Anti-Christian violence in India has increased dramatically since the late 1990s, and there are now, on average, several hundred attacks on Christians every year. In this violence, Pentecostals are disproportionately targeted. This article begins by providing the historical and political context for anti-Christian violence, and then seeks to account for the disproportionate targeting of Pentecostals. While there are certain obvious factors, such as the more assertive evangelizing of Pentecostals (and other Evangelicals) vis-à-vis mainstream Christian groups, the article explores and highlights several less obvious factors, and in particular the peculiar social, theological, ecclesiastical and liturgical aspects of Pentecostalism that make this form of Christianity particularly objectionable to Hindu nationalists, as well – importantly – as to many mainstream and upper-caste/upper-class Indian Christians.


BOXES PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION PREFACE ACKNOWLEDGMENTS NOTES ON SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING CREDITS MASTER TIME LINE 1. INTRODUCTION: WHAT IS THE NEW TESTAMENT? WHAT TO EXPECT THE NEW TESTAMENT: SOME BASIC INFORMATION OTHER EARLY CHRISTIAN WRITINGS THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHRISTIAN CANON IMPLICATIONS FOR OUR STUDY THE NEW TESTAMENT: ONE OTHER SET OF PROBLEMS AT A GLANCE: THE NEW TESTAMENT CANON EXCURSUS: SOME ADDITIONAL REFLECTIONS: THE HISTORIAN AND THE BELIEVER SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING KEY TERMS QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REFLECTION 2. THE ENVIRONMENT OF EARLY CHRISTIAN TRADITIONS: THE GRECO-ROMAN WORLD WHAT TO EXPECT THE PROBLEM OF BEGINNINGS ONE REMARKABLE LIFE THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE NEW TESTAMENT: RELIGIONS IN THE GRECO-ROMAN WORLD AT A GLANCE: THE WORLD OF EARLY CHRISTIANITY SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING KEY TERMS QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REFLECTION 3. THE ENVIRONMENT OF EARLY CHRISTIAN TRADITIONS: THE WORLD OF ANCIENT JUDAISM WHAT TO EXPECT MONOTHEISM: THE BELIEF IN ONE TRUE GOD THE COVENANT: ISRAEL'S PACT WITH ITS GOD THE LAW: ISRAEL'S COVENANTAL OBLIGATIONS TEMPLE AND SYNAGOGUE: ISRAEL'S PLACES OF WORSHIP FORMS OF EARLY JUDAISM POLITICAL CRISES IN PALESTINE AND THEIR RAMIFICATIONS THE FORMATION OF JEWISH SECTS THE JEWISH CONTEXT FOR THE TRADITIONS ABOUT JESUS AT A GLANCE: THE WORLD OF EARLY JUDAISM SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING KEY TERMS QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REFLECTION 4. THE TRADITIONS OF JESUS IN THEIR GRECO-ROMAN CONTEXT WHAT TO EXPECT ORAL TRADITIONS BEHIND THE GOSPEL THE GOSPELS AS BIOGRAPHIES OF JESUS AT A GLANCE: THE TRADITIONS OF JESUS SOME ADDITIONAL REFLECTIONS: THE AUTHORS OF THE GOSPELS SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING KEY TERMS QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REFLECTION 5. JESUS, THE SUFFERING SON OF GOD: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK WHAT TO EXPECT THE SYNOPTIC PROBLEM THE BEGINNING OF THE GOSPEL: JESUS THE MESSIAH, THE SON OF GOD WHO FULFILLS SCRIPTURE JESUS THE AUTHORITATIVE SON OF GOD JESUS THE OPPOSED SON OF GOD JESUS THE MISUNDERSTOOD SON OF GOD JESUS THE ACKNOWLEDGED SON OF GOD JESUS THE SUFFERING SON OF GOD JESUS THE CRUCIFIED SON OF GOD JESUS THE VINDICATED SON OF GOD CONCLUSION: MARK AND HIS READERS AT A GLANCE: THE GOSPEL OF MARK SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING KEY TERMS QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REFLECTION 6. JESUS, THE JEWISH MESSIAH: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW WHAT TO EXPECT A REDACTIONAL APPROACH TO MATTHEW THE IMPORTANCE OF BEGINNINGS: JESUS THE JEWISH MESSIAH IN FULFILLMENT OF THE JEWISH SCRIPTURES THE PORTRAYAL OF JESUS IN MATTHEW: THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT AS A SPRINGBOARD JESUS REJECTED BY THE JEWISH LEADERS MATTHEW AND HIS READERS AT A GLANCE: THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING KEY TERMS QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REFLECTION 7. JESUS, THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE WHAT TO EXPECT A COMPARATIVE OVERVIEW OF THE GOSPEL THE PREFACE TO LUKE'S GOSPEL LUKE'S BIRTH NARRATIVE IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE FROM JEW TO GENTILE: LUKE'S PORTRAYAL OF JESUS THE REJECTED PROPHET LUKE'S DISTINCTIVE EMPHASES THROUGHOUT HIS GOSPEL CONCLUSION: LUKE IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE AT A GLANCE: THE GOSPEL OF LUKE SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING KEY TERMS QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REFLECTION 8. JESUS, THE MAN SENT FROM HEAVEN: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHN WHAT TO EXPECT THE GOSPEL OF JOHN FROM A LITERARY-HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE THE GOSPEL OF JOHN FROM A REDACTIONAL PERSPECTIVE THE GOSPEL OF JOHN FROM A THEMATIC PERSPECTIVE THE GOSPEL OF JOHN FROM A COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE THE AUTHOR OF THE FOURTH GOSPEL AT A GLANCE: THE GOSPEL OF JOHN SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING KEY TERMS QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REFLECTION 9. THE HISTORICAL JESUS WHAT TO EXPECT PROBLEMS WITH SOURCES USING OUR SOURCES JEWISH APOCALYPTICISM JESUS IN HIS APOCALYPTIC CONTEXT THE