the reader through the texts of these three documents, attending to the flow of the Pastor's thought and locating it within the Jewish and Hellenistic culture of his day. The New Testament Library offers authoritative commentary on every book and major aspect of the New Testament, as well as classic volumes of scholarship. The commentaries in this series provide fresh translations based on the best available ancient manuscripts, offer critical portrayals of the historical world in which the books were created, pay careful attention to their literary design, and present a theologically perceptive exposition of the text.


There is great interest in increasing the use of magnesium (Mg) alloys in transportation applications to reduce weight. The use of these alloys would increase if their strength and castability were improved. Through grain refinement, it is possible to achieve significant improvement in specific mechanical properties such as strength and hardness. For aluminum (A1)-containing Mg alloys, a commonly used grain refiner is hexachloroethane (C₂Cl₆). Though effective, C₂Cl₆ use releases harmful chlorinated hydrocarbons. It is therefore desired to find novel grain refiners that are effective and environmentally safe. This thesis focused on the grain refinement of AZ9lE alloy with three refiners: Al-5TiB₂, Al-A1₄C₃ and ZnO. The refiners were chosen due to their known grain refinement efficiency in low-Al Mg or Mg-Zn alloys. Castings with each refiner were made in graphite molds to establish i) the optimum addition levels to achieve the smallest average grain size and ii) the effect of holding time on fading of grain refinement efficiency. These castings ere used to collect thermal data and sectioned for microscopy and hardness testing. Castings were also made with the optimum parameters in a permanent mold specifically designed to investigate hot tearing susceptibility. The results indicated that all three additions enabled grain refinement of the base alloy, and no fading of grain refiner efficiency was observed. These refiners transformed the coarse dendritic microstructure in AZ9lE to one that was equiaxed and globular. At optimal levels, the refinement mechanism was heterogeneous nucleation. Also, hot tearing was significantly decreased with all refiners except for ZnO. The excess Zn from ZnO addition led to an increase in the freezing range, thus increasing the hot tear severity. The hardness of AZ9lE did not increase with ZnO addition as it did with the other two refiners.


Given an $r$-uniform hypergraph $H=(V,E)$ and a weight function $\omega:E\to\{1,\dots,w\}$, a coloring of vertices of $H$, induced by $\omega$, is defined by $c(v) = \sum_{e\ni v} w(e)$ for all $v\in V$. If there exists such a coloring that is strong (that means in each edge no color appears more than once), then we say that $H$ is strongly $w$-weighted. Similarly, if the coloring is weak (that means there is no monochromatic edge), then we say that $H$ is weakly $w$-weighted. In this paper, we show that almost all 3 or 4-uniform hypergraphs are strongly 2-weighted (but not 1-weighted) and almost all $5$-uniform hypergraphs are either 1 or 2 strongly weighted (with a nontrivial distribution). Furthermore, for $r\ge 6$ we show that almost all $r$-uniform hypergraphs are strongly 1-weighted. We complement these results by showing that almost all 3-uniform hypergraphs are weakly 2-weighted but not 1-weighted and for $r\ge 4$ almost all $r$-uniform hypergraphs are weakly 1-weighted. These results extend a previous work of Addario-Berry, Dalal and Reed for graphs. We also prove general lower bounds and show that there are $r$-uniform hypergraphs which are not strongly $(r^2-r)$-weighted and not weakly 2-weighted. Finally, we show that determining whether a particular uniform hypergraph is strongly 2-weighted is NP-complete.


Cases on conversion of religion are regarded as sensitive by many quarters and have not been discussed openly. Indeed, statistics on conversion of religion are not exposed to the public. Recently the mufti of Perak, Datuk Dr. Harunsani Zakaria were reported to have been said that about 250,000 Muslims has converted to other religions. For example, the case of Noraisyah Bukhari has opened the eye of the Muslim society and created polemics and controversy. The issue was hotly and highly debated among Muslims in the country. The responses and reactions came not only among the layman Muslims but also from intellectuals and Muslims scholar and even the Malaysian government. For the meantime the debate on the issue seemed to be gaining momentum until various quarters including a few political parties which have urged the government to craft a legislation or enactment to address the issue of Muslims conversion to other of religion especially among the Malay-Muslims. Until now, the enactment is still in pre-discussion stage and will take a long time for approval and an implementation throughout the country. In the mean time, as waiting for the approval such laws to control the conversion religion among Malay-Muslims, rumors have started to circulate saying that the involvement of Malay-Muslims youngsters or adolescents are tempted to change their religion. They include those who are involved with groups which are visibly contradicted to Islam such as the Islamic Creed, Jangan Ikut Tuhan or JIT (Do not follow God) and Black Metal. Recently, a suggestion for an establishment of Interfaith Commission also created a concerns from the government because the suggestion would obviously create a rouse among Muslims in Malaysia. In relation to the issue, the government is called upon to give due attention and expose or publicize the statistics application of conversion religion identity among the Malay-Muslims to the Malaysian society because this phenomenon will effect and jeopardize the Muslim-family institutions in the country. This is therefore a serious matter at hand and more damaging than the social illness and drugs problems thus far. Even though there are many opinions, approaches and suggestions given before, still this matter has not been materialized yet. Therefore, a thorough study should be launched to look into the problem deeply. This study will help the government to identify the best solutions to overcome the conversion of religion issues among the Malay-Muslims in Johor, Selangor and Wilayah Persekutuan and the rest of the country.


