Biomedical researchers are beset by low morale and high uncertainty, along with funding swings that economists say make for an inefficient research enterprise. With a new landscape comes adaptation. As economists and others explore how biomedical research is shifting on a grand scale, Science set out to tell the stories of individuals. We examine how they are changing their science, their funding strategies, and their priorities—and why some are still enjoying success.


Peptides derived from food proteins after enzymatic treatment and/or processing, are known to be bioactive in both biological and food systems; for this reason fish muscle peptides were investigated for their antihypertensive and antioxidant activity. Atlantic mackerel muscle proteins were hydrolysed with pepsin and pancreatine and the resultant hydrolysate was sequentially fractionated on 2 kDa membrane ultrafilters and further by gel filtration, ion exchange and high performance liquid chromatography and the resultant peptide fraction contained the amino acids histidine, proline, tyrosine, methionine, leucine, tryptophan and lysine. For ACE inhibitory activity, the peptide fraction (MFPH-V-JPA) had an inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 0.15 mg/ml and showed competitive inhibition for ACE with an inhibition constant (Ki) of 0.32 mg/ml. In terms of antioxidant activity, the HPLC isolated peptide fraction (LC1-Z) contained the amino acids serine, histidine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, tryptophan and lysine. It inhibited the formation of both peroxides and malonaldehyde in a linoleic acid model emulsion in a dose dependent manner with lipid oxidation inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 1.80 mg/ml. At concentration of 8 mg/ml, the inhibition of linoleic acid oxidation was more than that of 0.01 % butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and trolox (p<0.001). The mechanism of antioxidant activity of the peptide (LC1-Z) was by carbon centered radical scavenging (5.34 %), hydroxyly radical scavenging (IC50 value of 1.60 mg/ml), metal chelating (5.72 %) and reducing ability. In caco-2 cells, 1 mg/ml of the peptide (LC1-Z) was not toxic to the cells seeded at 2 x 104 cells/well. Proxidant tBHP (2.5 mM) reduced cell viability significantly (79.3 %) but this increased to 94.7 % in the presence of the peptide or trolox. The peptide (1 mg/ml) also reduced TBARS formation (33.18 mug/ml) in cells compared to cells treated with tBHP alone (38.18 mug/ml). The activity of caspases-3 and -7, was higher in caco-2 cells treated with tBHP only (157.5 +/- 7.99 %) compared with those treated with the peptide (25.7 + 3.92 %). Morphological modification of the caco-2 cells treated with tBHP was evident as the cells appeared detached from the flask surface compared to those treated with the peptide (LC1-Z) which were healthy and attached to the flask surface. In Ea.hy 926 cells, reactive oxygen species were reduced by 26 % and 39 % in the lucigenin-chemiluminscence and flourescence methods respectively in cells treated with the peptide. In a caco-2 cell monolayer, transepithelial transport of the peptide was observed in both directions with a basolateral to apical apparent permeability of 0.95 +/- 0.12 cm-1 and apical to basolateral flux of 0.74 + 0.20 cm-1. HPLC chromatograms of the buffer solution taken from the apical and basolateral side showed the presence of the peptide in both sides i.e. 11.5% for apical to basolateral flux and 12.2 % for basolateral to apical. These results demonstrate that peptides with antihypertensive and antioxidant activity can be derived from Atlantic mackerel muscle proteins, with potential for neutraceutical applications.


Background: Osteoporosis is the most common metabolic bone disease in postmenopausal women. It seems necessary to determine the factors affecting the adoption of preventive behaviors of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women using the patterns that identify the factors influencing behavior. Objectives: To investigate preventive behaviors of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women in Fasa, Fars Province based on the Health Belief Model. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 380 postmenopausal women aged over 50 under the coverage of Fasa health centers. Out of the 6 health centers in Fasa, 2 of them were selected based on cluster sampling method. Then, 190 postmenopausal women were selected from each health centers based on simple random sampling by the household number recorded in the health records. The required data were collected using questionnaire including demographic information, awareness inventory, the Health Belief Model scale, and diet and walking performance questionnaire. The data were statistically analyzed in SPSS 22. Results : The construct of perceived susceptibility for diet and walking performance was predictive. In this study, walking performance had a significant relationship with perceived susceptibility (P=0.001, r=0.76), motivation (P=0.001, r=0.65), perceived benefits (P=0.001, r=0.88), and self-efficacy (P=0.001, r=0.69). In addition, diet performance presented a significant relationship with perceived benefits (P=0.001, r=0.68) and self-efficacy (P=0.001, r=0.28). Conclusion: The study results showed that the higher the perceived susceptibility of individuals, the better the preventive behavior of osteoporosis they adopt. The Health Belief Model can be used as an appropriate framework for the design and implementation of educational programs in order to adopt the preventive behaviors of osteoporosis by postmenopausal women.


This Article addresses the law and public policy of electronic wills. The Article analyzes state statutes that either apply explicitly, or might apply implicitly, to wills of this type and concludes that judicial approval of electronic wills is already within the realm of possibility even in the many states that do not expressly allow them. The Article also examines the case law to date on this issue, both in the United States and in foreign jurisdictions, including several cases that have not previously been noted by American commentators. The Article then addresses the merits and demerits of electronic wills and presents the results of the first large-scale empirical study of popular attitudes toward these wills. In light of this analysis, the Article proposes a new approach: to bar electronic wills in general, but to permit them for estate plans made under emergency conditions.


Gastrointestinal surgery and critical illness place tremendous stress on the body, resulting in a series of metabolic changes that may lead to severe malnutrition, which in turn can increase postsurgical complications and morbidity and mortality and prolong the hospital length of stay. In these patients, parenteral nutrition is the most widely used form of nutritional support, but administration of enteral nutrition early in the postoperative period is effective and well tolerated, reducing infectious complications, improving wound healing and reducing length of hospital stay. Calorie-protein requirements do not differ from those in other critically-ill patients and depend on the patient's underlying process and degree of metabolic stress. In patients intolerant to enteral nutrition, especially if the intolerance is due to increased gastric residual volume, prokinetic agents can be used to optimize calorie intake. When proximal sutures are used, tubes allowing early jejunal feeding should be used. Pharmaconutrition is indicated in these patients, who benefit from enteral administration of arginine, omega 3 and RNA, as well as parenteral glutamine supplementation. Parenteral nutrition should be started in patients with absolute contraindication for use of the gastrointestinal tract or as complementary nutrition if adequate energy intake is not achieved through the enteral route.


Abstract Physiological leaf spot (PLS) is a disorder of spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), which has become more pronounced in recent years. The initial symptoms are small chlorotic/brown spots on the upper four leaves, which may develop into necrotic lesions with an irregular shape. As PLS occurs on leaves that are directly exposed to sunlight, it is thought that high light stress could be a trigger for the condition. This study concentrates on two cultivars, Cooper and Crusader, which display differential sensitivity to PLS. Biochemical measurements and enzyme assays revealed substantial difference in levels of ascorbate, type III peroxidases, and superoxide dismutase between the chosen cultivars during the 2003 growing season. A global gene expression study, using these field samples, was performed by microarray analysis. This supported the biochemical findings and highlighted additional sets of genes differentially expressed between the cultivars. Transcripts of particular interest, which appeared, included calcium signalling genes, cold-responsive genes and those involved in the assembly of Photosystem I. We conclude that susceptibility to PLS is related to levels of expression of genes with a role in countering the effects of oxidative stress.


The aim of present study was development of simple, rapid and accurate HPTLC method for estimation of Protocatechuic acid in various extracts of Amumum subulatum Roxb. fruit constituents (Family Zingiberacea), commonly known as 'Badi Elaichi' or Greater Cardamom. The powdered drug was subjected to extraction by soxhlet apparatus using methanol and acetone separately as well as petroleum ether (40-60), chloroform, methanol and water successively. The extracts were screened for presence of various phytoconstituents using preliminary chemical tests. Protocatechuic acid was estimated in methanol and acetone extract by HPTLC method. Detection and Quantification was performed at wavelength 254nm. The Acetone and methanol extracts were found to contain 1.04846 and 0.8634 %w/w Protocatechuic acid respectively by using validated method. Since this method resolves and quantifies protocatechuic acid accurately and precisely, it can be useful for quantification of the compound in herbal formulation.


Domestic constitutions and courts applying international human rights conventions acknowledge the significance of the mass media for a democratic society, not only by granting special privileges but also by imposing enhanced duties and responsibilities to journalists and media companies. However, the challenges of media convergence, media ownership concentration and the internet have led to legal uncertainty. Should media privileges be maintained, and, if so, how is 'the media' to be defined? To what extent does media freedom as a legal concept also encompass bloggers who have not undertaken journalistic education? And how can a legal distinction be drawn between investigative journalism on the one hand and reporting on purely private matters on the other? To answer these questions, Jan Oster combines doctrinal and conceptual comparative analysis with descriptive and normative theory, and argues in favour of a media freedom principle based on the significance of the media for public discourse.


This study investigates the dependence structure of extreme realization of returns between the mature markets of Japan and the U.S. and the emerging markets of Cyprus, Greece and that of six Asia- Pacific counties, with the application of multivariate Extreme Value Theory that best suits to the problem under investigation. The evidence we obtain indicates that the left tail extreme correlations (downside risk) are not substantially different from the unconditional ones or from those obtained from a multivariate Dynamic Conditional Correlation GARCH model (DCC) with asymmetric GJRGARCH univariates. Moreover, a clustering analysis shows that the examined countries do not belong to a distinct block on the basis of the extreme correlations we have estimated. The policy implications are that the benefits from portfolio diversification between the Cyprus stock market and the markets of Asia-Pacific countries, Greece, Japan and the U.S. are not eroded during crisis periods, in that no "correlation breakdown" has been witnessed.


