In this thesis an attempt is made to strengthen and develop John Milbank's account of gift and participation, by way of encounters with other thinkers on gift (Jean-Luc Marion, Dietrich von Hildebrand), participation (James K.A. Smith, Thomas Aquinas), and transcendence (Catherine Keller, Mayra Rivera Rivera). The logic of the work is given in two moves made in the course of this dialogue, moves which concern grounds of possibility. First, it is argued that making sense of gift and participation requires a thought of the communicable or "plurally possessed". In respect to (i) gift, it is proposed that unless something remains really the same in the giver, even as it comes to abide in the recipient, such that it is actively present in both—without such communicative "doubling" of a self-identical principle ("Gift"), there can be no transcendence from one person to another, and therefore no event of gift. In respect to (ii) participation, it is shown that Milbank thinks the creature's methexis in divine being in terms of processio—the same divine life, originally proper to God, is also given to creatures in some way. Thus it seems that the intelligibility of (Milbank's) participation also depends on the idea of plural possession—that the latter is to be thought as the condition for both gift and methexis.
The second move complements the first; here the possibility of plural possession is itself questioned. A distinction is made between two senses of "proper", and thus between two ways of being a subject for something—metaphysically and dynamically/expressively. It is argued that the communicable is able to have plural expressive subjects, while remaining the Same (really one in its communicability) inasmuch as it has just one metaphysical subject. So in effect, the thesis suggests that taking account of this "propriological" distinction uniquely enables one to (a) provide the appropriate ontological basis for Milbank's "asymmetrical reciprocity" in gift-exchange, (b) uncover the specific features of his ontology of participation, and thus (c) better evaluate Milbank's thought.
However, Milbank's understanding of gift is still developing, and further research is needed on other aspects of his account of being and methexis. Also, more attention needs to be given to what the gratuity of gift might be, and how one might reconcile the (more Aristotelian) claim that creatures have created ontic forms, with the (more Platonic) claim that creatures have their being by bearing divine form as dynamical subjects.


The Communications Decency Act affords Internet service providers with immunity from liability for defamation, among other crimes, to allow self-policing of websites. However, due to this immunity, websites have no incentive to remove defamatory content, which dodges the entire purpose of the Communications Decency Act. To improve this statute and promote the removal of defamatory content, the United States should follow in the footsteps of countries with more effective Internet laws. This Note presupposes that a higher percentage of Twitter removal requests in which Twitter has withheld some content indicates a higher efficacy of the Internet laws in those countries. The data published by Twitter shows that France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, and Russia are the top five countries in terms of percentage of removal requests with which Twitter has complied. Four of these five countries have laws similar to the notice and take down provision of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which requires an Internet service provider to quickly remove content once made aware of its unlawful nature. Therefore, a notice and take down provision with a critical opinion safe harbor should be added to the Communications Decency Act.


ABSTRACT This study describes a step-by-step process used to design an effective benthic video survey component of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands long-term monitoring program. Documenting abundance of major benthic groups at relatively large spatial scales, at the appropriate localities, can empower monitoring programs with the capacity to detect changes over time and assess whether management practices are working. Most pertinent to any long-term monitoring program is the overriding question: do we have enough information, or statistical power, to detect changes if changes occur? To assess the power of our benthic video surveys to detect change in coral cover and diversity we varied (1) transect lengths, (2) number of transects, (3) number of frames per transect, and (4) number of data points per frame. Five replicated 50-m transects yielded the most consistent estimates with the highest statistical power, compared with more numerous replicates of shorter (35-m and 15-m) transects. Increasing the number of frames analyzed per 50-m transect yielded greater power than increasing the number of data points per frame, but increasing the number of data points was more effective at estimating species richness. The greatest power of detecting a change in the benthos at each site, within a feasible sampling period, was evident using 5 by 50 m random transects, extracting 60 frames per transect, and analyzing five data points on each frame. This optimal sampling strategy was tested at 23 other long-term monitoring sites and yielded 90% power to detect a 20–30% relative change in dominant benthos abundance estimates (benthos >20% coverage). Our study addresses the sampling unit, accuracy, and ways to improve estimates, but this does not remove the onus of concisely stated questions for monitoring programs pertaining to management.


"This comprehensive selection from the influential City Lights Pocket Poets Series is a landmark retrospective, celebrating forty years of publishing and cultural history. From the introduction by Lawrence Ferlinghetti: "Even though some say that an avant-garde in literature no longer exists, the smaller independent publisher is itself still a true avant-garde, its place still out there, scouting the unknown ...From the beginning, the aim was to publish across the board, avoiding the provincial and the academic ...I had in mind rather an international, dissident, insurgent ferment ..." Includes poetry by: Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Kenneth Rexroth, Kenneth Patchen, Allen Ginsberg, Marie Ponsot, Denise Levertov, Gregory Corso, Jacques Prevert, Robert Duncan, Jerome Rothenberg, Nicanor Parra, Robert Nichols, Anselm Hollo, Malcolm Lowry, Frank O'Hara, Philip Lamantia, Bob Kaufman, Janine Pommy-Vega, Charles Upton, Pablo Picasso, Robert Bly, Diane di Prima, Jack Kerouac, Andrei Voznesensky, Pete Winslow, Harold Norse, Anne Waldman, Jack Hirschman, Stefan Brect, Peter Orlovsky, Antler, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Ernesto Cardenal, Antonio Porta, Adam Cornford, La Loca, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Daisy Zamora, Rosario Murillo, and Alberto Blanco.


Corporate Visual Identity (CVI) is a crucial part of the identity of any organization. Most research on managing corporate identity deals with the strategic development of corporate identity and the design and effects of specific elements of the CVI. This study focuses on an aspect of CVI management that has not received much attention—the problem of maintaining consistent use of the CVI in an organization. A comparison is made between manufacturing and service organizations, and between profit-making and nonprofit organizations. For these organization types, the perceived CVI consistency was investigated, as well as the organizational and CVI management characteristics and instruments affecting it. The research was conducted using questionnaires distributed among employees of 20 Dutch organizations. Most of the differences found were those between profit-making and nonprofit organizations. The results showed greater consistency in the CVI of profit-making organizations, in accordance with the amount of effort these organizations put into CVI management.


The NUMEN project aims at accessing experimentally driven information on Nuclear Matrix Elements (NME) involved in the half-life of the neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ), by high-accuracy measurements of the cross sections of Heavy Ion (HI) induced Double Charge Exchange (DCE) reactions. Particular attention is given to the (18O,18Ne) and (20Ne,20O) reactions as tools for β+β+ and β-β-decays, respectively. First evidence about the possibility to get quantitative information about NME from experiments is found for both kind of reactions. In the experiments, performed at INFN - Laboratory Nazionali del Sud (LNS) in Catania, the beams are accelerated by the Superconducting Cyclotron (CS) and the reaction products are detected the MAGNEX magnetic spectrometer. The measured cross sections are challengingly low, limiting the present exploration to few selected isotopes of interest in the context of typically low-yield experimental runs. A major upgrade of the LNS facility is foreseen in order to increase the experimental yield of at least two orders of magnitude, thus making feasible a systematic study of all the cases of interest. Frontiers technologies are going to be developed, to this purpose, for the accelerator and the detection systems. In parallel, advanced theoretical models will be developed in order to extract the nuclear structure information from the measured cross sections.


Although others have written eloquently on the relationship of water to built form, until now no one has investigated the swimming pool as a quintessentially modern and American space, reflecting America's infatuation with hygiene, skin, and recreation. In The Springboard in the Pond, Thomas van Leeuwen looks at a familiar hole--the domestic swimming pool--and discovers an icon indispensable to the reading of twentieth-century modernism.At one level, the book is a rereading of modern architecture that will leave that story permanently altered. At another level, it is the story of the origin and evolution of the private swimming pool as a building type and cultural artifact. And at still another level, it is a material philosophy of water. Van Leeuwen explores the human relationship to water from a variety of viewpoints: social, religious, artistic, sexual, psychological, technical, and above all architectural. Throughout the book, he weaves a series of analogies to three emblematic animals--frog, swan, and penguin--that represent the three prevailing human attitudes toward water: hydrophilia, hydrophobia, and ambivalence. The books many illustrations--drawings, plans, and photographs--come from an unusual variety of sources, creating what is surely the most provocative visual archive of the swimming pool ever assembled.This book is the second in a planned tetralogy by the author, with each volume centered on the relationship of architecture to one of the four classical elements: sky, water, fire, and earth. The first volume was The Skyward Trend of Thought: The Metaphysics of the American Skyscraper (MIT Press, 1988). The third volume, Columns of Fire: Architecture and Destruction, is currently in preparation.


The von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor gene is inactivated in both sporadic and inherited clear cell renal carcinoma associated with VHL disease. We have identified two distinct native products of the human VHL gene, with apparent molecular masses of 24 and 18 kDa. The 18-kDa VHL protein was more abundant in nearly all cell lines examined. Reintroduction of the 18-kDa VHL gene product into renal carcinoma cells lacking wild-type VHL protein led to down-regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) mRNA and glucose transporter GLUT1 protein and suppressed tumor formation in nude mice. The 18-kDa VHL protein also demonstrated binding to elongins B and C. In an in vitro assay, the second in-frame AUG codon present in VHL mRNA was shown to be necessary and sufficient for production of the 18-kDa VHL protein, consistent with an internal translation mechanism. These data provide evidence for a second major VHL gene product, which contains the functional domains of the VHL gene. Moreover, these results indicate that internal translation initiation is an important mechanism for production of the major VHL protein.