Purpose: This article explores the possibility of developing a distribution model, similar to the model developed and implemented by the South African pharmaceutical industry, which could be implemented by automotive component manufacturers for supply to independent retailers. Problem Investigated: The South African automotive components distribution chain is extensive with a number of players of varying sizes, from the larger spares distribution groups to a number of independent retailers. Distributing to the smaller independent retailers is costly for the automotive component manufacturers. Methodology: This study is based on a preliminary study of an explorative nature. Interviews were conducted with a senior staff member from a leading automotive component manufacturer in KwaZulu Natal and nine participants at a senior management level at five of their main customers (aftermarket retailers). Findings: The findings from the empirical study suggest that the aftermarket component industry is mature with the role players well established. The distribution chain to the independent retailer is expensive in terms of transaction and distribution costs for the automotive component manufacturer. A proposed centralised distribution model for supply to independent retailers has been developed which should reduce distribution costs for the automotive component manufacturer in terms of (1) the lowest possible freight rate; (2) timely and controlled delivery; and (3) reduced congestion at the customer's receiving dock. Originality: This research is original in that it explores the possibility of implementing a centralised distribution model for independent retailers in the automotive component industry. Furthermore, there is a dearth of published research on the South African automotive component industry particularly addressing distribution issues. Conclusion: The distribution model as suggested is a practical one and should deliver added value to automotive component manufacturers in that it could reduce distribution costs and also may improve customer service.


Cooperation in social dilemmas is often challenged by negative noise, or unintended errors, such that the actual behavior is less cooperative than intended—for example, arriving later than intended for a meeting due to an unusual traffic jam. The present research was inspired by the notion that doing a little more for one's interaction partner, which may be movitvated by empathetic feelings, can effectively reduce the detrimental effects of "negative noise," or unintended incidents of noncooperation. Consistent with hypotheses, negative noise exhibited detrimental effects on cooperation, but such effects were absent when empathy-motivated cooperation was present. We conclude that empathy has broad benefits for social interaction, in that it can be an effective tool for coping with misinterpreted behaviors, thereby maintaining or enhancing cooperation. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are functional RNA molecules that are transcribed from mammalian genome but lack protein coding capacity. Nearly 80% of the human genome constitutes non-coding elements such as small non-coding RNAs, sncRNAs (miRNA, piRNA, SiRNA, SnRNA) and long non-coding RNAs, lncRNAs (linc RNA, NAT, eRNA, circ RNA, ceRNAs, PROMPTS). These ncRNAs have been extensively studied and are known to mediate the regulation of gene expression. In recent decades, lncRNAs have emerged as pivotal molecules that participate in the post-transcriptional regulation by acting as a signal, guide, scaffold and decoy molecules in addition to their role(s) in transcription. ncRNAs are known to play critical roles in defining DNA methylation patterns, imprinting as well as chromatin remodeling, thus having a substantial effect in epigenetic signaling. The expression of lncRNAs is regulated in a tissue specific and developmental stage specific manner and their mis-regulation is often associated with tumorigenesis. Henceforth, this chapter focuses mainly on the role(s) of ncRNAs in transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation and their relevance in cancers.


I studied the effect of moderate sheep grazing on a shadscale plant community at the Desert Experimental Range, southwestern Utah, USA, using a 61-yr data set with two grazing treatments (yes vs. no), two seasons (spring vs. winter), and two soil types (loamy-skeletal vs. coarse-loamy). I studied precipitation, total species cover, annuals, shrub survival, seedling recruitment, plant succession, and plant spatial relationships./p> Precipitation showed high variability (CV=31%) masking on short-term cycles, resulting in study intervals with average (1935-58), dry (1958-69), driest (1969-75), and wet (1980-94[5]) regimes. Total cover in both grazed and ungrazed pastures increased between 1935 and 1975 before decreasing to 1994. Treatments diverged with time, however, so cover was higher in ungrazed pastures in 1975 and 1994. Individually, Atriplex confertifolia decreased from 1958-94 and Ceratoides lanata from 1975-94. Artemisia spinescens increased in ungrazed pastures from 1935-94, while remaining very low in grazed pastures. Grasses increased from 1935-94 with little grazing effects. Annuals increased from absence in 1935 to 63% frequency in 1994; precipitation may be related to this increase. Grazing and soil type had few long-term or short effects on shrub survival. Similarly, only C. lanata showed a microhabitat effect, with greater seedling survival in vegetated than open patches. Seedling recruitment was positively correlated with precipitation. Only A. confertifolia recruitment responded to grazing; it was higher in grazed pastures. A fuzzy graph analysis showed a moderate grazing effect on succession. Clumped distributions were common and were unaffected by grazing but increased in wet years. Plant establishment occurred disproportionally in sites occupied or formerly occupied by plants, suggesting facilitation. Negative interference, however, was suggested by new recruitment occurring further from larger existing individuals. Moderate grazing had little effect on spatial relationships. In conclusion, the multivariate approach yielded broader conclusions than any individual factors. Although some factors showed more grazing effects than others, grazing could not completely explain observed changes; climate and inherent plant attributes must also be considered. Management at moderate grazing levels may only play a limited role in shadscale communities.


Two new species monogenean, found in gills of marine fish from the north easter cost of Venezuela are described: Kannaphalus mochimae found in Acanthurus coeruleus (Acanthuridae) and Allopyragraphorus marinae found in Strongylura marina (Belonidae). K. mochimae differs from K. virilis Unnithan, 1957 in shaped and location of the genitals and number of clamps and testis( K. mochimae posses 69 to 76 and 15 - 20 respectively, while K. virilis has 33 at 46 and more than 100 respectively). On the order hand, K. lateriporis Mamaev, 1988, another related species, has different structure and form of the vagina, asymmetrical clamps and copulatory organ displaying a short styled. K. univaginalis Ramalimgam, 1960 presents only one vaginal pore, while K. mochimae presents two pore. A. marinae differs from the other three described species of genus in: body size, form of the opisthaptor, number of clamps, number and arrangement of testis, and shaped and arrangement of the ovary. Key to the species of the genera Kannaphalus and Allopyragraphorus are provided.


