This study focuses on asylum cases decided at Sweden's migration courts. More precisely, it analyses how the highest legal instance, the Migration Court of Appeal (hereafter MCA), legitimizes decisions that concern asylum seekers. Using critical discourse analysis (CDA), the study makes power relations visible. Investigating central discursive claims that are expressed in the precedents of Swedish asylum law, certain power relations are identified as particularly unbalanced. Based on the identification of what I subsequently call the institutionalized power imbalance of the asylum system, the study's findings compel me to challenge this imbalance. After conducting ten interviews with judges at Sweden's four (second-instance) Migration Courts as well as at the (third-instance) MCA, I reviewed 200 precedents (published 2006-2016) that concern people who applied for a residence permit in Sweden. Of these 200, 75 precedents of relevance for Swedish asylum law appear in the study. Drawing on Robert Stake's understanding of a collective case study, the interviews are used to sample six precedents for in-depth analysis. Through a CDA of these last-instance decisions it is demonstrated how precedents of Swedish asylum law discursively represent 1) families with children, 2) class, race, ethnicity and religion, gender and sexuality, and 3) the policy of 'regulated immigration'. Building on Norman Fairclough's conceptualization of discursive legitimation strategies, and with the help of Robert Alexy's and Jurgen Habermas' approaches to legal discourse, it is argued that precedents of Swedish asylum law are not only legitimized based on I) the authority of law, but also by reference to II) the rationalization of empirical reasoning, III) the utility of institutionalized actions that can use law as means for political ends, IV) those moral evaluations that permeate legal discourse, and V) the storytelling that appears when legal texts are read as narratives. This argumentation highlights uncertainty, which affects the social reality of asylum processes and which appears to be represented when precedents of Swedish asylum law are legitimized by reference to rationalization, moral evaluation, and/or as narratives. Providing the respective decisions with some meaning, rather than merely making sure that they are legally correct, the analysed precedents are, thus, legitimized not only by reference to the authority of law. Referring to Şeyla Benhabib and her usage of Robert Cover's distinction between 'law as power' and 'law as meaning', a CDA of precedents of Swedish asylum law can, in this sense, illustrate how judges pay notice to the complexity of refugee migration in the world of today. (Less)


SharePlan is a treatment planning system developed by Raysearch Laboratories AB to enable creation of a linear accelerator intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) plan as a backup for a Tomotherapy plan. A 6MV Elekta Synergy Linear accelerator photon beam was modelled in SharePlan. The beam model was validated using Matrix Evolution, a 2D ion chamber array, for two head-neck and three prostate plans using 3%/3mm Gamma criteria. For 39 IMRT beams, the minimum and maximum Gamma pass rates are 95.4% and 98.7%. SharePlan is able to generate backup IMRT plans which are deliverable on a traditional linear accelerator and accurate in terms of clinical criteria. During use of SharePlan, however, an out-of-memory error frequently occurred and SharePlan was forced to be closed. This error occurred occasionally at any of these steps: loading the Tomotherapy plan into SharePlan, generating the IMRT plan, selecting the optimal plan, approving the plan and setting up a QA plan. The out-of-memory error was caused by memory leakage in one or more of the C/C++ functions implemented in SharePlan fluence engine, dose engine or optimizer, as acknowledged by the manufacturer. Because of the interruption caused by out-of-memory errors, SharePlan has not been implemented in our clinic although accuracy has been verified. A new software program is now being provided to our centre to replace SharePlan.


The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes of consumers towards the purchase of apples and pears imported. This research was conducted at the fruit market sudirman Pekanbaru. The sampling method in this study using the technique of Accidental Random Sampling with a sample of 100 respondents. Data analysis methods used in this study is a model of Multi-Attribute attitude Fisbien and analysis of the Cartesian Diagram. Based on the results of research conducted, showed that overall consumer attitudes toward the value of apples and pears imported categorized well, amounting to 119.60 on imported apple fruit, the pear imports amounted to 124.26. This case shows the tendency of consumers to consume apples and pears imported. consumer attitudes toward the purchase of apple and pear fruit imports showed that consumers believe the attributes of vitamins, health benefits, taste and ease of obtaining is an attribute that most believed. Keywords : Consumers Attitude, Imported Fruit, Fruit MarketSudirman


Cre recombinase catalyzes site-specific recombination between two 34-bp loxP sites in a variety of DNA substrates. At the start of the recombination pathway, the loxP sites are each bound by two recombinase molecules, and synapsis of the sites is mediated by Cre-Cre interactions. We describe the structures of synaptic complexes formed between a symmetrized loxP site and two Cre mutants that are defective in strand cleavage. The DNA in these complexes is bent sharply at a single base pair step at one end of the crossover region in a manner that is atypical of protein-induced DNA bends. A large negative roll (-49 degrees) and a positive tilt (16 degrees) open the major groove toward the center of the synapse and compress the minor groove toward the protein-DNA interface. The bend direction of the site appears to determine which of the two DNA substrate strands will be cleaved and exchanged in the initial stages of the recombination pathway. These results provide a structural basis for the observation that exchange of DNA strands proceeds in a defined order in some tyrosine recombinase systems. The Cre-loxS synaptic complex structure supports a model in which synapsis of the loxP sites results in formation of a Holliday junction-like DNA architecture that is maintained through the initial cleavage and strand exchange steps in the site-specific recombination pathway.


Several nematode species have now attained 'model organism' status, yet there remain many niches in basic biological inquiry for which nematodes would be ideal model systems of study. However, furthering the model system approach is hindered by lack of information on nematode biodiversity. The shortage of taxonomic resources to inventory and characterize biodiversity hinders research programs in invasion biology, ecosystem functioning, conservation biology, and many others. The disproportion between numbers of species to be described and numbers of available taxonomic specialists is greater for Nematoda than for any other metazoan phylum. A partial solution to the taxonomic impediment is the adoption of recent advances in electronic publishing. Electronic publishing has the potential to increase the rate at which taxonomic papers are published, the breadth of their distribution, and the type, quantity, quality, and accessibility of data. We propose that the Journal of Nematology implement the advantageous aspects of electronic publication as a means to help ameliorate the limitations of an underdeveloped taxonomy and empower the nematological disciplines currently hindered by it.


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Now that the 110th united states congress is well settled in its seats, things are heating up—and the decisive recent report from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will help. Some of the early action is on the legislative front: The well-publicized "First Hundred Hours" of the new House Democratic majority voted up some 40 hours'worth of the less controversial bills. The better news is that legislators made some serious-looking moves toward an emissions cap for greenhouse gases. That's a good start, but perhaps the most significant action has come from other sources.

One of these, improbably, is American industry. Quick digression: Earlier in this space, I noted a phenomenon arising when strong views in the polity bump up against administrative inertia in the federal government. For example, national polls show strong citizen preference for action to mitigate global warming and for revising the ban on federally supported embryonic stem cell research. Years of unresponsiveness from the Bush Administration have stimulated an unexpected downward jurisdictional migration, with some states floating bond financing for stem cell research and other states—even cities—adopting their own emissions targets. Now a new downstream locus for environmental activism has surfaced, and the White House might listen to this one.

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CREDIT: JIM YOUNG/REUTERS/LANDOV

Chief executive officers from 10 major U.S. companies have gathered to form a Climate Action Partnership. When General Electric, Alcoa, DuPont, and even Duke Energy are sufficiently convinced about global warming to recommend mandatory emissions reductions with targets, they are asking to be taken seriously. This corporate congregation was mobilized in part by the World Resources Institute and leading environmental organizations, whose collective clout once again demonstrates that enlightened leadership from civic society can sometimes reach useful ends more quickly than old-fashioned intercession in electoral politics.

Back in the political domain: The U.S. Congress does more than manufacture statutes. There's oversight of administrative agencies, and anyone who has been in charge of one knows how tough that process can be (even, as in my case, if the inquisitors are from your party). Now Henry Waxman, chair of the House Oversight Committee, is scheduling hearings—the first was on 30 January—about efforts by Administration officials to modify or rewrite the scientific findings of agency scientists. There promise to be more, and there should be. The Union of Concerned Scientists has just released a comprehensive report on such matters, and supplied witnesses to the Waxman hearing.

But there is a conveniently timed push-back from the White House. A new initiative announced late in January will affect the way in which executive agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration generate guidelines and regulations. The plan places new responsibilities on a political appointee in each agency, claiming that it will smooth the process of rule-making and make it more consistent. Critics fear that its purpose is to enforce Administration control over the development of regulations affecting the environment and public health. Significantly, the announcement was published on the very day of the Waxman hearing.

Those who believe that convergences are often not mere coincidences will see these events as a typical, garden-variety struggle between a Democratic Congress and the White House over the use of science in informing policy. But this confrontation is about more than whether politics can trump science. At its core, it is a struggle for authority between a presidency wanting control over information so that the public will accept its version of reality, and a Congress insistent on its responsibility to find facts needed to shape national policy.

This contest over the power of the presidency could not be more fundamental to the democratic values of American society. Presidential claims to exclusive power over knowledge may sometimes be justifiable in our national interest, but we should not be misled. We are not an empire—and our president is neither an emperor nor, as author and historian Garry Wills reminds us, the commander-in-chief of anyone who doesn't happen to be in the army or the navy.

 [1]: pending:yes


One of the major effects of the continual process of European integration is the growing importance of transnational institutions and the accompanying legal harmonization. Such institutional changes have led to a seemingly irreversible transformation in public decision making, whereby power at the national level is displaced to the European and regional levels. This essential book provides a law and economics analysis of the challenges arising from these shifts in authority.


