The Charlotte Wolff Archive in the History of Psychology Centre of the British Psychological Society is the only major collection of working papers from individual psychologists that preserves the papers of a woman psychologist, yet Wolff is relatively unknown. This thesis aims to consider her contribution to psychology and to the history of sexuality. In line with a view of history as alive in the present, this also entails engaging Wolff in contemporary debates on gender and sexuality. To this effect, Chapter 1 presents a biographical sketch of Wolff and introduces her legacy, including how the Wolff Archive was acquired and opened for research for the first time for the author of this thesis. Chapter 2 contextualizes Wolff as a woman psychologist in line with a feminist historical project of reclaiming missing voices - which entails a discussion of ways of 'doing history' and 'doing biography' and an examination of the concept of the archive. Chapter 3 considers the history of sexuality and how sexual identities have solidified with the rise of sexology; it also gives an account of the struggle for homosexual emancipation in Germany and of the implications of the 'forgetting' of lesbianism in German and British law, and concludes with some notes on Wolff's contemporaries in lesbian history Radclyffe Hall and Gertrude Stein. Having so contextualized Wolff, the thesis considers in further chapters her contribution to the history of sexuality by examining her autobiographical biographical writings as documents of lesbian history and beyond (Chapter 4), her contribution - with book length studies - to lesbian feminism (Chapter 5) and to theory and research on bisexuality (Chapter 6). Wolff's work as biographer of Magnus Hirschfeld (as well her theorizing of biography) are addressed in Chapter 7. Finally, Chapter 8 offers some conclusions on why Wolff has yet to be fully 'reclaimed' as the previous chapters on her work show that she deserves. Additional reflections are offered on the archive and archival research - at the level of the particular (engaging with the Wolff Archive) and in general terms. Finally, the thesis suggests future lines of enquiry.


Background Promoted as a vehicle for achieving universal health coverage (UHC), the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) was expanded in Chhattisgarh to a universal scheme – Mukhyamantri Swasthya Bima Yojana (MSBY) plus RSBY – in 2012 by the state government. The present study, conducted in urban slums of Raipur, capital of Chhattisgarh, aimed to assess issues of coverage and utilisation under RSBY/MSBY and whether it can effectively address health concerns of the urban poor, with a focus on women's medical conditions and their experiences. It tried to assess the extent to which cashless treatment is available under RSBY/MSBY. Simultaneously it seeks a layered understanding of claims of universal coverage through the insurance route. Methods The study was quantitative in nature. Primary data were collected from a sample of individuals who were hospitalised in the last six months prior to the study, identified through Mitanins (women community health workers). The surveyors interviewed all identified patients and, additionally, used snowball technique to expand sample size. The total number of patients interviewed was 367 (284 women and 83 men). Here, we document the experience of women patients: 282 women, of 65% belonged to Other Backward Castes (OBC), 17% to Scheduled Castes (SC), 4% to Schedule Tribes (ST) and 13% to General (non OBC, non SC, non ST). A structured interview guide was applied. Findings A slightly higher percentage of women (68%) than men (65%) were enrolled in RSBY/MSBY. Only 5% of the enrolled received the list of empanelled hospitals; 57% received a smart card on enrolment day as per the norm. Around 78% of hospitalised women presented gynaecological or obstetric conditions (including 200 childbirths), while men were mainly hospitalized for respiratory and water- or foodborne diseases. Hospitalisation of women took place in public facilities (57%), in private facilities (37%), or in both (5%). Higher proportions of women whose families were not enrolled went to the public sector, for all conditions. Women accessed the public sector more for pregnancy (63%) and other gynaecological conditions (76%), and the private sector (55%) for non-gynaecological conditions. Half of the hospitalised women were not enrolled in RSBY/MSBY. Of the enrolled, 36% were able to use insurance, with usage higher in empanelled private facilities (71%) than in public facilities (25%). Insurance was used in 17% of delivery cases (28% in private and 10% in public). Utilisation of insurance was higher for C-section than for vaginal deliveries. Only 4% of women did not incur out-of-pocket expenses (OOP), with average OOP for non-gynaecological cases much higher than for gynaecological cases. Overall, OOP were made on fees charged (52%), medicines (18%) and diagnostics (15%). Of the women who incurred OOP, 90% had to spend on transportation, and 76% on medicines. Average OOP in private facilities was more than six times higher than in public facilities. Women incurred OOP despite using RSBY/MSBY, with average OOP much higher for women who used RSBY/MSBY in private facilities (INR 10,733) than in public facilities (INR 2,518). The average amount booked under RSBY/MSBY for vaginal birth in private hospitals (INR 7,607) was twice that of the amount booked in public hospitals (INR 3,775). Women borrowed (37%), used savings (61%), and seven women sold/mortgaged valuables to pay for treatment. Discussion While our study finds that there has been an increase in enrolment since the introduction of the RSBY/MSBY, 43% of the urban slum population in Raipur remains uncovered. Moreover, the overall usage of insurance for hospitalisations is very low. This is despite the fact that Raipur district has the highest number of empanelled facilities, most of them in Raipur city and making the highest amount of claims in the state. In the utilisation of insurance, there seems to be a bias towards surgical procedures, mainly in the private sector. Utilisation was higher for non-gynaecological conditions (49%) and the usage of RSBY/MSBY cards for C-sections was more than twice than that for vaginal deliveries. With respect to cost of health care, the private sector is more expensive than the public sector in every situation, even when using insurance. Our study shows that 'universal' health insurance does not automatically translate to universal health coverage. Despite having a 'universal' health insurance scheme Chhattisgarh is not able to provide financial protection and decent access to the urban poor women for hospitalisations. In evaluating the impact of health insurance schemes, it is imperative that the efficacy of health insurance be assessed in terms of providing financial protection, and equitable and effective healthcare access for vulnerable and marginalised populations like the urban poor. Grant funding (Paul Hamlyn Foundation, London) for research but no other competing interests.


This survey analyzes two national pharmacovigilance databases in order to determine the major adverse reactions observed with the use of cholinesterase inhibitors in dementia. We conducted a statistical analysis of the Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) and the Canada Vigilance Adverse Reaction Database (CVARD) concerning the side effects of cholinesterase inhibitors. The statistics calculated for each adverse event were the frequency and the reporting odds ratios (ROR). A total of 9877 and 2247 reports were extracted from the FAERS and CVARD databases, respectively. A disproportionately higher frequency of reports of death as an adverse event for rivastigmine, compared to the other acetylcholinesterase inhibiting drugs, was observed in both the FAERS (ROR = 3.42; CI95% = 2.94–3.98; P<0.0001) and CVARD (ROR = 3.67; CI95% = 1.92–7.00; P = 0.001) databases. While cholinesterase inhibitors remain to be an important therapeutic tool against Alzheimer's disease, the disproportionate prevalence of fatal outcomes with rivastigmine compared with alternatives should be taken into consideration.


A rational strategy has been used to immobilize open metal sites in ultramicroporosity for stronger binding of multiple H 2 molecules per unsaturated metal site for H 2 storage applications. The synthesis and structure of a mixed zinc/copper metal-organic framework material Zn 3(BDC) 3[Cu(Pyen)] .(DMF) 5(H 2O) 5 (H 2BDC = 1,4 benzenedicarboxylic acid and PyenH 2 = 5-methyl-4-oxo-1,4-dihydro-pyridine-3-carbaldehyde) is reported. Desolvation provides a bimodal porous structure Zn 3(BDC) 3[Cu(Pyen)] (M'MOF 1) with narrow porosity (<0.56 nm) and an array of pores in the bc crystallographic plane where the adsorbate-adsorbent interactions are maximized by both the presence of open copper centers and overlap of the potential energy fields from pore walls. The H 2 and D 2 adsorption isotherms for M'MOF 1 at 77.3 and 87.3 K were reversible with virtually no hysteresis. Methods for determination of the isosteric enthalpies of H 2 and D 2 adsorption were compared. A virial model gave the best agreement (average deviation <1 standard deviation) with the isotherm data. This was used in conjunction with the van't Hoff isochore giving isosteric enthalpies at zero surface coverage of 12.29 +/- 0.53 and 12.44 +/- 0.50 kJ mol (-1) for H 2 and D 2 adsorption, respectively. This is the highest value so far observed for hydrogen adsorption on a porous material. The enthalpy of adsorption, decreases with increasing amount adsorbed to 9.5 kJ mol (-1) at approximately 1.9 mmol g (-1) (2 H 2 or D 2 molecules per Cu corresponding to adsorption on both sides of planar Cu open centers) and is virtually unchanged in the range 1.9-3.6 mmol g (-1). Virial analysis of isotherms at 87.3 K is also consistent with two H 2 or D 2 molecules being bound to each open Cu center. The adsorption kinetics follow a double exponential model, corresponding to diffusion along two types of pores, a slow component with high activation energy (13.35 +/- 0.59 kJ mol (-1)) for the narrow pores and a faster component with low activation energy (8.56 +/- 0.41 kJ mol (-1)). The D 2 adsorption kinetic constants for both components were significantly faster than the corresponding H 2 kinetics for specific pressure increments and had slightly lower activation energies than the corresponding values for H 2 adsorption. The kD 2/ kH 2 ratio for the slow component was 1.62 +/- 0.07, while the fast component was 1.38 +/- 0.04 at 77.3 K, and the corresponding ratios were smaller at 87.3 K. These observations of kinetic isotope quantum molecular sieving in porous materials are due to the larger zero-point energy for the lighter H 2, resulting in slower adsorption kinetics compared with the heavier D 2. The results show that a combination of open metal centers and confinement in ultramicroporosity leads to a high enthalpy for H 2 adsorption over a wide range of surface coverage and quantum effects influence diffusion of H 2 and D 2 in pores in M'MOF 1.