In this study a new computational method is developed to quantify decision making errors in cells, caused by noise and signaling failures. Analysis of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling pathway which regulates the transcription factor Nuclear Factor κB (NF-κB) using this method identifies two types of incorrect cell decisions called false alarm and miss. These two events represent, respectively, declaring a signal which is not present and missing a signal that does exist. Using single cell experimental data and the developed method, we compute false alarm and miss error probabilities in wild-type cells and provide a formulation which shows how these metrics depend on the signal transduction noise level. We also show that in the presence of abnormalities in a cell, decision making processes can be significantly affected, compared to a wild-type cell, and the method is able to model and measure such effects. In the TNF—NF-κB pathway, the method computes and reveals changes in false alarm and miss probabilities in A20-deficient cells, caused by cell's inability to inhibit TNF-induced NF-κB response. In biological terms, a higher false alarm metric in this abnormal TNF signaling system indicates perceiving more cytokine signals which in fact do not exist at the system input, whereas a higher miss metric indicates that it is highly likely to miss signals that actually exist. Overall, this study demonstrates the ability of the developed method for modeling cell decision making errors under normal and abnormal conditions, and in the presence of transduction noise uncertainty. Compared to the previously reported pathway capacity metric, our results suggest that the introduced decision error metrics characterize signaling failures more accurately. This is mainly because while capacity is a useful metric to study information transmission in signaling pathways, it does not capture the overlap between TNF-induced noisy response curves.


Increasing epidemiological evidence suggests that maternal nutrition and environmental exposure early in development play an important role in susceptibility to disease in later life. In addition, these disease outcomes seem to pass through subsequent generations. Epigenetic modifications provide a potential link between the nutrition status during critical periods in development and changes in gene expression that may lead to disease phenotypes. An increasing body of evidence from experimental animal studies supports the role of epigenetics in disease susceptibility during critical developmental periods, including periconceptional period, gestation, and early postnatal period. The rapid improvements in genetic and epigenetic technologies will allow comprehensive investigations of the relevance of these epigenetic phenomena in human diseases.


New experimental data on fluid immiscibility in the H 2 O-NaCl-CO 2 system at 900 degrees C and 5-7 kbar have been obtained using the synthetic fluid-inclusion technique. The main result is a significant enlargement of the immiscibility field as pressure decreases from 7 to 5 kbar. Combined with previous data, our experiments show that immiscibility is probably a widespread phenomenon in low-pressure granulite-facies rocks. Because CO 2 -rich fluids and NaCl-rich aqueous fluids have very contrasting wetting behaviour, fluid unmixing could result in a selective entrapment of the CO 2 -rich component in granulites (Watson & Brenan, 1987). To check this hypothesis, we performed an experiment in which polycrystalline quartz was heat-treated in the presence of small volume percentages of the two immiscible fluids. The observed pore geometry is characterized by a combination of large, isolated CO 2 -rich bubbles, and an interconnected network of NaCl-H 2 O-filled channels along quartz edges. A model combining unmixing and the subsequent escape of the aqueous fluid by porous flow could therefore explain the CO 2 -rich fluid inclusions in low-pressure granulites.


-Cloud computing processing an increasing number of real time applications.Real time tasks are playing an essential role for cloud provider. We employ a bidirectional announcementbidding mechanism and the collaborative process consist of three phases.Basic matching phases,forward announcement-bidding phases and backward announcement-bidding phases.On the basis of the bidirectional announcement-bidding mechanism.Extensive experiments are conducted on cloud platform by injecting random synthetic workloads and the workloads from the last version of the GOOGLE Cloud tracelogs to evaluate the performance of our task. Keywords-scheduling for bidirectional announcement-bidding mechanism,virtualized clouds.


Women's rights activists scream with urgency over issues regarding reproductive freedoms but miss the real issues by viewing the wage gap problem through rose-colored glasses. There are many examples of feminists reducing activism to a discussion of reproductive freedom and ignoring freedom and opportunity in 385 other aspects of life. The focus of some publications reflects more concern about the lack of training in performing second trimester abortions in medical schools' gynecology and obstetrics classes than about opening opportunities for women to study medicine. Furthermore, American feminists have taken this distorted mindset abroad. In a well-intended effort to empower indigent South African women, activists prioritized fighting for those women's abortion rights over fighting for educational opportunities, access to health care in general, and protection from gender discrimination. Neither did a report of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) show concern for an extreme shortage of female population in Asian countries. Rather, it focused on the need for human rights treaties to "recognize rights to reproductive and sexual health" as paramount. The report did add, though, that the UNFPA is concerned also about "equality and equity for men and women in all spheres of life."This distorted set of priorities has its roots in contemporary women's rights activism. As a result, equal employment, equal pay, professional potential, educational choices, personal happiness, and infinite opportunity have been forfeited in favor of contraception, reproductive alternatives, sexual lifestyle choices, and abortion on demand. The expansion of reproductive choices has placed a stranglehold on womanhood. Instead of experiencing freedom of choice in reproduction, women have been condemned to be further 386 defined by their reproductive capacity. This emphasis on reproductive freedom has detracted attention from the immensely valuable contributions women can make to society aside from reproduction, thereby limiting women to a more narrow spectrum of importance in the economic world.The first section of this Article gives a brief historical overview of the character and goals of early women's rights leaders. Part II continues with an overview of the various understandings of womanhood, analyzes post-modern feminism and the radical feminist agenda of today's culture, and concludes with a forecast for reproductive freedom. Part III then reviews and evaluates the rise of reproductive freedom in American case law, followed by its fall as a result of restrictions on and regulation of that freedom by judicial and legislative lawmaking. This section illustrates that the women's rights movement's focus on reproductive freedom ironically has given rise to state legislation and Supreme Court decisions that place practical limitations on abortion rights. Part III also will show that feminist philosophy has distorted the legal concept of privacy, which the Court introduced to uphold privacy within the family.Part IV examines how the feminist movement has impacted societal attitudes and limited women's reproductive choices. Finally, Part V proposes a solution: a return to the original feminists' goals of equality based on strength of character, via a philosophy that encourages and empowers women to find freedom through complementarity between the sexes. This Article concludes that the women's movement began more than a hundred years ago with virtuous objectives but has swerved off track by pursuing unfettered sexual and reproductive freedom, thereby further disempowering women and any movement for women's rights in general. Today's activists have forsaken the honorable and crucial fight for general freedom and equality in order to pursue the narrow objective of freedom from childbearing at any cost. We offer some suggestions for a broader, more balanced approach to pro-women activism.The exaggerated emphasis on women's sexual and reproductive capacities has jeopardized many of the advances for which women have fought over the past century and has sabotaged the continuing pursuit of equality. Redefining womanhood in light of reproduction and sexuality only, rather than seeing women as whole persons with diverse needs and capabilities, serves to deny the personhood 387 of women. [FN34] Many leading women's activists are desperately trying to free women from that which makes them uniquely women, the human womb, by overemphasizing reproductive capacity and minimizing the rest of a woman's life. As a result, we now are witnessing the conversion of reproductive freedom into mere and ignorant sexual power.


To help people whose health conditions make it difficult for them to obtain insurance coverage, the Trade Act of 2002 initiated federal matching payments to support state high-risk pools and promote coverage expansion through them. Some 30 states already had high-risk pools, but enrollment was very limited, largely because of high premiums, exclusion of coverage for preexisting conditions, and high cost-sharing. In interviewing officials from high-risk pools that received grants in the program's first year, the authors found that most states did not use grant funds to make their pools more accessible or affordable; instead, 18 of 19 states used some or all funds to refinance existing programs. Only one state used its entire grant award to reduce enrollee premiums, expand covered benefits, or otherwise enact changes to promote enrollment. Policymakers may need to strengthen grant requirements and/or financial incentives to promote expansion of coverage via state high-risk pools.


Purpose - The paper aims at increasing the understanding of how manufacturing strategy formulation can be facilitated in SMEs.

Design/methodology/approach - The research presented in this paper follows a four-stage logic. Initially a literature review was conducted identifying a number of manufacturing strategy frameworks. Thereafter, theoretical and practical assessment criteria were established. The SME requirements were identified through five case studies. Based on these assessment criteria, identified manufacturing strategy formulation frameworks were evaluated. When a framework was found that fulfilled most of the requirements set out, a detailed analysis of the framework was done, based on criteria related to specific SME characteristics.

Findings - In total 15 different manufacturing strategy formulation frameworks were identified in the literature. To evaluate the suitability of these frameworks in SMEs, a number of assessment criteria were established, both in theory and in practice. These assessment criteria were grouped into three parts based on their character: procedure, realisation and contextual issues. The assessment of the 15 frameworks revealed that among the identified frameworks there was one framework that stood out and fulfilled several of the criteria. However, the frameworks still need to be adapted to the specific SME characteristics.

Practical implications - Based on an assessment of the existing manufacturing strategy frameworks we have been able to identify one framework that fulfils 10 out 14 of the theoretical and empirical requirements.

Originality/value - Although a number of manufacturing strategy frameworks exist, their usability in practice has seldom been investigated. The results presented provide valuable knowledge for the continued work of rendering manufacturing strategy frameworks suitable and thereby useful for SMEs.


Most current models of conservation auctions are incompatible with the assessment that there are environmental externalities and synergies between bidders. Yet, conservation auctions are usually set up for the very purpose of addressing problems associated with environmental externalities. Clearly, these models do not tell the whole story, and they consequently fail to identify waste and inefficiency in these auctions. This paper shows how externalities between bidders can be incorporated into our models of conservation auctions and uses this framework to investigate the cost-efficiency of the uniform-price auction when neighbours can bid jointly. Allowing neighbours to bid jointly allows them to internalise these externalities, but also reduces the competitiveness of the auction. The net effect on cost-efficiency is ambiguous, so we show how simulation can be used as a practical tool to determine in what circumstances joint bidding can be expected to reduce the payments needed to secure a given amount of ecosystem services.