Abstract Precision single bumps were deposited on the surface of ICF capsules to simulate the hydrodynamic instability caused by a fill tube. The bump is fabricated by placing an aperture mask on the capsule and coating plasma polymer through the aperture. The apparatus and procedures used to align and hold the shell for coating are described. Bumps were made having a width of about 50 μm and from 1 to 10 μm in height. The bumps were characterized using interference microscopy and AFM.


cDNA expression cloning using retroviral vectors provides a means of stably introducing genes into target cells at efficiencies that surpass those achieved by transfection. Furthermore, retroviral vectors allow for the introduction and expression of complex cDNA libraries in a wide range of cell types, including cells of hemopoietic origin. Here we report a novel method for rapidly isolating genes encoding cell surface molecules (CSM) from a human bone marrow stromal cell cDNA library constructed in the retroviral vector, pRUFneo. With a newly described, highly efficient selection strategy using mAb and Ab-coated magnetic beads, we have successfully isolated six cDNA encoding previously defined CSM, including beta 1 integrin and endoglin. Moreover, we have used this approach to define the gene and hence the CSM identified by three previously unclustered mAb. These results confirm previous studies demonstrating the general utility of retroviral cDNA libraries and further extend their use to the expression cloning of cDNA encoding CSM.


The direct identification of protein evolution mechanisms requires comparing proteins through evolutionary time. The sequence of the 450-million-year-old ancestor of vertebrate mineralocorticoid (MR) and glucocorticoid (GR) receptors was previously determined by phylogenetic analysis, and the ancestor was shown to have MR-like hormone specificity. Ortlund et al. used structural, functional, and phylogenetic analysis to determine how specific mutations resulted in a change from MR-like to GR hormone specificity. They find evidence for epistatic interactions where a substitution changed the conformation at another site. Substitutions that had no immediate functional effect, but affected stability to allow subsequent function-switching mutations, played an important role in GR evolution. E. A. Ortlund, J. T. Bridgham, M. R. Redinbo, J. W. Thornton, Crystal structure of an ancient protein: Evolution by conformational epistasis. Science 317, 1544-1548 (2007). [Abstract] [Full Text]


[1] A new technique for the detection of blowing snow events using satellite lidar data is applied to Cloud-Aerosol LIdar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) observations to obtain the spatial and temporal frequency, layer height, and optical depth of blowing snow events over Antarctica for 2007 through 2009. In addition, spatially and temporally collocated multichannel Moderate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data are utilized for the detection of two blowing snow events in sunlight. Blowing snow frequency as high as 70% is found to occur in some regions of Antarctica during winter. The spatial distribution of blowing snow closely follows the katabatic wind pattern with the exception of an area in East Antarctica that encompasses the megadune region, where the most persistent and largest area of blowing snow occurs. Layer thickness ranges from the minimum detectable (30 m) to about 1000 m with an average depth of 120 m for all blowing snow events. The layer optical depth estimated from the lidar data ranged from 0.05 to 1.0 with an average of 0.20. A very large, organized blowing snow "storm" is tracked over 3 days and is estimated to transport a mass of 6.3 × 103 kg m−1 d−1 which is comparable to surface-based measurements of mass transport during blowing snow events. Results from the application of the retrieval technique to ICESat data are also presented with a demonstration of the large multiple scattering-induced elevation error that blowing snow layers can cause.


BACKGROUND
Because of logistical and economic issues, in Egypt, as in other resource-limited settings, decision makers should determine for which patients hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment should be prioritized. We assessed the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of different treatment initiation strategies.

METHODS
Using a Markov model, we simulated HCV disease in chronically infected patients in Egypt, to compare lifetime costs, quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALE), and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of different treatment initiation strategies.

RESULTS
Immediate treatment of patients at stages F1/F2/F3 was less expensive and more effective than delaying treatment until more severe stages or not providing treatment (in patients diagnosed at F1: QALE = 18.32 years if treatment at F1 vs 18.22 if treatment at F2). Treatment of F4 patients was more effective than no treatment at all (QALE = 10.33 years vs 8.77 years) and was cost-effective (ICER = $1915/quality-adjusted life-year [QALY]). When considering that affordable triple therapies, including new direct-acting antivirals, will be available starting in 2016, delaying treatment until stage F2, then treating all patients regardless of their disease stage after 2016, was found to be cost-effective (ICER = $33/QALY).

CONCLUSIONS
In Egypt, immediate treatment of patients with fibrosis stage F1-F3 who present to care is less expensive and more effective than delaying treatment. However, immediate treatment at stage F1 is only slightly more effective than waiting for disease to progress to stage F2 before starting treatment and is sensitive to the forthcoming availability of new treatments. Treating patients at stage F4 is highly effective and cost-effective. In Egypt, decision makers should prioritize treatment for F4 patients and delay treatment for F1 patients who present to care.


I. CURRENT CASE LAW A. The Supreme Court's (Limited) Guidance B. Circuit Court Precedent 1. The Direct and Unwelcome Contact Test 2. The Altered Behavior Test II. THE WEAK BASIS FOR THE TESTS APPLIED BY THE COURTS OF APPEALS III. WHAT'S THE HARM? TESTING POTENTIAL INJURY-IN-FACT THEORIES OF RELIGIOUS SYMBOL PLAINTIFFS AGAINST SUPREME COURT PRECEDENT A. Offense B. Stigma C. Involuntary Exposure to Religion D. Special Burdens To Avoid Religious Symbols IV. NORMATIVE AND FUNCTIONAL JUSTIFICATION FOR DENYING NONTAXPAYER STANDING TO CHALLENGE RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS A. Protecting the Separation of Powers B. Preventing Unwarranted and Unnecessary Judicial Intrusions into the Culture Wars V. CONCLUSION The Supreme Court's religious display cases have provoked much critical commentary. (1) Yet few scholars have focused on the antecedent jurisdictional question of what kind of injury a plaintiff must show to establish nontaxpayer (2) Article III standing to challenge a governmental religious display or symbol (3)--despite a large body of circuit court case law on the issue. (4) The Supreme Court has addressed the question only obliquely, even though two sitting Justices and the late Chief Justice Rehnquist have identified it as worthy of the Court's consideration. (5) In most circuits, a plaintiff challenging a governmental religious symbol under the Establishment Clause need only show some variation of "direct and unwelcome contact" with the symbol to satisfy the injury-in-fact requirement of the Court's Article III standing doctrine. (6) But most circuit courts have analyzed the issue superficially, relying on the decisions of sister circuits or focusing on what can be gleaned from the Court's few passing comments on the issue. As of yet, no court or commentator has systematically evaluated the Article III standing of plaintiffs to challenge religious symbols in light of the entire corpus of Supreme Court standing precedent and the principles underlying those decisions. This Note undertakes that task and concludes that the weight of Supreme Court authority is at odds with the law in the circuit courts. Mere contact with a religious symbol, even if direct and unwelcome, produces at most psychological offense or stigmatic harm--injuries that the Court has found too abstract to give rise to standing. But this straightforward conclusion appears to be in tension with the Court's religious endorsement test, which remains the substantive standard in religious symbol cases. (7) Although standing and the merits are doctrinally independent, (8) because the endorsement test protects against psychological and stigmatic injuries, it is probably unrealistic to expect lower courts to deny standing on these grounds. This is especially so given the large body of circuit court precedent that permits standing in religious symbol cases. The Supreme Court should therefore intervene to resolve the substantial inconsistency between its standing cases and the numerous circuit court decisions that permit nontaxpayer standing to challenge religious symbols. Part I of this Note briefly sets forth the Supreme Court's limited guidance with regard to nontaxpayer standing in the religious symbol context and then summarizes the decisions of the federal courts of appeals. Part II argues that the Supreme Court precedents on which the circuit courts have relied provide a weak basis for their approaches to the question. Part III considers several possible ways of characterizing the injury alleged by religious symbol plaintiffs and evaluates each theory of injury in light of the Supreme Court's standing case law. All of the available theories of injury boil down to some version of either offense or stigmatic injury, both of which the Supreme Court has explicitly found to be insufficient to give rise to standing. …


The effect of the time distribution of rainfall intensity on the prediction of the depth of excess precipitation is evaluated. A comparison is made of the excess precipitation produced by an observed storm, a 10 time increment, variable intensity storm and a constant intensity storm, all with the same depth of rainfall. Excess precipitation is calculated using a physically based model for variable rainfall infiltration for three soil types. Results indicate that the required complexity of the design storm is dependent on soil type if cumulative excess precipitation depth is used as the criterion. For soil with low infiltration rates, the constant intensity approximation is adequate while for more permeable soils, the variable intensity is required. A bias toward underprediction is noted with more permeable soils under the constant intensity approximation. The 10 increment rainfall model appears adequate for all soil types.


"The current food price crisis has received widespread attention, but discussions to date have largely overlooked the gender dimensions of the crisis. More than 15 years of rigorous research on gender and intrahousehold resource allocation suggest not only that men and women will be affected differently by the global food crisis, but also that, as both consumers and producers, they will have different stocks of resources with which to respond to rising prices. Although the current situation calls for an urgent national and international response, urgency is not an excuse for misguided policies that fail to address the gender implications of the crisis. Instead, decisionmakers should take this opportunity to incorporate what is known about women's roles in agricultural production and household welfare, and the specific challenges they face, both to craft more effective policy responses and to enable women to respond better to the current challenges and opportunities." from Author's text


The goal of this paper is to contribute to identify a set of resources and tourism products, which can enhance the development and sustainability of tourism in the low density municipality of Boticas, located in the north east of Portugal. Therefore, this paper tries to: i) produce a first analysis of the tourism potential of the municipality of Boticas; and ii) identify different perceptions of different stakeholders regarding the tourism potential of Boticas. To this end, the content analysis of semi-structured interviews conducted in 2014 to local and regional social and political stakeholders were used. Likewise, in 2015 two focus groups were conducted with main local stakeholders. The results highlight three main facts: first, there are unexplored tourism resources with potential to attract certain niches of tourist demand; second, the region has been investing in the diversification of its supply of leisure and recreational activities, as well as available tourism equipment; and third, the region is facing serious difficulties in creating a local and regional stakeholder network in order to provide an integrated promotion of tourism. We conclude by identifying few policy recommendations on development issues for the municipality of Boticas or other rural areas presenting similar constraints.


