Scheduling dependent tasks is one of the most challenging problems in parallel and distributed systems. It is known to be computationally intractable in its general form as well as several restricted cases. An interesting application of scheduling is in the area of energy awareness for mobile battery operated devices where minimizing the energy utilized is the most important scheduling policy consideration. A number of heuristics have been developed for this consideration. In this paper, we study the scheduling problem for a particular battery model. In the proposed work, we show how to enhance a well know approach of accounting for the slack generated at runtime due to the difference between WCET (Worst Case Execution Time) and AET (Actual Execution Time). Our solution exploits the fact that even though some tasks become available based on the actual periodicity of a task they are not executed because the run queue is determined by the schedule generated in the offline phase I of the algorithm using the conservative EDF (Earliest Deadline First) algorithm. We peek at the task run-queue to find such tasks to eliminate wastage of the slack generated. Based on the outcome of the conducted experiments, the proposed algorithm outperformed or matched the performance of the 2-Phase dynamic task scheduling algorithm all the time.


How queer is Black studies, how racialized is queer studies? In the West, racial fantasies are often sexualized, just as sexual fantasies often rely on notions of a racial Other. Bringing together the latest work by some of the foremost scholars in a variety of disciplines, Blackness and Sexualities offers analyses and critiques that span three continents and looks at topics such as: the secret marketing of black female pornography to white American men; the eroticization of colonial legacies in contemporary German media; the exoticization of African women in previously unpublished photos and diaries by America's first best-selling black novelist; the ways in which film captures how drag queens can claim agency and cooperate with all kinds of sexual communities across racial lines-or fail to do so with terrible consequences.


A cardiac high-molecular-weight calmodulin-binding protein (HMWCaMBP) was previously identified as a homologue of the calpain inhibitor, calpastatin. In the present study, we investigated the expression of HMWCaMBP and calpains in rat heart after ischemia and reperfusion. Western blot analysis of normal rat heart extract with a polyclonal antibody raised against bovine HMWCaMBP indicated a prominent immunoreactive band of 140kDa. Both the expression and the activity of HMWCaMBP were decreased by ischemia reperfusion. Immunohistochemical studies showed strong-to-moderate HMWCaMBP immunoreactivity in normal heart and poor immunoreactivity in ischemia-reperfused heart muscle. However, the expression of micro-calpain and m-calpain in ischemia-reperfused heart was increased as compared to normal heart. The calpain inhibitory activity of ischemia-reperfused heart tissues was significantly lower as compared to normal heart tissues. The pre-ischemic and post-ischemic perfusion of hearts with a cell-permeable calpain inhibitor suppressed the increase in calpain expression but increased the HMWCaMBP expression. In-vitro HMWCaMBP was proteolyzed by micro-calpain and m-calpain. We also measured apoptosis in normal and ischemia-reperfused tissues. An increase in the number of apoptotic bodies was observed with increased duration of ischemia and reperfusion. Bcl-2 expression did not change in any of the groups, whereas Bax expression increased with ischemia-reperfusion and correlated well with the degree of apoptosis. Our findings suggest that HMWCaMBP may sequester calpains from its substrates in the normal myocardium, but it is susceptible to proteolysis by calpains during ischemia-reperfusion. Thus, decreased expression of HMWCaMBP may play an important role in myocardial injury.


The stable isotope geochemistry of Miocene sediments from the leeward margin of the Great Bahama Bank was examined to investigate burial diagenetic processes in periplatform carbonates. Data indicate that, in addition to differences in bulk proportions of neritic and pelagic carbonate along the slope, rhythmic variation in primary carbonate content has controlled patterns of burial diagenesis and associated geochemical signatures throughout much of the succession examined. The present study focuses on Ocean Drilling Program Sites 1006 and 1007, the most distal of five sites drilled from marginal to deep basin environments during Leg 166. These Miocene sections are characterized by their cyclic appearance, manifest as decimeter- to meter-scale alternations between light-colored ooze/chalk/limestone and dark-colored marl/marlstone. The section at Site 1006 contains a high proportion of pelagic carbonate and is unlithified to a subbottom depth of ~675 m. Fluctuations in δ 18 O and δ 13 C values at this site are independent of lithological variation and reflect primary conditions. At Site 1007, located at the toe-of-slope and composed of a mixture of bank-derived and pelagic carbonate, limestones are densely cemented, show little evidence of compaction and have δ 18 O values up to 2‰ higher than coeval sediments at Site 1006. Marlstones at Site 1007 are poorly cemented, exhibit an increase in compaction-related features with depth and have lower and more variable δ 18 O values that are similar to those of coeval sediments at Site 1006. Isotopic and petrographic characteristics of limestone interbeds result from cement precipitation from cold sea water during the first ~100 m of burial. Higher proportions of insoluble materials and pelagic carbonate seem to have inhibited diagenetic alteration in adjacent marlstones; in spite of significant compaction and pressure solution during burial, original isoto pic compositions appear to be best preserved in these intervals at Site 1007. The documented contrasts in petrographic and isotopic patterns illustrate the role of primary sediment composition in controlling lithification processes in periplatform carbonates and stress the importance of consid ering such factors when interpreting geochemical data from ancient shelf and slope limestones.


After a decade of structural reforms, unemployment rates have tripled in Argentina. This paper is concerned with the measurement of unemployment risk and its distribution. We show the importance of considering re-incidence in the measurement of unemployment risk and develop a methodolgy to do that. Our estimates for Argentina show that, though the typical unemployment spell is short, once re-incidence is taken into account, unemployment risk is high, has risen substantially in the last decade and is shared very unequally in the labor force. This counters the established view that unemployment is a small risk, short-duration phenomenon, which arises when re-incidence is not considered.


Abstract Purpose: To explore how young adults frame disability and to compare the meanings of disability between persons with and without disabilities. Method: Snow ball sampling was used to recruit the participants. The sample comprised of 14 young adults from Upstate New York area; nine were non-disabled, five had a physical disability. Data were collected by semi-structured interviews. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data. Results: Five themes emerged from the analysis: disability as a deviation from "the norm", disability as inability, disability as something one needs to overcome, the role of the environment in disability, and disability as a negative phenomenon. The findings suggest that persons with disabilities hold somewhat different meanings of disability compared with non-disabled persons. Conclusions: While the biomedical frame of disability was somewhat challenged, disability is mainly understood via a biomedical lens. Disability should be framed as form of human diversity, not as a mark of Cain. Implications for Rehabilitation The ways through which disability is framed-as a medical issue or a social one-influences social attitudes and behaviors toward persons with disabilities as well as the shaping of disability policies and services. These, in turn, effect the well-being and impact the lives of persons with disabilities. In a relatively small sample which comprised of young adults with disabilities and non-disabled young adults, this study shows that while medical definitions of disability are somewhat contested, the medical definition of disability seems to prevail.


Two distinct biosynthetic pathways to the essential amino acid L-lysine (A) are found in nature. The -aminoadipate pathway operates in fungi and yeasts. The diaminopimelate (DAP) pathway occurs in bacteria and higher plants. Our studies were concerned with the DAP pathway and particularly with the first two steps of this pathway. These steps involve condensation of L-aspartate--semialdehyde (ASA) (B) with pyruvate (C) to form L-2,3-dihydrodipicolinic acid (DHDPS) (D) and subsequent reduction to L-2,3,4,5-tetrahydrodipicolinic acid (THDPA) (E). The first step is catalysed by the enzyme dihydrodipicolinate synthase (DHDPS). The second step is catalysed by the enzyme dihydrodipicolinate reductase (DHDPR) and utilises NADPH as a co-factor. (Fig 6269A)

Our primary objective was the inhibition of this biosynthetic pathway. Inhibitors of this pathway have potential as antibacterial or herbicidal agents. A number of substrate analogues of the DHDPS and DHDPR enzymes were prepared and tested as inhibitors of these enzymes. In previous studies by our group, heterocyclic compound (F) showed promising activity. In our work, a number of analogues of compound (F) were prepared. Inhibition studies with these compounds constituted a valuable insight into the characteristics of these enzymes. The level of inhibition with these compounds and for a range of other substrate analogues indicate high substrate selectivity for the enzymes. (Fig 6269B)

The condensation catalysed by DHDPS is mechanistically interesting. In chemical terms, C-C bond formation is commonly a high energy process involving highly reactive compounds such as organometallic agents or strong bases. In such cases the strategy must be directed towards protecting other functionality or introducing it at a later stage. Clearly, achieving this task under mild conditions with the high regio- and stereoselectivity associated with enzymic catalysis could be of tremendous advantage.

