Summary. Some plate-grown strains of Helicobacter (Campylobacter) pylori that were harvested into phosphate-buffered saline and left for 1 h released soluble haemagglutinins. These caused high-titre agglutination of human and guinea-pig erythrocytes, whereas chicken, sheep and bovine erythrocytes were agglutinated at various titres. Six of 10 strains which had been subcultured repeatedly did not possess soluble haemagglutinins. Slide agglutination of bacterial suspensions demarcated the strains into two groups; Group 1 gave strong agglutination with most types of erythrocyte, Group 2 did not. By microtitration assay, all Group-1 strains but only two Group-2 strains produced a soluble haemagglutinin. Cell-associated haemagglutinins were found by microtitration assay in all strains of H. pylori, but higher titres were found within Group-1 strains. The supernates of broth-grown, shaken cultures also showed the presence of soluble haemagglutinins, with higher titres for recently isolated strains. Pre-treatment of human erythrocytes with neuraminidase from Arthrobacter ureafaciens and Clostridium perfringens abolished haemagglutination by the soluble, but not by the cell-associated haemagglutinin. The soluble haemagglutinin was in hi bi ted by sialoproteins containing predominantly the N-acetylneuraminyl (2-3) galactopyranosyl [ NeuAc(2-3)Gall structure, fetuin, glycophorin and bovine Nacetylneuraminyl-lactose (NeuAc-Lac). Transferrin and human NeuAc-Lac, which contain predominantly the N-acetylneuraminyl (2-6) galactopyranosyl "euAc(26)Gall structure were not inhibitory. However, bovine submaxillary mucin (BSM) was strongly inhibitory; it contains several structures with sialic acid linked 2-6 to oligosaccharides. These results suggest that the soluble haemagglutinin recognises a NeuAc(2-3)Gal structure, but has high affinity for another, as yet undetermined, sialic acid-containing structure.


Agriculture is a fundamental driver of economic growth and poverty reduction for many developing countries. Past efforts at revitalizing the agriculture sector have failed in part because they overlooked the role of women and the negative effects of gender inequalities on productivity. According to The State of Food and Agriculture (FAO, 2011), "Women comprise, on average, 43% of the agricultural labor force in developing countries, ranging from 20% in Latin America to 50% in Eastern Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa". Reducing gender inequalities in access to productive resources and services could increase yields on women's farms by 20–30%, which could raise agricultural output in developing countries by 2.5– 4% (FAO, 2011).


Long-term water management planning models frequently use large time steps and must employ fairly crude assumptions (such as average climatic conditions, etc.). Managing stream aquifer systems during a dry season requires using finer discretization in time and space. Presented is a computer model, US/REMAX, developed by Utah State University personnel for aiding best management of stream-aquifer systems for both long and short eras. The model computes strategies for optimally allocating surface and ground water resources in time and space. For a water supply problem the model can maximize the sum of delivered surface and ground water. For an environmental protection problem the model can minimize total groundwater pumping (extraction plus injection) needed to capture contaminant plume. The model can provide optimal steady-state or time variant solutions. Weighting coefficients can be used in the objective function: (1) to emphasize substitution of surface water diversion for groundwater pumping or vice-versa, (2) or to achieve linear economic optimization. 'Graduate student, Dept. of Biological and Irrigation Eng., Utah State University, Logan, Utah. '~Prof=ssor, Dept. of Biological and Irrigation Eng., Utah State University, Logan, Utah. 246 OPTIMIZING CONJUNCTIVE WATER USE 247


Static cameras are pervasive in a variety of environments. However it remains a challenging problem to extract and reason about high-level features from real-time and continuous observation of an environment. In this paper, we present CAMEO, the Camera Assisted Meeting Event Observer, which is a physical awareness system designed for use by an agent-based electronic assistant. CAMEO is an inexpensive high-resolution omnidirectional vision system designed to be used in meeting environments. The multiple camera design achieves the desired high image resolution and lower cost that can be achieved when compared to traditional omnicameras that make use of a single camera and mirror solution.


The threat of climate change, significant growth in the number of prosumers and local energy generation, and the development of new technologies enabling new business models are all contributing to rapid change in the electricity sector. Within this context, peer-to-peer (P2P) trading and energy community (EC) are new, emerging modes of transacting energy that defy the traditional hierarchies based on vertical agreements between energy providers at the retail level and consumers. This article has two interlinked purposes. Firstly, it surveys existing published research that addresses the descriptive and normative legal aspects regarding the design and implementation of P2P trading and EC in the Europe Union. The second purpose of this article is to look forward. Designing and implementing markets for P2P trading and EC are complex challenges. Therefore, this article's chief contribution is to provide an overview of the various legal issues that could or will arise in the wake of P2P trading and EC. Based on the literature review findings, the article lays out in clear terms the current gaps in knowledge. Our legal reasoning includes both sector-specific regulation and general fields of law. The remainder of the article is structured as follows. Section 2 clarifies the concepts of P2P trading and EC, as used throughout this article. Section 3 develops the literature review in the context of P2P trading. Session 4 does the same for EC. Section 5 concludes.


Background Human-induced earthquakes have become an important topic of political and scientific discussion, owing to the concern that these events may be responsible for widespread damage and an overall increase in seismicity. It has long been known that impoundment of reservoirs, surface and underground mining, withdrawal of fluids and gas from the subsurface, and injection of fluids into underground formations are capable of inducing earthquakes. In particular, earthquakes caused by injection have become a focal point, as new drilling and well-completion technologies enable the extraction of oil and gas from previously unproductive formations. Earthquakes with magnitude (M) ≥ 3 in the U.S. midcontinent, 1967–2012. After decades of a steady earthquake rate (average of 21 events/year), activity increased starting in 2001 and peaked at 188 earthquakes in 2011. Human-induced earthquakes are suspected to be partially responsible for the increase. Advances Microearthquakes (that is, those with magnitudes below 2) are routinely produced as part of the hydraulic fracturing (or "fracking") process used to stimulate the production of oil, but the process as currently practiced appears to pose a low risk of inducing destructive earthquakes. More than 100,000 wells have been subjected to fracking in recent years, and the largest induced earthquake was magnitude 3.6, which is too small to pose a serious risk. Yet, wastewater disposal by injection into deep wells poses a higher risk, because this practice can induce larger earthquakes. For example, several of the largest earthquakes in the U.S. midcontinent in 2011 and 2012 may have been triggered by nearby disposal wells. The largest of these was a magnitude 5.6 event in central Oklahoma that destroyed 14 homes and injured two people. The mechanism responsible for inducing these events appears to be the well-understood process of weakening a preexisting fault by elevating the fluid pressure. However, only a small fraction of the more than 30,000 wastewater disposal wells appears to be problematic—typically those that dispose of very large volumes of water and/or communicate pressure perturbations directly into basement faults. Outlook Injection-induced earthquakes, such as those that struck in 2011, clearly contribute to the seismic hazard. Quantifying their contribution presents difficult challenges that will require new research into the physics of induced earthquakes and the potential for inducing large-magnitude events. The petroleum industry needs clear requirements for operation, regulators must have a solid scientific basis for those requirements, and the public needs assurance that the regulations are sufficient and are being followed. The current regulatory frameworks for wastewater disposal wells were designed to protect potable water sources from contamination and do not address seismic safety. One consequence is that both the quantity and timeliness of information on injection volumes and pressures reported to regulatory agencies are far from ideal for managing earthquake risk from injection activities. In addition, seismic monitoring capabilities in many of the areas in which wastewater injection activities have increased are not capable of detecting small earthquake activity that may presage larger seismic events. Movers and Shakers We tend to view earthquakes as unpredictable phenomena caused by naturally shifting stresses in Earth's crust. In reality, however, a range of human activity can also induce earthquakes. Ellsworth (p. 10.1126/science.1225942) reviews the current understanding of the causes and mechanics of earthquakes caused by human activity and the means to decrease their associated risk. Notable examples include injection of wastewater into deep formations and emerging technologies related to oil and gas recovery, including hydraulic fracturing. In addition to directly causing increased local seismic activity, activities such as deep fluid injection may have other ramifications related to earthquake occurrence. Van der Elst et al. (p. 164; see the news story by Kerr) demonstrate that in the midwestern United States, some areas with increased human-induced seismicity are also more prone to further earthquakes triggered by the seismic waves from large, remote earthquakes. Improved seismic monitoring and injection data near deep disposal sites will help to identify regions prone to remote triggering and, more broadly, suggest times when activities should, at least temporarily, be put on hold. Earthquakes in unusual locations have become an important topic of discussion in both North America and Europe, owing to the concern that industrial activity could cause damaging earthquakes. It has long been understood that earthquakes can be induced by impoundment of reservoirs, surface and underground mining, withdrawal of fluids and gas from the subsurface, and injection of fluids into underground formations. Injection-induced earthquakes have, in particular, become a focus of discussion as the application of hydraulic fracturing to tight shale formations is enabling the production of oil and gas from previously unproductive formations. Earthquakes can be induced as part of the process to stimulate the production from tight shale formations, or by disposal of wastewater associated with stimulation and production. Here, I review recent seismic activity that may be associated with industrial activity, with a focus on the disposal of wastewater by injection in deep wells; assess the scientific understanding of induced earthquakes; and discuss the key scientific challenges to be met for assessing this hazard.

http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/prwaylen/GEO2200 Readings/Readings/Fracking/Earthquakes and fracking.pdf


During the last decade, the dye sensitised solar cell (DSC) has attracted much attention. The technology has a potential to act as a new generation of photovoltaic device, it has also increased our knowledge within the field of photoelectrochemistry. The materials used in the DSC have been used in other technologies, such as electrochromic displays. This thesis examines how such systems can be analysed to understand their properties from their components. Both of the considered device technologies consist of a thin mesoporous semiconductor film immersed in an electrolyte. The study starts by investigating some of the fundamental properties of the mesoporous semiconductor and its interface with the electrolyte. This gives rise to the charge-voltage relationship for the devices, which is related to the chemical capacitance and electronic energy levels for the materials. In particular,special attention is given to the DSC and the properties of the charge carriers in the semiconductor. For the DSC, several techniques have been developed in order to understand the processes of transport and recombination for the charge carriers in the semiconductor film, which are vitally important for performance. In this thesis, particular focus is given to light modulation techniques and electrical analysis with impedance spectroscopy. The transportproperties show for both techniques a nonlinear behaviour, which is explained with the trapping model. The DSC solar cell is analysed in order to interpret the transport measurements for film thickness optimisation. DSC cells with new semiconductor materials, such as ZnO, were analysed with impedance measurements to provide new insights into the optimisation of the performance of the photoelectrochemical solar cell technology.


