Abstract One of the essential aspect in biological agents is dynamic stability. This aspect, called homeostasis, is widely discussed in ethology, neuroscience and during the early stages of artificial intelligence. Ashby's homeostats are general-purpose learning machines for stabilizing essential variables of the agent in the face of general environments. However, despite their generality, the original homeostats couldn't be scaled because they searched their parameters randomly. In this paper, first we re-define the objective of homeostats as the maximization of a multi-step survival probability from the view point of sequential decision theory and probabilistic theory. Then we show that this optimization problem can be treated by using reinforcement learning algorithms with special agent architectures and theoretically-derived intrinsic reward functions. Finally we empirically demonstrate that agents with our architecture automatically learn to survive in a given environment, including environments with visual stimuli. Our survival agents can learn to eat food, avoid poison and stabilize essential variables through theoretically-derived single intrinsic reward formulations.


A widely held thesis asserts that public and elite dissatisfaction influences the external conflict behavior of states. Characteristic of many anecdotes, speculations, theoretically informed discussions and systematic studies is a belief in a dependent variable, which ranges from diplomatic protest to war initiation. Whether almost 35 years of systematic research has demonstrate that the actual use of armed force is within this dependent variable's domain of application is investigated, but no convincing support is found for it. The essay ends with some points on why this is the case, as well as on how future research might proceed towards settling the issue: one path is to consider the implications from the findings of the dyadic democratic peace; another is to direct more attention to the rationale for the relationship, its causal paths and key concepts.


The primary outcome of this study intends to assess the Shaping ability and surface topographic changes of the 2 rotary Nickel Titanium systems: A) One Curve (Micro Méga, Besançon, France)B) ProTaper Next (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland)What's new in the study is the use of AutoCAD program to assess the shaping ability of both instruments, after using them in a standerdized conditions to evalute the minor differences between the two different alloys used in each instrument.While the secondary outcome of this study is to evaluate the instruments after multiple uses under the SEM to detect any abberrations or deformetiesin the instruments to detect its points of strength and weaknesses.The study is planned for one year and it is not expected to be more than that according to the sample size and the availabilty of the tools needed for the trial.


Violent environments are known to affect household fertility choices, demand for health services and health outcomes of newborns. Using administrative data with a difference-indifferences, we study how the end of the 50 years old Colombian conflict with FARC modified such decisions and outcomes in traditionally affected areas of the country. Results indicate that generalised reductions in total fertility rate were slowed down for municipalities traditionally affected by conflict as a result of the permanent ceasefire declared by the FARC insurgency. Total fertility rate observed a relative increase of 2.6% in the formerly conflict-affected areas, in all age groups. However, no impact was found for demand of health care services, neonatal and infant mortality rates, or birth outcomes such as the incidence of low weight at birth or the percentage of preterm births. Our evidence shows that municipalities with mines victims and expelled population by forced displacement before the ceasefire have significantly higher total fertility rate in the four years following the ceasefire. We argue that the mechanism behind this result is the optimism to raise the children in a better environment due to the reduction in victimisation in areas that experience FARC violence.


For law enforcement purposes corruption and fraud are hard battles. Because of the highly secretive and premeditated nature of these crimes, prime witnesses are themselves often implicated in the fraudulent transaction. Promises of immunity and whistle blowing rewards are often required to resolve these information asymmetries. These insights have set a trend, both in scholarship and law enforcement practice, towards reward-based approaches (carrots), as an alternative or complement to punishment based deterrence (sticks). Applying the U.S. False Claims Act (FCA) as an analytical framework, we provide a critical review of the efficiency limitations of whistle blowing. More specifically, the formal model developed in this contribution, reveals a gap between social and private incentives in whistle blowing, both with regard to the decision to pursue litigation and the timing of whistle blowing. First, while an insider will blow the whistle whenever his expected recovery exceeds the expected costs of litigation, enforcement agencies seek to optimise enforcement in the long run. The autonomy of whistle blowers to pursue claims without government involvement, weakens the government's bargaining position and obstructs the government's ability to weigh in wider factors of enforcement (the effect of an individual case on a multiple claim suit, etc.). Second, whenever rewards are tied to recovery, bounty awards create a perverse incentive whereby fraudulent practices are not terminated at a socially optimal point in time. The potential race among whistle blowers cannot mitigate this effect fully because the stigma and loss of opportunities on the job market act as internal constraints on whistle blowing. ABSTRACT For law enforcement purposes corruption and fraud are hard battles. Because of the highly secretive and premeditated nature of these crimes, prime witnesses are themselves often implicated in the fraudulent transaction. Promises of immunity and whistle blowing rewards are often required to resolve these information asymmetries. These insights have set a trend, both in scholarship and law enforcement practice, towards reward-based approaches (carrots), as an alternative or complement to punishment based deterrence (sticks). Applying the U.S. False Claims Act (FCA) as an analytical framework, we provide a critical review of the efficiency limitations of whistle blowing. More specifically, the formal model developed in this contribution, reveals a gap between social and private incentives in whistle blowing, both with regard to the decision to pursue litigation and the timing of whistle blowing. First, while an insider will blow the whistle whenever his expected recovery exceeds the expected costs of litigation, enforcement agencies seek to optimise enforcement in the long run. The autonomy of whistle blowers to pursue claims without government involvement, weakens the government's bargaining position and obstructs the government's ability to weigh in wider factors of enforcement (the effect of an individual case on a multiple claim suit, etc.). Second, whenever rewards are tied to recovery, bounty awards create a perverse incentive whereby fraudulent practices are not terminated at a socially optimal point in time. The potential race among whistle blowers cannot mitigate this effect fully because the stigma and loss of opportunities on the job market act as internal constraints on whistle blowing.


A scientific goal of the moon exploration project is to perform elemental analysis on the moon surface. The assuming of using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for this goal has been put forward. The laser plasma used by LIBS is sensitive to the surrounding atmosphere and the moon has very low ambient gas pressure on the surface, so the study of the LIBS capabilities at the low pressure was carried out.


The thesis "The 'Dead Zone' and the Architecture of Transgression" investigates the imagery of 'emptiness', 'voids', 'no-man's Land' (etcetera) in architectural and other discourses, drawing on imagery from antiquity until today. The study begins with the particular case of a now obliterated Palestinian village at the edge of Tel Aviv. The prologue of the thesis gives, in the form of a short story, an exposition of the subject. It introduces the main argument, that this space is a product of the discourse, and that between the two lies an unbridgeable gap. I argue against the short sightedness of planning practices and present the importance of site research for the subject at hand...


"How hard can it be to write a contract?" I asked myself. After all, I had already overcome some long odds. Seven weeks earlier—just days before I was to fly to Brussels for the second evaluation phase of a European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant application—the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull erupted, throwing enough ash into the sky to essentially halt European air traffic. Yet my flight from Sweden, where I was an assistant professor at Umea University, was one of the few not grounded. Then, when I arrived at ERC headquarters and entered the hot, airless meeting room to present my proposed work, the chairperson told me, "You have 10 minutes—sharp." I finished in 9 minutes and 59 seconds. "This must be a good sign," I told myself.

![Figure][1]

ILLUSTRATION: ROBERT NEUBECKER

> "The hydra returned at unpleasantly regular intervals."

I turned out to be right. In the middle of the summer holidays, I learned that I received the grant! But the contract negotiations had to start immediately. With 19 different documents amounting to more than 150 pages to read or fill out, the contract process seemed like a many-headed bureaucratic hydra. I had to convert the text and budget of my application into a legal document, but my knowledge of legalese was limited, so I enlisted help from administrators and lawyers at my university. Eight weeks later, my team at Umea and ERC officers in Brussels had exchanged many emails and documents, 15 people had been mobilized, and I had sacrificed a large part of my vacation, but the contract was signed.

A couple of months later, I realized that I needed to temporarily hire an outside person to bring in some specific expertise. The ERC officer said I would have to amend the painstakingly negotiated contract and asked me, "Do you really need to do this?" Any sensible person would have realized that such a statement meant problems, but I somehow missed the not-so-subtle message. After once again going through the lengthy contract process, I had an amended contract.

A year later the hydra returned, hidden in a discreet email entitled "Advanced Notice Letter," alerting me to the fast-approaching deadline for my first financial report. A failure to have the report approved would prevent me from receiving further funding, but meeting all the requirements laid out in the 36-page user guide seemed almost impossibly complicated. Again, a fierce communication between Umea and Brussels began. Through a strategy that amounted to trial and error, and with the help of supportive ERC officials, the report was approved, and I could turn my attention back to research.

The hydra returned at unpleasantly regular intervals, demanding its share of sacrifice. I have now finished the ERC project and completed four financial reports and two scientific reports. In addition, three different external auditing firms have scrutinized the project because auditing is required once a certain budget threshold is reached.

My ERC adventure helped me build up my research group and produce good science, and it has meant an enormous amount to me. But fighting the hydra has taken its toll. Certainly large grants require some control measures, but I don't think that cutting the number of reports and audits by half would have been irresponsible—and it would have allowed me to spend more of my time on the research the grant was meant to fund. But on the positive side, the experience helped me become more patient and stress resistant, and I now know that I have many helpful colleagues who can support me.

So what advice can I offer for others facing the hydra? First, before even applying for a grant, carefully plan how you'd like to spend the money to avoid time-consuming amendments. Second, the administrators helping you with the process are probably much more experienced in dealing with these situations than you are, so listen to their advice. Third, don't despair. Even if the requirements are complicated and lengthy, you will get through them—with the assistance of those more expert than you. Then you can return to the real reason you became a scientist and get back to the research.