Abstract. To predict atmospheric partitioning of organic compounds between gas and aerosol particle phase based on explicit models for gas phase chemistry, saturation vapor pressures of the compounds need to be estimated. Estimation methods based on functional group contributions require training sets of compounds with well-established saturation vapor pressures. However, vapor pressures of semivolatile and low-volatility organic molecules at atmospheric temperatures reported in the literature often differ by several orders of magnitude between measurement techniques. These discrepancies exceed the stated uncertainty of each technique which is generally reported to be smaller than a factor of 2. At present, there is no general reference technique for measuring saturation vapor pressures of atmospherically relevant compounds with low vapor pressures at atmospheric temperatures. To address this problem, we measured vapor pressures with different techniques over a wide temperature range for intercomparison and to establish a reliable training set. We determined saturation vapor pressures for the homologous series of polyethylene glycols (H − (O − CH2 − CH2)n − OH) for n = 3 to n = 8 ranging in vapor pressure at 298 K from 10−7 to 5×10−2 Pa and compare them with quantum chemistry calculations. Such a homologous series provides a reference set that covers several orders of magnitude in saturation vapor pressure, allowing a critical assessment of the lower limits of detection of vapor pressures for the different techniques as well as permitting the identification of potential sources of systematic error. Also, internal consistency within the series allows outlying data to be rejected more easily. Most of the measured vapor pressures agreed within the stated uncertainty range. Deviations mostly occurred for vapor pressure values approaching the lower detection limit of a technique. The good agreement between the measurement techniques (some of which are sensitive to the mass accommodation coefficient and some not) suggests that the mass accommodation coefficients of the studied compounds are close to unity. The quantum chemistry calculations were about 1 order of magnitude higher than the measurements. We find that extrapolation of vapor pressures from elevated to atmospheric temperatures is permissible over a range of about 100 K for these compounds, suggesting that measurements should be performed best at temperatures yielding the highest-accuracy data, allowing subsequent extrapolation to atmospheric temperatures.


We study the properties of 1880 Mg II absorption line systems using only the photometric data cataloged by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. To compensate for the lack of redshift information, we develop several background subtraction techniques to isolate galaxies physically associated with the absorption systems. These methods were tested on a set of mock catalogs to ensure that they yield correct results when applied to a set of data. Upon measuring the absolute magnitude distribution and luminosity function of neighbours of these absorbers, we find a distribution whose shape matches a fiducial model based on a luminosity function at a similar redshift. On scales 0.02 − 0.5 Mpc/h, we find that strong systems have more neighbours than weak ones; when the scale is increased to 0.02 − 1 Mpc/h, weak systems have more neighbours. Our measured Mg II absorber—neighbouring galaxy projected cross-correlation function demonstrates evidence of a break at ∼ 100 kpc/h (comoving), but is consistent with a single power law over the range 40 kpc/h ≤ rp ≤ 880 kpc/h. The cross-correlation functions of the weak and strong subsamples have similar slopes, but the amplitude of the weak one is higher than that of the strong one. We use the galaxies closest in angular separation to absorbers to constrain the properties of candidate hosts. The mean absorber–galaxy centre separation is ∼ 30 kpc/h; we also find that strong systems lie closer to the centre of their host galaxies than weak systems. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Physics & Astronomy First Advisor Ravi K. Sheth


Common wisdom teaches us to strive to keep our options open, and to the greatest extent. We are advised by mentors and peers to re-examine constantly decisions and offers and to seek out new ones, without losing sight and control of the old. This general preference can be articulated in various contexts through legalistic terminology. In this Article we focus on the context of consumer contract law, applying the term "Open Door" to refer to situations in which a consumer can exercise, within a well defined time frame, a right to rescind or withdraw from - and thus reverse - a contractual commitment. Intuitively, leaving doors open makes perfect sense. This intuition could also be phrased in economic terms as an appropriate measure to minimize risk and effectively gather information. However, in many cases this line of reasoning is wrong. Lenient return policies providing for an Open Door might lead consumers to systematically misperceive the transaction at stake due to behavioral and cognitive biases. Thus, the Open Door can lead people to engage in sub-optimal transactions, or to purchase products they need not buy. Additionally, the Open Door may send inaccurate signals, leading to market distortions. Therefore, keeping doors open might not be the optimal strategy that assures efficiency, wealth maximization and happiness. Employing an interdisciplinary approach, we demonstrate that the intuitive desire to leave doors open has far-reaching, diverse, and at times contradictory psychological, economic, and legal implications.


High Performance Computing (HPC) systems aim to solve complex computing problems (in a short amount of time) that are either too large for standard computers or would take too long. They are used to solve computational problems in many fields such as medical science (for drug discovery, breast cancer detection in images, etc.), climate science, physics, mathematical science, etc. Existing solutions such as HPC Supercomputer, HPC Cluster, HPC Cloud or HPC Grid are not adapted for resource poor settings (mainly for developing countries) because their fees are generally beyond the funding (particularly for academics) and the administrative complexity to access to HPC Grid creates a higher barrier. This paper presents an approach allowing to build a Volunteer Computing system for HPC in resource poor settings. This solution does not require any additional investment in hardware, but relies instead on voluntary machines already owned by the private users. The experiment has been made on the mathematical problem of solving the matrices multiplication using Volunteer Computing system. Given the success of this experiment, the enrollment of other volunteers has already started. The goal being to create a powerful Volunteer Computing system with the maximum number of computers.


Since the turn of the millennium, an evolving body of scientific and clinical evidence indicates that biofilm is implicitly linked to delayed wound healing and infection. Currently, wound anti-biofilm strategies rely on non-specific wound bed preparation techniques involving physical debridement and cleansing, and innovative technologies designed to specifically manage biofilm have only just begun to emerge. The first output of anti-biofilm research and product development in wound care show great promise for patients, clinicians and healthcare institutions. The aim of this chapter is to address the current clinical biofilm problem, describe existing and emerging strategies to combat wound biofilm and review the available evidence.


Cx43, a major cardiac connexin, forms precursor hemichannels that accrue at the intercalated disc to assemble as gap junctions. While gap junctions are crucial for electrical conduction in the heart, little is known on potential roles of hemichannels. Recent evidence suggests that inhibiting Cx43 hemichannel opening with Gap19 has antiarrhythmic effects. Here, we used multiple electrophysiology, imaging and super-resolution techniques to understand and define the conditions underlying Cx43 hemichannel activation in ventricular cardiomyocytes, their contribution to diastolic Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum, and their impact on electrical stability. We showed that Cx43 hemichannels are activated during diastolic Ca2+ release in single ventricular cardiomyocytes and cardiomyocyte cell pairs from mouse and pig. This activation involved Cx43 hemichannel Ca2+ entry and coupling to Ca2+ release microdomains at the intercalated disc resulting in enhanced Ca2+ dynamics. Hemichannel opening furthermore contributed to delayed afterdepolarizations and triggered action potentials. In single cardiomyocytes, cardiomyocyte cell pairs and arterially perfused tissue wedges from failing human hearts, increased hemichannel activity contributed to electrical instability as compared to non-failing rejected donor hearts. We conclude that microdomain coupling between Cx43 hemichannels and Ca2+ release is a novel, targetable, mechanism of cardiac arrhythmogenesis in heart failure.


The notion that "thinking about computing is one of the most exciting things the human mind can do" sets both The Little Schemer (formerly known as The Little LISPer) and its new companion volume, The Seasoned Schemer, apart from other books on LISP. The authors' enthusiasm for their subject is compelling as they present abstract concepts in a humorous and easy-to-grasp fashion. Together, these books will open new doors of thought to anyone who wants to find out what computing is really about. The Little Schemer introduces computing as an extension of arithmetic and algebra; things that everyone studies in grade school and high school. It introduces programs as recursive functions and briefly discusses the limits of what computers can do. The authors use the programming language Scheme, and interesting foods to illustrate these abstract ideas. The Seasoned Schemer informs the reader about additional dimensions of computing: functions as values, change of state, and exceptional cases. The Little LISPer has been a popular introduction to LISP for many years. It had appeared in French and Japanese. The Little Schemer and The Seasoned Schemer are worthy successors and will prove equally popular as textbooks for Scheme courses as well as companion texts for any complete introductory course in Computer Science.


Abstract Airborne volatiles released by Melinis minutiflora P. Beauv., a non-host plant of the spotted stem borer, Chilo partellus (Swinhoe), were trapped from the live plant by air entrainment into porous polymer Porapak Q and analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The main hydrocarbons identified and confirmed by co-injection with authentic samples on two columns of different polarities were (3E)-4,8-dimethylnona-1,3,7-triene (28.1% of isolated volatiles) and β-caryophyllene (24.2% of isolated votatiles). Of these, (3E)-4,8-dimethylnona-1,3,7-triene is electroantenographically active (EAG) against Chilo partellus (Swinhoe).