The United States Supreme Court validated the misappropriation theory in United States v. O'Hagan, but unfortunately rendered a confusing opinion that left many questions unresolved. In this article we discuss the history of the Supreme Court's Section 10(b) jurisprudence as it relates to insider trading, giving particular attention to the Court's insistence prior to O'Hagan that "a material misrepresentation or material failure to disclose," not merely a breach of fiduciary duty, must exist to impose liability under Section 10(b). We then discuss the pervasive inconsistencies among lower courts in interpreting the misappropriation theory, and how the O'Hagan decision does little to clarify this ambiguous body of case law. We also discuss the many scenarios in which it is not certain when a fiduciary relationship exists and when a fiduciary is barred from using his principal's information. On examination of these scenarios, it is clear that the misappropriation theory remains exceptionally vague, particularly as a standard for criminal liability. We further explore how courts can best define the scope of the misappropriation theory. We conclude that Congress or the SEC should act to replace or supplement the misappropriation theory with a clearer definition of when it is and is not illegal for corporate outsiders to trade while in possession of material, nonpublic information.


High-refractive-index materials LaF3, NdF3, and GdF3 and low-refractive-index materials MgF2, AlF3, and Na3AlF6 single thin films are deposited by a resistive-heating boat at different depositing rates and specific substrate temperatures on single crystal MgF2 substrates. Transmittances of all fluoride thin films are measured using commercial spectrometer in the ambient atmosphere and under vacuum using synchrotron radiation instrument in the wavelength region from 190 to 500 nm. The optical constants of these materials are determined by envelope method and iterative algorithm on the basis of transmittance measurements.


Four classroom teachers discuss their experience and frustration with TPEP and Common Core, especially with the clear lack of support at state and national levels. As they work through the issues with their principal, they come to the conclusion that they will have to continue working on their own, with their principal by their side. For them, this is all uncharted territory with little outside support, but they will make it work for them and the District.


Family conflict, particularly acculturation conflict, has been identified as a significant risk factor for immigrant youth, increasing the likelihood of depression, lower self-esteem, conduct problems, and poor academic performance in Latino and Asian American adolescents and young adults (e.g., Bahrassa, Syed, Su, & Lee, 2011; Dennis, Basanez, & Farahmand, 2010; Formoso, Gonzales, & Aiken, 2000; Gonzales, Deardorff, Formoso, Barr, & Barrera, 2006; Juang, Syed, & Takagi, 2007). Despite this, there is limited empirical work that addresses the mechanisms by which acculturation conflict impacts psychological well-being in Latino youth. The goal of this dissertation was to examine the mechanisms that underlie the negative effects of acculturation conflict with parents, on an adolescent's depressive symptoms and self-esteem. In this current study, participants included 140 Latino adolescents (Mage = 12.88; SD = .70; 51% girls). The majority of youth were from Mexican-origin families (81%). Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), results indicated that parent-adolescent acculturation conflict predicted greater depressive symptoms, lower self-esteem, lower relationship satisfaction with mothers and fathers, and a lower ethnic private regard. Additionally, ethnic private regard served as a partial mediating mechanism linking acculturation conflict to self-esteem, such that, acculturation conflict predicted a lower ethnic private regard, which in turn, predicted lower self-esteem. Discussion focuses on research and clinical implications for working with Latino families living in an emerging Latino community.


Technology is changing paradigms in education rapidly and teachers are caught unguarded due to lack of professional training in this aspect. This study reflects the perceptions of nine ELT instructors with M.A TEFL degrees and with over six years of professional experience. Despite the lack of formal professional training as part of their pre-service teacher education, these instructors need to cope with the demands of this transition in daily implementation. Data were collected through semistructured interviews, open-ended questionnaires and field notes. An inductive analysis approach was used to analyze the data and emergent patterns of data were used to develop coding categories. Results indicated that respondents held positive views about the role of educational technology for enriching language instruction. However, they also acknowledged the challenges faced and emphasised the need for ICT training not only for teachers but also for students. It is concluded that participants make use of technology to teach academic and linguistic skills in an integrated skills approach, encourage students to construct knowledge, expose students to life-long learning skills and strategies, cater for different students who have different learning styles, find and create teaching materials, develop skills through exposure to existing on-line sources and create a motivating environment that is conducive for learning.


The capability to instantiate a cooperation among heterogeneous agents is a fundamental feature in mobile robotics. In this paper we focus on the interaction between Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to extend the endurance of UAV, thanks to a novel landing/recharging platform. The UGV acts as a docking station and hosts the UAV during the indoor/outdoor transition and vice-versa. We designed a platform and a robust landing target to automate the fast recharge of UAV. The synchronization and coordination of cooperation is managed by a Ground Control Station (GCS) developed using a versatile software toolchain based on the integration of Stateflow, auto-generation of C-code and ROS. All the software components of UAV, UGV and GCS have been developed using ROS. The obtained results show that the UAV is able to land over the UGV with high accuracy (<;5cm for both x and y axis) thanks to a visual position estimation algorithm, also in presence of wind (with gust up to 20-25km/h), recharging its batteries in a short time to extend its endurance.


Objective/Study Question. To examine racial/ethnic differences in in fl uenza and pneumococcal vaccination receipt and nonreceipt among nursing home (NH) residents post implementation of federal vaccination policy. Data Sources/Study Setting/Study Design/Data Collection/Extraction Methods. An analysis of a merged national cross-sectional dataset containing resident assessment, facility, and community data for years 2010 – 2013 was conducted. Logistic regressions omitting and including facility fi xed effects were used to examine the in fl uence of race and ethnicity (black, Hispanic, white) and black concentration on vaccination status across and within NHs. Principle Findings. Vaccination receipt of 107,874 residents in 742 NHs was examined. Blacks were less likely than whites to receive in fl uenza and pneumococcal vaccinations (OR = 0.75; OR = 0.81, respectively, p -values < .001). The likelihood of not being offered the in fl uenza vaccination was greater for blacks (OR = 1.25, p = .004) and the likelihood of not being offered the pneumococcal vaccination was greater for Hispanics (OR = 1.65, p = .04) compared to whites. Fixed effects showed that within the same NH, Hispanics were more likely to receive both vaccinations compared to whites (OR = 1.22, p = .004 (in fl uenza); OR = 1.34, p < .001 (pneumococcal)). Facilities highly concentrated with blacks accounted for large proportions of differences seen in vaccination receipt. Conclusions. Racial/ethnic differences remain despite policy changes. Focused strategies aimed at NH personnel and racially segregated NHs are critical to improving vaccination delivery and eliminating disparities in care.


The recent explosion in intellectual property litigation has witnessed increasing recourse to secondary liability theories. The courts have responded favorably to plaintiffs by enunciating substantial reinterpretations of extant principles, thereby precipitating a veritable secondary liability revolution. Numerous commentators have bemoaned this trend, contending that judicial recasting of liability rules expands intellectual property rights beyond their intended scope, thereby resulting in an overprotective regime that stifles innovation. Yet one of the most striking aspects of the secondary liability revolution has been all but ignored in the literature: While the courts have broadened the scope of secondary liability principles with respect to copyright, no such move has occurred in the trademark arena. This divergence is unusual for several reasons. Secondary theories of liability in both trademark and copyright law share the same origins - the common law of tort and agency - and, in the past, were applied identically regardless of whether a trademark or a copyright was at issue. The case law offers no explanation for why this schism between secondary copyright and trademark has developed. Additionally, modern innovations cannot explain the divide: by facilitating the reproduction of marks and the global distribution of products, digital technology poses just as much of a threat to trademark holders as it does to copyright interests. This Article takes a critical first step in clearing the murky waters of secondary infringement by setting forth and analyzing the divergence between the secondary trademark and copyright liability regimes. We first disaggregate the various theories of secondary liability by analyzing the current law of contributory and vicarious trademark and copyright infringement. As we argue, despite common origins, trademark and copyright law have taken divergent paths over the years. Although many courts have recognized this divergence, they have not carefully parsed out the differences and have blindly accepted the differences without serious scrutiny or rationalization. We then attempt to explain the reasons behind the differences we identify in the two secondary liability doctrines. Specifically, we ask why the courts have created a two-tier system of secondary liability. In so doing, we examine what the divergent path of secondary trademark and copyright liability principles says about the law-making process, the evolution of legal doctrine, and the choices being made between two complementary systems of intellectual property protection. As our analysis reveals, it does not appear that fundamental differences in the nature or origin of trademark and copyright, rational balancing of economic risk-bearing considerations, or notions of romantic authorship can explain this bifurcation. Rather, a panic over copyright infringement in the digital age has beset the courts, causing the injudicious and often uncritical expansion of secondary liability principles in the copyright arena. Finally, we assess the ways in which the existing law of secondary trademark and copyright liability fails to lay a reasonable template for our legal regime's response to complex issues of technological change. The Article concludes by suggesting the direction of future legal literature to determine appropriate reforms to the secondary liability regime.


