Through the use of administrative tax data, this study attempts to identify the characteristics of firms that employ relatively large numbers of young people. The policy objective of this exercise is to use these insights to inform policy and programming in the context of youth unemployment, particularly regarding where efforts to intensify youth absorption into employment should be focused to ensure maximum impact in addressing the problem of low youth employment in South Africa. Given the nature of this new data set, we adopt an explorative approach and make use of various econometric models to conduct the analysis within the limitations of the variables in different tax data sets. The novelty of this paper is that it uses unique administrative tax micro-data sets, which allows us to explore the relationship between firm characteristics and youth employment in South Africa with a significantly large sample size.


College students will face a workplace transformed even from the one that existed five years ago. Public and private organizations presently require employees to possess highly developed core competencies. This shift in expectations, exacerbated by high unemployment among recent college graduates, has made accountability a hot issue for higher education. Colleges have begun to integrate experiential approaches into the curriculum to impart work competencies. Internships, the classic form of experiential education, cannot develop all the required skills and knowledge, especially if students do not take part in a reflection activity. Service-learning, a more recent approach to experiential education, is high impact because it links community service to academic goals and facilitates application and testing of academics in a new professional situation. The author discusses how the intrinsic characteristics of service-learning facilitate the acquisition of workplace competencies by exploring its application in two community college paralegal courses.


A new rugged rotary Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) has been developed. It can be used for environmental remote sensing and monitoring of chemical processes. Both single pixel and mosaic imaging configurations have been built and tested. The continuous rotary scan of the 'Turbo FT' allows operation without the laser reference of a conventional FTS, and it has been demonstrated to deliver 30 to 360 spectral scans per second and 1 cm-1 resolution, with excellent lineshape. A new 'space frame' version of the interferometer, with excellent mechanical and thermal stability, was field tested in both airborne and ground systems during the year 2000, with good results. The interferometer for this instrument is palm sized, and weighs 20 oz. It is totally sealed from the environment, and can be mounted, with its drive electronics, into a temperature stabilized enclosure for outside remote sensing applications For industrial applications, it can be used on-line or off-line, in conjunction with fiber optics, to measure and/or control multiple process lines. With the appropriate optics and detector set, the wavelength range can be adjusted from 1.0 to 25.0 micrometers. The resolution is variable from 1 to 8 cm-1. Various processors, data acquisition boards, and software have been used in the development, including the Labview package from National Instruments. Custom software for acquisition, display, and storage is being developed in summer 2001. The data acquisition system can be tailored for the speed and number of pixels required for the application. The current commercially available hardware being used can support up to 16 pixels at up to 100 scans per second.


Abstract Three carbonate sand bodies on Great Bahama Bank, which show a range of depositional facies patterns typifying modern deposits as well as their ancient counterparts, are quantitatively interrogated to broaden our perspective of the types of information that can be derived from studies of modern environments. Rimming the southern end of Tongue of the Ocean (TOTO) is the broadest expanse of "high-energy" sands found in the Bahamas, characterized by narrow sandbars separated by wide, deep channels and a lack of islands. A variation of the tidal-bar motif with broader and more irregular sandbars, relatively narrow channels, and few small islands occurs at the northern end of Exuma Sound (Schooners). Sands associated with tidal channels and the numerous islands of the Exumas chain along the western edge of Exuma Sound occur primarily as flood tidal deltas. The geometry of sandbars that inhabit the three sand bodies is quantified using Landsat remote sensing and assembled, along with optically derived bathymetric surfaces, into a GIS. This database is quantitatively examined using a suite of morphometric tools to compare and contrast geometric character of sandbars within and between the three sand bodies. Considered are properties such as the size, shape, complexity, distribution, orientation, and topography of the individual sandbars. Profiles and spatial analysis tools enable sandbar and channel spacing, position relative to the platform margin, connectedness, separation distances, and density to be characterized. As has been previously reported for reef-dominated environments, certain aspects of the geometry of the three systems are found to behave in a systematic and hence predictable manner, though important mathematical differences are revealed between the scaling of reefal landscapes and the grainy geobodies considered by this study. Because the three sand bodies are disparate in their overall extent and depositional settings (e.g., orientation, prevalence of islands), this predictable behavior has the potential to impart considerable insight to the characterization of grainstone systems.


Ethnic Arab communities in medieval India originate mainly from the Arabian Peninsula and the Persian Gulf. Among these Arabs, the ones that gained widespread fame within India and abroad were the Sayyids of Hadhramaut, descendants of Prophet Muhammad, through his daughter Fatima. Many of these Hadhrami Sayyids achieved rapid upward social mobility in India through their ascribed status as the Prophet's descendants, as exemplars of good Muslims, and as preachers and teachers of Islam in a non-Muslim environment. However, migration to India at the dawn of the modern era heralded changes in their traditional status and occupation. The sources of this article are primary works in Arabic, Persian and, Urdu, supplemented with interviews and field observations.


The Alwine family name had been associated with brickmaking in York and Adams Counties at least since the early 1850s, when Peter Samuel Alwine started his first brickyard on a farm in Paradise Township of York County.1 He learned the trade of brickmaking during his youth and by the age of seventeen had become a skilled artisan. He learned how to make bricks by working in the spring and summer months at a brickmaking operation in Peach Bottom Township, located in the southeastern corner of York County. He did not set up his own brickyard until later, and following his marriage to Catharine Dahlhammer in 1860, he moved his brickmaking facilities to the farm where they settled in Paradise Township, near the Borough of Berwick (now Abbottstown) in Adams County. During that time, Mr. Alwine also engaged for varying periods as a schoolteacher, country merchant, and farmer. Later, he established a brickyard at Spring Grove in York County, and eventually another at Berlin Junction, near New Oxford in Adams County. Over the years, he attained a reputation as a man of considerable learning and sound business judgment. After his death, in 1895, his sons William and Lewis Alwine continued the business under the name Alwine Brothers Brickyard, and later William's son Charles Emory Alwine would become president of the firm. Following Charles Alwine's retirement, and three generations of Alwine leadership, ownership of the company was transferred in 1978 to the Glen-Gery Corporation of Reading. This article chronicles the history of the Alwine Brick Company from its beginnings to its final years, including more than a century at Berlin Junction, Adams County, Pennsylvania. [excerpt]


Abstract. The eastern tropical South Pacific (ETSP) hosts the Peruvian upwelling
system, which represents one of the most productive areas in the world ocean.
High primary production followed by rapid heterotrophic utilization of
organic matter supports the formation of one of the most intense oxygen
minimum zones (OMZs) in the world ocean, where dissolved oxygen
(O2) concentrations reach less than 1 µmol kg−1.
The high productivity leads to an accumulation of dissolved organic matter
(DOM) in the surface layers that may serve as a substrate for heterotrophic
respiration. However, the importance of DOM utilization for O2
respiration in the Peruvian upwelling system in general and for shaping the
upper oxycline in particular remains unclear so far. This study reports the
first estimates of diapycnal fluxes and supply of O2, dissolved
organic carbon (DOC), dissolved organic nitrogen, dissolved hydrolysable
amino acids (DHAA) and dissolved combined carbohydrates (DCCHO) for the ETSP
off Peru. Diapycnal flux and supply estimates were obtained by combining
measured vertical diffusivities and solute concentration gradients. They were
analysed together with the molecular composition of DCCHO and DHAA to infer
the transport of labile DOM into the upper OMZ and the potential role of DOM
utilization for the attenuation of the diapycnal O2 flux that
ventilates the OMZ. The observed diapycnal O2 flux
(50 mmol O2 m−2 d−1 at maximum) was limited to the
upper 80 m of the water column; the O2 supply of ∼1 µmol kg−1 d−1 was comparable to previously published
O2 consumption rates for the North and South Pacific OMZs. The
diapycnal DOM flux (31 mmol C m−2 d−1 at maximum) was limited
to ∼30 m water depth, suggesting that the labile DOM is extensively
consumed within the upper part of the shallow oxycline off Peru. The analyses
of DCCHO and DHAA composition support this finding, suggesting that DOM
undergoes comprehensive remineralization within the upper part of the
oxycline, as the DOM within the core of the OMZ was found to be largely
altered. Estimated by a simple equation for carbon combustion, aerobic
respiration of DCCHO and DHAA, supplied by diapycnal mixing
(0.46 µmol kg−1 d−1 at maximum), could account for up
to 38 % of the diapycnal O2 supply in the upper oxycline, which
suggests that DOM utilization plays a significant role for shaping the upper
oxycline in the ETSP.


Essential oils are highly concentrated substances extracted from flowers, leaves, stems, roots, seeds, barks, resins, or fruit rinds. These oils are often used for their flavor and their therapeutic or odoriferous properties, in a wide selection of products such as foods, medicines, and cosmetics. Extraction of essential oils is one of the most time- and effortconsuming processes. The way in which oils are extracted from plants is important because some processes use solvents that can destroy the therapeutic properties. There are wide number of ways to extract the Essential oil but the quality never remains the same. Here we are using the "Steam Distillation" method for extraction which is the cheapest way for the extraction of Oils from the different parts of the plants. In this process steam is allowed to pass through the extraction chamber which contains plant matter. When steam passes through the herb material under pressure which softens the cells and allows the essential oil to escape in vapor form. The vapour allows to pass through condenser and oil is collected in separating funnel and separated. Composition data for Eucalyptus oil were studied and found the Eucalyptus oil can be used as cosolvent which results in depression of cloud point temperature.