We examine two studies on the prevalence and comorbidity of anxiety and depressive disorders in Japanese patients in primary care settings. The PRIME-MD study (Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders) in Japan was conducted in seven primary care sites. The sample group included 601 adult patients (249 males, 352 females, mean age = 58.9 years, SD = 16.5). Of the 12.5% of patients diagnosed with mood disorders, 5.0% (n = 29) were major depressive disorder, and 6.7% (n = 40) were minor depressive disorder. The odds ratio for co-occurrence of major depressive disorder with generalized anxiety disorders and major depressive disorder with anxiety disorders (NOS) was 11.5 (95% CI: 2.17–18.45) and 8.00 (95% CI: 3.19–20.07), respectively. The PHQ (Patient Health Questionnaire) study in Japan was conducted in eleven primary care sites. A total of 1409 adult patients (611 males, 797 females; mean age: 56.2 years, SD: ±20.4) completed the PHQ in full. The prevalence of diagnosis of any mood disorder or any anxiety disorder was 25.0%. Of the 15.8% of patients diagnosed with mood disorders, 5.3% were for major depression and 8.4% for other depressive disorders. The odds ratio for co-occurrence of major depressive disorder with other anxiety disorders was 30.4 (95% CI: 13.19–70.28).


To investigate the link between rising global temperature and global energy use, we estimate an energy demand model that is driven by temperature changes, prices and income. The estimation is based on an unbalanced panel of 157 countries over three decades. We limit the analysis to the residential sector and distinguish four different fuel types (oil, natural gas, coal and electricity). Compared to previous papers, we have a better geographical coverage and consider non-linearities in the impact of temperature on energy demand as well as temperature-income interactions. We find that oil, gas and electricity use are driven by a non-linear heating effect: Energy use not only decreases with rising temperatures due to a reduced demand for energy for heating purposes, but the speed of that decrease declines with rising temperature levels. Furthermore we find evidence that the temperature elasticity of energy use is affected by the level of temperature as well as the level of income.


An efficient, 459-nm, resonantly pumped Nd:YAG sum-frequency upconversion laser is described. The pump beam from a single-frequency 805-nm laser diode was resonantly enhanced inside the laser cavity and summed with the 1064-nm circulating field. A blue output of 1.2 mW was obtained at an input power of 50 mW.


The use of statistical energy analysis (SEA) for the solution of vibroacoustic problems that occur with the operation of machinery, has only recently become practicable. This paper charts the developments that led from the early ideas of energy accountancy (EA) to the current SEA modeling techniques. The basic concept of EA, which was conceived to show the influence of the overall design parameters on the radiated noise, is explained and its limitations discussed. The paper then goes on to describe how the various practical difficulties preventing the application of SEA were overcome to the point where it could be used as a practical tool. Finally, a case history is presented in which an experimental SEA model is used to determine input (exciting) powers, power flow and sensitivity of the noise to parameter changes. In addition, the use of an optimization algorithm for driving the noise level down to a target spectrum within parameter and weight constraints is also demonstrated.


Public policies affecting the funding for adult lifelong learning and adult literacy through public libraries have created a framework for service that may be dissonant with the ideals of the transformational value of reading. This article reviews the current context for librarianship and adult lifelong learning and literacy programs in light of federal legislation. Ethical dilemmas of the work first ideology are presented. The librarian's capacity to foster an attitude of creation and recreation is presented. The role of education for librarianship in preparing graduates to understand the philosophical context of work with adult lifelong learners is addressed. ********** By 2010, a system of high quality adult literacy, language, and lifelong learning services will help adults in every community make measurable gains toward achieving their goals as family members, workers, citizens, and lifelong learners. (1) Current public policies that affect funding for many adult lifelong learning and adult literacy programs have been crafted in the context of economically driven ideologies such as the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996. Librarians who serve adult learners, though, have generally come to their work through a commitment to provide an expanded view of the world that can be brought to the mind and spirit through reading and literature. The implementation of programs for adult learners through libraries funded with government monies may therefore create a feeling of dissonance for librarians as demands for workforce accountability conflict with the librarian's traditional focus on the humanistic and transformative aspects of adult education. An exploration of the very complex current governmental and professional perspectives that comprise adult learning and literacy will help illuminate some of these issues. The National Literacy Summit, an invitational conference held in February 2000, brought together concerns about adult literacy and adult lifelong learning. (2) It is important to realize that adult literacy and adult lifelong learning, while overlapping, have different histories and advocates. The current working definitions of adult literacy used in this paper are those provided in the National Center for Education Statistics report, Adult Literacy in America, which include "prose literacy," "document literacy," and "quantitative literacy," and the definition provided in the National Assessment of Adult Literacy: "using printed and written information to function in society, to achieve one's goals, and to develop one's knowledge and potential." (3) These definitions, which are based on the recognition that literacy is not a single skill, provide an interpretive scheme. It is not hard to see why adult lifelong learning, adult education, and adult literacy might be used interchangeably in many discussions. "Adult lifelong learning" has been defined by the Lifelong Learning National Center for Education Statistics Task Force: A lifelong learner is typically defined as any adult who is involved in learning activities other than compulsory (K-12) education. This includes those involved in voluntary learning activities, as well as in activities that are required for legal, professional or other reasons. (4) In its discussion of policy issues, the task force focused mainly on work-related lifelong learning, with minimal attention to informal learning driven by personal goals for enrichment outside of the workplace. It would be helpful if adult education were used to indicate activities for definite learning goals (GED, ESL, post-secondary, community colleges, university) and lifelong learning for enrichment, but this is not the case with federal definitions. The Foundation Paper presented at the National Literacy Summit had as its primary aim the provision of information on the history and current state of adult education in the United States, and laid the groundwork for action to build a stronger field in the coming years to serve adults with literacy needs. …


For this project, I had to undergo numerous elicitation and analysis techniques taken from the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge (BABOK) in order to help me plan and put together a detailed requirements specification document for this app. The techniques I used to gather information for this project are surveys, a brainstorming session, interviews, prototypes, a requirements workshop, and interface analysis. At the beginning of this project I was having a bit of trouble recognising the stakeholders in the project. The reason for this was because I had to change so many things regarding the project frequently, but then I met with my supervisor and I finally had a clear understanding of who the stakeholders involved in the project were. After this, I put together a list of stakeholders that I thought will be involved in this project.

When I had finished doing this, I then went on to determine the importance of each stakeholder according to their influence. I achieved this by using a detailed stakeholder matrix. I then began to perform each of the requirements elicitation and analysis planning after most of the key stakeholders were identified. When this phase came to an end and I had received feedback from a few stakeholders that I had contacted to participate in the elicitation sessions, I then began to implement each elicitation technique with a few stakeholders involved. During these elicitation sessions I had with stakeholders, I always took detailed notes either on an electronic device (phone, laptop, iPad) or just on a piece of paper. The results of these elicitation sessions were documented and then I used various analysis tools to analyse them. The requirements elicitation results were utilised to formulate a detailed IEEE requirements specification document for this app. This document discusses the key functional and non-functional requirements of the app in great detail. A development team should utilise this IEEE document as well as all the various elicitation results to design this app.


Abstract The "annuity puzzle" refers to the fact that annuities are rarely purchased despite the longevity insurance they provide. Most explanations for this puzzle assume that individuals have accurate expectations about their future survival. We provide evidence that individuals misperceive their mortality risk and study the demand for annuities in a setting where annuities are priced by insurers on the basis of objectively-measured survival probabilities but in which individuals make purchasing decisions based on their own subjective survival probabilities. Subjective expectations have the capacity to explain significant rates of nonannuitization, yielding a quantitatively important explanation for the annuity puzzle.


Using rare surnames we track the socio-economic status of descendants of a sample of English rich and poor in 1800, until 2011. We measure social status through wealth, education, occupation, and age at death. Our method allows unbiased estimates of mobility rates. Paradoxically, we find two things. Mobility rates are lower than conventionally estimated. There is considerable persistence of status, even after 200 years. But there is convergence with each generation. The 1800 underclass has already attained mediocrity. And the 1800 upper class will eventually dissolve into the mass of society, though perhaps not for another 300 years, or longer.


This thesis describes the study of the fundamental mechanisms relating to asymmetric transfer hydrogenation (ATH) of imines and the transfer dehydrogenation and racemisation of secondary amines by Cp*Rh and Cp*Ir complexes. A series of 16-electron complex of the type Cp*M(XNC6H4NX') (where M = Rh or Ir and X, X' = H or Ts) have been synthesised, fully characterised and demonstrated to be active catalysts for the transfer hydrogenation of imines. The crystal structures of the complexes reveal structural features that are important in understanding their unique ability to act as transfer hydrogenation catalysts including a remarkable trend in the M-N bond lengths, indicative of M-NH π-bonding and the absence of M-NTs π-bonding which has several implications for catalysis. The complexes allowed catalytic studies without the need for 18-electron precursors, as is the case for the more widely used Noyori-type Cp*M(Cl)(TsNCHPhCHPhNH2) (where M = Rh or Ir) ATH complexes. We observed key intermediates in the mechanism by NMR spectroscopy such as an 18-electron formate complex, Cp*Rh(OCHO)(TsNC6H4NH2) and the 18-electron Rh(III) hydride complex, Cp*Rh(H)(TsNC6H4NH2). An 18-electron chloride precursor complex, Cp*Rh(Cl)(TsNC6H4NH2) was also characterised by X-ray crystallography. DFT calculations were used to support our observations and an "outer-sphere" mechanism for the transfer hydrogenation of imines is proposed. We also studied the mechanism of a dimeric Cp*Ir diiodide complex, [Cp*Ir(I)2]2 that is capable of amine racemisation under mild conditions and characterised several key intermediates including an ammine-coordinated complex, Cp*Ir(I)2(NH3) which itself was demonstrated to be equally active for the racemisation process under identical conditions; amine bound complexes of the type Cp*M(X)2(PhCH2NHMe) (where M = Rh, Ir and X = Cl, I) proposed to be the first step in the mechanism; an imine-coordinated Cp*Ir diiodide complex characterised by 1H/15N HSQC and the reversible hydrogenation of this complex by addition of molecular hydrogen to form the corresponding amine. A mechanism based on the current evidence for the racemisation of amines using the [Cp*Ir(I)2]2 catalyst is proposed. Finally, we describe a method for producing hyperpolarised carbon dioxide gas by using the Cp*Rh(Cl)(TsNCHPhCHPhNH2) ATH catalyst to catalytically decompose a pre-hyperpolarised solution of natural abundance formic acid, which was observed by 13C NMR spectroscopy.


