Abstract In this paper, consideration is given to the numerical solution of the transient flow in prismatic open channels. The mathematical formulation is based on the application of mass and momentum conservation laws. This problem has been solved by two methods, which are: the characteristics grid method, using non-linear integration, and the finite difference conservative scheme. Two applications of transient flow in rectangular channel are considered. To verify the validity of the used numerical techniques, the computed results are compared for different boundary conditions. These comparisons demonstrate that results obtained by the method of characteristics agree with those of the conservative finite difference method when no hydraulic bore occurs. Nevertheless, the finite difference conservative method is more practical and can capture the hydraulic bore with precision and without any special treatment. A further comparison shows good agreement between finite difference method results and literature-quoted numerical computations.


In March 2003, the Judicial Conference of the United States, the policymaking body of the federal judiciary, requested that Congress create 11 judgeships for the federal courts of appeals. The Conference based its request, in part, on a workload measure known as adjusted filings. Four courts of appeals were included in the request - but there was no mention at all of the two courts with the highest adjusted filings in the nation, the Fifth Circuit and the Eleventh Circuit. This omission raises two questions, one obvious and one that lurks below the surface. The obvious question is: Why is the Judicial Conference not seeking additional judgeships for courts which, by its own standard, would appear to need them more acutely than any other? Pursuit of this inquiry leads to the second question: Does the process used by the Judicial Conference in formulating its recommendations provide sufficient information to enable Congress to carry out its responsibility for creating judgeships when needed? Those questions are the principal focus of this article. The article examines the Judicial Conference process as well as a recent report by the General Accounting Office that expresses concerns about the standard used by the Conference in formulating its recommendations. The article concludes with suggestions for a more open process - a step that, it is believed, will provide significant benefits to the judiciary as well as to Congress.


OBJECTIVE
Our aim was to evaluate the impact of FDG PET on defining the extent of disease and on the treatment of patients with advanced breast cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The medical records of 125 consecutive patients with recurrent or metastatic breast cancer referred for FDG PET from January 1998 through May 2002 were retrospectively reviewed. The rationale for FDG PET referral and the impact of FDG PET on subsequent treatment decisions for patients were determined by chart review. The impact of FDG PET on defining the extent of disease was determined by comparing the FDG PET interpretation at the time of the examination with findings from conventional imaging (CI) performed before FDG PET. FDG PET results were confirmed in nearly half (n = 61) of the patients by histopathology (n = 23) or follow-up imaging (n = 38; mean follow-up interval, 21.3 months).

RESULTS
Patients were referred for FDG PET for the following reasons: evaluation of disease response or viability after therapy (n = 43 [35%]), local recurrence, with intent of aggressive local treatment (n = 39 [31%]), equivocal findings on CI (n = 25 [20%]), evaluation of disease extent in patients with known metastases (n = 13 [10%]), and elevated tumor markers with unknown disease site (n = 5 [4%]). Compared with CI findings, the extent of disease increased in 54 (43%), did not change in 41 (33%), and decreased in 30 (24%) of 125 patients using FDG PET. Results of FDG PET altered the therapeutic plan in 40 (32%), directly helped to support the therapeutic plan in 34 (27%), and did not change the plan devised before FDG PET in 51 (41%) of 125 patients. FDG PET altered therapy most frequently in the patients suspected of having locoregional recurrence and in those being evaluated for treatment response versus other referral categories (p = 0.04). For patients with confirmation of FDG PET findings, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of FDG PET were 94%, 91%, and 92%, respectively.

CONCLUSION
FDG PET contributes significantly to defining the extent of disease and deciding on treatment of patients with advanced breast cancer.


The focus of this paper is on the practical aspects of design, prototyping, and testing of a compact, compliant external pipe-crawling robot that can inspect a closely spaced bundle of pipes in hazardous environments and areas that are inaccessible to humans. The robot consists of two radially deployable compliant ring actuators that are attached to each other along the longitudinal axis of the pipe by a bidirectional linear actuator. The robot imitates the motion of an inchworm. The novel aspect of the compliant ring actuator is a spring-steel compliant mechanism that converts circumferential motion to radial motion of its multiple gripping pads. Circumferential motion to ring actuators is provided by two shape memory alloy (SMA) wires that are guided by insulating rollers. The design of the compliant mechanism is derived from a radially deployable mechanism. A unique feature of the design is that the compliant mechanism provides the necessary kinematic function within the limited annular space around the pipe and serves as the bias spring for the SMA wires. The robot has a control circuit that sequentially activates the SMA wires and the linear actuator; it also controls the crawling speed. The robot has been fabricated, tested, and automated. Its crawling speed is about 45 mm/min, and the weight is about 150 g. It fits within an annular space of a radial span of 15 mm to crawl on a pipe of 60-mm outer diameter.


Abstract Infrared smoothed deuterium ice layers inside capsules have been successfully demonstrated for capsules inside cylindrical hohlraums. Improved characterization methods and infrared illumination enables low mode control in both the axial and azimuthal directions. We demonstrate control of the first two axial modes and first azimuthal mode using IR pointing. We demonstrate ice layers with axial P1 amplitude less than 1 μm, and a reduction in P2 amplitude from 20% to 8% of the ice thickness. Results of these experiments will be used to derive accuracy requirements for an infrared heating system for ice layers in hohlraums on NIF.


In drone racing, pilots compete on 3D race courses with quadcopter drones. A first-person view camera feed displayed through an immersive head-mounted display, gives them the sense of directly piloting the remote vehicle. The Drone Racing League (DRL) operates standardized competitions from which it produces professional video. In the present research, we analyze DRL videos to examine the reasons that high-performance drone pilots crash. The video corpus, combined with the standardization of the event, enables us to study pilot performance without interfering factors (e.g., customized drones or interfaces). We present a deep understanding of the sport of drone racing, a framework for understanding crashes, and insights into the reasons that pilots crash, exploring how the HCI community can benefit drone racing through future user interface augmentations.


Therapeutic benefits of amentoflavone, a 5',8"-biapigenin isolated from numerous medicinal plants, in the management of human ailments has been reported. However, the mechanisms of action and precise interaction of this biflavonoid with protein targets for such bioactivities have not been exhaustively documented. The present study shows the first binding model of amentoflavone with few selected human proteins (α-glucosidase, tyrosinase and 15-lipoxygenase) as validated therapeutic targets using computational procedures. Results obtained divulged amentoflavone interference with the metal ions within the active site of tyrosinase and lipoxygenase as part of its inhibitory mechanism against the proteins. The predicted inhibitory potential of the biflavonoid against 15-lipoxygenase correlates with IC50 value (0.04 µM). Its binding poses were comparable to that of acarbose on α-glucosidase with highest affinity (-11.4 kcal/mol) while the modest affinity (-9.4 kcal/mol) for tyrosinase indicates moderate inhibition for the compound possibly due to its interaction with only one of the two copper ions. It was observed that amentoflavone stably occupied the active sites of all the proteins with lesser ?G values and engaged one of its monoflavonoid subunits for penetration into binding pocket, preventing substrate access, binding and conversion. However, the relatively bulky structure of amentoflavone was prone to steric hindrance within the binding pockets. The polyhyroxyl groups of the biflavonoid participate critically in the formation of hydrophilic interaction. The aromatic rings enjoyed hydrophobic interactions with residues side chain and π-π stacking with the phenolic rings of aromatic amino acids. The unique binding configurations and interactions obtained against each protein in this study may be helpful in explaining the subtle differences of the biflavonoid potency (IC50 values). The data also validate amentoflavone as a useful candidate in treatment of diabetes, inflammation and hyperpigmentary disorders.


A rigid (micro) robot mounted serially to the tip of a long, flexible (macro) manipulator is often used to increase reach capability, but flexibility in the macromanipulator can make it susceptible to vibration. A rigid manipulator attached to a flexible but unactuated base was used to study a scheme to achieve positioning of the micromanipulator combined with enhanced vibration damping of the base. The interaction forces and torques acting between the robot and its flexible base were modeled and studied. Simulated and measured interactions generated at the base of a three degree of freedom rigid robot are compared. Simulated and experimental results are included that demonstrate with the proper control of these interactions, damping can be added to the base.


A layer with exotic blocks has been found in the flysch of the Krosno Beds, in the Fore-Dukla Zone (the southernmost part of the Silesian Nappe in the Bieszczady Mts, Polish Outer Carpathians). It has been traced over a distance of 1 km near Wetlina (the Bieszczady Mts), in the southernmost exposed tectonic slice. The exotic blocks include crystalline schist (quartz—chlorite—muscovite—orthoclase schist with tourmaline and garnet) and three types of limestones: 1/ massive, sparitic, partly siliceous limestone, with numerous calcite veins; 2/ micritic limestone with rare planktic (Globigerina-like) foraminiferal tests; 3/ bioclastic limestone with numerous tests of small and large foramini- fers, coralline algae (Rhodophyta), bivalves, bryozoans and rare echinoid spines. The exotics are embedded in light- and dark-grey argillaceous, partly sandy, calcareous matrix, together with a few small angular pebbles of grey mudstones and very fine-grained sandstones, which resemble lithological types of the Krosno Beds. The described rocks are similar to those found as exotic blocks in the Krosno Beds in neighbouring areas (Roztoki Dolne and Ustrzyki Gorne) of the Central Carpathian Depression (Silesian Nappe). Calcareous nannoplankton from the exotic-bearing layer and neighbouring deposits show that they are not older than the NP24 Zone (late Kiscellian), below the isochronous marker horizon of the Jaslo Limestone. It may correspond to the Tenuitella munda Zone of Olszewska (1997, 1998), proposed for the Polish part of the Central Paratethys. The source area of the layer with exotics (islands with narrow shelf margins), probably lay to the south and south-east, was built mainly of crystalline rocks, and partly covered by various types of carbonate Eocene-Oligocene rocks. The deeper parts of the island slopes were covered with Cretaceous-Paleogene sediments, related to deep-water sedimentation in the marginal zone between the Dukla and Silesian subbasins. These deep-water deposits have been partly eroded during the submarine mass movements descending to the Silesian Subbasin.