One of the problems encountered in paper converting is caused by the occurrence of "baggy webs", which essentially is when the tension profile of the paper web is uneven. In an area with low tension the paper is longer, which results in bagginess. The baggy parts can not usually be stretched to even out the tension of the paper web in a converting machine, with the result that runnability problems are likely to occur. The aim of the work described in this thesis was to investigate three particular stages in papermaking, namely drying, calendering and storage, and rank them according to their propensity for inducing baggy webs. The focus was placed on investigating the effects of uneven moisture and grammage profiles on the machine-direction strain difference profile. The largest strain difference occurred when there were systematic thick streaks throughout a reel that formed ridges. Stress relaxation during storage then gave rise to a difference in strain of 0.14% when the ridge height was around 2-3 mm. Thickness variations due to variations in grammage is also a source of moisture variation. A difference in moisture of 5% in the calendering stage resulted in strain differences of about 0.05-0.08%. These strain differences resulted in creases being formed as early on as in the calender nip when differences in both grammage and moisture content were present. Most creases appeared when the moisture difference was 2-8%. The difference in grammage could be large without creases being formed when no differences in moisture content were present. A moisture difference of about 5-6% during drying resulted in a strain difference of 0.1% measured on isotropic samples. The moist area turned into a tight streak when the moisture difference appeared at moisture contents higher than 25%. At moisture contents lower than 20%, on the contrary, the moist area turned into a slack streak. The conclusion drawn is that papermakers should concentrate first and foremost on eliminating variations in grammage, especially if these are systematic. This would also eliminate some variations in moisture content, which would solve more problems.


It is well known that the inverted pendulum can describe a variety of inherently unstable systems, which is a major reason to consider it as a benchmark problem in control and identification. In this paper, a comparison between two different kinds of neural networks is presented, on one hand the feed-forward multilayer network with back-propagation learning method, and in the other hand the Volterra polynomial basis function network. A Fuzzy Logic controller was implemented to stabilize the system around its operation point. Both neural networks were trained using the error between the model's output and the plant's actual output. The polynomial network shows better performance against the multilayer network.


The arrangement of four central ion-binding sites with differing specificities suggests how a membrane transporter protein works. Na+/Ca2+ exchangers (NCX) are membrane transporters that maintain the homeostasis of cytosolic Ca2+ and play an essential role in Ca2+ signaling. Despite a long history of physiological work and a large body of functional data, the structural basis underlying the ion exchange mechanism of NCX is poorly understood. Liao et al. (see the Perspective by Abramson et al.) present a high-resolution crystal structure of an NCX from Methanococcus jannaschii and demonstrate that this archaeal NCX catalyzes Na+/Ca2+-exchange reactions similar to its eukaryotic counterpart. The structure clarifies the mechanism of ion exchange proteins and reveals the basis for the stoichiometry, cooperativity, and bidirectionality of the reaction. J. Liao, H. Li, W. Zeng, D. B. Sauer, R. Belmares, Y. Jiang, Structural insight into the ion-exchange mechanism of the sodium/calcium exchanger. Science 335, 686–690 (2012). [Abstract] [Full Text] J. Abramson, A. Paz, K. D. Philipson, It's all in the symmetry. Science 335, 669–670 (2012). [Abstract] [Full Text]


The paper studies a non-linear transformation between Brownian martingales, which is given by the inverse of the pricing operator in the mathematical finance terminology. Subsequently, the solvability of systems of equations corresponding to such transformations is investigated. The latter give rise to novel monotone pathwise couplings of an arbitrary number of certain diffusion processes with varying diffusion coefficients. In the case that there is an uncountable number of these diffusion processes and that the index set is an interval such couplings can be viewed as models for the growth of one-dimensional random surfaces. With this motivation in mind, we derive the appropriate stochastic partial differential equations for the growth of such surfaces.


This study examined the influence of beauty vlog on consumers' purchase intention through consumers' perceptions of source credibility and expertise, with consumers' previous experience in using the product as a moderator. An experiments was conducted by exposing participants (n = 98) to a beauty vlog clip and a traditional advertising as a source of information on YouTube platform. Wardah lip cream products were used as a product in experiments. The results showed that the source of information had no effect on purchasing intention or consumer perception on the credibility and expertise of information sources. However, an interaction between information source and previous experience in using the product in influencing consumers' purchase intention was found. Specifically, compared to traditional advertising, beauty vlog had a positive effect on the intention of purchase among individuals who had had used Wardah lip cream products.


The drive towards environmentally friendly buildings and infrastructure has led to a growing interest in providing design solutions underpinned by the core principles of sustainability to balance economic, social and environmental factors. Design Economics for the Built Environment: Impact of sustainability on project evaluation presents new directions, reflecting the need to recognise the impact of climate change and the importance of sustainability in project evaluation. The aim is to provide a new approach to understanding design economics in the context of the changing policy environment, legislative and regulatory framework, and increasing economic, environmental and social pressure as result of the sustainability agenda. The book follows a structured approach from theories and principles in the earlier chapters, to the practical applications and emerging techniques focusing on value and social, economic and environmental considerations in making design decisions. It starts with the policy context, building on various theories and principles such as, capital cost, value of design and resource-based theories, the new rules of measurement (NRM) to explore cost planning, the relationship between height and costs, key socio-economic and environmental variables for design appraisal, eco-cost/value ratio (EVR), whole life theory and the treatment of carbon emission as external costs, productivity and efficiency, fiscal drivers and legal framework for carbon reduction, procurement and allocation of risks in contracts. Case studies, practical examples and frameworks throughout reinforce theories and principles and relate them to current practice. The book is essential reading for postgraduate students in architecture, building and quantity surveying and is also a valuable resource for academics, consultants and policy-makers in the built environment.


