STEM education has become strategically important to increase college readiness of high school graduates in mathematics and science, cultivate STEM interest in students, boost STEM majoring students, and prepare students for 21st century workforce. The purpose of this study is to investigate a new STEM Project-based learning model developed by Harmony Public Schools (HPS). We used theoretical sampling and 11 students (5 seniors, 5 juniors, and 1 sophomore) were interviewed. Interview transcripts were analyzed by using grounded theory coding and constant comparative analysis. As a result of the analysis, a new STEM education model named the STEM Students on the Stage (S.O.S. TM) was emerged and defined. The emerging substantive theory suggests that through the STEM S.O.S. model, students increased their conceptual understanding, STEM interest, and research interest in higher education and developed self-confidence, and skills in technology, life and career, communication and collaboration and these skills continued to improve circularly. Findings were discussed in the context of STEM education and its effects on students' interest in STEM careers.


In this paper I explore the role of gesture in the development of signed languages. Using data from American Sign Language, Catalan Sign Language, French Sign Language, and Italian Sign Language, as well as historical sources describing gesture in the Mediterranean region, I demonstrate that gesture enters the linguistic system via two distinct routes. In one, gesture serves as a source of lexical and grammatical morphemes in signed languages. In the second, elements become directly incorporated into signed languagemorphology, bypassing the lexical stage. Finally, I propose a unifying framework for understanding the gesture-language interface in signed and spoken languages.


The geologic framework of the north-central Gulf of Mexico shelf is composed of multiple, stacked, delta systems. Shelf and nearshore sedimentary facies were deposited by deltaic progradation, followed by shoreface erosion and submergence. A variety of sedimentary facies has been identified, including prodelta, delta fringe, distributary, lagoonal, barrier island, and shelf sand sheet. This study is based on the interpretation and the synthesis of > 6,700 km of high-resolution seismic profiles, 75 grab samples, and 77 vibracores. The nearshore morphology, shallow stratigraphy, and sediment distribution of the eastern Louisiana shelf are the products of transgressive sedimentary processes reworking the abandoned St. Bernard delta complex. Relatively recent Mississippi delta lobe consists primarily of fine sand, silt, and clay. In the southern portion of the St. Bernard delta complex, asymmetrical sand ridges (>5 m relief) have formed as the result of marine reworking of distributary mouth-bar sands. Silty sediments from the modern Mississippi Birdsfoot delta onlap the St. Bernard delta complex along the southern edge. The distal margin of the St. Bernard complex is distinct and has a sharp contact on the north near the Mississippi Sound barrier island coastline and a late Wisconsinan delta to the south. The Chandeleur Islands and the barrier islands of Mississippi Sound have been formed by a combination of Holocene and Pleistocene fluvial processes, shoreface erosion, and ravinement of the exposed shelf. Sediments underlying the relatively thin Holocene sediment cover are relict fluvial sands, deposited during the late Wisconsinan lowstand. Subsequent relative sea-level rise allowed marine processes to rework and redistribute sediments that formed the nearshore fine-grained facies and the shelf sand sheet.


This paper presents a detailed analysis of traces of DNS and associated TCP traffic collected on the Internet links of the MIT Laboratory for Computer Science and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). The first part of the analysis details how clients at these institutions interact with the wide-area DNS syste m, focusing on performance and prevalence of failures. The sec ond part evaluates the effectiveness of DNS caching. In the most recent MIT trace, 23% of lookups receive no answer; these lookups account for more than half of all traced DNS packets since they are retransmitted multiple times. About 13% of all lookups result in an answer that indicates a failure. Many of these failures appear to be caused by missing inverse (IP-to-name) mappings orNS records that point to non-existent or inappropriate hosts. 27% of the queries sent to the root name servers result in such failures . The paper presents trace-driven simulations that explore the effect of varying TTLs and varying degrees of cache sharing on DNS cache hit rates. The results show that reducing the TTLs of address (A) records to as low as a few hundred seconds has little adverse effect on hit rates, and that little benefit is obtained from sharing a forwarding DNS cache among more than 10 or 20 clients. These results suggest that the performance of DNS is not as dependent on aggressive caching as is commonly believed, and that the widespread use of dynamic, low-TTLA-record bindings should not degrade DNS performance.


Partial denervation of rat extensor digitorum longus and soleus muscles resulted in the appearance of denervated and innervated surface muscle fibers lying adjacent to one another. The denervated muscle fibers showed the typical signs of denervation while the innervated muscle fibers were similar to those of control muscles. We conclude that denervated fibers do not induce substantial physiological changes in adjacent innervated muscle fibers.


During human evolution, men and women faced distinct adaptive problems, including pregnancy, hunting, childcare, and warfare. Due to these sex-linked adaptive problems, natural selection would have favored psychological mechanisms that oriented men and women toward forming friendships with individuals possessing characteristics valuable for solving these problems. The current study explored sex-differentiated friend preferences and the psychological design features of same- and opposite-sex friendship in two tasks. In Task 1, participants (N = 121) categorized their same-sex friends (SSFs) and opposite-sex friends (OSFs) according to the functions these friends serve in their lives. In Task 2, participants designed their ideal SSFs and OSFs using limited budgets that forced them to make trade-offs between the characteristics they desire in their friends. In Task 1, men, more than women, reported maintaining SSFs for functions related to athleticism and status enhancement and OSFs for mating opportunities. In Task 2, both sexes prioritized agreeableness and dependability in their ideal SSFs, but men prioritized physical attractiveness in their OSFs, whereas women prioritized economic resources and physical prowess. These findings suggest that friend preferences may have evolved to solve ancestrally sex-linked adaptive problems, and that opposite-sex friendship may directly or indirectly serve mating functions.


The ability to dynamically switch between orthogonal polarization states in spin-polarized semiconductor lasers with the bias current, which are otherwise difficult to predict, stabilize, or control [1], offers a novel and elegant technique for secure communication in a lightwave network. Other envisaged applications include reconfigurable optical interconnects, study of vitamins and asymmetric photochemical synthesis. Spin-polarized lasers also promise reduced threshold current [2], enhanced emission intensity and optical communication with enhanced bandwidth. For practical purposes the lasers have to be electrically injected and operate at high temperatures. To this end we have investigated the properties of quantum well and quantum dot spin vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (spin-VCSELs).


Logging in natural forests is a vital economic activity in the Brazilian Amazon. However, illegal and unplanned logging is exhausting forests rapidly. In 2006, a new forestry law in Brazil (Lei 11,284/2006) established the legal framework to develop state and national public forests for multiple uses. To support public forest planning efforts, we combine spatially explicit data on logging profits, biodiversity, and potential for community use for use within a forest planning optimization model. While generating optimal land use configurations, the model enables an assessment of the market and nonmarket tradeoffs associated with different land use priorities. We demonstrate the model's use for Faro State Forest, a 636,000 ha forest embedded within a large mosaic of conservation units recently established in the state of Para. The datasets used span the entire Brazilian Amazon, implying that the analysis can be repeated for any public forest planning effort within the region.


The aim of the present study is to assess the individual and collective agroecological changes of farmers located in the same drainage basin in Guadeloupe. Farmers of this basin were interviewed; sociogrammes were drawn up and correlated with the farm distribution in the study area. The network analysis combined with the spatial configuration analysis highlighted how the geographical area had an impact on interactions between farmers, and how the extent of the local dimension of these interactions governed some exchanges. We revealed also how alternative production orientations seemed to be introduced within the network so as to facilitate change while preserving some social structural stability. This indicates that new strategies should be introduced by providing farmers with technical training that stresses both technical and social efficiency.


Multi-channel multi-interface (MCMI) medium access can provide high-throughput services for wireless ad hoc networks. However, the multi-channel hidden terminal problem and the rendezvous problem must be addressed. This study aims to design a low-cost integrated solution to address the two problems, so as to fully exploit the available wireless interfaces and channels to enhance the network performance, especially the network aggregated throughput. The authors propose a new MCMI synchronisation-based media access control (SMAC) protocol with the operation of two interfaces. Unlike other studies, the authors propose a novel interface classification using a synchronisation interface (SynIF) and a normal interface (NorIF). A synchronisation mechanism and a new channel coordination procedure are operated on SynIF, and data packets can be transmitted on SynIF and NorIF concurrently. All control messages occur only in a variable-length channel coordination window (CCW) on a common control channel. The maximum length of CCW and network throughput are analysed mathematically and the performance of the protocol is validated in ns-2 simulator through comparisons with few other MCMI-MAC protocols. In IEEE 802.11-based multi-interface ad hoc networks, when using MCMI-SMAC, the results show that the network aggregated throughput is enhanced significantly and the protocol overhead is very low.


As a popular music, the evolution of jazz is tied to the contemporary sociological situation. Jazz was brought from America into a very different environment in Britain and resulted in the establishment of parallel worlds of jazz by the end of the 1920s: within the realms of institutionalized culture and within the subversive underworld. Parsonage demonstrates the importance of image and racial stereotyping in shaping perceptions of jazz, and leads to the significant conclusion that the evolution of jazz in Britain was so much more than merely an extension or reflection of that in America.

The book examines the cultural and musical antecedents of the genre, including minstrel shows and black musical theatre, within the context of musical life in Britain in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Parsonage is particularly concerned with the public perception of jazz in Britain and provides close analysis of the early European critical writing on the subject. The processes through which an evolution took place are considered by looking at the methods of introducing jazz in Britain, through imported revue shows, sheet music, and visits by American musicians. Subsequent developments are analysed through the consideration of modernism and the Jazz Age as theoretical constructs and through the detailed study of dance music on the BBC and jazz in the underworld of London. The book concludes in the 1930s by which time the availability of records enabled the spread of 'hot' music, affecting the live repertoire in Britain.