Once again, however, we were restricted by the high substrate specificity of the DHDPS enzyme. In earlier studies by our group, Dr J.E. McKendrick found evidence of substrate activity for 2- and 3-methyl substituted ASA, (G) and (H), respectively. In our work, an improved preparation of these compounds was developed and the subsequent biotransformations with DHDPS were examined both qualitatively and quantitatively. Interestingly, compound (G) was shown to display a greater substrate activity than ASA. The preparation of ASA methyl ester (I) was achieved. This compound also displayed a moderate level of substrate activity and was the only compound found to show substrate activity for a DHDPS/DHDPR coupled substrate assay. (Fig 6269C)

A significant proportion of our effort was concentrated on the investigation of glutamate--semialdehyde (GSA) (J), the higher homologue of ASA, as a substrate of DHDPS. Problems were encountered with earlier studies in this area because of cyclisation of GSA, even in protected forms. To counter this problem two novel strategies were considered. The first involved in situ enzymic deprotection of the N-acetyl derivative of GSA. Although this was successful for N-Acetyl-ASA, problems with cyclisation were once again experienced for the GSA equivalent. The second strategy utilises the reversible nature of enzymic catalysis. The synthesis of the proposed 7-membered heterocyclic product (K) of DHDPS catalysed condensation of GSA and pyruvate is not a trivial task. Some progress was made and further direction detailed. Further validation for this study was demonstrated on preparation of 5-hydroxyproline (L). Compound (L) is a cyclic equivalent of GSA and was found to display clear evidence of substrate activity. (Fig 6269D)


Photoacoustic tomography is usually limited to acoustically homogeneous tissue. A hybrid scheme is developed to break this limitation by utilizing ultrasound to determine the unknown Green's function of inhomogeneous tissue. The method can effectively decrease the distortion and false contrast in images by extracting information from speckle noise. The method does not depend on the prior knowledge of tissue and the medium complexity. Moreover, the estimation of Green's function and the photoacoustic detection are performed by the same transducer. Therefore, the scheme could be easily integrated into a classical photoacoustic tomography system and extend its application in speckle environment.


Well-constrained ages for the retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) have been developed at key sites throughout New England, providing a framework for the deglacial history of the region. Previous work has focused primarily on documenting retreat of the ice sheet margin, but few studies have attempted to reconstruct changes in ice sheet geometry and flow patterns during its recession. This study provides the first direct age control on the thinning of the LIS in central and southern New Hampshire during the last deglaciation. In situ cosmogenic 10Be exposure ages were developed from four glaciated summits, in order to determine when each mountain top emerged from the ice as it thinned. Exposure ages indicate the southernmost summit in the study (Mt. Monadnock) was exposed at 15.4 ± 0.2 ka, and the northernmost peak (Mt. Dickey) was exposed at 13.1 ± 0.2 ka. This age range supports a period of rapid ice surface lowering in New England. Striation measurements collected both from this study and previously published literature were analyzed to observe how ice flow patterns evolved in this region. The striations at the lowest elevations display a wider azimuthal range than those found at the highest elevations, indicating the development of strong topographic control on ice flow as thinning occurred. Three-dimensional ice sheet surfaces were modeled to display changes in ice sheet geometry, and suggest an increased rate of thinning from 1 m/yr to 2 m/yr at ~15 ka coinciding with the start of the Bølling Allerød warm period. This study provides valuable new insight on LIS thinning and flow patterns in New Hampshire and suggests potential links between changes in ice sheet geometry and regional paleoclimate forcings.


Current transport energy supply is finite; it will peak and decline. Replacement renewable energy resources will not match current consumption levels. Transport systems will be subject to supply shortages and increasing constraints. Currently, transport planning does not consider energy supply disruptions or constraints. However, energy supply fluctuations and shortages severely affect transport systems. Spatial patterns and activity systems combine to produce the transport-energy requirements of a region. A newly derived method was created to assess transport-energy reliance for suburban/urban areas. The method differs from traditional transport modelling because it is concerned with energy capacity, not road capacity. Transport behaviour occurring within the built environment and activity system of a suburb are analysed. A case study was performed so that the derived method could be applied to a real situation. Simulations of behaviour modification produced a maximum of a 64% reduction in transport energy consumption for the study region. One hundred percent resilience/reduction (zero reliance on transport energy) was only achieved through modifying the spatial layout of the built environment. The method adds a new dimension to transport modelling: understanding the risk of reliance on transport-energy for suburban/urban areas.


A scalable multi-tile electrode plasma source operating at 150MHz and 162MHz is described. An investigation into the spatial structure of plasmas produced in such as source is reported. Four dierent plasma diagnostics are applied to examine this spatial structure; they are time-varying magnetic ux probe measurements of the magnetic ux, planar Langmuir probe measurements of the ion saturation cur-
rent density, capacitive probe measurements of the plasma oscillation potential and measurement of rf current and voltage on tiles. Spatial proles of the plasma potential oscillation and the ion saturation high-light the spatial structure imposed on plasmas produced in the PASTIS
source. Analysis of the rf tile current and voltage in the segmented electrode array yields information on the nature of the impedance of both the source and plasma. rf currents in the tiles cause a magnetic dipole to be induced in the regions between tiles. Thus, although the PASTIS source is a capacitive discharge, we must consider a model that includes both capacitively and inductively coupled plasma. This induced dipole moment is measured with a specically designed VHF time-varying magnetic ux probe. Analysis of the diagnostics presented show that there is a well dened spatial structure imposed on the plasma by the segmented electrode tile array.


Beer tapping is a well known prank where a bottle of beer is impacted from the top by a solid object, usually another bottle, leading to a sudden foam overflow. A description of the shock-driven bubble dynamics leading to foaming is presented based on an experimental and numerical study evoking the following physical picture. First, the solid impact produces a sudden downwards acceleration of the bottle creating a strong depression in the liquid bulk. The existing bubbles undergo a strong expansion and a sudden contraction ending in their collapse and fragmentation into a large amount of small bubbles. Second, the bubble clouds present a large surface area to volume ratio, enhancing the CO2 diffusion from the supersaturated liquid, hence growing rapidly and depleting the CO2. The clouds of bubbles migrate upwards in the form of plumes pulling the surrounding liquid with them and eventually resulting in the foam overflow. The sudden pressure drop that triggers the bubble dynamics with a collapse and oscillations is modelled by the Rayleigh-Plesset equation. The bubble dynamics from impact to collapse occurs over a time (tb ≃ 800 μs) much larger than the acoustic time scale of the liquid bulk (tac = 2H/c ≃ 80 μs), for the experimental container of height H = 6 cm and a speed of sound around c ≃ 1500 m/s. This scale separation, together with the comparison of numerical and experimental results, suggests that the pressure drop is controlled by two parameters: the acceleration of the container and the distance from the bubble to the free surface.


By comparing two unequal European buyers, this study explores network relationships in Supply chain (SC) from a corporate social responsibility (CSR) perspective in the Bangladesh apparel industry. A qualitative method has been applied for data collection though interviews and gathering secondary material in the form of newspaper articles and buyers' websites. A combination of network perspective and compliance and capacity building constitutes the theoretical foundation of the study. The result shows that the larger buyer stresses on control and strictly following the code of conducts while the smaller buyer relies on collaboration and dialog in implementing CSR.


This Feature will explore American Needle, Inc. v. NFL and its potential impact on professional sports in the United States. In August 2008, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit held that the National Football League (NFL) and its teams operate as a "single entity" for purposes of apparel sales. Because a single entity cannot conspire with itself, it cannot violate Section 1 of the Sherman Act, which prohibits concerted action that unreasonably restrains trade. The U.S. Supreme Court recently granted a writ of certiorari and will review American Needle in its 2009-2010 Term. As this Feature will detail, American Needle presents the most meaningful sports law controversy in recent memory. For the first time, a U.S. court of appeals has expressly recognized that in certain settings of collusive behavior, a professional sports league and its independently owned franchises may function as a single entity. American Needle offers the Supreme Court an opportunity to settle a longstanding source of confusion: how should antitrust law regulate the peculiar, perhaps incomparable, business entity known as a professional sports league?The stakes could not be higher. If the Supreme Court agrees with the Seventh Circuit or, as the NFL hopes, furnishes an even more sweeping recognition of single entity status, professional sports leagues could be shielded from Section 1 in a bevy of decision-making contexts that have traditionally been subject to Section 1 scrutiny. Particularly when compared to their past treatment, leagues could become uniquely sovereign and commanding. This Feature will begin by describing the litigants in American Needle and the underlying relationship between antitrust law and the NFL. The Feature will then turn to a substantive analysis of American Needle and its implications for the NFL and other organized associations of sports, including the National Basketball Association (NBA), Major League Baseball (MLB), and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Single entity recognition may benefit these organizations when they negotiate television contracts, restrain players' salaries and employment autonomy, and execute exclusive contracts with sponsors and licensees, among other pursuits traditionally subject to Section 1 scrutiny. This Feature will conclude with a recommendation that the Court reject the NFL's single entity defense on the grounds that it would belie legal precedent and mistakenly characterize league operations. The recommendation, however, will leave open the door for leagues to pursue, and for Congress to consider, targeted exemptions from Section 1.


Gouge, Catherine A. SLD5, a Subunit of the Heterotetrameric GINS Complex is Necessary for Normal Cell Cycle Progression and Genomic. (Under the direction of Timothy W. Christensen) Thomas Harriott College of Arts & Sciences, East Carolina University, Department of Biology, June 2010.   Sld5 is one component of the GINS heterotetrameric complex essential to DNA replication. Specifically, GINS is known for its integral role during the G1 to S phase transition in the cell cycle. The GINS complex is comprised of multiple subunits: Psf1, Psf2, Psf3 and Sld5, all of which are highly conserved in eukaryotes. During the initiation of S phase, GINS mediates the association of multiple proteins at replication origins. SLD5 plays a central role in the GINS complex through contact with both Psf1 and Psf2. Due to this pivotal role, Sld5 is the focus of our continuing investigation into the mechanisms of DNA replication and heterochromatin formation in Drosophila. Understanding Sld5 function has employed the use of several approaches. To recognize the range of protein interactions in which SLD5 participates we are using yeast two-hybrid analysis, confirming suspected interactions. In addition to interaction studies we are utilizing two recently identified mutant alleles of SLD5 to understand its function in vivo. These p-element insertion alleles result in the truncation of the Sld5 protein removing a large portion of the C-terminal beta domain in both mutants, a domain that is believed to play a role in facilitating interactions with other proteins. The arrest point determination of Sld5 was completed and shown to occur at the late embryo/early larval stage transition of the developing Drosophila. These homozygous lethal alleles of SLD5 are being used to understand the role of Sld5 in DNA replication through EdU incorporation assays. In addition, possible roles for Sld5 in chromosome biology are being examined. These methods include the analysis of the morphology of chromosomes in polytene tissues, larval brain tissues, and embryos. Roles of Sld5 within the cell cycle have been explored by quantitation of mitotic indexes using larval brain squashes with both alleles of Sld5 showing a marked increase in mitotic figures observed when compared to wild type. In addition, Embryo analysis has revealed severe mitotic defects including asynchrony, cell dropout, and anaphase bridges are presence upon division. Exploration of the Sld5 subunit will further the understanding of the GINS complex and its role in DNA replication, along with its possible roles in chromosome biology and its role in genome maintenance.