Salares in the altiplanic region of Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina sustain important ecosystems in small, shallow wetlands, with inflows provided by groundwater and outflows consisting mainly of evaporation. The temporal and spatial thermohydrodynamics of one of these extremely shallow, saline, endorheic wetlands in northern Chile is analyzed on the basis of field observations of water temperature and salinity, and low‐dimensionality models accounting for conservation of heat, mass, and volume. Temperature in the studied system is spatially homogeneous but with strong daily oscillations. Salinity, on the other hand, exhibits longitudinal gradients from the zone of (salty) groundwater upwelling to the final evaporation lagoon. Heat balance in the system is largely controlled by wind, as the evaporative heat flux balances out the net solar radiation. Heat exchange with the bottom sediments damps the daily temperature oscillations by retaining (releasing) heat from (to) the water column. Simulated longitudinal profiles of salinity and flow discharge agree reasonably well with field observations but salinity effects on the rates of both evaporation and salt precipitation need to be taken into account. Laboratory experiments were conducted to develop a simple model for the former effect while the latter effect was accounted for by using existing information. Field measurements provided calibration of the model parameters. The observed longitudinal salinity gradients are correlated with the biological structure of the associated ecosystem to explain, for instance, the existence of specific flamingos' feeding areas in the system.


Speakers' linguistic experience is for the most part experience with language as used in conversational interaction. Though highly relevant for usage-based linguistics, the study of such data is as yet often left to other frameworks such as conversation analysis and interactional linguistics (Couper-Kuhlen and Selting 2001). On the basis of a case study of salient usage patterns of the two German motion verbs kommen and gehen in spontaneous conversation, the present paper argues for a methodological integration of quantitative corpus-linguistic methods with qualitative conversation analytic approaches to further the usage-based study of conversational interaction.


The study examines arbitrator behaviour in the uniquely context of investment treaty arbitration. It employs the method of content analysis to test hypotheses of systemic bias in the resolution of jurisdictional issues in investment treaty law. Unlike earlier studies, the study examines trends in legal interpretation instead of case outcomes and finds statistically significant evidence that arbitrators favour (1) the position of claimants over respondent states and (2) the position of claimants from major Western capital-exporting states over claimants from other states. There is a range of possible explanations for the results and further inferences are required to connect the observed trends to rationales for systemic bias. The key finding is that the observed trends exist and that they are unlikely to be explained by chance. This gives tentative empirical evidence of cause for concern about the use of arbitration in this context.


Developments in ubiquitous and pervasive computing herald a future in which computation is embedded into our daily lives. Such a vision raises important questions about how people, especially families, will be able to engage with and trust such systems whilst maintaining privacy and individual boundaries. To begin to address such issues, we have recently conducted a wide reaching study eliciting trust, privacy and identity concerns about pervasive computing. Over three hundred UK citizens participated in 38 focus groups. The groups were shown Videotaped Activity Scenarios [11] depicting pervasive or ubiquitous computing applications in a number of contexts including shopping. The data raises a number of important issues from a family perspective in terms of access, control, responsibility, benefit and complexity. Also findings highlight the conflict between increased functionality and the subtle social interactions that sustain family bonds. We present a Pre-Concept Evaluation Tool (PRECET) for use in design and implementation of ubicomp systems.


Spatial management measures in the form of no-take areas used in fisheries management can provide a buffer against catastrophic events. Dynamic area closures, like rotational closures, have also been used as a management tool particularly for sessile organisms. In this study, bioeconomic models are developed to investigate dynamic closure strategies for use as a management tool in the harvest of a metapopulation consisting of two local sub-populations. The models provide an optimal strategy that maximises the sum of discounted net returns with a fixed harvest level (i.e. total allowable catch (TAC)) by opening and closing the sub-populations of a metapop- ulation, subject to random negative catastrophic effects. Results showed the optimal policy for opening and closing a single exploited population depends on the degree and pattern of migration between it and other sub-popula- tions. When the harvest or TAC can be applied to either sub-population, the optimal closure strategy depends on the abundance of both populations, crucially, even if they are biologically independent. The results provide insights into the management of stochastically fluctuating populations including more mobile species that are frequently not subject to no-take controls.


This research explored the relationships between the knowledge and the perceptions of children of their rights with their self-reported personal and contextual experiences. In its first part accomplishments in the area of child rights of the country of Algeria are discussed. Then, the results of a field study are presented. They concerned children of 5th grade primary and 1st year Middle schools (N=962, Mean age: 11.76, SD: 1.18, age range: 09–17 years). Measures consisted of an adapted version of an international survey questionnaire measuring children's subjective well-being and ecological contexts in childhood and adolescence. Results indicate that less than half of the students know what children's rights are with a marginal difference favouring girls, one third have heard of the International Convention on Child Rights (CRC) and also less than half of the respondents agree that adults respect children's rights. Other demographic characteristics (age, family financial status, and absenteeism from school) have marginal to no deferential effect on children's rights perspectives. Correlations between the personal and contextual factors of well-being were found high but negative with being victim of bullying. Regression analyses indicate initially a predictive power of age and adult's respect of children's rights. The effects of these two factors remained strong when other contextual and personal factors were entered in the equation. The paper concluded that satisfaction with life, happiness, and well-being of children was conditioned with the improvement of diverse contextual and relational aspects of their lives. Adapted intervention strategies have been recommended towards the improvement of children's lives in general.


