Postmortem spermatozoa recovery is an important tool for harvesting germplasm from genetically meritorious animals and endangered species. The principal motive of this study was to find out whether ram spermatozoa within epididymides kept at 4 °C for 48 h retain their quality in terms of progressive motility, viability, and acrosomal status. Twenty-four testicles with attached epididymides were collected with 8 samples each processed at 0, 24, and 48 h of storage. A good number of motile spermatozoa could be recovered from epididymides by incision method with up to 48 h of storage, although their quality declined significantly (P < 0.05) as postmortem storage time increased (motility: 83.33 ± 1.05%, 63.33 ± 2.47%, and 44.17 ± 1.53%; and epididymal sperm output (millions): 3500.00 ± 73.97, 1220.00 ± 1.01, and 666.67 ± 19.78 for 0 (control), 24, and 48 h, respectively). Viability and intact acrosomes (%) were also acceptable, although they decreased significantly with up to 24 h of storage. In conclusion, ram epididymides could be stored at 4 °C for 48 h when epididymal spermatozoa cannot be immediately harvested and cryopreserved.


The Smart Grid facilitates integration of supply- and demand-side services, allowing the end-use loads to be dynamic and respond to changes in electricity generation or meet localized grid needs. Expanding from previous work, this paper summarizes the results from field tests conducted to identify demand response opportunities in energyintensive industrial facilities such as data centers. There is a significant opportunity for energy and peak-demand reduction in data centers as hardware and software technologies, sensing, and control methods can be closely integrated with the grid by means of demand response. The paper provides field test results by examining distributed and networked data center characteristics, enduse loads and control systems, and recommends opportunities and challenges for grid integration. The focus is on distributed data centers and how loads can be "migrated" geographically in response to changing grid supply (increase/decrease). In addition, it examines the enabling technologies and demand-response strategies of high performance computing data centers. The findings show that data centers can provide average load shed of up to 10% with short response times and no operational impact. For commercial program participation, the load-shed strategies must be tightly integrated with data center automation tools to make them less resource-intensive.


Membrane-sculpting proteins nucleate clathrin-coated pits during endocytosis. During clathrin-mediated endocytosis, it has been thought that the sensing and binding of the clathrin adaptor protein AP2 to cargo and lipids leads to the recruitment of clathrin, nucleating the formation of a clathrin-coated pit. Henne et al. have now found that this process of AP2 binding may not in fact represent either the first or the nucleation event of endocytosis. Instead, ubiquitous proteins called FCHo1/2 (F-BAR proteins) bind to the plasma membrane and define the sites of endocytosis independently of AP2. The F-BAR protein can generate very low curvatures and, at higher concentrations, generates higher curvatures like those required at the neck of budding vesicles. The C terminus of the protein has a μ-homology domain (with homology to the μ domain of the AP2 complex) that interacts with Eps15 and intersectin and via these proteins recruits AP2, which further recruits clathrin. Thus, a curvature-inducing protein can act to nucleate clathrin-coated pit assembly during endocytosis. W. M. Henne, E. Boucrot, M. Meinecke, E. Evergren, Y. Vallis, R. Mittal, H. T. McMahon, FCHo proteins are nucleators of clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Science 328, 1281–1284 (2010). [Abstract] [Full Text]


Economic and societal transitions have left many buildings redundant and numerous structures are waiting to be put to new uses. Due in part to an increasing awareness of ecological issues, but mainly thanks to the esteem currently enjoyed by any sort of historic building fabric, unused structures are now examined to determine what kind of new use might be suitable. Buildings are therefore emerging with layers superimposed on top of one another: the original function usually still provides the scale and structure, into which a new matrix of utilization is installed. This volume presents unique projects that see churches transformed into restaurants, barns into houses, apartments into offices and multi-storey car parks into apartments, but also large-scale conversions, such as the remodelling of an entire port into a new city district with a vast functional diversity.


Step into the magical, paradoxical world of a Mahayana Buddhist scripture. Mahayana Buddhism, to which the Zen and Tibetan traditions are related, emphasizes the ideal of the Bodhisattva, one who seeks to become Enlightened out of a compassionate desire to help all living beings. In the Vimalakirti-Nirdesa we meet the Bodhisattva Vimalakirti, a worker of wonders, a formidable debator and skilful teacher. Sangharakshita's commentary illuminates this original text, its myths and symbols, and explores the powerful figure of Vimalakirti and the significance of his teachings. By journeying into this scripture we can find the wisdom and compassion that lie at the heart of the Bodhisattva path and discover, communicate and put into action Vimalakirti's message.


American public history -- in magazines and books, television documentaries, and museums -- tends to celebrate its subject at all costs, even to the point of denial and distortion. This does us a great disservice, argues William Hogeland in Inventing American History. Looking at details glossed over in three examples of public history -- the Alexander Hamilton revival, tributes to Pete Seeger and William F. Buckley, and the Constitution Center in Philadelphia -- Hogeland considers what we lose when history is written to conform to political aims. Questioning the resurrection, by both neocons and the left, of Alexander Hamilton as the founder of the American financial system -- if not of the American dream itself -- Hogeland delves deeply into Hamilton's brutal treatment of working-class entrepreneurs. And debunking recent hagiographies of Pete Seeger and William F. Buckley, Hogeland deftly parses Seeger's embrace of communism and Buckley's unreconstructed views on race. Hogeland then turns his attention to the U.S. Constitution Center in Philadelphia (the location of Barack Obama's speech on race), comparing its one-note celebration of the document to the National Park Service tours of nearby Independence Hall. The Park Service tours don't advance any particular point of view, but by being almost purely informative with a kind of hands-on detail, they make the past come to life, available for both celebration and criticism. We should be able to respect the Constitution without being forced to our knees before it, Hogeland argues; we can handle the truth about the Framers' intense politicking and compromises. Only when we can ground our public history in the gritty events of the day, embracing its contradictions and difficulties, will we be able to learn from it.


Takayasu arteritis is one of the large vessel vasculitis with variable clinical features in Indian patients. It is common in males and may be associated with tuberculosis and often presents with large vessel wall inflammation, obstruction and aneurysm. A 23-year-old female presented with features of acute psychosis and during evaluation and following electroconvulsive therapy she was found to be tachycardic and pulse less in one arm. Further CT angiogram proved features of aortoarteritis with raised inflammatory markers and her infective screen including TB came back as negative. She was treated with steroids, losartan and corticosteroids and Methotrexate was added as steroid sparing immune suppression. She remains disease free and doing well. Literature review suggests increasing incidence of this vasculitis and early effective treatment helps to reduce morbidity and prolong disease free remission.


The objective of the presented work is the numerical investigation of experiments for the study of nanoparticle producing laminar flames. Popular, state of the art numerical tools for the investigation of the detailed structure of laminar flames are based on strong assumptions, leading to one-dimensional, steady state approximations of the transport and conservation equations. Unfortunately, these assumptions are often violated. The main focus of this thesis is on the quantification of uncertainties and model errors introduced by thermodynamic and gas dynamic effects, geometric constraints of the reactor and invasive measurement technique in real experiments by means of detailed multi-dimensional numerical simulations of the particle forming, reacting flow.

Five different experimental setups were investigated in close collaboration with the research groups conducting these experiments. First, the impact of a molecular beam sampling nozzle on the structure of an atmospheric, premixed hydrogen/oxygen flame. Second, the probing from a low-pressure flat flame of methane and oxygen, where additionally the impact of buoyancy at large heights above the burner was quantified. Third, iron pentacarbonyl doped, particle forming, low-pressure flames of hydrogen/oxygen and methane/oxygen, with and without probing nozzle. Fourth, an atmospheric, sooting, ethylene/oxygen stagnation flow flame with a probing orifice in the stagnation plane. And finally a silica producing low-pressure flame of hydrogen/oxygen doped with hexamethyldisiloxane, used for laser induced fluorescence measurements of SiO. All these investigations required two- and three-dimensional models of the burner and housing geometry in order to capture all deviations from the one-dimensional assumptions.

The results presented in this thesis demonstrated the need for such detailed investigations and also contributed to the improvement of experiments and of the kinetic models derived from the measurements. It could be shown that the one-dimensional assumptions are valid only for a very limited set of conditions and that empirical correction formulas are not of general validity. However, the deviations from the idealizing assumptions can be quantified by complementary fluid mechanical simulations of the individual experiment. Based on these finding, the multi-dimensional flow simulation became a permanent element of the experimental workflow at the Institute for Combustion and Gas Dynamics.


This demonstration presents AMARA, a novel interactive system to help novice art enthusiasts browse online art collections. Currently being developed for the Indianapolis Museum of Art website, the system uses an embedded interactive agent who asks users a series of simple and straightforward multiple-choice questions regarding users' current feelings, preferences, and interests in art. The answers to each question are mapped to social tags, which are then used to retrieve and display relevant artworks the user may find interesting or appealing. Using AMARA, users can easily browse or search through online art collections without having to use a traditional keyword search, which requires extensive knowledge of art terminology or advanced subject expertise. Thus, AMARA was designed to enhance users' enjoyment and engagement with online art collections and assist users in discovering their known and unknown preferences in art.