Recent studies have suggested that farmers' markets are increasingly important contributors to the economic development of rural and urban communities in the US. Yet, little is known about the specific ways and the extent to which farmers' markets contribute to developing their vendors' capacities as entrepreneurs or affect vendors' business success. In this study, we examine the capacities of farmers' market vendors in three states-New York, Iowa and California-and associated entrepreneurial outcomes. In particular, we explore how vendors' business activities and capacities are associated with different sizes of enterprises. A mail survey of up to 400 vendors, from 20 markets in each state, was conducted in 1999 to examine factors associated with business outcomes and vendor capacities. The importance of farmers' markets to small-, medium- and large-size enterprises and the particular contributions that have been most helpful to vendors were identified. Small-scale enterprises are still the most numerous at farmers' markets, making up almost 56% of all vendors. More than half of these enterprises are operated by part-time farmers or market gardeners. We found that the small enterprises had both less business and market experience, and sell at markets closer to home than do medium and large enterprises. Although these vendors with small enterprises have engaged in fewer entrepreneurial activities, made fewer business contacts and acquired fewer skills at farmers' markets, compared to medium and large enterprises they were more likely to consider farmers' markets to be their most important business development opportunity. Although, for these small enterprises, participating in farmers' markets may not yield financial gains as large as those gained by medium- and large-scale vendors, farmers' markets may be one of the few options for entrepreneurs to maintain and/or enhance their market niche in a community. Key information needs of small-, medium-and large-size enterprises are described, as well as suggestions for ways in which local educational institutions, Cooperative Extension, government agencies and nonprofit organizations can help support these enterprises and enhance community economic development in their regions.


ZnO thin films were deposited onto glass substrate by sol–gel dip coating method. The initial sol concentrations were varied from 0.2 to 0.5 M. Zinc acetate dihydrate, ethanol and Diethanolamine (DEA) were used as staring material, solvent and stabilizer respectively. The evolution of structural, optical properties and methylene blue (MB) photodegradation of the as-deposited films on sol concentration was investigated. Rietveld refinements of x-ray patterns reveal that all the as-prepared thin films have a Zincite-type structure with grain orientation along to c-axis. The strongest sol concentration is favorable for the highest crystallization quality. However, the high preferred orientation factor (POF) occurs for 0.3 M sol concentration. The field emission scanning electron microscopy observations reveals nanofibrous morphology with different lengths. The nanofibers density increases with increasing sols concentrations until forming a flower-like morphology. The EDS analysis confirms the high purity of the as-deposited ZnO films. It is found that all films present good transparency greater than 95% in the visible range; the optical band gap is slightly reduced with the increase in sol concentration. The photocatalytic degradation is enhanced by 90% with the sol concentration. The Kapp rate reaction increased with increasing sol concentration. The films stability is found to slightly decrease after the third cycle, especially for 0.5 M sol concentration.


This paper considers multidimensional infinite-impulse response (IIR) filters that are iteratively implemented. The focus is on zero-phase filters with symmetric polynomials in the numerator and denominator of the multivariable transfer function. A rigorous optimization-based design of the filter is considered. Transfer function magnitude specifications, convergence speed requirements for the iterative implementation, and spatial decay of the filter impulse response (which defines the boundary condition influence in the spatial domain of the filtered signal) are all formulated as optimization constraints. When the denominator of the zero-phase IIR filter is strictly positive, these frequency domain specifications can be cast as a linear program and then efficiently solved. The method is illustrated with two two-dimensional IIR filter design examples.


Background: Psi research is a controversial area of science that examines telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, and psychokinesis (mind over matter). Central to the debate over the existence of psi is of whether independent investigators can replicate reportedly successful psi experiments. One important variable involves the beliefs of experimenters and participants. A preregistered experiment is presented that sought to replicate and extend previously published parapsychology experiments suggestive of precognition by examining implicit beliefs. Methods: On each trial of the standard (non-psi) priming task, a pleasant or unpleasant word (the "prime") is briefly shown on computer screen, followed immediately by a pleasant or unpleasant picture. Trials on which the image and the priming word have different valences are termed "Incongruent"; trials on which the picture and the priming word share a common valence are termed "Congruent". Participants in such experiments typically respond more slowly on Incongruent trials than on Congruent trials. In this "time-reversed" psi version of the experiment, the presumed cause-effect sequence is reversed so that the prime is not flashed until after the participant has already recorded his or her judgment. The experimental hypothesis remains the same: response times will be longer on trials with Incongruent prime/picture pairs than on trials with Congruent prime/picture pairs. Additionally, the study assesses expectations of success on the psi task of 32 experimenters—each testing 12 participants—using self-report questionnaires and the Implicit Association Task (IAT). Results: A significant correlation was found between the Implicit Association Test (IAT) effect and the participants' reported beliefs in psi, with the effect in the direction opposite to the hypothesized correlation. Conclusions: This study offers an innovative approach to the role of beliefs in psi in a precognition study and speaks to the challenges of replication in controversial science.


The purpose of this study is to examine the racial differences between interleukin (IL)—1β and IL-8 concentrations in the amniotic fluid of black and white women with spontaneous preterm birth (PTB). In this study, 350 amniotic fluid samples were collected: 165 PTB cases (<36 weeks' gestation; 52 blacks and 113 whites) and 185 controls (normal term delivery >37 weeks' gestation; 87 blacks and 98 whites). Amniotic fluid IL-1β and IL-8 concentrations were measured by immunoassay. Wilcoxon nonparametric test was performed for statistical analysis. In data stratified by race, the median IL-1β concentration was significantly higher in black cases (80 pg/mL) compared to black controls (23.7 pg/mL; P < .0001), and the difference was nonsignificant in white cases (25.5 pg/mL) compared to white controls (21.3 pg/mL; P = .1). IL-8 concentration was not higher in black cases (742.2 pg/mL) compared to black controls (731.4 pg/mL; P = .9), whereas it was higher in white cases (1362.3 pg/mL) compared to white controls (533.5 pg/mL; P = .0005). Between races, IL-1β was significantly higher in blacks (P < .0001) than in whites in PTB, whereas no significant difference was noticed in IL-8 concentration between races (P = .1). In PTB, the cytokine footprint differs in the amniotic fluid between racial groups. IL-1β is higher in black and IL-8 in white PTB. These differences in the amniotic fluid cytokine concentration might not explain the racial disparity in the PTB rate, but they are suggestive of different processes of PTB in whites and blacks.


Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease typically characterized by progressive lung damage and premature mortality. Pulmonary exacerbations, or flare-ups of the lung disease, often require hospitalization for intensive treatment. Approximately 25% of patients with cystic fibrosis do not recover their baseline lung function after pulmonary exacerbations. There is a relative paucity of evidence to inform treatment strategies for exacerbations. Compounding this lack of evidence, there are a large number of treatment options already as well as becoming available. This results in significant variability between medication regimens prescribed by different physicians, treatment centers and regions with potentially adverse impact to patients. The conventional strategy is to undertake essential randomized clinical trials to inform treatment decisions and improve outcomes for patients with exacerbations. However, over the past several decades, clinical trials have generally failed to provide information critical to improved treatment and management of exacerbations. Bayesian adaptive platform trials hold the promise of addressing clinical uncertainties and informing treatment. Using modeling and response adaptive randomization, they allow for the evaluation of multiple treatments across different management domains, and progressive improvement in patient outcomes throughout the course of the trial. Bayesian adaptive platform trials require substantial amounts of preparation. Basic preparation includes extensive stakeholder involvement including elicitation of consumer preferences and clinician understanding of the research topic, defining the research questions, determining the best outcome measures, delineating study sub-groups, in depth statistical modeling, designing end-to-end digital solutions seamlessly supporting clinicians, researchers and patients, constructing randomisation algorithms and importantly, defining pre-determined intra-study end-points. This review will discuss the motivation and necessary steps required to embark on a Bayesian adaptive platform trial to optimize medication regimens for the treatment of pulmonary exacerbations of cystic fibrosis.


