It has been suggested that vigorous secondary tropical forests can have very high transpiration rates, but sap flow and stomatal conductance dynamics of trees and shrubs in these forests are understudied. In an effort to address this knowledge gap, sap flow (thermal dissipation method, 12 trees) and stomatal conductance (porometry, six trees) were measured for young (5-7 years) Psiadia altissima (DC.) Drake trees, a widely occurring species dominating young regrowth following abandonment of swidden agriculture in upland eastern Madagascar. In addition, stomatal conductance (gs) was determined for three individuals of two locally common invasive shrubs (Lantana camara L. and Rubus moluccanus L.) during three periods with contrasting soil moisture conditions. Values of gs for the three investigated species were significantly higher and more sensitive to climatic conditions during the wet period compared with the dry period. Further, gs of the understorey shrubs was much more sensitive to soil moisture content than that of the trees. Tree transpiration rates (Ec) were relatively stable during the dry season and were only affected somewhat by soil water content at the end of the dry season, suggesting the trees had continued access to soil water despite drying out of the topsoil. The Ec exhibited a plateau-shaped relation with vapour pressure deficit (VPD), which was attributed to stomatal closure at high VPD. Vapour pressure deficit was the major driver of variation in Ec, during both the wet and the dry season. Overall water use of the trees was modest, possibly reflecting low site fertility after three swidden cultivation cycles. The observed contrast in gs response to soil water and climatic conditions for the trees and shrubs underscores the need to take root distributions into account when modelling transpiration from regenerating tropical forests.


Desmosomes are specialized structures of the cell membrane that are crucial for the establishment and maintenance of cell–cell adhesion and tissue integrity. Transmembrane proteins of desmosomes, desmogleins, and desmocollins are responsible for extracellular binding and, thus, are important for interkeratinocyte cohesion. Desmoglein 3 (DSG3) is a member of the desmoglein subfamily of cadherin cell adhesion molecule superfamily. It is mainly expressed in stratified epithelia, including the basal and suprabasilar epidermal layers and throughout the oral epithelium layers. In the human autoimmune blistering disease pemphigus vulgaris, autoantibodies against DSG3 cause loss of cell–cell adhesion (acantholysis) with resultant epidermal and mucosal blisters. More recently, a potential role of desmosomes in cancer development has been hypothesized. To this regard, several investigations have focused on the possible contribution of DSG3 in carcinogenesis. In this article, the role of DSG3 in the process of squamous cell carcinogenesis and the controversies concerning this issue will be discussed.


Introduction: Early detection and case management remain the main strategies in malaria control programme (MCP) in a low endemic area such as in Java Island, Indonesia. These strategies require an understanding of the community's care-seeking behaviour in relation to the various health services. Since most malaria cases in Java are diagnosed at home by the village malaria workers (VMWs), this study aimed to examine the user-provider interface in early detection and case management of malaria, particularly the interaction between the clinical malaria patients and the VMWs. Methods: The number of blood slides examined and the laboratory results over a 20-year period were retrieved from the routine malaria surveillance system. The population at risk of malaria and the rainfall data were obtained from secondary sources. In addition, age, sex, malaria species, types of drugs, drug and dosage and time lapse between slides taken and examined were recorded from the malaria registers at the three endemic health centres from 1994-1998. The quality of diagnosis was examined by re-reading 153 slides at the Faculty of Medicine, Gadjah Mada University. Prior to using rapid assessment procedures (RAP), we proposed 11 criteria and applied these to 15 published RAP studies in health. For each of the papers, two authors assessed the adequacy of information provided independently. Using the criteria as a guideline for developing a protocol, a RAP study of malaria was thereafter carried out. Data were retrieved from 38 free-listings, 28 in-depth interviews, seven focus group discussions and unstructured observation. A qualitative thematic content analysis was applied. Finally, based on the RAP results, a one-year longitudinal study of care-seeking behaviour of all clinical malaria cases treated by the VMWs was conducted in Mlonggo II area. Age, sex, daily actions and date of consultations were recorded by all VMWs in a diary that covered prior all contacts between the patients and the VMWs. Also, 24 interactions between the VMWs and the patients were audiotaped. Results: The incidence of malaria during the 1990s fluctuated, albeit at the lower level than that of the 1980s, and it reached a peak (3.5/1000 population) during an outbreak in 1996-97. There was no clear association between the El Nino phenomenon and incidence of malaria. The incidence was almost twice as high in children <15 years than in adults (15+ years). In <5 year old children the risk of P. vivax malaria was higher than the risk of P. falciparum. Comparisons between active and passive case detection (ACD and PCD) showed that almost 60% of 10, 493 confirmed malaria cases in Jepara were identified from ACD. ACD also detected significantly higher percentage of P. falciparum gametocyte infections than PCD (14.7% vs. 5.7%). The duration between slides taken to examination was however longer for ACD than for PCD (2.3 vs. 1.1 days). Applying the criteria to the published RAP studies, it was found that information was limited to address subjectivity, staff and ethics criteria. In Jepara, malaria (known as katisen or panas tis) was considered a common but minor illness. This was also reflected by the most common action taken by the patients, i.e. not doing anything. However, when the illness was perceived as important, the community had a good access to different health care providers. Eighty seven percent of cases had been treated by the VMWs on day four of the illness period. On day two, the proportion not treated was significantly higher in male than in female cases (60.7% and 54.6%; p 0.01) and in those <15 years of age compared with those 15+ years (71.3% and 56.9%; p<0.001). Insufficient understanding of malaria signs and symptoms likely leads to delay in illness recognition and treatment. Interactions between the VMWs and the patients were mostly focused on medical tasks, and low compliance with treatment was a common concern of the VMWs in the interaction. Conclusion: El Nino phenomenon was not associated with an epidemic in Jepara. A possible association between age and the risk of P. vivax malaria needs further investigation. In this decentralised health care system, ACD should be continued in a focus endemic area and therefore, efforts to retain the VMWs should be considered. This research showed similar findings between the RAP study and the longitudinal study. A consistent gap was found between the common understanding and the biomedical description of malaria. The performance of the VMWs supports the MCP through early contact with clinical malaria patients. Visits of VMWs within four days of symptom recognition appear to be the ideal situation for both the programme and the community. If case management continues to be the main strategy in MCP in this low endemic area, the emic perspective of the people must be well integrated to improve home treatment. Likewise, simple interventions to strengthen the role of VMWs in home management should be conducted.


Computability has played a crucial role in mathematics and computer science, leading to the discovery, understanding and classification of decidable/undecidable problems, paving the way for the modern computer era, and affecting deeply our view of the world. Recent new paradigms of computation, based on biological and physical models, address in a radically new way questions of efficiency and challenge assumptions about the so-called Turing barrier. This volume addresses various aspects of the ways computability and theoretical computer science enable scientists and philosophers to deal with mathematical and real-world issues, covering problems related to logic, mathematics, physical processes, real computation and learning theory. At the same time it will focus on different ways in which computability emerges from the real world, and how this affects our way of thinking about everyday computational issues. The list of contributors includes: S Abramsky, P Adriaans, M Agrawal, M Arslanov, G Ausiello, J Diaz, Y Ershov, G Longo, W Maass, I Nemeti, A Nerode, D Normann, G Odifreddi, M Rathjen, G Rozenberg, M Vardi, and P Welch.


UK commercial property lease structures have come under considerable scrutiny during the past decade since the property crash of the early 1990s. In particular, tenants complained that the system was unfair and that it has blocked business change. Government is committed, through its 2001 election manifesto, to promote flexibility and choice in the commercial property lettings market and a new voluntary Commercial Leases Code of Practice was launched in April 2002. This paper investigates whether occupiers are being offered the leases they require or whether there is a mismatch between occupier requirements and actual leases in the market. It draws together the substantial data now available on the actual terms of leases in the UK and surveys of corporate occupiers' attitude to their occupation requirements. Although the data indicated that UK leases have become shorter and more diverse since 1990, this is still not sufficient to meet the current requirements of many corporate occupiers. It is clear that the inability to manage entry and exit strategies is a major concern to occupiers. Lease length is the primary concern of tenants and a number of respondents comment on the mismatch between lease length in the UK and business planning horizons. The right to break and other problems with alienation clauses also pose serious difficulties for occupiers, thus reinforcing the mismatch. Other issues include repairing and insuring clauses and the type of review clause. There are differences in opinion between types of occupier. In particular, international corporate occupiers are significantly more concerned about the length of lease and the incidence of break clauses than national occupiers and private-sector tenants are significantly more concerned about leasing in general than public-sector occupiers. Proposed solutions by tenants are predictable and include shorter leases, more frequent breaks and relaxation of restrictions concerning alienation and other clauses. A significant number specify that they would pay more for shorter leases and other improved terms. Short leases would make many of the other terms more acceptable and this is why they are the main concern of corporate occupiers. Overall, the evidence suggests that there continues to be a gap between occupiers' lease requirements and those currently offered by the market. There are underlying structural factors that act as an inertial force on landlords and inhibit the changes which occupiers appear to want. Nevertheless, the findings raise future research questions concerning whether UK lease structures are a constraining factor on UK competitiveness.