Abstract Taking advantage of a recent relaxation of Japanese government's data release policy, we conduct a cross-national analysis of micro data from Japan's Employment Status Survey and its U.S. counterpart, Current Population Survey. Our focus is to document and contrast changes in long-term employment and job security over the last twenty five years between the two largest advanced economies. We find that in spite of the prolonged economic stagnation, the ten-year job retention rates of core employees (employees of prime age of 30-44 who have already accumulated at least five years of tenure) in Japan were remarkably stable at around 70 percent over the last twenty-five years, and there is little evidence that Japan's Great Recession of the 1990s had a deleterious effect on job stability of such employees. In contrast, notwithstanding its longest economic expansion in history, the comparable job retention rates for core employees in the U.S. actually fell from over 50 percent to below 40 percent over the same time period. The probit estimates of job loss models in the two nations also point to the resilience of job security of core employees in Japan, whereas showing a significant loss of job security for similar employees in the U.S. Though core employees in Japan turned out to have weathered their Great Recession well, we find that mid-career hires and young new job market entrants were less fortunate, with their employment stability deteriorating significantly. We interpret the findings, based on the theory of institutional complementarity, and derive lessons for policy makers around the world who are currently facing their own Great Recessions and developing effective policy responses. (JEL: J63, J64, J41)


Vertically coupled microring resonator channel-dropping filters are demonstrated in the GaInAsP-InP material system. These devices were fabricated without regrowth. In this method, low-loss single-mode waveguides are removed from the growth substrate and bonded to a GaAs transfer substrate with benzocyclobutene. This permits fabrication of vertically coupled waveguides on both sides of the epilayer. Optical quality facets are obtained by cleaving through the transfer substrate. Operation of single-mode, single-ring optical channel-dropping filters is demonstrated.


Misdemeanor cases affect far more people than felony cases, outnumbering felony cases by more than three to one. Yet very little empirical information exists on many aspects of misdemeanor prosecutions. This Article provides the first quantitative look at appellate review in misdemeanor cases, nationwide. It uses data drawn from a random sample of direct criminal appeals decided by every state appellate court in the nation, unpublished aggregate data on misdemeanor trial court cases provided by the Court Statistics Project, and published state court statistics.We provide the first estimate of the rate of appellate review for misdemeanors, concluding that appellate courts review no more than eight in 10,000 misdemeanor convictions, and disturb only one conviction or sentence out of every 10,000 misdemeanor judgments. This level of oversight is much lower than that for felony cases, for reasons we explain. To develop law and regulate error in misdemeanor cases, particularly in prosecutions for the lowest-level offenses, courts may need to provide mechanisms for judicial scrutiny outside the direct appeal process.Additional findings include new information about the rate of felony trial court review of lower court misdemeanor cases, ratios of appeals to convictions for various misdemeanor-crime categories, detailed descriptive information about misdemeanor cases that reach state appellate courts, the results of a complete statistical analysis examining which features are significantly associated with a greater or lesser likelihood of success, including crime type, claim raised, judicial-selection method, and type of representation, and the first quantitative look at how misdemeanor appeals differ from felony appeals.


Nonregular factorial designs can be used to conduct screening experiments involving many factors and their interactions, using a small number of runs. Linear model selection is challenging in this case because the design is not orthogonal, the number of potential models is huge, and the number of observations is small. A new procedure is proposed to aid model selection in such cases. A non-convergent simulated annealing algorithm is used to generate a large set of good models that are too big; common submodels within this set are then identified using visualization techniques. An automatic method of extracting the best smaller model from the oversized-model set is also proposed. The new method has good performance, and provides graphical output that can be very helpful in decision making. Although developed for industrial screening experiments, it can be applied to any suitable regression problem.


Excerpt] This report examines current policies on the application of benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees and reviews certain policy debates about the extension or removal of these benefits. This report also presents data on the prevalence of same-sex partner benefits in the private and public sector. This report focuses on federal benefits for same-sex partners and not on same-sex relationships in general.


To shed light on the effects of individual choice on pension wealth, we study a policy change to the management fees of pension funds implemented by Peru's government in 2013. The reform established a new balance fee as a default option; this fee is calculated as a percentage of the pension balance. Each individual had the initial option of keeping the previous management fee, a load factor fee calculated as a percentage of the individual's salary. We use administrative data to simulate pension balances based on the individual's choice of fee and the corresponding counterfactual. Our results indicate that the reform has been potentially adverse to 63.1 percent of individuals, of whom 41.4 percent were assigned to the default option and 21.7 percent voluntarily chose the load fee. These results reflect both the potentially negative unintended effects of the policy and an alarming lack of financial literacy among citizens. We also detect heterogeneity in the intensity of the losses and gains due to the reform, which caused greater losses than gains. In particular, younger and poorer individuals, as well as those automatically assigned to the balance fee, experienced higher losses. Moreover, the new fee scheme is also associated with increasing inequality between individuals' pension wealth.


Objective: This systematic review presents evidence regarding factors that may influence the patient's subjective experience of an episode of mechanical restraint, seclusion, or forced administration of medication. Method: Two authors searched CINAHL, PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and Psych-Info, considering published studies between 1 January 1992 and 1 February 2016. Based on the inclusion criteria and methodological quality, 34 studies were selected, reporting a total sample of 1,869 participants. Results: The results showed that the provision of information, contact and interaction with staff, and adequate communication with professionals are factors that influence the subjective experience of these measures. Humane treatment, respect, and staff support are also associated with a better experience, and debriefing is an important procedure/technique to reduce the emotional impact of these measures. Likewise, the quality of the working and physical environment and some individual and treatment variables were related to the experience of these measures. There are different results in relation to the most frequently associated experiences and, despite some data that indicate positive experiences, the evidence shows such experiences to be predominantly negative and frequently with adverse consequences. It seems that patients find forced medication and seclusion to be more tolerable than mechanical restraint and combined measures. Conclusions: It appears that the role of the staff and the environmental conditions, which are potentially modifiable, affect the subjective experience of these measures. There was considerable heterogeneity among studies in terms of coercive measures experienced by participants and study designs.


As difficult as it can be accept, the 1984 introduction of the Video Recordings Act was not simply the destructive force it is often pitched as. The creation of a list of banned titles and subsequent removal of these titles from the shelves became the catalyst that fortified a community of fans and collectors in the UK. Fascinated by the rare and the illicit, these fans often shared low-quality copies in the absence of official releases. However, by the early 1990s, attention had shifted to contemporary concerns, and in the wake of the James Bulger case; many of these objects of prior concern began to reappear on the shelves in the UK. Though in many cases censored, the films were generally well received and the foremost distributor VIPCO championed as an oppositional voice kicking back against the BBFC. This success would be short-lived. In the late 90s as DVD was gaining a foothold in the UK, a clear shift can be observed in the expectations of the product and how that product would henceforth be presented. This paper will examine the development of the exploitation industry in the UK and the apparent elevation of films, which had once been understood as trash. Using VIPCO as a case study, the paper will chart how the forces evident in the past thirty years have impacted on the product and in turn shaped the market.


Using an agent-based computational framework designed to explore the incidence of conflict between two nominally rival ethnic groups, we demonstrate that the impact of ethnic minority rule on civil war onset could be more nuanced than posited in the literature. By testing the effects of three key moderating variables on ethnic minority rule, our analysis demonstrates that: (i) when ethnicity is assumed to be salient for all individuals, conflict onset increases with size of the minority in power, although when salience is permitted to vary, onset decreases as minority and majority approach parity; (ii) fiscal policy—the spending and investment decisions of the minority EGIP—moderates conflict; conflict decreases when leaders make sound decisions, increases under corrupt regimes, and peaks under ethno-nationalist regimes that place a premium on territorial conquest; and lastly (iii) natural resources—their type and distribution—affect the level of conflict which is lowest in agrarian economies, higher in the presence of lootable resources, and still higher when lootable resource are "diffuse". Our analysis generates a set of propositions to be tested empirically, subject to data availability.