Globalization and the use of technology call for an adaptation of value creation strategies. As the potential for rationalization and achieving flexibility within companies is to the greatest possible extent exhausted, approaches to the corporate reorganization of value creation are becoming increasingly important. In this process, the spread and further development of information and communication technology often provide the basis for a reorganization of cross-company value nets and lead to a redistribution of roles and tasks between the actors involved in value creation. While cooperative, decentralized and self-organizing value creation processes are in fact being promoted, the associated potential for development and production engineering is being underestimated and hence not implemented sufficiently. This contribution will first describe the emerging transformation in value creation taxonomy and then, on the basis of a case study, develop an adequate framework for value creation configuration.Copyright © 2010 by ASME


This submission tackles the issue of reusability and replication of experiments and other forms of spatial analysis from the perspective of eScience or eResearch—a community that has been deliberately grappling with this issue for many years—and applies it to our geocomputational and GIScience methods and models.Most of the effort that routinely goes into our analysis and modelling efforts is not documented in any consistent or accessible way. It might be in part referable from scripts and code we use, and from the 'methods' section of papers that we write. But by and large much of the background, context and process of research remain unrecorded. This makes reproducibility hard (or intractable) and reusability nigh on impossible. Funding agencies worldwide are beginning to insist that we do better, and this pressure is now beginning to be felt in geography and the spatial sciences as well as inpsychology and biology (where the science 'reproducibility crisis' began).We describe several approaches to improve reusability and reproducibility for geocomputational work, and point to best practice from other disciplines as appropriate. (The presentation will elaborate on each of these headings and give examples relevant to geocomputation and spatial analysis.


This paper introduces an electronically tunable current-mode universal biquadratic filter using second generation current controlled conveyors (CCCIIs). The filter circuit is constructed with a CCCII, three dual current output CCCIIs (DO-CCCIIs) and two grounded capacitors. The circuit can realize low-pass, band-pass, high-pass, band-stop and all-pass transfer functions by choosing appropriate current output branches without any component matching conditions. Additionally, the circuit parameters can be tuned orthogonally by adjusting the bias currents of the CCCIIs. The biquadratic filter enjoys very low sensitivities with respect to the circuit active and passive components. Some examples are given together with simulated results by PSPICE


This study presents the application of the hydrological model TopoFlow to the Imnavait Creek watershed, a small arctic headwater basin in northern Alaska. This new process-based, spatially distributed model is executed for the years 2001 to 2003. The model is evaluated for its capability to reproduce the different components of the hydrological cycle. Simulations are done for different climate change scenarios to lend insight into the impacts of global change on hydrological processes.
Imnavait Creek (~2 km²) is underlain by continuous permafrost and two features characterize the channel network: The stream is beaded, and numerous water tracks are distributed along the hillslopes. These facts, together with the constraint of the subsurface system to the shallow active layer, strongly influence the runoff-response to rain or snowmelt. Climatic conditions vary greatly during the years of this study, providing a good testing of model capabilities. Streamflow is the dominant form of basin water loss (64% of the water budget). In 2001, snowmelt runoff is the dominant runoff event, whereas in 2003, the summer runoff generated by continuous rainfall surpasses the melt discharge. A single and exceptionally high rainfall causes the dominant runoff event in 2002. Water loss due to evapotranspiration achieves considerable amounts, ranging from 28% to 57% of the water budget.
Simulation results indicate that the model performs quantitatively well, and achieves best results in 2002. Measured and predicted cumulative discharges are in a good agreement. The different components of the water cycle are represented in the model, with refinements necessary in the qualitative reproduction of some sub-processes: Snow damming results in later melt discharge than modeled. Nash-Sutcliffe coefficients between 0.3 and 0.9 reveal that the model requires further refinement in the small-scale, short-term reproduction of storage-related processes. The deviations can be attributed to the facts that the beaded stream system, the spatial variability of the active layer depth, and the complex soil moisture distribution are not sufficiently well represented in the model. Furthermore, the model is highly sensitive to the setting of the initial water table.
While various studies document recently observed climate changes, there remains uncertainty of how these changes will impact the hydrological cycle of the Arctic. Depending on the relative increases in temperature and precipitation, this will result in enhanced or diminished runoff and soil moisture. This study suggests that an 8% increase in summer precipitation balances the increased water loss due to evapotranspiration caused by a temperature increase of 2oC.


Abstract Fossilized animal embryos from lower Cambrian rocks provide a rare opportunity to study the ontogeny and developmental biology of early animals during the Cambrian explosion. This paper reports possible animal embryos, along with sponge spicules, hyolithelminths, and linguliformean brachiopods, from the upper Shuijingtuo Formation limestone (Cambrian Stage 3) at Changyang, Hubei Province, South China. This limestone unit has carbonate carbon and oxygen isotopic compositions similar to the upper Shuijingtuo limestone in the Yangtze Gorges area. The Shuijingtuo embryo fossils were exposed by physical fracturing, extracted with acetic acid maceration, and observed in thin sections. They were examined using light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopic elemental mapping, and micro-focus X-ray computed tomography. Most of them are poorly preserved, with a phosphatic envelope (interpreted as a chorion or fertilization envelope) surrounding sparitic calcite. In some specimens, a polygonal pattern is present on the surface, and these are interpreted as multicelled blastula embryos. In others, sets of grooves are present on the surface of a calcitic spheroidal structure, presumably representing the calcitic interior within the chorion; these grooves are superficially similar to annulations of Markuelia embryos, but their biological significance is unknown. Although their phylogenetic and taxonomic placement is largely unconstrained, the Shuijingtuo animal embryos indicate that chorions are taphonomically more robust and are selectively phosphatized. Embryos within the chorions, on the other hand, can be completely lost or entirely replaced by calcite, with only poorly preserved surficial structures. This style of preservation can be explained by a taphonomic switch from early phosphatization to later calcitization. This study illustrates the importance of combining physical fracturing with widely used acid digestion methods in the study of calcitized animal embryos, and it alludes to the possibility that many empty phosphatic vesicles recovered by acid digestion from Cambrian carbonates may be fossilized chorions.


Technological determinism is common among journalists when reflecting on changes in their profession; several studies show that journalists ascribe great power and independent agency to technology. There are at least two reasons for the persistence of technological determinism as an explanatory factor among journalists vis-a-vis their own work: first, technology is a highly integrated and therefore very tangible part of the everyday working life of journalists; and second, the technological paradigm for explaining change in journalism has deep historical roots. It is argued that analysing journalism as labour presents a way to address both the integration of technology in the everyday working practices of journalists, and the history of the inter-relations between journalism and technology. It is further argued that journalism studies as a field has not paid much attention to journalism as labour. This article is concerned with the second part of this programme for research, i.e. the historical analysis of journalism as labour. The framework of analysis is based on labour process theory, focusing on four themes in the history of journalism: (1) the importance of the separation of conception and execution of labour; (2) the increased differentiation of the labour process; (3) the use of technology to increase productivity; and (4) the deskilling of labour.


Recent developments in virtual reality (VR) technology have the potential to revolutionize the way economists do experimental research. With Oculus' light and affordable head mounted display (HMD) human subjects can literally move and use objects in virtual spaces and interact with others. This technology as well as surround-screen projection systems like CAVEs (Cruz-Neira et al. 1994), allow the experimenter to observe economically relevant behavior and social interaction in a highly immersive and at the same time tightly controlled virtual environment. More than other disciplines, economics focuses on the evaluation of counterfactual scenarios which help to analyze strategic decisions and their efficiency effects. In this note, by means of three examples, we illustrate how experiments in highly IVEs can add value to experimental economics and benefit economic research.


The ability to measure the wave spectra in the open ocean from a moving vessel has met with varying degrees of success. Each sensor to date has suffered in its performance due to environmental conditions or due to its physical placement aboard the vessel for measuring the unperturbed sea. This paper will discuss the utilization of a microwave sensor on a moving vessel for measuring the open ocean wave spectra. Employing microwaves, some of the limitations of other sensors are not experienced. Tucker [1] developed the Tuckermeter for measuring the wave spectra from a moving ship by sensing changes in water pressure due to surface wave conditions. The Tuckermeter is placed below the water line and thus requires calibration for each wave frequency, ship speed, and depth. Since the sensor operates on pressure, it performs as a low pass filter and will not sense the higher frequencies. A microwave shipboard wave height radar sensor for measuring the ocean wave spectra was developed by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and was installed on the S.S. McLean in February 1975 and its performance, design, and analysis of data for one data run will be discussed.


The urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon may produce several cascade effects on citizens' health, energy consumption and air quality. Numerical modelling is recognised to be a powerful tool for the analysis of the UHI, although the question of which model to use (as implied in the 'fit-for-purpose' approach) much depends on the application and on the result of satisfactory validation against field measurements. In this paper, two different modelling approaches are applied, namely the integral-semi-Gaussian model ADMS-TH and the CFD-based model ENVI-met, to assess the UHI phenomenon in a city of south Italy (Lecce). Modelling results are validated against field measurements collected during summer 2012. The results suggest that the integral model has the ability of capturing the UHI cycle at city scale, while CFD modelling did not provide any substantial improvements in terms of local geometric effects on temperature distribution.