 [1]: pending:yes


Soil Analysis: An Interpretation Manual is a practical guide to soil tests. It considers what soil tests are, when they can be used reliably and consistently, and discusses what limits their application. It is the first nationally accepted publication that is appropriate for Australian soils and conditions.

The first three chapters review the general principles and concepts of soil testing, factors affecting soil test interpretation and soil sampling and handling procedures. The next two chapters describe morphological indicators of soil and include colour plates of major Australian agricultural soils.

These are followed by a series of chapters which present soil test calibration data for individual elements or a related group of tests such as the range of soil tests used to interpret soil acidity. Each of these chapters also summarises the reactions of the particular element or parameter in the soil and describes the tests commonly used in Australia.

The final chapter presents a structured approach to nutrient management and making fertiliser recommendations using soil test data.

The manual will be of particular interest to soil and environmental scientists, farm advisers, consultants and primary producers who will find the manual an essential reference to understanding and interpreting soil test data. Many of the soil tests evaluated in the book are used throughout the world.

Soil Analysis: An Interpretation Manual was commissioned and developed by the Australian Soil and Plant Analysis Council (ASPAC). It comprises the work of 37 experts, which has been extensively peer reviewed.


Abstract Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) is one of the most important legume crop and cultivated nearly all parts of the world. Present study was aimed to investigate the variation in the micro and macronutrients concentration in the Turkish faba bean germplasm. A total of 200 landraces and 3 commercial cultivars were collected from the different geographical regions of Turkey. Study was conducted at the research and experimental area of Department of Crop and Animal Production, Vocational School of Sivas, University of Cumhuriyet, Sivas, Turkey in 2016. Result of this study reflected higher level of diversity for studies nutrients; (N) (5.21-8.15 %), phosphorus (P) (0.1-0.98 %), potassium (K) (0.94-5.6 %), magnesium (mg) (0.32-0.42), calcium (Ca) (0.50-1.50), copper (Cu) (8.13-34.23 mg kg-1), zinc (Zn) (28.42-64.33 mg kg-1), iron (Fe) (44.86-128.53 mg kg-1), and manganese (Mn) (16.56-35.76 mg kg-1). Average concentrations of micro and macronutrients were found higher in the landraces as compared to the commercial cultivars. Principal component analysis grouped the studied germplasm into two groups on the basis of their Zn concentrations. Results from this study expressed the presence of high range of diversity in the Turkish faba bean germplasm for micro and macronutrient elements. Findings of this study will serves as starting point for the development of improved faba bean varieties through conventional and modern breeding technologies and these variations will be helpful for the identification of linked markers through the genome wide association studies and identifying diverse parents for quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping.


University students may encounter personal, family, social, and financial stresses while trying to cope with their academic challenges. Such constraints could affect their eating behavior and health status which, in turn may have negative effects on their studies. In light of little information in Malaysia on this subject, this study was undertaken on a sample of 180 students pursuing different academic programs in a Malaysian university. The study objectives were to determine the students' eating behavior including body weight control and the extent of fear of being fat, their social self concept that reflects the five selves namely, the psychological self, the social self, the sexual self, the family self and the physical self. Eating behavior and social self concept were determined based on various methods previously validated in studies on young adults in Asia and Australia. This article focuses on gender comparisons for these determinants. The results showed that psychological and emotional factors have a significant bearing on the eating behavior of university students. Uninhibited eating behavior of both the males and females showed significant and negative correlations with feelings pertaining to personal worth, the physical self, and their relationships with peers and families. Gender differences were manifested for some determinants. The females showed more restrained eating behavior than the males; the females have a significantly higher score for family relationship, which appears to be a significant factor on male students' eating behavior. Future studies on a larger sample size may help to unravel the extent to which psychological factors influence eating behavior of students, and the underlying psychosocial basis for some of the gender differences reported in this study.

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Over the past several decades, Japan's energy strategy had positioned it as the world's leader in clean and efficient electricity production and usage. This strategy, heavily dependent on nuclear energy, was essentially destroyed by one of history's largest earthquakes, followed by a tsunami which overwhelmed five nuclear reactors on March 11, 2011. As of April 2012, all of Japan's 54 nuclear reactors have been shut down and it is uncertain when and how many may be restarted. This paper examines Japan's options for crafting a new way forward with an energy policy to power the world's third largest economy while taking into account the lack of domestic sources of fuel, high government debt, antinuclear sentiments and looming power shortages.


We have analyzed the linearity performance of analog fiber-optic links based on electroabsorption modulators (EAM) operating at high optical power. The negative feedback caused by photocurrent generation improves the modulator linearity in the gain saturation regime. In the absence of laser relative intensity noise (RIN), the link spur-free dynamic range (SFDR) increases with the power of four-thirds of the input optical power after gain saturation occurs. A multi-octave SFDR of more than 135 dB/Hz2/3 has been found to be achievable with sufficiently high power.


The adoption of ICT for personal and business use has encouraged the growth of interactive learning as well as its application in a number of education and training scenarios. Designing effective syllabi for interactive learning projects helps to ensure that desired leaning outcomes are achieved without incurring a significant loss of time or money. Educational Stages and Interactive Learning: From Kindergarten to Workplace Training provides a record of current research and practical applications in interactive learning. This book reviews all aspects of interactive learning, investigates the history, status, and future trends of interactive learning, introduces emerging technologies for interactive learning, and analyzes interactive learning cases in various educational stages and learning situations. Readers interested in the technologies and pedagogical applications of interactive learning will find this book a comprehensive reference for the understanding of notions, theories, techniques, and methods related to the research and development of interactive learning.


Are social conservatives the only ones who use concerns about sacred objects or practices when making moral judgments, such as when they defend the "sanctity of marriage"? Or do liberals condemn sacrilege too? A third possibility is that all talk about sanctity and sacrilege is merely post hoc justification of moral judgments based solely on the perception of harm to sentient or anthropomorphized beings. We present evidence that liberals, like conservatives, morally condemn harmless violations of their own sacred objects. In most cases of liberal sacrilege (e.g., environmental destruction), sentient beings suffer. To deconflate desecration from harm, we examined a context in which someone altered an object that was lifeless yet sacred to a group of liberals—the mountain Cerro Torre. Three studies found that liberals condemned the alteration of the mountain as a harmless desecration. Defending sacred values may bind group members into a cohesive moral community.


ABSTRACT Objectives: This paper investigates a community-based intervention for young fathers, FatherWorks, compared to care-as-usual, 24/7 Dads. We hypothesized that utilizing the FatherWorks intervention (a 15 session parenting intervention, 13 session employment class, paid internship, case management, and access to behavioral health services) will assist in readiness to use condoms and increase condom usage, which may differ by race/ethnicity. Methods: Eligible males (n = 328) were enrolled into a Randomized Control Trial. Participants were 15–24 years old and had fathered one or more children with a female under the age of 21. A survey was taken at baseline and at 15 weeks following the intervention. Results: Analyses of changes indicated that intervention participants improved from the pre-contemplation stage of condom usage towards contemplation, and from preparation to action. The pattern of improvement in the condom use stage of change was different in African-American versus Hispanic participants. Changes in condom use during last intercourse were not significant. Conclusions: Study findings indicate that FatherWorks is successful in increasing the intent to use condoms, with the effect manifesting differently in African-American and Hispanic young fathers. Future work with minority fathers indicates a need for cultural adaptation of the intervention.


A theory of light scattering by closely spaced parallel radially stratified cylinders embedded in a semi-infinite dielectric matrix is presented. No restriction is placed on the polarization and direction of propagation of the incident plane wave. The diameter of the cylinders, the spacing between the cylinders, and the incident wavelength are comparable to each other. Each cylinder can have an arbitrary number of concentric layers of stratification, and the complex index of refraction in each layer can be different. A rigorous solution of Maxwell's equations that accounts for depolarization at oblique incidence, diffraction of waves at the dielectric interface, and coherent scattering between the cylinders is developed. The light-scattering characteristics of closely spaced cylinders in a dielectric medium are examined by numerical data.


The Islamic tradition is rich in teaching methods used historically. A number of studies have been conducted on the use of the teaching methods derived from Quran and Sunnah in teaching Islamic studies. However, the integration of Quranic and Prophetic teaching methods (QPTMs) in teaching non-religious subjects is not yet explored. Hence, this research study attempts to assess the use of selected teaching methods derived from Quran and Sunnah in teaching non-religious subjects, based on their effectiveness in teaching and their ability to engage students in learning. The quantitative data were collected from 87 secondary school teachers who teach non-religious subjects in several Islamic International Schools in Selangor, Malaysia, using a survey questionnaire developed by the researchers. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square technique to find out if there are any difference between the four subjects of Mathematics, Science, Language and Humanities in terms of using the different QPTM methods identified. The findings of the study revealed that from the teachers' perspectives, the selected QPTMs are effective methods of teaching and able to engage students in learning. However, the chi-square test shows no significant difference between the subjects in terms of using the different QPTMs. The findings from the study may steer school leaders to increase the knowledge of teachers on QPTMs, and the prospect of using these methods in teaching non-religious subjects. Additionally, the information obtained can draw the attention of curriculum developers to include the QPTMs in teaching non-religious subjects to enhance the implementation of integrated curriculum.