In this Note, the author argues that sunset provisions associated with tax legislation are, in their current form, the product of political maneuvering designed to bypass budgetary constraints and are exploited as a means of enacting what is, in reality, permanent legislation. The use of sunsets in this manner has lead to considerable uncertainty regarding the future of their associated tax provisions. This uncertainty, in turn, has created opportunities for legislators to extract rents from lobbyists, generated inefficiencies for both taxpayers and the government, and increased overall tax code complexity. These problems can be minimized, however, if sunsets are used in a more principled manner. This Note argues that sunset clauses in tax legislation can be made more efficient by limiting both the occasions in which sunsets are employed as well as the procedures used to implement them. First, sunsets should only be used in conjunction with certain kinds of tax incentives: The incentives should be simple, of limited duration, and provide diffuse rather than concentrated benefits. Second, sunsets should only be implemented through a limited set of congressional budgetary procedures: They should only be included as part of the reconciliation process for enacting fiscal legislation if the underlying bill increases rather than decreases revenue, and if Congress enacts and adheres to a revenue-neutral, pay-as-you-go set of budgetary rules. These changes, both substantive and procedural, will increase overall efficiency in the use of sunset provisions in tax legislation.


In this paper, we introduce a pruning algorithm which removes aged user ratings from the rating database used by collaborative filtering algorithms, in order to (1) improve prediction quality and (2) minimize the rating database size, as well as the rating prediction generation time. The proposed algorithm needs no extra information concerning the items' characteristics (e.g. categories that they belong to or attributes' values) and can be used with all rating databases that include a timestamp. Furthermore, we propose and validate a method for identifying the most prominent combination of a pruning algorithm and a pruning level for datasets, allowing thus to perform the selection of pruning algorithm and pruning level in an unsupervised fashion.


OFDM is a convenient vehicle for high rate transmission. However, this requires an accurate estimation of the channel at the receiver side. This paper proposes an iterative/adaptive algorithm for semi-blind channel estimation. An initial channel estimate is obtained by relying on the artificial constraint of pilots. The algorithm subsequently switches to the blind mode powered by the natural constraints imposed by the sparsity of the channel and the redundant and finite alphabet nature of the data. It iterates between using the channel estimate to detect the data, and using the data estimate to further improve the channel estimate. The diagonal nature of the OFDM channel makes it possible to optimally detect the data with low complexity. The complexity of the algorithm is further reduced by performing channel estimation adaptively. The simulation results demonstrate the favorable behavior of the algorithm and the tradeoff that it provides between the number of pilots used and convergence speed.


Abstract Evidence-based strategies for the management of herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) include the use of antiviral agents in acute zoster and specific analgesics in PHN. Antiviral agents are effective in reducing the severity and duration of acute herpes zoster when given within 72 hours of rash onset, but they do not prevent PHN. Anticonvulsants, tricyclic antidepressants, opioids, and topical treatment modalities such as lidocaine-containing patches and capsaicin cream offer moderate pain relief to some patients with PHN, but they may be associated with adverse events that limit their use. Therefore, prevention of herpes zoster and PHN with prophylactic vaccination using the zoster virus vaccine is an effective strategy to reduce the morbidity of these conditions. Treatment modalities are available, however, that may shorten the duration of acute herpes zoster and alleviate the pain of PHN.


The authors assessed the separate and joint influences of cigarette smoking and Helicobacter pylori infection on the development of gastric cancer in a population-based prospective study. A total of 1,071 Japanese men aged > or =40 years were followed up prospectively for 14 years (1998-2002). Compared with that for current nonsmokers, the multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios of gastric cancer for smokers of 1-9, 10-19, and > or =20 cigarettes per day were 1.36 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.50, 3.71), 1.93 (95% CI: 1.01, 3.67), and 1.88 (95% CI: 1.02, 3.43), respectively. The risk of gastric cancer increased steeply for subjects who had both a smoking habit and H. pylori infection compared with those who did not have both risk factors (hazard ratio = 11.41, 95% CI: 1.54, 84.67). If causal, the estimated population attributable fraction of gastric cancer for cigarette smoking was approximately half that for H. pylori infection (28.4% vs. 56.2%). The overlap of the population attributable fractions for the 2 factors was 49.6%. Findings suggest that cigarette smoking and H. pylori infection are significant risk factors for gastric cancer in Japanese men, and the magnitude of their combined influence is considerable.


The problem of detecting whether two behavioral constructs reference the same real-world phenomenon has existed for over 100 years. Discordant naming of constructs is here termed the construct identity fallacy (CIF). We designed and evaluated the construct identity detector (CID), the first tool with large-scale construct identity detection properties and the first tool that does not require respondent data. Through the adaptation and combination of different natural language processing (NLP) algorithms, six designs were created and evaluated against human expert decisions. All six designs were found capable of detecting construct identity, and a design combining two existing algorithms significantly outperformed the other approaches. A set of follow-up studies suggests the tool is valuable as a supplement to expert efforts in literature review and metaanalysis. Beyond design science contributions, this article has important implications related to the taxonomic structure of social and behavioral science constructs, for the jingle and jangle fallacy, the core of the Information Systems nomological network, and the inaccessibility of social and behavioral science knowledge. In sum, CID represents an important, albeit tentative, step toward discipline-wide identification of construct identities


This thesis examines corporate social responsibility initially

in Britain, where there has recently been a conspicuous growth

of interest in business social involvement, and Italy. Corporate

social responsibility is defined here as business engagement in

the wider community in order to contribute towards the general

well-being of society. Our analysis employs a hybrid methodology:

we employ a variety of sources, namely, historical texts,

secondary studies and detailed case studies of corporate social

programmes based on in-depth interviews of relevant personnel and

the study of company documents.

Our aim in this study is to provide a general explanation

of why companies go beyond their commercial remit to become

engaged in communitarian and philanthropic action. A socially and

politically informed analysis is furnished: we place this area

in its historical and political context, without losing sight of

the role played by economic forces. Any explanation of

contemporary advances in corporate social responsibility needs

to stress the role of the modern state in society, and, more

specifically, the development of relations between the state and

the business community. It is argued that, in Britain, as a

response to the political and economic crisis of the 1970s, the

links between the business and state sectors became ever closer.

This, as we shall demonstrate, created the institutional

opportunities for active business involvement in society in areas

such as environmental protection, small firm development and

urban regeneration. Italy has seen less political impetus given

to active corporate involvement in society. The most significant

achievements, though, have come from within the state sector.

A final consideration of our social analysis is that we

attempt to analyse the contribution of the private sector to

wider society. This is especially pertinent because, in Britain,

corporate responsibility has come to be seen as a private

solution to public problems. We show, using original case study

material, that there are limits to what companies can achieve on

a social front. We conclude that corporate social responsibility

must emphasise the need for companies to observe social and legal

restrictions in their pursuit of commercial goals, rather than

necessarily engaging actively in social action.


Faced with time and budget constraints, most visitors to Hawaii travel by airline because it is both faster and less expensive than by passenger ship. Consequently, this study of visitor travel to Hawaii is essentially a study of airline passenger travel to Hawaii and to a great extent is a study of tourist travel. The purpose of this article is to present estimates of crosssectional demand functions for travel from each of


Climate is the typical behaviour of the atmosphere. It is usually described in terms of mean (or average) conditions and variations about these conditions, including extreme events and the frequency of their occurrence (Wuebbles and Edmonds, 1991). Climate change, then, is change in the average behaviour of the atmosphere as well as change in the patterns of variation around this behaviour. Climate scientists are as much, if not more, concerned about changes in variability as they are about changes in average conditions; changes in variability may entail fundamental changes in our knowledge base. Climate change is real, has been going on since the earth was formed, and is anticipated to continue for the foreseeable future. Since the industrial revolution, however, much of the change in climate has been discernibly induced by human activity and, in particular, activity producing emissions of so-called 'greenhouse gases' (GHGs) - carbon monoxide, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases. It is anticipated that anthropogenic climate change will have consequences for human health, ecosystems, economic activity, and social wellbeing that are on the whole more negative than positive.1 The human beings who appear to be most vulnerable to climate change are low-income and minority populations living in societies with developed economies, especially in coastal areas, and populations in countries with developing economies in equatorial latitudes. It may be too late to avert such near-term effects of climate change as unusual fluctuations in temperature, the increased incidence of extreme weather events, persisting droughts in Australia, sub-Saharan Africa and other areas, flooding in coastal areas, and melting of glaciers and sea level rise, which may cover low-lying land masses such as islands in the South Pacific. But scientists (and environmental economists) generally agree that it is not too late to ward off possibly irreversible changes in climate and quality of life for future generations through efforts to mitigate emissions and adapt to the effects of climate change (Stern et al., 2006). Contributors to the Stern Review believe that mitigation of and adaptation to climate change can be brought about through a combination of command-and-control and market-inducement policies. They also estimate that the cost of effective mitigation and adaptation could be as little as 1 per cent of global GDP per year, and the sooner such measures are undertaken, the lower the cost will be. Most countries acknowledge this state of affairs and - with certain notable exceptions - the international community is generally in agreement that those countries that have produced the most greenhouse gases should bear the heaviest burdens of costs of adjustment. In this Viewpoint I discuss the fundamental challenge that climate change poses for planning (broadly construed), responses that have been made on both sides of the Atlantic, and further initiatives that might be taken. I conclude with some general observations. The fundamental challenge Although climate change is occurring globally, it is experienced locally, where people live and work, and significant impacts have already been experienced in many locales.2 While discussions are continuing at the international level over how or if the terms of the Kyoto Protocol will be implemented by nations or what agreement might supplant this protocol, communities and regions at the sub-national level have no choice but to respond - and plan to respond - to the problems brought on by the effects of climate change. The impacts of events or conditions linked to climate change will be manifested in damage to infrastructure and housing, stress on public utilities and emergency services, fluctuations in pest populations and increased incidence of disease, damage to crops, and loss of goods in shipment or storage (IPCC, 1998). The fundamental challenge that climate change poses for planning at the community and regional levels is one of understanding adequately and responding appropriately. …