In Texas, determinate sentencing allows extremely serious and violent delinquents one more chance to change their ways by releasing them to the streets instead of being transferred to prison. This research study examined the recidivism outcomes of 416 serious and violent juvenile offenders previously exposed to rehabilitative treatment in the renowned Capital and Serious Violent Offender Treatment Program provided by the Texas Youth Commission. Further, this research study looked to a group of 1,261 determinately sentenced offenders who did not participate in Capital and Serious Violent Offender Treatment Program but were released from Texas Youth Commission as well. Both groups of juveniles were followed for three years following their release from institutionalization. This analysis revealed that 50% of both groups were rearrested at least once during the follow-up period for any offense. Of the Capital and Serious Violent Offender Program participants, 81% were rearrested for at least one new felony offense. Of those non-participants, 78% were rearrested for at least one new felony offense. The factors that served to distinguish both groups included African-American race and a number of delinquent history measures. This study concludes with a discussion of policy implications and suggestions for future research.


This study explores whether the speech motor system is involved in verbal rumination, a particular kind of inner speech. The motor simulation hypothesis considers inner speech as an action, accompanied by simulated speech percepts, that would as such involve the speech motor system. If so, we could expect verbal rumination to be disrupted by concurrent involvement of the speech apparatus. We recruited 106 healthy adults and measured their self-reported level of rumination before and after a rumination induction, as well as after five minutes of a subsequent motor task (either an articulatory suppression -silent mouthing- task or a finger tapping control task). We also evaluated to what extent ruminative thoughts were experienced with a verbal quality or in another modality (e.g., visual images, non-speech sounds). Self-reported levels of rumination showed a decrease after both motor activities (silent mouthing and finger-tapping), with only a slightly stronger decrease after the articulatory suppression than the control task. The rumination level decrease was not moderated by the modality of the ruminative thoughts. We discuss these results within the framework of verbal rumination as simulated speech and suggest alternative ways to test the engagement of the speech motor system in verbal rumination. Pre-registered protocol, preprint, data, as well as reproducible code and figures are available at: https://osf.io/3bh67/.


Background: Persistence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in renal transplant recipients is associated with unfavorable outcomes. Calcineurin-inhibitor (CNI) nephrotoxicity is a major cause of morbidity and mortality after kidney transplantation. In this study we compared sirolimus (SRL) with calcineurin-inhibitor as primary immunosuppressants for the attenuation of left ventricular hypertrophy in renal transplantation recipients. Methods: In this prospective cohort study done in Shariati Hospital in 2010 , we evaluated the effects of sirolimus and CNI on LVH of 55 renal transplant recipients. The cases (19) received sirolimus while the controls (36) received CNI while being matched for age and duration of transplantation. Data regarding blood pressure (BP) , hemoglobin, serum creatinine, uric acid and lipid concentrations were assessed and changes in left ventricular (LV) mass were evaluated by echocardiography over a one-year follow-up. Results: Left ventricular mass significantly decreased (P=0.0001) in the SRL group but blood pressure did not differ between the two groups. LV mass and LV mass index both decreased significantly (P ≤ 0.05) but the difference was not associated with changes in BP . The difference in interventricular septal thickness at end diastole (IVSD) and posterior wall diameter (PWD) were significant (P ≤ 0.05) in the SRL group but the difference in end diastolic diameter (EDD) was not significant. Conclusion: Conversion from CNI to SRL -based immunosuppressive therapy in RTR s is safe and SRL may decrease LVH . SRL seems to be safe and improve renal function without cardiac compromise in kidney transplant recipients. Abstract


This article presents a technique for performing vulnerability assessments, using measures of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. Historically, vulnerability assessments have focused on analyzing the hazard itself, absent information on its causes and mitigations. The vulnerability assessment method VAM, presented herein, acquires data and information from affected stakeholders to assess not only the hazard, but also the causes of vulnerability, potential for adaptation, previous impacts, and ways to mitigate future impacts. We apply the VAM to a case study of Washington State, assessing drought vulnerability across 34 subsectors. Results indicate highest vulnerability for dryland farmers, farmers with junior water rights, fisheries, ski area operators, berry farmers, and the green industry. Through validation exercises, we demonstrate the VAM's internal consistency and external applicability. Contributions of the VAM include its incorporation of stakeholder data, integrated and quantitative assessments of vulnerability components, and applicability to other regions, scales, and types of hazards.


BACKGROUND
Lymphoma involving the thyroid gland is rare. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma are the two most common histologic subtypes of primary thyroid lymphoma. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) presenting initially as a thyroid abnormality is extremely rare, with very few reported cases in the literature.

SUMMARY
We report a case of a patient with a long history of Hashimoto's thyroiditis and goiter who presented with a recent enlargement of her thyroid gland. The sonographic finding of a distinct thyroid nodule in the heterogeneous background of chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis led to the performance of a fine-needle aspiration biopsy and flow cytometry, with a high index of suspicion for thyroid lymphoma. Subsequent surgical removal of the thyroid gland, prompted by the patient's history of head and neck radiation, confirmed the diagnosis of CLL/SLL. The patient's systemic illness was recognized only after the management of her thyroid disease. Although thyroiditis has long been associated with lymphoma arising in the thyroid gland, CLL/SLL involving the thyroid has not been linked to chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis. Therefore, the patient also had coexisting thyroiditis.

CONCLUSIONS
Due to the rarity of thyroid lymphomas, our experience in the detection and management of this disease is limited. Primary thyroid lymphoma should be suspected in a patient with a history of chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis presenting with a rapidly enlarging neck mass. The initial diagnostic method for thyroid lymphoma should consist of a fine-needle aspiration biopsy with the use of ancillary techniques such as flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry for improved diagnostic accuracy. Although controversial, the treatment of thyroid lymphoma is typically guided by the histologic subtype and extent of disease. CLL/SLL is one of the rarest subtypes of lymphoma that can involve the thyroid gland. Diagnosis of this entity is difficult, particularly before the recognition of systemic involvement, requiring the expertise of a multidisciplinary team for early detection and optimal management.


With the increasing popularity of mobile devices, drivers and passengers will naturally want to connect their devices to their cars. Malicious entities can and likely will try to attack such systems in order to compromise other vehicular components or eavesdrop on privacy-sensitive information. It is imperative, therefore, to address security concerns from the onset of these technologies. While guaranteeing secure wireless vehicle-to-mobile communication is crucial to the successful integration of mobile devices in vehicular environments, usability is of equally critical importance. Several researchers proposed different methods for key agreement between two devices that share no prior secret. However, many of these proposals do not take advantage of the vehicular environment. With MVSec, we propose several novel approaches to secure vehicle-to-mobile communication tailored specifically for vehicular environments. We present novel security protocols and their security analysis. We also provide complete implementation and user study results demonstrating the feasibility and the usability of MVSec.


The past 20 years have witnessed a considerable interest in the aging phenomenon among researchers in varied fields of biology and medicine. The Buck Institute is currently in a phase of growth, and a major focus will be to expand stem cell research. There are two main reasons, and the first is obvious. It is increasingly apparent that stem cells, either embryonic, adult or induced pluripotent, offer exciting possibilities to develop therapeutic approaches to the diseases of aging. The Institute already has programs to explore the potential of stem cells in the treatment of a range of neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson, Huntington and Alzheimer diseases. With respect to Parkinson disease, Dr. Xianmin Zeng is developing clinical-grade human dopaminergic neurons with the intent to replace those that are lost with disease progression. Furthermore, Dr. Deepak Lamba, who has just joined the Buck Institute faculty, will bring an exciting program to develop stem cell therapeutic approaches to treat macular degeneration, which has a major impact on the quality of life of elders.


This paper investigates whether different labour market characteristics amplify or dampen the local labour market impacts from Chinese import competition exposure. I exploit state‐level variation in initial, pre‐shock labour market characteristics and regional variation across local labour markets in exposure to Chinese imports for identification. I find that local labour markets in states with higher union density experience more severe adverse consequences as a result of increased import exposure. Conversely, higher initial minimum wages help mute the negative impacts of the China shock. I also provide some evidence that exceptions to employment‐at‐will legislation can affect employment responses to increased Chinese imports. Finally, examining all policies together in an index, I show that higher levels of policies intended to benefit and protect workers can actually magnify the extent of the damage inflicted by import competition. My results suggest that initial labour market characteristics and policies can play an important role in understanding why local labour markets react differently to trade shocks.


Objective(s): Trichophyton rubrum (T. rubrum) is one of the most common dermatophytes worldwide. This fungus invaded skin appendages of humans and animals. Recently, resistance to antifungal drugs as well as appearance of side effects due to indication of these kinds of antibiotics has been reported. Besides, using some plant extracts have been indicated in herbal medicine as an alternative treatment of these fungal infections. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Garlic (Allium sativum) and pure allicin on the growth of hypha in T. rubrum using Electron miscroscopy. Materials and Methods: This study was carried out to observe the morphological changes of T. rubrum treated with allicin as well as aqueous garlic extract using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Results: SEM surveys, showed that hypha treated with allicin has rough and granular like surface, abnormal and irregularly-shape. However, hypha treated with garlic extract had rough and fluffy surface and also irregularly-shape. TEM studies also found that hypha treated with allicin displays disintegration of cytoplasm, breaking down in cell membrane and the cell wall, and collapsing of hypha, meanwhile hypha treated with garlic extract exhibiting degradation and dissolution of cytoplasm components, demolition of cell wall and cell membrane, and hypha appeared to break. Conclusion: The present study revealed that pure allicin (6.25 µg/ml and 12.5 µg/ml) is more efficient in inhibition of the growth in hyphal cells compare to the garlic extract (2 mg/ml and 4 mg/ml) and they could be used as alternatives in treatment of dermatophytosis.