Parsonage therefore sheds entirely new light on the development of jazz in Britain, and provides a deep social and cultural understanding of the early history of the genre.


Manipulations that induce disfluency during encoding generally produce lower memory predictions for the disfluent condition than for the fluent condition. Similar to other manipulations of disfluency, generating lies takes longer and requires more mental effort than does telling the truth; hence, a manipulation of lie generation might produce patterns similar to other types of fluency for memory predictions. The current study systematically investigates the effect of a lie-generation manipulation on both actual and predicted memory performance. In a series of experiments, participants told the truth or generated plausible lies to general knowledge questions and made item-by-item predictions about their subsequent memory performance during encoding, followed by a free recall test. Participants consistently predicted their memory performance to be higher for truth than for lies (Experiments 1 through 4), despite their typically superior actual memory performance for lies than for the truth (Experiments 1 through 3), producing double dissociations between memory and metamemory. Moreover, lying led to longer response latencies than did telling the truth, showing that generating lies is in fact objectively more disfluent. An additional experiment compared memory predictions for truth and lie trials via a scenario about the lie-generation manipulation used in the present study, which revealed superior memory predictions of truth than of lies, providing proof for a priori beliefs about the effects of lying on predicted memory (Experiment 5). The effects of the current lie-generation manipulation on metamemory are discussed in light of experience-based and theory-based processes on making judgments of learning. Theoretical and practical implications of this experimental paradigm are also considered.


We have measured the coiling directions of approximately 14 000 Miocene planktonic Foraminifera shells belonging to three lineages (Dentoglobigerina altispira, Paragloborotalia mayeri and Fohsella spp.) from sites in the Pacific (ODP Site 871) and Atlantic (ODP Site 925) oceans. Stratigraphic patterns in the preferred direction of coiling of these forms are assessed and their potential utility for biostratigraphic correlation is discussed. We find that all three lineages show a transition from approximately random coiling (although with a slight discernible sinistral bias in D. altispira) to sinistral predominance in both oceans, although the timing and pattern of change is different in each case.


Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) in thermoplastics usually appears as a microcrack network within a layer of degraded polymer adjacent to the surface exposed to combine action of mechanical stress and chemically aggressive environment. The stage of crack initiation is primarily controlled by chemical degradation. Degradation of polymers is usually manifested in a reduction of molecular weight, increase of crystallinity in semicrystalline thermoplastics, increase of material density, a subtle increase in yield strength, and a dramatic reduction of toughness, i.e., specific fracture energy. An increase in material density, i.e., shrinkage of the degraded layer is constrained by adjacent unchanged material. It results in a buildup of tensile stress within the degraded layer and compressive stress in the adjacent unchanged material due to increasing incompatibility between the two. These stresses sum up with manufacturing and service stresses leading to an increase of the strain energy. At a certain level of degradation, a combination of toughness reduction and increase of the stored elastic energy results in fracture initiation (FI). From an energy consideration, SCC starts, when the release of the stored strain energy due to microcrack network formation compensates the required specific fracture energy. Considering a chain of micro-events leading to fracture initiation on macro scale, the probability of FI is evaluated using the formalism of Statistical Fracture Mechanics (SFM). A critical level of degradation is determined as the degradation at which FI takes place with certainty. The kinetics of the degradation process and the critical level of degradation then determine the time of fracture initiation. Experimental observations and a mathematical model of the described above processes are presented in this work.


Tax shelters raise difficult problems of statutory interpretation. In her interesting article, Of Lenity, Chevron, and KPMG, Kristin Hickman explores one of them: the recent tendency of courts to apply the rule of lenity in civil cases, potentially leading to a narrow interpretation of the Code that would undermine efforts to collect the taxes that Congress intended to impose. In that article and in earlier work, she also discusses the importance of courts deferring to the IRS under the Chevron doctrine as a tool in collecting taxes. We agree both with Hickman's articulation and analysis of this problem. Here, we situate more broadly the status of tax shelters in the jurisprudence of statutory interpretation. Tax shelters typically involve carefully crafting transactions to make them fit within gaps or ambiguities in legislation. The goal is to thwart the intent of the legislature without violating the plain language of the statute. We show how tax shelters are a challenge to ordinary principles of statutory interpretation, whether or not lenity is expanded to make it even more difficult to combat them, and whether or not the judges interpreting the Code regard themselves as textualists in the tradition of Justice Scalia. We make a few suggestions as to how courts can use current doctrines of statutory interpretation, such as the ordinary meaning rule, to improve enforcement efforts.


John Ruskin overturned Victorian society's ideas about art and architecture, arguing that ancient buildings must be conserved for their deep, mystical links with the past and that creative design is essential - not for financial gain, but to communicate eternal human truths. Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves - and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives - and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are.


Despite the widespread use of vaccinia virus (VV) as a vector for other Ags and as the smallpox vaccine, there is little information available about the protective components of the immune response following VV infection. In this study, protection against wild-type VV was evaluated in mice with respect to the relative contributions of CD8+ T cells vs that of CD4+ T cells and Ab. C57BL/6 mice primed with the Western Reserve strain of VV mount significant IgM and IgG Ab responses, specific cytotoxic T cell responses, IFN-γ responses in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and effectively clear the virus. This protection was abrogated by in vivo depletion of CD4+ T cells or B cells in IgH−/− mice, but was not sensitive to CD8+ T cell depletion alone. However, a role for CD8+ T cells in primary protection was demonstrated in MHC class II−/− mice, where depleting CD8+ T cells lead to increase severity of disease. Unlike control MHC class II−/− mice, the group depleted of CD8+ T cells developed skin lesions on the tail and feet and had adrenal necrosis. Adoptive transfer experiments also show CD8+ T cells can mediate protective memory. These results collectively show that both CD4+ and CD8+ T cell-mediated immunity can contribute to protection against VV infection. However, CD4+ T cell-dependent anti-virus Ab production plays a more important role in clearing virus following acute infection, while in the absence of Ab, CD8+ T cells can contribute to protection against disease.


18 months on from the publication of the Advisory Group's final report, the Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs invited me as the former Chair of the Advisory Group to review the progress that has been madeacross all of the sectors that the recommendations were aimed at. Evidence remains extremely important and the work taken forward during the lifetime of the Advisory Group, and continued since, by a programme of community based work has developed the most extensive understanding we have had of sectarianism in modern Scotland. Being able to work from an evidence base is crucial to engage and to approach the subject which can create polarised opinion.


This study focuses on the works of three different groups of writers who dared to write in Auschwitz-Birkenau, where anyone caught with a piece of paper or a pencil stub was immediately sentenced to death. Accordingly, inmates produced virtually no written material (Shik, 2012), with certain rare exceptions: (1) The Sonderkommando, who documented everyday life at the camp, concealing their records in jars that they buried near the crematoria in the hope that someone would find them after the war, as indeed occurred. (2) Certain Polish political prisoners, who kept records in Auschwitz and managed to save their works. (3) Lili Kasticher, the only woman known to have written at Birkenau who did not belong to any organization; all her writings thus constituted her own private heroic initiative. She risked her life by stealing pieces of paper and pencil stubs to write poetry and encouraged her friends to do so, offering them a prize, a portion of her bread ration. Her writings were concealed on her person until her liberation in spring 1945.


The Victorian Government has made a commitment to further reduce young driver crash rates, and to maintain Victoria's leadership in youth road safety. This will be achieved through the development and delivery of a suite of education and training initiatives, referred to as the Young Driver Safety Package (YSDP). This includes establishment of a road safety education complex and creation of a practical safe driving program. These are important components of Victoria's road safety strategy, Towards Zero, with its vision of zero deaths and zero serious injuries on Victorian roads. To inform the development of these initiatives a learning to drive framework for education and training requirements in Victoria was commissioned by the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) and VicRoads. This learning framework recognises that young people need to develop specific knowledge, skills and behaviours for them to be able to use the road system safely. The framework also recognises the important role that parents/significant adults and other stakeholders play in youth road safety.


The study furthers our understanding of the persuasive and constructive aspects of accounting information. We consider it as a process of 'interpretive framing' in the quest for legitimacy - an attempt to justify decisions and excuse mistakes. We base our theoretical discussion on the premise that the picture reported by accounting information is an example of institutional reality and thus mediated by the social contexts in which it is constructed and interpreted. Accounting information is a matter of 'the interpretation of interpretations' - the provision of accounting information, which is already a result of a competitive interplay among prior interpretations of certain aspects of our economic phenomena, undergoes further interpretation by the recipients of that information. This notion applies equally to narratives and numbers. We challenge notions of rigor, accuracy and objectivity assigned to quantification in accounting and posit that numbers can be an even more powerful rhetorical device due to their image of being rational and 'rhetoric free'. We illustrate our theoretical propositions presenting explicit references to the constructive and rhetorical aspects of financial reporting from Pacioli and his times (late 15th century) to the recent regulatory developments of FASB/IASB in 2013, i.e. from the rhetoric of double entry book-keeping to the rhetoric of 'fair value'.