Recent studies demonstrate that dissolved iron in seawater is bound to strong organic complexes that have stability constants comparable to those of microbial iron chelates. We examined iron acquisition by seven strains of heterotrophic marine bacteria from a number of siderophore–iron complexes, including desferrioxamine B (DFB) and marine siderophores partially purified from iron‐limited cultures. Hydroxamate siderophores were detected in the supernatants of four strains, one of which also produced a catechol. All strains transported iron bound to siderophores regardless of whether or not they produced their own, and the majority took up iron bound to DFB. Uptake rates of Fe siderophores were similar among iron‐limited strains and among ligands. Transport of FeDFB by strain Neptune was enhanced 20 times by iron limitation, whereas uptake of unchelated iron (Fe') did not saturate at the highest concentration tested and was not regulated by the iron nutritional status of the cells. The half‐saturation constant for uptake of FeDFB by Neptune was 15 nM, the lowest reported for an Fe siderophore in any microor ganism. Iron uptake by the catechol‐producing strain, LMG1, differed markedly in two respects from the other strains: LMG1 could not take up iron bound to DFB; furthermore, transport of Fe' by iron‐limited LMG1 was 10 times faster than the other strains and was upregulated 46 times compared to Fe‐sufficient cells. Experimental evidence suggests that iron transport by LMG1 may be mediated by surface‐associated catechol siderophores that scavenge inorganic ferric species as well as iron bound to weaker complexes, such as EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid). The combined results of the study highlight the importance of siderophores in iron transport by heterotrophic marine bacteria and suggest, by inference, that bacteria may rely on siderophores to acquire iron in situ.


Social tourism is assumed to provide important psychological benefits for economically and socially disadvantaged populations. This study examines empirically whether these individual benefits are associated with socioeconomic benefits to society by focusing on unemployed individuals. Psychological benefits are addressed in terms of self-efficacy, and socioeconomic benefits, in terms of job-search behaviour. Findings from mixedmethods data reveal that holidays create enabling environments, which bring about positive changes in participants' self-efficacy, contributing to positive effects on their jobsearch behaviour. Positive effects are also identified with regard to behaviours towards alternative paths to employment, such as volunteering. Given that these behavioural changes comprise major determinants of reemployment, it is suggested that social tourism may hold potential for incorporation into existing unemployment policies. 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
We hypothesize that in comparison to diffusion-weighted imaging, quantitative T2 values (qT2) are more directly related to water uptake in ischemic tissue, depending on time from symptom onset. We measured the increase of qT2 in the infarct core to quantify the correlation between time from symptom onset and change in qT2.

METHODS
Thirty-six patients with acute ischemic stroke in the territory of the proximal middle cerebral artery underwent MRI including diffusion-weighted imaging, fluid-attenuated inversion recovery, and a triple-echo T2 sequence (calculation of T2 maps) within 6 hours after symptom onset. Regions of decreased apparent diffusion coefficient <550 x 10(-9) mm(2)/sec were defined and superimposed onto the corresponding T2 map and the unaffected side in the horizontally flipped maps. Differences of T2/apparent diffusion coefficient values between affected and unaffected side were calculated (differences of T2/differences of apparent diffusion coefficient). Fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images were rated for lesion visibility.

RESULTS
Differences of T2 showed a significant correlation with time from symptom onset (R=0.580; P<0.001). T2 values measured in patients with visible fluid-attenuated inversion recovery lesions were significantly higher than in those without visible hyperintensity (P<0.001). The accuracy of qT2 to predict a time from symptom onset <3 hours was 0.794, whereas the corresponding accuracy for visual assessment of fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images was 0.676.

CONCLUSIONS
T2 values demonstrated a strong correlation with time from onset, suggesting different pathophysiologic mechanisms than diffusion restriction. Whereas fluid-attenuated inversion recovery only provides binary information on lesion visibility, T2 values correlate well with time from symptom onset, and are free from operator bias, increasing reproducibility to determine time from symptom onset.


This book is a significant contribution to the subject of mining time-changing data streams and addresses the design of learning algorithms for this purpose. It introduces new contributions on several different aspects of the problem, identifying research opportunities and increasing the scope for applications. It also includes an in-depth study of stream mining and a theoretical analysis of proposed methods and algorithms. The first section is concerned with the use of an adaptive sliding window algorithm (ADWIN). Since this has rigorous performance guarantees, using it in place of counters or accumulators, it offers the possibility of extending such guarantees to learning and mining algorithms not initially designed for drifting data. Testing with several methods, including Naive Bayes, clustering, decision trees and ensemble methods, is discussed as well. The second part of the book describes a formal study of connected acyclic graphs, or 'trees', from the point of view of closure-based mining, presenting efficient algorithms for subtree testing and for mining ordered and unordered frequent closed trees. Lastly, a general methodology to identify closed patterns in a data stream is outlined. This is applied to develop an incremental method, a sliding-window based method, and a method that mines closed trees adaptively from data streams. These are used to introduce classification methods for tree data streams.


Specific sugar signals integrate carbohydrate status with day length and developmental age to regulate flowering. In making the developmental switch from vegetative growth to flowering, plants integrate diverse information, including photoperiod, hormone signals, and carbohydrate status. Wahl et al. (see the Perspective by Danielson and Frommer) analyzed the physiology of the signaling sugar trehalose-6-phosphate (T6P) in Arabidopsis. Quantities of T6P cycle in daily rhythms that peak toward the end of the day. T6P levels in the shoot apical meristem mirrored sucrose levels. Disruption of T6P production also disrupted expression of the FLOWERING LOCUS T gene, which responds in leaves to day length and generates signals that direct the meristem to initiate flowering programs. T6P production also affected the signaling pathway that links the age of the plant to flowering. By incorporating requirements for T6P signaling in the flowering induction pathways, the plant ensures that adequate carbohydrate reserves have been accumulated. Thus, T6P regulates the shift to flowering by linking carbohydrate status to day length in the leaves and to developmental age in the shoot apical meristem. V. Wahl, J. Ponnu, A. Schlereth, S. Arrivault, T. Langenecker, A. Franke, R. Feil, J. E. Lunn, M. Stitt, M. Schmid, Regulation of flowering by trehalose-6-phosphate signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana. Science 339, 704–707 (2013). [Abstract] [Full Text] J. Å. H. Danielson, W. B. Frommer, Jack of all trades, master of flowering. Science 339, 659–660 (2013). [Abstract] [Full Text]


[1] Surface nitrate concentration is a potentially useful diagnostic in reconstructing the past circulation of high-latitude North Atlantic waters. Moreover, nutrient consumption in the North Atlantic surface impacts the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide. To reconstruct nutrient conditions in the subpolar North Atlantic region during the last ice age, a record of foraminifera-bound δ15N was measured in Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (sin.) from core V28-73 south of Iceland (57.2°N, 20.9°W). Foraminifera-bound δ15N is up to 2‰ lower during the last ice age than during the Holocene, suggesting as much as ~25% less complete nitrate consumption during the former. This is consistent with stronger light limitation associated with a deeper summer surface mixed layer, perhaps related to the formation of Glacial North Atlantic Intermediate Water previously suggested to have occurred near the core site. However, three single-point maxima in δ15N in the glacial section and the sharp deglacial δ15N rise coincide with Heinrich event layers. This suggests that increased water column stratification during Heinrich events, presumably due to surface freshening, reduced the nutrient supply from below and led to nearly complete nitrate consumption in the summertime mixed layer. The Heinrich layers in V28-73 are not accompanied by δ18O minima in either N. pachyderma (sin.) or Globigerinoides bulloides, which we tentatively attribute to extreme mixed-layer shoaling. The reconstructed subpolar North Atlantic upper water column changes—both glacial/interglacial and millennial—are inverse to those inferred for the Antarctic.


Coaching Leadership is about building leadership capacity in individuals, and in institutions, through enhancing professional relationships. It is based on the importance of maximising potential, and harnessing the ongoing commitment and energy needed to meet personal and professional goals. Based on over a decade of research and development, nationally and internationally, Coaching Leadership brings you the empirical evidence, the principles, and the skills, to be able to develop your own leadership and that of others you work with. This book: Challenges you to critically reflect on your leadership and professional relationships Offers practical activities and exercises Describes leadership coaching based on reciprocal processes Seeks to connect theory and practice Provides a basis for workshop activities in coaching, appraisal, and mentoring. Coaching Leadership will assist educators who believe in the development of leadership at all levels, to dialogue effectively with professional colleagues for the improvement of leadership practice. This book comes highly recommended to those professionals committed to lifelong, experiential learning and reflective practice.


This document contains opinions gathered from enterprises engaging in
the IoT business as stated in the preceding version hereof, and also
examines the possibilities of new social problems in the IoT era.
Recognition of the importance of information security has grown in
step with the rising use of the Internet. Closer examination reveals
that the IoT era may see a new direct physical threat to users. For
instance, the situation at a smart house may lead it to judge that the
owner has only temporarily stepped out, causing it to unlock the front
door, which in turn makes it easier for thieves to enter. These kinds
of scenarios may occur without identity fraud, hacking, and other
means of compromising information security. Therefore, for the purpose
of this document, this issue shall be referred to as "IoT Safety" to
distinguish it from Information Security. We believe that it is
necessary to deepen our understanding of these new IoT-related threats
through discussion and ensure there are measures to address these
threats in the future. At the same time, we must also coordinate these
measures with the solutions to the problems described in the previous
version of this document.