Given its naturally large antimicrobial resistance profile, the Stenotrophomonas maltophilia complex (Smc) is a set of emerging pathogens of immunosuppressed and cystic fibrosis patients. As it is group of environmental microorganisms, this adaptation to humans is an opportunity to understand the genetic and metabolic selective mechanisms involved in this process. The previously reported genomic organization was incomplete, as data from animal strains were underrepresented. We added the missing piece of the puzzle with whole-genome sequencing of 93 strains of animal origin. Beyond describing the phylogenetic organization, we confirmed the genetic diversity of the Smc, which could not be estimated through routine phenotype- or matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF)-based laboratory tests. Animals strains seem to play a key role in the diversity of Smc and could act as a reservoir for mobile resistance genes. Some genogroups seem to be associated with particular hosts; the genetic support of this association and the role of the determinants/corresponding genes need to be explored. ABSTRACT The Stenotrophomonas maltophilia complex (Smc) comprises opportunistic environmental Gram-negative bacilli responsible for a variety of infections in both humans and animals. Beyond its large genetic diversity, its genetic organization in genogroups was recently confirmed through the whole-genome sequencing of human and environmental strains. As they are poorly represented in these analyses, we sequenced the whole genomes of 93 animal strains to determine their genetic background and characteristics. Combining these data with 81 newly sequenced human strains and the genomes available from RefSeq, we performed a genomic analysis that included 375 nonduplicated genomes with various origins (animal, 104; human, 226; environment, 30; unknown, 15). Phylogenetic analysis and clustering based on genome-wide average nucleotide identity confirmed and specified the genetic organization of Smc in at least 20 genogroups. Two new genogroups were identified, and two previously described groups were further divided into two subgroups each. Comparing the strains isolated from different host types and their genogroup affiliation, we observed a clear disequilibrium in certain groups. Surprisingly, some antimicrobial resistance genes, integrons, and/or clusters of attC sites lacking integron-integrase (CALIN) sequences targeting antimicrobial compounds extensively used in animals were mainly identified in animal strains. We also identified genes commonly found in animal strains coding for efflux systems. The result of a large whole-genome analysis performed by us supports the hypothesis of the putative contribution of animals as a reservoir of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia complex strains and/or resistance genes for strains in humans. IMPORTANCE Given its naturally large antimicrobial resistance profile, the Stenotrophomonas maltophilia complex (Smc) is a set of emerging pathogens of immunosuppressed and cystic fibrosis patients. As it is group of environmental microorganisms, this adaptation to humans is an opportunity to understand the genetic and metabolic selective mechanisms involved in this process. The previously reported genomic organization was incomplete, as data from animal strains were underrepresented. We added the missing piece of the puzzle with whole-genome sequencing of 93 strains of animal origin. Beyond describing the phylogenetic organization, we confirmed the genetic diversity of the Smc, which could not be estimated through routine phenotype- or matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF)-based laboratory tests. Animals strains seem to play a key role in the diversity of Smc and could act as a reservoir for mobile resistance genes. Some genogroups seem to be associated with particular hosts; the genetic support of this association and the role of the determinants/corresponding genes need to be explored.


Lyapunov stability criteria are derived for a first-order closed-loop adaptive-optics servo system, resulting in a linear matrix equation that includes the system geometry, servo parameters, and wave-front reconstruction matrix. It is demonstrated that instability zones depend on the choice of matrix estimator and the servo-loop gain. Divergence of the error propagator gives results that are consistent with the Lyapunov equation. The significance of these results is discussed.


We present a new approach for accelerated global illumination computation in scenes with glossy surfaces. Our algorithm combines sparse illumination computation used in the radiance caching algorithm with BRDF importance sampling. To make this approach feasible, we extend the idea of lazy illumination evaluation, used in the caching approaches, from the spatial to the directional domain. Using importance sampling allows us to apply caching not only on low-gloss but also on shiny materials with high-frequency BRDFs, for which the radiance caching algorithm breaks down.


Britain was the exemplar of electricity market reform, demonstrating the importance of ownership unbundling and workable competition in generation and supply. Privatisation created de facto duopolies that supported increasing price-cost margins and induced excessive (English) entry. Concentration was ended by trading horizontal for vertical integration in subsequent mergers. Competition arrived just as the Pool was replaced by New Electricity Trading Arrangements (NETA) intended to address its claimed shortcomings. NETA cost over £700 million, and had ambiguous market impacts. Prices fell dramatically as a result of (pre-NETA) competition, generating companies withdrew plant, causing fears about security of supply and a subsequent widening of price-cost margins.


The ABC effect - a puzzling threshold enhancement in the ππ invariant mass spectrum of double-pionic fusion to nuclear bound states - has been investigated since 40 years by inclusive measurements without providing a conclusive interpretation. First exclusive measurements to this topic have now been carried out at CELSIUS-WASA. They confirm a huge ππ threshold enhancement, prove it to be of scalar-isoscalar nature, i.e., a σ-channel phenomenon and reveal the theoretically predicted high-mass enhancement in inclusive spectra to be of πππ rather than of ππ nature - falsifying thus corresponding model predictions for the ABC effect. From the kinematically complete data samples we infer that the interaction between the two Δ particles created in this process is of crucial importance.


When British Prime Minister Harold Wilson urged Lyndon Johnson not to escalate hostilities in Vietnam in 1965, he did so not because he was morally opposed to the war or thought the war was intractable but because he was concerned about the likely impact of U.S. actions on his own domestic power base. Wilson's stance of providing moral but not military support for U.S. policy in Vietnam caused anger and disillusionment among leftwing Labour Party activists and members of Parliament, spurring them to active opposition against Wilson's government. Even so, Wilson managed to prevent a major schism within his government and party over the Vietnam War. His attempts to broker a peace deal between the combatants were largely designed to placate Labour Party activists while raising Wilson's profile as a world statesman. Although the initiatives did not generate any progress toward a ceasefire, they were relatively successful on the domestic front.


Data incompleteness and inconsistency are common issues in data-driven decision models. To some extend, they can be considered as two opposite circumstances, since the former occurs due to lack of information and the latter can be regarded as an excess of heterogeneous information. Although these issues often contribute to a decrease in the accuracy of the model, most modeling approaches lack of mechanisms to address them. This research focuses on an advanced belief rule-based decision model and proposes a dynamic rule activation (DRA) method to address both issues simultaneously. DRA is based on "smart" rule activation, where the actived rules are selected in a dynamic way to search for a balance between the incompleteness and inconsistency in the rule-base generated from sample data to achive a better performance. A series of case studies demonstrate how the use of DRA improves the accuracy of this advanced rule-based decision model, without compromising its efficiency, especially when dealing with multi-class classification datasets. DRA has been proved to be beneficial to select the most suitable rules or data instances instead of aggregating an entire rule-base. Beside the work performed in rule-based systems, DRA alone can be regarded as a generic dynamic similarity measurement that can be applied in different domains.


We discuss a neural networks-based face analysis approach that is able to cope with faces subject to pose and lighting variations. Especially head pose variations are difficult to tackle and many face analysis methods require the use of sophisticated normalization procedures. Data-driven shape and motion-based face analysis approaches are introduced that are not only capable of extracting features relevant to a given face analysis task, but are also robust with regard to translation and scale variations. This is achieved by deploying convolutional and time-delayed neural networks, which are either trained for face shape deformation or facial motion analysis.


For decades before the Civil War, Southern writers and warriors had been urging the occupation and development of the American Southwest. When the rift between North and South had been finalized in secession, the Confederacy moved to extend their traditions to the west-a long-sought goal that had been frustrated by northern states. It was a common sentiment among Southerners and especially Texans that Mexico must be rescued from indolent inhabitants and granted the benefits of American civilization. Blood and Treasure , written in a readable narrative style that belies the rigorous research behind it, tells the story of the Confederacy's ambitious plan to extend a Confederate empire across the continent. Led by Lieutenant Colonel John R. Baylor, later a governor of Arizona, and General H. H. Sibley, Texan soldiers trekked from San Antonio to Fort Bliss in El Paso, then north along the Rio Grande to Santa Fe. Fighting both Apaches and Federal troops, the half-trained, undisciplined army met success at the Battle of Val Verde and defeat at the Battle of Apache Canyon. Finally, the Texans won the Battle of Glorieta Pass, only to lose their supply train--and eventually the campaign. Pursued and dispirited, the Confederates abandoned their dream of empire and retreated to El Paso and San Antonio. Frazier has made use of previously untapped primary sources, allowing him to present new interpretations of the famous Civil War battles in the Southwest. Using narratives of veterans of the campaign and official Confederate and Union documents, the author explains how this seemingly far-fetched fantasy of building a Confederate empire was an essential part of the Confederate strategy. Military historians will be challenged to modify traditional views of Confederate imperial ambitions. Generalists will be drawn into the fascinating saga of the soldiers' fears, despair, and struggles to survive.


With the growth in over-the-counter derivatives markets in recent years and the corresponding development of synthetic securitization technology, the regulatory issues surrounding structured finance transactions by United States banks and thrifts have become increasingly complex. In part because of this, securitization activities of banks have been increasingly a focus of regulatory concern. The use of derivatives by banks raises particular insolvency issues in transactions in which it is important to achieve credit de-linkage of the issuing entity's assets from the credit or insolvency risk of the sponsor. It also raises important non-insolvency issues related to such matters as the regulatory capital treatment of such transactions and the application to such transactions of the rules governing transactions with affiliates. This article seeks to address the repudiation rights of the FDIC with respect to qualified financial contracts, the regulatory capital treatment of credit default swaps and synthetic securitizations, and the treatment of credit derivatives under the rules governing transactions between banks and their affiliates.