Mid-infrared wavelength (de)multiplexers based on planar concave gratings (PCGs) fabricated on a germanium-on-silicon waveguide platform are presented. PCGs with two different types of gratings (flat facet and distributed bragg reflectors) are analyzed for both transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) polarizations. The insertion loss and cross talk for flat facet PCGs are found to be −7.6/−6.4 dB and 27/21 dB for TE/TM polarization. For distributed bragg reflector PCGs the insertion loss and cross talk are found to be −4.9/−4.2 dB and 22/23 dB for TE/TM polarization.


Voluntary action has long played a role in state education, with Parent Teacher Associations being one of the most common forms of charitable organisation in England. However, education policy, driven by a growing free-market discourse and policy initiatives such as localism, is increasingly pushing for greater voluntary action.

This article explores the distribution of voluntary action for primary schools in one local authority area in England. Drawing upon primary data from 114 questionnaires completed by head teachers and secondary data from the financial records (2013/14) of 380 primary schools, we find evidence of considerable uneven dispersal of voluntary action between schools. These disparities are related to factors including school size, location, leadership ideology and the socio-economic profile of the school. The consequence of this uneven distribution is that schools catering for more affluent communities are more likely to have additional resources than those with poorer profiles.


Akhil Amar, at the end of AMERICA'S UNWRITTEN CONSTITUTION (2012), mentions the idea of postponing for a long while the date on which newly adopted constitutional reforms become effective. The rationale for this idea, as Amar explains, is to impose a Rawlsian "veil of ignorance" on the adopters of the constitutional reforms, so that they have less ability to act strategically on behalf of their own descendants. This essay develops how Amar's idea might best be operationalized. In doing so, it proposes the creation of a nonpartisan Posterity College, with each state sending the same number of members as the state has in the Electoral College. The nation's two immediate past presidents from different political parties (now Clinton and Bush) would serve as the bipartisan co-chairs of this Posterity College. The essay discusses the procedures that this Posterity College would use for its deliberations, how its members would be appointed, some of the potential reforms it might consider, and how its proposals would become part of the Constitution but taking effect only long afterwards.


Introduction and objectives Asthma is an inflammatory disease that is treated with inhaled corticosteroids, but some patients manifest persistent symptoms despite this. Small airway dysfunction may account for treatment resistance in asthma. We hypothesised firstly that small airway disease is characterised by multiple and independent domains, and secondly that small airway biomarkers define a distinct phenotype of asthma with altered clinical disease expression. Methods Ninety-six patients with asthma and eighteen healthy control subjects were recruited. Participants undertook spirometry, body plethysmography, single breath determination of carbon monoxide uptake in the lung, multiple breath inert gas washout and impulse oscillometry. Factor analysis was used to reduce multiple physiological variables to a smaller number of independent components. Hierarchical and k-means cluster analysis was used to classify asthma patients into groups based on physiological biomarkers. Results Factor analysis showed that the measured physiological biomarkers could be reduced to three independent components, corresponding to abnormal lung mechanics (R5-R20 and reactance area), airflow obstruction (FEV1 [% pred.] and FVC [% pred.]) and ventilation heterogeneity (lung clearance index and Sacin). Cluster analysis classified the asthma patients into two groups. Patients in Cluster 1 exhibited multiple physiological abnormalities suggestive of small airway disease, including air trapping, ventilation heterogeneity and abnormal lung mechanics, as well as significant expiratory flow limitation. In contrast, patients in Cluster 2 had largely normal physiology. Patients in Cluster 1 exhibited increased clinical disease expression compared to patients in Cluster 2, with significantly worse median Asthma Control Questionnaire-6 (1.33 vs 1.17, p<0.05), Asthma Quality of Life (5.16 vs 5.97, p<0.01), visual analogue score (VAS) breathlessness (38.5 vs 19.5, p<0.05) and VAS wheeze (33.0 vs 12.0, p<0.05) scores. Conclusion Small airway biomarkers define a distinct phenotype of asthma with multiple physiological abnormalities and increased disease expression. Future studies should examine the utility of screening for small airway disease at an early stage as a possible means of stratifying asthma therapy.


Abstract. Recent advances in weather and climate (W&C) services are showing increasing forecast skills over seasonal and longer timescales, potentially providing valuable support in informing decisions in a variety of economic sectors. Quantifying this value, however, might not be straightforward as better forecast quality does not necessarily imply better decisions by the end users, especially when forecasts do not reach their final users, when providers are not trusted, or when forecasts are not appropriately understood. In this study, we contribute an assessment framework to evaluate the operational value of W&C services for informing agricultural practices by complementing traditional forecast quality assessments with a coupled human–natural system behavioural model which reproduces farmers' decisions. This allows a more critical assessment of the forecast value mediated by the end users' perspective, including farmers' risk attitudes and behavioural factors. The application to an agricultural area in northern Italy shows that the quality of state-of-the-art W&C services is still limited in predicting the weather and the crop yield of the incoming agricultural season, with ECMWF annual products simulated by the IFS/HOPE model resulting in the most skillful product in the study area. However, we also show that the accuracy of estimating crop yield and the probability of making optimal decisions are not necessarily linearly correlated, with the overall assessment procedure being strongly impacted by the behavioural attitudes of farmers, which can produce rank reversals in the quantification of the W&C services operational value depending on the different perceptions of risk and uncertainty.


Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), which is also known as 802.16 standard, supports last-mile broadband access wireless networks. WiMAX has many advantages including wide coverage area and high bandwidth. These advantages enable WiMAX to support long transmission range and high data rate compared to cellular and WiFi network. WiMAX technology uses a number of scheduling techniques in the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, which is responsible for the utilization of available resources in the networks and distribute them among users in order to ensure the desired quality of service. In this study, we propose a Modified Weighted Round Robin (MWRR) scheduler in order to decrease the average end-to-end delay and improve the average throughput. The proposed scheduling technique has been designed and simulated using the QualNet 5.0.2 network simulator. In order to evaluate the performance of our proposed approach, we compared our results to the results of well-known scheduling techniques (weighted Round Robin (WRR), Strict Priority (SP), and Weighted Fair Queuing (WFQ)). The average percentage of improvement was around 4%.


Ten years ago, President Barack Obama's unprecedented address to the Muslim world from Cairo was hailed as a landmark in US–Middle Eastern relations and described by contemporary observers as a historical break in US foreign policy in the region. Yet it soon became clear that the president's vision for a "new beginning based on mutual interest and mutual respect" would face many practical constraints. Analysing the thematic and rhetorical development of Obama's speeches during the formative period between summer 2008 and 2009, as well as the public and academic perception of and reaction to these moments, the paper examines the underlying interests and motivations for the president's foreign policy approach in the Middle East. It argues that despite the low priority given to foreign policy issues during the economic crisis occurring at the time, the key pillars of Obama's ambitious vision for the Middle East were rooted in pronounced US interests as well as the president's personal convictions, rather than opportunistic calculations. It thus counters retrospective post-2011 criticism which argues that Obama's words were never meant to be put into practice. The study contributes to the establishment of a solid empirical and conceptual base for further research on the United States' foreign policy in the Middle East under the Obama administration.