Background There is evidence of an association between poor oral health and mortality. This association is usually attributed to inflammatory and nutrition pathways. However, the role of health behaviours and socioeconomic position has not been adequately examined. The aims of this study were to examine the association between oral health and premature death among middle-aged men and to test whether it was explained by socioeconomic position and behaviours. Methods Data were from the Vietnam Experience Study, a prospective cohort study of Vietnam War-era (1965–1971), American male army personnel. The authors examined risk of cause-specific and all-cause mortality in relation to poor oral health in middle age, adjusting for age, ethnicity, socioeconomic position, IQ, behavioural factors and systemic conditions. Results Men with poor oral health experienced a higher risk of cause-specific and all-cause mortality. HRs for all-cause mortality were 2.94 (95% CI 2.11 to 4.08) among individuals with poor oral health and 3.98 (95% CI 2.43 to 6.49) among edentates compared with those with good oral health after adjusting for ethnicity and age. The association attenuated but remained significant after further adjustment for systemic conditions, socioeconomic position and behaviours. Socioeconomic and behavioural factors explained 52% and 44% of mortality risks attributed to poor oral health and being edentate, respectively. Conclusion The findings suggest that oral health–mortality relation is partly due to measured covariates in the present study. Oral health appears to be a marker of socioeconomic and behavioural risk factors related to all-cause mortality.


Lowland grasslands in Nepal were thoroughly surveyed in 1996-1999 to assess the status and distribution of the globally threatened Bristled Grassbird Chaetornis striata. Birds were located on foot, from elephants and from jeeps by sight and sound backed up by mistnets and tape playback. The status information was updated again by visiting these areas in 2010-2012. Bristled Grassbirds were recorded in Sukla Phanta and Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserves, and Chitwan National Park where most of the Nepal population is confined. From the research, it was found that they were most associated with newly formed Saccharum and Imperata dominated grasslands during summer. The low numbers present during winter suggested that this species was primarily a summer migrant to Nepal. A total population for Nepal is presented based on a reliable density estimate. Loss and degradation of grassland habitat and invasion of Mikania micrantha were identified as the major threats. Further research on migratory status, better control of cattle grazing inside reserves, expansion of Protected Areas to include more grassland, and listing of Bristled Grassbird as protected under the wildlife law of Nepal for its conservation are highly recommended. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/init.v5i0.10244 The Initiation 2013 Vol.5; 1-15


Background Venous thrombosis is a common occurrence in cancer patients, developing spontaneously or in combination with indwelling central venous devices (CVD). Purpose To analyze the multidetector CT (MDCT) prevalence, appearance, and significance of catheter-related thoracic venous thrombosis in oncologic patients and to determine the percentage of thrombi identified in the original reports. Material and Methods Five hundred consecutive patients were considered. Inclusion criteria were: presence of a CVD; availability of a contrast-enhanced MDCT; and cancer history. Exclusion criteria were: direct tumor compression/infiltration of the veins; poor image quality; device tip not in the scanned volume; and missing clinical data. Seventeen (3.5%) out of the final 481 patients had a diagnosis of venous thrombosis. Results Factors showing the highest correlation with thrombosis included peripherally-inserted CVD, right brachiocephalic vein tip location, patient performance status 3, metastatic stage disease, ongoing chemotherapy, and longstanding CVD. The highest prevalence was in patients with lymphoma, lung carcinoma, melanoma, and gynecologic malignancies. Eleven out of 17 cases had not been identified in the original report. Conclusion CVD-related thrombosis is not uncommon in cancer patients and can also be observed in outpatients with a good performance status and a non-metastatic disease. Thrombi can be very tiny. Radiologists should be aware of the possibility to identify (or overlook) small thrombi.


From the smallest fly to the biggest elephant, and from fish living at the bottom of the ocean to birds that fly several kilometres above land: this is the animal kingdom, the biggest group of living things in the world. Some are very different, others are the same in many ways - but these mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates have all managed to live for thousands and thousands of years. How do they find food, grow, keep safe, and have young - and what is the future for them in this fast-changing world? (Word count 7,825)


The aerosol-climate modelling system ECHAM5-HAM is introduced. It is based on a flexible microphysical approach and, as the number of externally imposed parameters is minimised, allows the application in a wide range of climate regimes. ECHAM5-HAM predicts the evolution of an ensemble of microphysically interacting internally- and externally-mixed aerosol populations as well as their size-distribution and composition. The size-distribution is represented by a superposition of log-normal modes. In the current setup, the major global aerosol compounds sulfate (SU), black carbon (BC), particulate organic matter (POM), sea salt (SS), and mineral dust (DU) are included. The simulated global annual mean aerosol burdens (lifetimes) for the year 2000 are for SO4: 0.80 Tg(S) (3.9 days), for BC: 0.11 Tg (5.4 days), for POM: 0.99 Tg (5.4 days), for SS: 10.5 Tg (0.8 days), and for DU: 8.28 Tg (4.6 days). An extensive evaluation with in-situ and remote sensing measurements underscores that the model results are generally in good agreement with observations of the global aerosol system. The simulated global annual mean aerosol optical depth (AOD) is with 0.14 in excellent agreement with an estimate derived from AERONET measurements (0.14) and a composite derived from MODIS-MISR satellite retrievals (0.16). Regionally, the deviations are not negligible. However, the main patterns of AOD attributable to anthropogenic activity are reproduced.


Background and Purpose Primary hematologic abnormalities are a rare but established cause of ischemic stroke. In addition, activation of hemostatic parameters is often present during the acute phase of stroke. However, it is uncertain whether these abnormalities occur in both cortical and lacunar infarction; this study aimed to further assess this issue. Methods Hematologic parameters (prothrombin, activated partial thromboplastin, thrombin clotting, and euglobulin lysis times; and fibrinogen, fibrinopepetide A, antithrombin III, protein C, protein S, and plasminogen levels) were measured in 19 patients within 48 hours of the onset of acute cerebral infarction. These patients included 10 with cortical infarcts and 9 with lacunar infarcts, as determined by standard clinical and radiological criteria. Results Five patients with lacunar infarction and 7 patients with cortical infarction demonstrated raised fibrinopeptide A levels, indicating enhanced thrombin activity. Fibrinolysis, assessed by the euglobulin lysis time, was impaired in 6 of 9 patients with lacunar infarction and in 2 of 10 patients with cortical infarction. Lupus anticoagulants were detected in 3 patients with lacunar infarction and in 1 patient with cortical infarction. Three patients in each group displayed decreased antithrombin III function, and 1 patient with a lacunar infarction had a low protein C level. Conclusions Primary hematologic disorders and secondary hemostatic derangements may occur in patients with either cortical or lacunar infarction.


High‐resolution photomicrographs of phytoplankton cells and chains can now be acquired with imaging‐in‐flow systems at rates that make manual identification impractical for many applications. To address the challenge for automated taxonomic identification of images generated by our custom‐built submersible Imaging FlowCytobot, we developed an approach that relies on extraction of image features, which are then presented to a machine learning algorithm for classification. Our approach uses a combination of image feature types including size, shape, symmetry, and texture characteristics, plus orientation invariant moments, diffraction pattern sampling, and co‐occurrence matrix statistics. Some of these features required preprocessing with image analysis techniques including edge detection after phase congruency calculations, morphological operations, boundary representation and simplification, and rotation. For the machine learning strategy, we developed an approach that combines a feature selection algorithm and use of a support vector machine specified with a rigorous parameter selection and training approach. After training, a 22‐category classifier provides 88% overall accuracy for an independent test set, with individual category accuracies ranging from 68% to 99%. We demonstrate application of this classifier to a nearly uninterrupted 2‐month time series of images acquired in Woods Hole Harbor, including use of statistical error correction to derive quantitative concentration estimates, which are shown to be unbiased with respect to manual estimates for random subsamples. Our approach, which provides taxonomically resolved estimates of phytoplankton abundance with fine temporal resolution (hours for many species), permits access to scales of variability from tidal to seasonal and longer.


The shortage of organ donors has impeded the development of human hepatocyte transplantation. Immortalized hepatocytes could provide an unlimited supply of transplantable cells. To determine whether immortalized hepatocytes could provide global metabolic support in end‐stage liver disease, 35 immortalized rat hepatocyte clones were developed by transduction with the gene encoding the simian virus 40 T antigen (SV40Tag). The SV40Tag sequence and a suicide gene, herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV‐tk), were flanked by loxP sequences so that they could be excised by Cre/lox recombination. When transplanted into the spleens of portacaval‐shunted rats, 3 of the 35 immortalized hepatocyte clones prevented the development of hyperammonemia‐induced hepatic encephalopathy. The protection was reversed by treatment with ganciclovir, which kills HSV‐tk–expressing cells. Transplantation of alginate‐encapsulated, immortalized hepatocytes into the spleens of cirrhotic rats resulted in significant improvement in prothrombin time, serum albumin and bilirubin levels, hepatic encephalopathy score, and duration of survival. The metabolic support provided by the immortalized cells equaled that observed after transplantation of primary rat hepatocytes. In conclusion, immortalized hepatocytes can function as well as primary hepatocytes following transplantation and can be engineered to contain safeguards that could make them clinically useful. Further investigation is warranted regarding the mechanisms of loss of mass or function of the transplanted hepatocytes over time and how the relatively few engrafted hepatocytes can ameliorate liver decompensation in cirrhosis.