BEGINNING AND END AS KEYS TO THE MIDDLE THE APOCALYPTIC DEEDS OF JESUS THE APOCALYPTIC TEACHINGS OF JESUS THE APOCALYPTIC DEATH OF JESUS AT A GLANCE: JESUS THE APOCALYPTIC PROPHET SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING KEY TERMS QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REFLECTION 10. FROM JESUS TO THE GOSPELS WHAT TO EXPECT THE BEGINNING OF CHRISTIANITY JESUS' RESURRECTION FROM AN APOCALYPTIC PERSPECTIVE JESUS' DEATH, ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES THE EMERGENCE OF DIFFERENT UNDERSTANDINGS OF JESUS AT A GLANCE: FROM JESUS TO THE GOSPELS SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING KEY TERMS QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REFLECTION 11. LUKE'S SECOND VOLUME: THE BOOK OF ACTS WHAT TO EXPECT THE GENRE OF ACTS AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE THE THEMATIC APPROACH TO ACTS FROM GOSPEL TO ACTS: THE OPENING TRANSITION THEMES IN THE SPEECHES IN ACTS AT A GLANCE: THE BOOK OF ACTS CONCLUSION: THE AUTHOR AND HIS THEMES IN CONTEXT SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING KEY TERMS QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REFLECTION 12. PAUL THE APOSTLE: THE MAN AND HIS MISSION WHAT TO EXPECT THE STUDY OF PAUL: METHODOLOGICAL DIFFICULTIES THE LIFE OF PAUL AT A GLANCE: PAUL AND HIS MISSION SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING KEY TERMS QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REFLECTION 13. PAUL AND HIS APOSTOLIC MISSION: I THESSALONIANS AS A TEST CASE WHAT TO EXPECT THE FOUNDING OF THE CHURCH IN THESSALONICA THE BEGINNINGS OF THE THESSALONIAN CHURCH: A SOCIO-HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE THE CHURCH AT THESSALONICA AFTER PAUL'S DEPARTURE CONCLUSION: PAUL THE APOSTLE AT A GLANCE: I THESSALONIANS SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING KEY TERMS QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REFLECTION 14. PAUL AND THE CRISES OF HIS CHURCHES: THE CORINTHIAN CORRESPONDENCE WHAT TO EXPECT 1 CORINTHIANS AT A GLANCE: 1 CORINTHIANS 2 CORINTHIANS AT A GLANCE: 2 CORINTHIANS SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING KEY TERMS QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REFLECTION 15. PAUL AND THE CRISES OF HIS CHURCHES: GALATIANS, PHILIPPIANS, AND PHILEMON WHAT TO EXPECT GALATIANS AT A GLANCE: GALATIANS PHILIPPIANS AT A GLANCE: PHILIPPIANS PHILEMON AT A GLANCE: PHILEMON SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING KEY TERMS QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REFLECTION 16. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO PAUL: THE LETTER TO THE ROMANS WHAT TO EXPECT THE OCCASION AND PURPOSE OF THE LETTER THE THEME OF THE EPISTLE PAULINE MODELS FOR SALVATION THE FLOW OF PAUL'S ARGUMENT CONCLUSION: PAUL AND THE ROMANS AT A GLANCE: ROMANS SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING KEY TERMS QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REFLECTION 17. IN THE WAKE OF THE APOSTLE: THE DEUTERO-PAULINE AND PASTORAL EPISTLES WHAT TO EXPECT PSEUDONYMITY IN THE ANCIENT WORLD THE DEUTERO-PAULINE EPISTLES AT A GLANCE: THE DEUTERO-PAULINE EPISTLES THE PASTORAL EPISTLES THE HISTORICAL SITUATION AND AUTHORSHIP OF THE PASTORAL EPISTLES AT A GLANCE: THE PASTORAL EPISTLES SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING KEY TERMS QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REFLECTION 18. FROM PAUL'S FEMALE COLLEAGUES TO THE PASTOR'S INTIMIDATED WOMEN: THE OPPRESSION OF WOMEN IN EARLY CHRISTIANITY WHAT TO EXPECT WOMEN IN PAUL'S CHURCHES WOMEN ASSOCIATED WITH JESUS PAUL'S UNDERSTANDING OF WOMEN IN THE CHURCH WOMEN IN THE AFTERMATH OF PAUL ANCIENT IDEOLOGIES OF GENDER GENDER IDEOLOGY AND THE PAULINE CHURCHES AT A GLANCE: WOMEN IN EARLY CHRISTIANITY SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING KEY TERMS QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REFLECTION 19. CHRISTIAN CONFLICTS WITH JEWS AND PAGANS: HEBREWS AND 1 PETER WHAT TO EXPECT CHRISTIANS AND JEWS EARLY CHRISTIAN SELF-DEFINITION CONTINUITY AND SUPERIORITY: THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS AT A GLANCE: HEBREWS CHRISTIANS AND PAGANS CHRISTIANS IN A HOSTILE WORLD: THE LETTER OF 1 PETER AT A GLANCE: 1 PETER SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING KEY TERMS QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REFLECTION 20. CHRISTIAN CONFLICTS WITH CHRISTIANS: JAMES, 2 PETER, JUDE, AND THE JOHANNINE EPISTLES WHAT TO EXPECT CHRISTIAN CONFLICTS WITH CHRISTIANS THE EPISTLE OF JAMES JUDE 2 PETER THE JOHANNINE EPISTLES UNDERSTANDING THE JOHANNINE EPISTLES REFLECTIONS ON THE CONTEXTUAL METHOD FOR UNDERSTANDING THE JOHANNINE EPISTLES CONFLICTS WITHIN THE EARLY CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES AT A GLANCE: CHRISTIAN INTERNAL CONFLICTS SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING KEY TERMS QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REFLECTION 21. CHRISTIANS AND THE COSMOS: THE BOOK OF REVELATION WHAT TO EXPECT THE CONTENT AND STRUCTURE OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION THE BOOK OF REVELATION FROM A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE APOCALYPTIC WORLD VIEWS AND APOCALYPSE GENRE THE REVELATION OF JOHN IN HISTORICAL CONTEXT AT A GLANCE: THE BOOK OF REVELATION SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING KEY TERMS QUESTIONS FOR STUDY AND REFLECTION GLOSSARY OF TERMS INDEX