The pervasiveness of tax non-compliance remains a serious concern to most tax authorities around the world. The loss of tax revenue due to tax non-compliance has prompted tax authorities to strengthen their tax audit and tax investigation. In Malaysia, although tax authorities have initiated tax audit regularly and impose tax penalties, the issue of tax non-compliance among small-and medium-sized corporations (SMCs) still persist. The unresolved issue signals the question as to whether the increase in tax noncompliance is due to the tax auditors' aggressiveness in judgment when auditing SMCs. The importance of understanding tax non-compliance as well as tax auditors' aggressiveness in judgment, couple with the lack of empirical research is the motivation of this study. The first objective is to examine the determinants of tax non-compliance of SMCs. This study analysed archival tax data obtained from the Corporate Tax Department, IRBM, located at Duta Street, Kuala Lumpur. A total of 513 audited and resolved corporate tax cases in 2011 were obtained. Of these 513 tax cases, 286 are noncompliant SMCs. The findings show RM31.3 million additional taxes and penalties were collected from these non-compliant SMCs. The hierarchical multiple regression was used to test the proposed research model, which is formulated based on the economic deterrence theory. Out of six hypotheses, four hypotheses are supported whereby tax rate, foreign ownership, firm size and construction industry are found significantly related to tax non-compliance of SMCs. The most significant predictor is firm size followed by construction industry, tax rate and foreign ownership. The second objective is to test the tax auditors' aggressiveness in judgment model based on culpability theory. A total of 357 questionnaires were mailed to tax auditors. Of these, 318 usable questionnaires were received and analysed. There are two important findings from this survey. Firstly, tax auditors indicate that the use of unqualified tax agents, types of industry and firm size cause tax non-compliance among SMCs. These findings are consistent with the findings obtained in Stage 1 where firm size and types of industry are two significant determinants of tax non-compliance. Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the proposed tax auditors' aggressiveness in judgment model. The results show that the culpability factor, job stress and partially task input factors (incompleteness of documentation) exerted significant effects on tax auditors' aggressiveness in judgment. The results also reveal that incompleteness of documentation significantly moderates the relationship between the culpability factor and tax auditors' aggressiveness in judgment, thus answering the third objective. When the degree of incompleteness of documentation is high, the culpability factor (e.g., size of audit adjustment and the number of years involved in tax non-compliance) will have greater influence on the aggressiveness of tax auditors' judgment when auditing SMCs. Overall, this study has merits as it used the actual tax audit cases in measuring tax non-compliance among SMCs in Malaysia. This study contributes to the tax compliance literature by testing the applicability of the economic deterrence theory and the culpability theory in the context of Malaysian tax setting. The findings provide important insights not only to the Malaysian tax authorities, but also to tax authorities and tax researchers in other parts of the world given the fact that tax non-compliance of SMCs is a prevalent and universal problem.


The factor structure of the Family Emotional Involvement and Criticism Scale (FEICS) is tested in a sample of Irish adolescents. Participants were 661 adolescents with a mean age of 15.9 years (SD = 1.26). Interpretation of both the exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of the FEICS show support for the two-factor structure of the FEICS with a Perceived Criticism scale and an Emotional Involvement scale. The reliabilities of the subscale scores at both phases were comparable. Validity analyses showed moderate to low positive correlations between the Perceived Criticism scale scores and scores on the problem areas of the Symptom Checklist–90–Revised (SCL-90-R). There were small, consistent negative correlations between the Emotional Involvement scale scores and symptom dimension scores of the SCL-90-R. It is concluded that the FEICS is a psychometrically sound instrument for assessing perceptions of perceived criticism but less so for emotional involvement in adolescents.


Peer support can play a critical role in improving the wellbeing, social support and practical coping strategies of older people living with dementia. This paper describes selected findings from the Mental Health Foundation's evaluation of three peer support groups for people living with dementia in extra-care housing schemes. It highlights the groups as a promising approach for maintaining cognitive faculties, reducing social isolation, increasing social networks and improving overall wellbeing. A mixed-method study design examined the impact of the groups on participants' wellbeing, managing memory, independent living skills and social support. Participants reported positive impact from taking part in the support groups for wellbeing, social support and practical coping strategies. Participants also reported positive benefits of the groups on communication abilities, managing memory and managing their lives. Peer support groups in extra-care housing schemes address the psychological, social and emotional needs of people with dementia. This evaluation adds to the literature on the effectiveness of these interventions for those with cognitive impairment.


Mechatronics systems are supposed to operate with exceptional high levels of accuracy and speed despite adverse effects of system nonlinearities and uncertainties. Precise analytical expressions, as well as, numerical codes for evaluating and verifying the achieving of desired performance and ensuring that all design requirements are met, are of concern and highly required, This paper proposes derivation of accurate analytical expressions for mechatronics systems performance measures with minimum possible deviation at actual values, that can be used to calculate, evaluate and verify the actual mechatronics systems' performance. To verify the accuracy and correctness of derived analytical expressions, as well as to calculate and return the precise numerical values of performance specifications ,a new MATLAB built-in function is designed and used a long with MATLAB software capabilities, where the actual normalized values as well as derived analytical expressions was plotted and analyzed. The derived analytical expressions and new built-in function are only applied for first and second-order systems with no zeros and represent the essential qualities of higher-order systems with one or two dominant poles.


Tight junctions (TJs) are complex multiprotein structures found in epithelial and endothelial cells that serve as selective barriers and regulate the diffusion of small molecules and ions through the intercellular space (Alberts et al., 2015). TJs are composed of strands that encircle the cells like a belt-like network, and thus control the unlimited diffusion of permeants. The backbone of the TJ strands is composed of the family of proteins called claudins. The crystal structure of claudin 15 (Suzuki et al., 2014) and of fragments of other members of the claudin family complexed with toxins (Saitoh et al., 2015; Shinoda et al., 2016) have been resolved. However, the molecular organization of the TJ strands is unknown but is essential to understanding normal physiological function (Zihni, Mills, Matter, & Balda, 2016) as well as dysfunction in pathological states, including viral interactions. Furthermore, the development of new therapeutic strategies will rely on a molecular level understanding of the TJ barrier mechanism. Here we investigate the behaviour of the extracellular loops of claudin 1, which is essential for the epidermal barrier (Kirschner, Houdek, Fromm, Moll, & Brandner, 2010). We have employed atomistic and coarse-grained simulations of the extracellular loop domains restrained on a 2-d plane to mimic their natural occurrence in a lipid bilayer. The systems comprise large grids of the protein loop domains (8x8) randomly rotated and restrained on a plane, surrounded by water and counterions. Their cis (in the same lipid bilayer) and trans (between opposing bilayers) interactions were simulated and characterised. The domains reveal a tendency to form linear structures, though no specific cis-interaction appears to dominate. The individual loops do not show any particular regions with strong binding affinities. The residues with similar physical properties (i.e. either strongly positively or negatively charged, or non-polar) are dispersed throughout the loop structures and do not occur in local contiguous regions. The binding energy of interaction between the most frequent dimers observed in our simulations was also characterised by umbrella sampling. The lack of a specific, strong interaction underpinning any organisational motif for the cis- interaction suggests that the loops interactions are not the determinants of the molecular organisation of TJs. The next step is to investigate the self-assembly of the whole claudin monomers embedded in lipid bilayers with a view to identifying the key interactions and packing that gives rise to the formation of TJ strands.


The eighteenth century was a time of intense upheaval in France. The death of Louis XIV in 1715 and the subsequent reign of Louis XV saw the end of French political and martial hegemony on the continent. While French culture and language remained dominant in Europe, Louis XV's disinterested rule and military stagnation led to the disastrous defeat of the French army at the hands of Frederick the Great of Prussia in the Seven Years War (1756-1763). The battle of Rossbach marked the nadir of the French army in the Seven Years War. Frederick's army routed the French infantry that had bumbled its way into massed Prussian cavalry. Following the war, two reformist elements emerged in the army. Reformers within the government, chiefly Etienne Francois, duc de Choiseul, sought to rectify the army's poor performance and reconstitute France's military establishment. Outside the traditional army structure, military thinkers looked to military theory to reinvigorate the army from within and without. Foremost among the latter was a young officer named Jacques-Antoine-Hippolyte de Guibert, whose 1772 Essai general de tactique quickly became the most celebrated work of theory in European military circles. The Essai provided a new military constitution for France, proposing wholesale reform to create an army that could face the Prussian juggernaut. His star quickly rising, Guibert became the toast not only of literary Paris but all of Europe. Guibert exerted an overwhelming influence on military theory across Europe for the next fifty years. His military theories laid the foundation for the French army of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic eras. As other nations adopted French methods, Guibert's influence spread across the continent, reigning supreme until the 1830s. Guibert's importance to military theory is analogous to Voltaire's influence on European literature and culture, an area in which Guibert was not unfamiliar. Guibert was also a celebrated lover of women, most notably Julie de Lespinasse and possibly a young Germaine de Stael. To date, no work has been produced that provides a clear picture of the man, his place in society, his work, and his legacy. For these reasons, a study of Guibert's life and his career is a valuable contribution to French history.


In terms of corporate valuation, the frequently used heuristics are Price Earnings or Price Earnings to Growth ratios. The development of a valuation model of type Abnormal Earnings Growth Model including modeling of expected rents evolution, conditions compatible with perfect competition, allows us to propose a testable relationship between market value of share, expected earnings per share in a year, its rate of growth in short term and a set of accounting variables composing a synthetic indicator of growth of company. Our results show that (1) expected increase in earnings per share are significantly associated with stock prices for developed countries, (2) but, the persistence of its effects is limited for emerging countries, (3) when the dynamics of growth are more complex, inclusion of synthetic variable of can make a significant correction term (4) and the implied cost of capital is significantly higher for emerging countries than for developed countries.