Great importance is attached to appearance of maps because the look of a map is a great factor of readability. In that sense, we also think that map users are confident of some recognizable styles, in particular in topographic map design. If we could formalize topographic styles, we should be able to propose to users automated methods to apply well-known styles on their data. This paper presents a part of a PhD thesis aiming at formalizing cartographic styles, especially what is meaningful according to related geographical spaces and cartographic practices. A method of comparison of topographic maps, based on French and Swiss topographic maps is detailed: our purpose is to distinguish which parameters and processes in the map design process make a significant visual impact, thus conveying a topographic style.


The use of coal in the production of energy, will continue around the world into the next century, and onwards. From an environmental perspective, as well as a financial one, man has attempted to increase the efficiency of energy production from initial raw materials. Environmentally, the poor conversion of coal to energy means a waste of earth's resources, as well as the production of more waste. From a financial viewpoint, poor combustion means less energy per tonne of coal, hence less profit. Poor combustion will also mean higher levels of carbon in ash. Increased carbon levels will change the physical properties of the ash, and therefore reduce the possible number of outlets for its disposal.

It is essential, from a coal buyer's point of view that he makes an 'informed' choice, as to the type of coal he is buying, especially if coals in question are imported. There is sufficient evidence to suggest that most techniques that currently exist are unable to characterise world coals successfully. The reason for this has been linked to the unusual petrographic nature of various world coals. It seems logical therefore, that an analytical technique based on the petrography of a coal, would be capable of providing a better characteristic assessment of any given coal type.

The use of image analysis in providing petrographic information has been investigated, along with several different techniques for the characterisation of char and coal particles. Char production itself has been studied, mainly concerned with the production of representative char samples. A range of different operating conditions were used, including temperature ranges of 1000°C to 1400°C, oxygen contents of 0 to 3 %, and residence times of 100 to 200 milliseconds.

From the experiments carried out, it was possible to correlate char structure to the initial coal using a reflectance/fluorescence program, specially designed for the measurement of a coals 'reactivity'. Other prediction systems, such Rank, Fuel Ratio and Reactive Macerals did not correlate as well to the combustion products from the Drop Tube Furnace.


Nucleic acid based drugs such as plasmid DNA (pDNA), small interfering RNA (siRNA), short hairpin RNA (shRNA), micro RNA (miRNA), and both antisense and antigene oligonucleotides, are potentially potent and specific compounds for therapeutic applications. Many major life threatening ailments might be treated using these molecules, and many polynucleotide products are currently in advanced clinical development. However, their successful therapeutic application is hindered due to limited delivery to their site of action in either the cytosol or the nucleus of a cell. Some of the barriers in the path of successful delivery of these biomolecules to their site of action have been addressed. However, endosomal entrapment followed by maturation to lysosomes and degradation of these compounds inside the cell is one remaining major hurdle. This dissertation describes two novel siRNA delivery techniques which present distinct advantages in their respective areas of application while, at the same time, constitute promising platforms for developing therapeutic biologicals. Chapter 2 focuses on liposomal delivery vehicles containing hydrophobic nanoparticles in their bilayers, which encapsulate the nucleic acid based drugs and promote endosomal escape by nanoparticle induced fusion with the endosomal membranes. Specifically we use metal nanoparticles in specialized liposomes for the efficient delivery of small interfering RNA (siRNA). Manuscript 2 focuses on novel chiral cationic polymers – polyethyleneimines (PEIs) – that form complexes with the negatively charged nucleic-acid based drugs and promote endosomal escape via a proton sponge effect. Specifically we use of chiral cationic polyamines for two intriguing applications: fabrication of chiral covalentlylinked microcapsules, and enantiospecific delivery of siRNA to Huh 7 cells. We found that two of the designed polymers improved transfection efficiency relative to commercially available transfection reagents with lower cell toxicity. In total this dissertation presents work that demonstrates novel and efficient delivery strategies that promote endosomal escape and enhance the intracellular activity of nucleic acid based drugs.


ABSTRACT Studying species with wide geographical distributions allows the evaluation of the effects of environmental variation and phylogenetic constraints on the ecology of these organisms. The snake Tantilla melanocephala is widely distributed across South America in different environments (Amazonia, Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, Caatinga, and Chaco). We compared the morphology, diet, and reproduction of T. melanocephala inhabiting the northeastern Brazil in Atlantic Forest and Caatinga. In total, 161 individuals were collected from the Atlantic Forest and 88 were collected from Caatinga, and all had similar morphological and ecological traits. There was no sexual dimorphism within the biomes, and no morphological differences between individuals from both biomes. The species fed mainly on chilopods, and there were a few differences in the centipede species consumed in each biome. The volume of consumed prey did not differ between biomes, and clutch size was also similar (1–2 eggs), with differences during the egg-laying period reflecting environmental differences. The species has a continuous reproductive cycle in the Atlantic Forest and a seasonal reproductive cycle in Caatinga. Similarities in the morphology and ecology of T. melanocephala in the Atlantic Forest and Caatinga suggests that the species exhibits a high degree of phylogenetic conservatism.


Cellulolytic bacteria were isolated from manure wastes (cow dung) and degrading soil (municipal solid waste). Nine bacterial strains were screened the cellulolytic activities. Six strains showed clear zone formation on Berg's medium. CMC (carboxyl methyl cellulose) and cellulose were used as substrates for cellulase activities. Among six strains, cd3 and mw7 were observed in quantitative measurement determined by dinitrosalicylic acid (DNS) method. Maximum enzyme producing activity showed 1.702mg/ml and 1.677mg/ml from cd3 and mw7 for 1% CMC substrate. On the other hand, it was expressed 0.563mg/ml and 0.415mg/ml for 1% cellulose substrate respectively. It was also studied for cellulase enzyme producing activity optimizing with kinetic growth parameters such as different carbon source including various concentration of cellulose, incubation time, temperature, and pH. Starch substrate showed 0.909mg/ml and 0.851mg/ml in enzyme producing activity. The optimum substrate concentration of cellulose was 0.25% for cd3 but 1% for mw7 showing the amount of reducing sugar formation 0.628mg/ml and 0.669mg/ml. The optimum incubation parameters for cd3 were 84 hours, 40C and pH 6. Mw7 also had optimum parameters 60 hours, 40 C and pH6.


The purpose of the study was to explore the statistical relationships among selected variables related to gay divorced fathers in order to develop a better understanding of their gender role conflict and help-seeking behaviors. Participants (N=105) self-identified as Caucasian (91%), resided in the United States (90%), holding a bachelor's degree or higher (80%), and annual incomes of less than $80,000 (52%). The men ranged in age from 29 to 78 (M= 54), married from 1 to 38 years (M= 18), and divorced from 5 months to just under 37 years (M= 10). Participants completed an on-line questionnaire that included (a) Gender Role Conflict Scale, (b) Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale, (c) Intentions to Seeking Counseling Inventory, (d) Hopkins Symptom Checklist, (e) two open-ended prompts, and (f) demographic questions. Participants who had received mental health services in the past were asked to report on what prompted them to seek services and the helpfulness of those services. Analysis of Pearson r was used to answer each of the research questions related to (a) GRC and psychological distress (positive correlation); (b) GRC and attitudes and intentions towards seeking psychological help (negative correlation); and (c) years married and psychological distress (negative correlation). Significance was not identified between time since divorce and any other variable. Over 80% of the participants had used mental health services with the three main reasons being coming-out, depression, and sexual identity. The most beneficial resources they had available to them and/or they would recommend to others were support groups, counseling/therapy, and general support. Findings are limited by a lack of cultural and ethnic diversity among the sample. Implications include using group counseling methods and/or a coaching model for service delivery. An informed integrated approach that focuses on systems, role development, and strategic thinking is recommended. Interventions should include depression and suicide assessments, brief solution focused methods, narrative work, social networking, and community resource guides. Future research should seek to determine between group differences with


Research on inmate social order, a once-vibrant area, receded just as U.S. incarceration rates climbed and the country's carceral contexts dramatically changed. This study returns to inmate society with an abductive mixed-methods investigation of informal status within a contemporary men's prison unit. We collected narrative and social network data from 133 male inmates housed in a unit of a Pennsylvania medium-security prison. Analyses of inmate narratives suggest that unit "old heads" provide collective goods in the form of mentoring and role modeling that foster a positive and stable peer environment. We test this hypothesis with Exponential Random Graph Models (ERGMs) of peer nomination data. The ERGM results complement the qualitative analysis and suggest that older inmates and inmates who have been on the unit longer are perceived by their peers as powerful and influential. Both analytic strategies point to the maturity of aging and the acquisition of local knowledge as important for attaining informal status in the unit. In summary, this mixed-methods case study extends theoretical insights of classic prison ethnographies, adds quantifiable results capable of future replication, and points to a growing population of older inmates as important for contemporary prison social organization.