This research is concerned with the assessment on the implementation of woreda decentralization in Gambella Peoples National Regional State with particular emphasis to Abobo and Lare woredas. It attempted to explore the objectives, legal and institutional frameworks and implementation status of the recently embarked DLDP and fiscal decentralization in the Gambella region. Secondly, the study provided a modest preliminary investigation of some performance indicators of the program in terms of power and authority, local governance processes, inter-governmental relations, financial and administrative capacities, planning and budgeting processes, community participation and basic service delivery trends with particular reference to the two woredas. Finally, the study tried to illustrate some of the major inherent and encountered problems and the possible prospects of the program. To meet the above objectives, the research employed more of qualitative case study approach. Both primary and secondary data sources were used in gathering pertinent information. The technique of collecting primary data includes in-depth interviews at regional, woreda and kebele levels, focus group discussions with the community and personal observation. Secondary sources are published and unpublished materials such as books, different reports and manuals that cover federal to the woreda. Descriptive method of analysis is used to analyze the primary and secondary data. The study found out that decentralization in general and woreda decentralization in particular had not been implemented adequately due to several reasons. It is challenged by many problems such as inadequate devolution of power, limited decisions-making authority and autonomy transferred to local governments, absence of political will and commitment to devolve power in real sense, lack of legal and institutional framework, poor inter-governmental relations and weak coordination with different stakeholders, upward accountability and absence of transparency in the operation of local governments, shortage of resources (skilled human power and material), limited administrative, institutional and technical local capacities, weak budgeting and expenditure administration, poor revenue generating capacity and heavy financial dependency on federal and regional governments, and weak public sector service deliveries. Regarding participation, there is low level of community participation in different sectors at the stage of problem identification, prioritization of needs, planning and budgeting processes and decision making activities at regional and local levels. Hence, to make decentralization meaningful and benefits of woreda decentralization to be realized, recommendations are made on power and authority, political commitments, legal and institutional frameworks, capacity issues, inter-governmental relations, accountability, transparency, financial and human resources and community participation. Studia Mundi Economica Vol. 1. No. 1.(2014) 2 10.18531/Studia.Mundi.2014.01.01.1-11


The Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS) field mission based at Ellington Field, Texas, during August and September 2013 employed the most comprehensive airborne payload to date to investigate atmospheric composition over North America. The NASA ER‐2, DC‐8, and SPEC Inc. Learjet flew 57 science flights from the surface to 20 km. The ER‐2 employed seven remote sensing instruments as a satellite surrogate and eight in situ instruments. The DC‐8 employed 23 in situ and five remote sensing instruments for radiation, chemistry, and microphysics. The Learjet used 11 instruments to explore cloud microphysics. SEAC4RS launched numerous balloons, augmented AErosol RObotic NETwork, and collaborated with many existing ground measurement sites. Flights investigating convection included close coordination of all three aircraft. Coordinated DC‐8 and ER‐2 flights investigated the optical properties of aerosols, the influence of aerosols on clouds, and the performance of new instruments for satellite measurements of clouds and aerosols. ER‐2 sorties sampled stratospheric injections of water vapor and other chemicals by local and distant convection. DC‐8 flights studied seasonally evolving chemistry in the Southeastern U.S., atmospheric chemistry with lower emissions of NOx and SO2 than in previous decades, isoprene chemistry under high and low NOx conditions at different locations, organic aerosols, air pollution near Houston and in petroleum fields, smoke from wildfires in western forests and from agricultural fires in the Mississippi Valley, and the ways in which the chemistry in the boundary layer and the upper troposphere were influenced by vertical transport in convective clouds.


The ravaging fires in Yellowstone National Park in 1988 caused grave concern among scientists about the possible short- and longterm repercussions. This book provides the first comprehensive scientific summary of the actual response of the Yellowstone ecosystem to the fires. Written by experts in wildlife biology, ecosystem science, landscape ecology, and forest science, the book shows not only that many things changed after the fires (for ecological components of the system are interactive) but also that some things did not change. The largest effects of the fires were felt at the smallest scales, and the long-term devastation predicted did not come to pass. The resilience of this naturally functioning ecosystem to these huge fires has important lessons for heavily managed regions.


Video capsule endoscopy (VCE) is now a clinically accepted diagnostic modality in which miniaturized technology, an on-board power supply and wireless telemetry stand as technological foundations for other capsule endoscopy (CE) devices. However, VCE does not provide therapeutic functionality, and research towards therapeutic CE (TCE) has been limited. In this paper, a route towards viable TCE is proposed, based on multiple CE devices including important acoustic sensing and drug delivery components. In this approach, an initial multimodal diagnostic device with high-frequency quantitative microultrasound that complements video imaging allows surface and subsurface visualization and computer-assisted diagnosis. Using focused ultrasound (US) to mark sites of pathology with exogenous fluorescent agents permits follow-up with another device to provide therapy. This is based on an US-mediated targeted drug delivery system with fluorescence imaging guidance. An additional device may then be utilized for treatment verification and monitoring, exploiting the minimally invasive nature of CE. While such a theranostic patient pathway for gastrointestinal treatment is presently incomplete, the description in this paper of previous research and work under way to realize further components for the proposed pathway suggests it is feasible and provides a framework around which to structure further work.


The popularity of entertainment gaming over the last decades has led to the use of games for non-entertainment purposes in areas such as training and business support. The emergence of the serious games movement has capitalized on this interest in leisure gaming, with an increase in leisure game approaches in schools, colleges, universities and in professional training and continuing professional development.

The movement raises many significant issues and challenges for us. How can gaming and simulation technologies be used to engage learners? How can games be used to motivate, deepen and accelerate learning? How can they be used to greatest effect in learning and teaching? The contributors explore these and many other questions that are vital to our understanding of the paradigm shift from conventional learning environments to learning in games and simulations.


The genesis of this research lies in the difficulty of modelling trust and its companion, trustworthiness. This need arose when the term trusted was introduced into the lexicon of system architecture as computer systems became firstly networked and then increasingly distributed.
In answer this research presents an aspectual conception of trust based on twentieth-century Dutch philosopher Herman Dooyeweerd's General Theory of Modal Spheres.
By general consensus trust matters a lot. It is widely described as being essential to the development and health of any functioning society, and as the foundation of interpersonal relationships. Its importance notwithstanding, trust is amorphous and notoriously difficult to define. In general usage trust is frequently conflated with adjacent concepts and terms with circular definitions. Commonly held but nonetheless deep empirical knowledge of trust readily embarrasses any claim to precise definition, whilst offering little by way of concomitant elucidation.
This is reflected in the academic literature which has largely grown alongside the increased interest in trust since the mid-twentieth century. It is replete with definitions which restrict themselves in scope or domain, and papers which adumbrate rather than illuminate. When definitions of closely neighbouring terms fail to anchor a concept it is properly the subject of philosophical examination. Any such philosophical consideration of trust must engage its inherently tacit nature. To have utility it must render coherence from the wide diversity of common usage. Dooyeweerd's philosophy is apt precisely because it meets both of these criteria.
Dooyeweerd's General Theory of Modal Spheres is based on an irreducible ontology of mutually exclusive modal spheres. His Philosophy of the Cosmonomic Idea dignifies each of these spheres with its own epistemology. Dooyeweerd's approach is used to bring to the fore the hidden cohesion in disparate accounts of trust found in the literature and from this synthesis the conception of a multi-aspectual account of trust is built and analysed.
This conception of trust is used to reconsider contemporary issues of trust "management" and trust "repair."


In December of 2008, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) stopped its strategy of suing individuals for copyright infringement over peer-to-peer networks, but now seeks the cooperation of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to deter online copyright infringement. These novel proposed collaborations, which have recently appeared and become prevalent worldwide in various forms, could lead to termination and suspension of internet connections based upon mere suspicions. In the United States, these proposals fail when analyzed under the FCC's Internet Policy Statement because they are likely to deprive individuals of lawful content and applications of their choice. I propose a standard under which to evaluate these new ISP-RIAA collaborations: Professor David Nimmer's interpretation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's (DMCA) repeat infringer standard. Any collaboration where suspected infringers lose internet access at the direction of the RIAA must affect only those who have been previously held liable for copyright infringement or of whom the ISP has actual knowledge of infringement. This solution harmonizes the interests of the ISPs, the RIAA, and the FCC, and is logical when one considers the purpose, policy, and interpretation of both the Internet Policy Statement and the DMCA's repeat infringer standard.


Diabetes is a progressive disorder. The majority of people with Type 2 diabetes are likely to require more intensive treatment regimes over time and a substantial proportion have sub-optimal glycaemic control as measured by glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c). For these people a change to insulin is a possible option. However, this requires a major step for most people and their clinicians. The aim of this research was to ascertain the size of the problem, to obtain the views and perceptions about diabetes management of people with Type 2 diabetes and their carers' (including diabetic nurses and general practitioners), to establish a consensus based management regime, and to ascertain the possible impact on diabetes specific quality of life of the commencement of insulin. This thesis used four methodologies. An existing primary care database was analysed to assess the scale of the problem of the poorly controlled Type 2 diabetic population in primary care. Qualitative research using focus groups was used to explore the beliefs of patients and clinicians towards diabetes and in particular the commencement of insulin in those failing on oral treatment. A mixed consensus group was used to describe a care pathway for these patients. Finally, in a cohort of people with Type 2 diabetes failing on oral therapy, a disease specific questionnaire was used to ascertain quality of life issues around the initiation of insulin. Main findings:1) Over half of people with Type 2 diabetes were in poor glycaemic control, defined as an HbAlc ˃8%. 2) People with Type 2 diabetes viewed diabetes as a "mild disease", using their experience and the social effects of living with their diabetes to monitor progress. They saw insulin as a last resort to be delayed as long as possible.3) Clinicians felt the majority of diabetes care could and should be provided in the community with an active management approach. Non-compliance with treatment was seen as an issue. Insulin was viewed positively while, at the same time, seen as being actively resisted by patients. The increase in resource and workload around insulin initiation was a major concern. 4) Much uncertainty remained regarding the management of the failing diabetic patient. The value of early insulin treatment was questioned for the asymptomatic patient. Shared decision-making was advocated but problems around risk/benefit information and lack of resources in both primary and secondary care were highlighted. 5) Insulin treatment in a cohort of people with Type 2 diabetes in poor glycaemic control on oral hypoglycaemic agents resulted in a modest but significant improvement in glycaemic control in routine care. Insulin initiation did not result in a change in quality of life. Patients' satisfaction with their tablet treatment was high but increased significantly on starting insulin therapy. However, these conclusions were limited by low study numbers from poor study recruitment. Conclusions Improving the care of people with poorly controlled Type 2 diabetes who are on maximal oral treatment is not straightforward and represents large resource and workload issues. Patient and clinician beliefs affect management and are not always currently sought and addressed. The benefits of early, more aggressive treatment with insulin need to be better quantified and information better presented to allow patient participation in decision making: glycaemic control is not the only factor that needs to be considered. A large gap in resources to achieve this was identified. The effect of insulin treatment on quality of life unfortunately has not been adequately answered in this research due to low participant numbers.