Immigration is a national issue and a federal responsibility — so why are states so actively involved? Their legal authority over immigration is questionable. Their institutional capacity to regulate it is limited. Even the legal actions that states take sometimes seem pointless from a regulatory perspective. Why do they enact legislation that essentially copies existing federal law? Why do they pursue regulations that are likely to be enjoined or struck down by courts? Why do they give so little priority to the immigration laws that do survive? This Article sheds light on this seemingly irrational behavior. It argues that state laws are being pursued less for their regulatory impact, and more for their ability to shape federal immigration policymaking. States have assumed this role because, as alternative policy venues, they offer political actors a way to reframe the public perception of an issue and shift debates to more favorable ground. Moreover, states are able to exert this kind of influence without having to legally implement or effectively enforce their laws. This theory offers an explanation for why states have so frequently been drawn into policy disputes over immigration in the past, such as those that led to the major immigration reforms of 1986 and 1996. It also casts new light on more recent state responses, such as Arizona's controversial 2010 immigration enforcement law.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Children who experienced intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) may be at increased risk for adverse developmental outcomes in early childhood. The objective of this study was to carry out a systematic review of neurodevelopmental outcomes from 6 months to 3 years after IUGR. METHODS: PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, Maternity and Infant Care, and CINAHL databases were searched by using the search terms intrauterine, fetal, growth restriction, child development, neurodevelopment, early childhood, cognitive, motor, speech, language. Studies were eligible for inclusion if participants met specified criteria for growth restriction, follow-up was conducted within 6 months to 3 years, methods were adequately described, non-IUGR comparison groups were included, and full English text of the article was available. A specifically designed data extraction form was used. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed using well-documented quality-appraisal guidelines. RESULTS: Of 731 studies reviewed, 16 were included. Poorer neurodevelopmental outcomes after IUGR were described in 11. Ten found motor, 8 cognitive, and 7 language delays. Other delays included social development, attention, and adaptive behavior. Only 8 included abnormal Doppler parameters in their definitions of IUGR. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence suggests that children are at risk for poorer neurodevelopmental outcomes following IUGR from 6 months to 3 years of age. The heterogeneity of primary outcomes, assessment measures, adjustment for confounding variables, and definitions of IUGR limits synthesis and interpretation. Sample sizes in most studies were small, and some examined preterm IUGR children without including term IUGR or AGA comparison groups, limiting the value of extant studies.


In the emerging era of personalized (precision) medicine, it is now undeniable that laboratory diagnostics will play an increasingly central role in both science and modern medicine (1,2). Due to many technological advances, the dissemination of scientific information has undergone a revolution in the past 30 years. The development of Internet, and the increasing worldwide accessibility to this global system of interconnection, have both contributed to facilitating and enhancing the amount and the quality of information available to healthcare operators and laboratory professionals.


SUMMARY Global changes including increases in temperature, atmospheric greenhouse gases, soil degradation and competition for land and water resources, will have multiple impacts on rice production systems in Africa. These changes will affect weed communities, and management approaches must be adapted to take this into account. Higher temperatures and limited water availability will generally advantage C4 over C3 plants (e.g. rice). Conversely, elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) levels will improve the competitiveness of rice relative to C4 weeds, which comprise many of the problem weeds of rice. Increased atmospheric CO2 levels may also improve tolerance of rice against parasitic weeds, while prevalence of parasitic species may be amplified by soil degradation and more frequent droughts or floods. Elevated CO2 levels tend to promote growth below-ground relative to above-ground, particularly in perennial (C3) species. This may render mechanical control of weeds within a cropping season less effective or even counterproductive. Increased CO2 levels, rainfall and temperature may also reduce the effectiveness of chemical control, while the implementation of adaptation technologies, such as water-saving irrigation regimes, will have negative consequences for rice–weed competition. Rain-fed production systems are prevalent throughout Africa and these are likely to be most vulnerable to direct effects of climate change (e.g. higher temperatures and changes in rainfall patterns). Effective weed management strategies in these environments could encompass off-season tillage, the use of well-adapted cultivars (i.e. those with drought and heat tolerance, high weed competitiveness and parasitic weed resistance or tolerance) and rotations, intercropping or short, off-season fallows with weed-suppressive legumes including those that suppress parasitic weeds. In irrigated, non-flooded rice systems, weeds are expected to become more serious. Specifically, perennial rhizomatous C3 weeds and species adapted to hydromorphic conditions are expected to increase in prevalence. By implementing an integrated weed management strategy primarily targeted at weed prevention, dependency on flood water, herbicides and mechanical control can be lessened. Off-season deep tillage, stale seed bed techniques, use of clean seeds and irrigation water, competitive cultivars, timely transplanting at optimum spacing and judicious fertilizer timings are suitable candidate components for such a strategy. Integrated, novel approaches must be developed to assist farmers in coping with the challenges of weed control in the future.


Proliferative responsiveness of hepatocytes to epidermal growth factor (EGF) declines during aging. The role of EGF receptors in mediating age-dependent changes of EGF-induced mitogenic signaling in liver remains incompletely understood. We assessed EGF receptor expression levels in whole liver specimens as well as in freshly isolated and cultured hepatocytes from young adult and senescent Fischer 344 male rats. Hepatic EGF receptor messenger RNA and protein levels, and the number of high- and low-affinity receptor binding sites, decreased with aging. Ligand-induced EGF receptor activation, determined by receptor dimerization and tyrosine phosphorylation, was reduced in old animals in parallel with the age-related decline in receptor expression. Stimulation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway by EGF was also attenuated in hepatocytes from old animals. Our results implicate decreased expression of EGF receptors as a key determinant of reduced mitogenic signaling responsive to EGF stimulation of liver during aging.


Little previous research has examined leadership from a role-based perspective. Those scholars who have studied the subject have focused on the emergence of high-status individuals within a group into complementary leadership roles, with other group members adopting follower roles. In contrast, the current inquiry examines the networked and distributed form of leadership. It is proposed that firstly, executives need to be prepared to adopt "leadership roles" complementary to those of other group members and secondly, that executives need to be prepared to switch leadership roles and membership of groups in order to fulfil their leadership responsibilities.
The methodology adopted was qualitative, enabling data to be gathered on aspects of the social structures that executives formed within the formal, informal and temporary groups of which they were a part. The methodology provided insight into the leadership roles available to executives, and between which they switched, as leadership was shared between, and rotated amongst, group members. The inquiry was conducted in six separate, but linked, studies utilising a constructivist ontology and interpretivist epistemology.
Characterisation of leadership in terms of role was found to facilitate improvement in the speed with which groups of executives formed around organisational problems, and gained productive contributions from their members. In so doing the inquiry assists executives within a senior management team to better adapt and coordinate their behaviour when mobilising organisational resources.
The inquiry was conducted within six organisations, each of which is a multinational engineering company. The concepts advanced will require validating in other organisations of both similar and different demographic profiles.
The concepts advanced provide an insight into the distributed form of leadership, and also the nature of leadership as a network of relationships. Leadership is characterised in terms of role, with each executive within a group adopting one of the available leadership roles. All group members contribute towards the tasks of leadership. None are characteristed as adopting purely follower roles.


The purpose of this mixed methods study is to determine if An Achievable Dream Academies are implementing an environment that is welcoming and inclusive of families. Based on the outcomes, decisions will be made to determine if the environment is inclusive or needs to be revisited to encourage family involvement. Participants included the 5, 7, 8, 10, and 11 grade families at An Achievable Dream Academy and An Achievable Dream Middle and High School in Newport News, Virginia. The study used the CIPP model of program evaluation to guide data collect on the context, input, process, and products of the parent involvement program. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected using parent surveys, focus groups, home and school documents, and behavior, attendance, and SOL data. The study illuminated the successes and challenges of the program as well as areas of recommended improvement. The results indicated that there was a high level of parent involvement but it did not greatly impact the students' success. With ongoing program monitoring and evaluation, the program can overcome these challenges and make recommended changes that will result in increased successes for the school and students. Recommendations for future research and program improvement include conducting a comparison study on AAD and a similar program, identifying what factors impact student success, and understanding the factors impacting teacher resistance.


A sensitive flow‐injection method with chemiluminescence detection (FI‐CL) for the determination of dissolved cobalt in open ocean samples, suitable for shipboard use has been developed. To date, FI methods for dissolved cobalt have been used only in coastal and estuarine waters. Therefore, significant modifications to existing methods were required, including (1) the use of a commercially available iminodiacetate (IDA) resin (Toyopearl AF‐chelate 650M) in place of resin immobilized 8‐hydroxyquinoline for online preconcentration and matrix removal, (2) the introduction of acidified ammonium acetate (pH 4) as a column‐conditioning step before sample loading and rinse steps, and most importantly, (3) UV irradiation of acidified seawater samples to determine total dissolved cobalt, rather than an operationally defined fraction. This method had a detection limit of 4.5 pM (3σ of the blank). The accuracy of the method was evaluated by determining total dissolved cobalt in acidified North Pacific deep seawater (1000 m) samples from the Sampling and Analysis of Iron (SAFe) program and NASS‐5. The method yields a mean (± SD) value of 40.9 ± 2.6 pM (n = 9), which is in excellent agreement with the SAFe consensus value of 43 ± 4 pM, and 208 ± 30 pM for NASS‐5 (certified value 187 ± 51 pM). This study demonstrates that UV irradiation is an essential step for the determination of total dissolved cobalt in seawater by FI‐CL. The method was applied to vertical profiles from the Sargasso Sea, indicating that total dissolved cobalt is influenced by both biological and physical processes.