Background: Patients harboring activating mutations in epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) are particularly sensitive to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). However, most patients develop an acquired resistance after a period of about 10 months. This study focuses on the therapeutic effect of NVP-BEZ235, a dual inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/ mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/mTOR), in gefitinib-resistant non-small cell lung cancer. Methods: H1975 cell line was validated as a gefitinib-resistant cell model by the nucleotide-sequence analysis. We used the 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay to detect the growth of H1975 cell line in vitro. H1975 cells' migration was detected by the migration assay. Xenograft models were used to investigate the growth of gefitinib-resistant non-small cell lung cancer in vivo. Western blot and immunohistochemical analysis were used to investigate the level of PI3K/protein kinase B(AKT)/mTOR signaling pathway proteins. Results: We show that NVP-BEZ235 effectively inhibited the growth of H1975 cells in vivo as well as in vitro. Similarly, H1975 cell migration was reduced by NVP-BEZ235. Further experiments revealed that NVP-BEZ235 attenuated the phosphorylation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway proteins. Conclusion: Taken together, we suggest that NVP-BEZ235 inhibits gefitinib-resistant tumor growth by downregulating PI3K/AKT/mTOR phosphorylation.


Heterogeneous face recognition (HFR) is a challenging problem in face recognition, subject to large texture and spatial structure differences of face images. Different from conventional face recognition in homogeneous environments, there exist many face images taken from different sources (including different sensors or different mechanisms) in reality. Motivated by human cognitive mechanism, we naturally utilize the explicit invariant semantic information (face attributes) to help address the gap of different modalities. Existing related face recognition methods mostly regard attributes as the high level feature integrated with other engineering features enhancing recognition performance, ignoring the inherent relationship between face attributes and identities. In this paper, we propose a novel deep attribute guided representation based heterogeneous face recognition method (DAG-HFR) without labeling attributes manually. Deep convolutional networks are employed to directly map face images in heterogeneous scenarios to a compact common space where distances mean similarities of pairs. An attribute guided triplet loss (AGTL) is designed to train an end-to-end HFR network which could effectively eliminate defects of incorrectly detected attributes. Extensive experiments on multiple heterogeneous scenarios (composite sketches, resident ID cards) demonstrate that the proposed method achieves superior performances compared with state-of-the-art methods.


International audience

 There are three main constructions of supercharacter theories for a group G. The first, defined by Diaconis and Isaacs, comes from the action of a group A via automorphisms on our given group G. Another general way to construct a supercharacter theory for G, defined by Diaconis and Isaacs, uses the action of a group A of automor- phisms of the cyclotomic field Q[ζ|G|]. The third, defined by Hendrickson, is combining a supercharacter theories of a normal subgroup N of G with a supercharacter theory of G/N . In this paper we construct a supercharacter theory from an arbitrary set of normal subgroups of G. We show that when we consider the set of all normal subgroups of G, the corresponding supercharacter theory is related to a partition of G given by certain values on the central primitive idempotents. Also, we show the supercharacter theories that we construct can not be obtained via automorphisms or a single normal subgroup.


Reprisal attacks have become a global phenomenon. In Nigeria, the post-election crisis of 2011 and the increased suicide bombings in 2012, which have wasted hundreds of lives and property, are some examples. Nigeria's Muslims and Christians mostly co-exist peacefully but periodic flare-ups of sectarian violence and consequent outbursts of retaliation have killed hundreds since independence in 1960. This article presents the results of research on some of the reactions to evil and human wickedness in Nigeria's multi-cultural and multi-religious environment, with particular reference to reprisal attacks. Using the tool of biblical theology, the article aims to proffer possible remedies to reprisal attacks by examining their nature, sources, legitimacy, and effects in the face of political, religious and tribal crises in Nigeria – in the light of the theological ethical considerations of Genesis 34. The tribal hermeneutics of the patriarchal narratives of the Dinah episode, presented Shechem as a city inhabited by the tribe of Hamor. Seen as a weak tribe, Dinah was aggressively assaulted by the tribe of Hamor. Consequently the tribes of Simeon and Levi wreaked vengeance upon the Hamorites in Schechem, in solidarity with their sister tribe Dinah. Unfortunately this bravery of the tribes of Simeon and Levi could only earn them curses and more troubles as an allusion of a final retaliation was meted on them by the Canaanites in the final words of Jacob in Gen 49. The article argues that reprisal attacks cannot forestall or address the socio-ethical problems of evil and human wickedness. The collective roles of the media, religious and governmental bodies, through an objective dissemination of information, and mutual dialogues, including policies that would minimize or check arms proliferation can be possible remedies to evil and human wickedness in society.


Plant colonization and succession on the volcanic island of Surtsey, formed in 1963, have been closely fol- lowed. In 2013, a total of 69 vascular plant species had been discovered on the island; of these, 59 were present and 39 had established viable populations. Surtsey had more than twice the species of any of the comparable neighbouring is- lands, and all of their common species had established on Surtsey. The first colonizers were dispersed by sea, but, af- ter 1985, bird dispersal became the principal pathway with the formation of a seagull colony on the island and conse- quent site amelioration. This allowed wind-dispersed species to establish after 1990. Since 2007, there has been a net loss of species on the island. A study of plant succession, soil formation and invertebrate communities in permanent plots on Surtsey and on two older neighbouring islands (plants and soil) has revealed that seabirds, through their transfer of nutrients from sea to land, are major drivers of develop- ment of these ecosystems. In the area impacted by seagulls, dense grassland swards have developed and plant cover, species richness, diversity, plant biomass and soil carbon be- come significantly higher than in low-impact areas, which re- mained relatively barren. A similar difference was found for the invertebrate fauna. After 2000, the vegetation of the old- est part of the seagull colony became increasingly dominated by long-lived, rhizomatous grasses (Festuca, Poa, Leymus) with a decline in species richness and diversity. Old grass- lands of the neighbouring islands Elli﷿aey (puffin colony, high nutrient input) and Heimaey (no seabirds, low nutrient input) contrasted sharply. The puffin grassland of Elli﷿aey was very dense and species-poor. It was dominated by Fes- tuca and Poa, and very similar to the seagull grassland devel- oping on Surtsey. The Heimaey grassland was significantly higher in species richness and diversity, and had a more even cover of dominants (Festuca/Agrostis/Ranunculus ). We fore- cast that, with continued erosion of Surtsey, loss of habi- tats and increasing impact from seabirds a lush, species-poor grassland will develop and persist, as on the old neighbouring islands.


Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase was purified from Ehrlich ascites-tumour cells by two novel methods. Analysis for amino acid composition revealed a high percentage of acidic amino acids or their amides, and of basic amino acids. N-Terminal analysis with dansyl chloride revealed no terminal amino acid, indicating a blocked N-terminal amino group. Analysis by gel electrophoresis of protein treated with 3-bromo-3-methyl-2-[(2-nitrophenylthio)-3H-indole, under conditions where selective cleavage of the polypeptide chain at tryptophan residues is obtained, showed six major peptide bands.


Abstract Introduction In Botswana, breast cancer, the second most common malignancy amongst women, is often diagnosed late, with 90% of patients presenting at advanced stages at Princess Marina Hospital (PMH) Gaborone, the only referral hospital with an operational oncology department. The reasons for this late presentation have not been studied. Determination of these reasons is critical for the formulation of strategies to reduce morbidity and mortality from breast cancer in Botswana. The aim of this study was to explore existing knowledge about breast cancer and the reasons for late presentation amongst patients attending the oncology unit of Princess Marina Hospital. Method A descriptive qualitative study using free attitude interview was performed. Twelve breast cancer sufferers were purposefully selected and eleven interviews conducted. Interviews were audio-taped, transcribed verbatim and translated. Thematic analysis of data was performed. Results This study found that breast cancer sufferers had had poor knowledge of the disease prior to the diagnosis. Their knowledge improved markedly during their attendance to the oncology clinic. Screening methods such as breast self-examination (BSE) were not used frequently. The majority of participants had delayed going to the hospital because of a lack of knowledge, fear of the diagnosis and fear of death, misinterpretation of the signs, the influence of lay beliefs and advice from the community. In some cases, however, advice from family and friends resulted in a timely medical consultation. The poor clinical practices of some health workers and the inadequate involvement by decision makers regarding the issue of cancer awareness discouraged patients from seeking and adhering to appropriate therapy. Conclusions Awareness and knowledge of breast cancer was found to be poor amongst sufferers prior to their diagnosis, but their awareness and knowledge improved after the diagnosis. There was limited use of screening methods and a generally delayed seeking of medical attention. The need for increased awareness and use of screening practices was identified to be essential for early diagnosis of the disease and for improved outcomes of breast cancer management in Botswana.


This paper analyzes the voters' response to a public policy by exploiting a natural experiment arising from the 2006 Collective Clemency Bill in Italy. The design of the Bill created idiosyncratic incentives to recidivate across pardoned individuals. Our results show that these individual incentives created different policy effects across municipalities. Cities where the incentives to recidivate of pardoned individuals resident in that municipality were higher, experienced a higher recidivism rate. At the same time, a higher incentive to recidivate at the municipal level lead to: a) newspapers reporting more crime news relative to the pre-pardon period (as well as more crime news involving pardoned individuals); b) voters holding worse beliefs on the incumbent government's crime control policies. Finally, the incumbent government's experienced a worse electoral performance in the April 2008 elections relative to the opposition coalition in municipalities where pardoned individuals had a higher incentive to recidivate. Overall, we provide direct empirical evidence showing that voters receive private signals consistent with the effects of public policies. In turn, they use these information to form their posterior beliefs on the quality of the incumbent government's policies. Ultimately, voters keep the incumbent government accountable by conditioning their vote on their posterior beliefs.