We acknowledge, building on these theoretical foundations, the inherent subjectivity of accounting information (influenced by perceptions and interests) without entirely denying however its informative functions. We illustrate the practical implications of this, in a situation where "shared and socially accepted" perceptions may be the nearest we can get to anything resembling a faithful representation of economic reality. The paper contributes to a broader understanding of how accounting information can be viewed as a social and humanistic construction, and challenges taken-for-granted assumptions about impartiality, neutrality and rationality in regard to the process.


Video data provides a rich source of information that is available to us today in large quantities e.g. from on-line resources. Tasks like segmentation benefit greatly from the analysis of spatio-temporal motion patterns in videos and recent advances in video segmentation has shown great progress in exploiting these addition cues. However, observing a single video is often not enough to predict meaningful segmentations and inference across videos becomes necessary in order to predict segmentations that are consistent with objects classes. Therefore the task of video co-segmentation is being proposed, that aims at inferring segmentation from multiple videos. But current approaches are limited to only considering binary foreground/background segmentation and multiple videos of the same object. This is a clear mismatch to the challenges that we are facing with videos from online resources or consumer videos. We propose to study multi-class video co-segmentation where the number of object classes is unknown as well as the number of instances in each frame and video. We achieve this by formulating a non-parametric Bayesian model across videos sequences that is based on a new videos segmentation prior as well as a global appearance model that links segments of the same class. We present the first multi-class video co-segmentation evaluation. We show that our method is applicable to real video data from online resources and outperforms state-of-the-art video segmentation and image co-segmentation baselines.


This study conducts an ex-ante economic impact evaluation of developing low cost technologies for pyramiding useful genes from wild relatives into elite progenitors of cassava in Nigeria, Ghana and Uganda. More specifically, it estimates the change in economic surplus generated by introducing cassava varieties with tolerance to cassava mosaic disease, green mites, whiteflies, and delayed post-harvest deterioration. It compares the economic benefits of marker-assisted selection (MAS) to conventional breeding for these traits. Results indicate that varieties developed with marker-assisted breeding that incorporate all three traits are worth US$2.89 billion in Nigeria, $854 million in Ghana, and $280 million in Uganda over 20 years. If these varieties were to be developed with tolerance to CMD and Green mites alone they would be worth US$1.49 billion in Nigeria, $675 million in Ghana, and $52 million in Uganda if developed through MAS. If developed solely by conventional breeding they would be worth about US$676 million in Nigeria, $304 million in Ghana, and $18 million in Uganda. The difference is mostly due to the faster timing of release for the varieties developed with MAS and the higher probability of success. Several sensitivity analyses were conducted and benefits for MAS range from US$1.7 billion to US$4.3 billion for all three traits depending on assumptions. In all cases, the research investment is highly profitable from a societal standpoint.


Featuring fabric designs by more than one hundred of the worlds top fashion designers and brands, and over 1,100 colour and black and white images, this is the most comprehensive sourcebook of fashion fabrics ever produced. The huge, varied collection of swatches reproduced in this book ranges from examples by contemporary designers working at the cutting edge of technology to the creations of historic fashion houses famous for their heritage textiles. The final section of the book features informative step-by-step photographs of different processes involved in the production of fashion fabrics. These factory photoshoots (digital and screen printing, discharge printing, knitwear, hand embroidery, hand weaving, jacquard weaving, lace) offer an invaluable insight into the world of fabric manufacturing today.


This authoritative reference work presents comprehensive information about one of the most important and most wide-spread classes of (bio)organic compounds: the polysaccharides. The comprehensive and thoroughly up-to-date handbook presents the sources, identification, analysis, biosynthesis, biotechnology and applications of important polysaccharides likes starches, cellulose, chitin, gum and microbial polysaccharides. Polysaccharides can exhibit complex structure and various functional activities. These bio macromolecules can therefore serve as raw materials for various different materials, e.g. rayon, cellulose acetate, celluloid and nitrocellulose; and they find multiple applications, for instance as surgical threads (chitin), as sources of energy, dietary fibers, as blood flow adjuvants, incosmetics, emulsion stabilizers, film formers, binders, viscosity increasing agents or skin conditioning agenta, as food additives in gums, chewing gum bases and as vaccines. Polysaccharidesform the basis foruseful products,like xanthan gum, dextran, welan gum, gellan gum, diutan gum and pullulan. Some of the polysaccharide-derived products have interesting and useful properties and show biological activities, such as immunomodulatory, antibacterial, anti-mutagenic, radioprotective, anti-oxidative, anti-ulcer, antidepressant, anti-septicaemicor anti-inflammatory activities.All these applications and properties of polysaccharidesare for the first time compiled in a thorough and comprehensive overview in the present work. This reference work is organized thematically in four parts: Part I. Polysaccharides: Occurrence, Structure, Distribution and Biotechnology. Part II. Methods.Part III.Bioactive Polysaccharides. Part IV. Polysaccharides as Food.This reference work is edited by experienced experts,all chapters are written by well recognized international specialists.It isuseful to all those working in the field of botany, phytochemistry, pharmacy, drug delivery, molecular biology, metabolomics, forestry, environment, conservation,biotechnology and NGOs working for forest protection


Abstract. Movements within early East Gondwana dispersal are poorly constrained, and there is debate about conjugate geologic structures and the timing and directions of the rifting and earliest seafloor spreading phases. We present a combined structural interpretation of multichannel reflection seismic profiles from offshore of northern Mozambique (East Africa) and the conjugate Riiser-Larsen Sea (Antarctica). We find similar structural styles at the margins of both basins. At certain positions at the foot of the continental slope close to the continent–ocean transition, the basement is intensely deformed and fractured, a structural style very untypical for rifted continental margins. Sediments overlying the fractured basement are deformed and reveal toplap and onlap geometries, indicating a post-breakup deformation phase. We propose this unique deformation zone as a tie point for Gondwana reconstructions. Accordingly, we interpret the western flank of Gunnerus Ridge, Antarctica as a transform margin similar to the Davie Ridge offshore of Madagascar, implying that they are conjugate features. As the continental slope deformation is post-rift, we propose a two-phase opening scenario. A first phase of rifting and early seafloor spreading, likely in NW–SE direction, was subsequently replaced by a N–S-directed transform deformation phase overprinting the continent–ocean transition. From previously identified magnetic chrons and the sediment stratigraphy, this change in the spreading directions from NW–SE to N–S is suggested to have occurred by the late Middle Jurassic. We suggest that the second phase of deformation corresponds to the strike-slip movement of Madagascar and Antarctica and discuss implications for Gondwana breakup.


Attitudes toward twins in Ekiti Yoruba society have remained remarkably consistent over the past hundred years even while the outward signs of their treatment have radically changed. Twins were considered to be extraordinary beings in the past and continue to be considered so. However, the markers of this extraordinariness have shifted from open expressions reflected in publicly displayed twin shrines to private, personal shrines kept in individual rooms. This essay examines both the everyday ways by which the special status of twins is muted and the special circumstances in which this tendency is overridden. (Twinship, West Africa, Yoruba, Christianity, ritual) Yoruba twins have provoked considerable and diverse disciplinary discussion. The evocative rituals associated with twins have been remarked upon by anthropologists (Bascom 1969; Chappel 1974) as well as by sociologists (Fadipe 1970; Ojo 1966). The images carved in their memory, ere ibeji, have been discussed by art historians (Houlberg 1973; Pemberton 1988, 1989; Stoll 1980; Thompson 1971). Art historians and anthropologists alike have been interested in changes in practices associated with twins, from a period when twins were reviled and twin infanticide was common to a time when twins were revered as orisa (deities [Chappel 1974; Houlberg 1973; Lawal 1996; Thompson 1971]). The frequent birth of twins to Yoruba women has also provoked studies among medical researchers interested in understanding the genetic and environmental factors that may explain the four-fold difference in the rate of Yoruba twin births compared with European populations (Creinin and Keith 1989; Knox and Morley 1960; Nylander 1969). This article examines the literature on Yoruba twins as well as present-day perceptions and practices associated with them in one small Ekiti Yoruba town in southwestern Nigeria. It focuses on the changing cultural and economic factors that have affected ritual expressions of reverence for twins. Specifically, it considers various aspects of the secularization of belief, a sort of end of enchantment regarding twins and the accompanying diminution of ritual practices for them. This diminution is often attributed to widespread conversion to Christianity and Islam. For example, Houlberg (1973:20) observed that many Christians and Muslims "no longer believe in the necessity of twin ritual and in the carving of ere ibeji, obeying the proscription against retaining any sculpture related to traditional Yoruba religious practices." Others, such as Moore (1986:301), have noted that economic constraints may limit the performance of traditional ritual, while still others have discussed the more recent effects of structural adjustment programs on art patronage and ritual performance specifically in Nigeria. The concern here is with the process whereby ritual practices performed for twins have come to be viewed as less compelling for their parents.(2) Specifically, I suggest that changing cosmological beliefs and everyday routines underlie this reassessment of twin rituals and that these changes need to be examined (Beidelman 1997). This particular process of change may be seen in the comments of some, but not all, of the younger parents of twins in the town. For them, Christian belief (and particularly Pentecostal worship) provides the ideological armature for the rejection of older practices and acceptance of new ones. But changes in the "seemingly passive backdrop of the world ... defined by ceaseless and infinite activity" (Beidelman 1997:247)--children getting ill and being taken to the hospital, children going to school and needing expensive books and uniforms, children eating imported foods--also contribute to this re-evaluation. By re-examining recent ritual practices and beliefs associated with Yoruba twins, this essay builds upon the earlier writing of Turner (1969), whose study of twins in Ndembu society has provided a valuable framework for subsequent analyses. …


It is explained how field-theoretic methods and the dynamic renormalisation group (RG) can be applied to study the universal scaling properties of systems that either undergo a continuous phase transition or display generic scale invariance, both near and far from thermal equilibrium. Part 1 introduces the response functional field theory representation of (nonlinear) Langevin equations. The RG is employed to compute the scaling exponents for several universality classes governing the critical dynamics near second-order phase transitions in equilibrium. The effects of reversible mode-coupling terms, quenching from random initial conditions to the critical point, and violating the detailed balance constraints are briefly discussed. It is shown how the same formalism can be applied to nonequilibrium systems such as driven diffusive lattice gases. Part 2 describes how the master equation for stochastic particle reaction processes can be mapped onto a field theory action. The RG is then used to analyse simple diffusion-limited annihilation reactions as well as generic continuous transitions from active to inactive, absorbing states, which are characterised by the power laws of (critical) directed percolation. Certain other important universality classes are mentioned, and some open issues are listed.