Background: Minimally angulated fractures of the distal radius are common in children and have excellent outcomes. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to determine whether the use of a prefabricated splint is as effective as a cast in the recovery of physical function. Methods: We included 96 children 5 to 12 years of age who were treated for a minimally angulated (≤ 15°) greenstick or transverse fracture of the wrist between April 2007 and September 2009 at a tertiary care pediatric hospital. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either a prefabricated wrist splint or a short arm cast for four weeks. The primary outcome was physical function at six weeks, measured using the performance version of the Activities Scale for Kids. Additional outcomes included the degree of angulation, range of motion, grip strength and complications. Results: Of the 96 children, 46 received a splint and 50 a cast. The mean Activities Scale for Kids score at six weeks was 92.8 in the splint group and 91.4 in the cast group (difference 1.44, 95% confidence interval [CI] −1.75 to 4.62). Thus, the null hypothesis that the splint is less effective by at least seven points was rejected. The between-group difference in angulation at four weeks was not statistically significant (9.85° in the splint group and 8.20° in the cast group; mean difference 1.65°, 95% CI −1.82° to 5.11°), nor was the between-group differences in range of motion, grip strength and complications. Interpretation: In children with minimally angulated fractures of the distal radius, use of a splint was as effective as a cast with respect to the recovery of physical function. In addition, the devices were comparable in terms of the maintenance of fracture stability and the occurrence of complications. (ClinicalTrials.gov trial register no. NCT00610220.)


To gain a better understanding of push-off mechanics in speed skating, forward simulations were performed with a model comprising four body segments and six muscles. We started with a simulated maximum height one-legged jump, obtained by optimization of muscle stimulation time histories. The simulated jump was very similar to one-legged jumps produced by a human, indicating that the model was realistic. We subsequently studied how performance was affected by introducing four conditions characteristic of speed skating: (a) We changed the initial position from that in jumping to that at the start of the push-off phase in skating. This change was accommodated by a delay in stimulation onset of the plantar flexors in the optimal solution. (b) The friction between foot and ground was reduced to zero. As a result, maximum jump height decreased by 1.2 cm and performance became more sensitive to errors in muscle stimulation. The reason is that without surface friction, the foot had to be prevented from slipping away, which constrained the solution space and reduced the tolerance to errors in stimulation. (c) We introduced the requirement to maintain the upper body in a more or less horizontal position. This change could be accommodated by a delay in stimulation onset of the hamstrings, which inevitably caused a reduction in maximum jump height by 11.6 cm. (d) We increased the effective foot length from 16.5 cm, representative of jumping, to 20.5 cm, representative of skating with klapskates. At the 20.5-cm foot length, rotation of the foot did not start during the buildup of plantar flexion moment as it did at smaller foot lengths, but was delayed until hip and knee extension moments decreased. This caused an unbalanced increase in segment angular velocities and muscle shortening velocities, leading to a decrease in muscle force and muscle work and a further decrease in maximum jump height by approximately 5 cm. Qualitatively, these findings help clarify why and how performance of speed skaters depends on the location of the hinge of their skate.


From the early 2000s, a new discourse emerged, in Africa and the international donor community, that higher education was important for development in Africa. Within this zeitgeist of converging interests, a range of agencies agreed that a different, collaborative approach to linking higher education to development was necessary. This led to the establishment of the Higher Education Research and Advocacy Network in Africa (Herana) to concentrate on research and advocacy about the possible role and contribution of universities to development in Africa. This book is the final publication to emerge from the Herana project. The project has also published more than 100 articles, chapters, reports, manuals and datasets, and many presentations have been delivered to share insights gained from the work done by Herana. Given its prolific dissemination, it seems reasonable to ask whether this fourth and final publication will offer the reader anything new. This book is certainly different from previous publications in several respects. First, it is the only book to include an analysis of eight African universities based on the full 15 years of empirical data collected by the project. Second, previous books and reports were published mid-project. This book has benefited from an extended gestation period allowing the authors and contributors to reflect on the project without the distractions associated with managing and participating in a large-scale project. For the first time, some of those who have been involved in Herana since its inception have had the opportunity to at least make an attempt to see part of the wood for the trees. Different does not necessarily mean new. An emphasis on the newness of the data and perspectives presented in this book is important because it shows that it is more than a historical record of a donor-funded project. Rather, each chapter in this book brings, to a lesser or greater extent, something new to our understanding of universities, research and development in Africa.


In  this  study, we observed the effect of propolis  extract on immunological function in diabetic mouse models with the aim of highlighting the dynamics of immunological status in type-2 diabetes. In this study we tested the ability of propolis to normalize homeostasis. Here we showed that propolis improve homeostasis by slightly increasing the level of TLR expression. The results of this study differ from previous findings which reported that TLR expression increased in diabetes mellitus and most treatment is intended to suppress the expression of TLR. In this study we found that TLR-3 and TLR-4 expression decreased in mouse models of STZ induced diabetes mellitus. Furthermore, we found that administration of propolis showed an increase of red blood cell precursors (TER-119) and improve the ratio of CD4:CD8 dependent manner.


This dissertation is a study of Herman Merivale's relationship to the British Empire from 1837, when he first began to take an interest in the subject, until his death in 1874. The most important aspect of Merivale's career was the great discrepancy between his imperial ideas, formulated when he was a professor of classical political economy at the University of Oxford, and his administrative career as permanent undersecretary at the Colonial and India Offices from 1847 to 1874. When confronted by the enormously complex problems of the Empire Merivale's ideas changed considerably. The idealistic liberal panaceas which he had put forward in his Lectures on Colonization and Colonies in 1841 were inadequate and his administrative career was largely characterized by failure. As Merivale realized by 1860 the Colonial Office was incapable of dealing with, much less ruling the white settlement colonies. At the India Office from 1860 to 1874 he had scant opportunity to influence British policy because of his own inexperience and the manner in which the British government was attempting to govern India after the Mutiny of 1857-58. The introduction and Chapter one analyze Merivale's ideas concerning liberalism and the British Empire from 1806-1874. Chapter two evaluates his role at the Colonial Office. Chapters three through eight compare his ideas and actions upon v/hat Merivale conceived to be the most important problems facing the Office: free trade, colonial self-government, the ''native" question and its administration, the Hudson's Bay Company's monopoly and licence of exclusive trade in the Pacific Northwest and Rupert's Land. Chapter nine briefly describes Merivale's ineffective and miscellaneous role at the India Office. Although Merivale's private papers have not survived there is no dearth of source material. This study is based upon manuscript collections of Merivale's colleagues, his minutes and memoranda at the Colonial Office in the Public Record Office as well as his written work at the India Office in the India Office Library. His published works, especially the two editions of his Lectures and his essays in the leading Victorian periodicals are also essential in understanding the changes in his imperial ideas from 1837-1874.


In recent years there has been a rapid growth in interest in extreme sports. For the most part research has focused on understanding motivations for participation in extreme sports and very little research has attempted to investigate the psychological structure of effective performance. Those few studies that have attempted to explore this issue have tested models designed for traditional sport on adventure sports. However, extreme sports are not the same as adventure sports or traditional sports. This study employed a narrative approach to investigate experiences of effective performance in the extreme sport of proximity wingsuit flying. An overarching theme we labelled 'leave your ego at the door', emerged based on four sub-themes: (1) know thy self, (2) know thy skills, (3) know the environment now, and (4) tame the 'inner animal'. These themes are presented and discussed in relation to performance and discovery narratives identified within elite sport, thereby shedding light on how participants' experiences of the extreme sport of proximity wingsuit flying differ from dominant stories within traditional sports.


For readers today, first-person accounts provide one of the most effective means of gaining an intimate glimpse into the everyday lives of those experiencing historical events. Diary entries recorded during the Holocaust not only individualize the process of mass extermination, they also preserve the words of those bearing witness to horrendous crimes. Yet should these written records only be interpreted as works of non-fiction? What literary techniques might have been employed in creating these depictions? Other than the period in which they were written, what characteristics may diaries written during the Holocaust share? In an attempt to address a few issues posed by Holocaust journals and diaries, this paper examines Miksa Fenyő's Holocaust journal, Az elsodort orszag ['A Country Adrift'] (1946), written while the author was in hiding from June 22, 1944 to January 19, 1945 in Budapest, Hungary.


We study the inter-temporal spending behavior of Spanish local governments during the last housing boom (1997-2006), a period of substantial short-run momentum in housing-construction revenues. We argue that the unprecedented growth in these revenues might be one of the reasons underlying the increase in the sensitivity of local government spending to (predictable) revenue changes. To detect evidence of this, we study whether local spending decisions are consistent with forward-looking behavior, working within the framework provided by Holtz-Eakin et al. (1994). Our principal findings are: (i) Local spending shows substantial sensitivity to predictable changes in revenues, suggesting that Spanish local governments did not behave as fully forward-looking agents. (ii) The departure from this benchmark was much higher in those years and/or in those housing markets in which the housing boom was most intense. (iii) The sensitivity was not as great to changes in housing construction revenues as it was to changes in ordinary revenues, but this distinction became blurred as the boom intensified.