Despite economic growth, government latrine construction, and increasing recognition among policy-makers that it constitutes a health and human capital crisis, open defecation remains stubbornly widespread in rural India. Indeed, 67% of rural Indian households in the 2011 census reported defecating in the open. We present evidence from new survey data collected in villages in five states in India: Bihar, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. We find that rural households do not build inexpensive latrines of the sort that commonly reduce open defecation and save lives in Bangladesh, Southeast Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. Many survey respondents' behaviour reveals a preference for open defecation: over 40% of households with a working latrine have at least one member who defecates in the open. In the sample from the four largest states, more than half of people in households which own a government latrine defecate in the open. We apply a demographic model of latrine use which predicts that if the government were to build a latrine for every rural household that lacks one, without changing sanitation preferences, most people in our sample in these states would nevertheless defecate in the open. Further evidence supports a preference for open defecation: many survey respondents report that open defecation is more pleasurable and desirable than latrine use. Among people who defecate in the open, a majority report that widespread open defecation would be at least as good for child health as latrine use by everyone in the village. These findings suggest that intensifying existing policies of latrine construction will not be enough to substantially reduce open defecation. Policy-makers in India must lead a large scale campaign to promote latrine use.


The Trump administration's strategy toward trade agreements in general, and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in particular, is fundamentally misplaced for two reasons: (1) its apparent desire to use trade policy rather than macroeconomic policy including exchange rate policy to reduce trade imbalances and (2) its focus on the bilateral rather than global scope of those imbalances. Bergsten outlines the dangerous and self-defeating implications for the negotiation of such an unusual approach. Accordingly, provisions that could be included in the agreement to pursue that purpose are not likely to be feasible.


Disparate-impact claims under the federal Fair Housing Act ("FHA") are now a well-established part of housing discrimination law, having been recognized for decades by the lower courts and recently endorsed by the Supreme Court in Texas Department of Housing & Community Affairs v. Inclusive Communities Project, Inc. The Court in Inclusive Communities saw the impact theory as a way of bolstering the FHA's "role in moving the Nation toward a more integrated society," but it also set forth certain "cautionary standards" to guard against "abusive" impact claims. Under these standards, which are similar to those adopted in a 2013 HUD regulation and those long used in Title VII employment discrimination cases, a FHAimpact plaintiff must prove that a defendant's challenged policy causes a disparate impact on a racial minority or other FHA-protected group, and then, if the defendant establishes a legitimate interest for its policy, the plaintiff may still prevail by showing that a less discriminatory alternative would serve this interest. In the first stage, Inclusive Communities instructs courts to "examine with care" the plaintiff's proof in order to facilitate the "prompt resolution" of FHA-impact claims before trial. But, apart from the analogy to Title VII, neither Inclusive Communities nor HUD has provided any guidance for determining what such evidence should entail. Furthermore, lower-court decisions in FHA-impact cases before Inclusive Communities rarely followed the Title VII methodology and often used inconsistent techniques in evaluating the relevant data. This Article provides the guidance needed for evaluating a plaintiff's proof in this crucial prima-facie-case stage of a FHA-impact claim. The Article first reviews the law governing proof in disparate-impact cases and identifies the data sets available to establish disparate impact in FHA cases. It then shows how these legal principles and available data should be used in the most frequently pursued types of FHA-impact claims, i.e., those involving a landlord's screening devices and those challenging a municipality's restrictions on affordable housing. Implicit throughout the discussion are two themes: (1) that certain approaches to proving disparate impact in FHA cases are problematic; and


This project focuses on utilizing the principle of movement contained in traditional Moroccan design (PMMD) for the production of new and inventive artworks. The PMMD is one of the main concepts that rules the creation and construction of design elements; it consists of a group of advanced technical procedures applied to achieve the highest levels of unity, harmony, variation and rhythm between lines and shapes. Great consideration in the PMMD is given to the viewer's perception, as all parts are formed to be equally interesting and to work harmoniously together suggesting ways for the viewer's eye to interact with and move in and throughout the composition. The purpose of this research is to examine viable methods for stimulating new ideas by taking the aesthetic and technical significances of the PMMD as a source of creative inspiration. The work involved analyzing the relationship between form, method and perception in traditional compositions by exploring the role of PMMD in 1) the process of creating and shaping design elements separately, 2) methods of relating the lines and shapes of different design components. Data on PMMD was collected from recent literature on Islamic art and Moroccan design, from interviews with master-craftsmen, and from my personal analyses and observations. The studio engagement, which is represented in a group of oil, batik and acrylic paintings, explored the transformation of PMMD's arrangements to my personal artistic style, in which I offer varied ways of developing, refining and connecting the traditional forms with contemporary concepts of art.


ABSTRACT Sheeppox virus (SPPV), a member of the Capripoxvirus genus of the Poxviridae, is the etiologic agent of a significant disease of sheep in the developing world. Genomic analysis of pathogenic and vaccine capripoxviruses identified genes with potential roles in virulence and host range, including three genes with similarity to kelch-like genes of other poxviruses and eukaryotes. Here, a mutant SPPV with a deletion in the SPPV-019 kelch-like gene, ΔKLP, was derived from the pathogenic strain SPPV-SA. ΔKLP exhibited in vitro growth characteristics similar to those of SPPV-SA and revertant virus (RvKLP). ΔKLP-infected cells exhibited a reduction in Ca2+-independent cell adhesion, suggesting that SPPV-019 may modulate cellular adhesion. When inoculated in sheep by the intranasal or intradermal routes, ΔKLP was markedly attenuated, since all ΔKLP-infected lambs survived infection. In contrast, SPPV-SA and RvKLP induced mortality approaching 100%. Lambs inoculated with ΔKLP exhibited marked reduction or delay in fever response, gross lesions, viremia, and virus shedding compared to parental and revertant viruses. Together, these findings indicate that SPPV-019 is a significant SPPV virulence determinant in sheep.


This file includes the entire issue in PDF format. The HTML versions of the peer-reviewed articles must be viewed and/or purchased separately.


This paper explores critically the practice of teacher mentoring in Shanghai schools. It begins with a review of the literature on teacher mentoring, which is followed by an introduction to education and teacher mentoring in the schools. The next section critiques teacher mentoring in Shanghai and we highlight three key characteristics and strengths of the practice of teacher mentoring that ensure the effectiveness and smooth implementation of mentoring in Shanghai schools. In terms of the weaknesses, we argue that the success of teacher mentoring in Shanghai is inhibited by a performative culture that emphasises examination scores and an instrumental view of education. Such a culture and view of education in turn limit the extent to which novice teachers can disagree with the experienced teachers in their teaching practice.


A construct of conscientious corporate brands (hereinafter called CCBs) is tested by examining the environmental and climate change issues, and the internal and external corporate codes of ethics as dimensions of CCBs. The objective is to validate research in ethical branding by testing 'the conscientious dimension' of a corporate brand. The study is based upon Taiwanese business-to-business relationships.


Organic light emitting devices (OLED) are among the most promising future technologies for the manufacture of flat and inexpensive displays. Although OLEDs provide already much higher brightness as compared to liquid crystals devices (LCD), they have a major drawback which limits their industrialisation; they are degrading too quickly. Among the factors acting on the performance of OLEDs, interfaces play an important role. The purpose of this work is to develop stable interfaces by using self-assembled monolayers at the device electrodes. Monolayers of para substituted benzoic acids, grown by the traditional method of self-assembly in solution, were characterised by Langmuir isotherms. The experiments showed that the layers are compact, but the binding between the surface and the adsorbed molecule is weak: -5,7 kJ·mole-1 on indium tin oxide (ITO) and -10,6 kJ·mole-1 on aluminium. These molecules allowed to increase the anode surface potential by 0,2 eV and to decrease the one of the cathode by -0,2 eV. Although giving encouraging results, this method has several disadvantages related to the use of a solvent. This is one reason why a new way of growing self-assembled monolayers was developed, the self-assembly from vapour phase. This new grafting method made it possible to increase the surface potential of ITO by 1,4 eV and to decrease the one of aluminium by 0,9 eV using the same molecules as in solution. Another advantage of this technique is the short growing time of the monolayers. Only one minute is necessary to graft the electrode which is considerably shorter than for the traditional technique where 12 hours are necessary. Moreover, it seems that under clean vacuum conditions, the effect on the surface potential depends only on the molecule and not on the surface composition, nor on the initial potential. Finally, this method allowed to discriminate between the different dipole contributions involved in the surface potential modification by the self-assembled monolayers. In a further step, the extended electrode interface consisting of the self-assembled layer covered by an electroactive material was studied. It appears that the organic material partly screens the monolayer dipole moment due to its polarisability. When the initial electrode surface potential of the modified electrode is far apart from the highest occupied or the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals of the organic material, no charge transfer is expected and the variation in the surface potential comes only from the polarisability of the material. This variation is weaker in the case of a non-polar substituted diamine, α-NPD (the maximum is 0,3 eV) than in the case of the widely used aluminium complex, Alq3, which has a permanent electrical dipole and thus can induce shifts up to 0,7 eV. On the other hand, if the surface potential is close to the energy level of the occupied or unoccupied molecular orbitals, spontaneous charge transfer can occur between the electrode and the organic material. This increases considerably the measured potential variation during the deposition of the electroactive material. With α-NPD, variations of 0,6 eV are observed and in the case of Alq3 shifts are as important as 0,9 eV. Those negative effects can be decreased by the use of an aliphatic chain between the attachment group and the aromatic cycle in the adsorbed molecules. This positive effect is considerable: it can decrease the electrostatic screening of the adsorbed dipole layer by the electroactive material and prevent the charge transfer induced by the image force effect. Finally, homopolar and bipolar devices were studied to investigate the effect of self-assembled monolayers on the device characteristics. In particular, "electron-only" devices were studied using a grafted or a bare aluminium cathode. To study the injection of holes, homopolar and bipolar devices were conceived, having a grafted or a bare ITO anode. The results clearly demonstrate the decrease of the threshold voltage by using suitable self-assembled monolayers. The reasons for this decrease are numerous: improved alignment of the energy levels due to the permanent electrical dipole of the adsorbates, insulating spacer effect due to the aliphatic chains of some of the molecules and improvement of film morphology.