Efficiency enhancement is one of the most important issues in modern high power, high frequency gyrotrons. High efficiency gyrotrons will require less prime power, which results in significant cost savings and increase in reliability of the power supply. To meet the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) specifications, gyrotron efficiency has to be greater than 50 %. Furthermore, higher efficiency will reduce the collector loading and improve the life time of the tube. Depressed collector operation can enhance the gyrotron overall efficiency significantly. The experimental results from the 1.5 MW, 110 GHz gyrotron with a single-stage depressed collector are presented in this paper.


Fragile ecosystems, rapidly retreating glaciers, threatened
water resources, extreme events and disasters in harsh environments, as well as demanding livelihood conditions make mountain regions particularly vulnerable to ongoing climate change. For many developing countries adequate response and short- to long-term adaptation strategies to climate change will be the big challenges over the coming decades. However, overcoming these challenges will also be fundamental to the future existence of many societies in mountain regions. The Andes in Peru is expected to
be seriously affected by climate change.2 The Swiss and Peruvian governments have therefore joined forces – through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Ministry of Environment, respectively – to improve the scientific baseline for climate change adaptation, and to implement an adaptation programme in the Cusco and Apurimac regions of the Peruvian Andes. The Programa de Adaptacion al Cambio Climatico (PACC) was initiated in 2008 and is implemented by a non-governmental organization consortium
including Intercooperation, Predes and Libelula. The programme is also supported by Peruvian and Swiss scientific institutions. The Swiss consortium is led by the University of Zurich and includes: Meteoswiss; Meteodat; Agroscope Reckenholz-Tanikon ART; the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL-SLF; and the University of Geneva.


...................................................................................................... i APPROVAL SHEET ........................................................................................ ii LEGALIZATION ............................................................................................. iii DECLARATION ............................................................................................... iv ACKNOWLEDGMENT .................................................................................. v TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................. vii CHAPTER


The recent advances in sensor and display technologies have brought upon the High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging capability. The modern multiple exposure HDR sensors can achieve the dynamic range of 100-120 dB and LED and OLED display devices have contrast ratios of 10^5:1 to 10^6:1.
Despite the above advances in technology the image/video compression algorithms and associated hardware are yet based on Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) technology, i.e. they operate within an effective dynamic range of up to 70 dB for 8 bit gamma corrected images. Further the existing infrastructure for content distribution is also designed for SDR, which creates interoperability problems with true HDR capture and display equipment.
The current solutions for the above problem include tone mapping the HDR content to fit SDR. However this approach leads to image quality associated problems, when strong dynamic range compression is applied. Even though some HDR-only solutions have been proposed in literature, they are not interoperable with current SDR infrastructure and are thus typically used in closed systems.
Given the above observations a research gap was identified in the need for efficient algorithms for the compression of still images and video, which are capable of storing full dynamic range and colour gamut of HDR images and at the same time backward compatible with existing SDR infrastructure. To improve the usability of SDR content it is vital that any such algorithms should accommodate different tone mapping operators, including those that are spatially non-uniform.
In the course of the research presented in this thesis a novel two layer CODEC architecture is introduced for both HDR image and video coding. Further a universal and computationally efficient approximation of the tone mapping operator is developed and presented. It is shown that the use of perceptually uniform colourspaces for internal representation of pixel data enables improved compression efficiency of the algorithms. Further proposed novel approaches to the compression of metadata for the tone mapping operator is shown to improve compression performance for low bitrate video content. Multiple compression algorithms are designed, implemented and compared and quality-complexity trade-offs are identified. Finally practical aspects of implementing the developed algorithms are explored by automating the design space exploration flow and integrating the high level systems design framework with domain specific tools for synthesis and simulation of multiprocessor systems. The directions for further work are also presented.


Abiotic stresses present a major challenge in our quest for sustainable food production as these may reduce the potential yields by 70% in crop plants. Of all abiotic stresses, drought is regarded as the most damaging. The complex nature of drought tolerance limits its management through conventional breeding methods. Innovative biotechnological approaches have enhanced our understanding of the processes underlying plant responses to drought at the molecular and whole plant levels. Hundreds of drought stress-induced genes have been identified and some of these have been cloned. Plant genetic engineering and molecular-marker approaches allow development of drought-tolerant germplasm. Transgenic plants carrying genes for abiotic stress tolerance are being developed for water-stress management. Structural genes (key enzymes for osmolyte biosynthesis, such as proline, glycinebetaine, mannitol and trehalose, redox proteins and detoxifying enzymes, stress-induced LEA proteins) and regulatory genes, including dehydration–responsive, element-binding (DREB) factors, Zinc finger proteins, and NAC transcription factor genes, are being used. Using Agrobacterium and particle gun methods, transgenics carrying different genes relating to drought tolerance have been developed in rice, wheat, maize, sugarcane, tobacco, Arabidopsis, groundnut, tomato, and potato. In general, the drought stress-tolerant transgenics are either under pot experiments or under contained field evaluation. Drought-tolerant genetically modified (GM) cotton and maize are under final field evaluations in the United States. Molecular markers are being used to identify drought-related quantitative trait loci (QTL) and their efficient transfer into commercially grown crop varieties of rice, wheat, maize, pearl millet, and barley.


The sorting and transport of different sediment fractions and the resulting beachface evolution over the swash zone of a beach, is numerically investigated within the framework of the shallow water theory and the active layer theory. The shallow water and Exner equations, along with the volume fraction (sorting) equation given by the active layer theory compose the system which is numerically solved using an uncoupled approach, i.e., the model assumes that changes in bed level (and volume fraction) do not have an effect on the flow. Two different numerical methods are applied to solve the system depending on the type of flow tested (constant current or swash flow); a classic Finite Differences Method and a hybrid Finite Difference-Method of Characteristics (FD-MOC) are then used respectively. The numerical model is first tested for the case of a sand dune composed of two different sediment fractions subjected to a constant current. Comparison between simulations from the model and results given by Hudson (2001) solution (which only considers one sediment fraction) showed that the composition of the bed is crucial for the subsequent bed evolution. This case served to verify that the equations were solved correctly and some interesting features of the kinematics of the system were observed. The model is then applied to the case in which a single Shen and Meyer (1963b) swash event acts over a plane sloping beach composed of two different sediment fractions in the same proportion. Different values of the A (sediment mobility parameter) are investigated taking as a base point the value calculated by Kelly (2009). The results show that the behaviour in time of Pfa (fine volume fraction in the active layer) directly depends on the difference between sediment mobility parameters (Af and Ac) for the fine and coarse fractions; and this in turn results in an effect on the beachface evolution. The finer the mixture of sediments involved the bigger the bed change. Similar behaviour is obtained when the model is tested for the case in which a non-breaking wave swash is acting over the beach profile, although some interesting differences are noted mainly due to the different driving hydrodynamics.Finally, realistic A parameters for the fine and coarse fraction are defined linking grain diameters that can be found on real beaches to the sediment parameters used in the model.Numerical tests for both type of swash flows (breaking and non-breaking wave) are implemented, in which different initial Pfa distributions are considered. The results from these simulations confirmed the crucial role played by the initial distribution of sediments on the beach evolution; it was observed that a kink in the bed (a sort of swash bar/trough) formed around the middle part of the swash zone for the cases in which the initial distribution of sediments showed a maximum or minimum in that area. Comparing the results given by the model when two sediment fractions are considered, with those when a mean value (A¯ = (Af+Ac) / 2 )which is a common practice in coastal engineering models) showed that the inclusion of the two sediment fractions is crucial in order to get better predictions.


Cannabinoids have a long record of recreational and medical use and become increasingly approved for pain therapy. This development is based on preclinical and human experimental research summarized in this review. Cannabinoid CB1 receptors are widely expressed throughout the nociceptive system. Their activation by endogenous or exogenous cannabinoids modulates the release of neurotransmitters. This is reflected in antinociceptive effects of cannabinoids in preclinical models of inflammatory, cancer and neuropathic pain, and by nociceptive hypersensitivity of cannabinoid receptor‐deficient mice. Cannabis‐based medications available for humans mainly comprise Δ9‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD) and nabilone. During the last 10 years, six controlled studies assessing analgesic effects of cannabinoid‐based drugs in human experimental settings were reported. An effect on nociceptive processing could be translated to the human setting in functional magnetic resonance imaging studies that pointed at a reduced connectivity within the pain matrix of the brain. However, cannabinoid‐based drugs heterogeneously influenced the perception of experimentally induced pain including a reduction in only the affective but not the sensory perception of pain, only moderate analgesic effects, or occasional hyperalgesic effects. This extends to the clinical setting. While controlled studies showed a lack of robust analgesic effects, cannabis was nearly always associated with analgesia in open‐label or retrospective reports, possibly indicating an effect on well‐being or mood, rather than on sensory pain. Thus, while preclinical evidence supports cannabinoid‐based analgesics, human evidence presently provides only reluctant support for a broad clinical use of cannabinoid‐based medications in pain therapy.


The paper examines Brexit and the Northern Ireland question, arguing that the withdrawal of the UK from the EU creates tremendous difficulties for the region. As the paper explains, the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland is the only physical frontier between the EU and the UK, and the introduction of a hard border would have huge impact: first, on free movement of goods, with implications for the economy; second on free movement of people, with effect on the Common Travel Area which has existed there since the 1920s; and thirdly on the peace process, potentially threatening the endurance of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which put an end to over 40 years of sectarian conflict. As the paper underlines, given the peculiar situation of Northern Ireland, specific solution ought to be identified – and a number of options can be considered. In terms of free movement of goods, the paper points to the Cyprus model, where good produced in Northern Cyprus can enter into Cyprus without custom duties. In terms of free movement of people, it suggests that, given the insular nature of Ireland, immigration controls could be moved into the Irish Sea. And in terms of the peace process, it recommends that the spirit if not the letter of the Good Friday Agreement be preserved, notably by avoiding any symbol of division (such as a hard border) which may catalyze opposition. As the paper concludes, however, both the UK and the EU seem fully cognizant of the sensitivity of the Northern Irish question, which raises some optimism on the possibility of finding a pragmatic solution for the region.