Laser cutters are 2D tools, but their speed and compatibility with a variety of affordable materials also makes them a frequent choice to create 3D objects. We propose CutCAD, a tool to easily construct simple 3D objects from 2D faces, inspired by the process of paper modeling and magnetic construction kits. The user creates her 3D model by drawing or loading existing 2D shapes, and connecting their edges in the software. CutCAD then automatically resolves the resulting constraints, and folds the faces up into a 3D model that is previewed live. CutCAD also automatically creates the required finger joints based on thickness of the material and dihedral angles, for smooth assembly. Cutouts are easy to add by importing their outlines as vector drawings, and placing them onto faces. After the faces have been cut, CutCAD provides assembly instructions. Observations and feedback from using CutCAD show the resulting process to be easier to understand than traditional 3D modelling. CutCAD is open-source, and has been downloaded over 2,000 times.


Oxford Archaeology East has been commissioned by Campbell Buchanan to produce a Desk Based Assessment for the Hinchingbrooke Hospital Car Park site, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. This report covers the assessment and a prediction of the archaeological potential of the site.
A small amount of Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age archaeology has previously been identified in the study area. An archaeological evaluation has been carried out in the northern part of the car park itself in which identified a series of medieval plough furrows and modern disturbance of the archaeological horizon.
The main emphasis of the area seems to be the land adjacent to the proposed development at the New School sites and further away at Bob's Wood, where significant Middle to Late Iron Age and Romano-British occupational deposits, buildings, in particular a possible Villa building, and features were uncovered in a series of excavations from the early 2000's. Other work in the area has added further evidence for an extensive Middle Iron age to Romano-British settlement.
A small amount of Medieval archaeology has also been identified primarily ridge and furrow truncating the earlier Iron Age and Romano-British deposits and a Post-Medieval farm house, Hinchingbrooke Farm, which was located in the proposed development area until it was demolished in the late 1970's/early 1980's.
This spread of evidence from within the local vicinity indicates that this is an area of high archaeological significant and suggests there is a moderate to high chance of surviving archaeological features and deposits of Iron Age, Roman and Medieval date. Residual Late Neolithic and Bronze Age material has been found in the study area. Earlier prehistoric activity (from the Palaeolithic to the Early Neolithic) and Saxon archaeological features and deposits have not been previously been identified within study area but their presence cannot be totally ruled out.


The effects of size, dry mass intake and nutritional value of the brackishwater cladoceran, Diaphanosoma celebensis, on the growth and survival of 15-30 day sea bass (Lates calcarifer) larvae reared in a static green water system were determined. The highest specific growth rate (29.4%/day) was attained in larvae fed a 1:1 combination of Artemia nauplii and adult Diaphanosoma but it was not significantly different (p>0.05) from fish fed only adult Diaphanosoma (28.8%/day) or only juvenile instar Diaphanosoma (28.6%/day). Survival rates of larvae (92.499.0%) fed the different live diets did not significantly differ (p>0.05). Larvae markedly prefered juvenile instar Diaphanosoma over Artemia nauplii and adult Diaphanosoma. The crude protein contents of juvenile Diaphanosoma (58.7%), adult Diaphanosoma (58.3%) and Artemia (56.7%) were substantially high and satisfied the dietary protein requirements of larvae. The fatty acid profile of the sea bass fry reflected the lipid composition of the live diet. Improved growth, survival and dry mass intake in larvae indicate the potential of juvenile Diaphanosoma in the hatchery rearing of sea bass larvae.


Further studies are required to provide an insight and understanding into the internationalisation process of EMNCs, because the theories of firms' internationalisation were developed from studies in advanced countries. However the behaviour of EMNCs may be different from that of firms from advanced countries. Despite a growing number of studies on the internationalisation process of emerging market multinationals (EMNCs), Latin American and Asian firms have dominated the geographical focus. Studies of the internationalisation process of Sub-Saharan African firms, in particular that of Nigerian firms, are lacking in the international business literature.

This study examines the factors that have impacted on the domestic growth of Nigerian firms, the factors that have motivated their internationalisation and the location patterns of their internationalisation. It draws on four case studies of Nigerian companies from different sectors of the Nigerian economy; namely, manufacturing, banking, insurance and ICT. This study is important because it brings an in-depth understanding to an under explored new phenomenon. Data were drawn from multiple sources of evidence for triangulation and convergence. "Within-case" and "cross-case" data analysis was undertaken. The primary data were analysed thematically and the Nvivo 11 qualitative software package was used for data coding.