The search for tools that target malaria vector that resist insecticides and bite outdoors has become a research priority. Such tools will be necessary for managing residual malaria transmission and hastening the eradication of this devastating disease. This study investigated chemicals that potentially affect the oviposition substrate choices of Anopheles gambiae sensu lato (s.l.). It is foreseen that increased knowledge of the oviposition behaviour of this major malaria vectors and chemicals cues that mediate oviposition site-selection can be applied in the development of additional sampling methods and alternative interventions that to trap gravid malaria mosquitoes outdoors.
To achieve a reproducible high egg-laying success of An. gambiae sensu stricto (s.s.) and An. arabiensis four factors were evaluated: (1) the time provided for mating; (2) the impact of cage size, mosquito age and female body size on insemination; (3) the peak oviposition time; and, (4) the host source of blood meals. Then four bioassays were optimised for studying oviposition responses of An. gambiae s.s. in the laboratory and semi-field conditions: a WHO-tube bioassay and a wind-tunnel that detected short-range attraction in the laboratory; a two-tier choice egg-count bioassay that compared the relative proportion of eggs laid in substrates in the laboratory; and a modified BG Sentinel mosquito gravid trap that evaluated long-range attraction of gravid females to olfactory cues in the semi-field. Finally, the oviposition responses of gravid An. gambiae s.s. mosquitoes to water vapour, Bermuda grass hay infusion (hay infusion), and putative semiochemicals identified from the hay infusion and a soil infusion previously shown to elicit higher egg deposition compared to filtered Lake Victoria water (lake water) in two choice egg-count bioassays (Herrera-Varela et al. 2014), were evaluated.
High oviposition rates [84%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 77-89%] were achieved when 300 male and 300 blood-fed female An. gambiae s.s. were held together in a cage for four days. The chance of oviposition in the mosquitoes dropped when human host source of blood-meal was substituted with a rabbit (Odds ratio (OR) 0.30, 95% CI 0.14-0.66) but egg-numbers per female were not affected. All four optimised oviposition bioassays effectively showed between 15-20% shifts in oviposition substrate choices of mosquitoes with 80% statistical power and 5% significance. Using the WHO-tube bioassay, gravid An. gambiae s.s. were shown to be 2.4 times (95% CI 1.3-4.7 times) more likely to move towards high humidity in still air compared to non-gravid
Preamble mosquitoes. This was more pronounced in the airflow olfactometer where the gravid mosquitoes were 10.6 times (95% CI 5.4-20.8 times) more likely to fly into a chamber with water than a dry chamber.
Two-choice egg-count bioassays showed that An. gambiae s.s. were less likely to lay eggs in six-day old hay infusion (OR 0.10, 95% CI 0.03-0.33) compared to lake water. Ten putative semiochemicals were identified from the hay infusion using mass spectrometry and published electrophysiology data: 4-hepten-1-ol, 4-ethylphenol, phenylmethanol, 2-phenylethanol, indole, phenol, 3-methylindole, 3-methyl-1-butanol, 4-ethylphenol, and nonanal. Tested in two-choice egg-count bioassays, the first four listed compounds had no effect on egg deposition at the tested concentrations (between 0.01-5 parts per million) but mosquitoes were less likely to lay eggs in at least one concentration of 3-methylindole (OR 0.39, 95% CI 0.21-0.71), indole (OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.37-0.87), 3-methyl-1-butanol (OR 0.32, 95% CI 0.22-0.47), phenol (OR 0.55, 0.32-0.95), 4-methylphenol (OR 0.32, 0.18-0.57) and nonanal (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.47-0.91) compared to lake water. In contrast to the hay infusion and hay infusion volatiles, An. gambiae s.s. were about two times more likely to lay eggs in cedrol, a sesquiterpene alcohol identified from the soil infusion, compared to lake water (OR 1.84, 95% CI 1.16-2.91). Cedrol attracted twice as many gravid mosquitoes in the semi-field also (OR 1.92, 95% CI 1.63-2.27). In the field, modified BG-Sentinel traps, electrocuting nets and OviART gravid traps with lake water and cedrol were three times more likely to trap malaria mosquitoes compared to traps with water only (OR 3.3, 95% CI 1.4-7.9).
In conclusion, water vapour was shown to be a strong, non-specific pre-oviposition attractant for gravid An. gambiae s.s. in still air and moving air. It is probably the long range cue that gravid An. gambiae s.l. use to detect the presence aquatic habitats beyond the range of chemical cues. Evidence showed that An. gambiae s.s. discriminate between potential oviposition substrates and that this selective process is in-part mediated by volatile organic compounds originating from the site. Water vapour leads gravid mosquitoes to aquatic sites but semiochemicals enable the mosquitoes to discriminate and select between potential habitats. It was demonstrated that synthetic equivalents of semiochemicals found to attract gravid mosquitoes such as cedrol can be used to trap malaria mosquitoes outdoors.


We have constructed a composite image of the fault systems of the M 6.7 San Fernando (1971) and Northridge (1994), California, earthquakes, using industry reflection and oil test well data in the upper few kilometers of the crust, relocated aftershocks in the seismogenic crust, and LARSE II (Los Angeles Region Seismic Experiment, Phase II) reflection data in the middle and lower crust. In this image, the San Fernando fault system appears to consist of a decollement that extends 50 km northward at a dip of ∼25° from near the surface at the Northridge Hills fault, in the northern San Fernando Valley, to the San Andreas fault in the middle to lower crust. It follows a prominent aseismic reflective zone below and northward of the main-shock hypocenter. Interpreted upward splays off this decollement include the Mission Hills and San Gabriel faults and the two main rupture planes of the San Fernando earthquake, which appear to divide the hanging wall into shingle- or wedge-like blocks. In contrast, the fault system for the Northridge earthquake appears simple, at least east of the LARSE II transect, consisting of a fault that extends 20 km southward at a dip of ∼33° from ∼7 km depth beneath the Santa Susana Mountains, where it abuts the interpreted San Fernando decollement, to ∼20 km depth beneath the Santa Monica Mountains. It follows a weak aseismic reflective zone below and southward of the main-shock hypocenter. The middle crustal reflective zone along the interpreted San Fernando decollement appears similar to a reflective zone imaged beneath the San Gabriel Mountains along the LARSE I transect, to the east, in that it appears to connect major reverse or thrust faults in the Los Angeles region to the San Andreas fault. However, it differs in having a moderate versus a gentle dip and in containing no mid-crustal bright reflections.


ABSTRAC Goldfish (Cyprinus carpio, L.) is one of fresh water fish favored by many people due to its delicious flesh and its high protein level. As goldfish cultivation develop, more problems arise such as Pseudomonas, the most found disease in goldfish. Pseudomonas flourescant bacteria can almost always be found alive in fresh water pond, fish body surface and its inside organ (Afrianto, E. 1992). The use of chemical substances certainly leave negative effects. Beluntas has a lot of chemical substance that serve as antimicrobe, one of which is tannin. This study aims at observing the effect of beluntas leave filtrate (Pluchea indica, L) on the viability of goldfish seed (Cyprinus carpio, L.) infected by Pseudomonas flourescant. The parameter employed was the viability of goldfish infected by Pseudomonas flourescant which then was treated by using beluntas leave filtrate. The research design used was RAL, each consists of 4 cycles and 5 treatments, they were 0%, 2.5%, 3.5%, 4.5% and 5.5%. This research was conducted in University of Muhammadiyah Malang Laboratory of Fishery, from May 26 to June 3, 2009. The result of the study shows that there was some effects of beluntas leave filtrate (Pluchea indica, L) on the viability of goldfish seed (Cyprinus carpio, L.) infected by Pseudomonas flourescant. The result of One Way Direction Anava test showed significant difference, indicated by F 46.65 that was higher than F table; trust level 0.05 was 3.5%. The result of this study in treatment C with 3.5% concentartion gave the highest viability with average value of 7.75 fish survived. Treatment B with 5.5% concentration give the lowest viability with average value of 3.5 and treatment A with 0% concentration or control did not gave any viability (all were dead). Therefore, it can be concluded that with 3.5% concentartion of beluntas leave filtrate (Pluchea indica, L), it was sufficiently effective for preserving the viability of goldfish (Cyprinus carpio, L) infected by Pseudomonas flourescant. download


Cattle handling Extension program educators often overlook the animal training component of efficient handling. The objectives of the study described in this article were to measure young dairy heifer behavioral responses toward handlers who received different types of training and to document whether repeated handling or time of day of handling affected heifer behavioral responses to handlers. Six handlers received training through a lecture, hands-on workshop, or video. An observer recorded heifer behavior during handling tests. The day and time of heifer training were most influential on heifer behavior, but heifer handling ease was improved when handlers had participated in the hands-on training.


The manufacturing sector accounts for a substantial share of German GDP, employment and carbon emissions. Therefore, the manufacturing sector's energy use and carbon emissions are of crucial importance for reaching Germany's climate goals. In this paper, we analyse energy use patterns in German manufacturing between 2003 and 2014, using rich administrative micro-data. We find that although the manufacturing sector has been faced with rising energy costs as a share of total costs, energy use has not declined except briefly during the economic crisis. We also find that energy intensity in the manufacturing sector has not decreased substantially. In contrast, carbon intensity has fallen slightly between 2003 and 2014. This can be attributed to changes in the fuel mix.