In just the past 20 years the use of molecular markers in systematics, evolution, and horticulture has progressed from using sequences of a few individual genes for a few taxa to using larger and larger sequence sets that are accumulating due to the routine sequencing of complete plastid genomes, transcriptomes, and even complete nuclear genomes. Here we highlight two areas in which the advances in molecular markers are transforming plant evolutionary biology: 1) assembling and exploring the plant tree of life, and 2) using genomic tools to make any "non-model" research organism more of a "model." Recent technological advances in sequencing (i.e., next-generation sequencing) and the development of computational methods and resources have made it possible to compile and analyze enormous molecular data sets for phylogenetic analyses, and the resulting topologies have in turn provided unprecedented insights into plant evolution. In the angiosperms, for example, we have obtained new insights into many of the enigmatic deep-level relationships as well as the rapid radiations that have characterized angiosperm evolution. In addition, computational advances in phylogenetics enable analyses with thousands of terminals, which help elucidate large-scale patterns of evolution within plants. Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing technology also afford the opportunity to accelerate dramatically our ability to examine genome evolution in non-model species. For example, in Tragopogon (Asteraceae), an evolutionary model for the study of recent and recurrent polyploidization, we have used a genomic approach to survey gene loss and expression changes that follow polyploidization.


Since its first release in 1956, Renato Carosone's Neapolitan swing "Tu vuo fa' l'americano" has been covered extensively. The interest in this piece increased significantly after 1999, thanks to its use in the movie The Talented Mr. Ripley and a number of 'interlinguistic' covers. This study aims at identifying the main elements, both in the lyrics and in the music of the original song, that generated this flow of alternative versions, as an attempt to discern the "patchwork of references" that has become a fundamental feature of popular music (Holm-Hudson 2002). It argues that the ironic use of national and cultural stereotypes is at the core of the process of covering "Tu vuo fa' l'americano", together with the fundamentally intercultural sonic and textual representation of a Neapolitan-wannabe-American. Simultaneously, the musical structure has been adopted by the covers as a sort of elastic structure from which each musician and composer can extract bits that are relevant to their artistic discourse while still retaining a recognizable relationship to the original. The article is introduced by an overview of the theoretical discussion around the process of covering that gravitates around – although not restricted to – taxonomies of covers in popular music. The central part focuses on musical and textual components that inspired artists to create different versions of "Tu vuo fa' l'americano". It then provides an interpretation of a substantial, albeit not exhaustive, corpus of different covers of Carosone's hit, dividing them into typologies that aim not only at pointing out the semiotic processes involved, but also at casting light on the reasons why this song has been covered within such a vast array of linguistic and stylistic contexts.


Abstract. Advances in trace gas analysis allow localised, non-atmospheric features to be resolved in ice cores, superimposed on the coherent atmospheric signal. These high-frequency signals could not have survived the low-pass filter effect that gas diffusion in the firn exerts on the atmospheric history and therefore do not result from changes in the atmospheric composition at the ice sheet surface. Using continuous methane (CH4) records obtained from five polar ice cores, we characterise these non-atmospheric signals and explore their origin. Isolated samples, enriched in CH4 in the Tunu13 (Greenland) record are linked to the presence of melt layers. Melting can enrich the methane concentration due to a solubility effect, but we find that an additional in situ process is required to generate the full magnitude of these anomalies. Furthermore, in all the ice cores studied there is evidence of reproducible, decimetre-scale CH4 variability. Through a series of tests, we demonstrate that this is an artifact of layered bubble trapping in a heterogeneous-density firn column; we use the term "trapping signal" for this phenomenon. The peak-to-peak amplitude of the trapping signal is typically 5 ppb, but may exceed 40 ppb. Signal magnitude increases with atmospheric CH4 growth rate and seasonal density contrast, and decreases with accumulation rate. Significant annual periodicity is present in the CH4 variability of two Greenland ice cores, suggesting that layered gas trapping at these sites is controlled by regular, seasonal variations in the physical properties of the firn. Future analytical campaigns should anticipate high-frequency artifacts at high-melt ice core sites or during time periods with high atmospheric CH4 growth rate in order to avoid misinterpretation of such features as past changes in atmospheric composition.


Due to its emphasis on diminishing race and avoiding racial discourse, color blind racial ideology has repeatedly been suggested to have negative consequences for modern day race relations. The current research examined the influence of color blindness, as well as the level of ambiguity of a prejudiced remark, on perceptions of a target confrontation. One hundred thirteen White participants read and responded to a scene depicting a White character committing a racial verbal microaggression of variable ambiguity, after which a target character confronted the comment. Results showed that the target confronter was perceived more negatively and her confrontation was less supported by participants with high color blindness, measured by Neville and colleagues' (2001) Color Blind Racial Attitudes Scale. Furthermore, participants with high color blindness tended to rate the White commenter less negatively than those with low color blindness. In addition, participants were affected by the microaggression's ambiguity regardless of color blindness, with a higher level of ambiguity predicting more negative perceptions of the Black confronter and the confrontation. Implications for how color blindness, as an accepted norm among White Americans that is endorsed across legal and educational settings, and insensitivity to ambiguous prejudice can facilitate Whites' complicity in racial inequality are discussed.


Objective: To evaluate the transfer of Motivational Interviewing (MI) skills to dietietic practice in a clinical setting, and the effect of this on patient behaviour.  This involved a replication of Britt and Balmpied (2010), except with dietitians providing the MI rather than nurses educators as in the earlier study.  The current study, therefore, is a both a test of replication and generalisation. Method : Two dietitians were trained in MI and effects of this training were evaluated on both practitioner and patient behaviour when MI was delivered in a clinical settting with patients experiencing diabetes self-management difficulties. Comparisons were made between the dietitians' and participants' behaviour during baseline (standard Patient Education, n=6 participants) and after the dieitians were trained in MI (n=5 participants). Data were collated from transcripts of all sessions independently coded using the therapist and client behaviour counts from the Motivational Interviewing Skills Code to derive therapist and client behaviour counts. Results : MI training was effective relative to baseline performance. Conclusions : When trained in MI, the practitioners behaved in ways consistent with MI, and this appears to have evoked in-session behaviour from the participants consistent with emergent MI theory.


Summary
1.
The selection of anemic individuals has been recommended as an initial step in hookworm disease case finding. The present study is an attempt to establish criteria for the identification of anemia and to test their applicability to the practical hookworm control program.
2.
The range in hemoglobin levels with reference to sex, age and season was determined for 1,174 economically favored urban school children who were essentially free of hookworm infection. During the same periods hemoglobin determinations were made on 1,307 rural school children in a nearby county where hookworm infection was highly endemic.
3.
On the basis of findings on the urban group, 10–10.5 grams for ages six to ten and 11–11.5 grams for older children were considered to be borderline levels, and by these criteria approximately three per cent of the rural group were anemic and five to seven per cent were borderline cases.
4.
Stool examinations including egg-counts on the 297 positives were obtained on 544 subjects. Among them were 40 anemic and 74 borderline cases. Three of the anemics and 15 of the borderline cases were negative for hookworm.
5.
Almost all subjects with egg-counts above 20,000 per cc of stool were in the anemic or borderline classes but half of those with counts of 5,000–20,000 per cc had hemoglobins above the borderline level. Among the younger children, those with light hookworm infections had lower hemoglobins than the uninfected ones.
6.
The conclusion is reached that hookworm disease case-finding based on egg-counts restricted to anemic individuals will discover most of the extremely heavy infections. However, it will fail to detect an important group of individuals whose hemoglobin levels, although markedly reduced by hookworm infection, are still within the range of normal.


Although the microbial biodiversity of arctic seas has received an increasing amount of attention, little is known about the microbial communities of its inflowing rivers. In this study we examined the molecular diversity of Archaea in the largest arctic river in North America, the Mackenzie River, and in the adjacent coastal Beaufort Sea (Canadian Arctic) during maximum open water conditions (October 2002). The Mackenzie River 16S rRNA clone libraries revealed a remark- ably diverse assemblage of archaeal sequences, with an estimated 286 phylotypes defined as sequences with 97% similarity. These grouped mainly within 2 phylogenetic clusters, and were related to sequences earlier retrieved from flooded soils and sediments previously named RC-V and LDS. The marine coastal libraries were of very different composition to those of river libraries and were dominated by Group II Euryarchaeota followed by Group I Crenarchaeota. These coastal assemblages had greater archaeal diversity (18 to 23 phylotypes) than previously reported for marine communities elsewhere, and differed from previously described central Arctic Ocean assemblages. This may reflect the heterogeneous mixture of organic substrates and particles available for micro- bial heterotrophy in arctic coastal waters and the use of an alternative primer pair (109f-915r) in this study. The coastal sequences grouped within typical marine clusters, and we therefore conclude that they were an active autochthonous community rather than one derived from the large inflowing river. These results underscore the rich microbial diversity in arctic rivers and their adjacent coastal marine ecosystems.