ABSTRACT Few studies have explored the role of neutralizing antibody (NAb) responses in controlling HIV-2 viremia and disease progression. Using a TZM-bl neutralization assay, we assessed heterologous and autologous NAb responses from a community cohort of HIV-2-infected individuals with a broad range of disease outcomes in rural Guinea-Bissau. All subjects (n = 40) displayed exceptionally high heterologous NAb titers (50% inhibitory plasma dilution or 50% inhibitory concentration [IC50], 1:7,000 to 1:1,000,000) against 5 novel primary HIV-2 envelopes and HIV-2 7312A, whereas ROD A and 3 primary envelopes were relatively resistant to neutralization. Most individuals also showed high autologous NAb against contemporaneous envelopes (78% of plasma-envelope combinations in 69 envelopes from 21 subjects), with IC50s above 1:10,000. No association between heterologous or autologous NAb titer and greater control of HIV-2 was found. A subset of envelopes was found to be more resistant to neutralization (by plasma and HIV-2 monoclonal antibodies). These envelopes were isolated from individuals with greater intrapatient sequence diversity and were associated with changes in potential N-linked glycosylation sites but not CD4 independence or CXCR4 use. Plasma collected from up to 15 years previously was able to potently neutralize recent autologous envelopes, suggesting a lack of escape from NAb and the persistence of neutralization-sensitive variants over time, despite significant NAb pressure. We conclude that despite the presence of broad and potent NAb responses in HIV-2-infected individuals, these are not the primary forces behind the dichotomous outcomes observed but reveal a limited capacity for adaptive selection and escape from host immunity in HIV-2 infection.


This paper presents a new demographic profile of extreme and moderate poverty, defined as those living on less than $1.90 and between $1.90 and $3.10 per day in 2013, based on household survey data from 89 developing countries. The face of poverty is primarily rural and young; 80 percent of the extreme poor and 75 percent of the moderate poor live in rural areas. Over 45 percent of the extreme poor are children younger than 15 years old, and nearly 60 percent of the extreme poor live in households with three or more children. Gender differences in poverty rates are muted, and there is scant evidence of gender inequality in poor children's educational attainment. A sizable share of the extreme and moderate poor, 40 and 50 percent, respectively, have completed primary school. Compared with the extreme poor, the moderate poor are significantly more likely to have completed primary school and are less likely to work in agriculture. After conditioning on other individual and household characteristics, having fewer than three children, having greater educational attainment, and living in an urban area are strongly and positively associated with economic well-being. The results reinforce the central importance of households in rural areas and those containing large numbers of children in efforts to reduce extreme poverty, and are consistent with increased educational attainment and urbanization hastening poverty reduction.


Current practice recommendations in both the fields of infant mental health and pediatrics support the co-location of mental health professionals into the pediatric setting. Multiple policy reports and statements of the past 5 years have repeatedly argued the need for coordination and integration between mental health care and pediatrics (Halfon, Regalado, McLearn, Kuo, & Wright, 2003; Osofsky, 2004). The pediatric office is recognized as a universally accessed, nonstigmatized setting, ideal for the assessment and treatment of early childhood mental health problems. However, barriers to this type of care are rampant, including time limitations on the part of pediatricians, inadequate reimbursement structures, inadequate training of pediatricians, and insufficient connections between medical and mental health providers. An innovative response to these barriers is the co-location of a mental health professional in the pediatric practice to provide pediatrician education and appropriate screening, assessment, referral, and treatment of young patients. This article describes a successful program of this type situated in the Bronx, NY, where a psychologist with expertise in infant mental health spends 25 hours per week in a large pediatric practice to address the developmental and mental health needs of children aged 0-3 years old. Preliminary descriptive data regarding the patient population, screening scores, and disposition are presented.


Wind has been one of the popular renewable energy generation methods in the last decades. Foreknowledge of power to be generated from wind is crucial especially for planning and storing the power. It is evident in various experimental data that wind speed time series has non-linear characteristics. It has been reported in the literature that nonlinear prediction methods such as artificial neural network (ANN) and adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) perform better than linear autoregressive (AR) and AR moving average models. Polynomial AR (PAR) models, despite being non-linear, are simpler to implement when compared with other non-linear AR models due to their linear-in-the-parameters property. In this study, a PAR model is used for one-day ahead wind speed prediction by using the past hourly average wind speed measurements of Cesme and Bandon and performance comparison studies between PAR and ANN-ANFIS models are performed. In addition, wind power data which was published for Global Energy Forecasting Competition 2012 has been used to make power predictions. Despite having lower number of model parameters, PAR models outperform all other models for both of the locations in speed predictions as well as in power predictions when the prediction horizon is longer than 12 h.


Within anti-doping policy, the Therapeutic Use Exemption policy enables athletes with a range of medical conditions to compete within elite sport even after receiving prohibited medication substances or methods. It has been claimed, however, that the policy is being misused as a means to enhancing performance in healthy athletes, or athletes who do not suffer from a relevant pathological condition. To counter misuse of TUEs, it has claimed that the data captured in the TUE process should be transparent, even though this would reveal medical information concerning the athlete that would normally be thought of as private. There are further concerns regarding the sharing of medical data within sports organisations, between medical professionals and performance directors or coaches. We critically explore the TUE process, and argue against proposals for a transparent TUE policy on grounds of privacy and concerns for athlete welfare .We conclude that the notion of sports integrity, the threat of doping, and the extension of anti-doping policy, need to be considered within a broader context that also concerns the goals of sports medicine and athlete welfare.


This paper presents a novel RC-triggered, field-effect transistor (FET)-based power clamp that can be used in high-voltage complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) processes. A simple two-stage design provides a fast trigger while keeping the clamp transistor on for much longer than the triggering duration without the need for an additional digital latching circuit. As the presented technique does not require any digital circuits, it is especially useful in bipolar-CMOS-DMOS (BCD) processes, where the implementation of digital blocks is difficult due to the limited gateto-source voltage of the laterally diffused metal oxide semiconductor (LDMOS) transistors. The proposed architecture is implemented in a 0.25-μm BCD process offered by TSMC. Simulation results show that Class 3A-level electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection can be achieved with an 8-mm-wide device while keeping all gate-to-source voltage values below the recommended 5-V limit. As the circuit operation depends on the well-modeled transient behavior of transistors, the proposed technique can be extended to other ESD ratings and can also be migrated to other processes without the need of extensive hardware verification.


Food fraud and drug counterfeiting are of increasingly large concern to both global economics and to public health and safety. Simple medicinal products consisting of single synthesized or purified compounds can be tested for purity and authenticity rapidly with established assays such as chromatography and UV absorbance. Drugs derived from natural sources may contain hundreds or thousands of distinct chemical compounds and require correspondingly complex analytical methods. In this study we explore the use of methods developed for global metabolic profiling toward the identification of unknown complex medicinal products. By utilizing rapid solvent extraction followed by ultrahigh pressure high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled to high resolution accurate mass spectrometry (HRAM-MS/MS), we can reliably obtain a profile of the sample's molecular makeup. After profiling plant material to the depth of over 1,000 distinct molecules identified and quantified, we utilize these profiles to identify separately prepared and individually assayed blinded samples. We conclude that once a comprehensive library of small molecules has been acquired for each sample, identical preparations of products of unknown origin may be identified using simple statistical tools such as principal component analysis. We also conclude that these tools will be a valuable resource in affordably identified contaminated, adulterated and counterfeit products. Abstract Graphic


Fault tolerance and security in drinking water distribution operations are important issues that have received increased attention in the last few years. In this work the problem of leakage detection is formulated within a systems engineering framework, and a solution methodology to detect leakages in a class of distribution systems is proposed. Specifically, the case where water utilities use standard flow sensors to monitor the water inflow in a District Metered Area (DMA) is considered. The goal is to design algorithms which analyze the discrete inflow signal and determine as early as possible whether a leakage has occurred in the system. The inflow signal is normalized to remove yearly seasonal effects, and a leakage fault detection algorithm is presented, which is based on learning the unknown, time-varying, weekly periodic DMA inflow dynamics using an adaptive approximation methodology for updating the coefficients of a Fourier series; for detection logic the Cumulative Sum (CUSUM) algorithm is utilized. For reference and comparison, a second solution methodology based on night-flow analysis using the normalized inflow signal is presented. To illustrate the solution methodology, results are presented based on randomized simulated leakages and real hydraulic data measured at a DMA in Limassol, Cyprus.


One of the wound treatments was negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT), which used wound dressings on the wound bed to ameliorate wound healing. Unfortunately, most wound dressings were two dimensional (2D), lacking the ability to cover severe wounds with a straightforward procedure. The sheets needed to be stacked following the wound curvature, which might be problematic since improper stacking could hinder the wound healing. Regarding the mentioned problems, our group develops 3D wound dressings, which are made using 3D printers. The wound dressings are made of polycaprolactone (PCL), polyurethane (PU), and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). As the initial stage, the mechanical integrity of the soft polymers was investigated under uniaxial tensile and uniaxial compressive stress using computational methods. The polymers were defined as 3D lattices following the dimension of existing wound dressings. Based on the simulation results of displacement and von Mises stress, the three polymers are mechanically safe to be used as wound dressing materials.


One of the most impressive of all Victorian scientists but also a marvelous writer, Bates' (1825-1892) account of his years in the upper reaches of the Amazon is almost too good to be true - a great monument to human inquisitiveness as he battles great hoards of malevolent reptiles and insects in his quest for ever more obscure specimens on ever more narrow and creeper-choked tributaries. "Great Journeys" allows readers to travel both around the planet and back through the centuries - but also back into ideas and worlds frightening, ruthless and cruel in different ways from our own. Few reading experiences can begin to match that of engaging with writers who saw astounding things: great civilizations, walls of ice, violent and implacable jungles, deserts and mountains, and multitudes of birds and flowers new to science. Reading these books is to see the world afresh, to rediscover a time when many cultures were quite strange to each other, where legends and stories were treated as facts and in which so much was still to be discovered.


The outputs of a program that processes secret data may reveal information about the values of these secrets. This paper develops an information leakage model that can measure the leakage between arbitrary points in a probabilistic program. Our aim is to create a model of information leakage that makes it convenient to measure specific leaks, and provide a tool that may be used to investigate a program's information security. To make our leakage model precise, we base our work on a simple probabilistic, imperative language in which secret values may be specified at any point in the program; other points in the program may then be marked as potential sites of information leakage. We extend our leakage model to address both non-terminating programs (with potentially infinite numbers of secret and observable values) and user input. Finally, we show how statistical approximation techniques can be used to estimate our leakage measure in real-world Java programs.