In modern forensics, soil from crime scenes is not tested for the presence of blood proteins. This is due to the belief that proteins degrade too quickly for detection. The purpose of this paper is to report on the research performed in an effort to counter that belief and in so doing, suggests changes in the current procedures. Using pig blood as an analog for human blood, blood was deposited outside, at two separate locations roughly a half mile apart, at a southern Louisiana cattle farm. Over 18 months, samples were taken from cores at the deposition sites and these were tested for the presence of blood proteins at PaleoResearch Institute in Golden, Colorado. Crossover-Immunoelectrophoresis (CIEP) was used to test over 130 soil samples taken at three-month intervals. Results indicate further research is warranted. The control samples tested negative, while intermittent weak positive results for blood proteins from the samples were obtained. The lack of interpretable patterning in the positive results, however, renders my results inconclusive. Further testing with more controlled variables is required.


Anne Margaret Baxley offers a systematic interpretation of Kant's theory of virtue, whose most distinctive features have not been properly understood. She explores the rich moral psychology in Kant's later and less widely read works on ethics, and argues that the key to understanding his account of virtue is the concept of autocracy, a form of moral self-government in which reason rules over sensibility. Although certain aspects of Kant's theory bear comparison to more familiar Aristotelian claims about virtue, Baxley contends that its most important aspects combine to produce something different - a distinctively modern, egalitarian conception of virtue which is an important and overlooked alternative to the more traditional Greek views which have dominated contemporary virtue ethics.


Consumer debt grew rapidly in the years leading up to the Great Recession, and contracted sharply in its immediate aftermath. This credit cycle played out unevenly among households with different financial means and in different parts of the country. While much attention has been paid to mortgages, other debt categories, such as automobile and student, play an important role in household finances. Consequently, we analyze trends in both mortgage and non-mortgage debt across income groups during the period surrounding the Great Recession.


Summary 1. Two published data sets of helminths of the wood mouse Apodemus sylvaticus (L.) were analysed to test the hypothesis that the structure of these component communities is influenced by interactions between species. A range of tests, with differing null models, was applied to tease out the importance of controlling for subgroupings (e.g. sex, age, site, year, season) within the data when searching for significant associations based on prevalence (co-occurrence, presence/absence) or abundance (quantitative associations) data. 2. Significant differences from null models were detected for associations based on prevalence, but when subgroup constraints were taken into consideration, most lost significance. Among three and 15 pair-wise associations possible in data sets 1 and 2, respectively, only that between Trichuris muris and Heligmosomoides polygyrus was not dependent on context, and that between H. polygyrus and Catenotaenia pusilla , while always positive, varied in magnitude among sites of capture. 3. Pair-wise comparisons of abundance revealed three significant associations, only one of which ( H. polygyrus with C. pusilla ) still remained significant after controlling for quantified extrinsic and intrinsic factors . With increasing burdens of H. polygyrus , mice carried more of other helminth species and this relationship remained significant after controlling for confounding factors. 4. Overall, positive co-occurrences of pairs of helminths of A. sylvaticus were highly context dependent and quantitative associations were weak and not convincing. Therefore, interactions between parasites are unlikely to play a dominant role among the processes that structure the component community of helminths in wood mice, in selected study sites in the south of England.


The first genetically modified (GM) crops and foods are now being grown and marketed in the European Union (EU) and more widespread production is expected over the next decade. Public interest in the food chain has grown considerably in recent years. Consumers are not only demanding a secure supply of safe, affordable, high quality, nutritious food but, are increasingly concerned about the means of production and the effect of that production on the countryside3. Increasing consumer demand for food safety, choice, labelling and traceability is creating new challenges for the beekeeper marketing honey and other bee products from GM crops. In the first article of this series18, I examined the regulatory framework that controls the release and marketing of GM crops in the EU with particular reference to bees. In this article, I examine the regulatory framework that controls the marketing of GM foods in the EU with particular reference to bee products and indicate where further information on these issues can be found.


This working paper develops the argument of "Gun Violence and Gun Control" (also posted on SSRN), a short piece commissioned by the London Review of Books. We decided not to publish either paper, in part because we felt there were empirical issues that we were not in a position to assess. We welcome comments on either paper.In this Article, we propose a new way of approaching the problem of gun violence, synthesizing features of a number of successful initiatives. We begin, in Part I of this Article, by examining the gun debate. We argue that it is focused on the wrong question. Once attention is focused on the right question, it becomes clear how to develop a gun violence reduction strategy that is not subject to the standard objections to gun control.As an illustration of the wrong turn the debate has taken, we take as a case study Joyce Malcolm's recent Guns and Violence. The book attempts to use a historical study of guns and violence in England, as well as a brief comparison with the U.S., to develop policy prescriptions for the U.K. Malcolm is a respected academic historian, and her work, both in this book and in the past, has helped give wide currency to the view that increasing the number of guns in private hands is an effective way of reducing violent crime. Although the book has been widely praised by those on the same side of the debate, it has glaring defects in reasoning and scholarship. Malcolm fails even to notice that there is an option other than more guns or fewer guns.In Part II of the Article, we proffer a broad strategy for reducing gun violence. The essence of the strategy is to focus on keeping guns out of the wrong hands, rather than on reducing or increasing the number of guns generally. Although most writers (to the extent they consider the matter at all) assume otherwise, there is strong reason to conclude keeping guns out of the wrong hands – and doing so without reducing the number of guns in circulation – is a tractable problem, which is not to say that it is an easy or completely soluble one.The strategy has two parts, a demand side and a supply side. On the demand side, the strategy begins from the fact that a disproportionate amount of violent crime is committed by a very small number of identifiable persons. Moreover, although it is not generally appreciated, the criminal justice system has tremendous leverage over these recidivist offenders, for example, because most of them are subject to parole supervision. On the supply side, the crucial starting point is that the black market that supplies criminals with guns depends substantially on the legitimate market, and in particular on purchases of guns from licensed firearms dealers (as opposed to, for example, haphazard thefts). Powerful tools are available for cutting off the flow of guns from licensed dealers into the black market. The widely held view that there are simply too many guns already in circulation for supply-side policies to work is unjustifiably dismissive of suppositions about human behavior that are fundamental to the law, as well as of the admittedly tentative empirical evidence of recent gun-violence reduction initiatives.


A fundamental characteristic of granular flows is that they are typically restricted to thin layers of rapid surface flow. Thus, a complete understanding of surface flows is key for an accurate representation of the dynamics of the entire flow. Experiments were conducted in three-dimensional tumblers: cylindrical tumblers of various diameters, a double-cone tumbler, and a spherical tumbler, the Froude number for the last two being a function of the local geometry and ranging from $2.6\times10^{-5}$ to $7.5\times10^{-4}$. Surface velocity measurements for 1 mm and 2 mm glass particles were obtained using particle tracking velocimetry. Results indicate that the streamwise surface velocity at the midpoint of the flowing layer is a linear function of local flowing layer length, regardless of tumbler shape, particle size, rotation rate, and fill fraction. In addition, the axial velocity of particles at the free surface is negligible. These results are key for the development of three-dimensional models of granular flows.


Abstract The popularity of executive coaching has increased dramatically in both the practitioner world and academia during the past decade. However, evaluating the effectiveness of coaching has lagged behind. Executive coaching is a multidisciplinary practice, and professionals from many different scholarly backgrounds provide coaching services. The paucity of empirical research may be attributed to the lack of a consensus among these divergent professionals regarding whether and how to evaluate the effectiveness of coaching. In this article, we conducted a meta-analysis of the empirical research as well as reviewed the retrospective studies evaluating coaching effectiveness. Subsequently, we discussed six areas that impact the way researchers evaluate coaching effectiveness and the conclusions they may draw from their studies. Although the Return On Investment (ROI) index provides a straightforward, overall measure of effectiveness, its veracity and usefulness is questioned. It is hoped that the clarification of these areas will help guide the future of coaching evaluation research and practice.


More than 70% of the national beef herd of Indonesia is controlled by smallholders, who therefore play a vital role in beef cattle development programs. This paper reports on a study into disappointing results of recent government policy initiatives on practices of smallholder beef farmer groups in rural Java, Indonesia. Despite funding aimed at increasing the national beef herd and domestic beef production though enhancing smallholder productivity, perverse effects of declining reproductive rates and breeding cow numbers are being observed. Smallholder beef farming is a complex system. It involves multiple actors including farmers, farmer groups, farmer households, researchers, government officers, and traders. The interactions of these stakeholders are characterised by power asymmetry, whereby smallholders, whether as individuals or as members of groups possessing social entity, experience less power and access to privileges than other actors. For effective research aimed at system improvement, an approach capable of recognising system complexity, multiple perspectives and social power asymmetry is necessary. In the body of systems thinking, System Dynamics (SD) is considered to be a powerful tool, as it enables the construction of rigorous models and visualisation of the causal linkages among variables which might influence the system's performance. One of the fundamental essences of SD is the identification of system archetypes: generic systems structures describing the common dynamic processes which characterise the behaviour of the system. System archetypes provide simplified insights into the system's structures. Analysing system archetypes can assist in the identification of system leverage points, i.e. the places where an intervention should have the most influence on systems behaviour. However, when dealing with a social entity like a smallholder group, SD is considered to be a researcher-centrist methodology, as it lacks the instruments to engage multistakeholders' perspectives which are likely to be varied, and is insensitive to the issue of societal power structures. This paper reports on research in which these deficiencies are addressed through complementary application of Soft System Methodology (SSM), which has strength in acknowledging multiple perspectives, and emancipatory Critical System Heuristics (CSH), which can explicitly address power asymmetry, in an effort to enhance SD. A series of interviews and workshops was undertaken to identify the problematic situation of smallholder beef farming in Java. The main research instruments of Rich Picture development, CATWOE analysis of SSM, and the 12 boundary critique questions of CSH were applied sequentially in the problem analysis stage, resulting in a four dimensional structure incorporating motivation, power control, knowledge and legitimacy. Applying SSM and CSH ensured that the perspectives of all stakeholders, including those of the less powerful, were acknowledged, thereby enriching and enhancing subsequent SD modelling. The structured problematic situation was then used to guide investigation of variables which were thought to be contributory. The results were visualized in a conceptual model which was then translated into a causal loop diagram (CLD) consisting of 17 reinforcing and 13 balancing loops which map the feedback loops of the 4 dimensional situation of the smallholder beef system. The CLD was then investigated to identify the system archetypes. Five archetypes were identified: limit to growth, shifting the burden, success to successful, tragedy of the commons fixes that fail. The nature of each archetype is described, and the implications for identification of the possible system leverage points are discussed.