This study analyzes the relationship between the variability in the performance of the flat tennis service and its practice under variable conditions, taking as a starting point a predictive analysis of the instantaneous kinematic variables of the hand that holds the racket. Seventeen tennis players performed services under 8 practice conditions (rackets and balls were modified), and pre-test and post-test were carried out. The players performed 120 services with the instruction to hit the ball powerfully and maintaining maximum efficiency. Data showed that two variables related to the speed and the acceleration of the hand will predict efficacy at 57.7%: both the time variation coefficients until we reach the speed peak and the final acceleration of the hand in the Y axis. Significant differences were also obtained between some instantaneous kinematic variables measured in the pre-test and the practice series, and also negative and significant correlations between these variables and the efficacy of the services. Key Words: variability, tennis, service


OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that variations in serum insulin concentrations and insulin action may influence serum concentrations of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)]. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A cross-sectional analysis of fasting serum insulin and Lp(a) concentrations were conducted in a group of 54 healthy adult men 23–61 years of age. Measures of dietary intake, exercise, smoking, alcohol ingestion, body mass index (BMI), fasting plasma lipoprotein lipid concentrations, and serum sex hormone and fasting glucose levels were also determined. RESULTS The fasting serum concentrations of insulin and Lp(a) were negatively correlated (r = −0.339, P = 0.014) by univariate regression analysis. Several confounding variables were also significantly correlated with Lp(a) concentrations: testosterone (r = 0.348, P = 0.012), strenuous exercise (r = 0.287, P = 0.041), and BMI (r = −0.276, P = 0.050). As expected, these additional variables and serum insulin concentrations were highly interrelated. In a stepwise regression model, the serum insulin level was identified as the single best predictor of Lp(a) levels. Nearly 25% of the heterogeneity in serum concentrations of Lp(a) could be predicted by serum levels of insulin and testosterone, BMI, and the amount of strenuous exercise. CONCLUSIONS The results of these studies have shown that serum concentrations of insulin and testosterone, BMI, and strenuous exercise appear to account for the majority of predicted nongenetic variability in serum levels of Lp(a). These observations suggest the possibility in this group of healthy men that serum concentrations of Lp(a) may be modulated by a complex interplay between insulin action, obesity, androgen levels, and strenuous exercise.


Program specialization optimizes a program with respect to program invariants, including known, fixed inputs. These invariants can be used to enable optimizations that are otherwise unsound. In many applications, a program input induces predictable patterns of values across loop iterations, yet existing specializers cannot fully capitalize on this opportunity. To address this limitation, we present Invariant-induced Pattern based Loop Specialization (IPLS), the first fully-automatic specialization technique designed for everyday use on real applications. Using dynamic information-flow tracking, IPLS profiles the values of instructions that depend solely on invariants and recognizes repeating patterns across multiple iterations of hot loops. IPLS then specializes these loops, using those patterns to predict values across a large window of loop iterations. This enables aggressive optimization of the loop; conceptually, this optimization reconstructs recurring patterns induced by the input as concrete loops in the specialized binary. IPLS specializes real-world programs that prior techniques fail to specialize without requiring hints from the user. Experiments demonstrate a geomean speedup of 14.1% with a maximum speedup of 138% over the original codes when evaluated on three script interpreters and eleven scripts each.


Edge strength of a singulated glass product is a key metric to evaluate the performance of a cutting process. With the new Enhanced nanoPerforation (EnP) approach CLT can demonstrate an increase to 128 MPa B10 in ES for 1.8RI glasses applicable with an exceptional performance on free form contour designs. These two aspects will help designer and manufacturers to meet the expectations of future AR applications.


This article explores how egress drills—specifically those related to fire incidents—are currently used, their impact on safety levels, and the insights gained from them. It is suggested that neither the merits of egress drills are well understood, nor the impact on egress performance well characterized. In addition, the manner in which they are conducted varies both between and within regulatory jurisdictions. By investigating their strengths and limitations, this article suggests opportunities for their enhancement possibly through the use of other egress models to support and expand upon the benefits provided. It is by no means suggested that drills are not important to evacuation safety—only that their inconsistent use and the interpretation of the results produced may mean we (as researchers, practitioners, regulators, and stakeholders) are not getting the maximum benefit out of this important tool. © 2017 Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada. Fire and Materials StartCopText© 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


An experimental investigation into pre-swirl effectiveness and receiver hole discharge coefficient characteristics for a high radius injection pre-swirl cooling systems was carried out on a physically representative experimental rig with a 450 mm diameter rotor. The receiver holes and pre-swirl nozzle were located at a radius of 181 mm and 180 mm respectively. The experimental work was mainly conducted at 5000-12000 rpm, 4 bar absolute pressure and 1.132 kg/s air supply. The maximum air supply temperature was 190C. Pressure and temperature distributions in the pre-swirl system were examined with an emphasis on the velocity effectiveness of the pre-swirl system as a whole and on the discharge coefficients of the rotating 'receiver holes' in the rotor. The results showed that the velocity effectiveness increased with increasing swirl ratio resulting in reduced blade cooling flow temperature. Increasing the seal flow rate reduced the effectiveness. For the coefficient of discharge, it increased with increase in swirl ratio for most speeds. But the coefficient of discharge is also decrease when the increase of inner seal flow rate.


The search for conjugated polymer photocatalysts for H2 production under visible light remains a key challenge. Reported herein is a conjugated polymer (i.e., melamine-terephthalaldehyde polymer (PMTPA)) derived from melamine and terephthalaldehyde precursors without an external solvent through a Schiff-base reaction. By adjusting the polymerization temperature, PMTPA with different sample colors and band gaps was obtained, which was further applied as a photocatalyst to investigate its activity in H2 evolution. A photocatalytic H2 evolution efficiency up to 58.1 μmol h−1 was observed over PMTPA polymerized at 250 °C under visible light (λ > 420 nm), which was about two times as high as that of C3N4. The Schiff-base reaction without external solvent conditions provides a facile strategy for the synthesis of conjugated polymeric semiconductors with better molecular engineering for advanced applications in the fields of catalysis, energy, and environmental remediation.


Abstract:AWI is a research center that operates research stations both in Antarctica and in the Arctic. In addition mobile research platforms like research vessels and research aircrafts are at AWIs command. At all these research platforms atmospheric investigations play a key role. Studying the development of the Antarctic ozone hole by regular ozone soundings is just one example of the various kinds of studies being performed. Since many years atmospheric investigations are also carried out in the tropics with AWIs research vessel Polarstern by using mobile instruments which are installed aboard the ship in laboratory containers.Currently, a set of AWIs mobile instruments is being operated at a tropical site, namely the Meteorological Observatory in Paramaribo (Suriname) taking part in the international measurement campaign STAR. The tropics are particularly interesting for atmospheric research since the chemical composition of the global atmosphere is to a large extent determined by tropical processes, as the air from both hemispheres converges here, undergoes chemical transformations and ascends to higher altitudes after which it flows back pole ward. The tropical tropopause is a region of great importance for the stratospheric composition, since the bulk of tropospheric air enters the stratosphere through the tropical tropopause. Furthermore, the bulk of stratospheric ozone is produced in the tropics.Thus, there is a necessity to establish atmospheric observatories in the tropics which could be part of global atmospheric networks like NDSC, the Network for Detection of Stratospheric Change, GAW (Global Atmospheric Watch) and UV radiation networks. Since many years AWI and other research institutes along with the Universidad de los Andes (ULA) and the Centro de Investigaciones de Astronomia Francisco J. Duarte (CIDA) have planned to set-up a high altitude tropical atmospheric observatory at Meridas surrounding mountains. AWI planned to install instruments at the Observatorio Nacional de Llano del Hato at an altitude of 3600 m. The instruments which will hopefully be colocated there in the near future include an Aerosol Raman Lidar (for detection of aerosols, cirrus clouds and water vapour), a FTIR spectrometer (for measurements of atmospheric trace gases), a sun photometer (for determination of the optical thickness of the atmosphere), a sky imager (for recording the cloud coverage) and a UV spectral radiometer (to register the solar UV spectral irradiance). The collocation of the various instruments in the Merida area will provide a synergy of the measurements that will improve the interpretation and retrieval of the observations.In summary it can be stated that the prime objective is to set-up international atmospheric observation systems in Merida, and to support cooperation between Venezuelan and European institutes and to ensure the future execution of long-term observational programmes as well as to raise public awareness for climate change issues. It is planned to promote the construction of long, homogenized time series of climate and other global change parameters in the tropics In order to achieve this, it is also intended to establish an exchange programme for students and staff.