This Article examines the �Smart Grid,� a set of concepts, technologies, and operating practices that may transform America�s electric grid as much as the Internet has done, redefining every aspect of electricity generation, distribution, and use. While the Smart Grid�s promise is great, this Article examines numerous key barriers to its development, including early stage resistance, a lack of incentives for consumers, and the adverse impacts of the federal-state tension in energy regulation. Overcoming these barriers requires both new technologies and transformative regulatory change, beginning with the development of a foundation of interoperability standards (rules of the road governing interactions on the Smart Grid) that will influence development for many years. This Article describes the federally coordinated standard-setting process started in the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act, leading to a collaborative dialogue among hundreds of participants, with leadership from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (�NIST�). After setting forth the need for interoperability standards and elaborating on the standard-setting process, the Article focuses on a 2011 order by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (�FERC�) that declined to adopt an initial group of standards. While this may appear a step backward, the Article argues to the contrary, finding that FERC�s order supports the flexibility of the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel, the NIST-led process that will produce interoperability standards critical to a wide range of energy saving technologies. FERC�s order allows this process, not a regulator�s imprimatur, to give standards credibility. By holding off on forcing adoption of the standards, but preserving the potential for more significant federal intervention later, it may lead to state adoption of the resulting standards. In this adaptive approach to energy law federalism, neither top-down federal regulation nor private sector standard setting is the exclusive means of overseeing Smart Grid development. FERC�s approach may promote a more positive federal-state relationship in the development of the Smart Grid, and may even portend a more collaborative relationship in energy law federalism generally, avoiding the disruptive jurisdictional clashes that have marked recent attempts to innovate in the electric grid.


Background and Aims
Pregnancy guidelines for women with inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] provide recommendations regarding anti-TNF cessation during pregnancy, in order to limit foetal exposure. Although infliximab [IFX] leads to higher anti-TNF concentrations in cord blood than adalimumab [ADA], the recommendations are similar. We aimed to demonstrate the effect of anti-TNF cessation during pregnancy on foetal exposure, for IFX and ADA separately.

Methods
We conducted a prospective single-center cohort study. Women with IBD, using IFX or ADA, were followed-up during pregnancy. In case of sustained disease remission, anti-TNF was stopped in the third trimester. At the birth, the anti-TNF concentration was measured in the cord blood. A linear regression model was developed to demonstrate anti-TNF concentration in cord blood at birth. In addition, outcomes such as disease activity, pregnancy outcomes and 1-year health outcomes of infants were collected.

Results
We included 131 pregnancies that resulted in a live birth [73 IFX, 58 ADA]. At birth, 94 cord blood samples were obtained [52 IFX, 42 ADA], showing significantly higher levels of IFX than ADA [p < 0.0001]. Anti-TNF type and stop week were used in the linear regression model. During the third trimester, IFX transportation over the placenta increased exponentially; however, ADA transportation was limited and increased in a linear fashion. Overall, health outcomes were comparable.

Conclusions
Our linear regression model shows that ADA may be continued longer during pregnancy, because transportation over the placenta is lower than for IFX. This may reduce relapse risk of the mother, without increasing foetal anti-TNF exposure.


OF DISSERTATION USE OF LABORATORY GEOPHYSICAL AND GEOTECHNICAL INVESTIGATION METHODS TO CHARACTRIZE GYPSUM RICH SOILS Gypsum rich soils are found in many parts of the world, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. Most gypsum occurs in the form of evaporites, which are minerals that precipitate out of water due to a high rate of evaporation and a high mineral concentration. Gypsum rich soils make good foundation material under dry conditions but pose major engineering hazards when exposed to water. Gypsum acts as a weak cementing material and has a moderate solubility of about 2.5 g/liter. The dissolution of gypsum causes the soils to undergo unpredictable collapse settlement leading to severe structural damages. The damages incur heavy financial losses every year. The objective of this research was to use geophysical methods such as free-free resonant column testing and electrical resistivity testing to characterize gypsum rich soils based on the shear wave velocity and electrical resistivity values. The geophysical testing methods could provide quick, non-intrusive and cost-effective methodologies to screen sites known to contain gypsum deposits. Reconstituted specimens of ground gypsum and quartz sand were prepared in the laboratory with varying amounts of gypsum and tested. Additionally geotechnical tests such as direct shear strength tests and consolidation tests were conducted to estimate the shear strength parameters (drained friction angle and cohesion) and the collapse potential of the soils. The effect of gypsum content on the geophysical and geotechnical parameters of soil was of particular interest. It was found that gypsum content had an influence on the shear wave velocity but had minimal effect on electrical resistivity. The collapsibility and friction angle of the soil increased with increase in gypsum. The information derived from the geophysical and geotechnical tests was used to develop statistical design equations and correlations to estimate gypsum content and soil collapse potential.


Offchain protocols aim at bypassing the scalability and privacy limitations of classic blockchains by allowing a subset of participants to execute multiple transactions outside the blockchain. While existing solutions like payment networks and factories depend on a complex routing protocol, other solutions simply require participants to build a childchain, a secondary blockchain where their transactions are privately executed. Unfortunately, all childchain solutions assume either synchrony or a trusted execution environment. In this paper we present Platypus, an offchain protocol that requires neither synchony nor a trusted execution environment. Relieving the need for a trusted execution environment allows Platypus to ensure privacy without trusting a central authority, like Intel, that manufactures dedicated hardware chipset, like SGX. Relieving the need for synchrony means that no attacker can steal coins by leveraging clock drifts or message delays to lure timelocks. In order to prove our algorithm correct, we formalize the chilchain problem as a Byzantine variant of the classic Atomic Commit problem, where closing an offchain protocol is equivalent to committing the whole set of payments previously recorded on the childchain "atomically" on the main chain. Platypus is resilience optimal and we explain how to generalize it to crosschain payments.


Traditional 2-D discrete cosine transform (DCT) implemented by separable 1-D transform in horizontal and vertical directions does not take image orientation features in a local window into account. To improve it, we propose to introduce directional primary operations to the lifting-based DCT and thereby derive a new directional DCT-like transform, whose transform matrix is dependent on directional angle and interpolation used there. Furthermore, the proposed transform is compared with the straightforward one of first rotated and then transformed. A JPEG-wise image coding scheme is also proposed to evaluate the performance of the proposed directional DCT-like transform. The first 1-D transform is performed according to image orientation features, and the second 1-D transform still in the horizontal or vertical direction. At the same time, an approach is proposed to optimally select transform direction of each block because selected directions of neighboring blocks will influence each other. The experimental results show that the performance of the proposed directional DCT-like transform can dramatically outperform the conventional DCT up to 2 dB even without modifying entropy coding.


Objectives: The purpose of this communication is to discuss the need for methodological detail and accuracy in resistance training publications. In doing so the hope is that future research might provide greater clarity, and thus have greater validity serving to (i) advance our physiological understanding of human adaptation, and (ii) provide coaches, trainers, and trainees with methods and results to better accommodate their own practice.
Design and Methods: The sample of literature discussed herein has been considered due to previous exclusion from a larger review article due to a lack of control and/or reporting of independent variables. The present article follows a narrative review format discussing these methodological limitations.
Results: A number of previous publications have failed to control, and/or report with clarity, independent variables such as exercises performed, repetitions, load, contractions, intensity of effort and total training volume both within and between intervention groups.
Conclusions: The results show that a previous lack of control/clarity in resistance training studies can hinder the scientific validity and practical application of any results obtained. By discussing this topic, the hope is to remind researchers, authors, editors, and reviewers of the need for scientific rigour throughout the process of research publication.


Dental remains of Homo floresiensis excavated during 2002-2004 at Liang Bua, Flores, Indonesia, consist of one partial maxillary dentition, two nearly complete mandibular dentitions, and four isolated teeth. We present here morphological descriptions of all these specimens and report aspects of their dentition, occlusion, and oral health condition. This dental assemblage represents probably five but possibly four or six individuals. These different individuals share similar dental characteristics, supporting the view that the Liang Bua H. floresiensis assemblage represents a single population. We also reassess the previous claims for primitive and modern aspects of the H. floresiensis teeth. The previous studies reached conflicting conclusions: some researchers claim that these teeth are fully modern, whereas others highlight premolar and other morphologies that suggest their direct evolutionary link with the African earliest form of Homo or Australopithecus rather than with H. erectus. Neither of these views are supported. The H. floresiensis teeth exhibit a mosaic of primitive, derived, and unique characters, with the reported primitive aspects broadly comparable to the morphologies observed in H. erectus sensu lato. Although a more comprehensive comparative analysis is needed to fully illustrate dental morphological affinities of this dwarfed hominin species, we find no grounds for the hypothesis that H. floresiensis originated from the small-bodied, primitive hominins such as H. habilis sensu lato.


Callyspongia vaginalis, a common reef sponge in the Florida Keys, USA, exhibits depth- specific differences in bioenergetics and growth that are a function of food availability. We measured several physiological parameters in situ to construct the bioenergetic budgets of sponges living in deep and shallow waters. Respiration rates were measured in a recirculating flow respirometer and pumping rates were measured by filming dye ejected from sponge oscula. In addition, inhalent and exhalent water sampled from around sponge colonies at both depths was analyzed using flow cyto- metry to quantify the concentration and clearance rates of picoplankton. These parameters were used to construct an energetic budget for sponges from each depth and revealed that the scope for growth was substantially greater for deep sponges compared to shallow sponges. The greater scope for growth of deep sponges is likely due to the greater abundance of picoplankton in the deep versus shallow habitat. Both naturally occurring sponges and those used in a reciprocal transplant experiment between 12 and 25 m exhibited significantly greater growth in the deep than the shallow habitat. Hence, bottom-up forcing in the form of increased food availability may be of principal importance to the growth and physiological ecology of suspension-feeding sponges.