A discussion of the necessity of automation of medical waveform analysis and of methods of performing this analysis is given as motivation for the project reported by this paper. This is followed by a short discussion of present methods which use either an analog or digital computer as a tool of analysis. Emphasis is placed on finding a better method of displaying the results of the analysis in some meaningful manner. The investigation of three proposed methods of using a large general-purpose digital computer to analyze medical waveforms and how each might give a useful display of the information contained in the waveform is reported. One method is selected for special discussion as to exactly how it might be implemented; reasons for selecting it over the other proposals are given. The selected method of analyzing medical waveforms (EEG in particular) and displaying the results involves performing a type of Fourier analysis on short sections of the waveform by using a special type of convolution and displaying the result on the cathode-ray display tube of the computer. Mathematical justification of the method of analysis is given. Such a system has been programmed and used on the Rice University Computer: actual procedures for use are discussed and special techniques which have been used are reported.


We were able to control relative carrier-envelope phase slip among mode-locked Ti:sapphire and Cr:forsterite lasers by employing electronic feedback. The pulse timings of these lasers were passively synchronized with our crossing-beam technique. Since the optical-frequency ratio of Ti:sapphire and Cr:forsterite is approximately 3:2, we can observe the phase relation by superimposing the third harmonic of Cr:forsterite and the second harmonic of Ti:sapphire lasers in time and in space. The spectrum width of the locked beat note was less than 3 kHz, which corresponds to the controlled fluctuation of a cavity-length difference of less than 10 pm.


That there exists a history of thoughts represents less a question to be decided by research than an operative hypothesis or condition to undertake the majority of philosophical, theological, and scientific research in the first place. Put another way, the history of thoughts is a theory by which facts and findings of research in various disciplines may be coherently and meaningfully interpreted. Beyond the postulate that it is possible to cogently articulate a history of thoughts , however, this article intends to set forth the theory that there exists a history of thought itself, and to show that this theory can shed new light on our experience and conception of the world today. The topic of the present article, therefore, will be the evolution of consciousness, especially as articulated by Owen Barfield.


Chapter One introduces the theory of galactic microlensing and develops the necessary formulae needed to discuss extended source events in the subsequent Chapters. Some of the complications encountered by groups observing such events are discussed, as are a few of the more notable events themselves.

In Chapter Two an extended source model for microlensing is presented and applied to different atmosphere models, with different surface brightness profiles including simple one and two parameter limb darkening models and the more sophisticated and recently developed "Next Generation" stellar atmosphere models. It is shown that microlensing can distinguish between these different surfaces brightness profiles and thus, the underlying stellar atmosphere models, for realistic observational strategies.

In Chapter Three a second stellar atmosphere models is introduced. This model includes the effects of a non-radial surface brightness profile, i.e. starspots. Such effects are interesting for several reasons. Firstly, the existence or otherwise of starspots is an important indicator of stellar surface activity and would provide valuable information for the testing and development of more sophisticated stellar atmosphere models. Additionally, there has been concern that starspots could mimic planetary microlensing lightcurves making it important to consider how their observational signatures could be distinguished from those of planets. The microlensing signatures of starspots are considered for point mass lens in Chapter Three and for fold caustic crossings in Chapter Four.

In Chapter Five the extended source model used previously is applied to a source model with a small level of radial and temperature variability, to allow examination of how such events, if observed, would compare to standard microlensing events.

In Chapter Six an investigation is made of the spectroscopic signatures of microlensing from circumstellar envelopes and the opportunities of using microlensing to diagnose bulk motion in these envelopes during caustic crossing events is examined.


Nanomaterials are materials on the order of 10 m that are currently being investigated for use in a wide range of applications in the growing field of nanotechnology. This dissertation documents the synthesis, characterization, and applications of two particular types of nanomaterials: single-walled carbon nanotubes and copper-based coordination polymers. The synthesis of single-walled carbon nanotube gels and foam is detailed, and a series of techniques including scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and viscometry were employed to learn more about the properties of the gels and foam. Methane sorption studies were performed using the gel, and there is a potential use for the foam in composite materials as well. Single crystal X-ray diffraction was used to determine the structures of various Cu(I) and Cu(II) coordination polymers. The thermal stability of the coordination polymers was studied by thermal gravimetric analysis. The seven different structures reported are compared, and their potential applications are also discussed.


We introduce a concept of flexible air transportation system called Clip-Air. It is a modular innovative aircraft. The flexibility provided by Clip-Air is due to the decoupling of load and carrying units. In this paper, we introduce the concept, and analyze the impacts from the airlines perspective. An integrated schedule design and fleet assignment model is developed for both standard airline fleets and Clip-Air. The model considers spill and recapture effects to represent the demand in case of capacity shortage. Recapture ratios between available itineraries in each market segment are appropriately calculated through an itinerary choice model. The comparative analysis is carried out under different scenarios which are selected with the purpose of understanding the effects of the network structure, fleet size, fleet configuration and the estimated cost figures for the Clip-Air system. It is observed that Clip-Air is able to carry on the average 5-10 % more passengers by using 20-30 % less overall capacity. Moreover, Clip-Air is found to deal better with insufficient transportation capacity. Furthermore, the scheduling decisions are robust to the estimated cost figures of Clip-Air. For the analyzed range of costs Clip-Air is always carrying more passengers with less allocated capacity compared to standard fleet.


Edition after edition, this comprehensive text for the adjustment course has enjoyed best-seller status in a crowded field. While professors cite the book for its academic credibility and the authors' ability to stay current with ''hot topics, '' students say it's one text they just don't want to stop reading. Its relevant examples spark students' interest in psychology, and its engaging applications that show students how psychology helps them understand themselves and their world. Students and instructors alike find the text and associated workbooks to be a highly readable, engaging, visually appealing package that provide a wealth of personal applications


OBJECTIVES
Siberian hamsters are photoperiodic animals exhibiting seasonality of reproduction and other physiological functions. Thus, the influence of photoperiod on the in vitro activity of selected immune cells from male and female hamsters challenged with peritoneal inflammation was examined.

METHODS
Animals were housed for 8-10 weeks in LD (L:D=18:6) or SD (L:D=6:18). Peritoneal leukocytes (PTLs) and splenocytes were isolated form male and female and testicular macrophages (TMs) from male hamsters, intact or challenged with zymosan-induced peritonitis. PTL and TM activity was assessed by the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) measured with the use of flow cytometry and splenocyte activity -- by the spontaneous and mitogen-stimulated proliferation measured with the use of 3H-tymidine incorporation test.

RESULTS
Results obtained indicate that the immune system of Siberian hamsters is highly sexually dimorphic. Experimentally evoked peritonitis developed differently in males and females: only in LD male hamsters an increase in PTL activity was observed after zymosan treatment. Also, in LD males, PTL activity was higher in LD than in SD. Developing peritonitis exerted in these animals a stimulatory effect on splenocyte proliferation but had no influence on cells residing in the immune privileged testes. Splenocyte proliferation, both spontaneous and PHA-stimulated, depended on the photoperiod studied: in LD it was significantly higher than in SD in animals of both sexes.

CONCLUSIONS
Innate immunity of Siberian hamsters studied on the peritoneal inflammation model, seems to be gender- and photoperiod dependent. Moreover, local inflammation may affect other lymphoid organs but does not influence immune-privileged sites.


We describe the hardware, software and sensor equipment for a fleet of mobile robots used for cooperative multi-robot navigation and mapping. This robot team was developed for the MAGIC 2010 Robotics Challenge and successfully made it through two down-selection processes to the finals, where it placed 4th. Our mobile robot design leverages off-the-shelf hardware and open source software with novel software contributions to realize cooperative navigation, mapping, reconnaissance, and surveillance tasks for a large urban environment.


This paper uses a choice experiment conducted in Nepal during 2013 to estimate household-level willingness to participate in a village-level program under the Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation initiative requiring reductions in fuelwood collection, as a function of the price paid per unit of avoided carbon dioxide emissions. The analysis examines incentives to participate both in villages having formal community forest management, the core institution for implementing Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, and villages having only informal forest user groups. Contrary to previous findings in the literature about participation incentives, but in keeping with other recent studies of Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation pilots in Nepal, this study finds that relatively little emission reduction would take place at prices of $1.00 to $5.00 per ton of avoided carbon emissions. Formal community forests will almost certainly be the core institution within which Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation is implemented in Nepal and likely other countries. The study finds that average and median values of payment required for agreement to reduce fuelwood collection are substantially larger for formal forest user groups than in informal communities. This reflects that formal groups likely already have fuelwood collection restrictions in place, whereas informal groups may de facto permit open access extraction. The analysis also suggests that households that are part of informal groups react to Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation very differently than households that are formal group members. Broadly speaking,"underprivileged"formal group member households, such as those who are landless, female-headed, and poor, appear to be warier of fuelwood collection restrictions and thus require higher payments than average respondents. This difference does not appear to carry over to informal group members.