Background:  Commercial conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) dietary supplements of contain an equal mixture of the C18:2 isomers, cis-9,trans-11 and trans-10,cis-12. CLA-c9t11 occurs naturally in meat and dairy products as the dominant CLA at 75%, whereas the CLA-t10c12 occurs at <1%. CLA-c9t11 generally promotes lipid accumulation but CLA-t10c12 inhibits lipid accumulation and may promote inflammation. Methods:  Purified CLA-c9t11 and CLA-t10c12 were added to 3T3 mature adipocyte cultures at 100uM concentrations and compared with 100uM C18:3(n-3) (α-linolenic acid) and 50uM docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) to study their effect on growth, gene transcription and general oxidation. The results of 4 separate trials were averaged and compared for significance using one way ANOVA and Student's t-test. Results:  C18:3(n-3), DHA and CLA-t10c12 were inhibitory to 3t3 adipose cell growth and caused significant lipid hydro peroxide activity. CLA-t10c12 and c9t11 increased AFABP, FAS and ACOX1 mRNA expression but DHA and C18:3(n-3) decreased the same mRNAs. CLA-c9t11 but not the t10c12 stimulated adipoQ expression even though; c9t11 had only a slightly greater affinity for PPARγ than CLA- t10c12. The expression of the xenobiotic metabolism genes, aldo-keto reductase 1c1  (akr1c1), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and inflammation chemokine secretions of  eotaxin (CCL11), Rantes (CCL5), MIG (CCL9) and MCP-1 were increased by DHA, C18:3(n-3) and CLA-t10c12. This correlated with apoptosis factors, caspase 3, Bcl-2 and BAXs which were partially reduced by co-treatment with lipophilic anti-oxidant α-tocopherol. Conclusions:  Based on this evidence, CLA-t10c12 promoted more reactive oxygen species (ROS) than CLAc9t11, in a similar effect as C18:3(n-3) and DHA. In response, cascades of genes are activated to deal with the potentially damaging effects of ROS through detoxification, inflammation or apoptosis. Keywords: CLA-t10c12, CLA-c9t11, gene expression, adipocyte lipid hydroperoxide, DHA,3T3 adipocytes, apoptosis.


Religion has always been considered an indispensable element in Albania, because it gives meaning to the life of the people and because it has always been closely linked to albanesity. Albanesity unites the people and religion gives meaning to people's lives, because it indicates values and priorities. Albanesity and religion define identity character of People and they are the interior strength, which has allowed to overcome many difficulties and crises. The particular link between religion and identity has also attributed to religious communities a public role in the construction of culture and society. They played a public role for social dialogue and for the construction of a free and democratic society. In Albaniathe mission of religions was not only spiritual, but cultural and social, expanded to concrete existential problems with the aim of giving answers to the needs of the people. They have allied themselves to build a different and better Albanian society to affirm the value of human dignity and people's rights of freedom. Dialogue between religions is fostered by the common goal: ie to protect personal freedom, religious freedom, democratic development and social well-being. Dialogue and tolerance between religions are a civil method of coexistence and answer to the needs inside the country. Dialogue between religions has certainly made it possible to protect the fundamental rights of the human person, encouraging cultural growth and a more adequate state legislation to guarantee the dignity of the person in a context that has known atheism and persecution for many years. Religious peace and dialogue among religions are elements of democracy, which inAlbania represent the conquest of status and dignity, considering the lack of experience about meaning of the word democracy. The Albanian experience, similar to that of the Balkan countries, demonstrates the need to rethink the concept of democracy and its peculiar assets. It is necessary to understand that the democratic path after the dictatorship passes through the recovery of the religious and historical identity of the people. In this way they can live constitutional values. Interreligious dialogue, therefore, in addition to the intrinsic purposes intended for the reconstruction of a stable network of relations between religions, in Albania constitutes a consolidated instrument of the suitable daily experience, despite the critical and repeated socio-political difficulties, to favor the establishment of the values of democracy, to support efforts for peace and tolerance, to foster the development of people and to support the integration process in society.


Repetition appears purposefully within Book of Mormon narratives as a principle of reinforcement and confirmation. It seems that every important action, event, or character is repeated in the Book of Mormon. These repetitions emphasize the law of witnesses at work within the book (e.g., "in the mouth of three witnesses shall these things be established"; Ether 5:4). Further, they underscore the relevance of one character or action to people living in a different time, and they link narratives together with what Robert Alter calls "type-scenes." Analyzed in detail as particularly striking are three-fold repetitions in Nephi's task to retrieve the brass plates and repetition of the word power in the missionary endeavor of the sons of Mosiah. Larger repeated narratives treat escape and travel to a promised land; repentance; and the nature, rise, and effect of secret combinations.


To simulate and predict the behaviour of a lava flow, it is essential to have a thorough knowledge of its thermophysical properties. Therefore, thermal conductivity, specific heat, and viscosity of volcanic rock material were determined in a wide temperature range. Especially, the properties of the molten material were investigated in detail. The material was taken from the Pietre-Cotte lava flow located on the isle of Vulcano, north of Sicily. The thermal conductivity of the material was determined in the temperature range 293-1623 K by the hot-wire method. Melting occurs above 1100K. The specific heat was measured by differential scanning calorimetry between 347 and 1671 K. The viscosity of the lava melt was determined with a rotational viscometer HAAKE M5. The viscometer was enclosed in a high-temperature furnace optimised for the temperature range 1373-1598 K.


Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy is a label-free and highly sensitive technique that provides complete information on the chemical composition of biological samples. The bacterial FT-IR signals are extremely speci�c and highly reproducible ngerprint-like patterns, making FT-IR an e�cient tool for bacterial typing and identi�cation. Due to the low cost and high �ux, FT-IR has been widely used in hospital hygiene management for infection control, epidemiological studies, and routine bacterial determination of clinical laboratory values. However, the typing and identi�cation accuracy could be affected by many factors, and the bacterial FT-IR data from different laboratories are usually not comparable. A standard protocol is required to improve the accuracy of FT-IR-based typing and identi�cation. Here, we detail the principles and procedures of bacterial typing and identi�cation based on FT-IR spectroscopy, including bacterial culture, sample preparation, instrument operation, spectra collection, spectra preprocessing, and mathematical data analysis. Without bacterial culture, a typical experiment generally takes <2 h.


Accurate credit-granting decisions are crucial to the efficiency of the decentralized capital allocation mechanisms in modern market economies. Credit bureaus and many financial institutions have developed and used credit-scoring models to standardize and automate, to the extent possible, credit decisions. We build credit scoring models for bankcard markets using the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Risk Analysis Division (OCC/RAD) consumer credit database (CCDB). This unusually rich data set allows us to evaluate a number of methods in common practice. We introduce, estimate, and validate our models, using both out-of-sample contemporaneous and future validation data sets. Model performance is compared using both separation and accuracy measures. A vendor-developed generic bureau-based score is also included in the model performance comparisons. Our results indicate that current industry practices, when carefully applied, can produce models that robustly rank-order potential borrowers both at the time of development and through the near future. However, these same methodologies are likely to fail when the the objective is to accurately estimate future rates of delinquency or probabilities of default for individual or groups of borrowers.


We developed the DiaNAH test battery for the screening of mid-level and higher-order visual perceptual disorders in clinical practice. The DiaNAH battery comprises 11 different tests and can be administered in 30-60 minutes. Important feature of the DiaNAH battery is that it is administered on a 24" tablet, connected to a laptop. This allows dual screen technology, enabling the assessor to follow the patient's activities on the tablet. The tablet can be used with a wireless, battery-free electronic pen, which imitates paper and pencil administration. The software (DiagnosIS, developed by Metrisquare; www.diagnoseis.com) processes performance online and generates a clinical report (including comparison battery is implemented in 19 rehabilitation centers of Royal Dutch Visio and Bartimeus in the Netherlands. So far, we performed a validation study, a normative study and a simulation (malingering) study, including healthy controls (n=600) and patients with visual problems after neurological disease (n=600). Anonymized data of the scientific reports are linked to independent variables such as age, sex, visual field deficits and type of neurological disease. Evidence suggests that the DiaNAH test battery is of added value for the assessment of visual perceptual disorders in clinical practice. It gives quick insight into the likelihood that a patient has perceptual disorders. It provides information about the possible nature and severity or the perceptual problem (e.g. mid-level, spatial, object-based) and may give direction to additional perceptual and neuropsychological assessment.


Using a shear cell device, we have studied four associated problems in foam by experiments: Bubble-bubble coalescence in sheared two-dimensional foam; lateral migration of a single large bubble in an otherwise monodisperse foam; size segregation of bubbles in sheared bidisperse foam; and the effect of nonNewtonian rheology of foam on lateral migration of bubble. For bubblebubble coalescence in sheared two-dimensional foam, we observed a threshold of shear rate beyond which coalescence of bubbles happens. The most promising explanation was the model based on the centripetal force with qualitative agreement with experimental results. Next we studied the dynamics of monodisperse foam in the presence of a single bubble whose size is different from the neighboring bubbles. We reported the lateral migration of a larger single bubble away from the wall. We also reported thresholds of shear rate and bubble size ratio beyond which migration occurs. In this study we modified the Chan-Leal model and predicted the experimental trajectories of migrating bubbles. For bidisperse foams, we reported evolution in foam structure to a size segregated structure, in which large bubbles accumulate at the middle of the gap whereas smaller ones close to walls. Then, we adopted a model based on convection-diffusion equation to account for both lateral migration and shear induced diffusion. Finally, we extended the second work by widening the gap of Couette coaxial cylinder geometry. Similar to the second work, we found that large bubble migrates laterally to an equilibrium position close to the inner wall. We believe this new mechanism is the non-Newtonian feature of foam. We characterized our foam by measuring its degree of shear thinning and also estimated its elasticity based on the literature data on foam. Then, we found out for a shear thinning fluid bubble migrated to position even closer to the inner wall than in the foam while a bubble in Boger fluid migrated to a position closer to the outer cylinder. Therefore, for a viscoselastic fluid which has the same feature one would expect to see bubble migration to a position between these two for two fluids.