The Los Lunas Silvery Minnow Refugium is a conservation fish hatchery that produces the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow (Hybognathus amarus Girard [Cyprinidae]). The major management goal of a conservation fish hatchery is to raise fish in a naturalized environment that is similar to their native ecosystem, including native vegetation. This is diametrically opposed to management at traditional fish hatcheries, where rooted plants in fish culture units are considered to be weeds because they can cause management problems; most notably, these plants interfere with fish harvest. Fifteen native wetland and 8 native upland species of plants were installed in the naturalized outdoor conservation fish-rearing facility. The plants were used to produce shade, shelter from predators, places for food to colonize, areas of low-velocity water, and to create riparian overbank areas that could be inundated in order to simulate floodplains along the Rio Grande. The plants have thrived at the facility. Continuous manual weeding is required from March to October to remove weeds and to keep sedges and rushes from filling the ponds. Observations indicate that the plants are achieving the intended purposes.


The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to investigate teachers' perceptions of and experiences with the adoption and implementation process as teachers at Tops Sixth Grade School (all participant and institutional names herein are pseudonyms, unless otherwise specified) transition from a one-to-one laptop initiative to a school-wide adoption of mobile learning. Using Rogers's IDT and Wenger's CoP theories, this study defined the adoption process as the manner through which an individual or group seeks and processes information about an innovation and then forms an attitude that leads to adoption or rejection. Participants included eight sixth-grade teachers whose students utilized a variety of mobile devices across multiple platforms to enhance learning. Using phenomenological reduction to analyze data gathered through in-depth, semi-structured interviews, observations, and an online focus group, the study revealed several overarching lessons. Participants experienced feelings of frustration, anxiety, and uncertainty because of lack of 24/7-student access, computer and connectivity issues, and time constraints resulting from a perceived learning curve for students and the implementation of more rigorous CCSS. Possibly marginalizing at-risk students, teachers planned more remediation and lower-level thinking skills because they perceived students from lower SES homes without at-home access or students with lower achievement levels as less able to develop ICT literacy skills. Needing more time for developing best practices and digital citizenship, teachers also desired additional collaboration between schools and job-embedded professional development.


Carbon and oxygen isotope data from a succession of Cretaceous (Barremian–Cenomanian) age recovered from the Pacific Ocean (DSDP site 463) are presented. The carbon isotope curve reveals a large isotope excursion within the early Aptian where δ13C values reach ~4.8‰ in the L. cabri–G. ferreolensis foraminifera zone. A decrease in δ13C values is observed at the base G. algerianus zone, before a return to more positive values at the top of the G. algerianus–T. bejaouaensis zone. The pronounced early Aptian positive event is preceded by a large negative isotope excursion, confined to the G. blowi zone. Synchronous with this excursion are increased total organic carbon values and increases in Mn and Fe concentrations. Integrated biostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic data, together with the carbon isotope profile, suggest that the organic-rich units of site 463 are correlatable with Oceanic Anoxic Event 1a. The input of isotopically light volcanic CO2 in concert with the intensification and upwelling of intermediate water enriched in 12C could account for the observed trends. A potential trigger may have been the destabilization of the water column and the prodigious CO2 emissions associated with hydrothermal activity and the emplacement of the Ontong Java Plateau. Coupled with faunal evidence, the subsequent positive carbon isotope excursion is interpreted to be resulting from high, but decreasing, productivity and possibly increasing ocean stratification resulting in strong carbon isotopic gradients and 13C-enriched surface waters. The decrease in δ13C within the G. algerianus zone is coincident with more positive δ18O values. If these are interpreted in terms of temperature this interval may be characterized by a period of cooling and possibly a waning of Corg cycling. A return to lower δ13C values during the middle Albian is considered to be related to the increased influence of upwelling, as opposed to a waning of Corg cycling. Upwelling introduced isotopically light carbon to the surface, arresting the stratified oceanic conditions.


OBJECTIVE To investigate the relationship between early second trimester serum lipidomic variation and maternal glycemic traits at 28 weeks and to identify predictive lipid biomarkers for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Prospective study of 817 pregnant women (discovery cohort, n = 200; validation cohort, n = 617) who provided an early second trimester serum sample and underwent an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) at 28 weeks. In the discovery cohort, lipids were measured using direct infusion mass spectrometry and correlated with OGTT results. Variable importance in projection (VIP) scores were used to identify candidate lipid biomarkers. Candidate biomarkers were measured in the validation cohort using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry and tested for associations with OGTT results and GDM status. RESULTS Early second trimester lipidomic variation was associated with 1-h postload glucose levels but not with fasting plasma glucose levels. Of the 13 lipid species identified by VIP scores, 10 had nominally significant associations with postload glucose levels. In the validation cohort, 5 of these 10 lipids had significant associations with postload glucose levels that were independent of maternal age and BMI, i.e., TG(51.1), TG(48:1), PC(32:1), PCae(40:3), and PCae(40:4). All except the last were also associated with maternal GDM status. Together, these four lipid biomarkers had moderate ability to predict GDM (area under curve [AUC] = 0.71 ± 0.04, P = 4.85 × 10−7) and improved the prediction of GDM by age and BMI alone from AUC 0.69 to AUC 0.74. CONCLUSIONS Specific early second trimester lipid biomarkers can predict maternal GDM status independent of maternal age and BMI, potentially enhancing risk factor–based screening.


Abstract. Field and remote sensing observations in the ablation zone of the Greenland Ice Sheet have revealed a diverse range of ice surface characteristics, primarily reflecting the variable distribution of fine debris (cryoconite). This debris reduces the surface albedo and is therefore an important control on melt rates and ice sheet mass balance. Meanwhile, studies of ice sheet surface biological processes have found active microbial communities associated with the cryoconite debris, which may themselves modify the cryoconite distribution. Due to the considerable difficulties involved with collecting ground-based observations of the ice surface, our knowledge of the physical and biological surface processes, and their links, remains very limited. Here we present data collected at a field camp established in the ice sheet ablation zone at 67° N, occupied for almost the entire melt season (26 May–10 August 2012), with the aim of gaining a much more detailed understanding of the physical and biological processes occurring on the ice surface. These data sets include quadrat surveys of surface type, measurements of ice surface ablation, and in situ biological oxygen demand incubations to quantify microbial activity. In addition, albedo at the site was retrieved from AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) remote sensing data. Observations of the areal coverage of different surface types revealed a rapid change from complete snow cover to the "summer" (summer study period) ice surface of patchy debris ("dirty ice") and cryoconite holes. There was significant correlation between surface albedo, cryoconite hole coverage and surface productivity during the melt season, but microbial activity in "dirty ice" was not correlated with albedo and varied widely throughout the season. While this link suggests the potential for a remote-sensing approach to monitoring cryoconite hole biological processes, very wide seasonal and spatial variability in net surface productivity demonstrates the need for caution when extrapolating point measurements of biological processes to larger temporal or spatial scales.


Heparin is often used to prevent or treat thromboembolism in cancer patients. Clinical and experimental evidence suggest that heparin also has anticancer activities. Experimental evidence consistently supports the ability of heparin to attenuate metastasis. The potential antimetastatic effects of heparin include inhibition of cell–cell interactions and heparanase and modulation of growth factors, and anticoagulant activity. Heparin inhibits selectin-mediated interactions of tumor cells with leukocytes, platelets, and endothelial cells, which are likely to mediate the initial steps of hematogenous metastasis. Prospective clinical trials can be designed on the basis of the insights obtained from experimental studies.