The present volume discusses the material culture of Persian Period Palestine/Israel against the background of Ephraim Stern's hypothesis that Judah witnessed a "religious revolution" during the transition between the (Neo)Babylonian and the Persian period, resulting in an imageless monotheism. The collection of essays originated in a workshop on "Jewish 'Material' Otherness? Ethnic, Religious and Cultural Boundaries in Late Persian and Early Hellenistic Times in the Southern Levant", held at the Kate Hamburger KollegDynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe (Ruhr-Universitat Bochum) in 2010.
Following an introductory overview on the material culture of the late Iron Age to the early Hellenistic period (Lester L. Grabbe), the most relevant object genres are reviewed in the light of new finds and current research: administrative stamp-seals (Oded Lipschits & David Vanderhooft), figurines (Izak Cornelius, Rudiger Schmitt), incense burners (Christian Frevel & Katharina Pyschny), coins (Mary Joan Winn Leith, Patrick Wyssmann), seals and bullae (Silvia Schroer & Florian Lippke) and Greek pottery (Astrid Nunn). Special attention is devoted to regional developments in order to highlight commonalities and differences in the material culture between Yehud and Samaria, and between Yehud and the other neighbouring provinces. The volume demonstrates continuities and discontinuities in material culture, which mirror political, economic and historical developments. If the "religious revolution" thesis cannot be substantiated, the volume makes an important contribution to the history of religion of Persian Period Palestine/Israel with its nuanced discussion of Stern's thesis and the new synopsis it offers of the material, and especially pictorial, culture of the period.


A figure of merit (FoM), defined as the ratio of Kerr constant to response time, is used to characterize and compare the electro-optic performance of polymer-stabilized blue phase liquid crystals (BPLCs). Increasing the dielectric anisotropy of LC host enhances Kerr constant and lowers the operation voltage, but its associated high viscosity dramatically increases the response time. As a result, the FoM may not be necessarily higher. For a given BPLC device, an optimal temperature exists where FoM reaches maximum. The proposed FoM provides useful guidelines for optimizing BPLCs for display and photonic applications.


Sleep is an essential behavioral state of rest that is regulated by homeostatic drives to ensure a balance of sleep and activity, as well as independent arousal mechanisms in the central brain. Dopamine has been identified as a critical regulator of both sleep behavior and arousal. Here, we present results of a genetic screen that selectively restored the Dopamine Receptor (DopR/DopR1/dumb) to specific neuroanatomical regions of the adult Drosophila brain to assess requirements for DopR in sleep behavior. We have identified subsets of the mushroom body that utilizes DopR in daytime sleep regulation. These data are supported by multiple examples of spatially restricted genetic rescue data in discrete circuits of the mushroom body, as well as immunohistochemistry that corroborates the localization of DopR protein within mushroom body circuits. Independent loss of function data using an inducible RNAi construct in the same specific circuits also supports a requirement for DopR in daytime sleep. Additional circuit activation of discrete DopR+ mushroom body neurons also suggests roles for these subpopulations in sleep behavior. These conclusions support a new separable function for DopR in daytime sleep regulation within the mushroom body. This daytime regulation is independent of the known role of DopR in nighttime sleep, which is regulated within the Fan-Shaped Body (FSB). This study provides new neuroanatomical loci for exploration of dopaminergic sleep functions in Drosophila, and expands our understanding of sleep regulation during the day vs. night.


Obtaining an adequate, representative sample of ecological communities to make taxon richness (TR) or compositional comparisons among sites is a continuing challenge. Although randomization in the collection of sample units is often used to assure that sampling is representative, randomization does not convey the concept of how well samples represent the community or site from which they are drawn. In ecological surveys, how well a sample represents a community or site literally means the similarity in taxon composition and relative abundance between a sample and the community from which it is drawn. Using both field and simulated data, we show that the proportion of the total taxon richness at a site (%TTR) achieved with a fixed sample size varies across sites, which in turn causes changes in site-to-site differences in observed TR with sample size. This means that equal-sized samples may differentially represent the communities from which they are drawn. However, the similarity of a sample to the community from which it is drawn cannot be measured directly because the taxon composition and relative abundance of the community is usually unknown. We propose to estimate it by measuring the average similarity among replicate samples randomly drawn from a community, i.e., autosimilarity, which is measured with Jaccard Coefficient in this study. Using the same data sets, we found that: (1) samples of equal size from different sites or communities achieved different levels of autosimilarity, with lower levels achieved in taxon richer sites, indicating variation in how well samples of equal size represent their respective communities; (2) %TTR was positively and almost linearly correlated with autosimilarity, indicating that autosimilarity might be a good predictor of TTR; and (3) when samples were compared at the same level of autosimilarity, similar %TTRs across different sites were achieved (i.e., the relative differences in taxon richness among sites became independent of sample size). We conclude that standardization on autosimilarity, rather than on sample size, can improve the accuracy of taxon richness comparisons.


Description By printing the title "Professor of Aesthetics" on his visiting cards, Oscar Wilde announced yet another transformation-and perhaps the most significant of his career, proclaiming his belief that he could redesign not just his image but his very self. Shelton Waldrep explores the cultural influences at play in Wilde's life and work and his influence on the writing and performance of the twentieth century, particularly on the lives and careers of some of its most aestheticized performers: Truman Capote, Andy Warhol, David Hockney, and David Bowie. As Waldrep reveals, Wilde's fusing of art with commerce foresaw the coming century's cultural producers who would blend works of both "high art" and mass-market appeal. Whether as a gay man or as a postmodern performance artist ahead of his time, Wilde ultimately emerges here as the embodiment of the twentieth-century media-savvy artist who is both subject and object of the aesthetic and economic systems in which he is enmeshed. Shelton Waldrep is associate professor of English at the University of Southern Maine. He is the coauthor of Inside the Mouse: Work and Play at Disney World (1995) and editor of The Seventies: The Age of Glitter in Popular Culture (2000).


A simple and reliable two-step method for the total decomposition of coal fly ash (CFA) materials for the quantitative determination of rare earth elements (REEs) by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) has been developed. In the first step, coal fly ash samples were heated at ∼200 °C on a hotplate for about an hour in the presence of 2 mL of sulfuric acid followed by the addition of 0.5 mL of HF. After completion of the hotplate treatment (HT) process, the sample mixture was further subjected to microwave-assisted decomposition (MWD) after adding 8 mL of 20% HCl (v/v) for its total decomposition. After suitable dilution, the final sample digests were analysed for REEs by ICP-OES (La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Y and Sc). Critical experimental parameters related to the first step of hotplate decomposition and the second step of MWD processes were optimized for achieving quantitative recovery of REEs (>95%) through the analysis of a standard reference material (SRM) CFA NIST-1633b. The optimized two-step approach was subsequently applied to two Indian coal fly ash samples collected from different thermal power stations. These investigations revealed that the proposed two-step method in conjunction with ICP-OES can be utilized for the quantitative determination of REEs in CFA materials on a regular basis.


The 19 middle-early Pleistocene to Holocene bipartite lithostratigraphic cycles observed in high-resolution piston cores from Northwind Ridge in the Amerasia Basin of the Arctic Ocean, provide a detailed record of alternating glacial and interglacial climatic and oceanographic conditions and of correlative changes in the character and thickness of the sea-ice cover in the Amerasia Basin. Glacial conditions in each cycle are represented by gray pelagic muds that are suboxic, laminated, and essentially lacking in microfossils, macrofossils, trace fossils, and generally in glacial erratics. Interglacial conditions are represented by ochre pelagic muds that are oxic and bioturbated and contain rare to abundant microfossils and abundant glacial erratics. The synglacial laminated gray muds were deposited when the central Amerasia Basin was covered by a floating sheet of sea ice of sufficient thickness and continuity to reduce downwelling solar irradiance and oxygen to levels that precluded photosynthesis, maintenance of a biota, and strong oxidation of the pelagic sediment. Except during the early part of 3 of the 19 synglacial episodes, when it was periodically breached by erratic-bearing glacial icebergs, the floating Arctic Ocean sea-ice sheet was sufficiently thick to block the circulation of icebergs over Northwind Ridge and presumably other areas of the central Arctic Ocean. Interglacial conditions were initiated by abrupt thinning and breakup of the floating sea-ice sheet at the close of glacial time, which permitted surges of glacial erratic-laden icebergs to reach Northwind Ridge and the central Arctic Ocean, where they circulated freely and deposited numerous, and relatively thick, erratic clast-rich beds. Breakup of the successive synglacial sea-ice sheets initiated deposition of the interglacial ochre mud units under conditions that allowed sunlight and increased amounts of oxygen to enter the water column, resulting in photosynthesis and biologic productivity, and strong oxidization of the pelagic sediment. The lithostratigraphy of Northwind Ridge suggests that during at least late Pleistocene time, glacial conditions in the Arctic Ocean were initiated abruptly and continued unabated until terminated, also abruptly, by onset of the succeeding interglacial warming. Variations in abundance of glacial erratics within the interglacial units of the late Pleistocene indicate that during at least most interglacial episodes northern North America was glaciated, but with generally diminishing severity, until onset of the succeeding continental glaciation. Magnetostratigraphy suggests that the glacial-interglacial cycles on Northwind Ridge had an average periodicity of approximately 93.5 k.y. during the Brunhes normal and approximately 105 k.y. during the latter part of the Matuyama reverse polarity zone. These average periodicities are close to the 100 k.y. temperature cycles found in North Atlantic deep-water sediments of the Brunhes normal polarity chron, which have been ascribed to forcing by a Milankovitch eccentricity cycle. They are also close, however, to the average interval (101 k.y.) between the aperiodic glacial terminations in the 500 k.y. Pleistocene continental climate record from Devil's Hole, Nevada, which have been ascribed to nonlinear feedbacks within the Earth's atmosphere-ice sheet-ocean system.