Direct solid sample analysis using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GF AAS) is an attractive alternative because no sample pretreatment is necessary. However, the major obstacles of this technique are spectral interference and the limited background correction capability of conventional line source AAS instruments. The introduction of high-resolution continuum source atomic absorption spectrometry (HR-CS AAS) has brought about a significant change in this direction due to its superior background correction capabilities. In this study, a method has been developed for the determination of Pb in road dust using HR-CS GF AAS and direct solid sample analysis. The analytical lines at 261.418 nm (2.1% relative sensitivity), with detection of 1 pixel, and at 283.306 nm (42% relative sensitivity), with side pixel evaluation, were used for Pb determination. Pyrolysis and atomization temperatures were 900 °C and 2300 °C, respectively, using a mixture of Pd and Mg as the chemical modifier. Twelve samples and three certified reference materials (CRMs) have been analyzed. A significant structured background has been observed at the optimum atomization temperature, which overlapped with the analyte atomic absorption wavelength. The background has been identified as AlCl, SiO and SiS molecules at 261.418 nm, and SiS at 283.306 nm. Least-squares background correction (LSBC) has been applied after the identification of the diatomic molecules and the results obtained for the CRMs were in agreement with the certified ones. The use of this correction technique allowed the elimination of spectral interference in the determination of Pb in road dust.


Resilience is an emergent property of complex systems that describes the ability to detect, respond, and recover from adversity. Much of the modern world consists of multiple, interacting, and independent agents (i.e. Multi-Agent Systems). However, the process of improving Multi-Agent System resilience is not well understood. We seek to address this gap by applying Biologically Inspired Design to increase complex system resilience. Eusocial insect colonies are an ideal case study for system resilience. Although individual insects have low computing power, the colonies collectively perform complex tasks and demonstrate resilience. Therefore, analyzing key elements of eusocial insect colonies may offer insight on how to increase Multi-Agent System resilience. Before the strategies used in eusocial insects can be adapted for Multi-Agent Systems, however, the existing research must be identified and transferred from the biological sciences to the engineering field. These transfers often hinder or limit biologically inspired design. This paper translates the biological investigation of individual insects and colony network behavior into strategies that can be tested to increase Multi-Agent System resilience. These strategies are formulated to be applied to Agent-Based Modeling. Agent-Based Modeling has been applied to many Multi-Agent Systems including epidemiology, traffic management, and marketing. This provides a key step in the design-by-analogy process: Identifying and decoding analogies from their original context. The design principles proposed in this work provide a foundation for future testing and eventual implementation into Multi-Agent Systems.


The thesis aims to suggest directions towards a defensible conception of
citizenship and approach to citizenship education in Singapore. In recent years,
citizenship in Singapore has centred around the themes of identity and participation.
Among educationists in general, there is a recognition that citizens need to be
prepared for involvement in the political process. In plural societies, however, there
is no one set of values which can guide deliberation and resolve differences.
Consequently, there are questions as to the values which could be advocated in
citizenship education.
The approach in this thesis is to analyse the concept of citizenship, with due
consideration given to the values and assumptions of Singapore society, and its social,
political and economic circumstances. This analysis is carried out in the light of the
research and theorising on citizenship and citizenship education in England and
Wales.
Controversial issues exist on which there is no agreement on which society is
divided. The neutral approach, which is sometimes suggested as being appropriate
for handling such issues, is examined. The larger question of state neutrality is also
discussed, and a case is made for state perfectionism. In addition, it is argued that
there are legitimate variations in moral judgement, and an account is presented of the
nature of moral thinking that admits of such variations.
It is suggested that a common culture is important in a plural society because
this provides the grounds for policy decisions, particularly where state perfectionism
is espoused; it also allows for the development of a national identity. Developing
this common culture requires public deliberation in exploring the values and issues
concerning a society.
Finally, the arguments that have been presented are related to citizenship and
citizenship education in Singapore, and recommendations made.


Citizens disagree vehemently about their rights. Democracies can sometimes resolve these disagreements by majority vote, but, where each side of a disagreement makes plausible arguments that their interests are fundamental, refraining from taking any official position on the dispute can reduce acrimony deleterious to political cooperation. In many areas of the law, the "state action" or "discriminatory purpose" doctrines can provide at least the illusion of such governmental neutrality even when the state's policies have "incidental" effects on one or the other side's positions. For some areas of the law, however, political and legal traditions foreclose such side-stepping maneuvers. In these areas, disagreements are "deep" in the sense that any governmental vindication of one side's version of fundamental rights is a plausible violation of the other side's version.
The Religion Clauses' doctrines provide an example of such intractably "deep" disagreements. Because such doctrines frequently rest on notions of "coercion" that resist responsibility-limiting theories of "state action" and "discriminatory purpose," there is no way for state officials to escape choosing sides: Officials' accommodating or failing to accommodate either religious belief or unbelief can be plausibly regarded as a violation of religious liberty. Such disputes are "reasonable and deep disagreements – "RADDs" – that pose a special threat to democratic equality in the definition of rights.
This article urges that decentralization protects what Jeremy Waldron calls the "right of rights" – that is, the right to enjoy an equal share of power in defining disputed rights. Applying a presumption that religious RADDs should be decentralized, the article argues for a broad power of the states across the board either to extend or deny exemptions from regulatory burdens for religious believers in cases like Hobby Lobby and Masterpiece Cakeshop, Inc. v. Colorado and to exclude or include religious organizations in generally applicable benefits like vouchers and school charters despite cases like Trinity Lutheran Church v. Comer. By contrast, following the example of Catholic Bishop v. NLRB (1979) and City of Boerne v. Flores (1998), courts ought to construe narrowly the power of the federal government to define religious accommodations. Such decentralization protects state power to vary accommodations for religious believers and non-believers alike, thereby assuring equal concern and respect to both.


The concept of disadvantage is one that invokes a number of connotations, including poverty, exclusion and deprivation. Generally disadvantage relates to a lack of resources and opportunity to achieve a basic standard of living. A number of Australian studies have sought to further understand the extent of poverty and disadvantage, many of them using a 'standard' measure of income poverty based on the proportion of people with equivalised household income below 50% of the national median. However, many households have access to far less income. Falling through the Cracks is the first in the Focus on the States series produced by the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC). Our intention with this report is to add a much needed perspective to the national debate around poverty by examining just how deep income poverty extends throughout Australian households and what factors exacerbate the incidence and depth of poverty. One of the key findings of our research is that more than one million people in Australia are living in severe income poverty, having access to household income of less than 30 per cent of the national median. This is a concerning number of people, of which more than 300,000 are children. Dimensions of poverty and disadvantage are many and are often inextricably linked. Factors that at the outset may drive people towards or into poverty can quickly become outcomes of poverty in themselves, exacerbating the incidence and depth of poverty an individual experiences and perpetuating the cycle of disadvantage. Who is falling through the cracks? Single person households, those renting, those with a disability, Indigenous and jobless households are the groups that are most exposed to deep and persistent poverty and disadvantage. These households are grossly over-represented in both 'standard' and severe income poverty measures and represent the highest risk groups for being persistently poor over extended periods of time. Poverty, especially deep and entrenched disadvantage, is a complex problem of course, but for one million people to be in severe poverty represents something of a failure of Australia's social and economic systems to protect those in greatest need. However, it does represent an opportunity to rectify these disparities and develop inclusive and supportive policies and programs that prevent further slippage and enable these individuals and households to thrive rather than just survive.


The magnetorotational instability (MRI) plays a key role for cosmic structure formation by triggering turbulence in the rotating flows of accretion disks that would be otherwise hydrodynamically stable. In the limit of small magnetic Prandtl number, the helical and the azimuthal versions of MRI are known to be governed by a quite different scaling behavior than the standard MRI with a vertical applied magnetic field. Using the short-wavelength approximation for an incompressible, resistive, and viscous rotating fluid, we present a unified description of helical and azimuthal MRI, and we identify the universal character of the Liu limit for the critical Rossby number. From this universal behavior we are also led to the prediction that the instability will be governed by a mode with an azimuthal wavenumber that is proportional to the ratio of axial to azimuthal applied magnetic field, when this ratio becomes large and the Rossby number is close to the Liu limit.


Model-free reinforcement learning algorithms, such as Q-learning, perform poorly in the early stages of learning in noisy environments, because much effort is spent unlearning biased estimates of the state-action value function. The bias results from selecting, among several noisy estimates, the apparent optimum, which may actually be suboptimal. We propose G-learning, a new off-policy learning algorithm that regularizes the value estimates by penalizing deterministic policies in the beginning of the learning process. We show that this method reduces the bias of the value-function estimation, leading to faster convergence to the optimal value and the optimal policy. Moreover, G-learning enables the natural incorporation of prior domain knowledge, when available. The stochastic nature of G-learning also makes it avoid some exploration costs, a property usually attributed only to on-policy algorithms. We illustrate these ideas in several examples, where G-learning results in significant improvements of the convergence rate and the cost of the learning process.