T Politics of Fear: Médecins Sans Frontières and the West African Ebola Epidemic is an engaging collection of essays that critically evaluates the response of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa during 2014 and 2015. It is an appropriate mixture of reflections, vignettes, case studies, and critiques regarding the role of MSF in the epidemic. It does not offer detailed background on the organization itself or on the Ebola epidemic. Thus, the target audience includes readers who understand the role of MSF, as well as the basic principles of Ebola virus disease (EVD). The book describes complexities of management of such a large outbreak and provides context for the difficult decisions made by MSF leadership, as well as clinicians on the ground. Many books and articles have been written about the epidemiology of EVD, but this book is unique in its focus on the politics and ethics of caring for EVD patients in a complex sociopolitical environment. The content is well balanced, and chapter authors include MSF physicians, MSF nurses, health officers, administrators, social anthropologists, and bioethicists. MSF as an organization is presented as neither savior nor villain in the crisis; it is described objectively as a player whose actions were motivated by the epidemic itself and its decisions as difficult choices at a time where there were no right choices. The essays eloquently describe the motivations behind such decisions as quarantine of patients, participation in clinical trials, allocation of resources, evacuation of medical personnel, and use of experimental treatments. Each account provides a unique perspective of different aspects of the epidemic and response. In these descriptions, the authors highlight the complicated dynamics in navigating limited resources, overwhelming disease, and citizen distrust. Permeating these essays is the humanity and courage of the doctors, nurses, and staff caring for patients. This book achieves its goal of describing the multifaceted considerations that must be taken into account when designing policy and response to an epidemic and highlighting the vulnerabilities of healthcare systems that must be addressed to achieve more effective response. It also raises the argument that global humanitarianism, although motivated by altruism, must adapt to existing economies, cultures, and politics if there is any hope for a successful outcome. Although the description of the MSF response is powerful, the essay structure of the multiauthored book does not necessarily provide a coherent approach or strategy to avoid and more effectively treat future crises. However, the book does an outstanding job of outlining the problems that must be addressed. This book is not a detailed description of the science or epidemiology of EVD but provides in-depth explanation and assessment of the actions of MSF in response to the Ebola epidemic. It is an appropriate resource for those readers who wish to better understand the intricacies of a global epidemic humanitarian response in the context of the disparate sociopolitical environments in which they exist. The reader will appreciate the courage of MSF healthcare providers in the response to the Ebola epidemic, as well as the problems that must be addressed to ensure the dedication and sacrifice of these providers translate to favorable outcomes.


In social ungulates particular individuals or cohorts, such as adult females, can lead or initiate foraging movements. We use muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) as a model system to test hypotheses regarding the sex and age class of leaders and the potential costs of leadership in 3 different behavioral contexts: activity initiation, foraging-bout movements, and spontaneous group movements. We conducted research on approximately 160 muskoxen at Cape Krusenstern National Monument adjacent to the coast of the Chuckchi Sea in northwestern Alaska. We observed free-ranging, mixed-sex groups of muskoxen from the ground during 5 June–22 September 2002. Adult females emerged as leaders in all 3 contexts, and other group members were more likely to follow adult females than adult males during initiations of activity. Half of successful initiations by adult males included aggressive behavior toward females. Males took a more active role during rut (the mating season) by provoking females to initiate group activity and by actively manipulating spontaneous movements led by females through herding and blocking activities. Leaders incurred no obvious costs in terms of lost foraging time. Costs and benefits of leadership can be subtle and difficult to measure in the field and can include foraging and reproductive trade-offs and increased risk of predation.


Firstly, the aims of the study were to investigate the influences of various factors, sex differences, Cytomegalovirus/Epstein-Barr virus (CMV/EBV) serostatus and vitamin D concentrations on respiratory illness incidence and immune function during the winter months in a student cohort of endurance athletes. In Chapter 3, the findings of the study concur with recent reports of illness incidence at major competitive games which indicate that female athletes may be more susceptible than their male counterparts to upper respiratory tract illness (URTI) symptoms and that lower oral-respiratory mucosal immunity may, in part, account for this. It was also found that previous coinfection with CMV and EBV might promote protective immune surveillance to lower the risk of URTI. In addition, it can be concluded that athletes with low plasma vitamin D concentrations may have a higher risk of URTI and suffer more severe symptoms when URTI is present. This may be due to impaired mucosal and systemic immunity as secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) secretion, cathelicidin levels and antigen-stimulated pro-inflammatory cytokine production appear to be increased by vitamin D-dependent mechanisms.
A series of follow-up studies were also conducted to examine the effect of vitamin D on mucosal and systemic immunity in athletes. In Chapter 4, it was reported that the influence of vitamin D on circulating cytokines might be different in athletes compared with non-athletes and that both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokine production by multi-antigen stimulated whole blood culture were not influenced by 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D (1, 25(OH)2D) iconcentrations within the normal healthy range. In Chapter 5, it was found that 5000 IU of vitamin D3 supplementation daily appears to have a beneficial effect in up-regulating the expression of SIgA and cathelicidin in athletes during a winter training period. Nevertheless, the findings reported in Chapter 6 showed that there were no significant effects of vitamin D status and a 4-week period of daily high does vitamin D3 supplementation on salivary antimicrobial protein (AMP) responses to prolonged exercise. In conclusion, a series of studies in this thesis have demonstrated the influence of various factors (sex differences, CMV/EBV serostatus and vitamin D concentrations) on susceptibility to URTI among athletes. Moreover, it was suggested that vitamin D3 supplementation could have a positive effect on immune function and lead to decreased incidence of respiratory infections.


Medical screening and biomedical monitoring violate individual rights. Such conflicts of right with right are acted upon synergistically by uncertainty which, in some important respects, increases rather than decreases as a result of research. Issues of rightness and wrongness, ethical issues, arise because the human beings who are subjects of medical screening and biological monitoring often have little or no option whether to be subjected to them. We identify issues of rightness and wrongness of biomedical surveillance for various purposes of occupational health and safety. We distinguish between social validity and scientific validity. We observe that principles are well established for scientific validity, but not for social validity. We support guidelines as a way forward.


The effects of irrigation and nitrogen (N) fertilizer on Hagberg falling number (HFN), specific weight (SW) and blackpoint (BP) of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L) were investigated. Mains water (+50 and +100 mm month(-1), containing 44 mg NO3- litre(-1) and 28 mg SO42- litre(-1)) was applied with trickle irrigation during winter (17 January-17 March), spring (21 March-20 May) or summer (24 May-23 July). In 1999/2000 these treatments were factorially combined with three N levels (0, 200, 400 kg N ha(-1)), applied to cv Hereward. In 2000/01 the 400 kg N ha(-1) treatment was replaced with cv Malacca given 200 kg N ha(-1). Irrigation increased grain yield, mostly by increasing grain numbers when applied in winter and spring, and by increasing mean grain weight when applied in summer. Nitrogen increased grain numbers and SW, and reduced BP in both years. Nitrogen increased HFN in 1999/2000 and reduced HFN in 2000/01. Effects of irrigation on HFN, SW and BP were smaller and inconsistent over year and nitrogen level. Irrigation interacted with N on mean grain weight: negatively for winter and spring irrigation, and positively for summer irrigation. Ten variables derived from digital image analysis of harvested grain were included with mean grain weight in a principal components analysis. The first principal component ('size') was negatively related to HFN (in two years) and BP (one year), and positively related to SW (two years). Treatment effects on dimensions of harvested grain could not explain all of the effects on HFN, BP and SW but the results were consistent with the hypothesis that water and nutrient availability, even when they were affected early in the season, could influence final grain quality if they influenced grain numbers and size. (C) 2004 Society of Chemical Industry


Exposed intertidal sandy beaches are often dominated by bivalves of the family Donacidae (super family Tellinacea), constituted by the genera Donax, Egeria and Iphigeni. On a worldwide basis, Donacidae form by far the largest group inhabiting such highly dynamic environments. The surf clam Donax hanleyanus, also known as berberecho, can be found along the Atlantic coast of South America, from Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) to northern Argentina. Along the coast of the Buenos Aires Province (Argentina), D. hanleyanus is abundant from San Clemente to Punta Mogotes, south of Mar del Plata. The beaches represent the southernmost habitats of a Donax species in the south western Atlantic. D. hanleyanus has a maximum adult size of 4.2 mm and rarely lives for more than 4 yr. In order to study the gametogenic cycle, recruitment patterns, growth, production, and mortality, monthly sampling has been carried out in Santa Teresita, Villa Gesell and Faro Querandi. First results on growth based on cohort analysis are presented. For microgrowth analysis fluorescent stains (Alizarine, Calcein, Strontium chloride) are used. To estimate the economically optimal bivalve and food densities in aquaculture systems, nutrition experiments with the algaes Isochrysis galbana, Chaetoceros sp. and Tetraselmis sp. has been carried out. For the observation of the embryonic and larval development under controlled conditions, induction of spawning was necessary by thermal shocks and injection of Serotonin.