It was found that there is no uniform set of factors that have motivated the internationalisation of Nigerian firms. Even though some similarities exist across cases, there are also stark differences. The study shows that Nigerian firms have evolved during a difficult period in Nigeria's economic development. It also reveals that the economics of liberalisation after the democratic transition in 1999 opened new opportunities, which enabled Nigerian firms to accumulate their specific ownership advantages in the domestic market, which then enhanced their competitive advantage in both domestic and international markets. The home country's specific advantages, such as resource endowment, favourable domestic business environment and home market profitability have had a positive impact on firms' ability to develop their specific advantages. The study reveals that institutional and resource based factors drove the domestic growth of the four firms. These included the political environment, social conditions, economic conditions, technological changes, sectorial characteristics, management orientation and the resources and capabilities of the firms.

The internationalisation of Nigerian firms also reflects a Pan-African investment strategy. Regional/host markets factors were key motivations for the firms' internationalisation and their location patterns. Regional markets provided the case firms with opportunities to expand and also served as an international entry point to develop their experiential learning of internationalisation. Home market advantage, network relationships, management orientation, vision, resources and capabilities were found to have impacted positively on the internationalisation process of Nigerian firms. The study indicates that the geographical proximity of the host market, rather than its psychic distance, was a motivation for both Nigerian firms' internationalisation and their location pattern.


Existing approaches for business process improvement often lack systematic guidelines to transform a business process into an enhanced state, which we refer to as the "act of improvement". To close this gap, a pattern-based approach has been designed and developed in previous works. In this paper, the usefulness of "Business Process Improvement Patterns" (BPI-Patterns) as a means of improving business processes is analyzed. For this purpose, a simulation experiment is performed in which several BPI-Patterns are applied to evaluate whether their anticipated effects can be confirmed for reallife business processes. From the analysis of the simulation results, i.e. how the application of BPIPatterns affects the business processes, we investigate enabling as well as hindering factors that influence the implementation of BPI-Patterns. These factors may serve as a means to further specify instances of BPI-Patterns and also contribute to the overall evaluation of the BPI-Pattern approach.


The new Foreign Investment Law ("FIL") will come into force in China on 1 January 2020. Simultaneously, the current "three foreign investment laws", namely the EJV Law, CJV Law and WFOE Law, will be repealed. The new legal regime subscribes to the spirit of national treatment of foreign-invested entities ("FIE"), although adopting specific rules for FIE's in itself prevents real national treatment of such entities. This thesis discusses achievements as well as open questions with regard to the FIL. Important topics include the FIL's new foreign investment security review system, the new working mechanism for complaints of foreign investors as well as the nature of "policy commitments" issued by government authorities towards foreign investors. In addition, the paper discusses the FIL's effect on corporate government structures of existing FIEs and on the legal situation of "variable interest entities" operating in China.


The growth of personal image collections has boosted the creation of many applications, many of which depend on the existence of fast schemes to match similar image descriptors. In this paper we present multicurves, a new indexing method for multimedia descriptors, able to handle high dimensionalities (100 dimensions and over) and large databases (millions of descriptors). The technique allows a fast implementation of approximate kNN search, and deals easily with data updating (insertions and deletions). The index is based on the simultaneous use of several moderate-dimensional space-filling curves. The combined effect of having more than one curve, and reducing the dimensionality of each individual curve allows overcoming undesirable boundary effects. In empirical evaluations, the method compares favorably with state-of-the-art methods, especially when the constraints of secondary storage are considered.


This document extends SIP with two header fields and associated option tags that can be used in INVITE requests to convey the requester's preference for user-interface handling related to answering of that request. The first header, "Answer-Mode", expresses a preference as to whether the target node's user interface waits for user input before accepting the request or, instead, accepts the request without waiting on user input. The second header, "Priv-Answer-Mode", is similar to the first, except that it requests administrative-level access and has consequent additional authentication and authorization requirements. These behaviors have applicability to applications such as push-to-talk and to diagnostics like loop-back. Usage of each header field in a response to indicate how the request was handled is also defined.


The article deals with efficiency and costs diminishing problems of social services organisation and provision in Lithuanian municipalities. The author's analysis of social services economic levers is based on many authors research, surveys and social reports. Mainly the author is relying on research and surveys conducted in 2002-2004 by researchers from Mykolas Romeris university, Labour and social research institute and New economics institute in Vilnius. Among the most important is research conducted by Mykolas Romeris university and Association of Local Authorities in Lithuania which was devoted to improvement of social services in Lithuanian municipalities. Drawing the benchmarking among municipalities by counting and evaluating dependency on several efficiency and effectiveness variables in 2002-2003 made it possible to define the best, good and worst working social support centres among Lithuanian municipalities. Among the best were social services centres in Panevėžys and Vilnius cities and provincial Varėna, Akmenė, Molėtai, Radviliskis districts. The article contains some important methodological definitions and conclusions. Among them there are definitions of economic levers in providing social services and the methodological conclusion considering social support for the marginal groups. It is not yet fully assumed in Lithuania that very different approaches and economic levers have to be devoted to certain marginal groups and mainly active, not passive social policy measures are necessary for the improvement of marginal groups situation in Lithuania. It is necessary to stress that marginal groups require more social support than other societal groups in order to reach certain positive results. In the end of the article the proposals on improving efficiency and costs reduction of social services are recommended to the reader.


VHF radio systems commonly used to support search and rescue activities after disasters limit the flow of information among response teams deployed in the field. It generates islands of information that jeopardizes the coordination and effectiveness of the response activities. This article proposes a communication model that uses opportunistic networks and real-time messages delivery to help address such limitation. Since the communication model is computable, it is possible to diagnose the flow of information expected for a particular work scenario. The diagnose results allow identifying elements that could help improve the information flow in such scenario. This proposal allows first responders to address the stated problem during the phases of preparedness, response and recovery from a disaster.