Abstract. Ensemble forecasts at kilometre scale of two severe storms over the Mediterranean region are verified against satellite observations. In complement to assessing the forecasts against ground-based measurements, brightness temperature (BT) images are computed from forecast fields and directly compared to BTs observed from satellite. The so-called model-to-satellite approach is very effective in identifying systematic errors in the prediction of cloud cover for BTs in the infrared window and in verifying the forecasted convective activity with BTs in the microwave range. This approach is combined with the calculation of meteorological scores for an objective evaluation of ensemble forecasts. The application of the approach is shown in the context of two Mediterranean case studies, a tropical-like storm and a heavy precipitating event. Assessment of cloud cover and convective activity using satellite observations in the infrared (10.8 μm) and microwave regions (183–191 GHz) provides results consistent with other traditional methods using rainfall measurements. In addition, for the tropical-like storm, differences among forecasts occur much earlier in terms of cloud cover and deep convective activity than they do in terms of deepening and track. Further, the underdispersion of the ensemble forecasts of the two high-impact weather events is easily identified with satellite diagnostics. This suggests that such an approach could be a useful method for verifying ensemble forecasts, particularly in data-sparse regions.


The eastern Tethys, from Israel to Egypt, experienced unusually adverse environmental conditions for planktic foraminifera during the last two million years of the Maastrichtian, as evident by very low species richness, blooms of opportunistic Guembelitria species in surface waters, dominance of low-oxygen-tolerant heterohelicids in subsurface waters, and near absence of deeper dwelling globotruncanids. Comparison of southern Israel (Mishor Rotem section) with central Egypt (Gebel Qreiya section) reveals that adverse conditions intensified towards the south with foraminiferal assemblages mimicking stress conditions of the early Danian, dominated (75–90%) by Guembelitria blooms. Faunal assemblages indicate an expanded oxygen minimum and dysoxic zone throughout the region, though at the greater depths represented by localities of southern Israel, bottom waters remained aerobic. Primary productivity was extremely low, as indicated by stable isotopes and low total organic content in sediments. These adverse environmental conditions are likely related to the regional paleobathymetry of the tectonically active Syrian Arc that spans Syria to Egypt. The paleorelief of intra-shelf and intra-slope basins of the Syrian Arc, with their differential rates of subsidence and sedimentation, active folding and faulting, likely controlled the intensity of circulation, upwelling, watermass stratification and the extent of the oxygen minimum zone. The late Maastrichtian rapid climate and sea level changes exacerbated these conditions.


We give a theoretical treatment of single-atom detection in a compound optical microcavity. The cavity consists of a single-mode semiconductor waveguide with a gap to allow atoms to interact with the optical field in the cavity. Optical losses, both in the semiconductor and induced by the gap, are considered, and we give an estimate of the cavity finesse. We also compute the cooperativity parameter and show how it depends on the gap width and cavity length. Maximization of the cooperativity does not always correspond to maximization of the coupling.


This thesis addresses causes of two forms of secondary Hawaiian volcanism: rejuvenated onshore eruptions and offshore Hawaiian Arch flows. It is proposed that secondary volcanism is generated as a direct consequence of lithospheric flexural uplift that surrounds new volcanic shields as they grow. This uplift causes decompression of the underlying asthenosphere, which is assumed to be chemically and isotopically heterogeneous, near its solidus, and derived from the Hawaiian mantle plume. Uplift is modeled as the axisymmetric response of an elastic plate to a (volcanic) point load that grows linearly in time. To model flow in the asthenosphere, the rate of flexure of the lithosphere is taken as the upper boundary condition on an isoviscous, incompressible, fluid half-space. The first feature of secondary volcanism this model explains is the observed spatial gap between secondary volcanism and active shields. Best agreement is found with the majority of the observed spatial gaps with a lithosphere of effective elastic thickness Te =25-35 km. Secondly, this work demonstrates that the flexural model can produce observed crustal production if some magma focusing toward individual eruption sites occurs from the mantle over an area two to ten times the eruption area. The third feature this model addresses is that secondary lavas are isotopically distinct from shield lavas. In this model, melting the same two-component mantle forms the secondary and shield lavas, but the components are sampled by melting at rates that differ between the locations as predictable functions of depth. Flexural decompression produces melts that preferentially sample the mantle component that begins melting shallowest and which is associated with Sr and Nd isotope ratios most like those of secondary lavas. Melting in the center of a mantle plume is assumed to generate shield volcanism and is predicted to iv preferentially sample the component that begins melting deepest which is associated with Sr and Nd isotope ratios more similar to shield lavas. Models therefore successfully predict the observed mean difference in 87Sr/86Sr and 143Nd/Nd compositions between the secondary and shield lavas. The fourth feature addressed is that secondary lavas are alkalic and shield lavas are dominantly tholeiitic. To explain this difference, the mean extent of partial melting is computed, and it is found that a model plume composed mostly of depleted peridotite (90%) and some pyroxenite (10%) will yield a lower extent of melting for secondary lavas than shield lavas. This particular model assumes lithospheric thicknesses (90-100 km) and plume potential temperatures (mean of 1550 °C) that are consistent with independent studies of the Hawaiian hotspot. Thus, asthenospheric melting by flexural decompression is a viable mechanism of intraplate volcanism, which can explain many general characteristics of secondary Hawaiian volcanism.


Abstract Polycondensation reactions between amino acids and phenols are one of the pathways for the formation of humic substances, and clay minerals are able to catalyse these reactions. To investigate the catalytic power of allophane, an allophane fraction (ALF) was separated from weathered pumice (WP) that contained imogolite as an impurity by taking advantage of differences in sedimentation velocity. The iron content in the separated ALF was increased by up to 3.0% compared to that in the starting WP (1.3%), and the ALF was further treated with sodium dithionate and citric acid (ALF-DC) to remove the iron. The catalytic powers of WP, ALF and ALFDC were evaluated, based on the degree of darkening of reaction mixtures from polycondensation reactions between catechol and tryptophan, model compounds for precursors of humic substances. The catalytic power for ALF was significantly higher than the corresponding values for WP and ALF-DC. This can be attributed to the high iron content of the ALF, which serves as a Lewis acid that can enhance nucleophilic reactions which occur during the polycondensation reactions.


Cupressus and Juniperus airborne pollen grains, belonging to the Cupressaceae family and causing respiratory system allergy by inhalation, have an important place among aeroallergens. In this study, airborne pollen studies were carried out in Turkey, and the monthly changes in Cupressaceae pollens rates in 57 regions were evaluated. Results of the studies showed that the highest numbers of Cupressaceae pollen grains were recorded between march and may.


Background and Aim: To objectively assess splenic volume preoperatively, the Standard Splenic Volume (SSV) was calculated for each patient. Whether it could be used to evaluate the functional hepatic reserve less invasively before major hepatectomy was then examined.
Patients and Methods: SSV was calculated for 70 patients who had undergone surgery, excluding liver surgery, for benign disease or early-stage cancer. The postoperative clinical courses of 63 patients who had undergone a sectionectomy or hemihepatectomy were then retrospectively investigated by comparing the preoperative splenic volume with each patient's SSV.
Results: The following equation was obtained: SSV (cm3)=177.7 × Body Surface Area (BSA)-179.9. None of the patients in the preoperative Splenic Volume (SV)/SSV<1.1 group had total Bilirubin (T-Bil) levels ≥ 1.2 mg/dl in late postoperative period. In contrast, nine (30%) of the patients in the preoperative SV/SSV ≥ 1.1 group (n=30) had T-Bil levels ≥ 1.2 mg/dl in late postoperative period.
Conclusion: By comparing the preoperative SV and SSV of patients, objective assessments of the patients' preoperative portal venous pressure were obtained noninvasively. We believe that this ratio may provide useful information for evaluating functional hepatic reserve at the time of initial surgery for diseases that may require repeat hepatectomies or multidisciplinary treatment.


Recently the impressive growth of the Web, and the Internet in general, has been considered as a promise that may both challenge and boost our representation of democratic institutions. It is well known that modern democracies are based on the possibility to control and even replace who rules by the force of the best arguments. More generally, the control of the government, and the effectiveness of democracy, is possible, if the citizens can access information. Hence, the promise of the Internet mainly relies on the fact that people may more freely access information, because it seems it cannot be controlled or manipulated by the political power. In the first part of this outline we will depict a cognitive framework to deal with the relationships between Internet and democracy. We shall show that Internet, as an information technology, can be considered as a cognitive and moral mediator; it can provide stories, texts, images, combined with sounds, so that the information fosters not only a cognitive, but also an emotional and moral understanding. In this sense, the Internet represents a kind of redistribution of the moral effort through managing objects and information to overcome the poverty and the unsatisfactory character of the options available. In the last part we will illustrate that Internet, as a moral mediator, may enhance democracy in two respects. First, it affords civic engagement and participation; second, it allows people to face different sources of information so that almost everyone can verify and test the information delivered by traditional media.