Research on the impact of religiosity or spirituality on physical and mental health is a topic of increasing significance and interest to scientist in numerous fields. A growing body of work indicates that religiousness is positively related to a number of physical and mental health outcomes among the elderly (Ellison, 1994; Koenig, McCullough, & Larson, 2001; Powell, Shahabi, & Thoresen, 2003). Research has prominently shown that religion and spirituality can have an important influence on human health and behavior (Cole & Pargament, 1999; Dein & Stygal, 1997; Koenig & Perez, 1998; Pargament, Smith, Koenig & Perez, 1998). Research has also indicated a positive relationship between religious attendance or religious membership and physical activity (Merill & Thygerson, 2001; Oleckno & Blacconiere, 1991; Wallace & Forman, 1998). These physical activities included seatbelt use, walking, and strenuous exercise. Other studies have found a relationship between religiosity and healthy dietary habits, with dietary habits defined as fruit and vegetable consumption. (Lytle et al. 2009; Neumark-Sztainer, Story, Perry, & Casey, 1999); Waite, Hawks & Gast, 1999; Wallace & Forman, 1998). Religion is often defined as an organized system of beliefs, practices, rituals and symbols designed (a) to facilitate closeness to the sacred or transcendent (God, higher power, or ultimate truth/reality), and (b) to foster an understanding of one's relationship and responsibility to others in living together in a community (Koenig et al., 2001). Spirituality, however, is seen as more of a personal quest for understanding answers to ultimate questions about life, about meaning, and about a relationship to the sacred or transcendent, which may (or may not) lead to the development of religious rituals and the formation of community (Koenig et al., 2001). Religion is an important, but often overlooked factor that may be tied to college students' behavioral health. Although college students report lower levels of religiousness than the general population, most still endorse being religious. In a national survey, approximately 77% of college students reported being members of a church, synagogue, or campus religious group. In addition, 80% of college students reported that religion is "important" to them (Gallup & Bezilla, 1992). Religion is deeply rooted in traditional African American culture. Throughout much of American history, religious institutions have occupied an important position in the African American community and studies have reported that a majority of African Americans are affiliated with a religious denomination (Taylor, Ellison, Chatters, Levin, & Lincoln, 2000). The overarching role of religion in the lives of African Americans is a vehicle used to speak to issues of oppression and the quest for liberation, love, hope, and justice (Anderson & Black, 1995). Religiousness may be a factor to target in an effort to reduce underage drinking among college students. Wechsler, Davenport, Dowdall, Moeykens, and Castillo (1994) reported that college students who stated that participating in religious activity was "not at all important" to their lives had a significantly higher likelihood of binge drinking than students for whom religion was "at least somewhat important." In a longitudinal study, Wills, Yaeger, and Sandy (2003) found that religiousness buffers against adolescent substance use. There has also been a consistent inverse relationship reported between alcohol use and both frequency of service attendance (Adlaf & Smart, 1985; Hadaway, Elifson, & Petersen, 1984) and importance of religion (Jessor, Chase, & Donovan, 1980). College students who drink lightly or infrequently cite religious beliefs as one of the reasons why they do not drink heavily (Slicker, 1997). In a study investigating college students' reasons for not drinking, Strawser, Storch, Geffken, Killiany, and Baumeister (2004) found that an increase in religious faith was associated with a decrease in the likelihood of alcohol problems. …


An experimental flow-channel was used to investigate the rapid deposition of sand and gravel mixtures downstream of a negative step. Hydraulic processes give rise to the quasi-simultaneous accumulation of openwork gravels, matrix-filled contact framework and dilated framework gravels. The resultant structure is analogous to a bar-front in gravel-bed streams. Flow conditions were non-uniform but steady in time, whereas open and closed gravel fabrics are usually interpreted as representing deposition from unsteady flows—for example a varying discharge regime. Consideration of the percentage of sand in the deposits indicated that, in terms of packing, the sediments may be considered as a simple binary mixture with partial framework dilation occurring with sand percentages in excess of c. 32%. Despite dilation, for sand percentages less than 50%, structural stability of the foreset gravels was maintained so that the bar-front exhibited a distinct brinkpoint, and a planar slip-face (at the angle of initial yield) which made an angular contact with the base of the flume. For sand percentages in excess of 80%, individual gravel clasts were completely supported by sand. The original structural stability was lost so that the bar-front, eroded by reverse currents, assumed a tangential contact with the flume base below the angle of initial yield. The brinkpoint was rounded and indistinct. In addition to altering the bar-front slope, increasing the quantity of sand in the bed sediments had a major influence on the dip of gravel particles on the foresets. In all experimental runs a surface sand-seal (with openwork gravels beneath) developed upstream of the brinkpoint. The mechanics of sand-seal formation require further investigation. However, an overpassing mechanism was noted to be very important in sorting gravel particles rolling over the brinkpoint. A published mathematical model describing the overpassing mechanism was found to be appropriate to the present experimental observations.


In this work, we demonstrate chemical communication between millimetre-sized soft hydrogel beads in an aqueous environment. Silver cations (Ag+) and the Ag+ chelator dithiothreitol (DTT) are used as signalling molecules. By exploiting their interplay, we conduct a series of 'conversations' between millimetre-sized beads. The communication process is monitored by tracking the response and behaviour of a central bead. This bead is loaded with the enzyme urease and has the ability to undergo a change in colour associated with a change in pH. Competitive communication between three beads, whereby the central bead receives two competing signals from two senders, is shown. We believe that our hydrogel-based system demonstrates an advance in the communication capabilities of small soft matter objects.


The 2008 English-Swahili Kamusi Project Wordlist for Free Non-Commercial Use is the last static version of Kamusi data in the English->Swahili direction that was published before we switched to a new code base that did not include nightly static builds. Kamusi Project data has grown substantially since this file was produced, and some of the data in the file has been changed or deleted - as ever, Kamusi is a work in progress. You are welcome to use the data in any way that you wish, provided you adhere to the terms of the license below:


This paper presents an assessment of the potential for the use of power regenerating dampers (PRDs) in railway vehicle primary suspension systems equipped with the 'Hybrid Mode' and 'Replace Mode', and the evaluation of the potential/recoverable power that can be obtained. The power regenerating damper is configured as a hydraulic-electromagnetic based damper. Implications for ride comfort and running safety are also commented for investigating the performance of the suspension system. Several case studies of generic railway vehicle primary suspension systems are modelled and configured to include a power regenerating damper with two different configuration modes. Simulations are then carried out on track with typical irregularities for a generic UK passenger vehicle. The performance of the modified vehicle including regenerated power, ride comfort and running safety is evaluated. Analysis of key influencing factors are also carried out to examine their effects on power capability, ride comfort and running safety to guide the primary suspension design/specification.


We report the B abundances and isotopic ratios of two olivine grains from the S‐type asteroid Itokawa sampled by the Hayabusa spacecraft. Olivine grains from the Dar al Gani (DaG) 989 LL6 chondrite were used as a reference. Since we analyzed polished thin sections in both cases, we expect the contribution from the solar wind B (rich in 10B) to be minimal because the solar wind was implanted only within very thin layers of the grain surface. The Itokawa and DaG 989 olivine grains have homogeneous B abundances (~400 ppb) and 11B/10B ratios compatible with the terrestrial standard and bulk chondrites. The observed homogeneous B abundances and isotopic ratios of the Itokawa olivine grains are likely the result of thermal metamorphism which occurred in the parent asteroid of Itokawa, which had a similar composition as LL chondrites. The chondritic B isotopic ratios of the Itokawa samples suggest that they contain little cosmogenic B (from cosmic‐ray spallation reactions) rich in 10B. This observation is consistent with the short cosmic‐ray exposure ages of Itokawa samples inferred from the small concentrations of cosmogenic 21Ne. If other Itokawa samples have little cosmogenic B as well, the enrichment in 10B found previously on the surface of another Itokawa particle (as opposed to the bulk grain study here) may be attributed to implanted solar wind B.


This thesis examines the innovative performance of 206 U.S. business service firms. Undeniably, a need exists for better comprehension of the service sector of developed economies. This research takes a unique view by applying a synthesis approach to studying innovation and attempts to build under a proposed strategic innovation paradigm. A quantitative method is utilised via questionnaire in which all major types of innovation are under examination including: product and service, organisational, and technology-driven innovations. Essential ideas for this conceptual framework encapsulate a new mode of understanding service innovation. Basically, the structure of this analysis encompasses the likelihood of innovation and determining the extent of innovation, while also attempting to shed light on the factors which determine the impact of innovation on performance among service firms. What differentiates this research is its focus on customer-driven service firms in addition to other external linkages. A synopsis of the findings suggest that external linkages, particularly with customers, suppliers and strategic alliances or joint ventures, significantly affect innovation performance with regard to the introduction of new services. Service firms which incorporate formal and informal R&D experience significant increases in the extent of new-to-market and new-to-firm innovations. Additionally, the results show that customer-driven service firms experience greater productivity and growth. Furthermore, the findings suggest that external linkages assist service firm performance.


The story of The Taking of Joppa is a window onto the workings of New Kingdom foreign military policy towards the Levant. Comparative and contextual study reveals marked differences from accepted norms of Egyptian literature, suggesting a unique opening into the political climate in which it was written. But what is The Taking of Joppa and how is it best read? This study aims to highlight the complexity and value of this long-overlooked text. The thesis begins with a detailed literary analysis of the piece. Coupling linguistic questions with the investigation of many of the names, gods and cultural references that appear, the text is laid open for study within the wider concerns of its historical context. A study of genre places The Taking of Joppa alongside military tomb biographies, with which it shares much of its subject matter. The Tale of Sinuhe, The Siege of Megiddo and The Battle of Kadesh are also examined as pieces close in style and concern to Joppa. Examination of the historical background to the narrative setting and to the date of the papyrus on which Joppa is recorded leads to a complementary study of the New Kingdom's empire-building efforts. Textual, material, and sociological issues are examined, as both external and internal manifestations of Egyptian culture. The study concludes with a discussion of the piece's political and ideological power within the context of an Egyptian empire. Historical, linguistic and archaeological evidence conspires to show that The Taking of Joppa is a complex and highly constructed text, essential in understanding many aspects of foreign and domestic Egyptian affairs.