A‐ and C‐type lamins are intermediate filament proteins responsible for the maintenance of nuclear shape and most likely nuclear architecture. Here, we propose that pronounced invaginations of A/C‐type lamins into the nuclear interior represent channels for the transport of regulatory molecules to and from nuclear and nucleolar regions. Using fluorescent protein technology and immunofluorescence, we show that A‐type lamin channels interact with several nuclear components, including fibrillarin‐ and UBF‐positive regions of nucleoli, foci of heterochromatin protein 1 β, polycomb group bodies, and genomic regions associated with DNA repair. Similar associations were observed between A/C‐type lamin channels and nuclear pores, lamin‐associated protein LAP2α, and promyelocytic leukemia nuclear bodies. Interestingly, regions with high levels of A/C‐type lamins had low levels of B‐type lamins, and vice versa. These characteristics were observed in primary and immortalized mouse embryonic fibroblasts as well as human and mouse embryonic stem cell colonies exhibiting stem cell‐specific lamin positivity. Our findings indicate that internal channels formed by nuclear lamins likely contribute to normal cellular processes through association with various nuclear and nucleolar structures. J. Cell. Biochem. 115: 476–487, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


In this paper, we present the design rationale for a group drawing tool exploiting localised auditory cues to describe user activities. Our hypothesis is that these cues are important for two reasons. Firstly, they make participants aware of the details of execution of peer activities. This is especially significant when these activities are out of visual focus. Secondly, they convey intentionality information among participants. The later has been found to influence significantly inter-participant conversations during real world collaborative drawing activities. Our approach for adding sounds to the group drawing environment involves associating localised auditory messages to the palette, tools, primitive drawing objects and cursors representing metaphoric hands or points of gaze. These mappings give rise to dynamic soundscapes describing operations being or intended to be performed. We discuss the auditory authoring and browsing techniques involved in our group drawing environment together with their implications for the design of future collaborative environments involving auditory ecologies.


Strange Cases is the story of the mutual influence of the case history and the British novel during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Fictions from Defoe's Roxana to James's The Turn of the Screw and case histories from George Cheyne's to Sigmund Freud's have found narrative impetus in pathology. The writer of a case history faces a rhetorical bind unique to the human sciences: the need to display the acumen of a scientist and the sympathy warranted to the suffering patient. Repeatedly, case historians justify their publicizing of extreme, often morbid or perverse, states of mind and body by appealing to readers to take pity on patients and to recognize the narrative as a vital social document. Diagnosis and sympathy, explicit rhetorical modes in case histories, operate implicitly in novels, shaping reader-identification. While these two narrative forms set out to fulfill an Enlightenment drive to classify and explain, they also raise social and epistemological questions that challenge some of the Enlightenment's most cherished ideals, including faith in reason, the perfectibility of humankind, and the stability of truth.


At times knowledge can be seen as the source of organizational innovation and change--at other times, however, it can be the very constraint on that change. This conflicted role offers insights into why the phenomenon of organizational knowledge has been interpreted by researchers in multiple and possibly conflicting ways. Some theories depict knowledge as an empirical phenomenon, residing in action and becoming "organizational" in the acquisition, diffusion, and replication of those actions throughout the organization. Others consider it a latent phenomenon, residing in the possibility for constructing novel organizational actions. This paper argues that while each of these qualities--empirical and latent--are intrinsic to knowledge in organizations, our understanding of organizational phenomena is essentially incomplete until the relationship between them is considered. Building on structuration theory, we propose a complementary perspective that views organizational knowledge as the product of an ongoing and recursive interaction between empirical and latent knowledge, between knowledge as action and knowledge as possibility. We ground this complementary model of knowledge in evidence from the field study of two firms whose innovation practices provide unique insights into how knowledge simultaneously enables and constrains behavior in organizations. We then discuss how a complementary perspective avoids the reification of knowledge by depicting it instead as an ongoing and social process and offers an alternative distinction between individual and collective knowledge.


Medicinal mushrooms belonging to higher Basidiomycetes are an immensely rich yet largely untapped resource of useful, easily accessible, natural compounds with various biological activities that may promote human well-being. The medicinal properties are found in various cellular components and secondary metabolites (polysaccharides, proteins and their complexes, phenolic compounds, polyketides, triterpenoids, steroids, alkaloids, nucleotides, etc.), which have been isolated and identified from the fruiting bodies, culture mycelium, and culture broth of mushrooms. Some of these compounds have cholesterol-lowering, anti-diabetic, antioxidant, antitumor, immunomodulating, antimicrobial, and antiviral activities ready for industrial trials and further commercialization, while others are in various stages of development. Recently, the submerged cultivation of medicinal mushrooms has received a great deal of attention as a promising and reproducible alternative for the efficient production of mushroom mycelium and metabolites. Submerged cultivation of mushrooms has significant industrial potential, but its success on a commercial scale depends on increasing product yields and development of novel production systems that address the problems associated with this technique of mushroom cultivation. In spite of many researchers' efforts for the production of bioactive metabolites by mushrooms, the physiological and engineering aspects of submerged cultures are still far from being thoroughly studied. The vast majority of studies have focused on polysaccharide and ganoderic acid production in submerged cultivation of medicinal mushrooms, and very little has been written so far on the antioxidant and hemagglutinating activity of submerged mushroom cultures. The purpose of this review is to provide an update of the present state of the art and future prospects of submerged cultivation of medicinal mushrooms to produce mycelium and bioactive metabolites, and to make a contribution for the research and development of new pharmaceutical products from mushrooms. A brief overview of the metabolic diversity and bioactive compounds of mushrooms produced by submerged cultures is also given.


China's one child family policy, which was first announced in 1979, has remained in place despite the extraordinary political and social changes that have occurred over the past two decades. It emerged from the belief that development would be compromised by rapid population growth and that the sheer size of China's population together with its young age structure presented a unique challenge.