Eating disorders are bio-psycho-social diseases that affect nearly twenty million women and ten million men in America (National Eating Disorder Association, 2018). They are serious but treatable illnesses that develop when a genetic predisposition is paired with an environmental activation. Out of all mental illnesses, eating disorders have the highest mortality rate, with one person dying as a direct result of an eating disorder every 62 minutes (Smink, Van Hoeken, & Hoek, 2012). Eating disorders adversely affect every aspect of human life, including physical and mental health, intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships, professional pursuits, sense of meaning and purpose, and overall well-being. Existing treatment methods provide opportunities for individuals with eating disorders to interrupt and reduce symptoms. Relapse during and soon after treatment, however, is extremely common. The field of eating disorders has not yet pivoted to address what patients need to sustain recovery and thrive. Positive psychology's theory, research, and interventions present a supplemental treatment approach for practitioners to implement to revive the recovery process to increase the success for those struggling with eating disorders. Positive psychology can operate to empower and motivate patients, reconnecting them to their meaning and purpose outside of the illness. This paper discusses eating disorders in-depth, recognizes and applauds traditional treatment methods, and proposes how enhancing positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment can further promote recovery.


Long-baseline observations of interplanetary scintillation (IPS) provide a unique source of information on solar wind speed and meridional direction across the inner regions of the solar system. We report the results of a series of coordinated IPS observations of an Earth-directed CME. A significant development in the interpretation of these data is the use of 3D tomographic reconstructions of solar wind structure derived from STELab IPS data to better constrain the analysis of extremely long baseline observations from EISCAT and MERLIN. The combination of these two approaches leads to a significantly better understanding of the interaction of the CME with the background solar wind than would be possible with either technique alone, revealing a significant rotation in the meridional flow direction of the background wind associated with the passage of the CME. The CME itself is decelerated significantly between its emergence through the corona and its arrival in the IPS ray path, with comparatively little change in speed from then until arrival at ACE.


Strange events and ironic conjunctions pervade the narrative of the renewal of provisions of the Voting Rights Act 2005-2006. Never has the radical, still-controversial Act been treated in such hushed, reverential tones, and never has its discussion been so blatantly manipulated for immediate partisan advantage. Never have there been so many proposals for comprehensive changes when the temporary parts of the Act have come up for renewal, and never has there been less serious debate about the Act in committees and on the floor of Congress. Never has support for the Act in Congress and the country seemed so universal, and never has its constitutional future before the Supreme Court seemed so tenuous. This Article shows that the strange, ironic nature of the recent consideration of the Voting Rights Act is not unusual, but rather that it is typical of the history of the most controversial provision of the Act, Section 5, which requires that all changes in election laws in "covered jurisdictions," chiefly in the Deep South, be submitted to the Justice Department or the District of Columbia District Court for "preclearance" before they are allowed to go into effect. In its early years, Section 5 was largely ignored by state and local governments, and the Justice Department was too disorganized to police it, anyway. After receiving a judicial blessing from the Supreme Court, Section 5 was for the first time vigorously enforced by the Nixon Administration, which had opposed its effective continuation, and the Carter Administration, the first administration headed by a president from the Deep South since before the Civil War. Two Supreme Court decisions in 1976 and 1980 that threatened to sap the Act's vigor instead stimulated civil rights activists to mount a campaign for amendments that overwhelmed the Reagan Administration and led to the largest increase in minority elected officials since the first years of the post-Civil War Reconstruction. But no sooner had the promise of the Act finally been fulfilled than the Supreme Court-through strained interpretations of the Act's intentions and, even more ironically, through the use of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to hamper, instead of to protect, minority political rights-stripped the Act of much of its power. By 2006, the Act's iconic status insured its persistence, but the fears of its staunchest proponents and the barely hidden antipathy of many members of the dominant political party prevented amendments that might have increased its chances to pass muster with the Roberts Court. Eight days after President George W. Bush signed the law, Gregory Coleman, a Texas lawyer with strong ties to the Republican Party, filed a serious challenge to the constitutionality of Section 5. The strange career continues. Analyzing the complete history of Section 5 and emphasizing the story's ironic elements and shifting course yield lessons that may be useful in the continuing struggle to protect the political rights of minorities. I. The Tangled History of the Voting Rights Act A. Latest Twists On July 20, 2006, only one day after the Senate Judiciary Committee reported a bill reauthorizing key provisions of what conservative columnist George Will called "the 20th century's noblest and most transformative law,"1 the U.S. Senate briefly debated and unanimously passed the Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act (VRARA).2 The apparent impetus for the unusual haste3 by "the world's greatest deliberative body,"4 was the fact that President George W. Bush wished to cite the imminent passage of the Act as evidence of racial progress under his Administration in a speech, arranged at the last minute,5 marking his first appearance as president before a convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).6 But the curtailment of even the appearance of deliberation7 in order to serve the most immediate of political purposes was not the only odd aspect of the 2005-2006 renewal saga. …


New emissions models for predicting carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and oxides of nitrogen require as input not only average speed but various measures of dynamic vehicular activity such as accelerations, decelerations, and idle events as well. Current travel demand modeling of transportation networks does not provide estimates of dynamic vehicular activity but, instead, forecasts traffic volumes and travel speeds. Simulation models could provide estimates of dynamic vehicular activity, but simulation models are not used or validated for the development of regional emissions inventories. Until simulation models are used for regional planning purposes, improvements to travel demand models (TDMs) must be forthcoming if the benefits of new emissions models are to be realized. There are at least two solutions for bridging the gap between TDM outputs and new, data-intensive emissions models. The first solution is the development of statistical models that forecast dynamic vehicular activity as a function of TDM outputs: average traffic speeds and volumes. The second solution is the identification of mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive regions of the speed-flow regime whereby representative dynamic driving sequences or cycles are characteristically different, particularly with respect to vehicular emissions. The present focus is on dynamic activity on freeways. A brief background of the research problem is first provided, along with stated research goals. The field study conducted to collect the necessary data on freeways is then described. The statistical task of identifying homogeneous regions of the speed-flow regime with respect to emissions activity is then discussed. Finally, the process by which typical dynamic driving activity is generated is given, followed by research conclusions and issues that require further study.


The investigation of the underlying causes for the high progesterone (P+) syndrome should presuppose
further studies to more precisely characterise pseudopregnant rabbit does. The purpose of the present
research was to examine follicular dynamics in the postovulatory rabbit ovary by means of real-time
B-mode ultrasound scanning. A particular attention was focused upon the population of large-sized
follicles present through the first 6 days after induced pseudopregnancy, since this follicular category,
being steroidogenically active, may be crucial to the survival of the developing CL. Pseudopregnancy
was induced in twenty-four hybrid rabbit does caged individually by injection of 100 IU human
chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Sequential monitoring of dynamic changes in the follicular population
was performed by ultrasonography on day 0, 2 and 6 of pseudopregnancy (day 0 being the day of hCG
injection). The follicle distribution in ovaries of untreated does (day 0) was marked by approximately
equal number of small follicles (46.1%±6.7 <2.0 mm) and large follicles (54.4%±6.1 ≥2.0 mm).
However, at 2 days after injection of an ovulatory dose of hCG, the large follicles population was
markedly depleted with only 10.2%±0.9 of the follicles present classified as large. The ovulation rate
averaged 10.8±0.7 per rabbit. By day 6 of pseudopregnancy the size distribution showed that a
repopulation of the ovary with large follicles occurred with 71.3%±6.8 in this category. The large
follicles lost at ovulation had apparently been replaced by the time of luteal estrogen dependence at
day 6 of pseudopregnancy. The results presented in this report, demonstrating that the rabbit ovary is
depleted of large follicles following ovulation but that large, steroidogenically active follicles are
again present by day 6, could be considered as a preliminary step to understand what mechanisms
protect the CL from luteolysis until day 6 of pseudopregnancy, when CL shift from complete
refractoriness to partial and complete responsiveness to PGF2α treatment. Since little is known about
what factors effectively trigger luteolysis in normal, physiological conditions as well as what
mechanisms protect CL from luteolysis in the first days of pseudopregnancy, the innovative and noninvasive
approach supplied by the real-time ultrasonography could represent an additional tool for
investigation.


In the 1930s translation became a key issue in the cultural politics of the Fascist regime due to the fact that Italy was publishing more translations than any other country in the world. Making use of extensive archival research, the author of this new study examines this 'invasion of translations' through a detailed statistical analysis of the translation market. The book shows how translations appeared to challenge official claims about the birth of a Fascist culture and cast Italy in a receptive role that did not tally with Fascist notions of a dominant culture extending its influence abroad. The author shows further that the commercial impact of this invasion provoked a sustained reaction against translated popular literature on the part of those writers and intellectuals who felt threatened by its success. He examines the aggressive campaign that was conducted against the Italian Publishers Federation by the Authors and Writers Union (led by the Futurist poet F. T. Marinetti), accusing them of favouring their private profit over the national interest. Finally, the author traces the evolution of Fascist censorship, showing how the regime developed a gradually more repressive policy towards translations as notions of cultural purity began to influence the perception of imported literature.


The problem of designing and developing a hybrid fault detection and isolation (FDI) scheme for a non-linear system that is subject to large environmental disturbances is investigated. In the proposed FDI scheme, a hybrid architecture is introduced, which is composed of a bank of residual generators and a discrete-event system (DES) fault diagnoser. A novel set of residuals is generated so that a DES fault diagnoser will robustly detect and isolate actuator faults in the system by incorporating an appropriate combination of residuals and their sequential features. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a set of residuals that are used by the DES fault diagnoser are derived based on the non-linear geometric FDI approach. The proposed hybrid FDI scheme is then applied to actuator fault detection and isolation of an almost-lighter-than-air-vehicle. Simulation results presented demonstrate and validate the performance capabilities of the proposed hybrid FDI scheme.