In their study, Iavarone et al. found a prolonged time to progression (TTP) in comparison with the Sorafenib HCC Assessment Randomized Protocol study, and they speculated that it was probably related to the utilization of the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors. Moreover, they hypothesized that down-dosing sorafenib allowed a high percentage of the patients to retain the benefits of the drug and achieve improved survival. If TTP was so remarkably improved only because of the accuracy of the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (published in the year of the study's start), it seems strange that the median overall survival was comparable to that of phase 3 trials. The most unusual observation was the very short postprogression survival (1 month versus 5 months in the Sorafenib HCC Assessment Randomized Protocol study). As a rule, a median TTP approaching the median overall survival occurs because of undiagnosed progression. In our opinion, this means that the interval between computed tomography scans was longer than 2 months in actual daily practice. Another issue was the high rate of liver function deterioration, which the authors attributed to drug-related adverse events. It is not clear how they distinguished this from clinical tumor progression. The analysis suggesting longer survival for patients receiving half-dose sorafenib was not preplanned, and this means that the patients were not stratified according to prognostic factors and that the sample size was not calculated in advance for the hypothesis that the authors intended to demonstrate. For this reason, the aforementioned analysis was methodologically inappropriate for an observational study; it was also inconclusive because the patients' survival might simply have depended on the selection of a goodprognosis cohort. Finally, two other aspects deserve careful consideration. First, the study lacked formal approval by an ethics committee, which implies the generation of a European Union Drug Regulating Authorities Clinical Trials number according to Italian rules. Second, a cohort of Child B patients was treated, but sorafenib approval in Italy is restricted to Child A patients. Taken together, our observations suggest the following: (1) the design of this prospective study had potentially serious limitations, (2) sorafenib was used in field practice outside the approved indication, (3) computed tomography scans were not scheduled on a bimonthly basis, and (4) TTP was largely overestimated. In addition, this article subliminally conveys a somewhat hazardous and not adequately supported message about both the arbitrary acceptance of the physician's judgment in deciding the likelihood of benefits without radiological confirmation and the continuation of sorafenib beyond progression almost until death.


What is the condition of criminology's paradigm? The reply to this question has implications bearing on the profession's bona fides as a science as well as its sustainability as an independent academic enterprise. The work attempts to capture the elusive term through the use of five themes: theoretical consensus, methodological consensus, boundaries, the departure from sociology, and the current and future status of the field. In approaching this question the work presents an analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seventeen renowned criminologists. The centerpiece of the latter data set was assembled and analyzed in prior research (Savelsberg et al. 2002). A content analysis of 2,109 peer reviewed articles appearing in the field's top journals from 1951 to 2008 produced numerous findings. Criminology lacks a hegemonic theoretical orientation but a consensus is evident in the peer-reviewed publication data in terms of its methodology. The field defends its prerogative to draw from any tradition it sees fit to. A review of the content of the field's research and the debates discussed with the interviewees suggests a somewhat amorphous, yet still discernible, definition of the field's identity, one that is dedicated to the process of science. This can be seen in terms of the parameters of the seminal theoretical and empirical debates recounted by the interviewees. What is clear is that the field has successfully emancipated itself from the discipline of sociology both professionally and in terms of its content. Concerns were offered in terms of potential threats to the continued growth of the profession resulting from a reduction in funding and its becoming fractured and isolated organizationally but there are reasons for optimism in terms of the expansion of its research horizons into exploring state crime, overcoming the macro/micro divide and incorporating biological, international, cultural/anthropological, and power oriented themes. Discussion of the prospects for how the current work may come to inform a large scale research agenda conclude the work.


The use of e-Business within the construction industry has steadily grown over the last decade. However, despite the successes being widely publicized, it is perceived that progress is limited and constrained within the industry. Thus, there are still drivers to be harnessed and barriers to be overcome. The successes achieved in other industries could be transposed and implemented within the construction industry. Many models have been suggested to successfully implement, integrate and embed e-Business within the construction industry. The aim of this special issue is closely aligned with that of a special session on 'Innovation in Construction e-Business' at the 6th International Conference on Innovation in Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) on June 9-11, 2010. A selection of papers submitted to the conference special session in Innovation in Construction e-Business has been reviewed along with additional papers for publication in this ITcon special issue.


A study was conducted to investigate implementation of accelerated bridge construction (ABC) in South Dakota. Accelerated bridge construction is defined as construction practices that employ innovative techniques to reduce on-site construction time and interruption to traffic. The main objective of this study was to implement a systematic method for evaluating ABC techniques to determine their applicability to bridge construction and rehabilitation projects in South Dakota from a cost effectiveness standpoint. A comprehensive literature review was conducted to develop a catalog of ABC techniques and detailed profiles describing the use of these techniques. These tools were used in conjunction with the ABC evaluation tool to help the decision-making process for any given construction project. Currently, the S.D. Department of Transportation must (SDDOT) determine if ABC techniques will provide a more efficient use of construction funds than conventional bridge construction methods. Therefore, this research was geared toward developing the knowledge base and tool to evaluate if implementation of ABC techniques is beneficial to a particular project scenario, based on South Dakota local cost and experience data. Many other state DOT offices currently have evaluation tools for ABC. Some were used as references when designing the tool for SDDOT. Examples for using the developed tool also were included in this study to illustrate use of the evaluation tool for ABC decision making in South Dakota.


In teaching and facilitating dance in integrated community contexts, building a community among participants seems critically important. In this context, how are the differing needs of a class managed in order to foster a respectful productive learning environment? How is a sense of agency cultivated? What pedagogical issues arise in such a context? In this article, I attempt to interrogate these questions, recognising strategies, identifying and unpacking some of the negotiations, issues and challenges. My approach draws on the work of Chappell (2011), Kuppers (2007, 2014), Shapiro (1998) and Zitomer (2013). Theorising my personal practice from a dance teacher's 'self-narrative' point of view, interwoven with other viewpoints from dance and educational research, it can be argued that much is to be gained from reflection that empowers teachers and learners in integrated community contexts.


In a changing and complex world, young people are expected to make decisions and choices regarding their education and future. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how guidance counsellors and teachers view their role in supporting students in these choices, and how young people regard the support they receive and have received during their years in school. The empirical data used in this paper is part of a larger study conducted in a municipality in Sweden. Interviews with teachers, guidance counsellors and young adults who live in or grew up in the municipality are presented and analysed in the paper. The empirical data also consists of surveys with students in their ninth year as well as students in their last year at school. The analysis is based on Pierre Bourdieu's theory of field, capital and habitus. The analysis shows that there are differences in how the professionals and the young people view the support regarding education and the future. Young people feel that they have received little support from the school and want more guidance/help from teachers and guidance counsellors regarding their educational choices and their future. From the professionals' side, there is an explicit fear of influencing the young and therefore they take a more passive approach. How to understand this fear and its consequences from a gender and class perspective is discussed in the conclusion of the paper.


This article explores the nature and implications of a 1999 decision of the Arizona Supreme Court, upholding the constitutionality of a state tax credit statute. The statute offers a $500 tax credit to taxpayers who donate money to non-profit organizations which, in turn, donate the money in grants to students in order to help defray the costs of attending private and parochial schools. The author concludes that the Arizona decision elevates cleverness in devising a statutory scheme above the substance of long-established constitutional doctrine.


The cryosphere in mountain regions is rapidly declining, a trend that is expected to acceler-ate over the next several decades due to anthropogenic climate change. A cascade of effects will result, extending from mountains to lowlands with associated impacts on human livelihood, economy, and ecosystems. With rising air temperatures and increased radiative forcing, glaciers will become smaller and, in some cases, disappear, the area of frozen ground will diminish, the ratio of snow to rainfall will decrease, and the timing and magnitude of both maximum and minimum streamflow will change. These changes will affect erosion rates, sediment, and nutrient flux, and the biogeochemistry of rivers and proglacial lakes, all of which influence water quality, aquatic habitat, and biotic communities. Changes in the length of the growing season will allow low-elevation plants and animals to expand their ranges upward. Slope failures due to thawing alpine permafrost, and outburst floods from glacier- and moraine-dammed lakes will threaten downstream populations. Societies even well beyond the mountains depend on meltwater from glaciers and snow for drinking water supplies, irrigation, mining, hydropower, agriculture, and recre-ation. Here, we review and, where possible, quantify the impacts of anticipated climate change on the alpine cryosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere, and consider the implications for adaptation to a future of mountains without permanent snow and ice.