#### Summary points

The one child family policy was developed and implemented in response to concerns about the social and economic consequences of continued rapid population growth

Implementation was more successful in urban areas than rural areas

Social and economic reforms have made rigorous implementation of the policy more difficult

The main criticism of the policy is its stimulus to discrimination against females, who may be aborted, abandoned, or unregistered

The policy has eased some of the pressures of rapid population increase on communities, reducing the population by at least 250 million

This article is based on experience from frequent field visits to China over the past 25 years and the authors' collections of relevant Chinese and Western documents from the 1950s onwards. We also used references from the major demographic journals.

Government family planning services became available as a contribution to maternal and child health in China from 1953. As the result of falling death rates, the population growth rate rose to 2.8%, leading to some 250 million additional people by 1970. After a century of rebellions, wars, epidemics, and the collapse of imperial authority, during which the annual population growth was probably no more than 0.3%, such an expansion was initially seen as part of China's new strength. Mao Zedong quoted a traditional saying: "Of all things in the world, people are the most precious."1

Rapid growth, however, put considerable strain on the government's efforts to meet the …


Processes and occurrences in the world are becoming more and more globalized and that is reflected in Lithuanian towns as well. Depending on scale of globalization, towns take new expression with unified symbols, the uniform elements of urban space, separate objects, networks, etc. These objects mainly are dedicated to develop the spheres of services and commerce. Very often these objects and their networks do not take into account place and do not reflect its singularity, but only form and expand unified symbols of their own. In such way urban localities, where these objects are developed, are decreased and belittled. Unified view usually does not take into account exceptional current urban, architectural, natural, landscape and identity conditions. Paper analyses current situation of these globalization elements, their meaning to the landscape and spatial structure of Lithuanian urban spaces. New constructions confirm characteristic feature for nowadays globalization: territories of historic urban structures and their synthesis change all the time. Urban environments are shaped by maintaining specific existing identity roles and further developing the town that is formed by global processes that stimulate changes of its identity. Size of new constructions and quality of architectural-urban solutions that are based only on economic aims, show the weakness of urban thought and understanding of globalization, weak abilities to request possibilities that are given by globalization to cherish town identity but not to suppress it. Under conditions of globalization it is important that towns could save the most important – national and regional identities. After that they should save local identity, natural surroundings, town silhouette, form, and architectural character. Analyzing Lithuanian towns and clear reflections of globalization in their spatial structure, there could be consumption culture excluded as separate expression that alters the identity of cities and towns with global elements. During Lithuanian cities and towns identity research it was established that the identity and local architecture were saved mainly by creating small shops that do not require huge spaces and there are possibilities to organize them in existing reconstructed buildings. Such types of "shops near home" quite often are organized in existing buildings, and from outside they might be recognizable by names or logos. Huge shopping centers are usually organized in new big buildings, where besides shopping people can find other services or entertainments. These buildings usually are standardized, very similar in their form and architecture, minimally adapted to urban surrounding, they do not reflect, continue and form local architecture traditions, townscape, aesthetic view, but destroy it. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.sace.4.5.4836


The Antarctic Peninsula and the southern Andean continental margin have been the sites of extensive and varied magmatic activity since at least late Palaeozoic time. The dominant activity has been of calc-alkaline character and, although andesite and tonalite are the main rock types, there are well-marked transverse variations in the major and trace element chemistry of the magmas erupted in both areas. Thus, calc-alkaline magmas erupted farthest from the ancestral trench are generally more silicic, potassic and light-REE enriched than magmas erupted closer to the trench. In both regions, the locus of calc-alkaline activity has tended to move trenchwards since the Palaeozoic, although activity began to wane during the mid-Cenozoic when subduction of the Pacific Plate slowed down and ceased. A northward cessation of calc-alkaline magmatism along the Antarctic Peninsula can be linked in broad terms to the progressive northwards subduction of sections of the Aluk Ridge during the Cenozoic. Extensional tectonics within and behind the main igneous belts caused the development of narrow back-arc basins in southern Chile during the Mesozoic and in Bransfield Strait along the northern Antarctic Peninsula during Recent times. Tholeiitic magmas with transitional calc-alkaline characteristics were erupted in these basins. In addition, alkalic basalts and related undersaturated magma types were erupted onto the stable continental platform well behind the main calc-alkaline and marginal basin magmatic belts during Cenozoic and Recent times, probably in response to extensional tectonics as subduction slowed or ceased.


Background Little is known about the prevalence of vitamin C deficiency in the population of individuals who are withdrawing from alcohol, and about possible consequences of latent scurvy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of vitamin C deficiency in patients who were withdrawing from alcohol, its correlation with latent scurvy (mainly tiredness and weakness) and the change in the latter symptoms at 3 months after oral vitamin C supplementation. Methods A total of 47 patients (33 males, 14 females) who volunteered to undertake alcohol detoxification were included prospectively between January 2014 and November 2016. Determination of vitamin C blood levels was performed, and selected clinical signs of latent scurvy were recorded in a structured questionnaire. The decrease of tiredness after vitamin C supplementation was also studied 3 months after the inclusion of patients who had no other explanation for their weakness. Results About 57.44% of the patients were affected by vitamin C deficiency (< 11.4 mol/L). Less than one-third (29.70%) had a normal plasma vitamin C level. There was a clear correlation between decreased vitamin C levels and the presence of tiredness (P = 0.003) and no correlation between gum inflammation or purpura (P = 0.97 and 0.44 respectively). After 3 months of alcohol withdrawal and vitamin C supplementation, 89% of the patients reported a decrease of tiredness. Conclusions Vitamin C deficiency is prevalent in patients undertaking alcohol detoxification. Patients with this vitamin deficiency status often suffer from tiredness, which may be symptoms of latent scurvy. Even if tiredness is a highly nonspecific symptom, presence of fatigue should draw attention and the vitamin C level should be determined. Our preliminary data suggest that vitamin C supplementation, may decrease fatigue and improve patient's quality of life. This last evolution needs to be confirmed by a double-blind randomized study.