This is another rapid-fire selection of short, stimulating and entertaining capsules of philosophy from the master of the genre. This time Baggini applies his philosophical scalpel to famous sayings, proverbs and pieces of homespun wisdom. Should you really do as the Romans do when in Rome and practice what you preach? Is the grass always in fact greener on the other side of the fence, and is there ever smoke without fire? Is beauty always in the eye of the beholder and is it actually better to be safe than sorry? Baggini's approach is as witty and deeply thought provoking as ever.


Soil fauna is critical for maintaining ecosystem functioning, and its community could be significantly impacted by nitrogen (N) deposition. However, our knowledge of how soil-faunal community composition responds to N addition is still limited. In this study, we simulated N deposition (0, 50, 100, 150, and 300 kg N ha−1 year−1) to explore the effects of N addition on the total and the phytophagous soil fauna along the soil profile (0–10, 10–25, and 25–40 cm) in poplar plantations (Populus deltoids) on the east coast of China. Ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) was dissolved in water and sprayed evenly under the canopy with a backpack sprayer to simulate N deposition. Our results showed that N addition either significantly increased or decreased the density (D) of both the total and the phytophagous soil fauna (Dtotal and Dp) at low or high N addition rates, respectively, indicating the existence of threshold effects over the range of N addition. However, N addition had no significant impacts on the number of groups (G) and diversity (H) of either the total or the phytophagous soil fauna (Gtotal, Gp and Htotal, Hp). With increasing soil depth, Dtotal, Dp, Gtotal, and Gp largely decreased, showing that the soil fauna have a propensity to aggregate at the soil surface. Htotal and Hp did not significantly vary along the soil profile. Importantly, the threshold effects of N addition on Dtotal and Dp increased from 50 and 100 to 150 kg N ha−1 year−1 along the soil profile. Fine root biomass was the dominant factor mediating variations in Dtotal and Dp. Our results suggested that N addition may drive changes in soil-faunal community composition by altering belowground food resources in poplar plantations.


Abstract. There is no standard or generally accepted terminology of aspect in the theory of map projections. The term is probably derived from the concept that a graticule is produced by perspective projection of the meridians and parallels on a sphere onto a developable surface. Developable surfaces are widely accepted, and it is almost impossible to find a publication that deals with map projections in general and without developable surfaces story. If found, it usually classifies projections as cylindrical, conical and azimuthal, and applies developable surfaces to define the projection aspect. This paper explains why applying developable surfaces in the interpretation of map projections is not recommended, nor defining the aspect of all projections by the position of a midpoint as polar, equatorial, or oblique. In fact, defining a projection aspect this way is invalid in general, and obscures the fact that the aspect depends on the class to which a particular map projection belongs.


Sclerosing angiomatoid nodular transformation of the spleen is a recently described benign pathologic entity that is characterized by round shaped vascular spaces that are lined by endothelial cells, and the spaces are circumscribed by granulomatoid structures. Microscopically, all the reported cases had multiple angiomatoid nodules in a fibrosclerotic stroma. Each angiomatoid nodule was made up of slit-like, round or irregular shaped vascular spaces that were lined by endothelial cells and interspersed ovoid cells. We present here the CT and dynamic gadolinium-enhanced MR findings of a patient with sclerosing angiomatoid nodular transformation. The spoke-wheel pattern that was observed on MRI in this case may be an important imaging clue for making the correct diagnosis of this benign lesion.


The Solar Decathlon is a biennial Department of Energy (DOE) collegiate contest to "promote and speed to market" solar powered, residential homes (Grose, 2009). It is a student competition wherein twenty universities are selected to design, build, and showcase residential structures that would ultimately be relocated to a competition campus in West Potomac Park in Washington D.C. to be viewed by the general public and judged by representativ es of the DOE. The challenge is "design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive" (DOE). The project structures are homes that are designed and built to conform to the parameters set forth b y the DOE i n a n e ffort to showcase the use of solar power as a p ractical means of residential l ine voltage power supply. The projects are then judged according to how well they performed within those parameters. The challenges involved in the design and construction of a "net- zero" house, that is a house that produces at least as much electricity as it consumes, were formidable. Equally formidable were the technical/logistical issues inherent in designing and constructing a building that could be disassembled and transported. Finally, reconstructing a residential dwelling, complete in all respects, in the allotted time period of seven days created educational opportunities that mirror conditions the construction manager will face in his or her professional life. Multidiscipline work groups analyzed the architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, building controls, and photovoltaic performance requirements. These systems not only had to be integrated within each other, but they also had to work within a tight construction budget and build schedule. Those requirements are challenging enough on a normal construction project. Added to the complexity is that the INhome had to be built on the Purdue campus and then shipped to the competition site in Washington D.C. This paper highlights the process and strategies that Team Purdue utilized to design, build, operate, move, and successfully compete in the Solar Decathlon 2011 with a net zero home.


The design of conveyor transfer stations can be a complex process to ensure that reliable flow of bulk material will occur with minimal impact on infrastructure and the environment. Classical analytical methods can be used to provide a quantitative description of the flow of bulk solids through a transfer point in regards to trajectory and velocity distribution. Discrete Element Method (DEM) is a popular alternative numerical technique for modelling and visualising gross discontinuous material flow behaviour by analysing individual particle trajectories and interactions. The Discrete Element Method methodology has been well established but there is a lack of detailed validation of DEM models to experimental data and methods to calibrate DEM models to attain accurate predictions and results. This paper presents a detailed comparative analysis between classical analytical methods and DEM to predict the flow mechanisms associated with the deformation of a bulk material impacting a flat plate. Results from DEM simulations and analytical models are compared with experimental results from a variable-geometry conveyor transfer facility to validate and evaluate the numerical methods to solve particulate flow problems. The study has focused on evaluating the ability to accurately model material discharge trajectories, the velocity of impact from the inflowing stream, the velocity of the material stream after impingement and the resultant forces on the impact plate. Methods to effectively calibrate the DEM material interaction parameters and scale parameters (e.g. particle size, solid density and particle stiffness) to reduce computational time and resources are evaluated to quantify the validity of the modelling technique against experimental results.


In this paper, I argue that physical activity in the form of exercise provides wonderful health benefits for individuals with chronic stroke but fails to also reduce the wider effects of disability for these individuals. The argument proceeds first with a definition of terms, including the classification framework of health and disability according to the World Health Organization. Next follows a section on stroke, its prevalence, and major motor symptoms, including health status. The subsequent two sections include evidence for the health benefits of exercise and lack of evidence for the reduction of disability. The penultimate section expands upon the direction of research that should move us toward reducing disability. The final section concludes on how kinesiology fits into a model for improving both health and reducing disability for chronic stroke survivors.


Abstract. Here we present new results comparing aerosol optical depth (AOD), aerosol absorption optical depth (AAOD) and column single scattering albedo (SSA) obtained from in situ vertical profile measurements with AERONET ground-based remote sensing from two rural, continental sites in the US. The profiles are closely matched in time (within ±3 h) and space (within 15 km) with the AERONET retrievals. We have used Level 1.5 inversion retrievals when there was a valid Level 2 almucantar retrieval in order to be able to compare AAOD and column SSA below AERONET's recommended loading constraint (AOD > 0.4 at 440 nm). While there is reasonable agreement for the AOD comparisons, the direct comparisons of in situ-derived to AERONET-retrieved AAOD (or SSA) reveal that AERONET retrievals yield higher aerosol absorption than obtained from the in situ profiles for the low aerosol optical depth conditions prevalent at the two study sites. However, it should be noted that the majority of SSA comparisons for AOD440 > 0.2 are, nonetheless, within the reported SSA uncertainty bounds. The observation that, relative to in situ measurements, AERONET inversions exhibit increased absorption potential at low AOD values is generally consistent with other published AERONET–in situ comparisons across a range of locations, atmospheric conditions and AOD values. This systematic difference in the comparisons suggests a bias in one or both of the methods, but we cannot assess whether the AERONET retrievals are biased towards high absorption or the in situ measurements are biased low. Based on the discrepancy between the AERONET and in situ values, we conclude that scaling modeled black carbon concentrations upwards to match AERONET retrievals of AAOD should be approached with caution as it may lead to aerosol absorption overestimates in regions of low AOD. Both AERONET retrievals and in situ measurements suggest there is a systematic relationship between SSA and aerosol amount (AOD or aerosol light scattering) – specifically that SSA decreases at lower aerosol loading. This implies that the fairly common assumption that AERONET SSA values retrieved at high-AOD conditions can be used to obtain AAOD at low-AOD conditions may not be valid.