Conversion of methane to more reactive compounds such as methanol has drawn attention for many years. Hierarchical ZSM-5 zeolite has been used as support of metal oxide catalyst to facilitate the partial oxidation of methane to methanol. The NaZSM-5 zeolite was synthesized hydrothermally using double-template techniques, in which tetrapropylammonium hydroxide (TPAOH) and polydiallyldiammonium chloride (PDDA) were used as primary and secondary templates, respectively. HZSM-5 was prepared through multiple NH4+ exchange of NaZSM-5 followed by calcination. Co oxide-modified ZSM-5 (Co/NaZSM-5 and Co/HZSM-5) were prepared through impregnation method. Then, the zeolites were extensively characterized using scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), AAS, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), 27Al solid-state NMR, microbalance, and surface area analysis. The catalytic test was performed in batch reactor, and the product was analyzed with GC-FID. Reaction condition and acidity of ZSM-5 as support catalyst were studied. As a result, when using Co/HZSM-5 as catalyst, percentage (%) yield of methanol was increased with longer reaction time. On the other hand, the percentage (%) yield decreased when Co/NaZSM-5 was employed. Introduction of trace amount of oxygen to the gas mixture showed different results. Furthermore, the prospect of synthesis of ZSM-5 using natural resources and using biogas are also explored.


Background: The prevalence of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) is increasing throughout the world, including in developing countries. An NCD prevention program using information communication technology was implemented for 2 years in Bangladesh. Health checkup data were collected from 16,741 study subjects. However, the effectiveness of the utilized prevention strategy has not yet been evaluated, and some subjects with a risk of NCD have gone undetected.
Objective: This study aimed to improve intervention strategies by analyzing collected data and proposing a costeffective personalized predictive model to identify subjects predicted to be at future risk of NCD. Methods: We selected 2,110 subjects who participated in both years of the program and used a machine learning algorithm, gradient boosting decision tree, to build models that would identify subjects who were at risk of future high blood pressure, blood sugar or body mass index (BMI). We used area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic curves and cumulative accuracy profile (CAP) curves to evaluate the performance of our models.
Results: Models showed fairly good performance: the BMI model (AUC=0.910) yielded the greatest AUC whereas the BS model (AUC=0.730) yielded the lowest. CAP curves indicated that the BMI model could correctly identify 98.0% of at-risk subjects at only 50% of the total time cost.
Conclusions: Our models represent powerful tools with which to improve the effect of health intervention programs and the effectiveness at which they are performed with limited medical resources.


Medical records of 455 acute stroke patients admitted to six community hospitals between October and April, 1969 through 1970 and 1971 through 1972, were surveyed. Data were obtained for: demography, diagnosis and management, complications, patient status and outcome variables (discharge status, disposition, length of stay, mortality and survival time), for one year before and after establishment of acute neurovascular care units (NCUs) in three of the hospitals. Patient status on admission based on a self-care scale was the most accurate measure used in predicting outcome (except when secondary complications occurred). There was a significant decline in mortality for nonhemorrhagic strokes for all patients, due to reduction in complication-related deaths among younger and less impaired persons. Forty-one percent of complication-related deaths for both surveys occurred during the first nine hospital days. Complications significantly lengthened hospitalization, increased the risk of late complication-related deaths, and decreased home discharges. Complication-related deaths were reduced in the second survey. Hospitals with NCUs showed a 50% reduction in secondary complications; hospitals without NCUs showed no reduction. Frequency of complications is an excellent measure of the quality of care. The acute NCU appears to be a practical method for achieving such quality.


All networks must provide an acceptable and desirable level of Quality of Service (QoS) to ensure that applications are well supported. This becomes a challenge when it comes to Mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs). This paper presents a security framework that is QoS-aware in MANETs using a network protocol called Optimized Link State Routing Protocol (OLSR). Security & QoS targets may not necessarily be similar but this framework seeks to bridge the gap for the provision of an optimal functioning MANET. This paper presents the various security challenges, attacks, and goals in MANETs and the existing architectures or mechanisms used to combat security attacks. Additionally, this framework includes a security keying system to ascertain QoS. The keying system is linked to the basic configuration of the protocol OLSR through its Multi-point Relays (MPRs) functionality. The proposed framework is one that optimizes the use of network resources and time.


OBJECTIVE
To study the feasibility and effect of neuromuscular stimulation on recovery of mobility after surgical fixation for hip fracture.

DESIGN
Double-blind study with stratified randomization.

SETTING
Home-based rehabilitation program.

PARTICIPANTS
Twenty-four women over the age of 75 years with hip fracture.

INTERVENTIONS
Neuromuscular or placebo stimulation of the quadriceps muscle of the fractured leg, applied for 3 hours a day, for 6 weeks, commencing 1 week after surgery.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Recovery of walking speed and ability, postural stability, lower-limb muscle power, and pain at 7 and 13 weeks after surgery.

RESULTS
Women in the neuromuscular stimulation group showed faster recovery of mobility. Of the women receiving stimulation, 9 of 12 recovered their prior levels of indoor mobility ability by 13 weeks compared with 3 of 12 in the placebo group (Fisher exact test, P=.046). There were no differences in recovery of walking speed in the first 7 weeks, but women in the stimulation group had greater recovery between 7 and 13 weeks (mean difference=-.13m/s; 95% confidence interval, -.23 to -.01).

CONCLUSIONS
Neuromuscular stimulation at home is feasible and may be effective in speeding recovery of mobility after surgical fixation of hip fracture.


The problem of an electromagnetic wave scattered by a slab with two rough boundaries is solved by the small-perturbation method under the Rayleigh hypothesis. To obtain the perturbative development, we use a systematic procedure that involves integral equations called the reduced Rayleigh equations. Then we show for a dielectric slab deposited on a silver film that the backscattering enhancement can be produced by guided waves that interact with the two rough surfaces.


The aim of the paper is to analyze the impact of the Labor code reform in Lithuania on the flexible work arrangements with regards to gender differences in its outcomes. We observe positive labor market trends in Lithuania for the period of 2014-2019 and since the introduction of the Labor code reform, i.e.: increase in employment rate for both men, women and for people with carerelated responsibilities, increased share of permanent contracts, increased flexibility of the working schedules and more favorable evaluation of the working time as optimal by both sexes. However, the argument is that these positive changes would have happened in the Lithuanian labor market in the first year after the reform even if there was no change in employment laws. Our strategy for identifying the reform effects is based on an assumption that higher effect of the new legislation, if any, can be expected on women with care-related responsibilities due to their higher demand for flexibility, compared to both women with no such responsibilities and men with or without carerelated responsibilities. The identified reform effects after controlling for other effects and individual characteristics are significant in three areas: reduction in the employment level, reduction in the prevalence of contracted work and a high positive effect in the prevalence of permanent contracts. No reform effect was identified for changes in the prevalence of full-time versus parttime work, standard versus non-standard working hours and evaluation of working time as being more or less optimal by workers. Hence, it can be stated that the Labor code reform has not, at least within its first year of functioning, achieved more flexibility in the labor market for those who have higher demands for it and no associated increase in the satisfaction with the time balance between work and care-related responsibilities.


"A product of old-fashioned, back-wearying, foundational scholarship, yet very readable, this book is certain to feature importantly in future studies of early jazz and its prehistory. Highly recommended." --Library Journal"This volume makes possible the study of the rise of black music in the days that paved the way for the Harlem Renaissance--the brass bands, the banjo and mandolin clubs, the male quartets, and theatrical companies. Summing up: Essential." --Choice Outstanding Academic TitleA landmark study, based on thousands of music-related references mined by the authors from a variety of contemporaneous sources, especially African American community newspapers, Out of Sight examines musical personalities, issues, and events in context. It confronts the inescapable marketplace concessions musicians made to the period's prevailing racist sentiment. It describes the worldwide travels of jubilee singing companies, the plight of the great black prima donnas, and the evolution of "authentic" African American minstrels. Generously reproducing newspapers and photographs, Out of Sight puts a face on musical activity in the tightly knit black communities of the day. Drawing on hard-to-access archival sources and song collections, the book is of crucial importance for understanding the roots of ragtime, blues, jazz, and gospel. Essential for comprehending the evolution and dissemination of African American popular music from 1900 to the present, Out of Sight paints a rich picture of musical variety, personalities, issues, and changes during the period that shaped American popular music and culture for the next hundred years.


In the last decades, LOC technologies have represented a real breakthrough in the field of in vitro biochemical and biological analyses. However, the integration of really complex functions in a limited space results extremely challenging and proper working princi‐ ples should be identified. In this sense, magnetic fields revealed to be extremely promising. Thanks to the exploitation of external magnetic sources and to the integration of magnetic materials, mainly high aspect ratio micro-/nanoparticles, non-contact manipulation of biological and chemical samples can be enabled. In this chapter, magnetic field-based technologies, their basic theory, and main applications in LOC scenario will be descri‐ bed by foreseeing also a deeper interaction/integration with the typical technologies of microrobotics. Attention will be focused on magnetic separation and manipulation, by taking examples coming from traditional LOC devices and from microrobotics.