Adenotonsillectomy (T&A) has established effectiveness for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, more than 20% of children with OSA have respiratory compromise requiring medical intervention in the postoperative period. The reasons for this complication are not well‐defined. We aimed to compare the nature and severity of sleep‐disordered breathing in children with mild and severe OSA on the first night following adenotonsillectomy. Ten children were classified into groups of mild and severe OSA, based on preoperative testing. On the first night after T&A, they underwent polysomnography, including electroencephalograph, submental electromyography, bilateral electro‐oculograms, monitoring of respiratory movements, heart rate, ECG, and oxygen saturation. Sleep‐disordered breathing was assessed by the apnea‐hypopnea index, the SaO2 nadir, and the desaturation index, including dips in saturation below 90% (DI90). Sleep quality was assessed by sleep efficiency, time spent in each sleep state, and respiratory arousal index. Obstructive events occurred postoperatively in all children, but were more frequent in those with severe OSA preoperatively: the median (interquartile range) mixed/obstructive apnea/hypopnea indicies were 6.9 (2.2–9.8) events/hr and 21.5 (15.1–112.1) events/hr for the mild OSA group and the severe OSA group, respectively (P = 0.009). Obstructive events were the major cause of desaturation during sleep postoperatively. Sleep quality was severely disrupted in both groups, with reductions in both slow‐wave sleep and rapid eye movement sleep. In conclusion, despite removal of obstructing lymphoid tissue, upper airway obstruction occurred on the first postoperative night in children with OSA. This study is the first to demonstrate the mechanism of respiratory compromise after adenotonsillectomy, a common postoperative complication in children with severe OSA. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2005; 39:332–338. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Yoshi Oida is completely unique. A Japanese actor and director who has worked mainly in the West as a member of Peter Brook's theatre company in Paris, he blends the oriental tradition of supreme and studied control with the Western performer's need to characterise and expose depths of emotion. In this practical and captivating study of the actor's art written with Lorna Marshall, Yoshi Oida explains that once the audience becomes openly aware of the actor's method and becomes too conscious of the actor's artistry, the wonder of performance dies. The audience must never see the actor but only his or her performance. Throughout Lorna Marshall provides a running commentary on Yoshi Oida's work and methods which help you understand the achievement of this singular theatrical artist.


Herein, we report for the first time a general and selective ruthenium-catalyzed reductive methylation of amines using dimethyl carbonate as a C1 source and molecular hydrogen as a reducing agent. Notably, this methodology allows N-methylated tertiary aromatic and aliphatic amines to be obtained with good to excellent yields using a green, non-toxic and biodegradable carbon source in the presence of an in situ formed Ru/Triphos complex. The catalytic protocol presented here opens the possibility of developing new sustainable processes for the selective synthesis of N-methyl substituted amines using molecular hydrogen. Mechanistic and kinetic studies have been carried out in order to understand the pathways involved in the general reaction mechanism for the N-methylation of aniline.


Socio-ecological systems are inherently complex. One source of complexity is the uncertainties involved in the decisions and behaviors of human actors that determine how landholdings are managed. Land management decisions are often influenced by diverse factors and considerations. Particularly significant among these are (1) the sources of information land managers utilize with their perceived quality, reliability, and accessibility; (2) the social networks of the decision maker with their pertinent history, appeal, and authority; and (3) the interests, resources, and prior experiences of individual decision makers. This degree of diversity and uncertainty gives rise to behaviors that cannot be entirely explained in terms of rational choice or any variation thereof. How can we best understand and explain these behaviors, as spatial but also social and informational, in land-use decision making? This article presents the case of land management in a county in the Midwest United States to develop a conceptual model of decision making of environmental resources in socio-ecological systems. This model conceives environmental decision making as a multivalent process that operates on the basis of different "regimes of worth," incorporating not only the economic value of outcomes but also other personal and social values within different worlds or polities. These worlds, in turn, incorporate particular "regimes of information" based on particular higher principles that they uphold. The article examines these regimes, provides examples of what constitutes information in each regimes, and explores the management and policy implications of this framework.


Abstract Objectives: Recent evidence in the literature suggests that regional anaesthesia may be the preferred choice over general anaesthesia for patients with severe pre-eclampsia who present for a Caesarean section. This study was conducted to determine if this applied to our population and to assess outcomes. Design: A retrospective comparative observational study was conducted. Setting and subjects: The study was carried out at the King Edward VIII Hospital and included patients with severe pre-eclampsia who presented for emergency Caesarean section. Eighty-four charts were analysed. Outcome measures: The type of anaesthetic that was administered was determined and compared for maternal intraoperative haemodynamic changes and maternal and neonatal outcomes. Results: Sixty-nine per cent of patients received spinal anaesthesia and 25% general anaesthesia (GA). Intraoperative systolic blood pressures of < 100 mmHg were recorded in 19% of GA and in 27.6% of spinal anaesthesia cases. A > 20% fall in mean arterial pressure from baseline was noted in 66.7% of GA and in 75.9% of spinal anaesthesia cases. There was no maternal mortality and one case of morbidity (a spinal anaesthesia case). An Apgar score of < 7 was recorded in 66.7% of GA cases and in 19% of spinal anaesthesia cases. Neonatal morbidity and mortality occurred in 33.3% of GA and in 10.3% of spinal anaesthesia cases. Conclusion: Maternal morbidity and mortality were not significantly different between the two groups. Neonatal outcomes were poorer in the GA group, but neonates in the GA group had significantly lower birthweights and gestational ages. Their mothers also had more severe disease. This study supports spinal anaesthesia as an appropriate anaesthetic choice in patients with severe pre-eclampsia.