This study was conducted to explore the subjective opinions of faculty members about the elements of organizational learning at the agricultural and natural resources campus (ANRC) of University of Tehran. The number of faculty members was 120, randomly drawn from the selected population at ANRC. The findings showed that about 70.1% of the total community variance of organisational learning items was determined by extracted factors. Finding also revealed sharing experiences and interest in innovation, information exchange and external responsiveness, internal dynamism, participatory learning and action are shown to be the most important dimensions (factors) and the most predictive of whether the changes (38%) sought will actually be made to the research model of a learning organization. The results that according with the dimensions of a learning organization clearly indicated that the highest percentage of variance attributable to the system levels of ANRC as a higher education institution is placed on the various levels of organization, individual, global and team, respectively.


Objective: To assess the effect of BMI and smoking on liver function. Materials and methods: Caseseries study was conducted to assess the relation between liver function tests(aspartate amino transferace (AST), alnine amino transferace (ALT), Alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), protein albumin and billirubin), and BMI and smoking in 1020 apparently healthy persons using commercially available kit. Results: Significant direct relationship between liver enzymes activities, serum total protein and globulin and BMI were observed. Albumin, bilirubin and A/G ratio values were decreased by increasing BMI. Significant relation was observed between the mean activity of (AST) and cigarette smoking. Significant inverse relationship was observed between mean values of total protein, albumin, globulin and bilirubin with cigarette smoking Conclusion: serum enzymes activities of (AST, ALT, ALP and LDH), total protein and globulin had direct positive relationship with BMI, while albumin, A/G ratio and total bilirubin had inverse relationship. Smoking has a significant effect of on AST, total protein, albumin, globulin and total bilirubin, while doesn't affect ALT, ALP, and LDH.


Most fiscal rules can be overridden by consensus. We show that this does not make them ineffectual. Since fiscal rules determine the outside option in case of disagreement, the opposition uses them as "bargaining chips" to obtain spending concessions. We show that under some conditions this political bargain mitigates the debt-accumulation problem. We analyse various rules and find that when political polarization is high, harsh fiscal rules (e.g. government shutdown) maximize the opposition's bargaining power and lead to lower debt accumulation. When polarization is low, less strict fiscal limits (e.g. balanced-budget rule) are preferable. Moreover, we find that the optimal fiscal rules could arise in equilibrium by negotiation. Finally, by insuring against power fluctuations, negotiable rules yield higher welfare than hard ones.


ABSTRACT Background: Marijuana use carries risks for adolescents' well-being, making it essential to evaluate effects of recent marijuana policies. Objectives: This study sought to delineate associations between state-level shifts in decriminalization and medical marijuana laws (MML) and adolescent marijuana use. Methods: Using data on 861,082 adolescents (14 to 18+ years; 51% female) drawn from 1999 to 2015 state Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (YRBS), difference-in-differences models assessed how decriminalization and MML policy enactment were associated with adolescent marijuana use, controlling for tobacco and alcohol policy shifts, adolescent characteristics, and state and year trends. Results: MML enactment was associated with small significant reductions (OR = 0.911, 95% CI [0.850, 0.975]) of 1.1 percentage points in current marijuana use, with larger significant declines for male, Black, and Hispanic (2.7–3.9 percentage points) adolescents. Effects of MML increased significantly with each year of exposure (OR = 0.980, 95% CI [0.968, 0.992]). In contrast, decriminalization was not associated with significant shifts in use for the sample as a whole, but predicted significant declines in marijuana use among 14-year olds and those of Hispanic and other ancestry (1.7–4.4 percentage points), and significant increases among white adolescents (1.6 percentage points). Neither policy was significantly associated with heavy marijuana use or the frequency of use, suggesting that heavy users may be impervious to such policy signals. Conclusion: As the first study to concurrently assess unique effects of multiple marijuana policies, results assuage concerns over potential detrimental effects of more liberal marijuana policies on youth use.


This essay offers a theoretical backdrop for mapping the law's influence on common language, and more importantly, how concepts rooted in racism maintain in the American lexicon through the force of law. It examines the legal and social constructions of whiteness to argue that racial language and ideals of white superiority work in tandem to produce structural racism. Centuries of racial sedimentation have made some aspects of racism invisible to the eye, yet analysis of the post-racial concept as it relates to the president shows that debates on race and color are fundamentally flawed. Today's racism is not simply the aggregate of individual interactions, but also political and institutional discrimination, and in particular, language authorized by law. This essay exposes the post-racial concept as a type of wishful thinking, and more critically, explains how the law prevents this wish from being fulfilled; indeed Obama has been offered up as the first "black" president despite the relentless "one drop" logic that supports the evidence.


This article discusses the qualities of inspirational teaching in higher education (HE). It starts by arguing how
topical this subject is, given emphasis world-wide on quality assurance measures, such as the UK
Government's 2016 Teaching Excellence Framework TEF. The paper then moves to review the academic and
practice literature in order to outline what comprises inspirational teaching in HE institutions. These
components – in the form of key words - are extracted from the literature and then tested through primary
research.
Lecturers, at an English University, agreed to circulate a short survey to final year social sciences
undergraduates. Fifty-two student returns from 2010 were analysed. A comparative survey of 25
undergraduates – from the same disciplines - was repeated in 2016.
Three clear elements of inspirational undergraduate teaching emerge: First and foremost, undergraduates
believe it to be motivating; second, and related – inspirational teaching is deemed encouraging and third such
teaching flows from teachers' passion for their subject. The paper presents exploratory and illustrative data and
sets down a forward agenda for further research to explore aspects of inspirational university teaching linked
to differing cultural expectations, potential impacts of gender, age and ethnicity.


OBJECTIVES
To investigate the prevalence and pattern of impacted teeth and associated pathologies in the Hong Kong Chinese population.

SETTING
The Reception and Primary Care Clinic, Prince Philip Dental Hospital, Hong Kong.

DESIGN
Retrospective study.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS
The records of 7486 patients were examined to determine whether the chief complaints were related to impacted teeth and associated pathologies, which were investigated using panoramic radiographs.

RESULTS
A total of 2115 (28.3%) patients presented with at least one impacted tooth. Among the 3853 impacted teeth, mandibular third molars were the most common (82.5%), followed by maxillary third molars (15.6%), and maxillary canines (0.8%). Approximately 8% of mandibular second molars associated with impacted third molars had periodontal bone loss of more than 5 mm on their distal surfaces. Caries were also found on the same surfaces in approximately 7% of the second molars. Approximately 30% of patients with dental impaction had symptoms, and 75% had complaints limited to one side of the mouth.

CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of impacted teeth was high, and there was a predilection for impacted third molars in the mandible. More than 50% of maxillary third molars had erupted, creating potential trauma of the pericoronal tissues of the partially erupted mandibular third molars. Caries and periodontal diseases were commonly seen in relation to the impacted third molars, whereas cystic pathology and root resorption were rarely observed.


The three-junction flux qubit (quantum bit) consists of three Josephson junctions connected in series on a superconducting loop. We present a numerical treatment of this device for the general case in which the ratio ${\ensuremath{\beta}}_{Q}$ of the geometrical inductance of the loop to the kinetic inductance of the Josephson junctions is not necessarily negligible. Relatively large geometric inductances allow the flux through each qubit to be controlled independently with on-chip bias lines, an essential consideration for scalability. We derive the three-dimensional potential in terms of the macroscopic degrees of freedom, and include the possible effects of asymmetry among the junctions and of stray capacitance associated with them. To find solutions of the Hamiltonian, we use basis functions consisting of the product of two plane wave states and a harmonic oscillator eigenfunction to compute the energy levels and eigenfunctions of the qubit numerically. We present calculated energy levels for the relevant range of ${\ensuremath{\beta}}_{Q}$. As ${\ensuremath{\beta}}_{Q}$ is increased beyond $0.5$, the tunnel splitting between the ground and first excited states decreases rapidly, and the device becomes progressively less useful as a qubit.


There is a well-established role for reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, chronic inflammation and immune response in the pathogenesis of breast cancer. Complex interactions between breast cancer cells and surrounding blood vessels are prerequisites for cancer growth and invasion. Reports in the literature concerning the systemic response to, and the effect of, common breast cancer therapy on NF-kappaB and antioxidative defence enzyme expression and activity under clinical conditions are scarce. We determined these parameters in whole blood cell lysate from 16 women with breast cancer before and after combined (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, 5-fluorouracil; CAF) therapy and compared the results with 16 healthy women. Significantly higher levels of NF-kappaB and Mn-SOD (both their protein level and their activity) were found in breast cancer patients before and after CAF therapy, in comparison with healthy women. In parallel measurements, no change in the level or activity of catalase (CAT) was detected. According to our findings, it appears that breast cancer creates conditions that increase the level of hydrogen peroxide in the circulating cells and that the applied CAF therapy fails to compensate, therefore creating systemic conditions that favour survival and invasion of breast cancer cells.


The book provides a detailed introduction to the theory of connections on principal sheaves in the framework of Abstract Differential Geometry (ADG). This is a new approach to differential geometry based on sheaf theoretic methods, without use of ordinary calculus. This point of view complies with the demand of contemporary physics to cope with non-smooth models of physical phenomena and spaces with singularities.

Starting with a brief survey of the required sheaf theory and cohomology, the exposition then moves on to differential triads (the abstraction of smooth manifolds) and Lie sheaves of groups (the abstraction of Lie groups). Having laid the groundwork, the main part of the book is devoted to the theory of connections on principal sheaves, incorporating connections on vector and associated sheaves. Topics such as the moduli sheaf of connections, classification of principal sheaves, curvature, flat connections and flat sheaves, Chern-Weil theory, are also treated.