We present and formalize the due diligence problem, where lawyers extract data from legal documents to assess risk in a potential merger or acquisition, as an information retrieval task. Furthermore, we describe the creation and annotation of a document collection for the due diligence problem that will foster research in this area. This dataset comprises 50 topics over 4,412 documents and ~15 million sentences and is a subset of our own internal training data. Using this dataset, we present what we have found to be the state of the art for information extraction in the due diligence problem. In particular, we find that when treating documents as sequences of labelled and unlabelled sentences, Conditional Random Fields significantly and substantially outperform other techniques for sequence-based (Hidden Markov Models) and non-sequence based machine learning (logistic regression). Included in this is an analysis of what we perceive to be the major failure cases when extraction is performed based upon sentence labels.


Stimulated photorefractive phase conjugators often exhibit well-defined curved beam paths that cannot be explained by simple beam fanning. We propose a model of these apparently curved paths as a series of straight-line segments, with beams propagating in both directions along these segments. These line segments spring from the amplification of scattered light between regions of the crystal already containing counterpropagating pump beams. As these line segments form, they create new interaction regions that generate new segments, thereby making the final beam path appear to be curved. Application of our model to a single-interaction-region mutually pumped phase conjugator shows that the threshold coupling strength required for the appearance of these new segments is only slightly higher than the threshold for the phase conjugator itself.


Femtomole amounts of racemic mixtures of derivatized amino acids were resolved and analyzed rapidly in about 10 minutes by means of high-voltage zone electrophoresis with laser-fluorescence detection. The electrophoresis was performed in capillary columns containing a chiral support electrolyte. A number of dansyl amino acids were resolved by the diastereomeric interaction between the DL-amino acid and the copper(II) complex of L-histidine present in the support electrolyte. A combination of electro-osmotic and electrophoretic action caused all species, positively charged, neutral, and negatively charged, to pass through the 0.5- nanoliter detection volume where they were subjected to laser excitation.


Synopsis: Rapid evolution of the national power grid and the bulk power system in size, scope, technology, and structural complexity has been accompanied by a substantial increase in sensitivity to electromagnetic disturbances, both natural and malicious. This increasing sensitivity will be further exacerbated by extensive grid renovation in the next ten to twenty years. When combined with new evidence of infrequent but Severe Space Weather events and with rising concerns from international political instabilities and proliferation trends, this expanding sensitivity has introduced a new dimension of risk to power grid reliability and security. This article, following a technical and historical summary, reviews some of the fundamental electromagnetic threat (e-threat) issues and complexities being considered by policy makers and regulators, and summarizes grid hardening options. This article explores unique challenges associated with an issue which affects many government functions, highlighting perspectives expressed by different agencies in the United States and allied governments. The article concludes with a short menu of regulatory considerations and industry-initiative measures that could help address e-threat concerns.I. INTRODUCTIONA. Overview1. The Critical Role of Power Grids in Modern SocietiesOf all the basic utilities and infrastructures essential for the functioning of modern society, the power grid system has become, by far, the most critical.Throughout history, societies depended on co-located, independent producers for their most fundamental resources, and in the early days of electric power the situation was no different. Today, after nearly a century of living with an integrated national power grid delivering reliable, easily available electric power, our homes, factories, social institutions, and the basic tools of commerce cannot survive without it. In the modern world, national growth is paced by the rate of cost effective development of the power grid.This revolutionary change has led to unprecedented growth in the nation's integrated electric grid. Over the last few decades the electricity sector has experienced massive growth while taking advantage of new technology to limit costs, as power companies systematically replaced armies of electrical engineers with Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)1 computer control systems; planned and implemented smart equipment innovation at generating stations, power line substations, and homes; and moved power over continental distances using ever higher voltage Extra High Voltage (EHV) transformers and longer transmission lines.2 Today, it is fair to view the nation as spanned by three, enormous, highly organic power systems with power generation and use typically separated by huge distances, made possible by a grid of long, high voltage transmission lines overlaid by layers of ubiquitous computer control networks.2. Protecting the Power Grids: The Role of Regulatory InstitutionsIn developed countries, the importance of the nationwide, organic power grid, and the consequent potential for highly leveraged negative impact associated with losses of essential utilities and services, almost invariably results in regulatory structures which attempt to manage such risks. Bulk power systems, broadly recognized as the foundation for most or all other essential utilities and services, are subject to such regulatory control.In the United States this control is implemented at both the federal and state levels. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has authority to impose mandatory reliability standards, working through the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), the Congressionally-mandated Electric Reliability Organization (ERO), which develops and enforces compliance standards and applies penalties.3 The individual states then maintain their own regulatory utility commissions - governing bodies that regulate the rates and services of local power companies. …


Human localization with fiber-optic sensors is a data-efficient, low-computational-cost substitute for vision-based approaches, especially, in indoor environments. A challenging task in building such a system is increasing the sensing efficiency, that is, the ratio of the number of monitored cells to that of sensors involved. In this paper, we develop a spatio-temporal Boolean compressed sensing model for addressing this issue. Specifically, we formulate the sensing task as the issue of encoding and decoding the sensed space in a joint spatio-temporal fashion, and we employ ant colony optimization for creating the required codebook. The design and implementation of this model is presented as well. Two aspects are mainly concerned. First, the modular design paradigm is explored to facilitate the deployment scalability. Second, a calibration mechanism is incorporated into the signal acquisition process for reliability enhancement. A lab-scale prototype system is developed for localizing two persons within a \(7 \times 7\) grid using only 12 sensors, which are more efficient compared with 15 sensors required in a conventional model. The experimental results are reported to validate the proposed model.


This paper examines the role of uncertainty shocks in a one-sector, representative-agent dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model. When prices are flexible, uncertainty shocks are not capable of producing business cycle co-movements among key macro variables. With countercyclical markups through sticky prices, however, uncertainty shocks can generate fluctuations that are consistent with business cycles. Monetary policy usually plays a key role in offsetting the negative impact of uncertainty shocks. If the central bank is constrained by the zero lower bound, then monetary policy can no longer perform its usual stabilizing function and higher uncertainty has even more negative effects on the economy. Calibrating the size of uncertainty shocks using fluctuations in the VIX, the authors find that increased uncertainty about the future may indeed have played a significant role in worsening the Great Recession, which is consistent with statements by policymakers, economists, and the financial press.


Many human cancers involve gain-of-function mutations in the phosphoinositide 3-kinase PI3Kα. The kinase is a heterodimer of a catalytic subunit (p110α) and a regulatory subunit (p85α), with both subunits comprising multiple domains. Miled et al. (see the Perspective by Lee et al.) have determined the crystal structure of the adaptor binding domain of p110α bound to the inter-SH2 domain of p85α at 2.4 angstrom resolution and have performed functional studies to investigate the effect of oncogenic mutations in the helical domain of p110α on its interaction with the N-terminal SH2 domain of p85α. The studies suggest how these two classes of mutations cause the up-regulation of PI3Kα that can lead to cancer. N. Miled, Y. Yan, W.-C. Hon, O. Perisic, M. Zvelebil, Y. Inbar, D. Schneidman-Duhovny, H. J. Wolfson, J. M. Backer, R. L. Williams, Mechanism of two classes of cancer mutations in the phosphoinositide 3-kinase catalytic subunit. Science 317, 239-242 (2007). [Abstract] [Full Text] J. Y. Lee, J. A. Engelman, L. C. Cantley, PI3K charges ahead. Science 317, 206-207 (2007). [Summary] [Full Text]


Energy generating processes like the citric acid cycle are a pivotal part of metabolism. Members of the 2-oxoacid dehydrogenase multienzyme complex (OADHC) superfamily feed into and act within the citric acid cycle. OADHCs are composed of three enzymes: 2-oxoacid decarboxylase (E1), dihydrolipoamide acyltransferase (E2) and dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (E3). Covalent attachment of lipoic acid (LA) to E2 is essential for overall OADHC activity. Although thought to be absent in Archaea, it has recently been found that Thermoplasma acidophilum has all the components for an active recombinant OADHC (Heath et al., 2007). Recent studies have further suggested that Tp. acidophilum may have an enzyme to covalently attach LA to E2 (Sun et al., 2007; McManus et al., 2006). This work describes the cloning and recombinant expression of the Thermoplasma lipoate protein ligase (Tp. LplA), its C-terminal domain and a fusion protein composed of the above two proteins. Both proteins are required for lipoylation of E2 in vitro. For the first time, in vivo lipoylation of E2 in Tp. acidophilum cell cultures is also being reported. The effect of lipoylation and temperature on the Thermoplasma OADHC assembly has also been studied. This study revealed the temperature dependence of the E2 core and the whole complex assembly. These findings are in line with the optimum growth temperature of Tp. acidophilum. Dynamic light scattering and analytical ultracentrifugation were used to determine the molecular mass of whole OADHC. The molecular mass was determined to be 5 MDa with an octahedral geometry of the E2 core. The results of this work strengthen the assumption that these enzyme systems may have had or potentially have a role in the Archaea. This may hold further clues to the evolutionary relationship between the three kingdoms of life and the role of OADHCs/lipoylation in the Archaea. The temperature dependent assembly of the complex and thermostability of these proteins may also provide a model to study thermostability and protein-protein interactions at high temperatures.