Forced air cooling of electronic packages is enhanced through the use of extended surfaces or heat sinks that reduce boundary resistance allowing heat generating devices to operate at lower temperatures, thereby improving reliability. Unfortunately, the clearance zones or bypass regions surrounding the heat sink, channel some of the cooling air mass away from the heat sink, making it difficult to accurately estimate thermal performance. The design of an "optimized" heat sink requires a complete knowledge of all thermal resistances between the heat source and the ambient air, therefore, it is imperative that the boundary resistance is properly characterized, since it is typically the controlling resistance in the path. Existing models are difficult to incorporate into optimization routines because they do not provide a means of predicting flow bypass based on information at hand, such as heat sink geometry or approach velocity. A procedure is presented that allows the simultaneous optimization of heat sink design parameters based on a minimization of the entropy generation associated with thermal resistance and fluid pressure drop. All relevant design parameters such as geometric parameters of a heat sink, source and bypass configurations, heat dissipation, material properties and flow conditions can be simultaneously optimized to characterize a heat sink that minimizes entropy generation and in turn results in a minimum operating temperature of an electronic component. An analytical model for predicting air flow and pressure drop across the heat sink is developed by applying conservation of mass and momentum over the bypass regions and in the flow channels established between the fins of the heat sink. The model is applicable for the entire laminar flow range and any type of bypass (side, top or side and top both) or fully shrouded configurations. During the development of the model, the flow was assumed to be steady, laminar, developing flow. The model is also correlated to a simple equation within ±8% confidence level for an easy implementation into the entropy generation minimization procedure. The influence of all the resistances to heat transfer associated with a heat sink are studied, and an order of magnitude analysis is carried out to include only the influential resistances in the thermal resistance model. Spreading and material resistances due to the geometry of the base plate, conduction and convection resistances associated with the fins of the heat sink and convection resistance of the wetted surfaces of the base plate are considered for the development of a thermal resistance model. The thermal resistance and pressure drop model are shown to be in good agreement with the experimental data over iii a wide range of flow conditions, heat sink geometries, bypass configurations and power levels, typical of many applications found in microelectronics and related fields. Data published in the open literature are also used to show the flexibility of the models to simulate a variety of applications. The proposed thermal resistance and pressure drop model are successfully used in the entropy generation minimization procedure to design a heat sink with bypass for optimum dimensions and performance. A sensitivity analysis is also carried out to check the influence of bypass configurations, power levels, heat sink materials and the coverage ratio on the optimum dimensions and performance of a heat sink and it is found that any change in these parameters results in a change in the optimized heat sink dimensions and flow conditions associated with the application for optimal heat sink performance.


This section provides data on programs not covered in the preceding sections: Unemployment insurance, workers' compensation, temporary disability insurance, Black Lung benefits (a specialized workers' compensation program for coal miners), and veterans' benefits. Unemployment insurance is a Federal-State program. Workers' compensation is State administered except for the provisions for Federal employees and longshore and harbor workers, which are federally administered by the Department of Labor. Temporary disability insurance is in effect in seven jurisdictions. It is State administered in five States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and is administered by the Railroad Retirement Board for railroad workers. Federal benefits for veterans and dependents are administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The tables on Black Lung benefits cover the part of the program administered by the Social Security Administration (1973 and prior year claims). Claims arising after July 1973 are administered by the Department of Labor. Unemployment Insurance Through Federal and State cooperation, unemployment insurance programs are designed to provide benefits to regularly employed members of the labor force who become involuntarily unemployed and who are able and willing to accept suitable employment. Workers in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands are covered under unemployment insurance programs. To induce States to enact unemployment insurance laws, the Social Security Act of 1935 provided a tax offset incentive. A uniform national tax was imposed on payrolls of industrial and commercial employers who employed eight or more workers in 20 or more weeks in a calendar year. Employers who paid taxes to a State with an approved unemployment insurance law could credit (offset) up to 90 percent of the State tax against the Federal tax. This insured that employers in States without an unemployment insurance law would not have an advantage competing with similar businesses in States with such a law because they would still be subject to the Federal payroll tax, and their employees would not be eligible for benefits. In addition, the Social Security Act authorized grants to States to meet the costs of administering the State systems. By July 1937, all 48 States, the then territories of Alaska and Hawaii, and the District of Columbia had passed unemployment insurance laws. Later, Puerto Rico adopted its own unemployment insurance program, which was incorporated in 1961 into the Federal-State system. A similar program for workers in the Virgin Islands was added in 1978. If employers are to receive an offset against Federal taxes and if States are to receive Federal grants for administration, Federal law requires State unemployment insurance programs to meet certain requirements. These requirements are intended to assure that a State participating in the program has an unemployment insurance system that is fairly administered and financially secure. One requirement is that all contributions collected under State. laws be deposited in the unemployment trust fund of the U.S. Treasury Department. The fund is invested as a whole, but each State has a separate account to which its deposits and its share of interest on investments are credited. At any time, a State may withdraw money from its account in the trust fund, but only to pay benefits. Thus, unlike the situation in the majority of States having workers' compensation and temporary disability insurance laws, unemployment insurance benefits are paid exclusively through a public fund. Private plans cannot be substituted for the State plan. Aside from Federal standards, each State has major responsibility for the content and development of its unemployment insurance law. The State itself decides the amount and duration of benefits (except for certain Federal requirements concerning Federal-State Extended Benefits); the contribution rates (with limitations); and, in general, the eligibility requirements and disqualification provisions. …


In January 2012, influenza virus researchers from around the world announced a voluntary pause of 60 days on any research involving highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 viruses leading to the generation of viruses that are more transmissible in mammals (1). We declared a pause to this important research to provide time to explain the public health benefits of this work, to describe the measures in place to minimize possible risks, and to enable organizations and governments around the world to review their policies (for example, on biosafety, biosecurity, oversight, and communication) regarding these experiments.

During the past year, the benefits of this important research have been explained clearly in publications (2-7) and meetings (8-10). Measures to mitigate possible risks of the work have been detailed (11-13). The World Health Organization has released recommendations on laboratory biosafety for those conducting this research (14), and relevant authorities in several countries have reviewed the biosafety, biosecurity, and funding conditions under which further research would be conducted on the laboratory-modified H5N1 viruses (10, 15-17). Thus, acknowledging that the aims of the voluntary moratorium have been met in some countries and are close to being met in others, we declare an end to the voluntary moratorium on avian flu transmission studies.

The controversy surrounding H5N1 virus transmission research has highlighted the need for a global approach to dealing with dualuse research of concern. Developing comprehensive solutions to resolve all the issues will take time. Meanwhile, H5N1 viruses continue to evolve in nature. Because H5N1 virus transmission studies are essential for pandemic preparedness and understanding the adaptation of influenza viruses to mammals, researchers who have approval from their governments and institutions to conduct this research safely, under appropriate biosafety and biosecurity conditions, have a public health responsibility to resume this important work. Scientists should not restart their work in countries where, as yet, no decision has been reached on the conditions for H5N1 virus transmission research. At this time, this includes the United States and U.S.-funded research conducted in other countries. Scientists should never conduct this type of research without the appropriate facilities, oversight, and all the necessary approvals. We consider biosafety level 3 conditions with the considerable enhancements (BSL-3+) outlined in the referenced publications (11-13) as appropriate for this type of work, but recognize that some countries may require BSL-4 conditions in accordance with applicable standards (such as Canada). We fully acknowledge that this research—as with any work on infectious agents—is not without risks. However, because the risk exists in nature that an H5N1 virus capable of transmission in mammals may emerge, the benefits of this work outweigh the risks.


Despite their many appealing properties, kernel methods are heavily affected by the curse of dimensionality. For instance, in the case of inner product kernels in $\mathbb{R}^d$, the Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Space (RKHS) norm is often very large for functions that depend strongly on a small subset of directions (ridge functions). Correspondingly, such functions are difficult to learn using kernel methods. This observation has motivated the study of generalizations of kernel methods, whereby the RKHS norm -- which is equivalent to a weighted $\ell_2$ norm -- is replaced by a weighted functional $\ell_p$ norm, which we refer to as $\mathcal{F}_p$ norm. Unfortunately, tractability of these approaches is unclear. The kernel trick is not available and minimizing these norms requires to solve an infinite-dimensional convex problem. We study random features approximations to these norms and show that, for $p>1$, the number of random features required to approximate the original learning problem is upper bounded by a polynomial in the sample size. Hence, learning with $\mathcal{F}_p$ norms is tractable in these cases. We introduce a proof technique based on uniform concentration in the dual, which can be of broader interest in the study of overparametrized models. For $p= 1$, our guarantees for the random features approximation break down. We prove instead that learning with the $\mathcal{F}_1$ norm is $\mathsf{NP}$-hard under a randomized reduction based on the problem of learning halfspaces with noise.


In communally breeding birds the number of helpers at the nest is less when helping depends on shared paternity (cooperative polyandry) rather than on collateral kinship with the brood (helpers are siblings, aunts or uncles). We suggest that this is because a helper's relatedness to the brood decreases with an increasing number of helpers in the first case but not in the second. By using the dunnock, Prunella modularis, as a model system, we investigated why cooperative polyandry in this species rarely involves more than two males by removing females to increase male availability in the population. Females defended by just one male actively solicited matings from a second male who settled on their territory. By contrast, although widowed males also attempted to settle on territories already defended by two males, females usually refused to mate with them even though they had ample opportunity to do so. We show that a female would be unlikely to increase the total parental help she gained by sharing matings between more than two males because of the way males reduce their parental effort in relation to paternity loss, and suggest that mating with more males would also increase sexual harassment. We conclude that female choice may set a limit to cooperative polyandry in birds.