A considerable body of evidence points to the involvement of the neurotransmitter 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT; serotonin) in anxiety and depression. Stress life events precipitate depression. Studies on experimental animals show that an uncontrollable stress situation increases brain 5-HT metabolism and precipitates behavioral deficits. Inability to cope a stress-induced situation is an animal model of depression. It has been also reported that restraint induced behavioral deficits do not occur when similar type of stress is given repeatedly suggesting adaptation occurs when similar type of stress administered repeatedly. A concept of receptor responsiveness in adaptation to stress emerged because the aforementioned results on the metabolism and synthesis of serotonin were not relevant with the 5-HT hypothesis of depression. According to 5-HT hypothesis of depression an increase in 5-HT function would be expected to produce adaptation. It was therefore suggested that a change in receptor responsiveness is possibly involved in adaptation to stress. Subsequent studies have shown that a desensitization of somatodendritic 5-HT -1A and terminal 5-HT -1B receptors is involved in adaptation to repeated restraint stress. The present study was initially designed to change the effectiveness of somatodendritic 5-HT -1A receptors by two weeks of administration of 5-HT-1A agonist buspirone and antagonist propranolol and to monitor responses to stress in these animals. Important findings of the present study are as follows:

1 Repeated administration of buspirone and propranolol attenuated restraint-induced behavioral deficits and anxiogenic-like effects of stress but the animals did not adapt in the schedule of 2-h/day restraint for 5 days and exhibited deficits of food intake and body weight after 4th and 5th 2-h/day restraints. Stress-induced increases of 5-HT metabolism were normalized in saline treated restrained animals but not in buspirone treated restrained animals.

2 Single and repeated administration of buspirone attenuated restraint-induced behavioral deficits and restraint-induced increases of 5-HT metabolism in the hippocampus and midbrain comparably. The attenuation of stress-induced increases of 5-HT metabolism in the hippocampus but not the attenuation of stress-induced behavioral deficits was greater following single than repeated administration of buspirone.

3 Desensitization of somatodendritic 5-HT -1A receptors by 3 days administration of 8-hydroxy (2-n-dipropylamino) tetraline (8-OH-DP AT) also attenuated restraint-induced behavioral deficits and anxiogenic-like effects of stress, the animals were adapted following exposure to restraint sessions of 2-h/day for 4-5 days similar to saline injected animals. Administration of a low dose of 8-OH-DP AT decreased 5-HT metabolism in unrestrained animals and these decreases did not occur in animals adapted to 5th restraint session of 2-h/day suggesting a decrease in the effectiveness of somatodendritic 5-HT-1A receptor. The intensity of 8-OH-DPAT-induced 5-HT syndrome was comparable in repeatedly restrained and unrestrained animals suggesting functional activity of postsynaptic 5-HT-1A receptors comparable in unrestrained and repeatedly restrained animals.

4 Following acute exposure to a first episode of 2-h restraint 8-OH-DP AT-induced hyperphagia was comparable in restrained and unrestrained animals. 8-OH-DP A T-induced 5-HT syndrome was smaller in restrained than unrestrained animals suggesting a decrease in the effectiveness of postsynaptic 5-HT-1A receptors. 8-OH-DPAT-induced decreases of 5-HT metabolism in different brain regions were greater in restrained than unrestrained animals suggesting an increase in the effectiveness of somatodendritic 5-HT-1A receptors following exposure to single restraint period of 2-h which may also be involved in the decrease postsynaptic response.

5 1-(3-chlorophenyl) piperazine (m-CPP)-induced hyplocomotion and anxiogenic-like behavior if greater in restrained than unrestrained animals were not statistically significant because of floor effect. Administration of m-CPP increased 5-HT metabolism and decreased dopamine (DA) metabolism in both unrestrained as well restrained animals. Changes of 5-HT were smaller and those of DA were greater in restrained than unrestrained animals suggesting that the effectiveness of postsynaptic 5-HT-2C receptors is also altered following exposure to 2-h restraint stress.

6 Apomorphine-induced increases of motor activity and decreases of DA metabolism were smaller in restrained than unrestrained animals suggesting a decrease in the effectiveness of pre- and postsynaptic D2 receptors following exposure to 2-h restraint stress but apomorphine-induced changes of 5-HT metabolism were different in different brain regions.

The results tend to suggest that an episode of 2-h restraint stress increased the effectiveness of somatodendritic 5-HT -1A receptors the resultant decrease in the availability of 5-HT in terminal regions may be involved in restraint-induced behavioral deficits. Buspirone and 8-OH-OP A T produced anxiolytic effect via the stimulation of somatodendritic 5-HT-1A receptors that decreased the availability of 5-HT at terminal anxiogenic 5-HT-2C receptors. The results also suggest that single restraint stress altered the responsiveness of 5-HT-2C and decreased the responsiveness of OA 02 pre- and postsynaptic receptors. The results support the notion that a decrease in the effectiveness of somatodendritic receptors involved in adaptation to stress can not attenuated anxiogenic effects of stress. The present findings imply that acute as well as repeated administration of drugs acting via somatodendritic 5-HT-1A receptors may attenuate anxiety and tolerance is not developed in the anxiolytic profile of these drugs. Moreover long term administration of these drugs that desensitized somatodendritic 5-HT-1A receptors may be of use in the treatment of depression.


There are two established ways of recounting the emergence of the modern Gulf oil monarchies. The social scientific explanation describes anonymous structural forces, the "resource curse" of the "rentier state," and how these have shaped politics and markets with their inexorable logic. The other narrative, of the popular history variety, offers romantic, personalized accounts of desert shaykhs, their whims, and the sudden riches of their families (complemented, in some less benevolent accounts, by tales of monumental corruption).


Agents may cooperate by communicating their opinions about various phenomena. These opinions are then fused by agents and used for informed decision-making. However, fusing opinions from diverse sources is not trivial - especially in open multiagent systems - where it is not possible to ensure that the sources are honest and their opinions are not misleading. In this paper, we propose a novel approach that exploits consistencies and conflicts between personal observations and shared information to derive trust evidence for information sources. Based on the derived evidence, we describe how opinions from diverse sources can be fused. We have evaluated our approach for trust estimation and opinion fusion using a service selection scenario. Through extensive simulations, we have shown that our approach significantly outperforms the existing trust-based information fusion approaches.


We motivate the design of a statically typed assembly language (TAL) and present a type-preserving translation from System F to TAL. The TAL we present is based on a conventional RISC assembly language, but its static type system provides support for enforcing high-level language abstractions, such as closures, tuples, and objects, as well as user-defined abstract data types. The type system ensures that well-typed programs cannot violate these abstractions. In addition, the typing constructs place almost no restrictions on low-level optimizations such as register allocation, instruction selection, or instruction scheduling. Our translation to TAL is specified as a sequence of type-preserving transformations, including CPS and closure conversion phases; type-correct source programs are mapped to type-correct assembly language. A key contribution is an approach to polymorphic closure conversion that is considerably simpler than previous work. The compiler and typed assembly language provide a fully automatic way to produce proof carrying code, suitable for use in systems where untrusted and potentially malicious code must be checked for safety before execution.


The application 'E-Recht' has fundamentally reformed the Austrian legislative process. Its goals were speeding-up legislation and making it more efficient and transparent. The idea was to create one continuous paperless electronic workflow from the first draft of a bill until to the publication of the law in the Federal Law Gazette. Documents can be handled electronically through the whole legislative process. Authorised users can read drafts or submit proposals or amendments on-line. Furthermore, the bills can be easily forwarded to parliament for deliberation and approval. Finally, these texts are officially published in an authentic version in an electronic Federal Law Gazette online free of charge (www.ris.bka.gv.at).


The phenomenon of fire in the Australian landscape traverses many interests and disciplines. At a national level, there is an urgent need for the integration of both the natural and social sciences in the formulation of public policy.

With contributions from 30 leading experts, Australia Burning draws together these issues, under the themes:

*Ecology and the environment

*Fire behaviour and fire regime science

*People and property

*Policy, institutional arrangements and the legal framework

*Indigenous land and fire management

The book examines some of the key questions that relate to the ecology, prediction and management of fire, urban planning, law, insurance, and community issues, including indigenous and non-indigenous concerns. It looks at what we need to know to inform public policy, given the present risks and uncertainty, and explores the avenues for closer integration between science, policy and the community.