Adblocking tools like Adblock Plus continue to rise in popularity, potentially threatening the dynamics of advertising revenue streams. In response, a number of publishers have ramped up efforts to develop and deploy mechanisms for detecting and/or counter-blocking adblockers (which we refer to as anti-adblockers), effectively escalating the online advertising arms race. In this paper, we develop a scalable approach for identifying third-party services shared across multiple web-sites and use it to provide a first characterization of anti-adblocking across the Alexa Top-5K websites. We map websites that perform anti-adblocking as well as the entities that provide anti-adblocking scripts. We study the modus operandi of these scripts and their impact on popular adblockers. We find that at least 6.7% of websites in the Alexa Top-5K use anti-adblocking scripts, acquired from 12 distinct entities -- some of which have a direct interest in nourishing the online advertising industry.


This article is based on my ongoing PhD research, particularly on the questions of practice-based research combined with theoretical analysis. In this article, I will try to briefly clarify and give some examples of the use of experimental and cross- disciplinary methods in design research. I will start by analysing the relationships between museum objects and cultural history museums based on the assumption that the practices used for representation create meanings. I am particularly interested in how meanings are built into such visual elements of exhibition design as light, colour and materials. The process of meaning creation is semiotic in nature and exhibition design always contains several layers of meanings, which exist simultaneously in a spatial construction. In this article I will focus on spatial meanings in exhibition design.


Purpose: Low plasma levels of carotenoids and low dietary intake of carotenoids are both linked to increased cardiovascular risk. The supply of carotenoids depends on dietary sources. However, it has also been shown that inflammation may have major influence on plasma carotenoids. The aim of this study was to examine the association of plasma carotenoids with dietary intake of carotenoids and a panel of inflammatory markers including matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9. Methods: A population-based cohort consisting of 285 Swedish men and women (45-69 years) was studied. Fruit and vegetable consumption was estimated from a validated 92-item semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire. Plasma levels of C-reactive protein, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, myeloperoxidase and MMP-9 were determined as were plasma concentrations of 5 major carotenoids: lutein, β-crypthoxanthine, lycopen, α-carotene and β-carotene. Result: Lower plasma levels of lipid-adjusted carotenoids (low vs top tertile) were significantly associated with higher age, male sex, higher body mass index (BMI), higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure, higher IL-6 and MMP-9 levels and lower intake of carotenoid-rich food. Low dietary intake of carotenoids was related to male sex, smoking and low plasma carotenoids. After adjustment for age, sex, BMI, blood pressure, physical activity, smoking, dietary intake, IL-6 and MMP-9, plasma carotenoids remained associated with age (Beta= -0.17, p<0.01), sex (Beta=0.19, p<0.01), BMI (Beta= -0.19, p<0.01), dietary intake (Beta=0.21, p<0.01) and MMP-9 (Beta= -0.13, p<0.05). However, these associations differed among individual carotenoids, e.g. the correlation to MMP-9 was restricted to α-carotene (Beta= -0.13, p<0.05) and the correlation to sex was restricted to α-carotene (Beta=0.23, p<0.001) and β-carotene (Beta=0.18, p<0.01). Conclusion: In this population-based study, plasma carotenoids reflected dietary intake of carotenoids but to a minor extent. Also, levels of inflammatory markers explained very little of the variability in plasma carotenoids. Instead, age, sex and BMI independently influenced the levels of carotenoids. In cardiovascular risk management, we need to better understand the potential determinants of carotenoid levels in plasma.


Many linguists have tried to answer when and how to teach grammar based on research, as well as whether to teach grammar at all. On the other hand, for many teachers, grammar is the backbone of language learning (Sitorus, 2012). This paper analyzes teachers' beliefs and practices and their relationship regarding grammar teaching in Kosovo's public high schools. Teachers' beliefs are resistant to change (Williams & Burden, 1997); knowing what the majority of teachers in Kosovo believe to be true regarding grammar and language teaching can lead to an update on the curriculum of English Language Teaching programs in order to prevent a formation of beliefs that could negatively impact language teaching. The background of the study includes the importance of grammar on language learning and teaching, the effects of teachers' beliefs and attitudes in their classrooms, high school students' motivation for language learning, and a review of language teaching methods and approaches. Information and data were gathered through a survey completed by 48 teachers who teach in public high schools in Kosovo. Language teachers should be aware of the importance that their beliefs play toward the process of language learning. This study found that EFL teachers in public high schools in Kosovo believe that grammar should be taught systematically, explicitly, and inductively and that the Audio-Lingual is the most predominant EFL method used in public high schools in Kosovo. The study also found that teachers' beliefs regarding the language of students' responses affect teachers' expectations on students' responses and that teachers' beliefs about explicit and implicit instruction have an impact on teachers' practiced instruction in their classrooms.


For a long time I have hesitated to write a book on woman. The subject is irritating, especially to women; and it is not new. Enough ink has been spilled in the quarrelling over feminism, now practically over, and perhaps we should say no more about it. It is still talked about, however, for the voluminous nonsense uttered during the last century seems to have done little to illuminate the problem. After all, is there a problem? And if so, what is it? Are there women, really? Most assuredly the theory of the eternal feminine still has its adherents who will whisper in your ear: 'Even in Russia women still are women'; and other erudite persons – sometimes the very same – say with a sigh: 'Woman is losing her way, woman is lost.' One wonders if women still exist, if they will always exist, whether or not it is desirable that they should, what place they occupy in the world, what their place should be. 'What has become of women?' was asked recently in an ephemeral magazine.


Knowing the semantic category of a robot's current position not only facilitates the robot's navigation, but also greatly improves its ability to serve human needs and to interpret the scene. Visual Place Categorization (VPC) is addressed in this dissertation, which refers to the problem of predicting the semantic category of a place using visual information collected from an autonomous robot platform.
Census Transform (CT) histogram and Histogram Intersection Kernel (HIK) based visual codebooks are proposed to represent an image. CT histogram encodes the stable spatial structure of an image that reflects the functionality of a location. It is suitable for categorizing places and has shown better performance than commonly used descriptors such as SIFT or Gist in the VPC task.
HIK has been shown to work better than the Euclidean distance in classifying histograms. We extend it in an unsupervised manner to generate visual codebooks for the CT histogram descriptor. HIK codebooks help CT histogram to deal with the huge variations in VPC and improve system accuracy. A computational method is also proposed to generate HIK codebooks in an efficient way.
The first significant VPC dataset in home environments is collected and is made publicly available, which is also used to evaluate the VPC system based on the proposed techniques. The VPC system achieves promising results for this challenging problem, especially for important categories such as bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen. The proposed techniques achieved higher accuracies than competing descriptors and visual codebook generation methods.


underlined the fact that there are as yet no safe or reliable methods of vaccination and that we have to fall back on education as the only means of prevention of female genital herpes. In a recent treatment trial' on male genital herpes we noted that fresh lesions occasionally arose within a week or more of the first or recurrent attack. These small blisters, often relatively insignificant, were still infectious. We must therefore advise our patients about the danger to an uninfected partner of resuming intercourse too early. It would be better still if the male used a sheath for a week or two after complete healing has apparently occurred-that is, after there have ceased to be any scabs or areas of residual redness. It was also apparent during our trial that fresh, infectious lesions could appear even while patients were using adenine arabinoside applied to the affected area four times daily. There is therefore, unfortunately, little reason to hope that infectivity might be reduced by its use at the onset of recurrences. It is regrettable to find how seldom patients with genital herpes have been warned that each recurrence is potentially infectious to a fresh sexual partner; moreover, they often resent not having been told this. Thus some behaviour can be modified. In addition, partners should be seen and educated; regular follow-up cytological screening must be instituted. Finally, doctors need to be able to recognise the condition. A L HILTON T E C BUSHELL J BLIGHT Special Clinic, Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol


The aim of this research was to examine differences in the use of self-handicapping strategies in athletes and non-athletes, changes in self-handicapping strategies that can occur with the approach of an important event, and the relationships between these strategies and personality traits, gender, and some external criteria such as performance. The sample included 183 subjects (mean age 21.16 years) consisting of 102 non-athletes and 81 athletes. Three questionnaires were used: VP+2, for measuring personality dimensions of seven-factor model, SH-17, for the assessment of changes in the use of self-handicapping strategies through time and a general biographical questionnaire. A general linear model for repeated measures was used for data analysis. Significant correlation was found between self-handicapping strategies and the number of medals and awards won at international and domestic competitions. The results also showed a positive correlation between self-handicapping strategies and dimensions of Neuroticism and Extraversion and negative with Conscientiousness. Also, a statistically significant difference in the use of self-handicapping strategies was found between athletes and non-athletes, showing that non-athletes express more self-handicapping behaviour. The results indicate that the frequency of selfhandicapping behaviour does not change through time. The effect of gender on self-handicapping is not significant, but there was a statistically significant interaction effect of gender and population on self-handicapping behaviour. It indicates that male non-athletes are more prone to self-handicapping 10 days before an important competition (exam or public speaking for general population, or "game of the season" for sporting population) compared to male athletes. These results, apart from the gender differences, are consistent with the results of previous studies. Limitations of this research and possible directions for future studies were also considered.