We evaluated the effectiveness of an overseas pre-departure regimen of five days of albendazole for presumptive treatment of intestinal parasites by examining stool specimens in treated and untreated Montagnard refugees after arrival in the United States. Among 815 refugees evaluated, fully treated refugees had a significantly lower prevalence of helminths (11 [1.4%] of 777), specifically hookworm and Ascaris lumbricoides, than untreated pregnant women (3 [20%] of 15) (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that treatment was associated with significantly lower rates of infection with helminths but not protozoa. Post-arrival gastrointestinal symptoms were not associated with findings on stool examination. Our evaluation suggests that although additional studies are needed to determine optimal treatment regimens for intestinal parasites, especially among young children and pregnant women, a five-day course of pre-departure albendazole was effective in reducing helminthic infection in treated refugees.


BACKGROUND
To achieve the World Health Organization hepatitis C elimination targets, it is essential to increase access to direct acting antivirals (DAAs) - especially amongst people who inject drugs (PWID). We aimed to determine the effectiveness of providing DAAs in primary care compared with hospital-based specialist care.

METHODS
We randomised PWID with hepatitis C attending primary care sites in Australia or New Zealand to receive DAAs at their primary care site or local hospital (standard of care (SOC)). The primary outcome was to determine if people treated in primary care had a non-inferior sustained virologic response at week 12 (SVR12) rate compared to historical controls (consistent with DAA trials at the time of study design); secondary outcomes included comparison of treatment initiation, SVR12 rates, and the care cascade by study arm.

RESULTS
We recruited 140 participants and randomised 136; 70 to primary care and 66 to SOC. The SVR12 rate (100%, 95% CI, 87.7-100) of people treated in primary care was non-inferior when compared to historical controls (85% assumed). Intention to treat analysis revealed that the proportion of participants commencing treatment in primary care (75%, 43/57) was significantly higher than in SOC (34%, 18/53) (p<0.001; RR 2.48; 95% CI, 1.54-3.95), and the proportion of participants with SVR12 was significantly higher in primary care compared to SOC (49%, 28/57 and 30%, 16/53) (p=0.043; RR 1.63; 95% CI,1.0-2.65).

CONCLUSION
Providing hepatitis C treatment in primary care increases treatment uptake and cure. Approaches that increase treatment uptake amongst PWID will accelerate elimination strategies.


Background: The Functional Reach Test (FRT), which uses a ruler fixed to a wall, has been shown to be a reliable and valid method of evaluating fall risk in seniors and persons with various neurological conditions. However, because of various logistical reasons, the FRT may be underused by therapists in some settings. A novel method of performing the FRT has been proposed using a measuring tape attached to the end of a mobile pole. Purpose: The purpose was to evaluate and compare the interrater reliability of the FRT using both the traditional ruler and the mobile pole method. Research Design: Repeated measures. Method: Twenty-one persons ranging from 77 to 92 years of age from an independent living seniors complex completed both the traditional FRT and the mobile pole FRT. Tests were repeated on the same day by 2 different physical therapists. Result: The FRT using the mobile pole was shown to have moderate-to-excellent intertester reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.827; 95% confidence interval, lower bound 0.561, upper bound 0.931). No significant difference was found between scores obtained by the traditional and the mobile pole versions. Conclusion: Taking into account a relatively small sample, this study suggests that the mobile pole version is a reliable modification of the FRT. Its portability may make it useful to therapists in settings where a ruler fixed to a wall is unavailable or inconvenient.


The fluorescence-excitation and fluorescence spectra as well as the fluorescence decay times were recorded for Hg atoms excited to the 61P1 state by synchrotron radiation in Ar, Kr, Xe, N2, and CH4 matrixes and in Ar matrixes with a low NH3 content. Sequential decays from the 61P1 to different 63PJ levels involve the intersystem crossing and intramultiplet relaxation, the dependence of the relaxation rate on the properties of the matrix being different for the 2 mechanisms. [on SciFinder (R)]


On May 20, 2012, a Ml 5.9 earthquake (T1) occurred in the Emilia-Romagna Region of northern Italy. This was preceded by a Ml 4.1 foreshock on May 19, 2012, and followed by several aftershocks, including two Ml 5.1 events, both on the same day. On May 29, 2012, a second strong event of Ml 5.8 (T2) hit the same region, with its epicenter ca. 12 km to the WSW of the first mainshock, T1. The epicentral area of the seismic sequence covers an alluvial lowland that is occupied by both agricultural and urbanized areas, and there were 17 casualties and about 14,000 people left homeless. […] In the present study, we provide a preliminary model of the seismogenic source(s) responsible for the two mainshocks, by comparing the seismic reflection profile interpretation with the available seismological and interferometric data. Furthermore, we show the coseismic ground effects that were observed in the epicentral area during two field survey campaigns: the first conducted after the May 20, 2012, event and the second soon after the May 29, 2012, earthquake, when several sites were revisited to observe the occurrence of newly formed or 're-activated' liquefaction features. Hence, we discuss the origin and location of the coseismic features observed in the context of the local geological–geomorphological setting and with respect to the epicentral distance. Finally, we provide our interpretation for the question: "Why did the mainshock ruptures not break the surface?" […]


Introduction: the relationship between thirst and dehydration in terminal patients at end of life is limited and the current bibliography agree with this controversy. Due to the lacking of scientific evidences the decision to rehydrate of these patients is based on the usual clinical practice.
Objectives: to evaluate the hydration status of oncological patients with palliative care by Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA).
Method: this scientific initiative will evaluate the hydration status of 50 oncological patients admitted with palliative care at University Hospital La Paz by BIA, excluding those who according with their Palliative-Pronostic-Score (PaP-Score) get a 30-day survival probability <30%. It is a descriptive, observational and cross-sectional study. The main variable will be
the phase angle and as secondary variables: evaluation of the nutritional status by Subjective-Global-Assessment (SGA), corporal composition (BIA) and functional capability (dynamometry). Besides it will evaluate: PaP-Score, Palliative-Performance-Scale (PPS), disability (Barthel-Test), cognitive function (Pfeffer-Test), dehydration symptoms and biochemical parameters.
Results: preliminary results of statistical analysis will be exposed once they achieve the estimated sample size (confidence level 95%, differences' average 0.610, DS 2,200).
Conclusions: the study of the oncological with palliative care patient's hydration status provides scientific evidence to implementation of action protocols to properly rehydrate those patients.


A child's very first word is a miraculous sound, the opening note in a lifelong symphony. Most parents never forget the moment. But that first word is soon followed by a second and a third, and by the age of three, children are typically learning ten new words every day and speaking in complete sentences. The process seems effortless, and for children, it is. But how exactly does it happen? How do children learn language? And why is it so much harder to do later in life? Drawing on cutting-edge developments in biology, neurology, psychology, and linguistics, Charles Yang's "The Infinite Gift" takes us inside the astonishingly complex but largely subconscious process by which children learn to talk and to understand the spoken word. Yang illuminates the rich mysteries of language: why French newborns already prefer the sound of French to English; why baby-talk, though often unintelligible, makes perfect linguistic sense; why babies born deaf still babble -- but with their hands; why the grammars of some languages may be evolutionarily stronger than others; and why one of the brain's earliest achievements may in fact be its most complex. Yang also puts forth an exciting new theory. Building on Noam Chomsky's notion of a universal grammar -- the idea that every human being is born with an intuitive grasp of grammar -- Yang argues that we learn our native languages in part by unlearning the grammars of all the rest. This means that the next time you hear a child make a grammatical mistake, it may not be a mistake at all; his or her grammar may be perfectly correct in Chinese or Navajo or ancient Greek. This is the brain's way of testing its options as it searches for the local and thus correct grammar -- and then discards all the wrong ones. And we humans, Yang shows, are not the only creatures who learn this way. In fact, learning by unlearning may be an ancient evolutionary mechanism that runs throughout the animal kingdom. Thus, babies learn to talk in much the same way that birds learn to sing. Enlivened by Yang's experiences with his own young son, "The Infinite Gift" is as charming as it is challenging, as thoughtful as it is thought-provoking. An absorbing read for parents, educators, and anyone who has ever wondered about the origins of that uniquely human gift: our ability to speak and, just as miraculous, to understand one another.


We consider the solution of parabolic partial diierential equations. In standard time-stepping techniques multigrid can be used as an iterative solver for the elliptic equations arising at each discrete time-step. By contrast, the method presented in this paper treats the whole of the space-time problem simultaneously. Thus the multigrid operations of smoothing and coarse grid correction are deened on all of the space-time variables of a given grid-level. The method is characterized by a coarsening strategy with prolongation and restriction operators which depend at each grid level on the degree of anisotropy of the discretization stencil. Numerical results for the one-and two-dimensional heat equation are presented and are shown to agree closely with predictions from Fourier mode analysis.


A milestone in U.S. historiography, Haunted by Empire brings postcolonial critiques to bear on North American history and draws on that history to question the analytic conventions of postcolonial studies. The contributors to this innovative collection examine the critical role of "domains of the intimate" in the consolidation of colonial power. They demonstrate how the categories of difference underlying colonialism—the distinctions advanced as the justification for the colonizer's rule of the colonized—were enacted and reinforced in intimate realms from the bedroom to the classroom to the medical examining room. Together the essays focus attention on the politics of comparison—on how colonizers differentiated one group or set of behaviors from another—and on the circulation of knowledge and ideologies within and between imperial projects. Ultimately, this collection forces a rethinking of what historians choose to compare and of the epistemological grounds on which those choices are based.