The networking paradigm of spectrum sharing is a promising technology to solve the spectrum paucity that has resulted from the exponential increase in the number of wireless devices and ubiquitous services. In light of the novel concept of Authorized/Licensed Shared Access, in this work, we consider the spectrum sharing between a collocated multiple-input-multipleoutput (MIMO) radar and a full-duplex (FD) MIMO cellular communication system consisting of a FD base station (BS) serving multiple downlink and uplink users simultaneously, without hindering the detection probability of the radar. The main objective is to develop an optimization technique at the cellular system for jointly designing the transceiver for the cellular BS and power allocation vectors for uplink users that can maximize the detection probability of radar, while guaranteeing a pre-defined quality-of-service for each user and power budget for the uplink users and BS. The original problem is non-convex and thus, we convert the non-convex problem into a secondorder cone and propose an iterative algorithm to find the optimal solution. Numerical results are then provided to demonstrate the feasibility of the spectral coexistence and show a scalable tradeoff in performance of both systems.


-- A complete overview of the health issues that are of vital concern to the public-- Presents up-to-date information on a wide range of topics, from basic anatomy and physiology to ethical and legal issues-- Written chiefly by leading medical and science journalists


The first computer simulations of bowed string oscillations were done by McIntyre and Woodhouse in 1977. Generalizations to wind instruments followed within five years. The first commercial product using the principles of these simulations appeared in 1994. This talk will give a brief history of these developments, and will then concentrate on recent work on computer simulation of bowed string motion, much of which is presented in detail by other papers in this and an associated session. the relative success of bowed string simulations compared to simulations of wind instrument oscillations requires some explanation, which will be provided. The talk will conclude with a summary of the recent work by the author with James Woodhouse using fast computation to explore the enormous parameter space of the string instrumentalists' world.


Appearance of a solid phase from aqueous solution, known as precipitation, is responsible for the formation of numerous natural materials and technological products. Therefore, the knowledge on mechanisms of elementary processes involved in precipitation should be considered in the areas such as geology, oceanology, biomineralization, medicine, basic chemical and pharmaceutical industries, analytical and materials chemistry in particular. Calcium carbonates are a very suitable model system for investigations of these processes. Owing to their low solubility, a wide range of initial supersaturations can be achieved that direct to different conditions under which a particular process dominates. Calcium carbonates can precipitate in the form of six modifications (polymorphic or hydrated). In the Laboratory for Precipitation Processes, systematic investigations of the conditions for formation, crystal growth and transformation of amorphous calcium carbonate, calcium carbonate hexahydrate, calcium carbonate monohydrate, vaterite and calcite have been performed during the last nearly twenty years. An overview of these studies is presented.


Plasmas are ideal for producing reactive species (radicals, ions) for modifying surface properties to achieve desired mechanical or chemical functionality. Two of the most technologically (and commercially) important applications of plasmas are etching/deposition for microelectronic fabrication and functionalization of polymers. Among these applications, capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) sources are widely used. In this work, different types of capacitively coupled plasma sources and fluorination of polypropylene in a large-area CCP source are modeled using a 2-d hybrid plasma equipment model. As improvements to the model, algorithms such as a full-wave Maxwell solver, fully implicit electron drift-diffusion transport, and fully implicit electron momentum transport were developed and integrated into the model. In this thesis, we looked at the following problems: Magnetically enhanced, capacitively coupled radio frequency plasma sources are finding continued use for etching of materials for microelectronics fabrication. MERIE (magnetically enhanced reactive ion etching) sources typically use magnetic fields of tens to hundreds of Gauss parallel to the substrate. Multifrequency sources are used to separately control the magnitude of the ion and radical fluxes (typically with a high frequency source) and the ion energy distributions (typically with a low frequency) to the substrate. The properties of a dual frequency MERIE reactor are discussed using results from a computational investigation. There is a gradual convergence of the ion flux to the wafer from being nearly uniform to center peaked with increasing strength of radial magnetic field from 0 G to 200 G. There are peaks in electron temperature at both electrodes and a local minimum in the bulk plasma for a radial magnetic field of 150 G due to local sheathing heating from decreased cross field mobility. Dual frequency, capacitively coupled plasma (DF-CCP) tools for etching and deposition for microelectronics fabrication typically use a high frequency (HF, tens to hundreds of MHz) to sustain the plasma and a low frequency (LF, a few to 10 MHz) for ion acceleration into the wafer. With an increase in both the high frequency and wafer size, electromagnetic wave effects (i.e., propagation, constructive and destructive interference) can affect the spatial distribution of power deposition and reactive fluxes to the wafer. Results from a two-dimensional computational investigation of a DF-CCP reactor, incorporating a full-wave solution of Maxwell's equations, are discussed. As in single frequency CCPs, the electron density transitions from edge high to center high with increasing HF. This transition is analyzed by correlating the spatial variation of the phase, magnitude and wavelength of the HF electric field to the spatial variation of the electron energy distributions (EEDs) and ionization sources. This transition is sensitive to the gas mixture, particularly those containing electronegative gases due to the accompany change in conductivity. Process parameters, such as pressure, gas mixture, and LF and HF power deposition are important to determining the uniformity of the plasma and properties of ions incident on the wafer. The consequences of process parameters, i. e., pressure, gas mixture and LF and HF power on uniformity and ion energy distributions to the wafer are also investigated. Due to the coupling of finite wavelength, electromagnetic skin, electrostatic edge and electronegative effects, there are no simple scaling laws for plasma uniformity. The plasma uniformity is ultimately a function of conductivity and energy relaxation distance of electrons accelerated by electric fields in and near the sheath. There is a strong second-order effect on uniformity due to feedback from the electron energy distributions (EEDs) to ionization sources. The trends are correlated to the spatial variation of the HF electric field, to the total power deposition and to the spatial variation of EEDs and ionization sources. Another application of CCP sources is polymer surface modification. The surface energy and adhesion properties of commodity polymers such as polypropylene (PP) can be controlled by functionalization of the surface layers in plasmas. We developed a surface reaction mechanism for fluorination of PP in fluorine containing CCP plasmas which includes a hierarchy of reactions beginning with H abstraction by F atoms and followed by passivation by F and F2, and cross-linking, ion (sputtering, scission) and photon (H2 abstraction, scission) activated processes. Predicted surface compositions show good agreement with experiment results. The lack of total fluorination with long plasma exposure is found to be likely caused by cross-linking, which creates Carbon–Carbon (C-C) bonds that might otherwise be passivated by F atoms. Increasing steric hindrances as fluorination proceeds also contribute to lower F/C ratios.


The first chapter presents a systematic review of the literature around expressing gratitude and Facebook use and the impact of these behaviours on the well-being of young people. Studies were included if they evaluated the effects of Facebook use, keeping a gratitude log or sharing gratitude (online or otherwise) on measures of well-being. The review searched three electronic databases for peer-reviewed journal articles from 1995 onwards. No reports were found concerning the specific intervention of sharing of gratitude on Facebook. A total of seven Facebook interventions and 14 gratitude interventions were included. The analysis of these 21 interventions showed that overall, Facebook usage appears to have a negative impact on participants' well-being whilst gratitude interventions appear to have a positive impact on well-being. Based on these findings it is concluded that now is a good time to begin a new program of research exploring effect of sharing gratitude on Facebook. The empirical paper examined the effectiveness of a Facebook based gratitude intervention to promote well-being in young people aged 16-18 (N = 70). Participants completed online questionnaire measures pre and post intervention as well as at a six-week follow up. Participants posted grateful or neutral learning status update to Facebook daily for ten consecutive college days. ANOVAs revealed no significant effect of condition. Moderation analysis found that the intervention has a positive impact on well-being but only for individuals who perceived peer reactions to be positive. This tentatively suggests that simply expressing gratefulness is not enough to boost well-being, expressed gratitude needs to be positively acknowledged by others. The findings extend the evidence base in the fields of post-16 well-being, Facebook use and gratitude sharing.


The focus of writing pedagogy for L2 undergraduate writers in ESL contexts has been primarily on addressing writing demands across the curriculum (Johns, 2009; Silva, 1990). The literature from EFL settings, however, depicts a very complex picture that makes it difficult to generalize purposes and needs across the settings (Cimasko & Reichelt, 2011). Despite the indication that L2 writing is differently conceptualized across many settings, few studies have been conducted to examine contextual variation. Documenting local conceptions and contextual factors in different settings could not only inform teachers of the importance of accounting for local exigencies in teaching, but also provide new insights on pedagogical scholarship of L2 writing that has primarily accounted for ESL contexts. To shed light on the situated nature of L2 writing, the present cross-context case study examined practices of teaching and learning L2 writing in two settings, i.e., an English Language Program (ELP) at "Southern" University in the U.S. and an ELP at "Hahn" University in Korea. By using multiple data collection methods – class observation, interviews, and document analysis, the study compared teachers' pedagogical conceptualization and learners' perceptions of L2 writing need. Findings show that the Southern-ELP predominantly conceptualized L2 writing as preparation for academic literacy demands in coursework whereas the Hahn-ELP viewed L2 writing as an end in itself by teaching mainly prescribed patterns. These differences originated from their understanding of local linguistic ecology and teacher training backgrounds. Students' perceived needs for L2 writing, despite internal variation in both settings, showed divergence across the contexts. While many Southern students reported goals for learning-towrite in L2, most Hahn freshmen did not express similar goals. These Hahn students indicated needs to develop their linguistic proficiency through writing. These disparate views emanated from differences in L2 writing demands in coursework and linguistic proficiency. The findings suggest that pedagogical scholarship of L2 writing established with ESL settings in mind may not be sufficient to address local exigencies of L2 writing in many EFL contexts and increasingly diversifying ESL settings. The study also invites L2 writing teachers to develop a better understanding of the range of diversity among student populations. INDEX WORDS: L2 Writing, Writing Pedagogy, Cross-context study TWO PERSPECTIVES ON WRITING: A CROSS-CONTEXT STUDY OF SECOND