In 1964, Arthur C. Clarke perceptively noted that "one day, we may have brain surgeons in Edinburgh operating on patients in New Zealand. When that time comes, the whole world would've shrunk to a point and the traditional role of the city as a meeting place for men would've ceased to make any sense. In fact, men will no longer commute--they will communicate." Clarke's comment predicts rather accurately some of the achievements in man's outer space activities since the Sputnik launch in 1957 and the signature of the Outer Space Treaty in 1967. As the year turns into 2012, communications satellites allow personal communications and the mass distribution of information on a global basis--helping to remove the digital divide. Such characteristics now allow telemedicine by satellite in remote areas and in emergencies, teleconsultation and patient monitoring, and represent perhaps the best means of ensuring access to information and medical services for all. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Access to space is still a new resource whose users may be states, intergovernmental organisations and increasingly private entities and individuals. The international legal framework governing such activities needs to allow new activities, offer flexibility, and protect investment and creativity, while being accountable to the underlying principles enshrined in the 1967 Treaty. This article looks back at the progression of space law from the first Sputnik transmissions, through the development of outer space as a tool for communications, environmental management and commercialization, to the new plans for human spaceflight. The article then considers some challenges for the next 50 years and passible reforms in the international framework. Progression of International Space Law Launch of Sputnik 1 in October 1951 The years between the launch of Sputnik in 1957 and the signing of the Outer Space Treaty in 1967 were marked by fierce Cold War competition between the United States and the Soviet Union in military power, and in the space race. The Outer Space Treaty, though it was agreed upon at the height of the Cold War, is characterized by the freedom of outer space for exploration and use by all states for peaceful purposes without discrimination and on the basis of equality, the non-appropriation of outer space (no individual state or person can own it), and the rule of law. After the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, not only did the United States begin to stress the teaching of math and science in school curricula, but it launched its Own space program. On July 16, 1969, the first astronauts to walk on the moon had an audience of millions of people around the wrorld. Looking back, perhaps the greatest success of the space race was the technology revolution it catalyzed, particularly in communications and broadcasting. The Creation of Space Law These early years were also characterised by a global international relations achievement-the agreement on the United Nations Outer Space Treaty in 1967, resolving that outer space should be the common heritage of mankind to be used for peaceful purposes in the interests of all nations, limiting state sovereignty. Just as important was the need to assess the risks involved in outer space ventures, control space activities, identify space objects, deal with the return of space objects to Earth, and determine liability7 for damage caused by space objects to other space objects, aircraft, or even to persons or property on Earth. Thus consensus on the Agreement on the Rescue and Return of Astronauts 1968, the Liability Convention 1972, and the Registration Convention 1975 was reached. Each expands on the provisions of the Outer Space Treaty, giving state parties a general framework for the rights and duties of states in the exploration and use of outer space. Following the moon landing in 1969, there was the public excitement and perception that the exploration and the use of the moon would increase and therefore that some international regime governing activities on the moon would be needed. …


The Airborne Lidar Processing System (ALPS) analyzes Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL) data—digitized laser-return waveforms, position, and attitude data—to derive point clouds of target surfaces. A full-waveform airborne lidar system, the EAARL seamlessly and simultaneously collects mixed environment data, including submerged, sub-aerial bare earth, and vegetation-covered topographies. ALPS uses three waveform target-detection algorithms to determine target positions within a given waveform: centroid analysis, leading edge detection, and bottom detection using water-column backscatter modeling. The centroid analysis algorithm detects opaque hard surfaces. The leading edge algorithm detects topography beneath vegetation and shallow, submerged topography. The bottom detection algorithm uses water-column backscatter modeling for deeper submerged topography in turbid water. This report describes slant range calculations and explains how ALPS uses laser range and orientation measurements to project measurement points into the Universal Transverse Mercator coordinate system. Parameters used for coordinate transformations in ALPS are described, as are Interactive Data Language(IDL) based methods for gridding EAARL point cloud data to derive digital elevation models. Noise reduction in point clouds through use of a random consensus filter is explained, and detailed pseudocode, mathematical equations, and Yorick source code accompany this report.


This article discusses the role of technology in supporting ASL literacy. This attention to technology is part of an exploratory study of Deaf elementary school students participating in an ASL identity text project at a bilingual/bicultural school for Deaf students in Ontario, Canada. This study is a contribution to the cross-Canada Multiliteracies project, which proposes a new approach to literacy pedagogy that also includes an increased attention to technological applications. The Ontario ASL curriculum and its use of ASL technology are also elements of this exploratory study.


In this work, a simple and new electrochemical biosensor based on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with a nanocomposite of polyaniline (PANI) and graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets for DNA detection was designed. The modification process was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrochemical methods. The immobilization and hybridization processes were followed using electrochemical techniques and the experimental conditions were optimized, too. The electrochemical response for DNA hybridization was measured using the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) method. The obtained calibration graph contains a linear range of 1.0 × 10−16 M to 1.0 × 10−8 M and a detection limit of 3.3 × 10−17 M. The designed biosensor (ssDNA/PANI/GO/GCE) revealed high selectivity for the detection of the complementary sequences from non-complementary sequences, so the fabricated biosensor can be used for the detection of prostate cancer (PCa) DNA sequences.


A critical concern in performing hepatectomy for tumor resection is determining the boundaries of resection and identifying any additional lesions. Obtaining negative margins has a direct impact on disease-free survival in patients (1). The main goal is to remove neoplastic tissue while sparing sufficient normal parenchyma and preserving organ function. Deciding the location of margins in resection for liver neoplasms is based on the location of tumor. Cross-sectional imaging modalities localize the lesion and assist in pre-operative planning, but once in the operating room, the surgeon must rely on visual inspection and tactile feedback along with anatomic knowledge to localize and resect the tumor. In the setting of laparoscopic surgery, this becomes limited as bimanual palpation is no longer possible and tactile feedback becomes limited. This becomes even more so in the setting of robotic surgery as tactile feedback is absent and the surgeon must rely only on visual cues.


A Regional Geoelectric survey using the Vertical Electrical Resistivity (VES) was used to investigate the land mass covering Minna and it's environ in Nigeria aimed at assessing the lithology beneath the area, delineate the aquiferous formations and its depths and thicknesses. The area was grided into 13 profiles spaced at 3 km intervals with each having 13 stations for the VES. A total of 169 VES points were occupied. The Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment was used for locating the stations on ground. The interpretation of the field data was carried out using the Zhody soft-ware, which converts the apparent resistivity as a function of electrode spacing to the true resistivity as a function of depth in two dimensions. The rocks of the area are largely of crystalline rocks, which include gneisses, migmatites and metasedimentary schists. The results show that the area is underlain by three layer lithologic sections. In some sections where the basement had probably suffered severe weathering and or fracturing, four or five layer models were obtained. The weathered/fractured layers along the transitional zones form the aquiferous formations in the area with a maximum thickness of about 45m.


: In this paper, a novel framework is proposed to study impacts of regulatory incentive on distributed generation (DG) investment in sub-transmission substations, as well as upgrading of upstream transmission substations. Both conventional and wind power technologies are considered here. Investment incentives are fuel cost, firm contracts, capacity payment and investment subsidy relating to wind power. The problem is modelled as a bi-level stochastic optimization problem, where the upper level consists of investor's decisions maximizing its own profit. Both market clearing and decision on upgrading of transmission substation aiming at minimizing the total cost are considered in the lower level. Due to non-convexity of the lower level and impossibility of converting to single level problem (i.e. mathematical programming with equilibrium constraints (MPEC)), an algorithm combing enumeration and mathematical optimization is used to tackle with the non-convexity. For each upgrading strategy of substations, a stochastic MPEC, converted to a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) is solved. The proposed model is examined on a six-bus and an actual network. Numerical studies confirm that the proposed model can be used for analysing investment behaviour of DGs and substation expansion.


Background: The tick cell line ISE6, derived from Ixodes scapularis, is commonly used for amplification and detection of arboviruses in environmental or clinical samples. Methods: To assist with sequence-based assays, we sequenced the ISE6 genome with single-molecule, long-read technology. Results: The draft assembly appears near complete based on gene content analysis, though it appears to lack some instances of repeats in this highly repetitive genome. The assembly appears to have separated the haplotypes at many loci. DNA short read pairs, used for validation only, mapped to the cell line assembly at a higher rate than they mapped to the Ixodes scapularis reference genome sequence. Conclusions: The assembly could be useful for filtering host genome sequence from sequence data obtained from cells infected with pathogens.


We analyze a large merger in the Swedish market for analgesics (painkillers). The merging firms raised prices by 40 percent, and some outsiders raised prices by more than 10 percent. We confront these changes with predictions from a merger simulation model. With basic supply side assumptions, the models correctly or moderately underpredict the merging firms' price increase. However, they predict a larger price increase for the smaller firm, which was not the case in practice, and they underpredict the outsiders' responses. We consider several supply side explanations: a plausible cost increase after the merger and the possibility of partial collusion.


Phonon theory is an important tool when analyzing solid state systems which is of
high importance in modern technology. Central to the theory is the so called force
constants (FCs) which determines the thermal behaviour. The super cell method is
one way to extract the FCs from the force field of a displaced specimen but they
are computationally expensive by requiring a lot of carefully prepared input data.
By constructing an interatomic potential which uses the harmonic and higher order
FCss as parameters the FCs can be extracted by a simple fitting procedure. Some
small number of quasi random input configurations and the resulting force fields
can contain enough information to extract all FCs with comparably low amount
of computation. The underlying symmetries of the lattice must be used to reduce
the number of free parameters in the model. This thesis demonstrates the implementation
and application of the Force Constant Model. The model performs well
and anharmonic FCs can be extracted. Given the FCs the model can be used as
a potential and molecular dynamics can be performed yielding a direct method for
computing thermal properties. Possible applications include analysis of thermal
stabilization and phonon life time determination.


The definite article in many European languages has its origin in a demonstrative or a pronoun. The development into a definite article is a typical case of grammaticalization. In this article I will demonstrate that this kind of grammaticalization, like all kinds of grammaticalization, can be explained as a case of reduction through reanalysis at acquisition. In addition to the prenominal definite article shared with other Germanic languages, the Scandinavian languages also have a postposed definite article. In Old Norse the postnominal definite article is a clitic merged as a head in D, while in its modern descendent Norwegian it is an inflectional suffix checking a grammatical feature in the Infl domain, expressing definiteness within the DP according to general principles of agreement. Thus, so-called 'double definiteness' (den gamle hesten 'the old horse.def') has become possible as an agreement phenomenon. In Old Norse, the clitic cannot trigger definiteness agreement. This change from a clitic to an inflectional suffix is obviously a case of grammaticalization, but it has wider implications than just the change of morphosyntactic status. ON is shown to have had two projections in the D domain (þau in stóru skip 'those the large ships'). Later the independent definite article inn was lost and replaced by the demonstrative þann>den. As a result (or cause?) its projection was lost, and the postposed article was left without a free-word counterpart. This, combined with phonological reduction and semantic bleaching, reduced it to an inflectional suffix.