This Note argues that the European Community ("EC") should amend the European Community Treaty to provide authority for EC accession to the European Court of Human Rights ("ECHR") because the belief in and protection of human rights must be at the core of a thriving constitutional legal system. As the EC continues to grow geographically, its legal competences must also grow to deal with the challenges of building a singular, unified Europe from traditionally autonomous European states and EC institutions. Part I of this Note explains the institutions of the EC, examines the principles and objectives of the ECHR and its present application in the EC, and discusses current human rights protection in the EC. Part II considers the objectives of a unified Europe, the conflicting opinions regarding EC accession to the ECHR, and the present lack of codification of human rights legislation in the EC. Part III argues that the necessity of enumerated, uniformly enforceable human rights protections at the EC level overrides claims that the EC should not extend its competences to include accession to the ECHR. This Note concludes that the EC should amend the European Community Treaty to include a provision for accession to the ECHR. PROTECTING HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION: AN ARGUMENT FOR TREATY REFORM


Amidst the chaos of World War II In a land of brutality and bloodshed One death can still change everything. In war-torn Yugoslavia, a beautiful young filmmaker and photographer a veritable hero to her people and a German officer have been brutally murdered. Assigned to the case is military intelligence officer Captain Gregor Reinhardt. Already haunted by his wartime actions and the mistakes he s made off the battlefield, he soon finds that his investigation may be more than just a murder and that the late Yugoslavian heroine may have been much more brilliant and treacherous than anyone knew. Maneuvering his way through a minefield of political, military, and personal agendas and vendettas, Reinhardt knows that someone is leaving a trail of dead bodies to cover their tracks. But those bloody tracks may lead Reinhardt to a secret hidden within the ranks of the powerful that they will do anything to keep. And his search for the truth may kill him before he ever finds it."


The all-pairs-similarity-search (or similarity join) problem has been extensively studied for text and a handful of other datatypes. However, surprisingly little progress has been made on similarity joins for time series subsequences. The lack of progress probably stems from the daunting nature of the problem. For even modest sized datasets the obvious nested-loop algorithm can take months, and the typical speed-up techniques in this domain (i.e., indexing, lower-bounding, triangular-inequality pruning and early abandoning) at best produce one or two orders of magnitude speedup. In this work we introduce a novel scalable algorithm for time series subsequence all-pairs-similarity-search. For exceptionally large datasets, the algorithm can be trivially cast as an anytime algorithm and produce high-quality approximate solutions in reasonable time. The exact similarity join algorithm computes the answer to the time series motif and time series discord problem as a side-effect, and our algorithm incidentally provides the fastest known algorithm for both these extensively-studied problems. We demonstrate the utility of our ideas for two time series data mining problems, including motif discovery and novelty discovery.


To what extent does development influence migration? How does migration affect development? In recent years, there has been a huge amount of research into such questions about what has come to be known as the migration–development nexus. In this important collection, Oliver Bakewell draws together key articles by leading scholars which investigate past and current thinking on the complex linkages between migration and development. The volume studies the impacts of levels of development on both internal and international migration and the impacts of migration on economic and social change in both origin and destination areas. Further topics covered include the influence of transnationalism and diasporas. It presents the reasons for the rise of the migration–development nexus and concludes by offering some critical perspectives on it.


In many real-world scenarios, labeled data for a specific machine learning task is costly to obtain. Semi-supervised training methods make use of abundantly available unlabeled data and a smaller number of labeled examples. We propose a new framework for semi-supervised training of deep neural networks inspired by learning in humans. Associations are made from embeddings of labeled samples to those of unlabeled ones and back. The optimization schedule encourages correct association cycles that end up at the same class from which the association was started and penalizes wrong associations ending at a different class. The implementation is easy to use and can be added to any existing end-to-end training setup. We demonstrate the capabilities of learning by association on several data sets and show that it can improve performance on classification tasks tremendously by making use of additionally available unlabeled data. In particular, for cases with few labeled data, our training scheme outperforms the current state of the art on SVHN.


Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is a genetic disorder of unknown etiology. Scoliosis is a clinical feature of inherited connective‐tissue disorders including Marfan syndrome. Mutations within the gene of FBN1 (fibrillin 15), a component of the extracellular matrix, are now linked to Marfan syndrome and similar clinical phenotypes. This study investigated the potential association of structural genes encoding for extracellular matrix components of FBN1, elastin, and one of the polypeptides of type‐I collagen (COL1A2) with familial adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Eleven pedigrees, including 96 individuals, were identified in which adolescent idiopathic scoliosis segregated in an apparent autosomal dominant pattern. Fifty‐two individuals were determined to be affected with scoliosis. Genomic DNA was analyzed by genetic linkage utilizing four intragenic markers for the structural genes FBN1, elastin, and COL1A2. Collectively, our results exclude the structural genes of FBN1. elstin, and COL1A2 as candidate genes within these families. However, when viewed individually, specific markers cannot be excluded within all of the families. This information complements previously reported data that fibrillin production and matrix incorporation from scoliotic fibroblasts in vitro are normal in more than 80% of patients studied.


Context. Lyman-break galaxies (LBG) and narrowband (NB) surveys have been successful at detecting large samples of high-redshift galaxies. Both methods are subject to contamination from low-redshift interlopers. Aims. Our aim is to investigate the nature of low-redshift interlopers in NB Lyman-ff emitters (LAE) searches. Methods. From previous HAWK-I NB imaging at z similar to 7.7, we identify three objects that would have been selected as high-redshift LAEs had our optical data been one magnitude shallower (but still one to two magnitudes fainter than the near infrared data). We follow up these objects in spectroscopy with X-Shooter at the VLT. Results. Despite low quality data due to bad weather conditions, for each of the three objects we identify one, and only one emission line, in the spectra of the objects that we identify as the [OIII]5007 angstrom line. From this result, combined with spectral energy density fitting and tests based on line ratios of several populations of galaxies, we infer that the three objects are ultra-strong line emitters at redshifts similar to 1.1. Conclusions. From this work and the literature we remark that the [OIII] line appears to be a common source of contamination in high-redshift LBG and LAE samples and we suggest that efforts be made to characterize with high accuracy the [OIII] luminosity function out to redshift similar to 3 or higher.