The study brings to light fundamental notions and tools of the standard differential geometry which are susceptible of the present abstraction, and whose role remains unexploited in the classical context, because of the abundance of means therein. However, most of the latter are nonsensical in ADG.


Alcohol is the most harmful drug in the UK, with harm extending beyond the individual to affect other people, society and the economy. Interventions effective at reducing alcohol intake are hindered by barriers to delivery. This thesis aimed to explore the use of the Internet for the delivery and evaluation of interventions for reducing alcohol intake, with a view to widening the availability of services. The effectiveness of stand-alone computer-based interventions was determined in the first systematic review in this field to present clinically meaningful outcomes, i.e. grams per week and binge frequency (Chapter 2). A number of limitations of the literature were identified, most of which were subsequently addressed in the Down Your Drink (DYD) online trial. This online trial of an Internet-based intervention provided the context for the exploration of methodological challenges introduced by the Internet setting (Chapter 3). Conventional measures of alcohol intake may not retain their validity when transferred online. An online measure of past-week alcohol consumption was created and validated for use as the primary outcome measure in the DYD trial (Chapter 4). Low rates of follow-up are common in online trials and increase the possibility of bias. Two sequential online trials found low value incentives (e.g. £5) did not improve follow-up in the DYD trial, whereas higher values incentives (e.g. £10) were effective and more cost-effective (Chapter 5). Qualitative interviews with DYD trial participants provided a unique insight into the experiences of a previously unstudied group of hazardous drinkers seeking help online (Chapter 6). The Internet setting was found to mitigate some of the barriers to seeking help in-person, attracting a large group of 'e-help-seekers' whose varied needs are unmet by existing services. The implications of these findings on the development of online services were discussed along with directions for future research.


We investigated a visual–perceptual and haptic–perceptual training program to enhance motor skills and Chinese handwriting performance among children with handwriting difficulties. The participants were 28 first- and second-grade children with handwriting difficulties. They were matched according to age and then randomly assigned into a control group or an experimental group. Participants in the experimental group received 12 sessions of a training program, whereas those in the control group received conventional handwriting training. The Test of Visual Perceptual Skills—Third Edition (TVPS–3), Tactual Performance Test (TPT), and Battery of Chinese Basic Literacy (BCBL) were all administered before and after 6 wk of intervention. Repeated-measures analysis of variance revealed that the experimental group showed significant improvement on the TVPS–3 but not on the TPT. Along with the improved visual–perceptual skills, the experimental group showed a significant difference in far-point copy speed and handwriting accuracy, as reflected in the BCBL.


Traditionally, scholars and judges have treated emotion as a destructive force within constitutional culture. This Article uses recent developments in social psychology, neurobiology, and political psychology to challenge this dominant account and reposition emotion as central to our collective constitutional endeavor. It argues that emotion is critical to commitment and imagination, two features of human behavior that are essential to constitutional legitimacy and innovation. Further, emotions shape our perceptions and preferences about constitutional values through their impact on attitude development and moral decision-making. Finally, our increased understanding of emotion's impact on human behavior has the potential to alter the way we think about a range of ongoing debates in constitutional theory, including the merits of judicial supremacy, the relationship between the Court and public opinion, the standards for constitutional amendment, and the design of democratic institutions.


We address the problem of logic verification, for both combinational and sequential logic. Our focus is on increasing the size and range of circuits for which formal verification, as opposed to test vector generation and simulation, is feasible. We discuss the Binary Decision Diagram (or BDD) as a means of representing boolean functions. This representation is canonical with respect to the variable ordering and is usually compact. We present an original algorithm for finding the optimal variable ordering for a BDD. This algorithm is additionally useful in the synthesis of a certain type of circuit. We introduce a data structure called the projective BDD which is not canonical but can be more compact than the BDD. We develop an algorithm for verifying multiplier circuits using this structure. Finally, we present a form of deterministic finite automaton, the n-DFA, whose transitions are labeled with boolean functions. Using this structure, we develop an algorithm for the problem of sequential logic verification. For each of these algorithms--to do BDD minimization, multiplier verification, and verification of sequential circuits--we report the running times of actual implementations and compare them to benchmarks in order to demonstrate the practicality of our methods.


We report that three main constituents of nanosystems—metals, semiconductors, and dielectrics—can be categorically distinguished by their specific optical near-field contrast at 633 nm wavelength. The decisive property is the local dielectric constant as we show by calculations based on dipolar coupling theory. Experiments with Au/Si/PS(polystyrene) nanostructures using an apertureless scattering-type near-field optical microscope yield optical images at 10 nm resolution, with clear material contrast close to predicted levels.


The paper discusses the framework of ERM2 (the exchange rate mechanism of EMU, the Economic and Monetary Union) and its suitability for accession countries / advanced transition economies. It analyzes the exchange rate mechanism from two aspects. First, it considers how ERM2 regulates the monetary cohabitation of "ins" (Eurozone members) and "outs"(non-Eurozone members of EMU). Second it reviews how ERM2 is conducive to future euro-zone membership of the accession countries. From the first point of view it discusses whether ERM2 sufficiently protects "outs" from speculative attacks, and "ins" from competitive devaluation of the "outs". From the second angle it examines whether ERM2 provides an appropriate environment for "outs" to fulfill the convergence criteria, and whether in this case "ins" open the door for the "outs" to enter the euro-zone. The principal argument of the paper is that the more ERM2 fulfils its first task, that is to regulate the relationship of "ins" and "outs" in a satisfactory way, the less it fulfils its second task, that is to lead "outs" in the Eurozone. Apart from that, the present framework of ERM2 and the convergence criteria together are not suitable for a fast and quick entry of the Central and Eastern European accession countries to the euro area. In order to overcome these pitfalls the author makes some proposals as well.


We derive an exact solution for Stokes flow in a channel with permeable walls. At the channel walls, the normal component of the fluid velocity is described by Darcy's law, and the tangential component of the fluid velocity is described by the no slip condition. The pressure exterior to the channel is assumed to be constant. Although this problem has been well studied, typical studies assume that the permeability of the wall is small relative to other nondimensional parameters; this work relaxes this assumption and explores a regime in parameter space that has not yet been well studied. A consequence of this relaxation is that transverse velocity is no longer necessarily small when compared with the axial velocity. We use our result to explore how existing asymptotic theories break down in the limit of large permeability for channels of small length.


This chapter addresses the nature and the economic impact of design by looking at design-related intellectual property and how businesses protect their knowledge based capital. The chapter reviews the nature and various definitions of design and how design-related IP, specifically registered designs, relates to other formal IP mechanisms such as patents, trademarks, and copyright. It looks at the primary areas of design activity in a subset of OECD countries and investigates the similarities and differences of the constituent design IP regimes as well as the various treaties governing international design IP regulation. The review continues with an examination of how design-related IP functions in comparison to and in conjunction with other formal and informal IP protection mechanisms and what factors motivate firms to choose and appropriate combinations of protection mechanisms. By examining historical patterns of design registrations in a variety of ways, this chapter identifies trends, at the national level, of how firms perceive the importance of design-related IP. Analysis of national origins of registrations in both the European Community and the United States provides an indicator of the activity of those countries' businesses relative to their proximities to the markets. It explores the existence of possible alternative indicators for design activity and of industry-specific variations across the sample set. The chapter concludes with a review of input and output measures as stated in the limited set of studies that have endeavoured to establish or quantify the value and/or benefit of design and design-related IP. The studies, while clearly suggesting that design does have economic benefits, both at the firm and overall economic levels, largely use qualitative or subjective indicators because the data necessary for large-scale econometric analysis are generally not available. This chapter is intended to be exploratory rather than comprehensive or conclusive. It should be considered as an initial step towards the possibility of a broader and deeper analysis of design-related issues.


Calculus has held its importance in the core undergraduate mathematics curriculum. The introduction of low cost microcomputers about 1979 has led some people to reconsider the content of the calculus curriculum. This investigation was about how microcomputer technology has been integrated into the teaching and learning of calculus to improve students' understanding. The study mainly focused on whether and how computers could influence students' learning of calculus concepts.
The rationale for using microcomputer technology to enhance calculus learning was explored through interviews with teachers. But the main issue of concern here was whether and how, for first year engineering students, computers could influence their learning of calculus concepts. Following a survey conducted with teachers in sixth form colleges and universities, an experiment in realistic classroom environments was conducted because of the desire to obtain an in-depth insight into the impact of computers on students' learning of calculus concepts.
Four groups in four different universities were involved in this main study; two served as computer groups (the computer was used in teaching); two served as non-computer groups (the computer was not used in teaching). Calculus (Differential and Integral) was taught over two semesters in all universities.
The flow of ideas in this study shows several stages in the design where both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used in the collection and the analysis of data. The reason for combining quantitative and qualitative approaches was to demonstrate convergence in results, and to add scope and breadth to the study. Furthermore, this mixed approach was expected to bring meaningful information about the process of learning because classrooms as a whole, and also individual students and their idiosyncrasies could be analysed using these two approaches.
Data was gathered from three sources in the main study. The pre-test was administered prior to the instruction in differentiation and integration and the post-test was given upon the completion of these topics. At the end of the post-test, computer groups were asked to complete a computer attitude questionnaire in order to gain background information. The pre-test and the post-test data were collected using a specially developed diagnostic test. The diagnostic test included 10 questions, some of them having several items dealing with similar content. Each item on the diagnostic test was scored on its own six-point scale, developed by the researcher and checked by a specialist in this field. The data from the pre-test, post-test and computer attitude questionnaire was coded, and analysis of variance and other techniques were used to analyze the results.
In a follow-up post-testing, a few students were interviewed from each group in order to substantiate inferences deduced from the quantitative data.
A pilot study of the test was performed with two separate samples of 14 and 18 A-level students, which served to check its administration and to improve the final version. Some questions were deleted and others were revised using item analysis information.
Among a complex pattern of results reflecting the different teaching approaches, the computer groups did better than the non-computer groups, particularly on questions requiring drawing the graph of a derivative by looking at its function and recognising the graph of a function by looking at the derivative graph. Thus, the use of computers over an extended period of time and their availability when carrying out graphical tasks seem to make an impact on the performance of the students on graphical interpretations.
Treatments in each group improved understanding much more so for A-level students than non-A-level students because the weaker students lag behind the rest of the class.
In all groups the students showed a remarkable consistency in their errors.
These results are interpreted in the light of previous research on understanding of calculus and recommendations are made to teachers and researchers.