Since the nineteenth century, Hugo Grotius' "Rights of War and Peace" has commonly been seen as the classic work in modern public international law, laying the foundation for a universal code of law. However, in the seventeenth century and during the Enlightenment, the work was considered a major work of political theory that strongly defended the rights of individual agents - states as well as private persons - to use their power to secure themselves and their property. Grotius' continuing influence owed much to the eighteenth-century French editor Jean Barbeyrac, whose extensive commentary was standard in most editions, including the classic, anonymously translated, English one (1738), which is the basis for the Liberty Fund edition. The present edition also includes the Prolegomena to the first edition of "Rights of War and Peace" (1625); this document has never before been translated into English, and adds new dimensions to the great work.


Summary The private (commercial) sector in India can complement public sector for family planning services, but the roadmap to engage these two sectors remains a challenge. The total market approach (TMA) offers a strategy by understanding the comparative advantage of public, commercial, and nonprofit sectors. We estimated TMA indicators using data of four rounds of the National Family Health Surveys: 1992‐93, 1998‐99, 2005‐06, and 2015‐16. The contraceptive prevalence of modern methods in India did not increase in recent years, but the number of users increased, and so did the market size for the commercial sector. In rural areas, the current market size in 2015‐16 (75 million) failed to reach its potential size in 1992‐93 (84 million). In urban areas, the market of modern contraceptives is mostly composed of the users from higher wealth, and a high percentage of users obtain contraceptives from subsidized sources. The family planning market of northern part of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and of Northeast India are in the "early" stage and need more demand generation; "matured" markets are mostly concentrated in and around big metros. Subsidization in urban areas should be offered to the targeted population who need family planning products and services at low cost.


Questions concerning the methods and techniques of legal reasoning have always been of great interest to judges and lawyers, and even more so to legal scholars, especially those who specialize in jurisprudence. In this book, I explore the action-guiding capacity of two general, normative theories of legal reasoning, developed by Neil MacCormick and Ronald Dworkin, respectively, and one normative theory of statutory interpretation developed by William Eskridge. More specifically, the aim of the book is to determine whether any of these theories will take us further than the so-called legal method, and, if so, whether it can give us the kind of concrete guidance we need when confronted with a hard case. Suppose a judge or an attorney or an administrator really understood and could apply these theories. Would they be of any use to him when faced with a hard case? Would they be able to guide him to a decision when the interpretive arguments conflict with one another?


The compass-gait biped is a deceptively simple walking machine that is often used as a standard benchmark for testing new concepts and methods in legged locomotion. This study will focus on developing a procedure for finding passive gaits of this specific biped by employing the notion of virtual holonomic constraints. First an introduction to the mathematical foundations behind the basic theory is given, then a rigorous treatment of the hybrid dynamics of the biped and the reduction of the system complexity using virtual holonomic constraints are presented. The reduced dynamics of the biped are used to find relations among the gait parameters leading to the formulation of a minimization problem that yields limit cycle solutions of the hybrid system when solved. The stability of the detected limit cycles is assessed using the notion of transverse linearization, and the procedure for deriving an auxiliary linear system for determining orbital stability of the passive gaits is presented. All major results are visualized and the MATLAB and Maple implementation code is enclosed in either the relevant chapters or the appendixes.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the preliminary safety and efficacy of apremilast, an oral phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor, for atopic dermatitis.

DESIGN
This investigator-initiated, open-label pilot study evaluated 2 doses of apremilast in patients with atopic dermatitis. Differential gene analysis was performed from peripheral whole blood using data before and after treatment.

SETTING
University-based dermatology clinical research unit.

PATIENTS
Sixteen adult patients with atopic dermatitis.

INTERVENTION
A specific phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor, apremilast.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
The primary outcome was incidence of adverse events. Secondary outcomes included the differences in pruritus, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), and Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) scores between the baseline visit and end-ofstudy visit for each cohort.

RESULTS
The group receiving apremilast, 20 mg twice daily, displayed a significant reduction from baseline of pruritus (P=.02) and the DLQI (P=.003) at 3 months. The group receiving apremilast, 30 mg twice daily, displayed a significant reduction of the EASI (P=.008) and the DLQI (P=.01) at 3 months. At 6 months, there was a significant reduction of the EASI (P=.002), the visual analog scale (P=.03), and the DLQI (P=.03). Gene ontologic analyses comparing baseline with samples during treatment revealed alterations in immune response pathways, especially those related to cyclic adenosine monophosphate–mediated signaling.

CONCLUSIONS
These results support further development of apremilast for treatment of atopic dermatitis. Larger randomized controlled studies are needed to more adequately evaluate both safety and efficacy. Limitations include the small sample size and absence of a control.

TRIAL REGISTRATION
clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01393158.


We propose a new scoring function for learning Bayesian networks from data using score+search algorithms. This is based on the concept of mutual information and exploits some well-known properties of this measure in a novel way. Essentially, a statistical independence test based on the chi-square distribution, associated with the mutual information measure, together with a property of additive decomposition of this measure, are combined in order to measure the degree of interaction between each variable and its parent variables in the network. The result is a non-Bayesian scoring function called MIT (mutual information tests) which belongs to the family of scores based on information theory. The MIT score also represents a penalization of the Kullback-Leibler divergence between the joint probability distributions associated with a candidate network and with the available data set. Detailed results of a complete experimental evaluation of the proposed scoring function and its comparison with the well-known K2, BDeu and BIC/MDL scores are also presented.


Data and observation from Drifting Program Leg 121 and plate-tectonic reconstructions indicate that the Ninetyeast Ridge (Indian Ocean) was derived from the interaction of a deep-seated Dupal hotspot and a nearby spreading-ridge axis. The 5000-km-long ridge, from lat 34°S to Rat 10°N, was drilled at three sites during Leg 121. About 178 m of basalt, >38 to >80 Ma, were recovered from a total penetration of ∼310 m. Shipboard petrographic and geochemical studies showed that each site has distinctive characteristics. Most of the cored lavas have a tholeiitic basalt composition. Incompatible-element abundanes and ratios show systematic trends, consistent with an origin for the Ninetyeast Ridge lavas by mixing between a depleted component-Indian Ocean mid-ocean ridge basalt-and an enriched component-oceanic-island basalt similar to that observed in the youngest alkalic basalts from the Kerguelen archipelago. Preliminary shore-based trace element abundance and isotopic data are compatible with this hypothesis, although Pb isotopes indicate the involvement of another component.

The long-lasting and more or less continuous activity of the Kerguelen-Heard plume (ca. 115 Ma), now located under Heard Island, south of the Southeast Indian Ridge, provides evidence that the source of the Dupal anomaly is deep seated.


Previous studies have reported gaze influences on body sway direction in response to neck-dorsal-muscles stimulation (NS). In this study, we analyzed effects of gaze and auditory stimulation using tibialis anterior stimulation (TAS), gastrocnemius stimulation (GAS) or NS. From 21 subjects, the centre of pressure was measured and then the body sway direction during the stimulation was calculated. Each subject performed two trials in each of six gaze orientations. Nine subjects whose sway direction was markedly changed by the stimulation performed additional four trials. A comparison of the influences induced by the three methods revealed no statistical difference between NS and TAS. Three out of the nine subjects and another four took part in the auditory experiment. The three subjects showed significant changes in the sway direction. These results suggest that inconsistency among the sensory inputs around head plays only a minor role for reorienting the direction of postural sway and that a higher brain function is possibly involved in the mechanism for the sway direction change.


Background. To understand and model the impact of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines at the population level, we need to know the transmission dynamics of individual pneumococcal serotypes. We estimated serotype-specific clearance and acquisition rates of nasopharyngeal colonization among Kenyan children. Methods. Children aged 3–59 months who were identified as carriers in a cross-sectional survey were followed-up approximately 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 days later and monthly thereafter until culture of 2 consecutive swabs yielded an alternative serotype or no pneumococcus. Serotype-specific clearance rates were estimated by exponential regression of interval-censored carriage durations. Duration was estimated as the reciprocal of the clearance rate, and acquisition rates were estimated on the basis of prevalence and duration, assuming an equilibrium state. Results. Of 2840 children sampled between October 2006 and December 2008, 1868 were carriers. The clearance rate was 0.032 episodes/day (95% confidence interval [CI], .030–.034), for a carriage duration of 31.3 days, and the rate varied by serotype (P < .0005). Carriage durations for the 28 serotypes with ≥10 carriers ranged from 6.7 to 50 days. Clearance rates increased with year of age, adjusted for serotype (hazard ratio, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.15–1.27). The acquisition rate was 0.061 episodes/day (95% CI, .055–.067), which did not vary with age. Serotype-specific acquisition rates varied from 0.0002 to 0.0022 episodes/day. Serotype-specific acquisition rates correlated with prevalence (r = 0.91; P < .00005) and with acquisition rates measured in a separate study involving 1404 newborns in Kilifi (r = 0.87; P < .00005). Conclusions. The large sample size and short swabbing intervals provide a precise description of the prevalence, duration, and acquisition of carriage of 28 pneumococcal serotypes. In Kilifi, young children experience approximately 8 episodes of carriage per year. The declining prevalence with age is attributable to increasing clearance rates.