Policymakers have proposed and enacted policies that seek to limit the negative consequences that a criminal record imposes on ex-offenders, their families, and society at large. Some states have changed how criminal records are accessed and governed in the interest of removing unduly burdensome barriers to employment for some ex-offenders. Between 2010 and 2012, Massachusetts enacted the Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) Reform, changing access guidelines for criminal records and preventing employers from inquiring about criminal history on an initial application for employment. This report empirically analyzes the impact of the two components of Massachusetts CORI Reform and finds that, contrary to expectations, the CORI Reform caused a small reduction in average employment for ex-offenders. Another finding of the report is that the reform also caused a small reduction in ex-offender recidivism, seemingly indicating a modest increase in ex-offender reintegration. The report concludes by noting that further policy measures and programs are needed to better support the reintegration of ex-offenders into civil society.


1. Introduction to Modeling and Decision Analysis. 2. Introduction to Optimization and Linear Programming. 3. Modeling and Solving LP Problems in a Spreadsheet. 4. Sensitivity Analysis and the Simplex Method. 5. Network Modeling. 6. Integer Linear Programming. 7. Goal Programming and Multiple Objective Optimization. 8. Nonlinear Programming & Evolutionary Optimization. 9. Regression Analysis. 10. Discriminant Analysis. 11. Time Series Forecasting. 12. Introduction to Simulation using Risk Solver Platform. 13. Queuing Theory. 14. Decision Analysis. 15. Project Management (online).


Background: Third ventricular colloid cysts are benign but may cause acute hydrocephalus, raised intracranial pressure, decreased consciousness level, and sudden death. These ventricular colloid cysts associated with stunned myocardium are rarely reported in the literature. This study reported a case of a third ventricular colloid cyst presented as acute hydrocephalus complicated with severe neurogenic pulmonary edema, stunned myocardium, and heart failure, which survived at the end. Case presentation: A 29-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with one day history of headache, vomiting, and altered consciousness level. Early brain imaging showed a cyst in the third ventricle. The patient rapidly deteriorated neurologically and developed severe pulmonary edema and heart failure requiring immediate external ventricular drain and heart failure management. Once stabilized, she underwent endoscopic excision of the ventricular cyst. Histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of colloidal cyst. She survived all these acute life-threatening events, improved, and stabilized, and was discharged home. She was followed up in outpatient clinics after 6 months of discharge with no symptoms or neurological deficit. Conclusion: A third ventricular colloid cyst can cause acute hydrocephalus leading to stunned myocardium requiring immediate surgical intervention, advanced hemodynamic monitoring, and acute heart failure management.


Title of dissertation: FINANCIAL MARKET ACCESS AND INTERNATIONAL RISK SHARING Juliana Dutra Araujo, Doctor of Philosophy, 2009 Dissertation directed by: Professor Carlos Végh Department of Economics In the past three decades the stock of assets and liabilities of developing countries measured as a ratio of GDP has tripled. It is commonly believed that an increase in opportunities for diversifying risk allows more consumption smoothing. However, the data show that volatility of consumption in developing countries has persisted at high levels, showing only an average 11 percent decrease from the 60's to the 90's. This paper aims to explain this phenomenon by investigating to what extent domestic financial frictions related to heterogeneous home financial market access can help resolve the quantitative discrepancy between the change in volatility of consumption in the data and that predicted by a model economy that allows for higher degrees of financial integration. We show that in an endowment economy, if only 40 percent of the population has access to financial markets, full access to insuring country risk in international markets would reduce consumption volatility by 24 percent. In a world in which all agents have equal access to financial markets, the predicted impact of integration with world markets would be a much higher drop of 49 percent. The absence of a forward international market for the nontradable good and the inability of some agents to access a forward market for the tradable good opens a new role for the spot market of tradable and nontradable goods: individuals excluded from financial markets use the goods market to attenuate tradable risk, which is reflected in higher consumption volatility for these agents following international financial integration. In an extended version of the model allowing for production, opening the economy brings even less change in consumption volatility. Later, we investigate whether limited domestic financial market participation can break the theoretical result found by Backus and Smith (1993) that consumption ratios and the real exchange rate are perfectly correlated for pairs of countries. We consider a two-country world inhabited by individuals with heterogeneous access to financial markets in one country and full access in the other. Both countries are endowed with tradable and nontradable goods. We find that consumption ratios for individuals with access to financial markets are perfectly correlated with the real exchange rate across countries but the aggregate consumption ratio and the real exchange rate might not be perfectly correlated across countries. FINANCIAL MARKET ACCESS AND INTERNATIONAL RISK SHARING by Juliana Dutra Araujo Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2009 Advisory Committee: Professor Carlos Végh, Chair/Advisor Professor Carol Graham Professor Anton Korinek Professor Enrique Mendoza Professor John Shea c © Copyright by Juliana Dutra Araujo 2009


Host security is achieved by securing both the operating system kernel and the privileged applications that run on top of it. Application-level bugs are more frequent than kernel-level bugs, and, therefore, applications are often the means to compromise the security of a system. Detecting these attacks can be difficult, especially in the case of attacks that exploit application-logic errors. These attacks seldom exhibit characterizing patterns as in the case of buffer overflows and format string attacks. In addition, the data used by intrusion detection systems is either too low-level, as in the case of system calls, or incomplete, as in the case of syslog entries. This paper presents a technique to enforce nonbypassable, application-level auditing that does not require the recompilation of legacy systems. The technique is implemented as a kernel-level component, a privileged daemon, and an offline language tool. The technique uses binary rewriting to instrument applications so that meaningful and complete audit information can be extracted. This information is then matched against application-specific signatures to detect attacks that exploit application-logic errors. The technique has been successfully applied to detect attacks against widely-deployed applications, including the Apache Web server and the OpenSSH server.


A nominal income target may provide credibility to a commitment to keep real interest rates exceptionally low, until a target output level is reached -–even if expected inflation rises in the interim–- in economies where nominal interest rates are effectively at the zero lower bound, which is not the South African case. There are practical difficulties with adopting nominal income targeting as the monetary policy framework. These include issues on the choice of a target level, risk of unanchored in‡ation expectations, and increased likelihood of error due to data uncertainty and revisions. Responsiveness to output growth and supply shocks -–two important attractions of nominal income targeting - can be largely accommodated within flexible inflation targeting. Neither regime will automatically resolve the challenges posed to monetary policy by volatile capital flows and exchange rates, and asset price bubbles. The case for abandoning flexible in‡ation targeting, to adopt nominal income targeting, in South Africa and other emerging economies, is not compelling.


This study aims to investigate the perceptions of Libyan accounting graduates regarding the teaching methods that Libyan accounting educators practiced in their classrooms, the adequacy of teaching and learning resources at Libyan universities, and to test whether or not there is any relationship between adequacy of teaching and learning resources at Libyan universities and the teaching methods used by Libyan accounting educators. Quantitative data was collected from fifty four Libyan postgraduate students. Findings revealed that accounting graduates reported a high level application of teacher-centered methods than learner-centered methods at Libyan universities. Furthermore, accounting graduates in this study indicated the inadequacy of vital teaching resources. While, no one of the teaching resources indicated a significant relationship with the teacher-centered teaching methods, the learner-centered teaching methods showed positive and significant relationship with most of these teaching resources. As these teaching methods need some special resources such as laptops, internet, computers, and so on, indeed, lack of these resources will hinder the use of such teaching methods. This study helps readers better understand the teaching effectiveness in the Libyan context and provides data for future comparative studies regarding the teaching strategies in accounting.


Magnetic random-access memory (MRAM) is poised to replace traditional computer memory based on complementary metal-oxide semiconductors (CMOS). MRAM will surpass all other types of memory devices in terms of nonvolatility, low energy dissipation, fast switching speed, radiation hardness, and durability. Although toggle-MRAM is currently a commercial product, it is clear that future developments in MRAM will be based on spin-transfer torque, which makes use of electrons' spin angular momentum instead of their charge. MRAM will require an amalgamation of magnetics and microelectronics technologies. However, researchers and developers in magnetics and in microelectronics attend different technical conferences, publish in different journals, use different tools, and have different backgrounds in condensed-matter physics, electrical engineering, and materials science.


The anaerobic digestive method has the advantage of low or no energy consumption in operation, less sludge left and small land occupancy. The use of anaerobic digestive method for the treatment of various organic wastes from domestic, commercial, industrial and agricultural
sources generates biogas (a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide, which is being used as energy) and preserves the nutrients which are recycled back to the agricultural land in the form of slurry. The relevance of biogas technology in Bangladesh lies in the fact that it makes the best possible utilization of various organic wastes (which have no or little economic value at the present moment) as a renewable source of clean energy in the rural and semi-urban areas. The implementation of biogas technology has a great potential of mitigating several problems related to ecological imbalance, minimise crucial fuel demand, improve hygiene and health
and therefore, there is an overall improvement in quality of life in rural and semi-urban areas. This paper is aimed
to highlight the potential of biogas technology in the Bangladesh context, and to identify the problems and
research needs in this field.