This non-data based paper is inspired by extensive clinical experience suggesting that behavior intervention plans tend to be overly rigid and, specifically, that the potential benefits of "humor" are frequently underappreciated.  Behavior plans usually include descriptions of supports and of behaviors to be reinforced, and careful operational definitions of behavioral excesses, to be put on extinction, punished, or from which students are to be redirected to a more appropriate behavior.  Subjective descriptions are difficult to define operationally, and this is likely one reason that humor is not typically addressed in behavior plans.  In the current paper, I describe some potential benefits of humor and argue that we should sometimes use more flexible criteria for describing "inappropriate" behavior.  I will provide behavioral analyses of some potential functions of "humor", describe potential research methods, and describe cautions and recommendations regarding the use of humor in behavior intervention plans.


This article analyses the effects the crisis is having on collective bargaining processes, outcomes and institutions in national and sectoral negotiations in the Slovak Republic. It argues that the crisis has had no effect on the continuing demise of social partnership and on trade union marginalization at national level. At sectoral level, the crisis helped two highly organized sectors from the private and public domains of the Slovak economy – the metalworking and health care sectors – consolidate their bargaining institutions, though without bargaining outcomes improving trade union positions. Consolidation has been achieved through procedural changes to bargaining specific to each sector: intensified bargaining as a result of social partners' common interest in anti-crisis employment measures in the metalworking sector; and the associational strength of trade unions and employer organizations despite escalating post-crisis wage disputes in the health care sector. Sector-level bargaining has thus contributed to a balanced recovery from the crisis more than national-level social dialogue.


ABSTRACT Background: Jordan is currently taking significant steps to implement electronic healthcare records (EHRs) in hospitals. Purpose: To explore Jordanian nurses' views on the factors which act as barriers or facilitators to implementing EHRs in the country's hospitals. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional design was used to obtain a sample of nurses working in Jordanian hospitals. The study utilized a tool used by the American Hospital Association. Results: The final sample consisted of 2,793 nurses from 26 hospitals. 62.4% of these were working in governmental hospitals, 58.9% were female, and the mean age of the nurses was 30.3 years (SD = 6.2). Incentives to purchase EHRs, the availability of technical assistance, and additional reimbursement for the use of EHRs were the most common facilitating factors identified, while the economic burden of purchasing EHRs, a lack of information technology staff, and disruption to clinical care were the most common barriers. Conclusion: Future projects for implementing EHR systems in Jordan should consider the facilitators and barriers identified.


Featured North Carolina Topics This page includes links to subject collection pages for some of the most popular topics in North Carolina history and that visitors are often looking for. Each subject page includes a comprehensive range of themes and sub-topics to support browsing and discovery. The collection pages don't list every NCpedia article on a subject, but they are a great place to start and to explore as they provide an overview of specific topics and show the range of content related to that subject area. Explore!


Our previous animal studies and several human clinical trials have shown that granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (GCSF) can attenuate neuropathic pain through various mechanisms. GCSF itself is also a multipotent cytokine that can modulate microribonucleic acid (microRNA) expression profiles in vitro. In this study, we used the NanoString nCounter analysis system to screen the expression of different rodent microRNAs at early stage after nerve injury and studied the expression of related cytokines/chemokines in the dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) of rats that underwent chronic constriction injury (CCI) to explore the underlying mechanisms of the analgesic effects of GCSF. We found that microRNA-122 expression was downregulated by CCI; in contrast, GCSF treatment significantly upregulated microRNA-122 expression in the DRGs of CCI rats on the 1st day after nerve injury. We further studied the expression of different cytokines/chemokines (IL-1β, IL-6, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1)) that were modulated by microRNA-122. MCP-1 has been reported to participate in neuropathic pain development, and its expression on the DRGs of vehicle-treated CCI rats was significantly higher than that on the DRGs of sham-operated rats; in contrast, GCSF-treated rats exhibited significantly lower MCP-1 expression in the DRG than vehicle-treated rats on the 7th day after nerve injury. An early GCSF treatment can suppress MCP-1 expressions, through upregulating microRNA-122 expressions in the DRGs of CCI rats at an earlier stage, thus indirectly attenuating neuropathic pain development.


This article presents studies of the morphology and structure of ZnO nanoparticles synthesized by the electrochemical method. Colloidal solutions of the nanoparticles are obtained by an anodic dissolution of metallic zinc in alcohol solutions of lithium chloride containing a small amount of water (5 % vol.). The parameters chosen for the synthesis are based on Zn polarization curves(obtained using the the potentiokinetic (Linear Sweep Voltammetry – LSV) and the chronoamperometric method. The synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles is carried out in 0.05m LiCl + 5 % H 2 O alcohol (methanol or propanol) solutions during galvanostatic polarization of Zn at 3 mA/cm 2 current density. The process is performed in a two-electrode system, where both electrodes (the working anode and cathode) are made of zinc. Optical properties, morphology and structure of the colloidal solutions and powders (obtained after evaporating the solvent) were studied using the following spectroscopic and microscopic techniques: UltraViolet and Visible Spectroscopy (UV-VIS), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.20.1.4417


Low-frequency electromagnetic scattering from conductive and permeable bodies is the main principle of detection devices. To be able to classify the objects in the base material, a fast forward model based on the dipolar approximation was developed and verified at high frequency and single targets. For efficient model inversion for nearby targets, the superposition principle is required. To check the general validity of this principle, the dipole model was compared with a validated 3-D finite-element method model for a wider frequency range. For the investigated targets, the coupling effect can be neglected only for high-frequency range.


We conducted a case-control study to identify factors associated with the presence of clinically atypical nevi. Potential participants were selected, using a two-staged sampling scheme, from a population-based cohort of 50,000 Swedish women who had responded to a previous health survey questionnaire. Of 500 women sampled for study recruitment, 400 (80%) agreed to participate. Study participants underwent a physician-conducted skin examination, which identified 130 women who had at least one clinically atypical nevus (cases) and 270 women without these lesions (controls). The physician-conducted skin examination also assessed women for benign nevus counts; other risk factor information was based upon responses to a health survey questionnaire. We found a strong and highly statistically significant relationship between number of benign nevi and the presence of at least one clinically atypical nevus (P < 0.0001). Women with 100 or more benign nevi had a 26-fold increased likelihood of having an atypical nevus. We noted statistically significant interactions between number of benign nevi and other factors of interest; thus, the results are reported separately for women with low (<50) or high (> or =50) counts of benign nevi. Among women with low counts of benign nevi, the likelihood of having an atypical nevus increased with degree of freckling; there was also a suggested role for early sun exposure. Among women with high counts of benign nevi, difficulty tanning and lack of peeling sunburns between ages 10 and 19 appeared to increase the likelihood of case status; our data also suggested an inverse relationship between parity and atypical nevi in this subgroup.


The network choice revenue management problem models customers as choosing from an offerset, and the firm decides the best subset to offer at any given moment to maximize expected revenue. The resulting dynamic program for the firm is intractable and approximated by a deterministic linear program called the CDLP which has an exponential number of columns. However, under the choice-set paradigm when the segment consideration sets overlap, the CDLP is difficult to solve. Column generation has been proposed but finding an entering column has been shown to be NP-hard. In this paper, starting with a concave program formulation based on segment-level consideration sets called SDCP, we add a class of valid inequalities called product cuts, that project onto subsets of intersections. In addition we propose a natural direct tightening of the SDCP called kSDCP, and compare the performance of both methods on the benchmark data sets in the literature. Both the product cuts and the kSDCP method are very simple and easy to implement, work with general discrete choice models and are applicable to the case of overlapping segment consideration sets. In our computational testing SDCP with product cuts achieves the CDLP value at a fraction of the CPU time taken by column generation and hence has the potential to be scalable to industrial-size problems.