We describe a novel algorithm for extracting a resolution-independent vector representation from pixel art images, which enables magnifying the results by an arbitrary amount without image degradation. Our algorithm resolves pixel-scale features in the input and converts them into regions with smoothly varying shading that are crisply separated by piecewise-smooth contour curves. In the original image, pixels are represented on a square pixel lattice, where diagonal neighbors are only connected through a single point. This causes thin features to become visually disconnected under magnification by conventional means, and creates ambiguities in the connectedness and separation of diagonal neighbors. The key to our algorithm is in resolving these ambiguities. This enables us to reshape the pixel cells so that neighboring pixels belonging to the same feature are connected through edges, thereby preserving the feature connectivity under magnification. We reduce pixel aliasing artifacts and improve smoothness by fitting spline curves to contours in the image and optimizing their control points.


This paper presents price and income elasticities of food demand in Germany. Using cross sectional data from the 2003 German income and consumption survey a Linear Approximate Almost Ideal Demand System is employed. Two aspects which have to be taken into account when using cross-sectional data are insufficient price information and zero expenditures. An approach of COX and WOHLGENANT (1986) is applied to derive quality adjusted prices. In order to take into account censoring of the dependent variables a procedure of SHONKWILER and YEN (1999) was employed. A high expenditure elasticity is found for meat demand. The highest own-price elasticities are for the demand for meat/-products and milk/-products. Within the meat group, beef demand shows a particular low own-price elasticity. The cross-price elasticities indicate more complementary relationships than was expected. Elasticity analyses differentiated by household groups suggest that elasticities for meat differ between these groups.


We present the first computational approach that can transform three-dimensional (3D) meshes, created by traditional modeling programs, directly into instructions for a computer-controlled knitting machine. Knitting machines are able to robustly and repeatably form knitted 3D surfaces from yarn but have many constraints on what they can fabricate. Given user-defined starting and ending points on an input mesh, our system incrementally builds a helix-free, quad-dominant mesh with uniform edge lengths, runs a tracing procedure over this mesh to generate a knitting path, and schedules the knitting instructions for this path in a way that is compatible with machine constraints. We demonstrate our approach on a wide range of 3D meshes.


This paper investigates whether or not the adoption of the Euro has facilitated the introduction of structural reforms, defined as deregulation in the product markets and liberalization and deregulation in the labor markets. After reviewing the theoretical arguments that may link the adoption of the Euro and structural reforms, we investigate the empirical evidence. We find that the adoption of the Euro has been associated with an acceleration of the pace of structural reforms in the product market. The adoption of the euro does not seem to have accelerated labor market reforms in the "primary labor market;" however, the run up to the Euro adoption seems to have been accompanied by wage moderation. We also investigate issues concerning the sequencing of goods and labor market reforms.


Abstract
Drosophila Rrp1 protein has four tightly associated enzymatic activities: DNA strand transfer, ssDNA renaturation, dsDNA 3'-exonuclease and apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) endonuclease. The carboxy-terminal region of Rrp1 is homologous to Escherichia coli exonuclease III and several eukaryotic AP endonucleases. All members of this protein family cleave abasic sites. Rrp1 protein was expressed under the control of the E. coli RNA polymerase tac promoter (pRrp1-tac) in two repair deficient E. coli strains (BW528 and LG101) lacking both exonuclease III (xth) and endonuclease IV (nfo). Rrp1 confers resistance to killing by oxidative, antitumor and alkylating agents that damage DNA (hydrogen peroxide, t-butylhydroperoxide, bleomycin, methyl methanesulfonate, and mitomycin C). Complementation of the repair deficiency by Rrp1 provides up to a two log increase in survival and requires the C-terminal nuclease region of Rrp1, but not its N-terminal region. The AP endonuclease activity in extracts from the repair deficient strain LG101 is increased up to 12-fold when the strain contains pRrp1-tac. These results indicate that pRrp1-tac directs the synthesis of active enzyme, and that the nuclease activities of Rrp1 are likely to be the cause of the increased resistance to DNA damage of the mutant cells.


Ceftazidime is a valuable third-generation bactericidal cephalosporin. Ceftazidime inhibits the biosynthesis of bacterial cell peptidoglycan, causing inhibition of bacterial growth or cell lyses and death. Common nosocomial gram-negative organisms susceptible to ceftazidime include Escherichia coli, Haemophilus influenzae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Neisseria, Moraxella catarrhalis, Proteus mirabilis, Proteus vulgaris, and Providencia stuartii. Good activity remains against other gram-negative species including Salmonella, Shigella, and Neisseria species. Ceftazidime is widely distributed in most body tissues and fluids including respiratory secretion, ascitic fluid and cerebrospinal fluid. Ceftazidime is administered parenterally, is completely absorbed after intramuscular injection, and peak drug concentrations generally occur within 3 hours of intramuscular injection. Ceftazidime is not absorbed when taken by mouth. Ceftazidime half-life is 4 to 10 hours at birth, but half this in infants more than a week old. In premature infants, the distribution volume and the clearance of ceftazidime range from 292+44 to 366+130 ml/kg and from 27.8+5.8 to 60.8+8.3 ml/h/kg, respectively. Ceftazidime binds to plasma proteins at 10% to 17%. No ceftazidime metabolites have been identified and this drug is excreted by renal elimination. The dose of ceftazidime is 25 mg/kg once-daily in the first week of life. Ceftazidime crosses the placenta freely, but there is no evidence of teratogenicity. As empirical ceftazidime monotherapy may not be appropriate for the treatment of neonatal sepsis, the addition of ampicillin, to cover against enterococci and Listeria monocytogenes, seems prudent in these neonatal patients. The aim of this study is to review the effects of ceftazidime in neonates.


The Seattle Wide-area Information For Travelers (SWIFT) Operational Test was intended to evaluate the performance of a large-scale, urban Advanced Traveler Information System (ATIS) deployment in the Seattle area. With the majority of the SWIFT system completed by June 30, 1996, the SWIFT Field Operational Test (FOT) evaluation was conducted from July 1, 1996 through September 20, 1997. The unique features of the SWIFT ATIS included the provision of information for multiple transportation modes, the delivery of this information using three different devices and the use of FM sideband as the primary communications medium. A total of 690 system users were recruited during the course of the study, including 520 Seiko MessageWatch users, 90 users of the Delco in-vehicle navigation device and 80 users of the SWIFT portable computers. The SWIFT Consumer Acceptance Study was one of the five component studies to the overall system evaluation. This report details the findings for the SWIFT Consumer Acceptance Study based on the evaluation objectives that were identified in the SWIFT Evaluation Plan (1995). The primary objectives of the SWIFT Consumer Acceptance Study were to assess the following: Importance of traveler information in travel planning; Usefulness of SWIFT traveler information in travel planning; Minimum set of user services and device features required to provide viable product and services; User perceptions of SWIFT device usefulness; Willingness-to-pay for different services; User perceptions of changes in travel convenience and efficiency; and User perceptions of changes in traffic congestion, air quality, energy consumption, and safety. Additional SWIFT Consumer Acceptance Study objectives, conducted in support of the SWIFT Architecture Study, were to assess the following: SWIFT system reliability from a user perspective; and SWIFT system availability from a user perspective.


Mobile applications often adapt their behavior according to user context, however, they are often limited to consider few sources of contextual information, such as user position or language. This article reviews existing work in context-aware systems (CAS), e.g., how to model context, and discusses further development of CAS and its potential applications by looking at available information, methods and technologies. Social Media seems to be an interesting source of personal information when appropriately exploited. In addition, there are many types of general information, ranging from weather and public transport to information of books and museums. These information sources can be combined in previously unexplored ways, enabling the development of smarter mobile services in different domains. Users are, however, reluctant to provide their personal information to applications; therefore, there is a crave for new regulations and systems that allow applications to use such contextual data without compromising the user privacy.


Even for many radical adherents of degrowth, money is a common-sense — not simply capitalist — tool, so alternative currencies and banks abound. This paper argues against this commonsense logic. The most direct and efficient form of degrowth requires as-local-as-is-feasible production focusing on people's basic needs, implying that future distribution is decided simultaneously with collectively agreeing on productive goals and ways of achieving them. Say, each person contributes a number of hours to collective production as a community obligation and, in return, has their basic needs met. Decision-making focuses on bio-physical, environmental and social measures and values; complex bio-physical and social efficiency is paramount in limiting throughput in production and associated exchanges. Money has no place in degrowth strategies because grassroots political decision-making replaces production for trade and market exchanges. Similarly, so-called 'alternative' currencies that serve functions of legal tender or the 'universal equivalent' on which capitalism depends, are redundant. In non-monetary degrowth, reward for work is the security of having life-long basic needs met with continuous input in making decisions on both local production and the terms of exchange (compacts) with as-local-as-feasible neighbour-producers. There is personal, but no private, property: the entire Earth is commons with clear, efficient and universal principles and terms for commoning. Such a vision suggests that advancing specifically non-monetary degrowth — consciously breaking with monetary production and exchange — is of crucial strategic significance.