The services and interventions that school counselors provide, how they spend their time, and the focus and scope of the programs that they implement contribute to how school counselors' roles are defined. School counselors have struggled to define their roles in accordance with their beliefs about school counseling (Hutchinson, Barrick, & Groves, 1986; Mustaine, Pappalardo, & Wyrick, 1996; Partin, 1993; Scarborough & Culbreth, in press), in alignment with best practice recommendations (ASCA, 2005; Burnham & Jackson, 2000: Carter, 1993: Scarborough & Culbreth, in press), and in competition with stakeholders' beliefs (Jackson et al., 2002; Paisley & Borders, 1995). Although the profession has made considerable strides in defining what school counselors' role should be (ASCA, 2005), individual school counselors continue to struggle with defining their role in their districts and buildings (Rayle, 2006; Scarborough & Culbreth in press). Role definition has implications for school counselors as well as the stakeholders they serve. When school counselors face challenges to their role, some may become dissatisfied, choose to leave the profession, or acquiesce to providing services that are inconsistent with their beliefs about best practice (Baker, 2000). As a result, the needs of students and school communities may not be met (Scarborough & Culbreth, in press). Leader-member exchange (LMX) theory is a framework for considering how school counselors' roles are defined at building level and exploring factors that may impact school counselors' job satisfaction and turnover intentions. LMX theory is grounded in the belief that the quality of the relationship and interactions between a superior (principal) and subordinate (school counselor) influence how subordinates' roles are defined (Graen & Uhl-Bien, 1991; 1995). Further, there is evidence that superior-subordinate relationships (Gerstner & Day, 1997; Graen & Uhl-Bien, 1995) and role definition (Baggerly & Osborn, 2006; Baker, 2000) may affect school counselor job satisfaction and turnover intentions. The primary purpose of this study was to assess the relevance of LMX theory (Graen & Uhl-Bien, 1995) as the foundation for explaining variance in important school counselor outcomes: role definition, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions. A model, grounded in LMX theory, was developed. Path analysis was used to test the fit of the hypothesized model. Fit statistics from multiple families indicated that the model fit the data well. The model explained 15% of the variance in how school counselors' roles are defined at the building level, 49% of the variance in school counselors' job satisfaction, and 20% of the variance in school counselors' turnover intentions.


The chromosomal breakpoints of follicular lymphomas carrying the t(14;18)(q32;q21) are known to be clustered within a 150-bp region in the major breakpoint region (mbr) of the Bcl-2 oncogene. We have demonstrated that nuclear proteins specifically bind to a novel target sequence within this 150-bp region and a region of Dxp genes, members of the immunoglobulin (Ig) diversity (DH) gene family. One protein, designated BCLF-1, appears to be specifically expressed in lymphoid lineage cells. Two other proteins, BCLF-2 and -3, bind only to the complementary single strand of the target sequence. The manner in which these proteins interact with the target sequence is similar to the interaction of the ReHF-1 and -2 proteins to the signal-like sequence at the chromosomal breakpoint junctions in patients with the t(8;14)(q24;q11) and t(1;14)(p32;q11) translocations. It was further suggested that the BCLF-1 is quite similar to or identical to the ReHF-1. It is therefore hypothesized that these conserved target sequences found in recombination hotspot regions may define novel sequence motifs recognized by two classes of DNA binding proteins. One class of DNA binding proteins is specifically expressed in lymphoid cells while the other class binds to the complementary single strand DNA. These binding activities may play a crucial role in chromosomal translocation in lymphoid neoplasms.


Background: The main objective of this study was to investigate older people's physical activity, their participation in various life situations, and their perceptions of their own health. This included an exploration of potential influences of urban versus rural residency on these outcomes, an evaluation of the measurement properties of a balance confidence scale, and an examination of the proposed usefulness of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) as a conceptual framework to facilitate analysis and understanding of selected outcomes.Methods: The study design was cross-sectional, population-based, with random selection from the national register of one urban and two rural municipalities in Northern Iceland. There were 186 participants, all community-dwelling, aged 65 to 88 years (mean = 73.8), and 48% of the group were women. The participation rate was 79%. Data was collected in 2004, in face-to-face interviews and through various standardized assessments. The main outcomes were total physical activity; leisure-time, household, and work-related physical activity; participation frequency and perceived participation restrictions; and self-rated health. Other assessments represented aspects of the ICF body functions, activities, environmental factors and personal factors. Moreover, Rasch analysis methods were applied to examine and modify the Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale and the ICF used as a conceptual framework throughout the study.Results: The total physical activity score was the same for urban and rural people and the largest proportion of the total physical activity behavior was derived from the household domain. Rural females received the highest scores of all in household physical activity and rural males were more physically active than the others in the work-related domain. However, leisure-time physical activity was more common in urban than rural communities. A physically active lifestyle, urban living, a higher level of cognition, younger age, and fewer depressive symptoms were all associated with more frequent participation. Rural living and depressive symptoms were associated with perceived participation restrictions. Moreover, perceived participation restrictions were associated with not being employed and limitations in advanced lower extremity capacity. Both fewer depressive symptoms and advanced lower extremity capacity also increased the likelihood of better self-rated health, as did capacity in upper extremities, older age, and household physical activity. Rasch rating scale analysis indicated a need to modify the ABC to improve its psychometric properties. The modified ABC was then used to measure balance confidence which, however, was found not to play a major role in explaining participation or self-rated health. Finally, the ICF was useful as a conceptual framework for mapping various components of functioning and health and to facilitate analyses of their relationships.Conclusions: The results highlighted the commonalities and differences in factors associated with participation frequency, perceived participation restrictions, and self-rated health in old age. Some of these factors, such as advanced lower extremity capacity, depressive symptoms, and physical activity pattern should be of particular interest for geriatric physical therapy due to their potential for interventions. While the associations between depressive symptoms, participation, and self-rated health are well known, research is needed on the effects of advanced lower extremity capacity on participation and self-rated health in old age. The environment (urban versus rural) also presented itself as an important contextual variable to be aware of when working with older people's participation and physically active life-style. Greater emphasis should be placed on using Rasch measurement methods for improving the availability of quality scientific measures to evaluate various aspects of functioning and health among older adults. Finally, a coordinated implementation of a conceptual framework such as ICF may further advance interdisciplinary and international studies on aging, functioning, and health.


Aims. Core-collapse supernovae (CC SNe), especially type II-Plateau ones, are thought to be important contributors to cosmic dust production. SN 2004dj, one of the closest and brightest SN since 1987A, offered a good opportunity to examine dust-formation processes. To find signs of newly formed dust, we analyze all available mid-infrared (MIR) archival data from the Spitzer space telescope. Methods. We re-reduced and analyzed data from IRAC, MIPS, and IRS instruments obtained between +98 and +1381 days after explosion and generated light curves and spectra for each epoch. Observed spectral energy distributions are fitted with both analytic and numerical models, using the radiative-transfer code MOCASSIN for the latter ones. We also use imaging polarimetric data obtained at +425 days by the Hubble space telescope. Results. We present convincing evidence of dust formation in the ejecta of SN 2004dj from MIR light curves and spectra. Significant MIR excess flux is detected in all bands between 3.6 and 24 μm. In the optical, a ∼0.8% polarization is also detected at a 2-sigma level, which exceeds the interstellar polarization in that direction. Our analysis shows that the freshly-formed dust around SN 2004dj can be modeled assuming a nearly spherical shell that contains amorphous carbon grains, which cool from ∼700 K to ∼400 K between +267 and +1246 days. Persistent excess flux is found above 10 μ m, which is explained by ac old (∼115 K) dust component. If this cold dust is of circumstellar origin, it is likely to be condensed in a cool, dense shell between the forward and reverse shocks. Pre-existing ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ––– – +++ –– –––– –


Many ground-penetrating radar (GPR) studies incorporate tomographic methods that use straight raypaths for direct model reconstruction, which is unrealistic for media with gradually changing petrophysics. Ray-bending algorithms can sometimes lead to unreliable resolution, especially at interfaces of abrupt dielectric changes. We present an improved GPR tomography technique based on a combination of seismic tomographic methods and a finite-difference solution of the eikonal equation. Our inversion algorithm uses velocity gradient zones and bending rays that represent realistic geology in the subsurface. We tested the technique on theoretical and experimental models with anomalous bodies of varying saturations and velocity and applied it to data from a GPR field experiment that analyzed the root zones of trees. Synthetic results showed that the resolution of our technique is better than that of published methods, especially for local anomalies with sharp velocity contacts. Our laboratory experiments consisted of four objects buried in sand with various water saturations. The GPR tomogram could map the objects and determine their degree of saturation. The velocities are compatible with those of the complex refraction index method; their relationship to the water content fits a previously published empirical equation. Our original field experiment around a poplar tree could map the heterogeneous subsurface and distinguish a central low velocity beneath the tree from the peripheral negative anomaly of a refill. This zone reflects the whole root zone and is caused by its bulk water content of both the organic root network and its surrounding soils.


In this paper, we explore the idea that sets depend on, or are grounded in, their members.  It is said that a set depends on each of its members, and not vice versa.  Members do not depend on the sets that they belong to.  We show that the intuitive modal truth conditions for dependence, given in terms of possible worlds, do not accurately capture asymmetric dependence relations between sets and their members.  We extend the modal truth conditions to include impossible worlds and give a more satisfactory account of  the dependence of a set on its members. Focusing on the case of singletons, we articulate a logical framework in which to evaluate set-theoretic dependence claims, using a normal first-order modal logic.  We show that on this framework the dependence of a singleton on its single members follows from logic alone. However, the converse does not hold.