Fire resistance of transport surfaces is a crucial aspect, especially in specific contexts such as road and railway tunnels in urban areas. In fact, tunnels are characterized by specific environmental and logistic conditions that make the consequences of a fire event severer. Furthermore, as far as bituminous mixes are concerned (flexible pavements, blankets for railways and rapid transit systems), the fire resistance of bituminous materials can have an outstanding role in terms of safety and security. Indeed, these materials burn at medium temperature (400– 500°C) and release toxic smokes. This fire behaviour makes bituminous pavements unsuitable for tunnel contexts. To this end, many studies tried to demonstrate that, by adding virgin flame-retardant additives, it is possible to improve the performance of bituminous pavements, in terms of mechanical properties and fire resistance. On the other hand, owing to the fact that a sustainable transportation surface needs to comply with environmental issues, meeting the needs of present-day users without compromising those of future generations, the use of recycled materials is becoming more and more relevant. In the light of the above premises, the objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of Reclaimed Extinguisher Powders (REP) on the performance of bituminous mixtures in urban transport surfaces. Fire resistance, mechanistic properties and environmental compatibility were considered. An experimental plan was designed and carried out. Results showed that the addition of REP can improve the fire resistance of asphalt binders and bituminous mixtures, without compromising mechanistic and environmental performance. Practical applications and perspectives in rehabilitation, maintenance, and research are outlined. Recommendations for future studies involving the application and


Functional encryption (FE) is a powerful generalization of various types of encryption. We investigate how FE can be used by a trusted authority to enforce access-control policies to data stored in an untrusted repository. Intuitively, if (functionally) encrypted data items are put in a publicly-readable repository, the effect of the encryption should be that every user has access to exactly (and only) those functions of the data items for which he has previously received the corresponding decryption key. That is, in an ideal-world view, the key authority can flexibly manage read access of users to the repository. This appears to be exactly what FE is supposed to achieve, and most natural applications of FE can be understood as specific uses of such a repository with access control. However, quite surprisingly, it is unclear whether known security definitions actually achieve this goal and hence whether known FE schemes can be used in such an application. In fact, there seems to be agreement in the cryptographic community that identifying the right security definitions for FE remains open. To resolve this problem, we treat FE in the constructive cryptography framework and propose a new conventional security definition, called composable functional encryption security (CFE-security), which exactly matches the described ideal-world interpretation. This definition (and hence the described application) is shown to be unachievable in the standard model but achievable in the random oracle model. Moreover, somewhat weaker definitions, which are achievable in the standard model, can be obtained by certain operational restrictions of the ideal-world repository, making explicit how schemes satisfying such a definition can (and cannot) meaningfully be used. Finally, adequate security definitions for generalizations of FE (such as multi-input, randomized functions, malicious cipher text generation, etc.) can be obtained by straight-forward operational extensions of the repository and extracting the corresponding security definitions. This leads towards a unified treatment of the security of FE.


The importance of fine roots in forest ecosystem processes is well known. However, the contribution of understory vegetation to underground ecosystem processes is not well understood. We tested the hypothesis that fine-root biomass (FRB) and performance of the overstory and understory independently decrease with increasing soil N availability in cool-temperate deciduous broad-leaved natural forests and larch plantations in Japan. The mean contribution of understory FRB to total FRB (tree + understory) ranged from 4% to 78% (mean 37%). Tree FRB was negatively correlated with understory FRB, and understory FRB was dominant to tree FRB in infertile soil. Understory and total FRB were negatively correlated with soil net N mineralization rate, whereas tree FRB showed a quadratic relationship with soil N mineralization rate with the peak observed at mineralization of 58.4 kg N ha−1 y−1. The low tree FRB at infertile sites may be due to a belowground competitive effect of understory fine roots on tree FRB. Understory fine-root nitrogen concentration (FRN) and leaf to fine-root (L/FR) ratio were positively correlated with N mineralization rate. However, tree L/FR was not significantly correlated, whereas tree FRN was positively correlated, with soil N mineralization rate, suggesting that the leaf production efficiency of trees might not increase even on infertile soil. We suggest that belowground processes of overstory trees might change depending on understory vegetation, and that understory vegetation might affect the fine roots of overstory trees, which did not increase mass allocation but increased N use efficiency under low FRN.


What is it like to be an anthropologist or, more specifically, a woman anthropologist? Here we see highly trained and qualified women anthropologists examining their own efforts to live and work in alien cultures in many parts of the world. New chapters have been added to this ground-breaking volume, and each contributor is, in one way or another, a pioneer. All have chosen to devote their lives and energies to the understanding of worlds not their own. All have felt it important to explain what they do, why they do it, and how they feel about their work. Cultures vary widely in their perception of a woman engaged in anthropological field work. Each of these women has had to deal with the influence of her gender, as well as the subject of her study, on the mechanics of establishing a living-working relationship with people of another culture. The diversity of their responses to the presence of a foreign woman at work in their midst gives the book an invaluable cross-cultural perspective, as does the great variety of reactions and strategies on the part of the authors themselves. Besides providing rare insight into field work in general, "Women in the Field" mirrors the difficulties and delights of any person thrust into an unfamiliar culture.


The advent of large-scale citation services has greatly impacted the retrieval of scientific information for several domains of research. The Humanities have largely remained outside of this shift despite their increasing reliance on digital means for information seeking. Given that publications in the Humanities probably have a longer than average life-span, mainly due to the importance of monographs in the field, we propose to use domain-specific reference monographs to bootstrap the enrichment of library catalogs with citation data. We exemplify our approach using a corpus of reference monographs on the history of Venice and extracting the network of publications they refer to. Preliminary results show that on average only 7% of extracted references are made to publications already within such corpus, therefore suggesting that reference monographs are effective hubs for the retrieval of further resources within the domain.


Dynein has been examined by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Samples of 30S dynein from tetrahymena cilia were applied to carbon films and either were freeze- dried and examined as unstained, unfixed specimens, or were negatively stained with uranyl sulfate. A totally new image of the dynein molecule was revealed showing three globular heads connected by three separate strands to a common base. Two of the heads appeared to be identical and exhibited a diameter of 10 nm while the third head was somewhat larger (approximately 12 nm). The overall length of the particle was 35 nm. Mass analysis, based upon the integration of electron scattering intensities for unstained particles, gave a molecular weight of 1.95 (+/-)0.24) megadaltons. Mass per unit length analysis was performed using bovine brain microtubules decorated with dynein under conditions where the dynein shows a linear repeat of 24 nm with seven dynein molecules surrounding a microtubule made up of 14 protofilaments. Undecorated microtubules gave a molecular weight per unit length of 21,000+/-1,900 daltons/A, compared to a value of 84,400+/-2,200 daltons/A for the fully decorated microtubules. Taken together, these data give a molecular weight of 2.17 (+/- 0.14) megadaltons per dynein molecule, in agreement with measurements on the isolated particles. Mass analysis of individual globular heads observed in isolated particles gave a molecular weight distribution with a mean of 416+/- 76 kdaltons. These data could also be viewed as the sum of two populations of head with two-thirds of the heads at approximately 400 kdaltons and one-third at approximately 550 kdaltons, although more precise data will be required to distinguish two classes of heads with confidence. The mass of the dynein-microtubule complex as a function of distance from the midline of the particle was analysed to distinguish which end of the dynein molecule was bound to the microtubule. The projected mass distribution was consistent with a model where the three dynein heads were oriented toward the microtubule and clearly not consistent with the opposite orientation. These data indicate that the three globular heads form the ATP-sensitive site in this heterologous dynein-microtubule system and suggest that the rootlike base of the dynein molecule forms the structural attachment site to the A-subfiber of the outer doublet in cilia and flagella. The structure and function of the dynein are dicussed in terms of these new results.


We present a procedural approach to authoring layered, solid models. Using a simple scripting language, we define the internal structure of a volume from one or more input meshes. Sculpting and simulation operators are applied within the context of the language to shape and modify the model. Our framework treats simulation as a modeling operator rather than simply as a tool for animation, thereby suggesting a new paradigm for modeling as well as a new level of abstraction for interacting with simulation environments.Capturing real-world effects with standard modeling techniques is extremely challenging. Our key contribution is a concise procedural approach for seamlessly building and modifying complex solid geometry. We present an implementation of our language using a flexible tetrahedral representation. We show a variety of complex objects modeled in our system using tools that interface with finite element method and particle system simulations.


According to a widespread, broadly Humean consensus, desires and other conative attitudes seem as such to be free from any normative constraints of rationality. However, rational subjects are also required to be attitude-coherent in ways that prima facie hold sway for desire. I here examine the plausibility of this idea by proposing several  principles for coherent desire. These principles parallel principles for coherent belief and can be used to make a case for a kind of purely conative normativity. I consider several objections to a principle for consistent desiring and reply to them. I conclude that, if attitude-coherence is a mark of rationality, the broadly Humean consensus must be rejected.


The Java object oriented programming language has been the subject of an important involvement from programmers and the industry. Especially for applications related to the Web. The problem of such a rapid penetration of Java programs into commercial products is that software engineers do not have any methodology and have to develop complex parallel applications. We present a formal development methodology based on the stepwise refinement of CO-OPN/2 formal specifications, using a real Web parallel application. Starting from a centralized view, we present the following refinement steps: data distribution, behavior distribution, communication layer, and Java program. During the whole refinement process, we study the evolution and the verification of one specific property.


The global energy landscape has changed significantly in the last few years as a result of technological advances in the recovery of unconventional hydrocarbon resources such as tight oil and shale gas. Studies have been initiated to assess the impacts of extraction and production of unconventional hydrocarbons on surface water, groundwater, and local air quality. There is additional concern over how their extraction and utilization on a global scale may contribute to atmospheric chemistry and global climate change. This article provides an overview of opportunities and challenges offered by the abundance of unconventional hydrocarbons, the driving forces that encourage our rush to employ them, and the need for Earth scientists to engage in studies of their properties and impacts on the environment. A fundamental understanding of geological, mineralogical, and geochemical processes is integral to how we responsibly extract and utilize these resources.