REAL-TIME ADVANCED WARNING AND TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR WORK ZONES: EXAMINATION OF REQUIREMENTS AND ISSUES by Jose V. Thommana Dr. R. Sivanandan, Chair Civil Engineering (ABSTRACT) The I-81 Corridor in Virginia traverses the western part of the state, connecting Bristol in the south to Winchester in the north. A study carried out at the Virginia Tech Center for Transportation Research identified traffic safety, work zone safety and traffic control, trucking issues, and intercity traveler information needs as important issues that deserve attention on the I-81 Corridor in Virginia. Analysis of work zone accident statistics showed a need for real-time systems to enhance work zone safety. Real-time advanced warning and traffic control systems provide a means of dynamic information dissemination and advanced warning, thereby enhancing work zone safety and facilitating traffic control. The focus of this research was on the development of functional and system requirements for a real-time advanced warning and traffic control system for work zones. This task was based on the examination of work zone accidents and their causes. The functional requirements include advanced warning, surveillance, advisory, and control functions. Each of these functions consists of several sub-functions. The needs with respect to each of these functions have also been identified. System requirements such as real-time operation, credibility, portability, ease of installation, and adaptability were also identified. Evaluation criteria and potential Measures Of Effectiveness (MOEs) for the evaluation of the system were also identified. Additionally, issues related to the evaluation of the system, such as time duration for evaluation and data collection techniques were identified and examined.


Praise for this book: "Instructive and...high quality...[an] excellent book...it fully meets its objective to highlight a very important part of both paediatric and vascular neurosurgery."--Neurosurgical ReviewBridging the gap between the pediatric specialist unaccustomed to handling neurovascular pathologies and the neurovascular specialist unaccustomed to treating pediatric patients, this text covers the cutting-edge, multi-modal techniques for managing pediatric neurovascular disease, disorders, and malformations. It contains full descriptions and insightful perspectives on the most advanced surgical, endovascular, and medical treatments for cerebral aneurysms, arteriovenous fistulas, arteriovenous malformations, Galen's vein malformations, moyamoya disease, spinal vascular malformations, pediatric stroke, and more. Highlights: Easy-to-follow organization of disease topics according to endovascular, surgical, or medical treatment method Discussion of endovascular techniques and tools for angioplasty and stents in children, as well as how to manage possible complications such as stroke and hemorrhage More than 200 illustrations highlighting principles of disease pathology Review of the existing literature helps the clinician gain a full understanding of the fundamentals in neurovascular disease management With contributions from world-renowned experts, this is an exceptional clinical reference for neurosurgeons, neuroradiologists, neurointerventionalists, neurologists, and pediatricians seeking to gain expertise in a multi-pronged approach to pediatric neurovascular disease.


The development of effective mitigation techniques against Botryllus schlosseri and Botrylloides violaceus colonizing blue mussel aquaculture operations has not been well studied. The objectives of our research were to determine the efficacy of using pressurized seawater in the mitigation of colonial tunicate fouling and to identify optimal treatment timing and frequencies in reducing tunicate biomass. Treatment trials using high- (~700 psi) and low-pressure (~40 psi) seawater spraying were conducted in St. Peters Bay and Savage Harbour, PEI, from May to November 2009. The use of high-pressure seawater was an effective anti-fouling measure for these species, causing significant reductions in tunicate biomass. In contrast, low-pressure seawater had no discernable effect. The timing of treatment was found to be the most important factor affecting efficacy, with reductions in tunicate biomass increasing in magnitude the closer the treatment occurred to harvest. Treatment frequency did not affect tunicate biomass. In addition, fewer treatments also resulted in less nuisance mussel spat fouling the mussel socks. Colonial tunicate fouling did not affect adult mussel growth and productivity, and no evidence of smothering or crop loss was observed.


The Internet of Things is the new generation of devices that serve as the Internet's interface to the physical world. Today's tiny microcontrollers, sensors, and actuators are powerful, inexpensive, and simple enough to code that anyone with basic programming skills can create a variety of fun, useful, and even profitable systems -- such as devices that detect and extinguish fires or automatically water plants when the soil becomes too dry. This hands-on introductory guide will quickly show you how it's done. You'll learn how to program embedded devices using the .NET Micro Framework and the Netduino Plus board, and then connect these devices to the Internet using Pachube, a cloud platform for sharing real-time sensor data.Getting Started with the Internet of Things briefly introduces the tools and then walks you though several techniques for using them, using a series of C# examples: * Develop programs that demonstrate the use of simple outputs (actuators) and inputs (sensors) * Build client programs that show how measurements can be pushed to an existing Web service * Create server programs that provide Web services to clients on the Web * Develop a program that is both client and server and runs in the cloud * Get . NET classes and methods needed to implement all of the book's examples


In many IP media services, the media channels are point-to-point, dynamic, and set up with the participation of one or more application servers, even thou the media packets themselves travel directly between media endpoints. The application servers must be programmed so that media behavior is globally correct, even though the servers may attempt to manipulate the same media channels concurrently and without knowledge of each other. Our proposed solution to this problem of compositional media control includes an architecture-independent descriptive model, a set of high-level programming primitives, a formal specification of their compositional semantics, a signaling protocol, an implementation, and partial verification of correctness. The paper includes performance analysis, comparison to related work, and principles for making other networked applications more compositional.


We propose a new two-dimensional (2-D) analytical model of a dual material gate MOSFET (DMG-MOSFET) for reduced drain-induced barrier lowering (DIBL) effect, merging two metal gates of different materials, laterally into one. The arrangement is such that the work function of the gate metal near the source is higher than the one near the drain. The model so developed predicts a step-function in the potential along the channel, which ensures screening of the drain potential variation by the gate near the drain. The small difference of voltage due to different gate material keeps a uniform electric field along the channel, which in turn improves the carrier transport efficiency. The ratio of two metal gate lengths can be optimized along with the metal work functions and oxide thickness for reducing the hot electron effect. The model is verified by comparison to the simulated results using a 2-D device simulator ATLAS over a wide range of device parameters and bias conditions.


- The purpose of this research is to assess to what extent English language teachers practicevocabulary teaching strategies at Kellem Secondary school. The study particularly, tried to find out teachers' knowledge on the theoretical perspective of vocabulary teaching strategies, examine to what extent teachers practically use vocabulary teaching strategies in EFL classes and identify the major factors that might hamper the implementation of vocabulary teaching strategies in EFL classes. To this end, the study employed descriptive survey method, which involves both quantitative and qualitative methods. Accordingly, Kellem Secondary School was selected through availability sampling. Then, 13 English teachers from both grade 9 and 10 were selected purposefully for the interview, for the questionnaire and for classroom observation. In addition, data were collected from 90 randomly chosen students through questionnaire. Thus, descriptive statistics using frequencies and percentages were employed in analyzing the quantitative data and the qualitative data were analyzed qualitatively. Finally, based on the findings, the researcher recommended that creating meaningful vocabulary teaching opportunities through different vocabulary teaching strategies should be practiced widely in the school. The results of the study reveal that the teachers were not capable enough on the knowledge and the theoretical orientations of vocabulary teaching strategies in EFL classes. In addition, it was found that the teachers lacked practical skills on the implementation of different types of vocabulary teaching strategies in EFL classes according to their suitability. Furthermore, the study revealed that they rarely practiced these strategies during vocabulary instruction. Generally, the practices of vocabulary teaching strategies were not given sufficient attention at Kellem Secondary School. Thus, the study indicated that the English teachers didn't practice different vocabulary teaching strategies in EFL classes. Finally recommendations were drawn based on the above findings.


Abstract This paper recaps the position of the Bern school of Husserl interpretation, namely the work of Iso Kern and Eduard Marbach. Kern and Marbach have provided detailed accounts in English as to how to read the key issues in Husserl regarding the philosophical and psychological positions and the methods used to create a theoretical practice that goes before empirical work. When it comes to teaching, there is nothing more useful than a demonstrable technique that shows the evidence to which the scholarship refers. This paper notes the meditation technique of mindfulness that calms the mind, aids acceptance and provides a sense of well-being in a direct way. Despite that application, mindfulness also provides an opportunity for the spontaneous experiences of the phenomena of consciousness to show themselves. In this way, direct personal experience of phenomena can be followed by the interpretation of Husserlian phenomenology. Mindfulness is a parallel which makes the words of Husserl, and Heidegger for that matter, come alive. Mindfulness, as a lived experience, is a foil for teaching in order to set students on the track of what Husserl did in order to get to the conclusions that he provided. This return to the phenomena sets the scene for understanding the difference between Husserl and Heidegger and the understanding of phenomenology in general in qualitative psychology.


In this chapter, written for the book 'Law and Method. Interdisciplinary Research info Law', we describe the methodology of Law and Economics. We start by discussing the mainstream economic approach to law, including the topics of rationality, the use of (sometimes unrealistic) assumptions, the distinction between positive and normative Law and Economics,and the concept of efficiency. Subsequently we describe the viewpoint that law can be seen as a way to correct different types of market failures (market power, externalities, collective goods and information asymmetry). Then we analyze the case for regulatory intervention and its limits, spending attention to the Coase theorem and the importance of transaction costs. Next we discuss insights from Behavioural Law and Economics and in our conclusion state why Law and Economics is useful to lawyers.