Despite developments in assisted reproductive technology, there is immaterial progress in the implantation and pregnancy rates. Intrauterine infusion (IUIF) of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) might renew implantation rates through its paracrine properties by progression cytokines and growth factors which favor implantation. Here we determine whether the IUIF of autologous PRP had a role in pregnancy outcome through its outcome on epidermal growth factor and endometrial thickness. An overall of 43 patients where prospectively randomly dispersed into two groups subjected to a superovulation program using Letrozole® tablet orally 2.5 mg twice daily 12 hours apart from day 2 for 5 days for one cycle. 20 women were considered as control receiving the conventional intrauterine insemination (IUI) management while 23 of them were given PRP by IUIF on the day of human chorionic gonadotrophin injection. The IUI was done for both groups 36-48 hours after confirming ovulation. The blood samples were collected from both groups on the day of IUI for the valuation of epidermal growth factor and an ultrasound was done on the day of human chorionic gonadotrophin injection and day of IUI for assessment of endometrial thickness. The mean endometrial thickness in the PRP group at the day of IUI was significantly thicker than that of the control group and the difference in percentage change of endometrial thickness between PRP group and controls significantly higher in PRP group. The mean epidermal growth factor and the pregnancy rate were significantly superior in the PRP group than that of controls. In conclusion, autologous PRP IUIF was well-tolerated and resulted in a significant expansion in endometrial thickness, epidermal growth factor Level and, subsequent pregnancy rate in an infertile woman undergoing IUI.


The Georgia State Legislature reduced the width of mandatory-forested riparian buffers along the State's trout streams from 100 ft to 50 ft in 2000. This research evaluated the potential response of trout populations to this reduction in buffer width by: 1) quantifying the relationships between riparian forest conditions, instream habitat, and young-of-the-year rainbow and brown trout (Oncorhyncus mykiss and Salmo trutta); 2) applying these quantified relationships at the stream segment and stream network scales to determine the efficacy of 50-ft buffers for protecting instream habitat; 3) examining existing forest conditions along the stream network; and 4) assessing the existing thermal alteration of trout streams. Stream temperatures were consistently and negatively related to percent riparian forest cover and elevation; in this study landscape, riparian forest cover overwhelms the influence of basin forest cover in determining stream temperature. Fine sediment in riffles was negatively related to percent riparian forest cover and maximum reach velocity. Biomass of young-of-the-year trout (< 150 mm in total length) was negatively related to stream temperature, riffle embeddedness, and maximum reach depth. When these relationships were applied at the stream segment scale, we found that reducing forested buffers from 100 ft to 50 ft would increase stream temperatures by 1.6 to 2.3°C, depending on summer weather conditions, and increase riffle embeddedness scores by 4.2 points across a range of maximum stream velocity. As a consequence of these seemingly small increases in stream temperature and riffle embeddedness, the biomass of young-of-theyear trout would be reduced by 81% to 88%, depending on elevation and summer weather conditions. Within the trout stream network, 63% of stream segments are likely to support reproducing trout populations with the presence of a 100-ft buffer; this percentage drops to 9% with a 50-ft buffer. These quantitative analyses at both the stream segment and trout stream network scales imply that a 50-ft buffer is not effective at maintaining the instream conditions necessary for self-sustaining trout populations. Due to existing disturbance of riparian forests, substantial alteration of the thermal conditions of trout streams has occurred along the trout stream network in North Georgia. Further deforestation of riparian areas will increase the warming of trout streams. The ability of Georgia's mountain streams to maintain self-sustaining trout populations is reduced because of the warmer stream temperatures and increased fine sediment delivery associated with a reduction in riparian buffer width to 50 ft.


The criminal justice system is in the midst of the "third wave" of bail reform in the United States. The current movement aims to end the ingrained practices of wealth-based discrimination in pretrial administration. The authors—civil rights attorneys who have litigated the issue of cash bond in Cook County, Illinois—have been on the front lines of this policy shift. From this vantage, we conduct a historical analysis of modern-day bail reform efforts in the "first" and "second" waves of bail reform, and examine the impact of these reforms on incarceration rates and racial disparities in the justice system. We explain how these earlier efforts both influenced and created the conditions for the third wave reforms that are now underway, including a "groundswell" of class action litigation that seeks to minimize pretrial detention by breathing new life into longstanding principles of equal protection and due process. We then analyze the impact of these third wave reforms nationwide, while using Cook County as a case study. The results suggest reason for both optimism and caution, particularly in jurisdictions where advocates have been willing to trade a more expansive scheme of preventive detention for the elimination of the cash bail system. We conclude with observations in support of a just system of pretrial release—one that relies neither on money bond nor on preventive detention measures. This system is one in which the vast majority of the presumptively innocent people charged with offenses are immediately released back into their communities. It is a system in which courts provide services rather than onerous conditions, to minimize failures to appear in court, mitigate recidivism, and ensure that communities are not decimated by unconstitutional pretrial detention. While this model is not without some societal risk, we contend it is the only tolerable outcome under our constitutional system.


Purpose To investigate and quantify peripapillary vascular and neuronal changes secondary to diabetic retinopathy, using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography (OCTA). Design This was a cross-sectional study. Methods 51 eyes of 51 patients affected by non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) and 19 age-matched healthy control eyes underwent full ophthalmic examination, including OCT and OCTA in the peripapillary area. Vessel area density (VAD), vessel length fraction (VLF) and vessel diameter index (VDI) were quantified in a ring-shaped region of interest of each OCTA image. Capillaries and larger vessels were separately analysed. The thickness of the peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer (pRNFL) and macular ganglion cell complex (GCC) was also analysed. Results VAD and VLF of peripapillary capillaries were significantly reduced in NPDR eyes, along with the progression of NPDR (p<0.05). VDI was significantly reduced in mild (p=0.0093) and moderate (p=0.0190) NPDR eyes, but not in severe NPDR (p=0.0841). Larger peripapillary vessels showed a significant increase of both VAD and VDI in NPDR eyes. pRNFL and GCC thickness decreased in NPDR eyes, reaching statistical significance only for GCC. No statistically significant correlation was found between perfusion parameters and pRNFL and GCC thickness. Conclusions Retinal capillary remodelling in NPDR involves the peripapillary vascularisation too, as confirmed by OCTA quantitative parameters. The peripapillary macrovasculature and microvasculature need to be separately evaluated. The lack of direct correlation between peripapillary capillaries changes and the loss of retinal nerve fibres suggests that neuronal damage cannot be simply considered secondary to the microvascular one.


Self-determination is on the agenda of Indigenous peoples all over the world. This analysis by an Indigenous feminist scholar challenges the United Nations–based human rights agendas and colonial theory that until now have shaped Indigenous models of self-determination. Gender inequality and gender violence, Dian Million argues, are critically important elements in the process of self-determination. Million contends that nation-state relations are in uenced by a theory of trauma ascendant with the rise of neoliberalism. Such use of trauma theory regarding human rights corresponds to a therapeutic narrative by Western governments negotiating with Indigenous nations as they seek self-determination. Focusing on Canada and drawing comparisons with the United States and Australia, Million brings a genealogical understanding of trauma against a historical lter. Illustrating how Indigenous people are positioned di erently in Canada, Australia, and the United States in their articulation of trauma, the author particularly addresses the violence against women as a language within a greater politic. The book introduces an Indigenous feminist critique of this violence against the medicalized framework of addressing trauma and looks to the larger goals of decolonization. Noting the in uence of humanitarian psychiatry, Million goes on to confront the implications of simply dismissing Indigenous healing and storytelling traditions. Therapeutic Nations is the rst book to demonstrate a ect and trauma's wide-ranging historical origins in an Indigenous setting, o ering insights into community healing programs. The author's theoretical sophistication and original research make the book relevant across a range of disciplines as it challenges key concepts of American Indian and Indigenous studies.


Abstract This study was undertaken to develop a "scale for causes of conflict in the classroom" that will assess and identify the causes of classroom conflicts in university students. Construct validity of the scale was tested by exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and it was determined that the scale consisted of 8 factors. In the Scale for Causes of Conflict in the Classroom, the first factor consisted of 9 items, the second factor consisted of 8 items, third factor consisted of 7 items, fourth, fifth and sixth factors consisted of 4 items each, and seventh and eight factors consisted of 3 items each. After examining the item structures that the identified factors consisted, the following factors were selected: appreciation of the student by the teacher, teaching-learning environment skills of the teacher, student behavior, communicative skills of the teacher, personal characteristics of the student, fair treatment by the teacher, biased behavior by the teacher and teachers' obeying the classroom rules. Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient values for each factor and the whole scale were found to be ,91; ,90; ,84; ,87; ,82; ,85; ,77; ,63 and ,95, respectively. After the scale was developed, 350 students from the department of education were administered the scale and the causes of conflict were determined according to student views by taking means and standard deviations into consideration. In order to identify the effect of individual variables, t-test, one-way analysis of variance and Scheffe tests were used. Analysis showed that the variables of gender and department attended by students resulted in significant differences in student perceptions whereas the variable of classroom did not affect the perceptions of students. Key Words Conflict, Causes of Conflict, University, Development of Scales. Conflict, which is a concept that is experienced in the interaction of an individual with the society, can affect the relationships of the individual in a positive or negative manner. Although the concept is perceived as negative at first, it is also accepted and seen as an organizational or personal development tool (Gray & Stark, 1984). The concept is one of the basic topics of various sciences such as education, management, psychology, and economy. There are many different definitions of the concept in the literature. According to many of these definitions, conflict is a disagreement and disaccord between two or more persons or groups due to several reasons and it surfaces when the needs, impulses, and wishes of individuals do not correspond with the others (Asunakutlu, & Safran, 2004; Can, 2005; Erdogan, 1996; Tastan, 2005). Conflict in man-made organizations is a natural result of both managerial and social life. The fact that there are differences in organizations and that these differences are not regarded with understanding, tolerance, and respect create conflict (Peker, & Ayturk, 2002) and these types of situations cause regular activities in the organization to stop or get out of hand (Eren, 2001). There have been various studies in the field of management that aim to identify the causes of conflict. According to the results of these studies, the reasons of conflict have been identified as relationships at work, limited resources, vagueness in issues such as authority and responsibility, dependence on others, discrimination, reaching common decisions, new specializations, communication system, the size of organization, the type of management, individual aims and status, differences in values, rewarding systems, change, and ambiguity (Aydin, 1984; Gumuseli, 1994; Seval, 2006; simsek, 1999; Hunczynski & Bunchanan, 1990 cited in Yildirim, 2003). Educational organizations are among social organizations in which the most intense human relationships are experienced. The individual characteristics of educational personnel and students, differences in values, beliefs and attitudes, crowded classrooms, the inadequacy of the education and training process, misjudgments related to the communicative process, insufficient resources and aids, sharing limited resources etc. …