The Corporate Security Professional's Handbook on Terrorism is a professional reference that clarifies the difference between terrorism against corporations and their assets, versus terrorism against government assets. It addresses the existing misconceptions regarding how terrorism does or does not affect corporations, and provides security professionals and business executives with a better understanding of how terrorism may impact them. Consisting three sections, Section I provides an explanation of what terrorism is, its history, who engages in it, and why. Section II focuses on helping the security professional develop and implement an effective anti-terrorism program in order to better protect the employees and assets of the corporation. Section III discusses the future as it relates to the likelihood of having to deal with terrorism. The book provides the reader with a practitioner's guide, augmented by a historical assessment of terrorism and its impact to corporations, enabling them to immediately put in place useful security processes and methods to protect their corporate interests against potential acts of terror. This is guide is an essential tool for preparing security professionals and company executives to operate in an increasingly hostile global business environment. - Features case studies involving acts of terror perpetrated against corporate interests - Provides coverage of the growing business practice of outsourcing security- Remains practical and straightforward in offering strategies on physically securing premises, determining risk, protecting employees, and implementing emergency planning


A quality improvement project "Developing Ostomy Educational Tools To Decrease Hospital Length Of Stay" is aimed at reducing length of stay (LOS) for patients undergoing elective ostomy surgery from the current twelve days (Kirkland-Kyhn, 2017), to less than five days. Methods included use of a Pre-Ostomy Survey, which was distributed and completed by the nursing staff. Pre-survey analysis identified the need for three ostomy educational tools which were developed using a set of evidenced based patient care "milestones" and included: a Colostomy and Ileostomy Nursing Resource Binder, Patient Milestone Checklist, and the R.N. Postoperative Process For Ostomy Patients. The evidenced based tools will enable the nurses to partner with patients in addressing the psychosocial and educational needs related to ostomy acceptance and management. The timeline for this project is pending administrative review and approval. On approval, the project begins with three months of staff education regarding purpose and use of ostomy educational tools followed by six-months of implementation. When complete, an analysis will be done to evaluate the impact of these tools on reduction of length of stay, as well as nurse and patient satisfaction with the process.


In this article, we propose and implement a novel technique to locate electromagnetic interference (EMI) sources using the concept of time-reversal (TR) cavity. We show in an intuitive manner that reflections from the surfaces of a cavity can emulate an infinite number of sensors in the TR method. In order to locate EMI sources, the equipment under test (EUT) is placed in a rectangular metallic cavity, of suitable dimensions according to the considered frequency band and the EUT size, equipped with a simple monopole or dipole antenna. We demonstrate that by using only one sensor, we are able to locate EMI sources by taking advantage of the focusing properties of a TR cavity. The entropy criterion is applied to obtain the focusing time slice in which the maximum electric field determines the location of the EMI source. Both 2- and 3-D numerical simulation schemes are deployed to demonstrate the ability of the proposed technique. The validity of numerical simulations is tested against frequency-domain measurements. Compared with the conventional EMI tests in anechoic chambers and scanning methods, the proposed technique represents a simpler and cost-effective test method requiring only one sensor (a monopole or dipole antenna).


Background Disruption of the neurovascular unit following cerebral ischemia affects protetive function of the blood-brain barrier, thus contributing to vasogenic edema and hemorrhagic transformation. Aims This study explored the effects of mediators released from neurovascular unit cells on death of brain endothelial cells, astrocytes, pericytes, and microglia during oxygen glucose deprivation. Methods Rat primary cell cultures were exposed either to oxygen glucose deprivation or control conditions. Cell death and released angiogenic factors were assessed from media collected from cultures. For some experiments, astrocyte-conditioned media, pericyte-conditioned media, and microglia-conditioned media, collected from the corresponding cell culture after six-hour oxygen glucose deprivation, were added to the media during oxygen glucose deprivation incubations. Results Brain endothelial cells were more susceptible to death following oxygen glucose deprivation than other neurovascular unit cells. Neither astrocyte-conditioned media nor vascular endothelial growth factor165 were protective for pericytes or brain endothelial cells during oxygen glucose deprivation. Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor antagonist significantly reduced cell death of brain endothelial cells treated with astrocyte-conditioned media or vascular endothelial growth factor165. Pericyte-conditioned media were protective for brain endothelial cells and microglia, but this was not mediated by pericyte-released angiopoietin 1. Soluble angiopoietin 1/angiopoietin 2 receptor Tie2 was protective for brain endothelial cells. Microglia-conditioned media were protective for astrocytes and brain endothelial cells, possibly through transforming growth factor β1 or interleukin 6. Conclusion Microglia-derived signaling molecules, but not angiogenic factors, were protective for neurovascular unit cells during oxygen glucose deprivation. This finding could identify a potential therapeutic target for ischemic stroke.


MetRe is a prototype interface and service designed to support the metadata revision process. Improving consistency of metadata records within an environment is a common repository management task, due to potential for user error when submitting, as well as of other sources of error, such as systematic error resulting from the chosen deposit process. Evidence to support the metadata correction process may be gathered by automated metadata extraction tools, evidence from within the repository, or by comparison with best practice across the repository landscape. MetRe (Metadata Revision) is a prototype demonstrator that is able to identify several characteristic classes of error, twinned with an interface able to highlight several types of individual and systematic error, including a notion of local (intra-repository) and general (inter-repository) best practice.


Diesel particulate filters (DPF) have seen widespread application in the United States and Europe to meet stringent diesel particulate matter (PM) emissions regulations. Now commonplace on most on-road diesel vehicles, DPFs are being increasingly applied to diesel-powered off-road equipment as additional regulations are phased in. Further, recent awareness of particulate matter emissions from gasoline direct injection engines has motivated additional study into potential applications of gasoline particulate filters (GPF).Key to the efficient operation of the combined engine and emissions aftertreatment system, is the accurate determination of the filter loading state, to enable precise control of filter regeneration and on-board diagnostics. Currently pressure- and model-based controls are utilized, in parallel, to provide an indirect estimate of filter loading. This work presents results of an investigation applying radio frequencies (RF) to monitor the accumulation of particulate matter in the DPF, providing a direct, in-situ determination of filter loading state. Simulation results, supported by experimental measurements, are provided to demonstrate the utility of the technique to monitor not only the filter loading state but also to provide a measure of the spatial distribution of the accumulated material. The results of this work indicate significant potential to apply RF-based sensing for improved monitoring and control of the particulate filter in a range of applications.Copyright © 2013 by ASME


One of the founders of Russian Futurism, Khlebnikov can be counted as one of the movement's
most prominent and seminal representatives. Widely acclaimed for his innovative experiments
with language, Khlebnikov is generally regarded as the most radical poet of the Russian avantgarde.
He left a noticeable imprint on all the major venues of experimental art in Russia during
the years when Futurism was influential, particularly through his exploration of "trans-reason"
language [zaum']. His extravagant vagabond lifestyle fortified the modernist life-creation legacy
in post-symbolist Russia. Khlebnikov's poems and prose appeared in the leading avant-garde
periodicals of the era. After nearly two decades of intensive writing, traveling, participating in
avant-garde performances in Russia and abroad (most remarkably in Iran) Khlebnikov died as a
result of a combination of various deadly diseases and malnutrition in the village of Santalovo in
the Novgorod region.


This paper presents aerodynamic simulation and analysis of a horizontal axis wind turbine using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method. The MEXICO (Model Rotor Experiments In Controlled Conditions) Experiment wind turbine is selected for simulation as the experimental data are available and can be used for validation of the CFD model used. CFD method has been used by a number of studies to predict aerodynamic behaviour of wind turbines. However, the majority of studies consider a steady wind flow at the inlet. Sometimes this is not the case when the wind flow is not steady or there are other wind turbines nearby. In this paper, the steady simulations are first conducted using different turbulence models without considering inflow wake at the inlet. Afterwards, a harmonic wake is generated at the inlet and unsteady CFD simulation is performed. Unsteady CFD simulation usually requires long runtime and therefore harmonic (frequency domain) method, which is an efficient computational method to study unsteady periodic flow at a computational cost in the order of steady-state solutions, is used for unsteady computation in this study. This paper first discusses the pressure coefficient distributions with and without harmonic wake at the inlet and compares them against the experiment. Afterwards the detailed analysis of flow around the blade subject to the unsteady harmonic wake is conducted in the meridional view and the blade-to-blade view. Next, the effect of pressure distribution on the blade structure is briefly discussed. Finally this paper concludes based on the results from the aerodynamic analysis as well as the analysis of the effect of aerodynamic loads on the blade structure.


This report summarizes the work performed during the 18-month period ending in December 1997. Researchers investigated the use of differential global positioning system (GPS), inertial measurement, and other sensing technologies as the basis of a system that would prevent crashes. Such a system attempts to control the vehicle if it leaves the lane because the driver is incapacitated. The report includes in its appendices related work on driver fatigue and a bibliography on the effect of drugs and alcohol on driving behavior. The long-term goal of this research involves development of a "driver-centered" vehicle control system capable of providing lane-keeping feedback to the driver, and, if necessary, of imposing aggressive intervention strategies to take over control of the vehicle, steer it to a safe position on the shoulder, and stop it. This research also targets the development of "driver assistive" technologies--such as Heads Up Display and torque feedback supplied by the steering wheel--which provide information to the driver without necessarily requiring computer control of the vehicle. The highlight achievement during this funding period has been the successful demonstration of a GPS-based automated lane-keeping mode of a tractor-trailer on the Minnesota Road Research Project (Mn/ROAD) test track. The report concludes with a strategy for pursuing future deployment.


We present a robust methodology to quantify displacements in musculoskeletal ultrasound sequences. This paper extends the principles of 2D interframe displacements produced by our earlier work using hierarchical variable block size matching, to quantify displacement trajectories. We provide novel solutions for probe motion, quantification of objects moving in the 3D volume traversing the 2D plane, and improving the temporal coherence of displacements for typical captured sequences, direct from modern ultrasound machines.