In politics, ideas matter. They provide the foundation for economic policymaking, which in turn shapes what is possible in domestic and international politics. Yet until now, little attention has been paid to how these ideas are produced and disseminated, and how this process varies between countries. The National Origins of Policy Ideas provides the first comparative analysis of how "knowledge regimes"—communities of policy research organizations like think tanks, political party foundations, ad hoc commissions, and state research offices, and the institutions that govern them—generate ideas and communicate them to policymakers. John Campbell and Ove Pedersen examine how knowledge regimes are organized, operate, and have changed over the last thirty years in the United States, France, Germany, and Denmark. They show how there are persistent national differences in how policy ideas are produced. Some countries do so in contentious, politically partisan ways, while others are cooperative and consensus oriented. They find that while knowledge regimes have adopted some common practices since the 1970s, tendencies toward convergence have been limited and outcomes have been heavily shaped by national contexts. Drawing on extensive interviews with top officials at leading policy research organizations, this book demonstrates why knowledge regimes are as important to capitalism as the state and the firm, and sheds new light on debates about the effects of globalization, the rise of neoliberalism, and the orientation of comparative political economy in political science and sociology.


These data are high-resolution bathymetric measurements of the seafloor from Boston Harbor and the harbor approaches, Massachusetts. Approximately 170 km² of sidescan sonar and bathymetric data were collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ship Whiting in 2000 and 2001 and reprocessed and gridded by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Note: These data were converted from their native projection to the Massachusetts State Plane coordinate system, Mainland Zone (Fipszone 2001), meters by the Massachusetts Department of Coastal Zone Management on Oct. 1, 2006.


This paper proposes a simple linear Bayesian approach to reinforcement learning. We show that with an appropriate basis, a Bayesian linear Gaussian model is sufficient for accurately estimating the system dynamics, and in particular when we allow for correlated noise. Policies are estimated by first sampling a transition model from the current posterior, and then performing approximate dynamic programming on the sampled model. This form of approximate Thompson sampling results in good exploration in unknown environments. The approach can also be seen as a Bayesian generalisation of least-squares policy iteration, where the empirical transition matrix is replaced with a sample from the posterior.


The development of Islamic banking quantitatively, not supported by the availability of adequate human resources. Problems that occur at this time is the lack of reliable human resources in the field of Islamic economics, is a constraint that makes slowing economic development of Islam in Indonesia. Human intellectual capital plays an important role in driving the performance and competitiveness. Innovation in the financial industry in general and Islamic finance in particular requires the availability of expertise (expertise) and expertise (skills). Not only are the operational aspects, professionals also needed to support research and development in order to strengthen the capacity to innovate. Islamic University has a very important role in determining the future of Islamic Economics. If you see the future of Islamic economics, human resources required are those who not only understand the Islamic economic philosophy but also positive-normative-empirical. Two mastery must still be supported by the development of good character. The campus is not just a process of transfer of knowledge but also the transfer of character. Of course, this requires cooperation to establish all elements of the organizers of the college. Among the steps that can be done by universities in Indonesia in the development of Islamic economics, universities can standardize the curriculum of Islamic economics throughout Indonesia and curriculum development.


Human vulnerability can be characterized as people living with uncertain livelihood options, precariously settled in structurally unsafe buildings. A striking aspect of this vulnerability is the large number of people living in earthen structures within seismically active zones. This reality is exemplified by the earthquake which occurred this past summer around Pisco, Peru. The earthquake caused enormous damage to more than 80% of the adobe buildings. Although confined masonry is the preferred construction technique for families who can afford it, adobe is still the only economically viable alternative for most. Presently reconstruction efforts are focused on encouraging residents to build with reinforced masonry, but the reality is that once these volunteers leave, or their funding runs out, people living in these areas will not be able to afford to continue with these enhanced types of construction.
The goal then, is to come up with a hybrid of earthen construction found in the area that incorporates what is known of structural reinforcement with found or recycled objects that can contribute to improved tensile strength. This hybrid will allow for the rebuilding of Pisco at an affordable, yet highly stable level. xxi This thesis will begin by visiting Pisco to conduct forensic studies of structural failures with documentation of physical observations and discussions with local institutions that have researched the crisis. Interviews with residents will also give insight into the events and building failures due to earthquakes as well as local construction methods. Readily available resources will be incorporated into the project in a way that should improve seismic resistance. Throughout this process research will be done on current seismic engineering discoveries in conjunction with indigenous approaches to earthen construction in comparable areas around the world.
The possible construction approaches will be tested in collaboration with local Universities' Seismic testing facilities. Once established, this hybrid earthen construction technique will be applied to one of several different building typologies (housing, schools, churches, etc). The end result will be the creation of a building design that establishes an appropriate reconstruction method at an economic level that will reduce the inhabitants' susceptibility to future seismic disasters.


The two political classics in this book are the product of a time of intense turmoil in Chinese history. Dating from the Period of the Warring States (403-221BC), they anticipate Machiavelli's The Prince by nearly 2000 years.

The Art of War is the best known of a considerable body of Chinese works on the subject. It analyses the nature of war, and reveals how victory may be ensured.

The Book of Lord Shang is a political treatise for the instruction of rulers. These texts are anything but armchair strategy or ivory-tower speculation. They are serious, urgent and practical responses to the desperate situations in which they were written. They have been immensely influential both inside and outside China.


Ordered binary decision diagrams (OBDDs) are nowadays the most common dynamic data structure or representation type for Boolean functions. Among the many areas of application are verification, model checking, and computer aided design. For many functions it is easy to estimate the OBDD size but asymptotically optimal bounds are only known in simple situations. In this paper, methods for proving asymptotically optimal bounds are presented and applied to the solution of some basic problems concerning OBDDs. The largest size increase by a synthesis step of π-OBDDs followed by an optimal reordering is determined as well as the largest ratio of the size of deterministic finite automata and quasi-reduced OBDDs compared to the size of OBDDs. Moreover, the worst case OBDD size of functions with a given number of 1-inputs is investigated.


This concise photographic field guide will help you identify any of the 100 or so day-flying moths found in Britain and Ireland. Combining stunning photographs, authoritative text, and an easy-touse design, this book makes a perfect travelling companion--one that will increase your enjoyment of these colourful and intriguing creatures. Like butterflies, some moths fly regularly in sunshine, whereas others that usually fly only at night are readily disturbed from their resting places during the day. This guide describes all of these species, with at least one photograph of each in its natural, resting pose. The text includes a brief description of each moth, with details of its life history, where and when to look for it, its status, the food plants of its caterpillars, and its special features. Introductory sections cover many topics, including how to distinguish moths from butterflies; classification; life cycle and behaviour; ecological importance; the impact of habitat and climate change; recording and monitoring; and conservation.


Brain-damaged defendants are seen everyday in American courtrooms, and in many cases, their criminal behavior appears to be the product of extremely poor judgment and self-control. Some have a disorder in the frontal lobes, the area of the brain responsible for judgment and impulse control. Yet because defendants suffering from frontal lobe dysfunction usually understand the difference between right and wrong, they are unable to avail themselves of the only insanity defense available in many states, a defense based on the narrow McNaghten test. "Irresistible impulse" (or "control") tests, on the other hand, provide an insanity defense to those who committed a crime due to their inability to exercise behavioral control. Control tests have fallen into disfavor, however. Opponents of control tests offer three rationales for their abandonment: (1) that cognitive tests for insanity are sufficient, since those with impaired impulse control will also be cognitively impaired; (2) that mental health professionals are incapable of reliably assessing the capacity for impulse control, particularly in relation to criminal behavior, or of differentiating between a truly irresistible impulse and an impulse that is merely difficult to resist; and, therefore, that control tests lead to erroneous insanity acquittals; and, (3) that because "they directly pose the question of whether a person could control his or her behavior," control tests run counter to the law's assumption that people have free will and bear responsibility for their actions. Current neuroscience research presents a challenge to these claims. In the Article, I argue for a return to control tests for insanity, but with important doctrinal modifications.


The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between psychological capital and organizational identity on prosocial behaviors and organizational cynicism. We studied 227 employees from a broad cross section of organizations in Istanbul. Thus we intend to build this investigation on a different sample from a sample of American culture. It was found that each of the variables of employees's psychological capital and organizational identity is positively related to prosocial behaviors, negatively related to organizational cynicism. There was no statistical difference between basic variables in terms of demographic factors. Also it was found that organizational identity didn't moderate the relationship between neither psychological capital and prosocial behaviors nor psychological capital and organizational cynicism. Finally, the implications of this study were compared to other investigation built in America and limitations of the study were discussed.