Haunted by Empire includes Ann Laura Stoler's seminal essay "Tense and Tender Ties" as well as her bold introduction, which carves out the exciting new analytic and methodological ground animated by this comparative venture. The contributors engage in a lively cross-disciplinary conversation, drawing on history, anthropology, literature, philosophy, and public health. They address such topics as the regulation of Hindu marriages and gay sexuality in the early-twentieth-century United States; the framing of multiple-choice intelligence tests; the deeply entangled histories of Asian, African, and native peoples in the Americas; the racial categorizations used in the 1890 U.S. census; and the politics of race and space in French colonial New Orleans. Linda Gordon, Catherine Hall, and Nancy F. Cott each provide a concluding essay reflecting on the innovations and implications of the arguments advanced in Haunted by Empire .

Contributors. Warwick Anderson, Laura Briggs, Kathleen Brown, Nancy F. Cott, Shannon Lee Dawdy, Linda Gordon, Catherine Hall, Martha Hodes, Paul A. Kramer, Lisa Lowe, Tiya Miles, Gwenn A. Miller, Emily S. Rosenberg, Damon Salesa, Nayan Shah, Alexandra Minna Stern, Ann Laura Stoler, Laura Wexler


Introduction Restorative justice practices have grown rapidly in the past few decades with the emergence of new intervention strategies, standards, and principles in criminal justice. Evidence suggests that restorative processes-which empower crime victims, offenders, and communities to take an active part in resolving the impact of crime-increase public trust in the justice system and may reduce re-offending behaviour (Liebmann, 2007; Lo, Maxwell and Wong, 2006; Maxwell, 2007). In describing restorative justice, Zehr (1990) has contrasted retributive justice and restorative justice. He contends that criminal acts are a violation of people and relationships. Restorative justice involves all stakeholders and parties concerned in a search for solutions that promote repair, reconciliation, and reparation. While no absolute definition of restorative justice exists, the authors consider it as an approach for achieving justice, which is primarily oriented towards repairing the harm that has been caused by a crime and empowering all those affected, such as offenders, victims and their families. Van Ness, Morris, and Maxwell (2001) suggest that restorative justice is a movement within and outside of the criminal justice system. It poses new questions for societies to ask and answer in responding to crime. Today, some communities advocate restorative practices for different types of offences, ranging from minor crimes to severe forms of criminal violence, such as arson, death from drunken driving, and even murder (Latimer, Dowden and Muise, 2005; Presser and Van Voorhis, 2002). On the basis of Zehr's recent observation, and building upon the experience of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa, efforts are also being made to apply a restorative justice framework to situations of mass violence (Zehr, 2002). Though restorative justice practices are one of the new initiatives for dealing with youth offending in many western countries (Harris, 2008; Johnston and Van Ness, 2007; Van Wormer, 2008), there has been relatively little documentation of actual use of restorative justice in juvenile justice intervention in China. In this article, we first describe key themes of restorative justice and practices. We then highlight how restorative justice and practices have been operated in the present juvenile justice in China. Finally, we discuss the way ahead for the development of restorative justice. Key themes of restorative justice Restorative justice can be viewed as a philosophical, as well as practical, model that links policies and practices of different professional disciplines, such as criminal justice, crime prevention, offender rehabilitation, conflict management, and mediation (Bazemore and Schiff, 2005; Johnstone, 2002; Maxwell, 2007; Morris and Maxwell, 2001; Newell, 2007; Van Ness, 2003; Vides Saade, 2008; Walgrave, 2002; Wong, 2008; Zehr, 2002). The emergence of restorative justice was closely linked to a perception that a traditional criminal justice approach seemed ineffective in providing support to victims of crime and reintegrating offenders into the community. Accordingly, there is a need to develop new measures that are both victim-focused and restorative in nature (Bazemore, 2001; Bazemore and Umbreit, 2001; Morris and Maxwell, 2001; Zehr, 1990). Unlike traditional retributive justice approaches, a restorative justice approach is based on the belief that responsibility for crime control lies in the community, so the active involvement of community in the restoration process can control crime, reduce the stigmatisation of the offender, emphasise the strengthening of social bonds, and focus on prevention and risk management, which is beneficial for rebuilding relationships and communities (Hayes and Daly, 2004; Maxwell, Robertson, Morris and Cunningham, 2004; McCold, 2003). Interestingly, restorative justice is also closely associated to the reintegrative shaming theory (Braithwaite, 1989; Braithwaite and Mugford, 1994). …


Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common solid tumor in the world and the third leading cause of cancer-associated deaths. A Sleeping Beauty-mediated transposon mutagenesis screen previously identified mutations that cooperate with MYC to accelerate liver tumorigenesis. This revealed a tumor suppressor role for Steroid Receptor Coactivator 2/Nuclear Receptor Coactivator 2 (Src-2/Ncoa2) in liver cancer. In contrast, SRC-2 promotes survival and metastasis in prostate cancer cells, suggesting a tissue-specific and context-dependent role for SRC-2 in tumorigenesis. To determine if genetic loss of SRC-2 is sufficient to accelerate MYC-mediated liver tumorigenesis, we bred Src-2-/- mice with a MYC-induced liver tumor model and observed a significant increase in liver tumor burden. RNA sequencing of liver tumors and in vivo chromatin immunoprecipitation assays revealed a set of direct target genes that are bound by SRC-2 and exhibit downregulated expression in Src-2-/- liver tumors. We demonstrate that activation of SHP (Small Heterodimer Partner), DKK4 (Dickkopf-4), and CADM4 (Cell Adhesion Molecule 4) by SRC-2 suppresses tumorigenesis in vitro and in vivo. These studies suggest that SRC-2 may exhibit oncogenic or tumor suppressor activity depending on the target genes and nuclear receptors that are expressed in distinct tissues and illuminate the mechanisms of tumor suppression by SRC-2 in liver.


Relief organisations are concerned about the acute and the chronic healthcare needs of the thousands of survivors of the devastating typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

The World Health Organization, which is coordinating the medical relief effort on behalf of the Philippines government, said that health needs in the affected areas were "significant." Survivors need treatment for trauma and injuries caused during the typhoon, but the lack of health services in some areas also meant that patients could not get treatment for chronic diseases such as diabetes. WHO said that 12 000 babies were due in the affected areas in the coming month.

WHO has already deployed drugs and supplies to perform 400 surgeries and cover the basic health needs of 120 000 people for one month. Special diarrhoeal disease kits with …


The longevity of wireless sensor networks is a major issue that impacts the application of such networks. While communication protocols are striving to save energy by acting on sensor nodes, recent results show that network lifetime can be prolonged by further involving sink mobility. As most proposals give their evidence of lifetime improvement through either (small-scale) field tests or numerical simulations on rather arbitrary cases, a theoretical understanding of the reason for this improvement and the tractability of the joint optimization problem is still missing. In this paper, we build a unified framework for investigating the joint sink mobility and routing problem. We formally prove the NP-hardness of the problem. We also investigate the induced sub-problems. In particular, we develop an efficient interior point algorithm to solve the sub-problem involving a single sink, then we generalize this algorithm to approximate the original problem. Finally, we apply the algorithm to a set of typical topological graphs; the results demonstrate the benefit of involving sink mobility, and they also suggest the desirable moving traces of a sink.


Tabriz petrochemical complex is located in northwest of Iran and west
of Tabriz oil refinery and mostly produces raw plastics. In this study
the implementation of Reduction of Hazardous waste Contact in this
Complex with special emphasis on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is
discussed. Accordingly different hazards threatening personnel, indoor
and outdoor environment were determined. In order to identify hazardous
waste generated in different parts of the complex, national, European,
environmental protection agency (EPA) and Basel convention standards
were taken in to consideration. Considering general frame of risk
classified pyramid containing engineering controls, administrative
controls and personal protective equipment (PPE),a couple of practical
recommendations has been suggested to promote the security level.
Personal protective equipment, suggested in this study are all
manifested according to the Iranian Petroleum Standard (IPS). Despite
perfect implementation of PPE method, it is recommended that incident
insurance be taken in to consideration as the last mitigation effort.


What does it take to gain entry into the fascinating & lucrative world of SAP System Administration? A successful Interview. In fact for contracting jobs, all it takes is a half an hour telephone interview before you get your first break. Though the interview procedure is more drawn out for permanent job, there is normally only ever One technical interview. A successful interview can provide you with that break which will be the first step to a career in the SAP World. So what are the interviewers looking for? For an associate level position (less than 2 year's System Admin project experience), here is what the interviewers typically look for: - Decent overall knowledge of SAP System Administration - Deep knowledge in at least one or two area (e.g. BW, Oracle etc). - Ability to work in a team environment (As you are a junior you will probably be working as part of a larger team). - Ability to find relevant technical information. (With System Administration being so wide, no single consultant is reasonably expected to know everything. However, you should have the skills to find out more wherever required). The kind of questions asked at the associate level interview are less to do with tables and fields and more to do with your approach to a project issue or a support Issue. This is something that can only come with experience or if you receive some coaching from experienced consultants. So how would you like some insider knowledge of what kind of questions are asked in an actual Basis (System Administration) interview and what kind of response gets you the green light? By reading this book! Why should you buy this book? Current Questions that are being asked in Interviews TODAY Every single question is based on project knowledge and personal experience Divided into Basis functionality areas for easy reading Covers the most important concepts & configuration settings Focus on business scenarios Some unique features of this book: - The Question are ACTUAL questions asked in some of the regular interviews that the likes of Accenture & IBM do. (How do we know? Because we do some of these interviews!) - The questions available on 'google' are almost never asked in a 'Real' interview. This book contains Questions that are NOT available anywhere else. - The authors have a combined experience of over 20 years in SAP.