Monomeric actin controls the activity of the transcription factor Serum Response Factor (SRF) via its coactivator MAL/MRTF-A. Upon signal induction, MAL is released from actin, binds SRF and activates target gene expression. In order to characterise the physiological role of this signalling pathway, I screened on a genome wide basis for target genes by transcriptome analysis.
A combination of actin binding drugs (Cytochalasin D and Latrunculin B), targeting monomeric actin, was used to specifically and differentially interfere with the complex between MAL and actin. 210 genes primarily controlled by monomeric actin were identified in mouse fibroblasts. Among them more than 30% have been already found in screens for SRF target genes, supporting the validity of the screening approach. As expected, a lot of genes were involved in cytoskeleton organization. However, genes having anti-proliferative or pro-apoptotic features were identified surprisingly to the same extent. Consistently, I could demonstrate an antiproliferative function of MAL. More specifically, several genes interfering with the MAPK pathway were identified.
One of them was Mig6/Errfi1, a negative regulator of EGF receptors. Mig6 induction by LPA or FCS revealed to be dependent on MAL, monomeric actin and the small GTPases Rho. Activated forms of MAL or SRF were sufficient to induce Mig6 expression. Subsequently, a Mig6 promoter element was found to be necessary to mediate MAL/SRF induction. Moreover, induction of Mig6 through the Actin-MAL pathway led to the downregulation of the mitogenic EGFR-MAP kinase cascade. For the first time a transcriptional link between G-actin levels sensed by MAL and the regulation of EGFR signalling was established.
Furthermore, after having demonstrated that MAL induces apoptosis, I focused on the characterisation of two proapototic targets identified in the screen: Bok and Noxa. Bok and Noxa were induced by activators of the Rho-Actin-Mal-Srf pathway on a MAL dependent manner. The study of the Bok promoter revealed the existence of a response element that was necessary for the induction by MAL-SRF. Interestingly, apoptotic inducers like staurosporine, TNFα, or the DNA damaging agent Doxorubicin triggered MAL-SRF mediated transcription. As SRF controls the expression of the anti-apoptotic genes Bcl2 and Mcl1, the results from this work places thus SRF as a key transcription factor controlling the balance between pro and anti apoptotic genes in response to external cues.


As part of the drug disposition process (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion), an often overlooked aspect is transport. In order for drugs to be metabolized and excreted from the body they go through the liver or other drug removal organs. For drugs that are polar or are large they must rely upon transport mechanisms to transport them across the biomembranes of the drug removal organs. OATP1B1 and OATP1B3 are transporters on the sinusoidal membrane of the liver which work in concert with the drug metabolizing enzymes as part of the drug removal process. It is known that the development of each drug metabolizing enzyme follows a unique pattern that is determined in part by age. This is not unique to drug metabolizing enzymes or even drug disposition processes. All aspects of physiologic development are governed in part by age from gastric pH, and kidney function, to skin thickness. With the knowledge that age is a major determinant of expression of drug metabolizing enzymes it was hypothesized that age would also impact the expression of drug transporters. The developmental protein expression pattern of the closely related hepatic uptake transporters, OATP1B1 and OATP1B3, was examined in human liver tissue samples. Samples were obtained from donors aged 14 days to 12 years. Western blot analysis revealed a very intriguing pattern. OATP1B3 showed very high expression at birth but tapered down to minimal expression by 6 months of age. The intriguing aspect of this data was that the protein expression level of OATP1B3 started to increase during the pre-adolescent period. When comparing the protein expression levels in infants less than 3 months to children aged 6-12 years, protein expression was 237% higher in the infants. The expression decreased to 33% in the 3 months to 2 years group as compared to the 6-12 years group with the 2-6 years group starting to increase expression to 50%. OATP1B1 showed large inter-individual variability but failed to show a significant difference in protein expression amongst the age groups examined. While ontogeny is a very important part of overall development, genetics is also very important. The term developmental pharmacogenetics describes the inter-play between age and genetics, as phenotypes can only be expressed if physiological development is at a point where it is possible to be seen. In order to learn more about the expression of OATP1B1 and OATP1B3 several common SNPs were examined, OATP1B1 388 A→G and 521 T→C as well as OATP1B3 334T→G and 699G→A. All four SNPs were found to be in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The allele frequencies for each SNP were in agreement with previously published reports. OATP1B3 334T→G and 699G→A were in complete linkage disequilibrium. The linkage disequilibrium that was found between the SNPs in OATP1B3 and OATP1B1 388 A→G was a novel finding that deserves further exploration. Examination of protein expression and each SNP failed to show any association between the two which also deserves further exploration with a larger number of samples to confirm. Lastly, the functional consequences of the loss of OATP1B activity was explored using the Oatp1b2-/- mouse model. Oatp1b2-/- is the rodent member of the OATP1B family and shares greater than 65% homology to the human members. Using fexofenadine as a probe for Oatp1b2 activity, it was found that Oatp1b2-/- mice had 2.1 fold higher exposure as compared to the wild-type mice. The Oatp1b2-/- also had 55% of the fexofenadine clearance and 63% the volume of distribution as compared to wild-type mice. These findings underscore the importance that Oatp1b activity has in determining exposure, and thus efficacy and potential toxicity, to substrates. Drug transport is a very important part of drug disposition that has yet to be extensively studied especially in terms of drug uptake. The following studies examined the developmental expression patterns of hepatic uptake transporters OATP1B1 and OATP1B3, common genetic variations of the transporters, as well as the consequences the loss of OATP1B activity has on substrates. Understanding the developmental expression pattern of OATP1B will allow for better dosing strategies for patients, particularly infants and children who rarely participate in clinical trials. Better dosing strategies ultimately lead to improved outcomes and reduced toxicity in the pediatric population.


Both the physiology and distribution of intertidal organisms are strongly influenced by different kinds of physical stress. Temperature, UV radiation and desiccation in low tide conditions are usually considered the most important physical stresses. These factors impact cell metabolism, and the organism's ability to rapidly adapt to altering environmen- tal conditions sets its tidal distribution limits. The role of the HSP70 protein (stress protein) family in thermal stress respons- es has been widely demonstrated. Although it has been shown that stress protein expression is a useful tool to quantify part of this physical stress, few studies have been made with different in situ intertidal organisms. To test differences in HSP70 expression under natural conditions in the intertidal environment, we chose a common cnidarian of the eastern Pacific Ocean: the anemone Anthopleura elegantissima. Polyp HSP70 expression depends on the degree of emersion and the extent of physical stress (0.1-3.6 ± 1.5 ng HSP70 µg Protein-1 were registered between fully immersed and fully emersed polyps of the same clone). The time of immersion is reflected in the recovery of polyp HSP70 levels from the high tidal exposure (reaching again as shallower clones express more HSP70 (2.5 ng HSP70 µg P-1), than deeper ones (0.1 ng HSP70 µg P-1). Also sunny and foggy environmental situations influence the stress response. Anemone clones exposed to the sunny high intertidal zone express more than three times HSP70 (2.2 ng HSP70 µg P-1) than those on a foggy high intertidal day (0.6 ng HSP70 µg P -1 ). For A. elegantissima, shrinking of polyps, mucus secretion, sand covering, UV absorbing molecules, and a tight patch structure work concurrently with HSP70 expression to alleviate the effects of physical stress in low tidal emer- sion.


In this essay, I describe the reasons that led me to study the Sicilian mafia, and some of the difficulties that I encountered during my fieldwork in Palermo in 1986-7. I then review the effects that my study – which was first published 20 years ago in Italian and has since been translated into English, German, Spanish and Polish – has had on the scholarship on the mafia as well as on that of similar organisations in other countries.


Animated lessons describe the classes of transport proteins and illustrate mechanisms of transport. This Teaching Resource provides and describes two animated lessons that illustrate general properties of transport proteins. The lesson called "transport protein classes" depicts major classes and subclasses of transport proteins. The "transporters, mechanism of action" lesson explains how transporters and P class ATPase (adenosine triphosphatase) pumps function. These animations serve as valuable resources for any collegiate-level course that describes these important factors. Courses that might use them include introductory biology, biochemistry, cell biology, physiology, and biophysics.


Online discussions, user reviews and comments onthe Social Web are valuable sources of informationabout products, services, or shared contents. The rapidlygrowing popularity and activity of Web communitiesraises novel questions of appropriate aggregation anddiversification of such social contents. In many cases,users are interested in gaining an extensive overviewover pros and cons of a particular track of contributions.We address the problem of social content diversificationby combining latent semantic analysis with featurecentricsentiment analysis. Our FREuD approach providesa representative overview of sub-topics and aspectsof discussions, characteristic user sentiments underdifferent aspects, and reasons expressed by differentopponents. In experiments with real world productreviews we compare FREuD to the typical implementationof ranking reviews by the usefulness rating providedby users as well as a naive sentiment diversificationalgorithms based on star ratings. To this end we hadhuman users provide a fine-grained gold standard aboutthe coverage of features and sentiments in reviews forseveral products in three categories. We observed thatFREuD clearly outperforms the baseline algorithms ingenerating a sentiment-diversified set of user reviewsfor a given product.