"USA Patriot Act." "Customer identification programs." "Know your customer." "Customer due diligence." "Trading with the enemy." These terms and phrases send shivers down the backs of many bankers, and with good reason. Compliance in this area is one of the highest expenses that banks face in the regulatory arena, and if things go bad, the horror stories out there are the stuff of nightmares. When it comes to a successful anti-money laundering program, the devil is in the details. Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) compliance often requires consideration of much detail, but with a bit of planning and foresight any bank can get it right. While there has been much attention lately to high-profile BSA cases like the $25 million penalty paid by Riggs Bank, there is also much to learn from other, less-publicized travails. The problem at Riggs was atypical: it stemmed from a lack of oversight of embassy accounts. Regardless, the language used by the regulators to direct Riggs to fix its problem is strikingly similar to the requirements of other agreements. The consistent theme: Regulatory actions result from a breakdown in design and implementation of an effective program, not from whether a specific Suspicious Activity Report should have been filed. In spite of what may seem like overwhelming regulator expectations, it is important to remember that the cost of compliance is much higher when policies and procedures must be created in short order. In most of the actions noted in this article, there was no fine imposed, but the banks received tedious, detailed instructions on cleaning up the situation with tight timetables (usually 30-60 days). Looking to the record We analyzed several written agreements published by the Federal Reserve Board and the Comptroller's Office in an attempt to categorize the issues and offer you a road map to avoiding similar problems. Some notable agreements included those with Cowboy State Bank, Ranchester, Wyo.; First Midwest Bank, Itasca, Ill.; Planters Bank and Trust Com., Staunton, Va.; The Custar State Bank, Custar, Ohio; Merchants Bank of California, Carson; Surety Bank, Fort Worth, Texas; and last but certainly not least, ABN AMRO Bank, N.V. A walk through the details of some of these agreements can show just how costly non-compliance will be. "Pay now or pay later" might be the best way for a CEO to come to terms with the costs of compliance in this area. In the recent agreement between the Board, other regulators, and ABN AMRO Bank, the following language was found (emphasis added): Within 60 days of this Agreement the Bank ... shall jointly submit ... an acceptable written anti-money laundering program designed to improve the ... system of internal controls and designed to ensure compliance..... The program shall, at a minimum: 1. Improve the ... system of internal controls, ...; 2. Include controls designed to ensure compliance with all requirements relating to correspondent accounts for non-U.S, persons,.... 3. provide for thorough assessment of legal and reputational risk associated with correspondent accounts and clearing operations and for regular review of risk tolerance by appropriate members of senior management; 4. provide for the retention of outside consultant assistance as necessary and appropriate to assess risks associated with particular lines of business and to design and implement controls to manage such risks.... Independent Testing and Audit Within 60 days of this Agreement, the Bank shall submit ... an acceptable written plan including ...: * Procedures to evaluate ... compliance with the BSA, ... and all other applicable anti-money laundering and suspicious activity reporting requirements; * Procedures to evaluate ... adherence to industry sound practices relating to anti-money laundering compliance, customer and correspondent account due diligence, and the reporting of suspicious activities; * Procedures for ongoing compliance monitoring . …


ABSTRACT This article explores the role of European integration in affecting voting behaviour in the 2017 German federal election. Building on a theoretical analysis of EU issue voting, it demonstrates that despite a list of issues on the European agenda, EU-related issues did not play a prominent role in the campaign, nor were issues primarily addressed from a European perspective. Relying on survey data collected before and after the election, the analysis demonstrates that voters perceived parties to differ considerably on EU integration, but they did not care much about it. Attitudes towards European integration and financial aid to EU member states were only mildly related to vote choice in the 2017 election. European integration thus has not yet become a powerful political issue in Germany. The paper concludes by discussing implications for EU issue voting in future German elections.


Testis angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) is a unique form of ACE, only produced by male germ cells, and results from a testis-specific promoter found within the ACE gene. We have investigated the role of cAMP-response element modulator (CREM)tau in testis ACE transcription. In gel shift experiments, testes nuclear proteins retard an oligonucleotide containing the cAMP-response element (CRE) found at position -55 in the testis ACE promoter. Anti-CREM antibody supershifts this complex. Competitive gel shift shows that recombinant CREM tau protein and testis nuclear proteins have a similar specificity of binding to the tests ACE CRE. Functional analysis using in vitro transcription and transfection studies also demonstrate that CREM tau protein is a transcriptional activator of the testis ACE promoter. Western blot analysis identifies CREM tau protein in the protein-DNA complex formed between nuclear proteins and the testis ACE CRE motif. This analysis also identified other CREM isoforms in the gel-shifted complex, which are thought to be CREM tau 1/2, CREM alpha/beta, and S-CREM. These data indicate that CREM tau isoforms play an important role as a positive regulator in the tissue-specific expression of testis ACE.


ABSTRACT Aim: Mounting evidence suggests that RAF-mediated MEK activation plays a crucial role in paradox MAPK (re)activation, leading to resistance and therapeutic failure with agents hitting a single step along the MAPK cascade. Methods: We examined the molecular and functional effects of single and combined MEK (trametinib, T), BRAF(dabrafenib, D), and pan-RAF (RAF265, R) inhibition, using WB and conservative isobologram analysis to assess functional synergism and explored genetic determinants of synergistic interactions. Results: In BRAF-mut models, both D and T effectively inactivated MAPK and inhibited cell growth, with no synergistic growth inhibition with their combination (CI: 0.7-1.3x106). Conversely, in KRAS-mut lung (2/5 cell lines) and pancreatic (4/6 cell lines) cancer models, in which selective BRAF inhibition induced paradox hyperphosphorylation of MEK, ERK, and p90RSK, combined D+T synergistically suppressed malignant growth (CI: 0.1-0.7). At concentrations inhibiting all RAF isoforms, R did not induce paradox MAPK activation and did not result in growth inhibitory synergism when combined withT. Highly synergistic in vitro growth inhibition was also observed with D+T in 2/5 patient-derived lung cancer stem cells. KRAS mutations appeared to be necessary, but not sufficient, to determine paradox MAPK activation and functional synergism with D+T, as assessed in two KRAS isogenic cell lines (H1299 expressing individual codon 12 mutants and HCT116 clones differing for homo or heterozygous G13D). Conversely, in lung cancer models driven by EGFR family activation (EGFR-mut HCC827 and H1650 cells and HER-2 overexpressing Calu-3 cells), paradox MAPK activation upon selective BRAF inhibition was dependent on upstream receptor activity and could be efficiently blocked by the EGFR/HER-2 inhibitor Lapatinib. Conclusions: Overall, our data indicate that RAF-mediated, paradox MAPK activation may be sustained by both upstream (RTK activation) and downstream (KRAS mutations) mechanisms and that in appropriate cellular contexts vertical RAF/MEK inhibition-based combination strategies may exert highly synergistic antitumor effects. Disclosure: All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.


Cells derived from Fanconi anaemia (FA) patients display hypersensitivity to deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) cross-linking agents such as MMC and DEB. Treatment with these agents induces an abnormally prolonged cell cycle arrest in S phase and an accumulation of cells with 4N DNA. Based on this response, the FA pathway has been hypothesised to function in sensing DNA damage induced by these agents and in initiating its repair. This hypothesis has been supported by work elucidating the interactions of FA proteins with proteins known to be involved in DNA-damage sensing, signalling and repair. Additionally, a significant body of work has pointed to a role of the FA pathway in the cellular response to oxidative stress. Although the exact mechanisms and functions of the FA pathway are yet to be discovered, the interaction of the members of the FA pathway with proteins associated with DNA repair, cellular signalling and oxidative stress management leads to the hypothesis that the FA pathway proteins serve many varied functions throughout the cell.

Key Concepts:

The FA pathway overlaps significantly with other DNA repair pathways such as homologous recombination, translesion synthesis and mismatch repair.

FA pathway proteins are involved in the intricate cellular signalling that occurs following DNA damage.

FA pathway proteins are involved in regulating oxidative stress.

FA mutant cells display hypersensitivity to DNA damage, particularly DNA crosslink's.

FA patients are particularly prone to malignancy, especially myeloid leukemia and squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck and genitourinary track.

Keywords:

Fanconi anaemia;
DNA damage;
DNA repair;
cancer susceptibility;
DNA damage hypersensitivity


Egypt's 2011 uprising has become synonymous with the successful use of social media to overthrow an entrenched authoritarian regime. Popular and academic literature hold it up as the paradigm of social media's effects on contentious politics. Activists from Bahrain and Turkey to Ukraine and St. Louis learned and applied Egyptian protest tactics such as setting up encampments in public space, preparing ways to resist police attacks, organizing protest locations and times on Facebook groups, and rapidly disseminating videos and images of protests to mass media.


The flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-containing putrescine oxidase of Micrococcus rubens catalyses the oxidative deamination of putrescine. The amino acid sequences of the NH2-termini of the mature enzyme and lysyl-endopeptidase-generated fragments were determined for preparation of synthetic oligonucleotides as hybridization probes for cloning. A 4.4 kb BamHI fragment which contained DNA sequences hybridizing to the probes was cloned in pUC19 in Escherichia coli. The nucleotide sequence together with the determined amino acid sequences revealed that this enzyme consists of 480 amino acids (M(r) 52,000) and contains an FAD-binding consensus sequence at its NH2-terminal portion. In front of the transcriptional start point, which is 28 bases upstream of the initiation codon as determined by primer extension, -35 and -10 sequences similar to typical prokaryotic promoter consensus sequences are present. E. coli JM109 containing the putrescine oxidase gene just downstream of the lac promoter in pUC18 produced a large amount of this protein when grown at 37 degrees C but in the enzymically inactive form of inclusion bodies. However, cultivation of the recombinant E. coli cells at temperatures below 30 degrees C led to production of active enzyme (20 times as much as produced by the original M. rubens strain).


We delineate the internal structure of the Johnson Valley and Kickapoo faults (Landers southern rupture) at seismogenic depth using fault zone trapped waves generated by aftershocks. Trapped waves recorded at the dense linear seismic arrays deployed across and along the surface breaks of the 1992 M7.5 Landers earthquake show large amplitudes and dispersive wave trains following the S waves. Group velocities of trapped waves measured from multiple band-pass-filtered seismograms for aftershocks occurring at different depths between 1.8 km and 8.2 km show an increase in velocity with depth. Velocities range from 1.9 km/s at 4 Hz to 2.6 km/s at 1 Hz for shallow events, while for deep events, velocities range from 2.3 km/s at 4 Hz to 3.1 km/s at 1 Hz. Coda-normalized amplitude spectra of trapped waves peak in amplitudes at 3–4 Hz for stations located close to the fault trace. The amplitude decays rapidly with the station offset from the fault zone. Normalized amplitudes also decrease with distance along the fault, giving an apparent Q of 30 for shallow events and 50 for deep events. We evaluated depth-dependent fault zone structure and its uncertainty from these measurements plus our previous results from near-surface explosion-excited trapped waves [Li et al., 1999] in a systematic model parameter-searching procedure using a three-dimensional (3-D) finite difference computer code [Graves, 1996]. Our best model of the Landers fault zone is 250 m wide at the surface, tapering to 100–150 m at 8.2 km depth. The shear velocity within the fault zone increases from 1.0 to 2.5 km/s and Q increases from 20 to 60 in this depth range. Fault zone shear velocities are reduced by 35 to 45% from those of the surrounding rock and also vary along the fault zone with an increase of ∼10% near ends of the southern rupture zone.