During its life cycle Carcinus maenas (Decapoda, Portunidae) goes through several phases of the moulting process (ecdysis) which allow it to grow despite having a rigid, non-living outer surface. As an individual approaches ecdysis, the exoskeletal calcium is solubilized (decalcification) from the shell and transferred through the integumentary epithelium to the blood, where much of it is transported to cells, tissues and organs of temporary storage where it is later mobilized for deposition into the new exoskeleton. We hypothesised that the decalcification process caused deterioration of the features and structures (e.g. tubercles and setae) characterizing the crab carapace, but that this can be reversed by moulting. We also tested whether wear and tear caused by abiotic and biotic influences between moults might also cause surface deterioration. Any such deterioration would be detrimental to C. maenas. For example, compromise of the function of these structures could influence the settlement rate of epibionts on the crab surface as well as interfering with sensory and regulatory physiology. In this study, animals characterized as intermoult, premoult and postmoult crabs, were selected and their carapace surfaces analysed to evaluate the relationship between deterioration and moulting stage. Data showed that the outer surfaces of Carcinus maenas were subject to deterioration of their fine microtopographies throughout their life, probably influencing epibiotic settlement. Furthermore, the moulting process, already recognized as crucial for growth and removal of fouling epibionts, also proved to be necessary for the periodic restoration of surface microtopography. These findings, besides providing new insights into details of the crab life cycle, indicate a likely antifouling property for carapace microtopography in C. maenas.


Edward Abbey called The Monkey Wrench Gang a "comic extravaganza," which it is, although one with a clear, serious message: to protect the American wilderness from the forces of commercial enterprise. The story centers on George Hayduke, an ex-Green Beret and Vietnam vet, who returns to the Southwestern desert after the war to find his beloved canyons and rivers threatened by industrial development. On a whitewater rafting trip down the Colorado River, Hayduke joins forces with three others who share his indignation and want to do something about it: feminist saboteur and Bronx exile Bonnie Abzug, wilderness guide and outcast Mormon Seldom Seen Smith, and libertarian billboard torcher Doc Sarvis, M.D. Together they venture off to become eco-raiders, waging war on the strip miners, clear-cutters, and the highway, dam, and bridge builders who are turning their natural habitat into a wasteland. The misadventures of this motley group make for an uproarious blend of chaos, conflict, and comedy.


Seroconversion appeared early after COVID-19 onset, and convalescent sera therapy benefit some critical patients. However, neutralizing antibody (nAb) in convalescents is largely unknown. We found that 97.01% (65/67) of COVID-19 convalescents maintained IgG antibodies with high binding and avidity to SARS-CoV-2 spike subunits S1 and S2, and 95.52% (64/67) had neutralization activity against SARS-CoV-2 pesudovirus, one month after discharge (median ID50, 2.75; IQR, 2.34-3.08). Some sera exhibited cross-neutralization against SARS-CoV (76.12%), MERS-CoV (17.91%), or both (10.45%). Interestingly, individuals recovered from severe disease (severe group) had nAbs with binding and neutralization titers higher than non-severe group. Severe group appeared a rapid increase of lymphocytes and a high proportion of circulating CXCR3+ Tfh cells. Interestingly, the later were spike-specific and positively correlated with SARS-CoV-2 nAb titers. All subjects had no autoimmunity. Our findings provide novel insights into nAb responses in COVID-19 convalescents and facilitate treatment and vaccine development for SARS-CoV-2 infection.


The identification and prediction of the daily soiling profiles of a photovoltaic site is essential to plan the optimal cleaning schedule. In this article, we analyze and propose various methods to extract and generate photovoltaic soiling profiles, in order to improve the analysis and the forecast of the losses. New soiling rate extraction methods are proposed to reflect the seasonal variability of the soiling rates and, for this reason, are found to identify the most convenient cleaning day with the highest accuracy for the investigated sites. Also, we present an approach that could be used to predict future soiling losses through the implementation of stochastic weather generation algorithms whose ability to identify in advance the best cleaning schedule is also successfully tested. The methods presented in this article can optimize the operation and maintenance schedule and could make it possible, in the future, to predict soiling losses through analysis based only on environmental parameters, such as rainfall and particulate matter, without the need of long-term soiling data.


Posterpresentatie gehouden tijdens en in het kader van Clinical Nutrition Week 2014. Background: Nutritional assessment is considered to be an important element in the nutrition care process of cancer patients, since nutritional status is positively associated with health outcome. The Scored Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) is a multidimensional nutritional assessment tool, developed for the oncology setting1. The PG-SGA was originally developed in English and until now an official Dutch translation was not available. We primarily aimed to develop a cross-cultural adaptation of the PG-SGA for the Dutch setting.
Methods: The study design was developed conform the " Principles of Good Practice for the Translation and Cultural Adaption Process for Patient Reported Outcomes" by the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR)2.
Results: The patients reported excellent understanding of the Dutch translated PG-SGA and perceived the items as easy to fill in. Comprehensibility of the items completed by the professionals was experienced as 'acceptable', but they also experienced the items as difficult to complete. Professionals deemed the overall PG-SGA to be relevant and appropriate in the assessment of malnutrition in oncology patients. Overall, the professionals considered layout and time-consuming nature as barriers for applying the Dutch PG-SGA in daily practice.
Conclusion: The Dutch cross-cultural adaptation of the PG-SGA was considered easy and was well understood by patients. Professionals evaluated the PG-SGA as relevant, but had some issues with lay out, elaborateness and difficulty of items regarding physical examination. To increase the accessibility and applicability of the PG-SGA for clinicians, training of these professionals is needed.


This paper is presented in the spirit of the stated intentions for the Workshop on Comparative Risk Assessment; Woods Hole, Massachusetts; March 31-April 4, 1975. A brief discussion of several topics is provided in the hope of stimulating further consideration in the area of "risk assessment". Included are observations, experiences, clinical impressions, and speculative thoughts reflective of, the writer's growing interest in this relatively new field of scientific inquiry. A particular methodology for. quantifying the perceived "risk" of various environmental hazards and/or technological advances is proposed. A more detailed and comprehensive approach to many of these issues is the aim of the author after his appointment as Research Scholar with the collaborative International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis--International Atomic Energy Agency--Project (Vienna, Austria) in June, 1975.


A 30 kVA, 96000 r/min, air-cooled high-speed permanent-magnet generator (HSPMG) is investigated in this paper. Considering effects on both the magnetic circuit and heat transfer paths comprehensively, the stator slot notch in this HSPMG is optimized. First, using the time-stepping finite-element method, the transient electromagnetic fields of HSPMG are numerically calculated, and the electromagnetic losses in different components are obtained. Then, after the determination of other mechanical losses in such a machine, a 3-D fluid-thermal coupling calculation model is established, and the working temperature distribution in the HSPMG is studied. Thus, the electromagnetic-fluid-thermal coupling analysis method on the HSPMG is proposed, and the use of the influences of machine notch height on machine magnetic circuit and cooling air flowing path are investigated. Meanwhile, both the electromagnetic performance and the temperature distribution in HSPMG with different stator notch height are studied, and a series of analytical equations is deduced to describe the variations of machine performances with stator notch. Using the proposed unbalance relative weighting method, the notch height is optimized to enhance the performance of HSPMG. The obtained conclusion could provide reference for HSPMG electromagnetic calculation, cooling system design, and optimization design.


The substitution of low-performance gas and fuel boilers by air to water electrical heat pumps is a solution to meet the energy challenge to reduce GHG dwellings emissions. Indeed, most dwelling emissions in Europe are due to heating and DHW generation with fossil fuels. Apart from low carbon emissions, high energy savings are expected from rated performances, but an AWHP may not deliver the expected efficiency because of a bad commissioning. Nowadays, these machines present a high number of parameters – over 40 on average – to be set during the installation, which makes this process very complex. Unfortunately, the parameter setting is a crucial step for the proper operation of the system throughout its life cycle. A non-optimal choice of AWHP parameters may lead to severe performance losses or discomfort. The first part of the paper describes the functions and parameters that the installer must adjust for the commissioning phase. In a second step, the consequences of a non-optimal parameterization of an AWHP are evaluated. This analysis is based on a computer model using Modelica language. The model consists of a heating system, installed in a typical detached dwelling. Simulations are run by pairing the heat pump with the dwelling and the heating system. Simulations show the potential energy savings and the accuracy of indoor air control when control parameters, in particular the heating curve, are adapted to the dwelling and to the heating network. Final results confirm that an optimization of the parameterization of an AWHP makes a significant difference, in both energy savings and indoor air temperature control accuracy.


The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) provides unique machinery for the folding and posttranslational modification of many secretory and transmembrane proteins in eukaryotic cells. The unfolded protein response (UPR) is a signal transduction network from the ER to the nucleus activated when the folding demand imposed by nascent, unfolded polypeptide chains exceeds the capacity of the ER protein folding machinery. In all eukaryotes the UPR maintains the physiological balance between folding demand and capacity of the ER by regulating adaptive responses to this stress situation. These include an increase in the folding capacity of the ER through induction of ER resident molecular chaperones and protein foldases, and a decrease in the folding demand on the ER by upregulation of ER associated degradation (ERAD), attenuation of general translation in metazoans, and stimulation of ER synthesis to dilute the unfolded protein load. In higher eukaryotes the UPR gained control over inflammatory and immune responses by controlling the activity of the transcription factor NF-kappaB to combat viral infections associated with an increased synthesis of viral glycoproteins. Similarly, in multicellular organisms apoptotic programs are controlled by the UPR to eliminate cells whose folding problems in the ER cannot be resolved by coordinated regulation of adaptive, inflammatory, and immune responses. In this review we will summarize our current understanding of signal transduction mechanisms involved in the mammalian UPR, and discuss examples to highlight the regulation of adaptive, inflammatory, immune, and apoptotic responses by the UPR.