Contamination of shellfish waters with human noroviruses: environmental risk factors and management options By Carlos José Alexandre de Campos This thesis reports research undertaken to better understand the factors that influence norovirus (NoV) contamination in shellfish production areas (SPAs). This knowledge is necessary to develop control measures for mitigating risk from NoV contamination in SPAs. Predictive models were developed for concentrations of NoV (as measured by the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction method) and Escherichia coli (as measured by the culture method) in shellfish from 31 harvesting sites and climatic, hydrometric, demographic and pollution source-related characteristics of upstream river catchments. Concentrations of NoV in shellfish increased as water temperature decreased and volume of sewage discharges and river flows increased. Concentrations of E. coli increased as rainfall also increased. Field studies were conducted in an estuary and in a coastal embayment to inform risk management measures for these sites. Concentrations of NoV and E. coli and their removal efficiencies were quantified in effluents from primary, secondary and tertiary treatments at four sewage treatment works. Shellfish were placed at different distances downstream of sewage discharges and tested for NoV and E. coli. Dye tracing and drogue tracking studies were conducted to quantify the dispersion and dilution of sewage effluents. Significant NoV reductions were found as sewage treatment levels increased. Activated sludge was more effective in reducing NoV than trickling filters. Norovirus was frequently detected in sewage effluents and in shellfish. It was found that a NoV limit for shellfish established at 100 copies/g would have a high compliance impact on SPAs. The dispersive characteristics of the dye-tagged effluents were consistent with the variation of NoV contamination in the study sites. A buffer zone established at 1,000:1 dilution of estuarine water to treated effluent would afford a high level of public health protection while a buffer zone established at much lower dilution ratios (e.g. 300:1) would represent a much higher health risk.


Professional standards in the best interest of patients The article by Dr Prince in the November issue of Canadian Family Physician, "Legislating away the future of family practice. Dangerous transition from continuity of care to continuous access,"1 clearly promotes the perspective of a single physician without verifying its accuracy with medical regulators across the country, or providing medical regulators with an opportunity to respond. The Federation of Medical Regulatory Authorities of Canada and its member colleges do not support many of the views articulated in Dr Prince's article, particularly those related to the standards and policies we develop and how they are applied in different practice settings. Medical regulatory authorities have a job to do, and that is to set high standards for professional practice in the best interest of patients. It is the position of the regulatory authorities that physicians have a collective rather than an individual obligation to their patients who must not be "abandoned" after office hours. Physicians and other health care providers must be able to communicate with each other (for example, a pathologist trying to contact a family physician about urgent or critical laboratory results) in a timely and effective manner about the health care needs of a particular patient, especially in urgent situations. Further, the Federation of Medical Regulatory Authorities of Canada and its members wonder what "peer reviewed" means when linked with this kind of commentary. What is Canadian Family Physician's definition and application of the term peer review? Should it not include "source verification" of all the information, for example by contacting the medical regulatory authorities? This likely would have resulted in a more balanced perspective. For example, we noticed that the focus was on Manitoba's Statement 190 that was officially rescinded in December 2015. A call to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba would quickly have resulted in up-to-date information about the new direction and the upcoming demonstration project in that jurisdiction. —Anna Ziomek MD Ottawa, Ont


Objective: To explore the correlation between apolipoprotein E genetic polymorphism and serum lipid levels.

Methods: The genechips method was adopted to detect the ApoE genotype in people undergoing physical examination.The serum lipid levels were compared among the populations with different ApoE genotypes.

Results: The ApoE gene showed the polymorphic distribution in populations,in which the distribution frequency of E3 allele was highest,the population containing E2 allele had higher triglyceride level in serum, the population containing E4 allele had higher total cholesterol level in serum.

Conclusion: The ApoE gene presents the polymorphic distribution in populations. The E2 allele is correlated with serum high triglyceride level. The E4 allele correlated with serum high total cholesterol level.


Introduction The effectiveness of excise tax increases as a tool for reducing tobacco consumption depends largely on how the tax increases impact the retail price. We estimate this relationship in South Africa for 2001–2015. Data Statistics South Africa provided disaggregated cigarette price data, used in the calculation of the Consumers' Price Index. Data on the excise tax per cigarette were obtained from Budget Reviews prepared by the National Treasury of South Africa. Methods Regression equations were estimated for each month. The month-on-month change in cigarette prices in February through April was regressed against March's excise tax change to estimate the pass-through coefficient. For the other 9 months, the month-on-month change in cigarette price was regressed against monthly dummy variables to determine the size of the non-tax-related price increase in each of these months. The analysis was performed in both nominal and real (inflation-adjusted) terms. Findings Expressed in real terms, the excise tax was undershifted. A R1.00 (one rand) increase in the excise tax is associated with an increase in the retail price of cigarettes of R0.90 in the pre-2010 period, and R0.49 in the post-2010 period. In the pre-2010 period, the tobacco industry increased the retail price of cigarettes in July/August, independent of the excise tax increase. The discretionary July/August price increases largely disappeared after 2010, primarily because the market became more competitive. Conclusion The degree of excise tax pass-through, and the magnitude of discretionary increases in cigarette prices, is significantly determined by the competitive environment in the cigarette market.


Abstract. As anthropogenic activities directly and indirectly increase carbon dioxide (CO2) and decrease oxygen (O2) concentrations in the ocean system, it becomes important to understand how different populations of marine animals will respond. Water that is naturally low in pH, with a high concentration of carbon dioxide (hypercapnia) and a low concentration of oxygen, occurs at shallow depths (200–500 m) in the North Pacific Ocean, whereas similar conditions are absent throughout the upper water column in the North Atlantic. This contrasting hydrography provides a natural experiment to explore whether differences in environment cause populations of cosmopolitan pelagic calcifiers, specifically the aragonitic-shelled pteropods, to have a different physiological response when exposed to hypercapnia and low O2. Using closed-chamber end-point respiration experiments, eight species of pteropods from the two ocean basins were exposed to high CO2 ( ∼  800 µatm) while six species were also exposed to moderately low O2 (48 % saturated, or  ∼  130 µmol kg−1) and a combined treatment of low O2/high CO2. None of the species tested showed a change in metabolic rate in response to high CO2 alone. Of those species tested for an effect of O2, only Limacina retroversa from the Atlantic showed a response to the combined treatment, resulting in a reduction in metabolic rate. Our results suggest that pteropods have mechanisms for coping with short-term CO2 exposure and that there can be interactive effects between stressors on the physiology of these open ocean organisms that correlate with natural exposure to low O2 and high CO2. These are considerations that should be taken into account in projections of organismal sensitivity to future ocean conditions.


The petroleum sector offers governments huge potential revenues that could be invested in poverty alleviation and inequality reduction, but those revenues must first be collected. Taxes are levied on profits, but companies may seek to reduce their taxes by deducting ineligible or exaggerated costs, often paid to related parties. Governments' essential tool to combat petroleum cost overstatement is the right to audit costs, but there is limited data on whether governments use this right effectively. Cost auditing practices in Ghana, Kenya, and Peru suggest that governments face significant challenges. Oxfam proposes recommendations to address these challenges and ensure that governments collect the taxes owed for the exploitation of their finite, nonrenewable petroleum resources.


This paper documents an increase in residential electricity consumption while industrial and commercial consumption has fallen during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Hourly smart meter data from Texas reveals how daily routines changed during the pandemic, with usage during weekdays closely resembling those of weekends. The 16% residential increase during work hours offsets the declines from commercial and industrial customers. Using monthly data from electric utilities nationwide, I find a 10% increase in residential consumption, and a 12% and 14% reduction in commercial and industrial usage, respectively, during the second quarter of 2020. This contrasts with the financial crisis of 2008, which also witnessed a rapid decline in industrial electricity consumption, but left residential usage unaffected. The increase in residential consumption is found to be positively associated with the share of the labor force that may work from home. From April through July of 2020, total excess expenditure on residential electricity was nearly $6B.


Well-established fact shows that fixed spectrum allocation policy conveys to the low spectrum utilization. The cognitive radio technique promises to improve the low efficiency. This paper proposes an optimized access strategy combining overlay scheme and underlay scheme for the cognitive radio. We model the service state of the system as a continuous-time Markov model. Based on the service state, the overlay manner or the underlay manner is used by the secondary users. When the primary user is not transmitting and only one secondary user has the requirement to transmit, the secondary system adopts the overlay scheme. When the primary user is transmitting and the secondary users want to transmit simultaneously, an underlay scheme with an access probability is adopted. We obtain the optimal access probability which maximizes the overall system throughput.


Human-in-the-loop data analysis applications necessitate greater transparency in machine learning models for experts to understand and trust their decisions. To this end, we propose a visual analytics workflow to help data scientists and domain experts explore, diagnose, and understand the decisions made by a binary classifier. The approach leverages "instance-level explanations", measures of local feature relevance that explain single instances, and uses them to build a set of visual representations that guide the users in their investigation. The workflow is based on three main visual representations and steps: one based on aggregate statistics to see how data distributes across correct / incorrect decisions; one based on explanations to understand which features are used to make these decisions; and one based on raw data, to derive insights on potential root causes for the observed patterns. The workflow is derived from a long-term collaboration with a group of machine learning and healthcare professionals who used our method to make sense of machine learning models they developed. The case study from this collaboration demonstrates that the proposed workflow helps experts derive useful knowledge about the model and the phenomena it describes, thus experts can generate useful hypotheses on how a model can be improved.