In this article, indicators of fiscal discretionality are estimated using a simple methodology, and in this way the cyclical component of the public accounts balance (i.e., the amounts of income and expenditure associated with transitory movements of the level of activity) is identified for a number of Latin American countries in the 1990s. The difference gives a measure of the discretional balance, which represents a medium-term indicator of the state of the public accounts. Budgetary mles which take account of these mechanisms not only ensure sustainability over time but also reduce the cyclical nature of the public finances, provided they are applied in a transparent and symmetrical manner. This method provides series which make it possible to follow up the structural and cyclical components of public deficits in Latin America, using a standard methodology and with minimal information needs, in order to focus the relevant discussions (and the necessary adjustments) on a medium-term horizon.


Information literacy is regarded as a crucial skill for university students (Landøy, 2010). In this paper, we will discuss collaborative efforts between academic libraries and the scholarly community they are serving, in order to enhance the take-up of information literacy (IL) from students. At University of Bergen, the Library has taken ownership to IL and regards the training of students in IL as one of the main strategic tasks (Landøy, 2010). The trainings in IL are not compulsory for students, although IL is mentioned as one of the core skills in the "qualification framework" given by the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Education (NKR, 2011:22). The University leadership supports the Library efforts. When it comes to the practical implementation, however, the scholarly departments are most important for students to participate in the trainings. Our joint efforts, which will be discussed in the paper, include informational and motivational measures from administrative and academic staff at the departments, and close collaborations in planning of content. The departments have some similar and some different needs for their students, and the academic librarian will be able to choose from a set of descriptions with matching training content.


I. INTRODUCTION In recent decades, United States Supreme Court law clerks have not suffered from a lack of attention. From allegations that the Justices' law clerk hiring practices are riddled with gender and racial bias (1) to debates over the level of influence wielded by clerks, (2) legal scholars and journalists have remained intrigued with these "junior justices." Law clerks on the lower federal and state courts, however, have escaped similar scrutiny. This disinterest is particularly evident when we consider federal district court law clerks. With the exception of a recent flurry of articles debating when federal district court judges should begin the interviewing process, (3) the majority of articles by or about federal district court law clerks in the legal literature are the now-standard "tribute pieces," in which former law clerks extol the virtues of retired or deceased district court judges. (4) Filled with touching or humorous stories about chambers life as well as predictions for their judges' place in the pantheon of great jurists, these articles seldom discuss how the authors were selected or what job responsibilities they were assigned. On one hand it is not terribly surprising to discover that lower court clerks have been largely ignored by legal scholars, social scientists, and journalists. All are interested in the exercise of political power, and no other court in the land issues opinions of such sweeping scope and salience as the Supreme Court. Thus our attention is inexorably drawn to the Supreme Court law clerks who are involved in shaping judicial decisions in such critical areas as free speech, reproductive rights, and federalism--and some would suggest--wield their own independent influence over these decisions. We are not suggesting that Supreme Court law clerks are not worthy of study. In this Article, however, we argue the literature's narrow focus on the Supreme Court law clerk has led to a failure to examine the important role that federal district court law clerks play in the federal judiciary. As recent caseload statistics demonstrate, the federal district court is the court of last resort for most plaintiffs and defendants; in the twelve month period ending September 30, 2006, 259,541 civil cases (5) and 88,216 criminal cases (6) were filed with the United States District Courts. During that same period, only 66,618 appeals were filed with the United States Courts of Appeals, (7) 15,246 of which were criminal appeals. (8) In other words, less than twenty percent of cases filed in federal district court were appealed to the intermediate appellate courts. In 2005, the Supreme Court had only 9,608 cases on the docket and heard argument in ninety cases. (9) Ultimately, less than one percent of all cases originally filed in federal district court were reviewed by the Supreme Court. Admittedly, opinions issued by federal district court judges do not have the scope or impact of opinions written by Supreme Court Justices; lower court law clerks do not have the opportunity to craft legal principles which will govern a nation or resolve critical policy debates. Nevertheless, in helping process thousands of cases a year, an argument can be made that the hundreds of federal district court law clerks potentially have more day-to-day influence over individual litigants and cases than approximately three dozen Supreme Court law clerks. This Article does not propose to determine whether federal district court law clerks wield inappropriate levels of influence. Instead, our goal is to take the important first step of understanding what criteria are used to select federal district court law clerks and what job duties are assigned to those clerks--important descriptive data that has not been previously collected. If we find that federal district court law clerks are given the most mundane of responsibilities (such as cite checking, filing, and coffee making), then the issue of influence need not be reached. …


We consider the problem of enumerating planar constellations with two points at a prescribed distance. Our approach relies on a combinatorial correspondence between this family of constellations and the simpler family of rooted constellations, which we may formulate algebraically in terms of multicontinued fractions and generalized Hankel determinants. As an application, we provide a combinatorial derivation of the generating function of Eulerian triangulations with two points at a prescribed distance.


Spices are used all over the world to enhance the flavor of foods. Many spices, like other food substances, may carry some bacteria, yeasts, moulds spores and even some insects making them a potent source for food spoilage and pathogens. To study the microbiological status of herbs and spices a total of 16 samples representing different type of spices (including turmeric, tsimeni, clove and cinnamon) were randomly collected from different market and bazaars in North Greece. Standard microbiological analysis was carried out for the detection and enumeration of microorganisms using standard media.  The analysis included; aerobic mesophilic bacterial count, staphylococcal count, fungal count, yeast count, coliform count, detection of E. coli, Salmonella spp, Shigella spp.  and Clostridium perfringens. The result of the microbiological analysis of the group of spices that were tested could be considered more than satisfactory showing that the samples had a mean aerobic plate count of <30 cfu / g which is considered negligible. There was only one exception for Turmeric samples obtained from a specific region in North Greece that showed growth in Standard Methods Agar of 2450000 cfu / g. Following further investigation was proven that the specific samples contained Escherichia coli as well as Staphylococcus aureus with growth of 148000 cfu / g. The development of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus is likely to be due to the non-following guidelines of the codex (CAC/RCP 42 – 1995), which state that the effective measures should be taken to prevent cross-contamination of uncontaminated spices by direct or indirect contact with potentially contaminated material at all stages of the processing Results achieved in the study indicate good hygienic conditions in the production process of spices and herbs available on the North Greece market. The study demonstrated also that dried spices may be carriers of coliform species bacteria, though their presence is not often detected in products of this type. It was concluded that spices may be high risk products but more studies are necessary to find out the ways of contamination. Aseptic techniques at all stages of production and processing must be ensured to prevent contamination of spices from pathogenic microorganisms.


Decreasing traffic speeds increases the amount of time drivers have to react to road hazards, potentially averting collisions, and makes crashes that do happen less severe. Boston's regional planning agency, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), conducted a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) that examined the potential health impacts of a proposed bill in the state legislature to lower the default speed limits on local roads from 30 miles per hour (mph) to 25 mph. The aim was to reduce vehicle speeds on local roads to a limit that is safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and children. The passage of this proposed legislation could have had far-reaching and potentially important public health impacts. Lower default speed limits may prevent around 18 fatalities and 1200 serious injuries to motorists, cyclists and pedestrians each year, as well as promote active transportation by making local roads feel more hospitable to cyclists and pedestrians. While a lower speed limit would increase congestion and slightly worsen air quality, the benefits outweigh the costs from both a health and economic perspective and would save the state approximately $62 million annually from prevented fatalities and injuries.


We present a lattice calculation of the nucleon isovector axial and induced pseudoscalar form factors on the CLS ensembles using [Formula: see text] dynamical flavors of nonperturbatively [Formula: see text]-improved Wilson fermions and an [Formula: see text]-improved axial current together with the pseudoscalar density. Excited-state effects in the extraction of the form factors are treated using a variety of methods, with a detailed discussion of their respective merits. The chiral and continuum extrapolation of the results is performed both using formulae inspired by Heavy Baryon Chiral Perturbation Theory (HBChPT) and a global approach to the form factors based on a chiral effective field theory (EFT) including axial vector mesons. Our results indicate that careful treatment of excited-state effects is important in order to obtain reliable results for the axial form factors of the nucleon, and that the main remaining error stems from the systematic uncertainties of the chiral extrapolation. As final results, we quote [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] for the axial charge, axial charge radius and induced pseudoscalar charge, respectively, where the first error is statistical and the second is systematic.


The novice-to-expert continuum serves as the basis for many development and advancement models. Consideration of the intent of the model, domains, and characteristics of practice, a foundation in reflective practice, and implications for educators are essential for successful implementation of a novice-to-expert model. An example of a long-standing novice-to-expert model and application of a novice-to-expert model to infusion nursing are discussed.


We present a direct method based on sampling theorem for computing eigenwavefronts associated with linear, space-invariant imaging systems (including aberrated imaging systems). The application of eigenwavefronts to inverse/ de-convolution problems in imaging is discussed. A noise-dependent measure for information carrying capacity of an imaging system is also proposed.