A variety of lectins were tested in vitro for inhibitory action against the activities of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) reverse transcriptase and the N-glycohydrolases (alpha-glucosidase, beta-glucosidase and beta-glucuronidase). Lectins from Phaseolus vulgaris, Momordica charantia, Ricinus communis and its constituent chains, and Agaricus bisporus were able to inhibit HIV-1 reverse transcriptase. P. vulgaris lectin and A. bisporus lectin were the most potent. The aforementioned lectins had only weak or no inhibitory effects on the glycohydrolases. The inhibitory effect of polysaccharopeptide from the mushroom Coriolus versicolor on HIV-1 reverse transcriptase and alpha-glucosidase was enhanced after chemical modification with chlorosulfonic acid. However, the inhibitory effect of the algal polysaccharide fucoidan on HIV-1 reverse transcriptase and alpha-glucosidase was not augmented by sulfation. Trypsin inhibitors from Phaseolus lunatus and Glycine max, gossypol and alkaloids from Corydalis yanhusuo were able to inhibit HIV-1 reverse transcriptase. Dicoumarol was capable of inhibiting HIV-1 reverse transcriptase, alpha-glucosidase, beta-glucosidase and beta-glucuronidase.


Global water resources quantities and qualities are declining, but at the same time, a strong demand for higher agricultural productivity continues to emerge due to population growth. This calls for a significant increase of irrigation and fertilization efficiencies and requires improving our understanding of the interactions between plants and their physical environment. The main objective of this study is to analyze the combined effect of varying drip irrigation management techniques and growing conditions (media properties and container volumes) on soil–plant interactions. In a series of experiments, irrigation flow rates and intervals ranging from 2 d to 10 min were applied to the vegetative stage of a test crop (bell pepper [Capsicum annuum L. 'Selika']) cultivated under different growing conditions—sand and perlite in buckets, perlite in containers, and loamy sand under field conditions. Data on soil water regime, plant water uptake, and plant development were monitored in each setup. Large differences were observed both in terms of root and canopy development in response to the different application rates and frequencies. The prevailing irrigation management reflects on the soil water content dynamics, and consequently, on the plant water uptake and growth. Sap flow rates measurements indicated that higher irrigation frequency or lower water application rates increased plant water uptake rates. However, in most of the cases (except for the sand) it also led to a lower root mass and a smaller root mass/leaf area ratio. Interestingly, in the single plant per bucket experiments, a larger leaf area seemed conditioned on a larger root mass, while the opposite was the case in those two experiments where plants were grown in rows (perlite in containers and loamy sand field), where most prolific canopy development was supported by the smallest root mass. Integrating findings across the different experiments, we introduce the concept of mean daily available water volume per plant as the product of container/bucket volume and mean daily water content in the medium to express the joint effect of constraints imposed by the physical volume of growing medium and their specific hydraulic properties. Mean daily available water volume per plant was found to be positively correlated with the dry root mass to leaf area ratio.


This thesis presents a new tomographic imaging method using multiple wavelengths in digital holographic microscopy. It is based on the addition of several reconstructed wavefronts measured at different wavelengths. The resulting diffraction tomographic visibility is then enhanced and the position of the interfaces is determined with ultrahigh precision. Digital holographic microscopy is a method enabling the recording of complex wavefronts and its numerical reconstruction. In our case, it is based on the recording, in off-axis geometry, of the interference between a reference wave and an object wave reflected by a microscopic specimen and magnified by a microscope objective. A couple charged device (CCD) camera records consecutively the resulting holograms at several wavelengths equally separated in the frequency domain. An adapted reconstruction algorithm has been developed to perform an achromatic reconstruction of the different wavefronts. Tomography is then performed by adding the reconstructed wavefronts. Each wavefront phase is individually adjusted to be equal in a given plane of interest. The result of this operation is a constructive addition of complex waves in the selected plane and destructive addition in the others. The amplitude image is attenuated according to a function, called filter function. For perfectly constructive phases no attenuation is present. Varying the plane of interest enables the scan of the object in depth. The obtained diffraction tomographic resolution is better than the one obtained in OCT, with an equivalent spectral width, in low-coherence or short-pulse lasers in optical coherence tomography. Nevertheless, no axial scanning is needed and the shape of the spectrum can be post acquisition tailored. A method is then proposed to enhance the visibility and to precisely determine the position of the interfaces. An axial scan allows the extraction of depth profiles. The maxima detection and a least square fit algorithm are used to perform this enhancement. Moreover, weights are introduced in the addition of the wavefronts, in order to tailor the filter function. Different weights distributions are discussed in terms of separation limit and precision on the interface position. It is shown that position resolution increases for higher separation limit. Finally, the tomographic method has been simplified for cases of a total reflective surface to perform topography. This allows measurements on specimen of several microns high without phase ambiguities. The results are directly measured in optical pathlengths. Experimental measurements have been performed on a specifically designed and homemade target, as well as on a multilayer specimen. Twenty wavelengths in the range of 480-700 nm have been used, resulting in tomographic sections of 725 nm. It is shown that the experimental results perfectly correspond the simulations. Enhanced tomographic results show a separation limit of 725 nm with a position resolution under 130 nm. Measures performed using the Kaiser weight distribution allow a position resolution of a few nanometers, for an increasing separation limit to 3 µm.


This thesis was conceived as the result of the impression made on me, on my staff at the Hilton E.S.N., Special School, and to some extent on the hundreds of visitors who came to the school, following the introduction of programmed instruction in the teaching of reading. Our pragmatic approach to this, then novel technique, proved so effective that I felt that I should like to see it experimented with more widely in the field of special education for the educationally sub-normal, and with slow learners generally. I sought to further this in a limited way by supplying local teachers, who were interested, with photo-copies of my programs, by describing my methods in articles in educational journals, by lecturing to teachers and to teachers in training, and in organising courses for teachers. In the last I was assisted by the Education Department of the West Riding. Later, under the auspices of the Rational Association of Remedial Teachers, I was enabled to publish a short book describing my methods and experiments in some detail. (1) The thesis is arranged in three parts; Part 1 is the basis upon which the study is founded and seeks to outline the 'work at the Hilton E.S.N. School which led to the two evaluation studies with which this part concludes. Both studies are described in detail with some supporting statistics. The first is vis a vis a teacher and the second, along term comparison with our normal teaching methods. Part 2, is a review of some of the theories which underlie programmed instruction. It also considers in some detail some of the recent research into programming variables, particularly research wherein the subjects were mentally handicapped or slow learners. Part 3, covers all the original research carried out by me since May 1970, commencing with my main study at the Rossington E.S.N. Special School. This is followed by a further "rate of learning" study at Mexborough College of Further Education and then a series studies into some of the variables considered in Part 2.


We discuss the potential and limitations of light-coupling masks for high-resolution subwavelength optical lithography. Using a three-dimensional fully vectorial numerical approach based on Green's tensor technique, the near-field distribution of the electric field in the photoresist is calculated. We study the dependence of the illuminating light and the angle of incidence on polarization. Furthermore, we investigate the replication of structures of various sizes and separations. It is predicted that the formation of features in the 60 nm range is possible using light with a 248 nm wavelength. However, with decreasing separation among the features, crosstalk limits the ultimate resolution.


Replicate populations of natural and experimental organisms often show evidence of parallel genetic evolution, but the causes are unclear. The wrinkly spreader morph of Pseudomonas fluorescens arises repeatedly during experimental evolution. The mutational causes reside exclusively within three pathways. By eliminating these, 13 new mutational pathways were discovered with the newly arising WS types having fitnesses similar to those arising from the commonly passaged routes. Our findings show that parallel genetic evolution is strongly biased by constraints and we reveal the genetic bases. From such knowledge, and in instances where new phenotypes arise via gene activation, we suggest a set of principles: evolution proceeds firstly via pathways subject to negative regulation, then via promoter mutations and gene fusions, and finally via activation by intragenic gain-of-function mutations. These principles inform evolutionary forecasting and have relevance to interpreting the diverse array of mutations associated with clinically identical instances of disease in humans. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.07074.001


In this paper we consider some systems of ordinary differential
equations which are related to coagulation-fragmentation
processes. In particular, we obtain explicit solutions
$\{c_k(t)\}$ of such systems which involve certain coefficients
obtained by solving a suitable algebraic recurrence relation. The
coefficients are derived in two relevant cases: the
high-functionality limit and the Flory-Stockmayer model. The
solutions thus obtained are polydisperse (that is, $c_k(0)$ is
different from zero for all $k \ge 1$) and may exhibit
monotonically increasing or decreasing total mass. We also solve a
monodisperse case (where $c_1(0)$ is different from zero but
$c_k(0)$ is equal to zero for all $k \ge 2$) in the
high-functionality limit. In contrast to the previous result, the
corresponding solution is now shown to display a sol-gel
transition when the total initial mass is larger than one, but not
when such mass is less than or equal to one.