We present constraints on cosmological parameters using number counts as a function of redshift for a sub-sample of 189 galaxy clusters from the Planck SZ (PSZ) catalogue. The PSZ is selected through the signature of the Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) effect, and the sub-sample used here has a signal-to-noise threshold of seven, with each object confirmed as a cluster and all but one with a redshift estimate. We discuss the completeness of the sample and our construction of a likelihood analysis. Using a relation between mass M and SZ signal Y calibrated to X-ray measurements, we derive constraints on the power spectrum amplitude sigma(8) and matter density parameter Omega(m) in a flat Lambda CDM model. We test the robustness of our estimates and find that possible biases in the Y-M relation and the halo mass function are larger than the statistical uncertainties from the cluster sample. Assuming the X-ray determined mass to be biased low relative to the true mass by between zero and 30%, motivated by comparison of the observed mass scaling relations to those from a set of numerical simulations, we find that sigma(8) = 0.75 +/- 0.03, Omega(m) = 0.29 +/- 0.02, and sigma(8)(Omega(m)/0.27)(0.3) = 0.764 +/- 0.025. The value of sigma(8) is degenerate with the mass bias; if the latter is fixed to a value of 20% (the central value from numerical simulations) we find sigma(8)(Omega(m)/0.27)(0.3) = 0.78 +/- 0.01 and a tighter one-dimensional range sigma(8) = 0.77 +/- 0.02. We find that the larger values of sigma(8) and Omega(m) preferred by Planck's measurements of the primary CMB anisotropies can be accommodated by a mass bias of about 40%. Alternatively, consistency with the primary CMB constraints can be achieved by inclusion of processes that suppress power on small scales relative to the Lambda CDM model, such as a component of massive neutrinos. We place our results in the context of other determinations of cosmological parameters, and discuss issues that need to be resolved in order to make further progress in this field.


Background: The time between an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and ACL reconstruction (ACLR) may influence baseline knee-related and general health-related patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). Despite the common use of PROMs as main outcomes in clinical studies, this variable has never been evaluated. Purpose: To compare baseline health-related quality of life measures and the prevalence/pattern of meniscal and articular cartilage lesions between patients who underwent acute and chronic ACLR so as to provide clinicians with benchmark PROMs in 2 different patient populations with ACL injuries. Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A total of 1192 patients from the MOON (Multicenter Orthopaedic Outcomes Network) cohort who underwent primary ACLR were eligible. "Acute" ACLR was defined as <3 months (n = 853; 71.6%) and "chronic" ACLR as >6 months (n = 339; 28.4%) from injury. Patient demographics, surgical characteristics (articular cartilage injury, medial meniscal [MM] and lateral meniscal [LM] tears), and baseline PROM scores (Marx activity rating scale, International Knee Documentation Committee [IKDC] subjective form, Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score [KOOS], and Short Form–36 Health Survey [SF-36]) were collected to determine whether the time from injury to ACLR influences (1) baseline PROMs and (2) the pattern and prevalence of concurrent articular cartilage and meniscal injuries. Analysis of covariance models were used to adjust for confounders on baseline outcome scores (age, sex, body mass index [BMI], smoking status, competition level, education). Results: The median patient age was 23 years (interquartile range [IQR], 17-35 years), 530 (44.5%) were female, and the median BMI was 25.0 kg/m2 (IQR, 22.3-27.9 kg/m2); however, the chronic group was older, had a higher BMI, and consisted of fewer collegiate athletes. A significantly greater number of partial LM tears were seen in the acute group versus the chronic group (14.2% vs 6.5%, respectively; P < .001), but there were more meniscal tears overall (73.5% vs 63.2%, respectively; P = .001), complete MM tears (49.0% vs 22.5%, respectively; P < .001), and articular cartilage injuries (54.0% vs 32.8%, respectively; P < .001) in the chronic group versus the acute group. After controlling for confounders, patients in the chronic ACLR group reported a significantly lower baseline Marx score (7.75 vs 12.10, respectively; P < .001) but higher baseline IKDC, SF-36 physical functioning, and all KOOS subscale scores except the KOOS–quality of life subscale score compared to those in the acute ACLR group; however, only the KOOS–sports and recreation subscale exceeded the minimum clinically importance difference of 8 points (62.30 vs 48.26, respectively; P < .001). Conclusion: After controlling for age, sex, competition level, smoking, and BMI, patients in the chronic ACLR group participated in less pivoting and cutting sports but reported better pain/function. Whether decreased activity is deliberate after an ACL injury or patients who undergo chronic ACLR are simply less active and may be treated successfully without surgery warrants further investigation. Nonrandomized studies that utilize PROMs should consider time from injury in study design and data interpretation.


Distributed data stream processing (DSP) is used to analyze information and raise alarms in business-critical scenarios such as financial fraud-detection, clickstream processing, network security, traffic control, or real-time KPI computations. Processing this information efficiently is very challenging because the nature of continuous streaming sources is varying in nature: often the amount of data and processing changes with time of day and day of week and frequently has unexpected spikes. Thus, the result is that most DSP computations are either over-provisioned, introducing increased cost and wasted energy, or are under-provisioned and, either incur in performance degradation or denial-of-service, or have to resort to load shedding.
 We demonstrate Flood, a scalable, elastic DSP engine that addresses these problems. By using a scalable computing model, MapReduce, and adequately monitoring running computations our system is able to decide, in runtime, if there is a lack or a surplus of resources. Flood then acts autonomically by requesting or releasing computing nodes, without losing tuples or redoing computation, at the same time making sure that latency and throughput requirements are guaranteed.


ABSTRACT Although Mycobacterium abscessus (M. abscessus) is becoming more prevalent in patients without overt immunodeficiency, little is known about the factors that contribute to disease susceptibility. This study was undertaken to investigate how Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) functionally contributes to the generation of protective immunity against M. abscessus in a morphotype-specific manner. We found that Tlr2 −/− mice were extremely susceptible to an intravenous (i.v.) model of infection by M. abscessus rough variants, displaying uncontrolled infection in the lungs and a significantly lower survival rate than with wild-type (WT) mice. This uncontrolled infection resulted from failures in the following processes: (i) production of the crucial cytokines gamma interferon (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin 12p70 (IL-12p70); (ii) early infiltration of neutrophils, monocytes, and dendritic cells (DCs) in the lungs of Tlr2 −/− mice; (iii) rapid influx of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells; and (iv) the expansion of memory/effector T cells. Notably, systemic administration of M. abscessus culture filtrate-treated syngeneic DCs from WT mice greatly strengthened immune priming in vivo, resulting in a dramatic reduction in bacterial growth and improved long-term survival in Tlr2 −/− mice, with a recovery of protective immunity. Our findings demonstrate that TLR2 is an essential contributor to instructive and effector immunity during M. abscessus infection in a morphotype-specific manner.


The TGF-β3 gene is a subtype of TGF-β superfamily that plays a crucial role in skeletal muscle growth. The objectives of this study were to identify the TGF-β3|BslI locus polymorphisms and to evaluate their effects on carcass components in Kampung and broiler chicken cross. A total of 129 chickens used in this study, consisting of: Kampung chickens (44), parent stock broilers Cobb strains (10), F1 Kampung x broilers (35), and F2 Kampung x broilers (40). The PCR-RFLP and direct sequencing techniques were used to obtain mutations in the intron 4 of TGF-β3 gene using the BslI restriction enzyme. The TGF-β3|BslI locus was polymorphic in all populations and three genotypes were found: CC, AA, and CA. No association was found between the three genotypes with the carcass components in F2 Kampung x broiler cross.


With the upcoming technology available today, for the conversion of waste to useful products, research in the area of thermal degradation has gained particular attention. However, the wide product distribution and the high temperatures employed in such a process makes catalytic degradation a more promising solution to the problem of plastic waste. In catalytic degradation, lower temperatures are employed and the product distribution is narrow. This eliminates the need for further processing of the fuel in order to upgrade its quality. The aim of this work is to carry out a systematic study of various industrial catalysts in a catalytic degradation system. More specifically, the influence on the yield to liquid fuel, product distribution and hence; quality and regeneration ability of the catalysts. The catalytic degradation of polyethylene over various microporous materials, zeolite-based and clay-based catalysts, was studied in a semi-batch reactor. From the zeolites, ZSM-5 resulted mostly in gaseous products and almost no coking due to its shape selectivity properties. Commercial cracking catalysts fully degraded the polymer resulting in higher liquid yield and lower coke content than their parent ultrastable Y zeolite. This confirmed the suitability of such catalysts for a polymer recycling process and its commercialisation potential, as plastic waste could be co-fed into a refinery cracking unit. Clays, Saponite and Zenith-N, a montmorillonite, and their pillared analogues were less active than zeolites, but could fully degrade the polymer. They showed enhanced liquid formation, due to their mild acidity, and lower coke formation. Regenerated pillared clays showed practically the same performance as fresh samples, but their original clays' performance deteriorated after removal of the formed coke. Although performance of the regenerated saponite was satisfactory, with the regenerated Zenith-N the structural damage was so extensive that plastic was only partly degraded.