One of the great challenges in ecology is to explain how large numbers of plant species are able to coexist in natural communities. The role of spatial structure for maintaining plant coexistence has so far mainly been explored by theory. Spatial structure involves two main processes: dispersal and competition. Competitive interactions between plants occur over relatively small spatial scales. Spatially limited dispersal together with local interactions can result in individual neighbourhoods much different from mean population densities. Theory suggests that seed dispersal may contribute substantially to population dynamics and plant coexistence. However, additional processes affect the survival and fitness of established individuals, and the consequences of seed dispersal for local community dynamics are still under-explored. Individual-based models examine population dynamics by modelling survival and growth for each individual separately. As a consequence, assumptions have to be made about the distances over which neighbourhood interactions occur and how these attenuate with distance. Theory has shown that a competitively weaker species can invade a population of a superior species if the average distance at which conspecifics compete is longer than the average distance at which heterospecifics compete (heteromyopia). However, empirical knowledge on the spatial scales of competition lags behind, and heteromyopia has not been reported so far. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are symbiotic fungi that colonise the roots of most plant species and enhance their hosts' nutrient supply. Increasing evidence for host-specificity and the fact that AMF can connect the roots of many plant species suggest that they might be involved in the spatial scales of competiton. In my thesis I experimentally tested basic model assumptions and theoretical predictions on how dispersal and competition may contribute to maintain plant species coexistence. In a field experiment, I examined the consequences of seed dispersal distance for spatial pattern and local population dynamics of the perennial forb Prunella grandiflora. I found that only individuals in the vegetative but not in the reproductive stage responded to dispersal manipulation. Increasing dispersal distance lead to more vegetative individuals, and decreasing dispersal distance resulted in a more aggregated spatial distribution. In two target-neighbour competition experiments I tested for heteromyopia in co-occurring forbs from calcareous grasslands. I explored the spatial scales of intra- and interspecific competitive interactions, how these attenuate with distance and the role of AMF therein. Although the distances over which intra- and interspecific competition could be detected varied substantially, I found no evidence for hetereomyopia. AMF neither influenced the distances over which competition occurred nor how the strength of competition declined over distance. However, AMF reduced the effects of relative size differences between neighbouring plants. The intensity of competitive interactions was primarily determined by relative size differences between target and neighbour plants, irrespective of their con- or heterospecific status. However, a conspecific neighbour may be more important than a heterospecific neighbour but only as the neighbour becomes very large compared to the target individual (size-identity interaction). Finally, I also tested for within-population host-specificity of genetically different isolates of Glomus intraradices. The different AMF isolates altered plant biomass and differed in their efficiency to colonise plant roots. Interestingly, plant species differed substantially in their susceptibility to different functional differences between these isolates, and this seemed to be positively linked to the percentage root colonisation. The results of my thesis emphasise the importance of both dispersal and competition as spatial mechanisms promoting plant coexistence and point towards novel aspects of AMF in spatial plant ecology. I could confirm theory in that dispersal affects local population dynamics of natural plant communities - at least in the short run. From my target-neighbour experiments, I conclude that resource competition and AMF can be ruled out as potential mechanisms for heteromyopia. My results suggest


After coronary stent implantation, dual-antiplatelet therapy (DAT), such as aspirin and clopidogrel, is essential to prevent stent thrombosis. Proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) may be used to prevent gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding during DAT, but there is no evidence for the e‹cacy of PPIs in this setting. Because both clopidogrel and PPIs are metabolized by cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C19, there is a possibility that, through drug interaction, PPIs diminish the antiplatelet eŠect of clopidogrel. In this retrospective cohort study, we evaluated the e‹cacy and safety of rabeprazole in patients receiving DAT of clopidogrel and aspirin after drug-eluting stent implantation. In 199 patients treated with DAT alone (control group) and 103 patients treated with rabeprazole plus DAT (rabeprazole group), we examined the incidences of GI bleeding and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) including stent thrombosis. The incidence of GI bleeding was not signiˆcantly diŠerent between the groups (hazard ratio 0.47 [95% conˆdence interval 0.151.42], P=0.18; P=0.17 in log-rank test), although no patient with severe bleeding was observed in the rabeprazole group. The use of rabeprazole did not increase the incidence of MACE (hazard ratio 1.28 [95% conˆdence interval 0.543.00], P=0.56; P=0.56 in log-rank test). One patient who developed subacute stent thrombosis under DAT was genetically proven to be a CYP2C19 poor metabolizer. The eŠect of rabeprazole to prevent GI bleeding is limited in patients receiving DAT. It remains to be conˆrmed whether these results may depend on CYP2C19 polymorphisms or a class of PPIs.


Social movements are extra-institutional forces that stimulate institutional and social change. Research has emphasized political opportunities, consciousness and organizational readiness as critical conditions for movements. In this thesis, I argue that such a conceptualization couches agency under structure, and does not explain how activists may create movement potentiality when none of the aforementioned conditions exist. This omission is significant because many movements can be traced to a pre-movement period when one (or a few) activist group(s) operated in movement-inhibiting environments to create conditions that enable future movements. In particular, the current literature lacks insights regarding the following question: How does a social movement organization (SMO) create a premovement, and avoid elite repression in a movement-inhibiting context? I use extensive primary archival data, complemented by interviews, to address this question. Specifically, I study how an American non-governmental organization, the Ford Foundation (FF), through its grant-making activities in China from 1975 to 2008, mobilized a diverse range of actors to seed the human rights movement in an authoritarian environment. I identify two strategic processes by FF: 1) a brokering process, in which FF transferred human rights-related meanings and knowledge from Western contexts to China, and 2) a scaffolding process, in which FF developed concept-espousing Chinese actors and linked them into networks. The first process generated movement consciousness, while the second process created movement-relevant actors and networks. Importantly, I find that FF was able to enact these two pre-movement processes without elite repression through "robust action" — namely, by developing double-sided actors who addressed elites' needs of resolving institutional contradictions during China's economic reform, but who also possessed human rights consciousness. This thesis contributes to social movement research by identifying SMO strategic processes in the pre-movement period and explaining how SMOs can respond to movement-inhibiting contexts with robust action.