Animacy and real-world size are properties that describe any object and thus bring basic order into our perception of the visual world. Here, we investigated how the human brain processes real-world size and animacy. For this, we applied representational similarity to fMRI and MEG data to yield a view of brain activity with high spatial and temporal resolutions, respectively. Analysis of fMRI data revealed that a distributed and partly overlapping set of cortical regions extending from occipital to ventral and medial temporal cortex represented animacy and real-world size. Within this set, parahippocampal cortex stood out as the region representing animacy and size stronger than most other regions. Further analysis of the detailed representational format revealed differences among regions involved in processing animacy. Analysis of MEG data revealed overlapping temporal dynamics of animacy and real-world size processing starting at around 150 msec and provided the first neuromagnetic signature of real-world object size processing. Finally, to investigate the neural dynamics of size and animacy processing simultaneously in space and time, we combined MEG and fMRI with a novel extension of MEG–fMRI fusion by representational similarity. This analysis revealed partly overlapping and distributed spatiotemporal dynamics, with parahippocampal cortex singled out as a region that represented size and animacy persistently when other regions did not. Furthermore, the analysis highlighted the role of early visual cortex in representing real-world size. A control analysis revealed that the neural dynamics of processing animacy and size were distinct from the neural dynamics of processing low-level visual features. Together, our results provide a detailed spatiotemporal view of animacy and size processing in the human brain.


The concept of sovereignty is a recurring and controversial theme in international law, and it has a long history in western philosophy. The traditionally favored concept of sovereignty proves problematic in the context of international law. International law's own claims to sovereignty, which are premised on traditional concept of sovereignty, undermine individual nations' claims to sovereignty. These problems are attributable to deep-seated flaws in the traditional concept of sovereignty. A viable alternative concept of sovereignty can be derived from key concepts in Friedrich Nietzsche's views on human reason and epistemology. The essay begins by considering the problem of sovereignty from the ancient philosophical perspective inherent in the fundamental assumptions and ideas of Plato's political philosophy and epistemology. It then considers the contemporary problem of sovereignty in the context of international law by examining Louis Henkin's formulation of and approach to it in his essay That S-Word: Sovereignty, and Globalization, and Human Rights, Etc. Finally, the essay articulates Nietzsche's views on intellectual conscience, discusses their merits and advantages when used in dealing the problem of sovereignty in the context of international law, and proposes a solution to this problem that draws on the philosophies of Nietzsche, Novalis, Kant and Plato. The essay illustrates the relevance and advantages of this solution by examining the issue of states' reservations to international treaties and conventions.


The sustainable and environmentally friendly energy production has been a major issue of the world energy sector in recent years. Coal is a major fossil fuel that provides approximately 25% of the total energy demand worldwide; coal reserves still remain significant, although in several cases its exploitation trends to be economically marginal. Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) has been identified as a technology which can bridge the gap between energy production and environmental and financial sustainability. Several UCG trials have taken place, although, there are still questions relative to their safety, performance and applicability. To that direction, modelling can prove to be a very effective and practical tool for the prediction of the project performance and the reduction of the risk involved. UCG is a complex process which incorporates mechanical and chemical processes thus modelling is complex since it demands coupling the aforementioned processes. The current study aims at investigating the applicability of the UCG process in a Bulgarian coal site through 2D modelling. The proposed approach uses FLAC software as a modelling tool and attempts to combine thermal and mechanical effects during the gasification process. Several simulation runs have taken place in an attempt to quantify the effect of the different mechanical and thermal properties of the surrounding rocks to the UCG process, the environmental effects and the stability of the geological formations.


Organisations maintain our economy; they provide jobs, goods, services and a sense of community. The increasingly globalised nature of the modern world has lead to organisations facing threats that often are not recognise until the threat becomes a crisis. It is impossible for organisations, regardless of size, location or financial strength, to identify all possible hazards and their consequences; let alone plan for them. Therefore, the concept of increasing organisational resilience is gaining momentum. However, the term resilience has been used with abandon across a wide range of academic disciplines and in a great many situations. There is little consensus regarding what resilience is, what it means for organisations and, more importantly, how they may achieve greater resilience in the face of increasing threats. This study investigates 10 organisations from a range of industry sectors, sizes, localities and types within the New Zealand context to discover what are the common issues that foster or create barriers to increased resilience. Organisational resilience is defined in this study as a function of the overall situation awareness, keystone vulnerabilities and adaptive capacity of an organisation in a complex, dynamic and interrelated environment. A multiple case-study method has been used, and a facilitated 5-Step process for assessing and increasing resilience has been developed in conjunction with these organisations. Data was collected in the form of interviews, survey and participant observations in workshop environments. A set of 15 resilience indicators have been identified, and the organisations have been ranked according to their overall resilience relative to the other organisations in this study. Future work is likely to include further quantification of the methodology and the resilience indicators, resilience maturity models and work on understanding resilient leadership, communication of resilience concepts and international case studies to further determine the range of resilience for organisations.


The factors influencing job search and job selection are related to employer branding, employer's position and employer attractiveness on labour market. These factors make employer branding. A conception of employer branding is hot issue not only in scientific research area. The employer branding can be divided into internal and external branding. The main goal of this article was to discover the factors influencing the job search and job selection based on the gender of the respondents and the type of faculty in the employer branding context. The students of Generation Y introduced a research sample of respondents. The primary data was acquired by structured questionnaire targeted at selected students of Generation Y in the Czech Republic. The total number of respondents was 655 students. Two research hypotheses and one research question have been defined. An analysis was realized using statistical software IBM Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) Statistics 23 and Microsoft Excel 2013. . The verification of the research hypotheses was performed by the statistical method of the Two-sample t-Test for equal means. The research results discovered the findings that the mean perceptions of the factors influencing the job search and job selection: (1) were as the same for females and males, (2) were as the same for Generation Y students of the Faculty of Humanities (FHS) and Faculty of Management and Economics (FaME). Information about potential employers in the employer branding context was also investigated. The most frequent information about potential employers was information about job position and working conditions.


On Jun 1 st , 2008, the production, sale and use of plastic shopping bags 0.025 millimeters thick or thinner will be banned in China under a State Council decree, and retailers will be prohibited from providing customers with free plastic bags, which is called by the general public the ban on free plastic bags (or plastic limit order). Since the implementation of the policy, the use of plastic bags has decreased dramatically, meanwhile, the public awareness of environmental protection has also been enhanced. Nevertheless, there still leaves much to be desired, for instance, some plastic bags provided to the consumers do not meet the national standards, and auxiliary bag without carrying function has been double-charged. According to Polluter pays principle, coupling with the means of product charge, the paper analyzes the impact of the ban, evaluates on its results and then puts forward some relevant measures on the above basis.


Several studies have shown that wide-area Internet routing is fragile, with failures occurring for a variety of reasons. Routing fragility is largely due to the flexible and powerful ways in which BGP can be configured to perform various tasks, which range from implementing the policies of commercial relationships to configuring backup paths. Configuring routers in an AS is like writing a distributed program, and BGP's flexible configuration and today's relatively low-level configuration languages make the process error-prone. The primary method used by operators to determine whether their complex configurations are correct is to try them out in operation. We believe that there is a need for a systematic approach to verifying router configurations before they are deployed. This paper develops a static analysis framework for configuration checking, and uses it in the design of rcc, a "router configuration checker". rcc takes as input a set of router configurations and flags anomalies and errors, based on a set of well-defined correctness conditions. We have used rcc to check BGP configurations from 9 operational networks, testing nearly 700 real-world router configurations in the process. Every network we analyzed had configuration errors, some of which were potentially serious and had previously gone unnoticed. Our analysis framework and results also suggest ways in which BGP and configuration languages should be improved. rcc has also been downloaded by 30 network operators to date.


Summary Homeobox genes encode DNA‐binding proteins, many of which are implicated in the control of embryonic development. Evolutionarily, most homeobox genes fall into two related clades: the ANTP and the PRD classes. Some genes in ANTP class, notably Hox, ParaHox, and NK genes, have an intriguing arrangement into physical clusters. To investigate the evolutionary history of these gene clusters, we examined homeobox gene chromosomal locations in the cephalochordate amphioxus, Branchiostoma floridae. We deduce that 22 amphioxus ANTP class homeobox genes localize in just three chromosomes. One contains the Hox cluster plus AmphiEn, AmphiMnx, and AmphiDll. The ParaHox cluster resides in another chromosome, whereas a third chromosome contains the NK type homeobox genes, including AmphiMsx and AmphiTlx. By comparative analysis we infer that clustering of ANTP class homeobox genes evolved just once, during a series of extensive cis‐duplication events of genes early in animal evolution. A trans‐duplication event occurred later to yield the Hox and ParaHox gene clusters on different chromosomes. The results obtained have implications for understanding the origin of homeobox gene clustering, the diversification of the ANTP class of homeobox genes, and the evolution of animal genomes.


Military optometry was examined through a review of the literature and a survey of optometrists providing clinical care in the United States Army. This was conducted to determine what barriers may exist that preclude the provision of full scope optometric care in the Army. An optometrist to population ratio of 1:23,000 was found that is substantially higher (approximately double) than that of the civilian sector. A lower percentage of career optometrists provided contact lens examinations, low vision examinations, vision therapy examinations and training sessions than did their non-career and undecided counterparts. Career optometrists performed a substantially greater number of eye examinations/ visual analyses per year than did their non-career counterparts. At the same time career optometrists were providing less other than routine care, their perception was that they were providing full scope optometric care. Organizational structure and individual perceptions of full scope care may erect barriers to the provision of comprehensive vision care in the U.S. Army. A series of recommendations are forwarded as steps to be accomplished before it can be expected that comprehensive (full scope) optometric care will be realized in the U.S. Army.