The overall aim of the thesis is to realise a better, more holistic understanding of the management of smouldering crises and progress knowledge regarding the 'latent conditions' which underlie adverse patient safety incidents in healthcare organisations. In so doing, this thesis will move the debate concerning both the management of smouldering crises and patient safety in healthcare
The dominant approach in crisis management theory has been to consider crises from an organisational perspective. In spite of more recent developments in the understanding of smouldering crisis which causally attribute the emerging crisis to limitations in management's perspective, knowledge and capabilities, there has been insufficient emphasis upon understanding the contributory behaviour of grassroots level. Furthermore, whilst theory is empirically based, this has almost exclusively been founded on narratives offered by those who occupy senior management positions at the expense of considering employees who are closer to the crisis incubation point.
Errors in medicine are rare. However, the consequences of adverse patient safety incidents can be devastating. In the healthcare sector, legislative and policy initiatives in the UK during the early part of this century placed patient safety high on the agenda. Consistent with the dominant paradigm in crisis management theory, systemic human error is seen to underpin adverse patient safety incidents. However, whilst progress has been made developing an understanding and addressing aspects of the causal route to such incidents through 'latent conditions', the degree of understanding regarding contributory behavioural factors has been more limited.
This thesis rebalances the approach taken to date in the crisis management and patient safety literature by looking at smouldering crises from a less limited perspective than previously. It does so by exploring the views of individuals at grassroots level within an organisation. Adopting a qualitative research methodology and through purposive sampling, the research study utilises typical patient care scenarios in order to explore and understand the behaviour of employees in their workplace. The accounts of participants' working life are examined using narrative analysis and the findings are crystallised in the author's model of professional workplace behaviour, the 'Faces of Self'.
The author asserts that the limitations of management perspective, knowledge and capabilities which are responsible for the escalation of smouldering crises can be ameliorated if management are sensitive to and effective in the management of the organisation's climate. In addition, effective improvement of both 'hard' and 'soft' 'latent conditions' by policy makers, leaders within organisations and management generally will create a more effective, motivated and satisfied healthcare professional in the patient care setting and negate some of the conditions in which the adverse patient safety incidents promulgate.


Although public law scholars have long addressed the problems of accountability generated by private decision-making and "privatization," they have largely ignored this phenomenon in the immigration context. Our ignorance is increasingly indefensible. Millions of employers - private parties - are required by law to screen their workers for unauthorized immigrants, and growing evidence suggests that they use their screening power to ignore workplace protections and to otherwise exploit these workers. This article is the first attempt to apply the insights generated by the privatization literature to immigration law. It argues that our nation's employers have emerged as private immigration screeners who, like airport inspectors screening for ineligible entrants and law enforcement officers screening for criminal noncitizens, assist the Department of Homeland Security in identifying unauthorized workers for removal. More than just agents of exploitation, reframing employers as private screeners demonstrates that they are also agents of the state. Borrowing analytical concepts developing in the privatization literature, I argue that the high risk of abuse and the lack of readily available mechanisms for reducing that risk raise troubling implications over the kind of power that employers wield as private immigration screeners in the workplace. Reframing our nation's employers as private screeners gives theoretical coherence to the discretionary decision-making authority they actually wield, and explains why they have used that authority to exploit workers - as private parties carrying out public duties, they are incentivized to serve their own interests instead of verifying the immigration status of their workers in good faith. Examining the problem of private immigration screening also forces us to reconsider two aspects about immigration screening generally. First, although immigration law tends to reward unauthorized immigrants who lay low and tends to punish those who draw attention to themselves, I suggest that we ought to rethink this logic at least in the context of the workplace. Because workplace violations committed by employers are typically enforced by private parties, punishing unauthorized immigrants who attempt to assert these rights and thus draw attention to themselves, only encourages workplace violations by employers and fosters a culture of lawlessness. Second, thinking about how decision-making authority within immigration law should be allocated between the public and the private contributes to the current conversation over how similar decision-making authority should be allocated between federal entities and local entities. Although questions of accountability have lingered in the backdrop of the immigration federalism debate, I suggest that scholars would be well served to foreground these questions and answer them head-on.


In this paper we introduce a method for analyzing the performance of coded modulation schemes based on iterated chaotic maps. In particular, it is known from coding theory that the minimum distance plays an important role, defining the behavior of the error probability performance at sufficiently high signal to noise ratios. We introduce the method and illustrate it for two examples of chaotic maps, the Bernoulli shift map and the tent map. We emphasize that the performance of the map can not be understood by a reasoning in terms of ergodic behavior of the map. The given simulation results confirm the relevance of the minimum distance for describing the performance of such a system.


The Central Governor Model (CGM) suggests that perturbations in the rate of heat storage (AS) are centrally integrated to regulate exercise intensity in a feed-forward fashion to prevent excessive thermal strain. We directly tested the CGM by manipulating ambient temperature (Tam) at 20-minute intervals from 20°C to 35°C, and returning to 20°C, while cycling at a set rate of perceived exertion (RPE). The synchronicity of power output (PO) with changes in HS and Tam were quantified using Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Averages analysis. PO fluctuated irregularly but was not significantly correlated to changes in thermo physiological status. Repeated measures ANOV A indicated no changes in lactate accumulation. In conclusion, real time dynamic sensation of Tam and integration of HS does not directly influence voluntary pacing strategies during sub-maximal cycling at a constant RPE while non-significant changes in blood lactate suggest an absence of peripheral fatigue.


Background This presentation focus on how different movement traditions in relation to the view of the body and the body movement culture have been kept, and in some cases, changed over time. Gymnastics has been a compulsory subject for almost 200 years in the Swedish schools. During the same time and even before that, gymnastics has existed as a subject at the Stockholm University College of PE and Sports (GCI/GIH/IH). – How has gymnastics as a subject at the Institute been formed and transformed over the years? What has influenced gymnastics and the teacher training programme, and what has happened to the figuration of movement traditions? ObjectiveThe aim of the study has been to follow and describe the subject gymnastics and its development at the PE teacher-training programme at GCI/GIH over the studied time period from 1944-1992. Special attention has been placed on the movement part without apparatus (the floor exercise) for male and female students. Methods The thesis consists of two separate empirical studies, with a shared interview study of 12 former teacher educators placed in both studies. The method of "triangulating" is used to be able to follow the changes of the subject's content, figuration and representation. The methods used, besides the above-mentioned interview, are document analyses and visual analyses. The focus in this presentation will be on the study dealing with the possibilities of visual analysis to investigate how movements have been embodied, expressed and represented in relation to the view of the body and existing body movement culture. The film material used comes from the Institutes yearly events and the representation of the movements is interpreted by a semiotic discourse analyses. Results From the 40s to the 70s there existed two separate gymnastics discourses, one male and one female, expressed in the movement content and in the figuration of movements. The male discourse was maintained almost intact, without any changes. Instead, the female was continually changed and developed over the actual period of time, strongly influenced by rhythmic and dance. When coeducation was implemented in the late 70s a new body movement culture was developed – a unisex. Between 1949 and 1970 in the film material, the masculine discourse was represented by the body image of a systematically trained and disciplined body, doing corrective gymnastics exercises, according to an instrumental way of looking at physical training. The smooth, healthy looking young body image of a woman, doing rhythmical aesthetical gymnastics, according to existing values, characterized the feminine discourse. There seems to have been an aesthetics fostering rationality that ruled the female gymnastics. In 1985 the representation of the body image changed, and focus on the performance of the movements disappeared. The objectives of the subject have changed from the corrective and/or aesthetical form of gymnastics to a gymnastic discourse where the attention of simplifying of movements and the social climate in the group are central. Conclusions Finally, the over all findings show that three factors have influenced the changes and development of the subject and the teacher-training programme. First, changes in society in terms of equality, gender roles and a changed role of the PE teacher. Secondly, the impact of the sport discourse outweighed the status of the gymnastics discourse and its legitimacy. The cultivating values, in terms of the aesthetical schooling for the female students, disappeared. Thirdly, the Academy urged (from 1977) for research related instructions in the teacher training programme, which affected both time allowances to gymnastics and sport and the relation between theoretical and practical courses. Questions that need to be discussed further are: What rationalities lie behind today's education of PE teachers? What kind of body movement culture has legitimacy and how is this expressed? And is visual analysis a fruitful way of investigating the representation of a body movement culture?


Background: The HIV/AIDS epidemic has contributed to a drastic increase in the number of orphans and vulnerable children in sub-Saharan Africa. However, little is known about the mental health of these children in low prevalence areas such as Ghana. The thesis investigated the relationship between orphanhood, parental HIV/AIDS status and mental health. It further examined the mediating effects of identified risk and protective factors on the relationship between orphanhood/parental HIV/AIDS status and psychological difficulties. Finally, the thesis identified pathways through which HIV/AIDS impacts children by exploring the interactive and cumulative effects of the various risk and protective factors on psychological difficulties.

Method: The thesis employed cross-sectional, quantitative interviews that involved 291 children aged 10-18 years and their caregivers that compared children who have lost their parents to AIDS, those who have lost their parents to other causes, those who are living with HIV/AIDS-infected caregivers and children from intact families in the Manya Krobo district in Ghana. ANOVAs, T-tests, General Linear Models, Log-linear Analyses, Chi-Squares and Bivariate Correlations were used to analyze the data that were obtained from both the children and their caregivers.

Results
After controlling for relevant socio-demographic factors, both children and informants' reports showed that children orphaned by AIDS and those living with infected parents showed higher delinquency (p <.01), peer problems (p <.001), hyperactivity (p <.01) and lower self esteem (p <.001) than other orphans and children from intact families. AIDS orphans, other orphans and those living with HIV/AIDS-infected parents all reported significantly more depression (p <.001) and relationship problems (p <.001) than those for intact families. Conduct problems as indicated by informants' reports were generally, significantly higher for orphans and vulnerable children compared to children from intact families. Over 70% of both AIDS orphans and children living with infected parents showed internalising symptoms that were above clinical cut-offs for abnormality.

AIDS orphans and children living with infected parents reported more stigma, abuse, child labour and lower levels of SES and lower perceived social support. These factors independently, strongly mediated the relationship between orphanhood, parental HIV/AIDS status and mental health. The interactive and cumulative effect of engagement in child labour and being physically abused heightened the risks for depressive symptoms from 38% to 66%. Neglect and psychological abuse increased the risks for symptoms of Reactive Attachment Disorder from 26.6% to 67.3%. The cumulative effect of stigma and either child labour or physical abuse substantially increased the likelihood of delinquency symptoms to approximately 67%.