Unlike other investigations that use discrete return (DR) light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data for the visualisation and investigation of physical structure, this research attempts to investigate data relationships found within the LiDAR point cloud in order to infer the condition of the subject of interest, which for the purposes of this investigation are tree canopies. During DR LiDAR data capture, a laser pulse is emitted from the scanner and information about the subject is captured at only at specific points known as laser returns (r). Subsequently, not all of the laser waveform is recorded, meaning that although a general impression of the subject is captured in a point cloud, there will be areas of the subject between each data point that remain unrepresented in the dataset. This paper outlines preliminary research into attempting to discover what range of LiDAR metrics, and resulting data relationships, are the most suitable to identify the significance of the structural condition of tree canopies from a tree health perspective. This research contributes to a wider investigation of automated tree health assessment and the early identification of structural failure in trees using remote sensing techniques


A theoretical and experimental study on the response of Brillouin scattering in multi-core optical fibers (MCF) under different curving conditions is presented. Results demonstrate that the Brillouin frequency shift of the off-center cores in MCF is highly bending-dependent, showing a linear dependence on the fiber curvature. This feature is here exploited to develop a new kind of distributed optical fiber sensor, which provides measurements of a distributed profile mapping the longitudinal fiber shape. Using conventional Brillouin optical time-domain analysis with differential pulse-width pairs, fully distributed shape sensing along a 1 km-long MCF is practically demonstrated. Experimental results show a very good agreement with the theoretically expected behavior deduced from the dependence of the Brillouin frequency on the strain induced by the fiber bending over a given core. The analysis and results presented in this paper constitute the first demonstration of distributed bending sensing, providing the cornerstone to further develop it into a fully distributed three-dimensional shape sensor.


Power control is a critical parameter for the design and evaluation of ultra-wideband (UWB) based ad-hoc networks due to its distributed control nature and non-fixed topology. Since the ad-hoc networks are infrastructure-less only local information is available for each node to maintain the limited resources available in the network. In UWB indoor networks the main issues in power control are the channel gain fluctuations induced by dense multipath and interference arising from the narrowband systems. In this thesis we have introduced a joint UWB physical/ medium access control layer (PHY/MAC) design for direct-sequence-based UWB (DS-UWB) power control design by exploiting the high time resolution of the UWB signal for channel gain improvement and mitigates the narrowband interference to reduce bit error rate (BER) and so enhance the throughput.The fine time resolution of UWB signals enables high ranging estimation resolution, which leads to more accurate transmitted power control. However, in dense multipath fading an accurate ranging is a problematic due to non-line-of-sight (NLOS) propagation environments. In this thesis we propose a maximum likelihood algorithm enhanced with synchronization scheme to estimate the time delay of direct-path signal in NLOS multi-path fading environment and mean acquisition time. The algorithm is examined under various doublet Gaussian pulse widths and bit energy-noise ratio )(pT)(0NEb and gives lower ranging error (0.32m) compared to others (eg. CRLB is 0.84m).
The closer the narrowband interference band to the centre frequency of the UWB signal, the more signal-to-interference-noise ratio degrades. In this thesis we discussed a mitigation approach by using the flexibility of the doublet Gaussian pulse generation, where a notched band is contributed in the pulse spectrum to avoid the narrowband interferer frequencies. In this case worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WIMAX) and wireless local area network (WLAN) are used. The results are compared with orthogonal frequency division multiplexing-based UWB (OFDM-UWB) before and after mitigation. It was observed that DS-UWB shows better performance after pulse adaptation (1dB better than cognospectrum).
The performance of power control using the proposed ranging and pulse adaptation schemes is investigated for different number of nodes. It is seen that, bit error rate of 10-4 can be achieved for 20 users maintaining 14.2dB SINR. Also the same bit error rate can be achieved for bit error rate for SINR using 40 pulses per bit (). The results have been indicated that the proposed approach is able to achieve better BER (1.6 dB) and throughput (12% more for 40 users) than previous related research works. dB3.12sN


In the printing industry, volatile organic compounds main sources are the uses of organic solvents, fountain solutions and cleaning agents. Nowadays, one circumstance which might confuse the exposure reality is that the majority of solvents which are often used have a faint odour. Therefore, the conditions at offset printing in regard to solvent exposure may seem acceptable to workers. Fortunately, general ventilation and local exhaust systems have also become more common, and new printing machines, often with automatic cleaning, have entered the market. The health effects of volatile organic solvents are dependent on the chemicals involved but, normally, are associated with affecting the nervous system, the liver and also the kidneys. The purpose of this study was to document the conditions regarding exposure to volatile organic compounds in an offset printing unit and to permit identify task with higher exposure and with priority for preventive measures application. Exposure assessment was done before and after installation of general ventilation and local exhaust equipments and during printing and cleaning procedure. It was use portable VOCs measurement equipment with real-time measurements (MultiRAE, RAE Systems model) that allowed identify task with higher exposure. The need and appropriateness of ventilation introduction is measured by the significant statistically difference (p<.001) in the concentration results before


Topical delivery of gabapentin is desirable to treat peripheral neuropathic pain conditions whilst avoiding systemic side effects. To date, reports of topical gabapentin delivery in vitro have been variable and dependent on the skin model employed, primarily involving rodent and porcine models. In this study a variety of topical gabapentin formulations were investigated, including Carbopol® hydrogels containing various permeation enhancers, and a range of proprietary bases including a compounded Lipoderm® formulation; furthermore microneedle facilitated delivery was used as a positive control. Critically, permeation of gabapentin across a human epidermal membrane in vitro was assessed using Franz-type diffusion cells. Subsequently this data was contextualised within the wider scope of the literature. Although reports of topical gabapentin delivery have been shown to vary, largely dependent upon the skin model used, this study demonstrated that 6% (w/w) gabapentin 0.75% (w/w) Carbopol® hydrogels containing 5% (w/w) DMSO or 70% (w/w) ethanol and a compounded 10% (w/w) gabapentin Lipoderm® formulation were able to facilitate permeation of the molecule across human skin. Further pre-clinical and clinical studies are required to investigate the topical delivery performance and pharmacodynamic actions of prospective formulations.


Pastors and scholars alike will herald the appearance of this second volume of Gordon Wenham's analysis of Genesis as a landmark event in the critical study of the Pentateuch. Dr. Wenham devoted fourteen years of his considerable scholarship and exegetical skills to write this exceptional work. This second volume in Wenham's Genesis study is destined to be widely acclaimed like the first volume. Dr. Moshe Greenberg, Professor of Biblical Studies at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, praised Genesis 1-15 as "one of the richest and most informative works on Genesis in English." J. C. L. Gibson, Professor of Hebrew at the University of Edinburgh, called that volume "a very good commentary which combines meticulous exegesis with keen theological insight." Writing this second volume with both the scholar and pastor in mind, Dr. Wenham makes sure that his Comment and Explanation sections on each segment of the Genesis text can be read and appreciated by professionals without Hebrew language skills. At the same time he includes copious technical notes on Form/Structure/Setting that will challenge and instruct the most capable Hebrew experts. Out of his extensive examination of Genesis 16-50, Dr. Wenham has produced a careful commentary that interacts with contemporary scholarship in a restrained, informed manner, clearly affirming from beginning to end his underlying conclusions: * that the patriarchal stories contained in Genesis are not pagan god-myths born in the Canaanite culture but, instead, are records that deal with real historical figures; * that the multi-century oral transmission of the history is accurate and believable; * that uncertainties about dating the patriarchal period in Genesis are not too great to keep scholars from placing these events in the centuries shortly after 2000 B.C.E.; * that the Genesis picture of patriarchal life matches what we know about the family names, tribal customs, social laws, and domestic arrangements of the second millennium B.C.E. Gordon Wenham has produced a commentary destined to take a respected place in all critical studies of Genesis, challenging liberal and conservative readers alike to pay closer attention to what the Bible tells us. Serious students of Genesis will applaud Dr. Wenham's fine commentary as a genuine aid for all who seek to unravel the mysteries of Scripture and to know the mind of God.


Seasonal forests cover about 15% of the Brazilian Savannah and are among the most degraded and fragmented vegetation types in this biome. This study aimed to provide an overview of the current knowledge on these forests and disseminate information that can contribute to the amplification and deepening of previous studies. It shows that previous studies have already explained a large amount of questions raised by earlier researchers, but that the knowledge on some important aspects still remains incomplete. The anthropogenic activities reduction in the remaining areas, as well as the restoration of connectivity between fragments and the development of sustainable exploitation methods, were pointed out as major challenges to be faced by people involved in the study and management of these forests.


This paper investigates the motives for financial complexity by focusing on a large market of investment products exclusively targeted to households. We develop a robust measure of complexity by performing a text analysis of the term sheets of 55,000 retail structured products issued in 17 European countries since 2002. We first find that the complexity of structured products has significantly increased over the period 2002-2010. Second, calculating the fair value of a subsample of products, we show that relatively more complex products have higher markups. Third, the headline rate offered by a product is an increasing function of its complexity. Fourth, distributors targeting low-income investors, such as savings banks, offer relatively more complex products. Fifth, competition amplifies rather than mitigates the migration towards higher complexity. These findings are diffcult to fully reconcile with a completing market motive for financial complexity, while being more consistent with banks catering to yield seeking investors, or developing obfuscation strategies.


This text examines the role of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) within British policing and police policy-making. Based on the first ever empirical study of ACPO, involving interviews with over 60 members of ACPO and many others connected with British policing, the book charts the changing position of ACPO over time and the influence which ACPO has over both policing policy and criminal justice policy more generally. In doing so it draws from a range of themes including patterns of police governance and accountability, police culture and policy networks. It concludes with a critical assessment of the doctrine of "constabulary independence". The book provides an insight into the workings of a body which represents the most senior police officers in the land.