The response of the polar ionosphere- thermosphere (I-T) system to electromagnetic (EM) energy input is fundamentally different to that from particle precip- itation. To understand the I-T response to polar energy in- put one must know the intensities and spatial distributions of both EM and precipitation energy deposition. Moreover, since individual events typically display behavior different from statistical models, it is important to observe the global system state for specific events. We present an analysis of an event in Northern Hemisphere winter for sustained south- ward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), 10 January 2002, 10:00-12:00 UT, for which excellent observations are avail- able from the constellation of Iridium satellites, the Super- DARN radar network, and the Far-Ultraviolet (FUV) instru- ment on the IMAGE satellite. Using data from these assets we determine the EM and particle precipitation energy fluxes to the Northern Hemisphere poleward of 60 MLAT and ex- amine their spatial distributions and intensities. The accu- racy of the global estimates are assessed quantitatively using comparisons with in-situ observations by DMSP along two orbit planes. While the location of EM power input evalu- ated from Iridium and SuperDARN data is in good agree- ment with DMSP, the magnitude estimated from DMSP ob- servations is approximately four times larger. Corrected for this underestimate, the total EM power input to the North- ern Hemisphere is 188 GW. Comparison of IMAGE FUV- derived distributions of the particle energy flux with DMSP plasma data indicates that the IMAGE FUV results similarly locate the precipitation accurately while underestimating the precipitation input somewhat. The total particle input is es- timated to be 20 GW, nearly a factor of ten lower than the EM input. We therefore expect the thermosphere response to be determined primarily by the EM input even under winter conditions, and accurate assessment of the EM energy input is therefore key to achieving a comprehensive understanding of the I-T system, particularly during active times when the energy input increases markedly and expands well equator- ward of nominal auroral latitudes.


Tradition states that the most popular Olympian deities are Apollo, Athena, Zeus and Dionysius. These divinities played key roles in the communal, political and ritual development of the Greco-Roman world. This work suggests that this deeply entrenched scholarly tradition is fissured with misunderstandings of Greek and Ephesian popular culture, and provides evidence that clearly suggests Artemis is the most prevalent and influential goddess of the Mediterranean, with roots embedded in the community and culture of this area that can be traced further back in time than even the arrival of the Greeks. In fact, Artemis' reign is so fundamental to the cultural identity of her worshippers that even when facing the onslaught of early Christianity, she could not be deposed. Instead, she survived the conquering of this new religion under the guise of Mary, Mother of Jesus. Using methods of narrative analysis, as well as review of archeological findings, this work demonstrates that the customs devoted to the worship of Artemis were fundamental to the civic identity of her followers, particularly in the city of Ephesus in which Artemis reigned not only as Queen of Heaven, but also as Mother, Healer and Saviour. Reverence for her was as so deeply entrenched in the community of this city, that after her temple was destroyed, and Christian churches were built on top of her sacred places, her citizens brought forward the only female character in the new ruling religion of Christianity, the Virgin Mary, and re-named her Theotokos, Mother of God, within its city walls. The fundamental position of this work is that a fusion took place between the ancient worship of Artemis in Ephesus, and the elevation of Mary to Theotokos, and that this fusion is not a result of the church-initiated action to convert the Ephesians, but rather the Ephesians forcing the early church to accommodate their traditions of Artemis by reshaping and reinterpreting the authority and responsibilities of the Virgin Mary.


Light harvesting solar cells and energy transfer are currently of great challenges for the 21st century in the field of solar cells energy. Academic and industrial scientists are searching for a detailed understanding of light harvesting and find tools to control the electron transfer between donor and acceptor molecules. Due to their electronic properties and the ability to tune their absorption ranges, conjugated dendrimers combined with polymers are used extensively in the formation of the active layer (donor- acceptor) in organic photovoltaic [1]. Dendrimers and hyperbranched polymers are considered to be the leading materials used in the application of organic solar cells. They are low viscosity with high molecular weights, good solubility and mutifunctionality. Dendrimers are perfect monodisperse macromelcular (tree-like structures) with high branched three-dimensional structures: core, branches, and end groups [1, 2]. Organic bulk-heterojunction structure (OBHJ) consist of donor and acceptor (active layer) blend together deposited between two electrodes in order to gain a large interface area between donor and acceptor [3]. However, charge mobility through the OBHJ active layer strongly depends on the morphology of surface of the active layer. thus, dendrimers materials with their small size and monodisperse nature leads to a high degree of ordering in organic solar cell devices and thus high carrier mobilities [2, 3]. Many reports indicate derivatives of 1,8-naphthalimide based on PAMAM dendron have highly efi¬�cient as an acceptor in light harvesting dendrimers [4, 5] while the Poly (3- hexylthiophene) (P3HT) possess brilliant efficiency as donor material due to its low band-gap in photovoltaic applications.


Global public goods (GPGs)--the economic term for a broad range of goods and services that benefit everyone, including stable climate, public health, and economic security--pose notable governance challenges. At the national level, public goods are often provided by government, but at the global level there is no established state-like entity to take charge of their provision. The complex nature of many GPGs poses additional problems of coordination, knowledge generation and the formation of citizen preferences. This book considers traditional public economy theory of public goods provision as oversimplified, because it is state centered and fiscally focused. It develops a multidisciplinary look at the challenges of understanding and designing appropriate governance regimes for different types of goods in such areas as the environment, food security, and development assistance. The chapter authors, all leading scholars in the field, explore the misalignment between existing GPG policies and actors' incentives and understandings. They analyze the complex impact of incentives, the involvement of stakeholders in collective decision making, and the specific coordination needed for the generation of knowledge. The book shows that governance of GPGs must be democratic, reflexive--emphasizing collective learning processes--and knowledge based in order to be effective.


Magnetic shape memory alloys (MSMA) offer remarkable potentials for actuation purposes because of a large achievable strain and a short response time. But, apart from these advantages, MSMA show a hysteretic behavior between the input and output quantities. Hysteretic phenomena represent an important challenge for the design of control systems for MSMA-based actuators. Furthermore, this hysteretic behavior is sensitive to temperature variations, a situation that arises in many applications. To face the problem of increasing/decreasing temperature during operation, an open-loop control approach considering temperature variations is presented in this paper. For this purpose, an actuator prototype is characterized with particular emphasis on temperature influence concerning the input-output behavior. The presence of a time-varying nonlinearity is addressed by means of a set of hysteresis models and relative compensators to improve the positioning performance of the actuator system. Subsequently, the obtained models are integrated in the control loop and tested experimentally. Finally, the results achieved with the introduced control concept are presented.


The meeting focussed on lattices and their applications in mathematics and information technology. The research interests of the participants varied from engineering sciences, algebraic and analytic number theory, coding theory, algebraic geometry to name only a few. Mathematics Subject Classification (2000): 11xx. Introduction by the Organisers Respecting the different backgrounds of the participants, most of the talks were aimed to a broad audience, among those nine survey talks invited by the organizers. This concept was very successful and opened many discussions and interdisciplinary interactions. It was also very fruitful for the many young participants. Also most of the non speakers took the opportunity to present their recent work via posters. The theory of lattices has many applications and interactions with various other mathematical and technical disciplines such as information technology, topology, algebraic geometry, representation theory, combinatorics, number theory and modular forms to name only the most prominent ones. One of the most classical problems is the construction of dense lattice sphere packings. The densest lattice sphere packings are only known in dimensions up to 8 and, due to a recent work by H. Cohn and A. Kumar, also in dimension 24. A. Kumar gave a very illuminating talk on the strategy of their proof of this great result which uses certain linear programming techniques based on the fact that the minimal vectors of the Leech lattice form a very good design. Design techniques have also been used by B. Venkov to define the notion of strongly perfect lattices, which realize certain 6 Oberwolfach Report 1/2005 local maxima of the density function and which are now classified up to dimension 12. The theory of modular forms is one well established tool in the investigation of lattices as shown in the nice introduction by Krieg. Bannai applies this theory to bound the strength of designs provided by layers of unimodular lattices. On the other hand, lattices provide one important tool for the construction of modular forms. The last talk by Böcherer showed that in many situations all modular forms are linear combinations of theta-series. Of increasing interest but computationally very difficult is the investigation of thin lattice sphere coverings. Vallentin and Schürmann developed new algorithms to find local optimal coverings and discovered lattice coverings better than the ones previously known. Nguyen presented new reduction algorithms for lattices in small dimensions motivated by practical applications to cryptosystems. For certain applications in information technology not only the density of the lattice but also other properties that minimize the fading error play a role. It turns out that lattices constructed from algebraic number fields yield good codes for Rayleigh fading channels. These ideal lattices are also used to investigate the ring of integers in algebraic number fields as shown in the talk by Schoof and also in the applications of ideal lattices introduced by Bayer-Fluckiger. Strongly related to this is the application to Arakelov theory as illustrated in the talks by Bost and Künnemann. Also Voronoi's classical theory of perfect forms (see Martinet's talk for an introduction) has new fruitful applications in number theory more precisely in the calculation of the homology of GLn(Z) as presented by Elbaz-Vincent. Last but not least one should mention the talk by J.-P. Serre on BL-bases and unitary groups in characteristic 2. Gitter und Anwendungen 7 Workshop: Gitter und Anwendungen


Acquiring spoken language involves implicitly learning the statistical relations among language units. In this chapter, we review recent behavioral and neurophysiological findings from our research group that illuminate the relation of this type of 'implicit statistical learning' (ISL) to language acquisition. First, we review evidence illustrating that ISL mechanisms enable the learner to predict upcoming language units. Second, we show modality constraints affecting the operation of ISL mechanisms, with auditory and visual learning biased to learn different types of patterns. Third, we demonstrate that under certain developmental conditions typical ISL abilities are altered, which can detrimentally affect subsequent language acquisition. These findings highlight the experience-dependent nature of ISL and its relation to typical and atypical language acquisition.