Conclusion: The findings demonstrated that both AIDS orphans and children living with HIV/AIDS-infected parents showed heightened psychosocial symptoms. The present evidence also highlighted the interactive, cumulative, co-occurrence of contextual factors and HIV/AIDS unique exposures to create heightened vulnerabilities for psychological difficulties among children. The findings call for a comprehensive intervention programme that addresses factors specific to HIV/AIDS and contextual variables.


This study addresses two questions with a long-term outlook. Both questions address the combined issues of fire hazard and risk reduction and forest health restoration by focusing on smoke production within an intergenerational equity context. First, what are the characteristics of smoke and fuel hazard that might be produced from alternative prescribed fire treatments under several management options available for the wildlandurban interface of Flagstaff, Arizona. The second question addressed is, what general costs and benefits will be passed on to future residents under each management option? Different forest management options will result in different patterns of intergenerational transfers. We discuss the intergenerational concepts of justice and equity in the context of ecological restoration, focusing on the interplay of fire risk, ecological health, and smoke impacts on human health. A computer simulation approach was used to model potential smoke emissions and concentrations along with changes in fuel hazards. Prescribed fire reduces forest floor fuels, but will result in smoke and its associated health effects. Emissions of particulate matter were highest during initial burns but decreased with repeated prescribed fire. Future smoke emissions can be reduced by burning on a more frequent interval, which keeps fuels from accumulating, and by thinning, which reduces future fuel input to the forest floor. Thinning also reduces the risk of active crown fire. However, cumulative emissions are higher with more frequent burning. Although areas restored with heavy thinning and frequent burning emitted lower quantities of particulates, results indicated that burning these areas could result in more frequently exceeding air quality standards than either the initial burns. We argue that the no treatment option would transfer the fewest options to the future and therefore is both unjust and unethical to the future as well as the present. Restoration utilizing thinning and burning would benefit both the current and future generations, and transfer the highest amount of natural capital options, but must be balanced against the negative health effects of increased smoke. We suggest that smoke effects may be mitigated by increasing the fire return interval closer to 20 years in heavily thinned stands.


Efficient capital allocation in a market economy depends on the exchange of reliable information between providers of capital and companies that seek to put capital to work. One challenge, however, is that information exchange is at most only partly subject to verification and contractual arrangements. Take the case of securities issuance, including IPOs; whereas issuers of the new securities have incentives to overstate their prospects to attract higher bids, prospective investors have incentives to understate their interest. In principle, the counterparties could enter into an agreement that would prevent or discourage misrepresentations by both sides, but failure to perform would be very costly, if not impossible, for a court to verify. Investment banks have traditionally addressed this problem by creating extralegal markets for information whose functioning depends on the reputations of the banks for upholding the interests of both their corporate clients and the providers of capital. But committing to strike the right balance among all of the parties' interests means that relational investment bankers inevitably face conflicts of interest. The authors of this article argue that such bankers exist to absorb and to manage conflicts of interest in financial markets—and that they do so by exercising judgment in ways that support their reputation for fair dealing. Modern full‐service investment banks, when addressing such conflicts, combine, or braid, such relational functions with technocratic banking activities involving the use of technical skills with advanced information technology. In so doing, however, technocratic bankers substitute formal contracts for the informal judgment exercised by relational bankers; and as a result, they are less dependent on their banks' reputations for fair dealing. Moreover, technocratic bankers often have powerful incentives to pursue a personal reputation by executing complex transactions that demonstrate their skill, even at the expense of their clients and the bank's reputation for fair dealing. Well‐governed braided banks can benefit from complementarities between relational and technocratic skills. Nevertheless, full‐service banks continue to struggle with governance problems. The authors discuss several market responses to these struggles, such as the growing use of boutique banks offering "unconflicted" sell‐side advice in mergers and acquisitions and securities offerings. But the authors view such responses as at most a first step toward achieving a new understanding of the extent of the challenge facing today's investment banks in carrying out their economic function of bringing together and balancing the interests of companies and their investors.


Over the past decade the online learning options have increased, they became more accessible and popular, thus determining higher education institutions to adapt their curriculum to incorporate the new educational paradigm. Blended education either made the transition between the traditional learning practices and the online learning or emphasised the need to balance the two opposites: face-to-face (in classroom) and online education. It shifted the perspective on a more complex student-centred education, acknowledging the differences in needs, environments and learning spaces required.
In the case of artistic education, due to the vocational and hands-on component, the reform has been received with reluctance and skepticism. Artistic education core principles value the interaction between the maestro-teacher and the student as a fundamental stage in developing the artistic personality. Furthermore, the various techniques can be mastered by the student only through a trial-and-error phase constantly supervised by the teacher.
The present paper emphasises the blended-learning process and end-results of a 5 years artistic educational project: "Time Maps. Real Communities-Virtual Worlds-Experimented Pasts", carried by a team of artists and professors from the National University of Arts from Bucharest. The novelty of our approach consisted in creating an interactive European network of "communities of practice" through in situ and online classes. The challenge and contrast consisted in revitalising the technological patrimony, ancient techniques and art practices by using state of the art technologies in education. The educational results and overall impact of the project will be detailed separately for each community with which we collaborated because of their different cultural contexts. The successful implementation of blended learning practices was a breakthrough for our team, contributing not only to a more updated learning experience for communities and students but also to a higher degree of continuous professional improvement of our team.


Cisplatin is a widely used anticancer drug that acts by binding DNA and causing the formation of intrastrand and interstrand (ICL) crosslinks, but the precise downstream effects of the latter damage are not well understood. In this study, we investigated the influence of cisplatin ICLs on synthetic nucleosomes that were platinated in a site-specific manner in vitro and on gene transcription in live mammalian cells. Nucleosome core particles that we constructed contained site-specific cisplatin 5'-d(G*pC)/5'-d(G*pC) ICLs, where the asterisk denotes the platinated nucleoside, to examine the influence of platinum lesions on the dynamic behavior of nucleosomes in solution. A cisplatin ICL, but not a 1,2-d(GpG) crosslink, significantly inhibited ATP-independent histone octamer-DNA sliding. We also used a novel linearization-recircularization strategy described here to synthesize mammalian expression vectors containing site-specific cisplatin ICLs. Plasmid vectors were tested in live mammalian cells to study the transcription inhibition effects of cisplatin ICLs in the context of two different repair backgrounds. Cisplatin ICLs inhibit transcription as effectively as 1,2-d(GpG) crosslinks. We determined that nucleotide excision repair plays a key role in the removal of cisplatin ICLs, acting in a replication-independent fashion. We also found that loss of mismatch repair function dramatically attenuates the transcription inhibition effects by cisplatin ICLs but not 1,2-d(GpG) intrastrand crosslinks. Our results revealed the unique properties of cisplatin ICLs on nucleosome mobility and on transcription, and they defined how these adducts act in a manner completely different from that used for cisplatin 1,2-d(GpG) crosslinks. These new findings provide direct support for a role of ICLs in the pharmacologic activities of cisplatin, despite the lower frequency of their formation.


Nanostructured carbon materials, especially activated carbon, carbon nanotubes, and graphene, have been widely studied for supercapacitor applications. To maximize the efficacy of these materials for electrochemical energy storage, a detailed understanding of the relationship between the nanostructure of these materials and their performance as supercapacitors is required. A fundamental structural parameter obtained from the Raman spectra of these materials, the in-plane correlation length or nanocrystalline domain size, is found to correlate with the electrochemical capacitance, regardless of other morphological features. This correlation for a common nanostructural characteristic is believed to be the first result of its kind to span several distinct nanostructured carbon morphologies, including graphene–carbon nanotubes hybrid materials, and may allow more effective nanoscale engineering of supercapacitor electrode materials.


Na+,K+-ATPase is an ATP-powered ion pump that establishes concentration gradients for Na+ and K+ ions across the plasma membrane in all animal cells by pumping Na+ from the cytoplasm and K+ from the extracellular medium. This heterodimeric enzyme, a member of P-type ATPases, is composed of a catalytic α-subunit with ten transmembrane do‐ mains and a heavily glycosylated auxiliary β-subunit. The Na+,K+-ATPase is specifically inhibited by cardiotonic steroids like ouabain, which bind to the enzyme's α-subunit from the extracellular side and thereby block the ion pumping cycle. Na+,K+-ATPAse gen‐ erates ion gradients that establishes the driving force for the transepithelial transport of several solutes and nutrients. The effectiveness of this vectorial transport motivated by Na+,K+-ATPase depends on the integrity of epithelial junctions that are essential for the maintenance of the polarized localization of membrane transporters, including the lateral sodium pump. This chapter reviews the facts showing that, in addition to pumping ions, the Na+,K+-ATPase located at the cell borders functions as a cell adhesion molecule and discusses the role of the Na+,K+-ATPase β-subunit in establishing and maintaining cell– cell interactions. Furthermore, Na+,K+-ATPase is a multifunctional protein that, in addi‐ tion to pumping ions asymmetrically and participating in cell–cell contacts, acts as specif‐ ic receptor for the hormone ouabain and transduces extracellular signals. Thus, when bearing in mind with transporting epithelia phenotype, the importance of modulation of cell contacts by Na+,K+-ATPase can hardly be underestimated.