In this thesis, attention will be mainly focused on the local linear kernel regression quantile estimation. Different estimators within this class have been proposed, developed asymptotically and applied to real applications. I include algorithmdesign and selection of smoothing parameters.

Chapter 2 studies two estimators, first a single-kernel estimator based on "check function" and a bandwidth selection rule is proposed based on the asymptotic MSE of this estimator. Second a recursive double-kernel estimator which extends Fan et al's (1996) density estimator, and two algorithms are given for bandwidth selection.

In Chapter 3, a comparison is carried out of local constant fitting and local linear fitting using MSEs of the estimates as a criterion.

Chapter 4 gives a theoretical summary and a simulation study of local linear kernel estimation of conditional distribution function. This has a special interest in itself as well as being related to regression quantiles.

In Chapter 5, a kernel-version method of LMS (Cole and Green, 1992) is considered. The method proposed, which is still a semi-parametric one, is based on a general idea of local linear kernel approach of log-likelihood model.

Chapter 6 proposes a two-step method of smoothing regression quantiles called BPK. The method considered is based on the idea of combining k- NN method with Healy's et al (1988) partition rule, and correlated regression model are involved.

In Chapter 7, methods of regression quantile estimation are compared for different underlying models and design densities in a simulation study. The ISE criterion of interior and boundary points is used as a basis for these comparisons. Three methods are recommended for quantile regression in practice, and they are double kernel method, LMS method and Box partition kernel method (BPK).

In Chapter 8, attention is turned to a novel idea of local polynomial roughness penalty regression model, where a purely theoretical framework is considered.


The efficiency of mobile IPv6 route optimization in terms of propagation latencies and packet overhead is contrasted by significant handoff delays. Much analytic effort has recently been spent on reducing these delays, but little practical experience has yet been gathered. This paper compares the efficiency of the combination of two proposals, early binding updates and credit-based authorization, with that of standard route optimization. This is based on measurements for RTP/UDP voice traffic and TCP file transfers, which were taken in an experimental testbed


Human pluripotent stem (hPS) cells provide an attractive opportunity for the manufacture of a wide array of therapeutic cell types. The challenges to commercialization include the thousand-fold diversity of cell types emerging from hPS cells and the associated difficulties in validating processes to reliably generate cells with precise identity and purity. Improved methods of controlling the dosage and migration of hPS-derived cells in solid tissues are also needed. To directly address these issues, we clonally expanded proliferating lineages of cells that were intermediate in regard to their state of differentiation between hPS and terminally differentiated cells. These cells called monoclonal embryonic progenitors (hEP), are expandable mortal lineages with diverse site-specific homeobox gene expression and multipotentiality. In this review, we discuss methods of generating combination products wherein the fate space of precisely identified monoclonal hEP cells is mapped by differentiating the cells in vitro in HyStem-3D bead arrays in the presence of diverse growth factors. This combination of discovery processes has the potential to translate directly into cell-matrix formulations that can be used to generate pre-clinical data leading to human clinical trials and potentially new medical therapies.


The current logistics' system in Iraq is outmoded and inefficient. This study attempts toidentify the major challenges confronting logistics development in Iraq. A mapping of thetransportation flows is presented together with a forecast on how the transportation sector will develop the coming years. During a trip to Iraq, information was collected through qualitative and quantitative studies that were conducted with stakeholders in the logistics. The performed studies are omplemented with literature in order answer the purpose.The results indicate that issues facing the logistics in Iraq are typical for emerging markets. This study identifies the following challenges; the poor infrastructure, the complex structure of the truck market, the lack of financing opportunities for the private truck sector, the nonexistent cooperation between the private and public sectors, the low utilization, the inefficient trade facilitation and the poor cost awareness. The mapping of transport flow indicates that the expressway no.1 together with the border entries are critical parts of the logistics system in Iraq.This study indicates that in order develop the logistics in Iraq the following measurers needs to be accomplished:•Development and implementation of a coherent national transport strategy.•Integrate the work of the government entities in promoting efficient logistics.•Efforts between the government and the private companies have to take place in order to identify and resolve potential problems in transport infrastructure, information flows.•Modernize the trucking sector by improving their financial strength.


Three-dimensional phase distribution near the focal plane is demonstrated by cross-section profiles of cophasal surfaces. The phase distribution in the focal plane and the phase anomaly in the focus are discussed in greater detail. Numerical results obtained are arranged systematically with Fresnel numbers sampled between 0.5 and 100, a sampling that covers conventional and unconventional cases.


Abstract Objective: To compare selected umbilical cord parameters, especially cord coiling, between breech and vertex presentations. Methods: We prospectively collected umbilical cords from uncomplicated breech and vertex obtained during elective term cesarean deliveries. We compared various cord parameters between the two groups as well as data regarding obstetric history and pregnancy outcome. Results: We evaluated 55 umbilical cords from breech and 55 from vertex deliveries. Umbilical cord length (56.93 cm vs. 63.95 cm, P=0.05), number of coils (5.1±0.4 vs. 11.7±0.6, P<0.0001) and umbilical cord index (UCI) (0.09 coils/cm vs. 0.18 coils/cm, P<0.0001) were all significantly lower for breech presentations and remained significant following multivariate analysis. Conclusion: We document significant differences in umbilical coiling and the UCI between breech and vertex presentation. The precise reason for these differences is still unclear.