Recent experimental measurements of the equation of state of perovskites and post-perovskites in the (Mg,Fe)SiO3 and (Mg,Fe,Al)(Fe,Al,Si)O-3 systems over a wide range of iron contents are used to constrain the effects of Fe and Al on density and bulk modulus of these phases at deep mantle pressures. The density of Fe-bearing perovskite follows a linear relationship with Fe-content at a representative mid-mantle depth of 1850 km (80 GPa): (80) (g cm(- 3)) = 5.054(1) + 1.270(3)X-Fe. The bulk modulus of silicate perovskite is not sensitive to Fe-content and follows the relationship, K-80 (GPa) = 546(2) + 12(25)X-Fe. The velocity heterogeneity parameter, partial derivative ln V-B/partial derivative X-Fe, determined by experimental values for the bulk sound speed is 0.10(1), in agreement with theory and the behaviour of other Fe-bearing silicates. Near the core-mantle boundary, Fe-rich post-perovskite is observed to be more compressible than the Mg-end-member, in contrast to theoretical predictions. From experimental data, the densities of perovskite and post-perovskite at 125 GPa (2700 km depth) are (125,Pv) (g cm(-3)) = 5.426(11) + 1.38(4)X-Fe and (125,pPv) (g cm(-3)) = 5.548(1) + 1.41(3)X-Fe. The density contrast across the post-perovskite transition is similar to 2 per cent, irrespective of Fe-content, but the contrast in bulk sound speed increases with Fe-content. Al-rich silicates exhibit no significant differences in density or compressibility relative to Al-free silicates, but may be responsible for seismic heterogeneities due to differences in the depth and width of the post-perovskite transition. Observations of increased densities in large low shear velocity provinces and ultra-low-velocity zones may be consistent with local iron enrichment from Mg#90 to Mg# 78-88 and Mg# < 50, respectively.


Following a two-pronged line of argumentation, our article seeks to analyze and evaluate the current state of quantitative approaches applied to Romanian literature within the context and framework of one of the most prominent emergent fields of literary studies: quantitative formalism. Thus, on the one hand, the paper will attempt to present the most well-known lexicographic instruments currently used in quantitative studies in Romania (The Chronological Dictionary of the Romanian Novel from its Origins to 1989, The Chronological Dictionary of Translated Novels in Romania from its Origins to 1989, and The Bibliography of the Relations between Romanian Literature and Foreign Literatures in Periodicals 1919–1944), and, on the other, to employ the emerging methods that make use of these instruments, alongside their inherent limitations and the pragmatic issues that concern them) as a starting point for a debate on the current state of theoretical and critical approaches to the study of literature in the Romanian academic field. A selective and detailed application of the quantitative methodologies in question, as they are theorized by scholars such as Franco Moretti ("distant reading") or Matthew L. Jockers ("macroanalysis") will be another focal point of our paper, as it will seek to further illustrate the manner in which a meta-ref lection on the approach itself can encourage the further development of quantitative methods in the study of Romanian literature.


Deep neural networks have achieved impressive supervised classification performance in many tasks including image recognition, speech recognition, and sequence to sequence learning. However, this success has not been translated to applications like question answering that may involve complex arithmetic and logic reasoning. A major limitation of these models is in their inability to learn even simple arithmetic and logic operations. For example, it has been shown that neural networks fail to learn to add two binary numbers reliably. In this work, we propose Neural Programmer, an end-to-end differentiable neural network augmented with a small set of basic arithmetic and logic operations. Neural Programmer can call these augmented operations over several steps, thereby inducing compositional programs that are more complex than the built-in operations. The model learns from a weak supervision signal which is the result of execution of the correct program, hence it does not require expensive annotation of the correct program itself. The decisions of what operations to call, and what data segments to apply to are inferred by Neural Programmer. Such decisions, during training, are done in a differentiable fashion so that the entire network can be trained jointly by gradient descent. We find that training the model is difficult, but it can be greatly improved by adding random noise to the gradient. On a fairly complex synthetic table-comprehension dataset, traditional recurrent networks and attentional models perform poorly while Neural Programmer typically obtains nearly perfect accuracy.


This book presents the long-awaited critical edition of an unpublished manuscript of 277 pages containing Twardowski's lecture notes on logic given in German at the University of Vienna. As to length, language and topic, this text is unique among the works of the author, who is renowned for his 'Zur Lehre vom Inhalt und Gegenstand der Vorstellungen' (1894), an influential but short book that has been out of stock for a long time already. In 'Logik' Twardowski's ideas are exposed in a much more extensive and interestingly revised form. The rest of Twardowski's production is in Polish, a language inaccessible to many readers. This edition will be of special interest to philosophers interested in the scientific philosophy in Vienna before the Wiener Kreis, to phenomenologists and anyone interested in early phenomenology and Husserl's thought, to historians of early analytic philosophy, and particularly to specialists of Austrian philosophy and the continental analytic tradition from Bolzano to Tarski, for whom the book will be a truly indispensable source.


This study considers the role and intervention strategies adopted by supervisors at the Honours level
from the student perspective, and their implications for student learning. Using an adaptation of the
presage-process-product model for the supervisory setting and interview data from eight students
enrolled in a Bachelor of Business Honours programme, we report two key findings. First, the
largest gaps observed related predominantly to academic and validation roles. More specifically,
students reported the need for supervisors to take on a greater mentoring, innovative and
judgemental roles. Second, students preferred more facilitative interventions (e.g. more supportive
and catalytic strategies) rather than authoritative interventions (such as prescriptive or confronting)
as they promote confidence building and independence. The study concludes with a discussion of
implications of the research for stakeholders in the supervisory process.


Community well being requires certain level of services and these services if not available or if available in unsatisfying level becomes a reason of concern to the community. Supply of water is one of the most essential services that the people need for their well being in the society. The availability of this service improves the life of the society members. In response to the need of water in the community living at Umoja Secondary school, the project was designed to ensure that water is made available to the community. The main purpose of this project is to supply reliable and sufficient water to the community through the activities of ADP Simbo. ADP Simbo is a non-governmental organization which operates in Simbo Ward in Igunga District of Tabora region in the United Republic of Tanzania in the areas of water and sanitation, health, nutrition and agriculture. The project began by the identification of the need in the society through the community need assessment which forms the first chapter. The subsequent chapters deal with the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, the conclusion and recommendation.


What do Disneyland, the Abu Ghraib U.S. military prison, the Mall of America, and the Y-12 nuclear security complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee have in common? They have wildly different purposes, but they share a common characteristic as employers of private police. This answer-indicative of the prevalence and numbers of private police today-would have struck the nineteenth-century observer as evidence of a gross failure by the state. Yet that reaction, in turn, would seem odd to us. Vocal support of private police can be found among public police chiefs, lawmakers, and even President Bush. What kinds of criticisms were once leveled at private police by public officials? How did one attitude, deeply skeptical of private police, evolve into another that sees heavy reliance upon private policing as beneficial, or at least benign? Here, I take a fresh look at the dynamics of that change, and by doing so, restore to their proper place fundamental questions about the use of police who are privately financed and organized in a democratic society. These questions, and the violent history that midwived them, have been largely and undeservedly forgotten by the legal literature. Using this historical perspective, I examine the shifting status of private policing: first, by examining the history of public criticism directed against them; second, by recounting the partnership model that first gained a foothold in studies sponsored by the federal government in the 1970s and 1980s; and third, by questioning the meaning and intentions behind the idea of partnership advanced today.


This paper studies the relationship between investments in High-Performance Computing (HPC) instrumentation and research competitiveness. Measures of institutional HPC investment are computed from data that is readily available from the Top 500 list, a list that has been published twice a year since 1993 that lists the fastest 500 computers in the world at that time. Institutions that are studied include US doctoral-granting institutions that fall into the very high or high research rankings according to the Carnegie Foundation classifications and additional institutions that have had entries in the Top 500 list. Research competitiveness is derived from federal funding data, compilations of scholarly publications, and institutional rankings. Correlation and Two Stage Least Square regression is used to analyze the research-related returns to investment in HPC. Two models are examined and give results that are both economically and statistically significant. Appearance on the Top 500 list is associated with a contemporaneous increase in NSF funding levels as well as a contemporaneous increase in the number of publications. The rate of depreciation in returns to HPC is rapid. The conclusion is that consistent investments in HPC at even modest levels are strongly correlated to research competitiveness.


We propose an adjustment of standard regression-based factor attribution to address a common issue: implementation constraints often mean that investors cannot realize the full potential of a factor strategy, but standard attribution analysis assumes that they can – leaving part of the portfolio return unexplained. Our alternative classifies stocks based on their factor exposures and identifies the segments most responsible for the unexplained portfolio return. The resulting nonlinear factor attribution better reconciles realized performance with the investment process, mitigating both the long-term average and short-term volatility of any residual. While our focus is on equity investing, the proposed methodology for factor attribution also applies to other asset classes.


Cost sharing represent a well-established tool for the control of health care demand in many Oecd countries, even though it is used with caution, and in combination with other instruments, in order to avoid potential negative impacts on access to essential health care services. Waiting lists and waiting times represent an alternative (and implicit) way to control demand in public health care systems, even though rationing by waiting may be an inferior solution to cost-sharing in terms of welfare. This paper focuses on the use of waiting times, cost-sharing, and other tools (in particular, priority and appropriateness criteria) in order to control demand for a public outpatient health service in presence of a fully paid out-of-pocket private alternative. We develop an agent-based model where heterogeneous agents maximise their individual utility based on income and health status. On this basis, we develop some computational experiments based on micro-simulations that offer some useful insights for health care policy. In particular, we show that: i) the presence of a private alternative to public treatment can improve social welfare and health equity in a NHS, when public supply is constrained by a fixed budget and longer waiting times than the private one; ii) using prioritisation of waiting lists without any copayment to control the demand for public treatment may produce high performances in terms of social welfare, health equality and policy efficiency; iii) applying a moderate copayment rate as a tool to control public demand could determine the same policy efficiency of using only priority lists, if the copayment revenues are used to fund the public provision.