Objective The purpose of this study was to determine if exposure to injury during mixed-martial-arts (MMA) fights is associated with concussion injury. It was hypothesised that number of hits-to-the-head (HTH) would be associated with concussion assessment findings. Design Case-series Setting Amateur MMA fighters agreed to complete the testing at training facilities and fight venues. Participants A convenience sample 33 MMA fighters completed pre and post-fight assessments (32 males, 1 female) Interventions (or Assessment of Risk Factors) The independent variable was group assignment. The low-exposure (LE) group (n=17) had a mean of 5.8±5.9 HTH while the high-exposure (HE) group (n=16) had a mean of 34.0±9.8 HTH. Outcome measures The dependent variables were compared using an ANOVA model. They included: average speed to complete the Tails B cognitive test, balance measured with an inertial measurement unit, S100B protein concentration in blood serum, and self-reported symptoms. Main results The change in S100B concentration from pre to post-fight was significantly greater (p=0.01) in the HE group (0.22±0.14 ug/L) compared to the LE group (0.10±0.11 ug/L). Dual-task balance cost was significantly greater (p=0.02) in the HE group (0.04±0.05 m/s2/Hz) compared to the LE (0.01±0.01 m/s2/Hz) group. No difference in Trails B speed or self-reported symptoms was observed. Conclusions The increase in S100B concentration in the peripheral blood and changes in balance performance suggest concussion injuries are common during MMA fights but injuries are associated with exposure to head impacts. Cognitive tests and symptom report may not be as sensitive to injury. Competing interests Dr. Neville: Ongoing research sponsorship and equity interest in Motion Intelligence Inc. who provided the hardware for some of the concussion screening used in this study. Dr. Johnson: None. Mr. Baracks: None. Dr. Rieger: Ongoing research sponsorship and equity interest in Motion Intelligence Inc. who provided the hardware for some of the concussion screening used in this study.


Q-methodology was introduced more than 80 years ago to study subjective topics such as attitudes, perceptions, preferences, and feelings and there has not been much change in its statistical components since then. In Q-methodology, subjective topics are studied using a combination of qualitative and quantitative techniques. It involves development of a sample of statements and rank-ordering these statements by study participants using a grid known as Q-sort table. After completion of Q-sort tables by the participants, a by-person factor analysis (i.e., the factor analysis is performed on persons, not variables or traits) is used to analyze the data. Therefore, each factor represents a group of individuals with similar views, feelings, or preferences about the topic of the study. Then, each group (factor) is usually described by a set of statements, called distinguishing statements, or statements with high or low factor scores. In this article, we review one important statistical issue, i.e. the criteria for identifying distinguishing statements and provide a review of its mathematical calculation and statistical background. We show that the current approach for identifying distinguishing statements has no sound basis, which may result in erroneous findings and seems to be appropriate only when there are repeated evaluations of Q-sample from the same subjects. However, most Q-studies include independent subjects with no repeated evaluation. Finally, a new approach is suggested for identifying distinguishing statements based on Cohen's effect size. We demonstrate the application of this new formula by applying the current and the suggested methods on a Q-dataset and explain the differences.


Within any industry, firms typically produce related products over multiple subsequent periods in an attempt to build consumer loyalty and achieve continued sales. Apple releases new iPhones and car companies produce new models every year, relying on consumers believing each new product is of high quality. Firms rely on the spillover effects from previous markets, where firms are able to more easily demonstrate their product's quality to the consumers before purchase. The goal is to find a range of prices which allows the high quality firm to distinguish its type to consumers via the price p and if spillover effects in subsequent markets can occur. We look at a duopoly of two firms, of high and low qualities, where each firm produces a product in an initial market and a second, related product in a subsequent market. Using each firm's expected profits, based on Bayesian probabilities, we analyze a firm's mimicking strategy to find the range of p that allows for a separating equilibrium and spillover effects. In a second market where firms are the same qualities as in the first market, the high quality firm experiences spillover effects and can signal its quality with a lower price than in the first market. When firms change qualities in the second market, no spillover effect occurs and the newly high quality firm must increase p from the previous market in order to separate. iii


This Article addresses the timely and controversial topic of constitutional limits on punitive damages and brings a criminal punishment theory perspective to the analysis of this issue. The question of how to determine when punishment is unconstitutionally excessive has been and continues to be a subject of intense debate in the courts and scholarly circles. The United States Supreme Court has subjected criminal sanctions, criminal forfeitures, and punitive damages to a proportionality requirement, but the Court uses different approaches to the proportionality analysis depending on the type of punishment. In the criminal context, the Court has retreated in large part from proportionality review, deferring to legislative maxima for criminal sentences. By contrast, where there is no legislative cap on the punitive damages a jury can award, the Court has undertaken a more active role in determining the proportionality of punitive damages. Similarly, where there is no legislative limit to the amount of property that can be forfeited, the Court has engaged in a more active proportionality review. An analysis of the Supreme Court's different proportionality reviews demonstrates that the different approaches are explained by the presence or absence of legislative limits on punishment. This Article examines the nature of punishment and the requirements for just punishment-notice, proportionality, and limits-and applies these principles to punitive damages. It concludes that a system that imposes no limits on the amount of punitive damages awards contravenes the principle of notice and leaves courts with little guidance in assessing the excessiveness of particular awards. To bring punitive damages into conformity with the principles of just punishment and to provide courts with a benchmark for evaluating the proportionality of punitive damages awards, the Article concludes with proposals for legislative limits on such awards. Because of the importance of limits on punishment, including punitive damages, this Article suggests how states can impose caps on punitive damages awards that serve the policy interests of punishing and deterring wrongful and harmful conduct, and how states can use caps to justify large awards in appropriate cases that will survive excessiveness challenges.


6,7-Dihydro-5H-dibenz[c,e]azepines, a class of secondary amine incorporating a centre-axis chirality relay, can be prepared from N-(2-bromobenzyl)-N-(1-arylalkyl)methanesulfonamides via Pd-catalysed intramolecular direct arylation, and methylated at C(7) via the 5,7-trans diastereoselective addition of methylmagnesium bromide to the derived N-benzylazepinium tetraphenylborate. Using these methods, the 4,5-dimethylated and 4,5,7-trimethylated homologues 13 and 14 were obtained and shown by 1H NMR spectroscopy to be axially biased in opposite senses, as defined by the respective pseudoaxial or pseudoequatorial orientation of the 5-substituent in the preferred conformers, while retaining their tropos nature (the Arrhenius activation energy, EA, for the conformational exchange process in 14 was estimated to be 57 kJ mol-1 using 2D-EXSY NMR spectroscopy at 233-248 K). These results serve to illustrate how substituent effects might be exploited in new designs of bridged biaryl ligand in which tropos dynamics operate in combination with a pre-existing axial stereochemical bias.

publisher-specific, author manuscript: http://rsc.li/journals-terms-of-use


Ronald H. Coase was one of the most innovative and provocative economists of the twentieth century. Besides his best known papers on 'The Nature of the Firm' and 'The Problem of Social Cost', he had a major role in the development of the field of law and economics, and made numerous influential contributions to topics including public utilities, regulation and the functioning of markets. In this comprehensive Companion, 31 leading economists, social scientists and legal scholars assess the impact of his work with particular reference to the research programs initiated, the influence on policymakers, and the challenge to conventional perspectives.


Binding of non-spatial features in visual working memory (VWM), and the role of location in binding, remain unknown. Empirical evidence for and against feature binding in VWM has been based on null results. Object file theory postulates that spatiotemporal location is critical in maintenance of feature binding in VWM, but no evidence has been provided for the binding of feature conjunction to location. The current study combined the redundancy gain paradigm and the object reviewing paradigm to investigate the relationship between color-shape binding and location. A set of features was presented in a two-object memory display, followed by a single object probe. Participants judged if the probe contained any features of the memory display, regardless of location. The probe contained two, one, or zero features in the memory display (redundant trials, single-feature trials, or new trials, respectively). Within the redundant trials, the features were either grouped or separated. To investigate the role of location, single-feature and redundant-grouped trials were further classified into location-shared and location-unshared trials The race model analysis examined whether RT advantage of redundant over single-feature trials is due to probability summation, and revealed object-based feature co-activation regardless of location sharing between probe and memory objects, suggesting location-unbound binding of color and shape. Location-sharing benefits were obtained for both redundant and single-feature conditions, indicating maintenance of object files independent of non-spatial feature binding. Amplitude modulations in N350 ERP component reflecting the feature co-activation had the peak in a frontal region, whereas those reflecting the location-sharing benefit had the peak in a posterior region, suggesting different neural mechanisms for the maintenance of color-shape binding and object files. In a location-irrelevant task, color-shape binding is maintained without binding to location, inconsistent with object file theory. These novel findings suggest a parallel maintenance of type and token VWM representations. Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2015.