Abstract. The effects of widespread conifer afforestation on the acidity of lakes and streams in the acid sensitive uplands of the UK has been researched extensively and has contributed to the development and implementation of national forest management guidelines (e.g. Forest and Water Guidelines; Forestry Commission, 1993). However, a recent policy document (Woodlands for Wales; National Assembly for Wales, 2000) has proposed a major shift in the management of 50% of the Forestry Commission estate in Wales from the current system of patch clearfelling to Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF). This scale of change is without precedent in the UK; no studies in the UK forest environment have examined the likely environmental impacts of CCF. However, the wealth of environmental data from studies of UK forests managed by patch clearfelling enables an assessment of the impact of a change to CCF on three issues of particular relevance to surface water acidification in the uplands; forest harvesting, soil base cation depletion and atmospheric pollutant deposition. Whilst there is uncertainty as to how even-aged stands will be transformed to CCF in the UK, guiding principles for CCF on acidic and acid sensitive sites should focus on those aspects of management which minimise nitrate leaching, encourage base cation retention within the soil-plant system and enhance base cation inputs from external (atmospheric) and internal sources (weathering). CCF may provide opportunities to achieve this by reducing the scale of clearfelling, increasing species diversity, changing the structure of plantation forests and maintaining uninterrupted woodland cover. Keywords: acidification, forestry, continuous cover forestry, clearfelling


Introduction: Renal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury due to reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation is the main cause of acute kidney damage. Nitric oxide (NO) biosynthesis and oxidative stress are closely related to the pathogenesis of renal I/R injury. This study was undertaken to determine the effects of L-arginine (L-arg) as NO donor and aerobic exercise (EX) and also the combination of L-arg with EX on renal I/R injury in male and female rats. Methods: 54 male and female Wistar rats were divided into four groups in each gender as control, L-arginine (L-arg), treadmill exercise (EX), and L-arginine plus exercise (Larg & EX). After 8 weeks of EX, animals were exposed to 45 min of bilateral kidney ischemia followed by 24 hours of reperfusion. We assessed serum creatinine (Cr), Kidney tissue damage score (KTDS), kidney weight (KW), serum nitrite and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. Results: L-arg, EX or combination of L-arg &EX caused a significant decrease in serum level of creatinine (Cr) (P<0.05). KTDS decreased significantly in all female treated groups and male L-arg treated group (P<0.05) when compared with the control group. However, the kidney weight was decreased significantly in male rats (P<0.05) at 24 hr post reperfusion, and such observation was not seen in female. No significant differences were detected in serum nitrite levels between the groups, but combination of L-arg &EX decreased the serum level of malondialdehyde (MDA) in female significantly (P<0.05). Conclusion: Pretreatment with L-arg seems to have protective effects against renal I/R injury. The protective effect of exercise against renal I/R injury seems to be less than Larg but the reno-protective effect of EX increases when combined with L-arg.


The binary and ternary (2,2'-bipyridine) complexes of dipositive lead formed by N-carbonyl and N-sulfonyl amino acids, which are ligands containing the peptide and the sulfonamide group, respectively, were investigated in aqueous solution by NMR and differential pulse polarography, and some were also characterized crystallographically. N-Tosylglycine, N-tosyl-beta-alanine, and N-benzoylglycine behave as simple carboxylate ligands at acid pH, while around neutrality they switch to dianionic N,O-bidentate chelating ligands due to the involvement of the deprotonated amide nitrogen as an additional donor site. The same coordination behavior is maintained in the presence of 2,2'-bipyridine. The binary and ternary species formed in solution, and their stability constants were determined and compared with those of the homologous complexes of Pd(2+), Cu(2+), Cd(2+), and Zn(2+). The Pb(2+) ion is the only dipositive metal which is effective in promoting peptide nitrogen deprotonation in benzoylglycine. The molecular structures of [Pb(N-tosylglycinato-N,O)(H(2)O)] (1), [Pb(N-benzoylglycinato-O)(2)(H(2)O)(2)].2H(2)O (2), and [Pb(N-tosylglycinato-O)(2)(bpy)] (3) were determined by X-ray crystallography (O and N,O refer to the ligands binding as carboxylates and as N,O-chelating dianions, respectively). These compounds are all polymeric with six- to eight-coordinate metals showing distorted coordination geometries indicative of a stereochemically active metal lone pair. Polymerization is invariably determined by a bidentate chelate carboxylate group with one oxygen bridging between two metals, and in 2 and 3 it occurs through the formation of chains of Pb(2)O(2) square-planar rings. The binding set in 1, involving a deprotonated amide nitrogen and a sulfonic oxygen, is unprecedented for the Pb(2+) ion. This work provides new information on the solution and solid state chemistry of dipositive lead with ligands of biological interest, a research area that has received little attention in the past, although it is of great relevance for understanding the mechanisms of metal toxicity.


The removal of malachite green by adsorption on stishovite-TiO 2 nanocomposite as well as on stishovite clay under optimized conditions has been studied. The effect of several parameters such as adsorbent dose, contact time, initial concentration, pH, temperature has been evaluated. The application of pseudo first order, pseudo second order, Elkovich kinetic model and intraparticle diffusion model have been calculated. The adsorption on both the clay and nanocomposite followed pseudo second order kinetics. The equilibrium data fitted well with Langmuir and Freundlich models. Thermodynamic parameters such as free energy change ( ΔG 0 ), enthalpy change ( ΔH 0 ) and entropy change ( ΔS 0 ) indicate the adsorption process to be endothermic and spontaneous. The surface morphology of the adsorbents have been analysed using the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The study revealed that nanocomposite is more effective than clay in removing malachite green by adsorption.


Historically, there were two main fiduciary duties in corporate law, care and loyalty, and only the duty of loyalty was likely to lead to liability. In the 1980s and 1990s, the Delaware Supreme Court breathed life into the duty of care, created a number of intermediate standards of review, elevated the duty of good faith to equal standing with care and loyalty, and announced a unified test for review of breaches of fiduciary duty. The law, which once seemed so straightforward, suddenly became elaborate and complex. In 2006, in the case of Stone v. Ritter, the Delaware Supreme Court rejected the triadic formulation and declared that good faith was a component of the duty of loyalty. In this and other respects, Delaware seems to be returning to a bifurcated understanding of the law of fiduciary duties. I believe that this is a mistake. The law is inherently complex and much too important to be oversimplified. The current academic debate on the issue focuses on whether there should be two duties or three. In this article, I argue that the question is misleading and irrelevant, but that if it must be asked, the best answer is that there are five duties - one for each paradigm of enforcement. In defending this claim, I explain the true nature of fiduciary duties and provide a robust framework for the discussion, implementation, and development of the law.


1. Glycine and lysine with the @-amino nitrogen labelled with 15N were fed to marasmic and recovered infants. The excretion of total 15N and labelled urea in the urine was followed for 72 h. 2. Excretion of 15N was lower in marasmic than in recovered infants for both amino acids. This was mainly due to a smaller amount of [15N]urea excreted by the marasmic infants. 3. ["NILysine was retained to a greater extent than ["Nlglycine in marasmus and after recovery. This difference was more marked in marasmus. 15N in urea excreted by marasmic subjects after feeding with ['5N]lysine was less than 5 % of the total isotope administered. 4. The results suggest that requirements of marasmic infants for individual amino acids may differ considerably from those of the healthy infant.


Esfahani, A. A. K., Mirdamadi, S. M., Hosseini, S. J. F., & Lashgarara, F. (2019). Overseas cultivation: the complimentary approach for developing food security. Bulgarian Journal of Agricultural Science, 25(1), 26–35 The aim of this study is to analysis the requirements for realization overseas cultivation to develop food security in Iran. The statistical population of the study is included 176 people who are theoretically selected from researchers, experts and activists from research centers, government organizations and private sectors. These people are active in the fi eld of overseas cultivation. A questionnaire was developed to collect the necessary information. The dependent variable of this research was the improvement of food security, which has been measured in four aspects of food availability, food accessibility, food utilization and stability of the three mentioned dimensions of food security. The independent variables were the requirements for the realization of overseas cultivation in four groups including: policy-making; economic; cultural and social; agronomical and specialized ones. SPSS20 and AMOS22 software are used to analyze data. The result of inferential statistics, which is done using confi rmatory factor analysis and Bayesian approach in Amos software, shows that all independent variables have a positive effect on the dependent variables. The study shows that "agronomical and specialized" requirement has the highest infl uence on the realization of overseas cultivation in this country. The "availability of technical information about the agriculture water resources in the target country" plays an important role in measuring the "agronomical and specialized" requirements element. In addition, the results show that among the four aspects of food availability, access to food, utilization and stability of the three mentioned aspects of food security, stability plays the most important role in the development of food security in Iran.


Modern French society continues to struggle with the impacts of multicultural immigration, particularly from former French colonies throughout the twentieth century. November 2005 saw a significant flashpoint in the long-running history of tension between such minority groups and those in power in France. Two teenagers, allegedly while hiding from the police, were electrocuted in a Parisian electrical substation; this was the catalyst for the spread of violent riots in African and Muslim communities across banlieues or urban French districts lasting for a number of weeks.
This paper examines French newspaper representations of the banlieues, focusing on the particularly traumatic events of November 2005. Recognising the active role of the media in constituting and shaping reality, my interest lies not merely in identifying instances of prejudicial discourse in French newspaper texts, but also highlighting how largely covert structures of power and dominance can be disguised in ostensibly neutral discourse. Employing a critical discourse analytical methodology, and incorporating elements of Van Leeuwen's (1996) ʻSocial Actor Analysis', this paper critically analyses a corpus of newspaper discourse relating to these events.
First a general characterization of the corpus is introduced, and the discourse is examined for instances of othering or ʻthem' versus ʻus'. Second, a number of articles are examined for the lexical tokens, grammatical structures, quotation patterns and use of metaphor etc. in their constructions of social actors present in the corpus.
Observations are drawn with regard to the representation of minorities in the French press in particular, but more generally the role played by the media in constituting and replicating power structures within a society.