Abstract. East Asia contributes to nearly 50% of the global anthropogenic mercury emissions into the atmosphere. Recently, there have been concerns about the long-range transport of mercury from East Asia, which may lead to enhanced dry and wet depositions in other regions. In this study, we performed four monthly simulations (January, April, July and October in 2005) using CMAQ-Hg v4.6 for a number of emission inventory scenarios in an East Asian model domain. Coupled with mass balance analyses, the chemical transport of mercury in East Asia and the resulted mercury emission outflow were investigated. The total annual mercury deposition in the region was estimated to be 821 Mg, with 396 Mg contributed by wet deposition and 425 Mg by dry deposition. Anthropogenic emissions were responsible for most of the estimated deposition (75%). The deposition caused by emissions from natural sources was less important (25%). Regional mercury transport budgets showed strong seasonal variability, with a net removal of RGM (7–15 Mg month−1) and PHg (13–21 Mg month−1) in the domain, and a net export of GEM (60–130 Mg month−1) from the domain. The outflow caused by East Asian emissions (anthropogenic plus natural) was estimated to be in the range of 1369–1671 Mg yr−1, of which 50–60% was caused by emissions from natural sources. The emission outflow represented about 75% of the total mercury emissions in the region, and would contribute to 20–30% of mercury deposition in remote receptors.


Lakes are a source of methane, an important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. In order to understand increasing methane emissions in the present, it is important to study the variations of methane release during past periods of climate change. However, records of methane release from lakes over time scales longer than a few years are extremely rare. In this thesis a method is explored to reconstruct past methane availability in lakes based on the stable carbon isotope composition (delta 13C) of aquatic invertebrate remains. Methane-derived 13C-depleted carbon can be an alternative carbon source to plant-derived material for invertebrates in the sediment and water column of lakes, that can lead to markedly depleted delta 13C values in invertebrate tissues. Using culturing experiments, it was demonstrated that methane-derived carbon is incorporated into chironomid head capsules. Also, it was shown that chemical pre-treatments that are commonly used for sediment processing do not have a noticeable effect on delta 13C values of chironomid remains and that a minimum of 20 microgram chitinous material is required for reproducible delta 13C measurements. In study lakes in Sweden and Siberia, delta 13C values of chitinous remains of several invertebrate taxa in surface sediments were negatively correlated with diffusive methane fluxes. Strong and significant correlations are observed between diffusive methane fluxes and delta 13C of Chironomini and Daphnia remains. Similar correlations were also observed within two Swedish lakes, in which surface sediment cores were obtained along depth transects. Delta 13C values of Chironomini and Daphnia were lower in sections of the lake basin in which the sediments had higher methane release rates. This suggests that delta 13C in remains of several invertebrates, especially Chironomini and Daphnia can be indicative of methane availability in lakes. In contrast, Orthocladiinae and Ephemeroptera, always had relatively high delta 13C values, indicating a plant-derived carbon source. In a sediment record from a Siberian thermokarst lake, delta 13C values of the remains of Chironomini and Daphnia showed relatively large negative delta 13C shifts in warm periods (AD 850-1150 and since AD 1970) compared with delta 13C values of Orthocladiinae remains and bulk sediment. Based on the observed correlations between methane fluxes and delta 13C values of Chironomini and Daphnia in surface sediment samples, this suggests that more methane-derived carbon was available in warm periods compared with colder periods. The research in this thesis demonstrates the potential to use taxon-specific stable carbon isotopes analysis of invertebrate remains for qualitative reconstructions of methane availability in lakes. This new method can lead to a better understanding of lake methane emissions in relation to climate change


The use of multiple regression analysis to quantify the regime and strength of natural selection in nature has been an influential approach in evolutionary biology over the last 36 years. However, many studies fail to report the protocol of estimation of selection coefficients (selection gradients) and the specific model assumptions, thus failing to verify and reproduce the estimation of selection coefficients. We present a brief overview of the Lande and Arnold's approach and a step-by-step R routine to aid researchers to perform a verifiable and reproducible regression analysis of natural selection. The steps involved in the analysis include: (1) assessing collinearity between phenotypic traits, (2) testing normality of model residuals, and (3) testing multivariate normality of phenotypic traits. We also performed a series of simulations to test the effect of non-symmetrical (skewed) phenotypic traits on the estimation of linear selection gradients. These showed that the bias in the linear gradient increased with increased skewness in phenotypic traits for the quadratic model, whereas the linear gradient of a model with only linear terms was nearly independent of trait skewness. If none of the above assumptions are met, selection gradients need to be estimated from two separate equations, whereas standard errors must be computed using other methods (e.g. bootstrapping). We expect that the procedure outlined here and the availability of analytical codes motivate the verifiability and reproducibility of the Lande and Arnold's approach in the study of microevolution.


The paper presents a research into the use of collocations by B1, B2 and C1 level students of English at the University of Zenica conducted by analysing student's examination papers. Collocations represent an important segment of the knowledge of a foreign language and its vocabulary. They appear in many different forms and learning them might be seen as the most difficult task of L2 learning. Difficulties in using collocations appear even at advanced levels of language learning. A preliminary study into the use of collocations by B2 level students of English showed that the students used proper lexical collocations in about 60% and proper grammatical collocations in about 50% of the cases. In view of those results, a research was conducted among B1, B2 and C1 level students of English at the English Department of the University of Zenica to investigate their use of collocations. Student translations were analysed with a focus on the different types of collocations. The translations were produced as a part of their final examination in the Contemporary English courses 1 through 8 corresponding to the different CEFR levels analysed. We assumed that the results of the students in all four years of the English studies would be consistent with the results of the preliminary study, and that there would be no significant difference between the use of grammatical and lexical collocations.