The search for novel
forms of computing that show advantages as alternatives to the dominant
von-Neuman model-based computing is important as it will enable different
classes of problems to be solved. By using droplets and room-temperature
processes, molecular computing is a promising research direction with potential
biocompatibility and cost advantages. In this work, we present a new approach
for computation using a network of chemical reactions taking place within an
array of spatially localized droplets whose contents represent bits of
information. Combinatorial optimization problems are mapped to an Ising
Hamiltonian and encoded in the form of intra- and inter- droplet interactions.
The problem is solved by initiating the chemical reactions within the droplets
and allowing the system to reach a steady-state; in effect, we are annealing
the effective spin system to its ground state. We propose two implementations
of the idea, which we ordered in terms of increasing complexity. First, we
introduce a hybrid classical-molecular computer where droplet properties are
measured and fed into a classical computer. Based on the given optimization
problem, the classical computer then directs further reactions via optical or
electrochemical inputs. A simulated model of the hybrid classical-molecular
computer is used to solve boolean satisfiability and a lattice protein model.
Second, we propose architectures for purely molecular computers that rely on
pre-programmed nearest-neighbour inter-droplet communication via energy or mass
transfer.


Organizations tend to rely on small groups rather than individuals when important decision have to be made, based on the assumption that groups possess a broader range of informational resources and more diversity of insights than individuals. However, research on group decision-making shows that groups often fail to use effectively group members' unique information. Central in this dissertation is the relationship between distributed information, the way groups process information, and the quality of the group decision. In three experiments, the influence of demographic diversity, dispositional negative affect, and mood on groups' information elaboration process and groups' decision quality is studied. Results indicate the following: Groups with distributed information and diverse demographic backgrounds elaborate information more and reach better decisions with a focus on information exchange and integration than without such a focus. Higher dispositional negative affect within a group with distributed information stimulates information elaboration and group decision quality. A negative mood within a group with distributed information only affects information elaboration within a group and groups' decision quality positively if group members are lower in dispositional distress. In all three single experiments, information elaboration within a group mediates groups' decision quality. It is concluded that diversity and affect – as disposition as well as mood – are important issues to include in group research and implications for research in organizational behaviour are discussed.


This investigation examines employment opportunities for low-skill men and women focusing on the role of changes in the number and size distribution of employers in local labor markets. The study uses data from the Census Bureau's 1989-97 County Business Patterns files to characterize the number and size distribution of establishments by county over time. It links these measures to person-level data from the 1990-98 Annual Demographic Supplements (March files) of the Current Population Survey on employment, earnings and other personal attributes. The study estimates probit models of the relationship between local business conditions and individual employment outcomes and regression models of the relationship between business conditions and individual hourly and weekly earnings. The empirical results show that changes in the size distribution of establishments have both general and skill-specific effects on employment and earnings. The estimates indicate that increases in the number of establishments with 100-499 employees lead to higher levels of employment for less-skilled men and women. Increases in the number of establishments with 10-99 employees are positively associated with earnings for most workers, but the effects appear to be largest for younger workers. Increases in the number of establishments with fewer than 10 employees are actually negatively associated with employment for younger, more-educated men and women and negatively associated with earnings for less-educated women.


Subsea pipelines and flowlines are periodically subject to anchor snags that result in massive pipeline movements and/or local deformation. Knowing how to assess these types of damages is often challenging, especially considering the potential for product release. Along the same lines, operators are hesitant to shut down operation or remove lines from service unless absolutely necessary. For this reason, Stress Engineering Services, Inc. is frequently called upon to work with operators to assess the extent of pipeline damage. This paper provides case studies involving impact with actual pipelines and what steps were taken to determine the severity of damage. In presenting these case studies, an assessment methodology will be presented that includes specific steps for performing a damage assessment. This approach is built upon lessons learned from prior evaluation and draws heavily from resources involving finite element methods as well as a database integrating more than 15 years worth of full-scale pipeline testing. Additionally, discussions on assessing damage using the current ASME gas and liquid pipeline codes will be provided. The value of the work presented in this paper is that pipeline operators can better position themselves to appropriately respond to pipeline damage using a methodology that has permitted the continued safe operation of subsea pipeline systems.


Invasive plant species are increasingly altering species composition and the functioning of ecosystems from a local to a global scale. The grass species Pennisetum setaceum has recently raised concerns as an invader on different archipelagos worldwide. Among these affected archipelagos are the Canary Islands, which are a hotspot of endemism. Consequently, conservation managers and stakeholders are interested in the potential spreading of this species in the archipelago. We identify the current extent of the suitable habitat for P. setaceum on the island of La Palma to assess how it affects island ecosystems, protected areas (PAs), and endemic plant species richness. We recorded in situ occurrences of P. setaceum from 2010 to 2018 and compiled additional ones from databases at a 500 m × 500 m resolution. To assess the current suitable habitat and possible distribution patterns of P. setaceum on the island, we built an ensemble model. We projected habitat suitability for island ecosystems and PAs and identified risks for total as well as endemic plant species richness. The suitable habitat for P. setaceum is calculated to cover 34.7% of the surface of La Palma. In open ecosystems at low to mid elevations, where native ecosystems are already under pressure by land use and human activities, the spread of the invader will likely lead to additional threats to endemic plant species. Forest ecosystems (e.g., broadleaved evergreen and coniferous forests) are not likely to be affected by the spread of P. setaceum because of its heliophilous nature. Our projection of suitable habitat of P. setaceum within ecosystems and PAs on La Palma supports conservationists and policymakers in prioritizing management and control measures and acts as an example for the potential threat of this graminoid invader on other islands.


Background: The increasing numbers of infected cases with Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) overwhelmed the population all over the world The advice with regard to social distancing and staying at home were recommended in the community which have led to the spread of psychological distress Objective: To assess the psychological status of the general population in Egypt during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Methods: The authors conducted a cross-sectional, observational survey before the peak of the pandemic in Egypt through an online questionnaire It was shared through e-mails and different social media platforms The COVID-19 Peritraumatic Distress Index (CPDI) questionnaire adapted by the Shanghai Mental Health Centre was used to inquire about the incidence of anxiety, depression, specific phobias, cognitive changes, avoidance, compulsive behaviors, physical warning signs, and loss of social interaction in the aforementioned period Logistic regression was used to analyze factors affecting CPDI score to evaluate the relationship between CPDI category, socioeconomic, and demographic characteristics Findings: Overall, 523 eligible participants were enrolled (including 266 health care workers (HCW) and 257 non-HCW) It was found that 51 9% of HCWs experienced mild to moderate distress, while 15% experienced severe distress Additionally, non-HCWs' results showed that 39 7% of them experienced mild to moderate distress;21 8% experienced severe distress (OR: 0 717;95% CI: 0 493-1 043) Moreover, the percentage of females with severe distress (21 7%) was two times higher than that of males (10 7%) (OR: 0 412;95%CI: 0 278-0 612) Conclusion: Public health emergencies such as COVID-19 increase the psychological distress liability of the general Egyptian population Promoting mental health well-being, as well as behaviorally public psychological engagement during outbreaks, is required to support people who are distressed and to ameliorate their mental health © 2020 Ubiquity Press All rights reserved


Products particularly designed to support physically impaired people often contain for example big buttons in order to remain easy to use and handy for users suffering from diseases like rheumatism, multiple sclerosis or others. There is for example a reported prevalence of more than 31million people with rheumatoid arthritis in Europe. This condition most commonly affects the joints of the hands. However, the sales volume of specially designed products does not reflect this number of affected people. This discrepancy can result from the design of these products. First of all, they often look very unattractive. In addition, the design itself strongly implies the context of physically impaired people. This fact can lead to negative user stigmatization, which usually makes the user feel uncomfortable. Thus, it seems that subjective quality aspects are from rising importance when it comes to product usage. However, there is a gap between the consideration of physiological and psychological user demands that needs to be filled. In consequence, this gap is to be closed and both demands are to be taken into account equally. Therefore, better products can be designed for individual people. Especially physically impaired persons, which have a high demand of subjective quality, will benefit from those products. Literature already includes various methods for psychological and physiological user description. Physiologically there are norms, standards or medical tests for instance. On a psychological perspective, several methods like affective priming or the use of semantic differentials allow a better understanding of the user's attitude. Therefore the question arises, whether there are existing methods suitable to consider physiological and psychological needs in combination. This paper examines, whether there are qualified approaches that can be used to efficiently identify and compare psychological and physiological user needs. Therefore, it also interprets the compatibility between both types of user needs. Thus, this paper provides a solid base for developing a novel and integrated user-centered design approach that efficiently combines physiological and psychological user needs to improve the development of future products.


Julia Hunter and Kate Bain have found true happiness with men old enough to be their fathers. Julia organises her husband Hugh and their cherubic twins with ruthless efficiency and Kate has lived with James, for eight years,and although she refuses to marry him, she's apparently devoted to him. Hugh and James, lifelong friends, feel blessed indeed. But age differences cannot be ignored forever and when James accidentally knocks a fiercely independent spinster from her bicycle a chain of events is set off in which many suppressed discontents and frustrations emerge. Kate begins to seek out friends of her own age and Julia's career begins to blossom just as her husband's starts to decline ...The tranquil lives of the men and the girls seem shattered as new relationships develop and old anxieties surface.