Purpose

Reports of human trafficking within the football industry have become a topic of academic, political and media concern. The movement of and trade in aspirant young (male) footballers from West Africa to Europe, and more recently to Asia, dominates these accounts. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper provides an overview of scholarship on this topic, with a specific focus on exploring how this form of human trafficking intersects with the broader debates over children's rights in the context of exploitation tied to the irregular forms of migration.

Findings

The paper illustrates how popular narratives associated with the trafficking of young West African footballers mimic stereotypical portrayals of child trafficking, which have implications for the solutions put forward. It is argued that popular representations of football-related child trafficking are problematic for several reasons, but two are emphasised here. First, they perpetuate a perception that the mobility of young African footballers entails a deviant form of agency in need of fixing, while simultaneously disassociating the desire to migrate from the broader social structures that need to be addressed. Second, and relatedly, they result in regulations and policy solutions that are inadvertently reductive and often at odds with the best interests of the children they seek to protect.

Originality/value

This an original study of the narratives associated with the trafficking of young West African footballers and those of child trafficking.


Objective: To investigate the relation between orthostatic hypotension (OH) and posture-mediated cognitive impairment in Parkinson disease (PD) using a cross-sectional and within-group design. Methods: Individuals without dementia with idiopathic PD included 18 with OH (PDOH) and 19 without OH; 18 control participants were also included. Neuropsychological tests were conducted in supine and upright-tilted positions. Blood pressure was assessed in each posture. Results: The PD groups performed similarly while supine, demonstrating executive dysfunction in sustained attention and response inhibition, and reduced semantic fluency and verbal memory (encoding and retention). Upright posture exacerbated and broadened these deficits in the PDOH group to include phonemic fluency, psychomotor speed, and auditory working memory. When group-specific supine scores were used as baseline anchors, both PD groups showed cognitive changes following tilt, with the PDOH group exhibiting a wider range of deficits in executive function and memory as well as significant changes in visuospatial function. Conclusions: Cognitive deficits in PD have been widely reported with assessments performed in the supine position, as seen in both our PD groups. Here we demonstrated that those with PDOH had transient, posture-mediated changes in excess of those found in PD without OH. These observed changes suggest an acute, reversible effect. Understanding the effects of OH due to autonomic failure on cognition is desirable, particularly as neuroimaging and clinical assessments collect data only in the supine or seated positions. Identification of a distinct neuropsychological profile in PD with OH has quality of life implications, and OH presents itself as a possible target for intervention in cognitive disturbance.


In an internally controlled environment, a feeding trial using 210 six-week-old female Japanese quail (189.63 ± 11.891 g liveweight) was conducted to evaluate the effect of carbohydrase-treated (endo-1.4-beta-xylanase 5600 TXU/g and endo-1.4-beta-glucanase 2500 TGU/g) canola-based diets on growth performance, haemo-biochemical parameters, carcass characteristics, and meat quality traits. Five isocaloric and isonitrogenous experimental diets were formulated: the control diet (CON) (commercial growers diet with no canola meal (CM) included); the control diet in which 17.5% of soybean meal was replaced with CM (CM0); and the CM0 diet in which a carbohydrase multi-enzyme was added at a rate of 5%, 10% and 15% (CM50, CM100 and CM150, respectively). Diets and clean water were offered ad libitum during the four-week experimental period. Average weekly feed intake (AWFI) and average weekly weight gain (AWG) were used to calculate feed conversion efficiency (FCE). In week 7, no dietary influence was observed on AWFI. In week 8 and week 9, CON stimulated lower AWFI compared with diet CM100. Diets had no significant influence on AWG, FCE, and haemo-biochemical parameters of Japanese quail. Adding carbohydrases had no significant effect on internal organs, carcass and meat quality traits of quail. It was therefore concluded that inclusion of exogenous carbohydrases alone did not improve the utilization of a canola meal-based quail diet. However, there is a possibility that utilization of higher canola levels would be enhanced through multi-enzyme combinations. Keywords : Blood parameters, carcass traits, exogenous enzymes, growth, soybean meal


This research seeks to identify and evaluate the influences of the 'personal characteristics' and 'attitudinal behaviour' of Black African and Caribbean Entrepreneurs (BACEs) in London when seeking finance and business support from banks and other external agencies. The reason for this choice of research was to try and understand whether some of the personal characteristics of BACEs had an influence on the barriers they often reported when accessing business finance from formal sources in London, notably High Street banks. In particular, this research examines the influences of different aspects of human and social capital, cultural factors and generational differences on the attitudes of BACEs when seeking external business finance. The empirical research coincided with the onset of the 'credit crunch' and the tightening of credit rationing by the banks, so that BACE experiences of accessing finance need to be considered in this context. The use of mixed data sources including both quantitative and qualitative data adds a new and original dimension to this study. Thirty (30) purposely selected BACEs, five (5) main High Street banks, six (6) enterprise agencies and one (1) public sector organisation were interviewed over a two and a half year period. The field work involved in-depth interviews to obtain information from the respondent BACE owner managers. The quantitative dimension involved analysis of the London Annual Business Survey (LABS) dataset to compare the experiences of BACEs in accessing finance with those of other ethnic businesses. This study found that the 'attitudinal tendencies' and behaviour of BACEs were closely related to their levels and types of human capital attainment. Results also suggested that the 'cultural orientation' of BACEs and their concentration in certain communities described as 'ethnic enclaves' were significant factors influencing their behaviour and attitudes when seeking finance and dealing with mainstream business support services. The views of some of the BACEs about discriminatory practices by banks can be largely attributed to their 'perceptions' and 'self-imaging' as little empirical evidence was found to support such claims. The lack of data on BACEs is a problem which requires attention by policy-makers if the myths around perceptions are to be managed. Many of the challenges of BACEs reported in research are submerged within data relating to SMEs as a whole, thereby making it difficult to focus on the particular needs of BACEs. This research found that a small but significant number of interviewed BACEs considered themselves to be the subject of 'discrimination'. However, these attitudes could be largely attributed to various 'human capital' shortcomings. Some respondents may be also using the alleged discrimination to mask their own business failures. The thesis makes recommendations for improved re-engagement between the three principal agents and areas for future research are highlighted in the concluding chapter. Some of the main recommendations are geared towards fostering a better understanding and relationships between BACEs and finance providers as well as the need to promote good practices. The need for developing a database for Black businesses is long overdue.


Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) are G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) that can be desensitized following prolonged exposure to agonist. Dhami et al. investigated the mechanism by which GPCR kinases (GRKs) contribute to desensitization of mGluR1a and mGluR1b (a splice variant with a shorter COOH-terminal cytoplasmic tail). When expressed in human embryonic kidney cells (HEK 293), wild-type mGluR1a is robustly phosphorylated in the presence and absence of heterologously expressed GRK2. Expression of a deletion mutant of mGluR1a lacking the last 333 amino acids (mGluR1Δ866) or expression of mGluR1b with GRK2 demonstrated that these two proteins were not phosphorylated in the presence or absence of agonist despite the overexpression of the kinase. However, the ability of agonist to stimulate inositol phosphate production was attenuated by overexpression of GRK2. Also, GRK2 coprecipitated with both the wild-type receptor, mGluR1Δ866, and mGluR1b. A kinase-inactive mutant of GRK2 also promoted desensitization of the mGluR proteins, supporting the concept that phosphorylation is not essential for GRK2-mediated desensitization of these receptors. An NH2-terminal truncation mutant of GRK2 containing only the regulator of G protein signaling (RGS) domain was effective at inhibiting the receptors and could be coprecipitated with the receptors, indicating that this region is responsible for mediating the phosphorylation-independent desensitization. G. K. Dhami, P. H. Amborgh, L. B. Dale, R. Sterne-Marr, S. S. G. Ferguson, Phosphorylation-independent regulation of metabotropic glutamate receptor signaling by G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2. J. Biol. Chem. 277, 25266-25272 (2002). [Abstract] [Full Text]


In an effort to further understand the pathogenesis of Lesch-Nyhan syndrome, an X-linked recessive disease of purine metabolism associated with a deficiency of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase, we have analyzed the amino acids in autopsy brain material obtained from five patients and six controls. The amino acids glycine and glutamine serve as substrates for the synthesis of purines in man. Amino acids were measured in the occipital cortex, limbic cortical area, cerebellar cortex, hippocampus and putamen. In general the amino acids were usually lower in concentration in brain material from affected individuals. Most dramatically decreased were threonine, serine, valine, isoleucine, lysine and arginine. Only glutamine and urea were higher than controls. Glutamate, gamma-aminobutyrate and cystathionine were essentially unaffected. The data reported here do not support a role for increased glycine in the pathogenesis of this disease as implied by findings previously reported in cultured cell lines (Skaper and Seegmiller 1976, 1977). The current findings suggest that individuals with Lesch-Nyhan syndrome have a generally lower concentration of free amino acids in brain. This decrease may be involved in the etiology of the disease or the decrease may be a result of the generally malnourished state of these individuals. These results imply that affected patients have a limited supply of amino acid precursors available for the synthesis of either proteins or neurotransmitters that the brain requires for normal function. Thus, the low amino acid pools could be an important factor in the brain dysfunction observed in patients with Lesch-Nyhan syndrome.