Revolution of information technology has changed many aspects of accounting practices, which resulted in greater demand for accountants with sufficient information technology (IT) knowledge and skills. Importantly, these changes have provided new and exciting research opportunities for accounting information system (AIS) researchers. This paper aims to address issues relating
to both AIS education and research. It also attempts to provide guidance to AIS curriculum design and direction for AIS research. In terms of AIS
education, this paper reveals that accounting programmes worldwide have
not sufficiently integrated IT knowledge and skills into the curriculum, thus
resulting in the inability to produce graduates that meet the current needs of
businesses. In terms of research, the paper starts with a discussion on issues
relating to definition, scope and category of AIS research. In general, while IT
revolution has offered various research opportunities, AIS research has
provided very limited contribution to accounting or information system
research and practice. Towards this purpose, this paper provides several
suggestions to researchers. First, AIS researchers need to view AIS in a broader
perspective where the impact of technology on all areas of accounting,
auditing, and taxation should be considered within the realm of AIS interest.
Second, AIS researchers have to specialise in at least one other accounting
area such as financial reporting, managerial accounting, audit or taxation,
in addition to AIS domain, to produce high-quality research results. Finally,
it is hoped that discussions brought forward by this paper would initiate and
encourage debate among accounting professionals and academics and, in
particular AIS lecturers, in order to strengthen current AIS curriculum to
produce high-quality AIS research that can have a notable impact on the
accounting profession and business practice.


Early detection of newly arrived exotic plant pests and diseases is critical to protect New Zealand's environment and agriculture. For that purpose, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) conducts active surveillance of numerous high risk organisms, such as fruit ies or gypsy moth, via speci c targeted surveillance programmes.
In addition, MPI utilises passive surveillance to enable early detection and reporting of exotic pests and diseases. Members of the public, industry groups, plant health professionals, and diagnostic laboratories report detections of suspected exotic pests and diseases via the "exotic pest and disease hotline" (0800 80 99 66), which operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Noti cations are promptly investigated by MPI and deduced biosecurity risks can thus be addressed using appropriate containment, eradication, or long-term management measures.
An overview of passive surveillance data (2015—2017) is presented, with the focus on noti cations and investigations of exotic plant pests and diseases associated with recently imported goods. Particular attention is given to cases dealing with high-risk organisms such as the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB).


Malaria and dengue fever are the two most common mosquito-transmitted diseases, leading to millions of serious illnesses and deaths each year. Because the mosquito vectors are sensitive to environmental conditions such as temperature, precipitation, and humidity, it is possible to map areas currently or imminently at high risk for disease outbreaks using satellite remote sensing. In this paper we propose the development of an operational geospatial system for malaria and dengue fever early warning; this can be done by bringing together geographic information system (GIS) tools, artificial neural networks (ANN) for efficient pattern recognition, the best available ground-based epidemiological and vector ecology data, and current satellite remote sensing capabilities. We use Vegetation Health Indices (VHI) derived from visible and infrared radiances measured by satellite-mounted Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometers (AVHRR) and available weekly at 4-km resolution as one predictor of malaria and dengue fever risk in Bangladesh. As a study area, we focus on Bangladesh where malaria and dengue fever are serious public health threats. The technology developed will, however, be largely portable to other countries in the world and applicable to other disease threats. A malaria and dengue fever early warning system will be a boon to international public health, enabling resources to be focused where they will do the most good for stopping pandemics, and will be an invaluable decision support tool for national security assessment and potential troop deployment in regions susceptible to disease outbreaks.


A fundamental problem with many peer-to-peer systems is the tendency for users to "free ride"--to consume resources without contributing to the system. The popular file distribution tool BitTorrent was explicitly designed to address this problem, using a tit-for-tat reciprocity strategy to provide positive incentives for nodes to contribute resources to the swarm. While BitTorrent has been extremely successful, we show that its incentive mechanism is not robust to strategic clients. Through performance modeling parameterized by real world traces, we demonstrate that all peers contribute resources that do not directly improve their performance. We use these results to drive the design and implementation of BitTyrant, a strategic BitTorrent client that provides a median 70% performance gain for a 1 Mbit client on live Internet swarms. We further show that when applied universally, strategic clients can hurt average per-swarm performance compared to today's BitTorrent client implementations.


This book aims to give state of the art in several domains of cultural heritage in which Nanosciences allow fundamental breakthrough. The first part of the book concerns nanostructured materials in ancient artifacts. Understanding their nature and formation processes bring new insight in the apprehension of technical level of ancient societies but can also inspire the design of new materials. The second part is dedicated to the understanding of materials. This crucial issue in material science today, for cultural heritage, needs to perform specific characterization techniques and technologies, but also to create tailored analytical strategies. Part three presents new methods, processes and materials at nano levels that can bring innovative solutions to conservation and restoration issues, linked with the understanding of the alteration processes involved at different scales.


Increasing pressures on water resources and associated cuts in allocation currently threaten many irrigators in the Namoi River catchment. In particular, cuts to groundwater allocation in many zones are expected to have significant negative social and economic impacts. Changed access to off-allocation water has been seen by many in the catchment as one possibility for mediating the impacts of these cuts. This paper discusses water allocation problems in the Namoi River catchment and the way in which off-allocation water may be utilised under various management strategies. A conceptual framework for an integrated economic and hydrological model for considering these options is developed, and details of the economic module are presented.


A dispersion model describing two-phonon absorption is developed using several simplifications of the quasiparticle approach. The dielectric response is constructed from absorption bands corresponding to individual additive and subtractive combinations of phonon branches. The model also includes thermal effects, changes of the transition strength with temperature, originating in Bose-Einstein statistics, and the shift of phonon frequencies accompanying thermal expansion. The model is applied to the analysis of experimental data measured in the IR range on crystalline silicon. The modeled spectral dependencies of optical constants are capable of describing all features in the transmittance spectra 70–1000 cm−1 observable at 300 K for float-zone silicon. The phonon frequencies in the points of symmetry are obtained independently in good agreement with ab initio calculations. The model of thermal effects is verified using ellipsometric measurements 300–1000 cm−1 in the temperature range of 300–500 K. The agreement between the modeled and experimental data is good, except for the spectral range 750–850 cm−1, in which a better agreement at temperatures above 300 K would require including the three-phonon absorption. The analysis provides a reliable value of the thermal coefficient describing the phonon frequency shift and proves that changes of structure broadening with temperature are negligible within the temperature range of 300–500 K.


This paper outlines a proposal for a system of work sharing that would give employers an incentive to maintain workers on their payroll at reduced hours as an alternative to laying them off. The system would be attached to the existing system of unemployment compensation, with shorttime compensation as an alternative to unemployment compensation. This means that work sharing would require no new government bureaucracy. In fact, 21 states (including California and New York) already have short-time compensation as an option under their unemployment insurance system. In these states a governmental structure already exists to support work sharing, although there would have to be changes to make the system more user friendly so as to increase take-up rates.