We present a model for the interplay between the fundamental phenomena responsible for the formation of nanostructures by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy on patterned (001)/(111)B GaAs substrates. Experiments have demonstrated that V-groove quantum wires and pyramidal quantum dots form as a consequence of a self-limiting profile that develops, respectively, at the bottom of V-grooves and inverted pyramids. Our model is based on a system of reaction-diffusion equations, one for each crystallographic facet that defines the pattern, and include the group III precursors, their decomposition and diffusion kinetics (for which we discuss the experimental evidence), and the subsequent diffusion and incorporation kinetics of the group-III atoms released by the precursors. This approach can be applied to any facet configuration, including pyramidal quantum dots, but we focus on the particular case of V-groove templates and offer an explanation for the self-limited profile and the Ga segregation observed in the V-groove. The explicit inclusion of the precursor decomposition kinetics and the diffusion of the atomic species revises and generalizes the earlier work of Biasiol et al. [Biasiol et al., Phys.Rev. Lett. 81, 2962 (1998); Phys. Rev. B 65, 205306 (2002)] and is shown to be essential for obtaining a complete description of self-limiting growth. The solution of the system of equations yields spatially resolved adatom concentrations, from which average facet growth rates are calculated. This provides the basis for determining the conditions that yield self-limiting growth. The foregoing scenario, previously used to account for the growth modes of vicinal GaAs(001) and the step-edge profiles on the ridges of vicinal surfaces patterned with V-grooves during metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy, can be used to describe the morphological evolution of any template composed of distinct facets.


The analysis of water distribution networks has to take into account the variability of users' water demand and the variability of network boundary conditions. In complex systems, e.g. those characterized by the presence of local private tanks and intermittent distribution, this variability suggests the use of dynamic models that are able to evaluate the rapid variability of pressures and flows in the network. The dynamic behavior of the network also affects the performance of valves that are used for controlling the network. Pressure reduction valves (PRVs) are used for controlling pressure and reducing leakages. Highly variable demands can produce significant fluctuation of the PRV set point, causing related transient phenomena that propagate through the network and may result in water quality problems, unequal distribution of resources among users, and premature wear of the pipe infrastructure. A model was developed in previous studies and an additional module for pressure control was implemented able to analyze PRVs in a fully dynamic numerical framework. The model was demonstrated to be robust and reliable in the implementation of pressure management areas in the network. The model was applied to a district of the Palermo network (Italy). The district was monitored and pressure as well as flow data were available for model calibration.


In 1969, Little, Brown and Company published The Best Short Stories by Black Writers, edited by Langston Hughes - the classic compendium of African-American short fiction from 1897 to 1967. Now, a quarter of a century later, Gloria Naylor has compiled an encore volume, Children of the Night, bringing this extraordinary series up to date. Gathering together the most gifted black writers of our time - from 1967 to the present - Naylor has assembled a rich and varied collection of stories. The portrait that emerges of the African-American experience in the post-Civil Rights era is stirring, compelling, sometimes disturbing, and certainly provocative. Naylor has arranged the stories thematically so the reader focuses on a particular subject - slavery, for example, or the family. In the hands of different writers, these themes provide a wealth and variety of human experience. The stories are more than testimonies of the long battle for survival. From a young woman's struggles with her barren faith in Alice Walker's lyrical "The Diary of an African Nun" to an innocent man's involvement in a horrifying act of violence in Ann Petry's "The Witness, " they are, as Naylor states in her introduction, "examples of affirmation: of memory, of history, of family, of being." They are stories for all of us "at the beginning: of mankind as a species; of America as a nation; of the African-American as a full citizen."


The effect of oxytetracycline (OTC) pretreatment on the response of the ob /ob mouse to insulin secretagogues in vivo and in vitro was investigated. With glucose loading in vivo, the peak glucose was twofold greater and the insulin levels threefold greater in obese than in lean mice. After OTC treatment, there was no significant difference in insulin levels between lean and obese mice although the peak glucose level was still 1.5 times as high. Glucagon increased plasma glucose 2.5-fold and plasma insulin 20-fold in the obese as compared with lean mice. After OTC treatment, the glycemie response of the obese was indistinguishable from that of the lean control. The insulin levels, while higher than those of lean mice, were only 25% of those found in the untreated obese. Aminophylline produced an 8- and a 20-fold increase in peak glucose and insulin levels, respectively, as compared with lean mice. In the OTC-treated obese mice, the injection of aminophylline produced a slower rise in plasma glucose than in the obese controls, but the levels were not significantly different from those of the untreated obese mice at 90 min. On the other hand, the insulin levels attained a plateau at a value which was one-fifth that found in the control obese group. In vitro, isolated islets from obese mice showed an exaggerated response to the secretagogues. Pretreatment with OTC attenuated this response. The fraction of insulin released at 10 mM glucose was less than one-fourth that in the obese controls. With glucagon added, the response was only one-eighth, and with aminophylline, one-half as great in the OTC-treated than in the obese control. The effects of OTC cannot be attributed to the effects of the drug on food consumption, since obese mice food restricted to the intake of the OTC-treated obese mice showed either no improvement or much smaller Changes.


The influence of acceleration on a number of physical systems is examined. We present a full relativistic treatment of a simple harmonic oscillator with relativistic velocities. The line element for Schwarzschild geometry is expanded in a set of Cartesian coordinates and is shown to be locally equivalent (neglecting curvature) to the line element of a linearly accelerating frame of reference. We consider the rate of a linearly accelerating quantum mechanical clock and the measurement of frequency by non-inertial observers, requiring this measurement to be of finite duration. These analyses demonstrate the standard measurement hypothesis for accelerating observers only approximates the physical behaviour of these systems. We derive the output of an optical ring interferometer in a variety of experimental contexts. A full relativistic reanalysis of the modified Laub drag experiment of Sanders and Ezekiel is performed, correcting a number of errors in their work and giving an overall discrepancy between experiment and theory of 1300 ppm. We examine the behaviour of a ring interferometer containing an accelerating glass sample. Our analysis predicts sideband structure will arise when a glass sample is oscillated along one arm of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer and the resulting output Fourier analysed. We also predict a resonant cavity containing a linearly accelerating glass sample will display optical ringing. A rigorous analysis of a ring interferometer with angular acceleration is presented. This predicts a resonant cavity with angular acceleration will also display optical ringing and demonstrates the beat frequency in a ring laser with angular acceleration is the instantaneous Sagnac beat frequency. Finally, we analyse the optical output of a rotating ring laser with one mirror oscillating, predicting sideband structure in spectra obtained from Fourier analysis of the beat between the opposite beams, and the beat between adjacent modes when the laser has multimode operation.


The U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Marine Sanctuary Program, conducted seabed mapping and related research in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary region from 1993 to 2004. The mapped area is approximately 3,700 km² (1,100 nm²) in size and was subdivided into 18 quadrangles. Several series of sea floor maps of the region based on multibeam sonar surveys have been published. In addition, 2,628 seabed sediment samples were collected and analyzed approximately 10,600 still photographs of the seabed were acquired during the project. These data provide the basis for scientists, policymakers, and managers for understanding the complex ecosystem of the sanctuary region and for monitoring and managing its economic and natural resources.


This study aimed to explore the candidate experience in order to understand more deeply aspects of the development in work based research. Delphi technique was chosen as an approach in order to capture a range of experience and data, to inform how we may best support candidates on practice based doctorates. Many such programmes include a stakeholder learning agreement between the candidate, the university and the employer organisation with the common aim to bring about transformational and sustainable change. Our research to date indicates a disparity within the agreement in the level of stakeholder participation. Where the organisation stakeholder is not fully engaged and involved in supporting the research, there is a potential threat to the effectiveness of any change outcome. Current practice based doctoral research participants were invited to relate to a range of temporal themes in their research project cycle, for example: setting up the project; implementing the project; changes/ contingency planning within the project; project completion and post completion. Of particular interest in relation to the above was the availability of resources and how they were used within the project life cycle. In this respect, resources are deemed to include, human, material, time, personal and organisational culture influence. The allocation, manipulation and distribution of such resources can be understood in terms of power relationships. The paper presents our experience and reflections from two iterative Delphi cycles and proposes a final stage of greater integration with existing academic resources within the professional doctorate programme. The study has enabled the researchers to gain a new understanding of how power may operate in a work based research project through the experience of undertaking the Delphi approach. Furthermore, by thinking about affordances of the project life cycle, it may help us to better understand needs and strategy for the curriculum in order to more effectively support candidates through their transformational learning experience. The consequences of such change might have implications for participation and power distribution within the management and leadership of doctoral work base research projects.


The economic history of women in Italy is still very much in its infancy. Not only there are few quantitative historical interpretations that explicitly include women, but there is also a lack of systematic evidence on many key variables describing women's evolving economic role, wellbeing, and inequality relative to men throughout the country's history. This paper takes the first step toward filling this gap: it builds a new time series of female labor force participation for post-Unification Italy, that adjusts census-based estimates using both aggregate and micro-data from alternative sources, including historical household budget surveys. Women's work before the Second World War was more pervasive than previously thought, and female labor supply has followed a decidedly asymmetric U-shape pattern throughout Italy's history. These findings prompt new questions on the effects of economic growth on women's wellbeing in Italy.


Around 4% of children in the Western world lose a parent before they reach 18 years of age. The loss is associated with increased mortality for children, especially when losing their mother. In addition, it leads to psychic distress for a majority of children and complicated grief reactions in a substantial minority. Parental loss is associated with an increase in risk behaviour, self-mutilation, and negative health consequences, all of which last into adult age. It is hard to discriminate between normal and complicated grief, and the research conducted on adults may not be appropriate for young people. Intervention for all is not recommended based on available studies. In the last decade, effective grief- and trauma-specific treatments for children have been developed.