After a lifetime of living in the shadow (and in the service) of others--first my pianist father and then my conductor husband--I had found myself emerging, at the age of forty-eight, into a Phoebe Mullins I hardly recognized. A person who could function very nicely on her own, thank you. A person who could hold down a job and drive a car. Whose years of dealing with overwrought artists, their public, managers, and hangers-on had, it seemed, developed in her talents she hadn't fully appreciated. I had, over the course of that summer, run a complicated business office; been the recipient of so many highly personal confidences that I had finally to assume I was good at it; served as a box-office manager, program designer, stage manager; been romantically pursued by a quite attractive cop; solved a murder. (1) Why do people read mysteries? The authors of The Mystery Readers' Advisory suggest several reasons. (2) Among them is the idea that good triumphs over evil: the criminals are caught and receive their just punishment. Structure may also play a role: simply stated, mysteries are organized predictably--crime engenders investigation which begets solution. And people enjoy solving puzzles: the authors theorize this is a reason the genre is popular with librarians. Some readers are attracted to the characters, and how they develop through a series of novels. The locales or settings chosen by mystery writers may attract some readers. Finally, mysteries usually are just good stories. In his articles "Crime Fiction and Music" and "Music in English Detective Fiction: A Few Notes," Philip Scowcroft remarks upon the associations between music and literature. (3) His comments parallel my own journey toward music mysteries. Initially, my primary focus was on any fiction involving representations of musicians. Consider Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, who played the piano "a little," E. M. Forster's discontented pianist Lucy Honeychurch in A Room with a View, the appearance of Beethoven's music in Forster's Howard's End, or the unsettled pianist Rachel Vinrace in Virginia Woolf's A Voyage Out. Music and musicians have made their way into a variety of fiction genres, including the mystery. The earliest, by Du Boisgobey, originally published in 1880, is the first I have located so far. From Phoebe Mullins and her associations with opera productions in Karen Sturges's mysteries to Bill Moody's mysteries involving jazz musicians, mystery authors clearly are intrigued by music and musicians and how they can be incorporated into the genre. (4) My own interest in musicians and mysteries developed shortly after the appearance of the Dorothy-L electronic discussion group, which was established more than ten years ago for fans of mysteries. Among the members were several fans of music mysteries, who generously added to the list of titles I had already begun to assemble. The project was put aside until the March 2002 discussion of music mysteries on MLA-L, the music library electronic discussion list. The following bibliography of music mysteries is by no means comprehensive. Attempting to amass a list of all mysteries involving music could easily be not only a long-term occupation but a never-ending one as well. Thus, with my thanks to many who suggested titles on MLA-L, the following bibliography includes titles published through 2002 in the following genres: amateur sleuth, private investigator, historical, espionage, and police procedural. I have read (and reread) most of the titles, and skimmed the rest. I have included selected titles found in Scowcroft's article, and in the extensive list of musical fiction assembled by John Gibbs, (5) but I have not reproduced those lists. Many of these mysteries have been published in multiple editions by two or more publishers in both the United States and the United Kingdom; the earliest American imprint is preferred in this listing. Some have appeared under more than one title, and in these cases multiple titles are listed. …


By generating a library of amino acid-based ligands, pseudo-dipeptides, and combining them with transition metals, we have created selective and efficient ruthenium and rhodium catalysts for the asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of ketones. The ruthenium-catalyzed reaction was studied in detail, and we found that alkali metals play a crucial role for the reactivity and selectivity of the reaction. Furthermore, we have performed kinetic studies on the catalytic system, and the experimental data does neither support the established inner-sphere nor the classical outer-sphere mechanism. Hence, a novel mechanism for the ruthenium-pseudo-dipeptide-catalyzed transfer hydrogenation is proposed. In this unprecedented outer-sphere mechanism, a hydride and an alkali metal ion are transferred from the donor to the ruthenium complex in the rate determining step. In addition, the pseudo-dipeptide ligands were employed in the rhodium-catalyzed transfer hydrogenation of aryl alkyl ketones to yield the corresponding alcohols in high yields and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 98% ee). The study revealed that the alkali metals, so important in the ruthenium analogue of the reaction, do not improve the enantioselectivity of the reaction. Deuterium labeling experiments showed that the reaction follows the mono hydridic route. Furthermore, a novel method for efficient catalyst screening has been developed. We have demonstrated that ligand synthesis, catalyst formation, and enantioselective catalysis can be performed using an in situ one-pot procedure. The efficacy of the concept was demonstrated in the enantioselective reduction of ketones. In addition to the simplification of the catalyst formation, this approach resulted in improvement of the product ee.Finally, the development of a reduction protocol for the transfer hydrogenation of ketones to alcohols without the involvement of transition metal catalysts is described. Using microwave irradiation, a range of ketones was efficiently reduced in high yields using catalytic amounts of lithium 2-propoxide in 2-propanol.


The ongoing transatlantic dialogue on cybersecurity and privacy yielded a second conference at the New York University Center for Cybersecurity in October 2018. In a natural evolution, the New York conference used the foundation laid in the Berlin Conference to "build common approaches" to achieve better cybersecurity and privacy "in a globalized world." This edited volume presents the fruits of the second conference. The assembled submissions show that the trans-atlantic dialogue remains critically important to finding and developing solutions to the global issues of cyber-insecurity and the continued erosion of privacy. Much important work remains to be done to identify and put into practice the many small but important steps that civil society, governments, and business can take to make the digital world a safer one. It is hoped that these papers will make a contribution to that end and serve as the basis for a third conference, perhaps in 2020 and perhaps in France.


Verbs of agency denote relations between behavioural and mental states. Thus, 'Jim is looking for X' goes beyond a behavioural description, to take a mentalistic construal whereby Jim's desire for success, and his beliefs about how to search, explain his observed actions. Greek has two verbs of agency that can be used somewhat interchangeably by adults to mean 'to look for'. The hypothesis is that young children will obey the principle of contrast to diagnose that one verb is mentalistic and the other verb is to be construed behaviourally. Following a study of mothers' verb-use, two studies with 238 children aged three to five years confirmed that the verb preferred in home use gave below-chance performance on a false-belief test whilst the less-established verb gave above-chance success, with children giving appropriate justifications. Thus, Greek preschoolers seem sometimes to have an adult-type understanding and sometimes fail to match the adult understanding. The proposal is that the children initially convert an adult verb-use pragmatic difference into a semantic contrast.


A fish caught off the coast of Poland in the 15th century with the appearance and mannerisms of a bishop and therefore a possible "sign" given to man by the Creator is interrogated by the bishops and king of Poland and almost incarcerated because of its inability to speak, but finally set free in the sea. Looked upon as a sign, the resemblance as such of the fish to a bishop may be described as an iconic image, while the endeavour to determine whether it also has the other attributes of a true bishop, is implicitly aimed at determining whether the fish is not indexically related to what may be a bishop in creed and character. In view of the patently non-human exterior of the creature, the search has to focus on the intrinsic characteristics of a bishop, and the superficial iconic relationship between signifier and signified is deepened to the question whether a causal or indexical relationship can be found. As this cannot be shown, the fish is released on the understanding that its resemblance to a bishop is iconic and no more.


Europeans restricted their fertility long before other parts of the world did so. By raising the marriage age of women, and ensuring that a substantial proportion remained celibate, the "European Marriage Pattern" (EMP) reduced childbirths by up to 40%. We analyze the rise of this first socio-economic institution in history that limited fertility through delayed marriage. Our model emphasizes changes in agricultural production following the Black Death. The production of meat, wool, and dairy (pastoral products) increased, while grain production declined. Women had a comparative advantage producing pastoral goods. They often worked as servants in husbandry, where they remained unmarried long after they had left the parental household. In a Malthusian world, this translated into lower population pressure, raising average wages by up to a quarter. The Black Death thus set into motion a virtuous circle of higher wages and fertility decline that underpinned Europe's high per capita incomes. We demonstrate the importance of this effect in a calibration of our model.


This monograph investigates the syntax of the finite verb in Mocheno, a minority language spoken in a German speech island of Northern Italy. Basing her study on detailed new data collected during extensive fieldwork, and focusing on finite verb movement; on multiple access to the left periphery; on pro licensing and on the distribution of OV/VO word orders, the author refutes the traditional view that the syntactic variation found in Mocheno is due to the presence of two competing grammars as a consequence of contact with Romance varieties and accounts for the peculiarities of Mocheno syntax within a theory couched in the framework of Generative Grammar. This book contributes to our understanding of the verb-second phenomenon and sheds new light on the asymmetries between Old Romance and Germanic verb-second languages. A useful tool for all linguists working on both theoretical and comparative syntax and to anyone interested in language variation, dialectology and typology.


Abstract. Intact polar lipids (IPLs) are considered biomarkers for living biomass. Their degradation in marine sediments, however, is poorly understood and complicates interpretation of their occurrence in geological samples. To investigate the turnover of IPLs, a degradation experiment with anoxic sandy sediments from the North Sea was conducted. Intact cells of two organisms that do not naturally occur in North Sea sediments were chosen as IPL sources: (i) Saccharomyces cerevisiae, representative for ester-bound acyl lipids that also occur in Bacteria, and (ii) the archaeon Haloferax volcanii, representative for ether-bound isoprenoid lipids. Surprisingly, IPLs with phosphoester-bound head groups showed approximately the same degradation rate as IPLs with glycosidic head groups. Furthermore, the results indicate a relatively fast degradation of S. cerevisiae IPLs with ester-bound moieties (analogs of bacterial membrane lipids) and no significant degradation of archaeal IPLs with ether-bound moieties. Pore water and 16S rRNA-based DGGE analysis showed only a minor influence of the IPL source on microbial metabolism and community profiles. Due to our results, the IPL-based quantification of Archaea and Bacteria should be interpreted with caution.


The efficiency of soft particles to stabilize emulsions is examined by measuring their desorption free energy, i.e., the mechanical work required to detach the particle from a fluid interface. Here, we consider rubber-like elastic as well as microgel particles, using coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations. The energy of desorption is computed for two and three-dimensional configurations by means of the mean thermodynamic integration method. It is shown that the softness affects the particle-interface binding in two opposing directions as compared to rigid particles. On the one hand, a soft particle spreads at the interface and thereby removes a larger unfavorable liquid-liquid contact area compared to rigid particles. On the other hand, softness provides the particle with an additional degree of freedom to get reshaped instead of deforming the interface, resulting in a smaller restoring force during the detachment. It is shown that the first effect prevails so that a soft spherical particle attaches to the fluid interface more strongly than rigid spheres. Finally, we consider microgel particles both in the swollen and in the collapsed state. Surprisingly, we find that the latter has a larger binding energy. All results are rationalised using thermodynamic arguments and thereby offer detailed insights into the desorption energy of soft particles from fluid interfaces.