Family firms are often criticized for failing to seek new ventures, being conservative and resisting change. On the other hand, researchers believe that certain characteristics in family relationship can foster strategic flexibility. Drawing on Stewardship theory, this paper, rather than arguing in favor or against family business innovation, takes a contingency approach and analyzes variables that may affect innovation in family startups and the conditions that leverage their family resources as competitive advantage. Specifically, this paper proposes that altruism, power concentration and their interaction affect strategic flexibility. It is also argued that family business with main founders high in altruism and low on power concentration can become more innovative than when the main founder is low in altruism and high in power concentration. Finally, it is suggested that the effect of altruism on strategic flexibility should be stronger in family business than in non-family business. Implications for theory and practice are derived.


Despite decades of intense research efforts in the field of implanted biomaterials, microbial infection still remains a serious problem for long-term use of implanted medical devices. Bacterial adhesion is the critical step in the pathogenesis of biomaterial associated infection. Understanding the mechanisms of bacterial adhesion and interaction with biomaterial surface as well as the factors influencing bacterial adhesion is important for battling and controlling bacterial adhesion and thereby preventing biomaterial associated microbial infection. This chapter gives a brief introduction of recent progresses on the studies of molecular mechanisms of staphylococcal adhesion and biofilm formation on biomaterial surfaces, and the factors influencing bacterial adhesion including biomaterial surface properties, plasma proteins, and interactions of platelets–bacteria. The chapter also demonstrates the bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation on textured biomaterial surface. Results suggest that patterned surface texturing of biomaterials provides an effective means of reducing staphylococcal adhesion and biofilm formation on biomaterial surfaces, and thus to subsequently prevent biomaterial associated infections. Finally, the chapter briefly introduces the techniques and methods used in the study of bacterial adhesion, especially in the development and application of atomic force microscopy.


Bacterial nanowires have garnered recent interest as a proposed Extracellular Electron Transfer (EET) pathway that links the bacterial electron transport chain to solid-phase electron acceptors away from the cell. In vivo fluorescence Light Microscopy (fLM) imaging recently showed that Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 nanowires are extensions of the outer membrane that contain EET components. However, their fine structure and distribution of cytochrome electron carriers remained unclear, making it difficult to evaluate the electron transport mechanism along the nanowires. Here, we report high-resolution images of nanowires using Electron Cryo-Tomography (ECT). We developed a robust method for fLM imaging of nanowire growth on electron microscopy grids and used correlative light and electron microscopy to identify and image the same nanowires by ECT. Our results confirm that S. oneidensis nanowires are outer membrane extensions, and further reveal that nanowires are dynamic chains of interconnected Outer Membrane Vesicles (OMVs) with variable dimensions, curvature, and extent of tubulation. Junction densities that potentially stabilize OMV chains are seen between neighboring vesicles in cryotomograms. Our ECT results also provide the first hints of the positions and packing of periplasmic and outer membrane proteins consistent with cytochromes. We observe tight packing of putative cytochromes along lateral patches that extend tens of nanometers, but not across the micrometer scale of whole nanowires. We therefore propose that electron transfer along nanowires involves a combination of direct hopping and diffusive events that link neighboring redox proteins.


Students' executive functions (EFs) are linked to school success. Although school-age children spend much of their time interacting with peers, few studies have explored how children's classmates may promote EF development in elementary school. In this study, we test whether mean levels and variability in classmates' EF skills are associated with growth in individual students' accuracy and speed on EF tasks among third, fourth, and fifth graders (N = 806). We find that classmates' speed, but not accuracy, on EF tasks is linked to significant improvements in individual students' EFs over the school year. Classmates' average EFs, as indexed by faster accurate responses on EF tasks, are associated with improvements in individual students' speed on EF tasks. These results were robust to the inclusion of individual students' general processing speed. In contrast, variability in classmates' accuracy and speed on EF tasks was not associated with individual students' EF growth. Our results highlight the role of peers and the school context for EF development in middle childhood.


The life-cycle of Rhipidocotyle campanula (Dujardin, 1845) has been experimentally demonstrated and the species identity confirmed.

Sporocysts were recovered from digestive glands
of the freshwater-mussel Anodonta anatina, and in heavily
infected 'hosts from the reproductive, system. Both
cercariae and glochidia are released simultaneously in
mussels where the reproductive system is partly invaded
by sporocyst tubules. The development of the cercariae in
the sporocyst tubules has been studied briefly fusing
histological and histochemical methods.

The liberation of cercariae varied- between >1000/mussel/day to none, and is intermittent. Behaviour
of the cercariae including swimming, response to light and gravity, survival and entry, into the secondary host, is described. The morphology of the cercaria has been studied in detail using electron microscopy, histochemistry and histological methods and its significance analysed in relation to free-living existence. This is the first attempt to study the cercaria of R. campanula in any detail.

Cercariae enter the secondary host passively and
encyst in the subcutaneous fatty tissue beneath the
lining of the pharynx, and in some cases in the gill
arches. This is the only species of bucephalids where
cercariae enter the secondary host passively. Encysted
metacercariae attain maximum development after 5-6 weeks
and survive nearly 200 days, but spontaneous excystation
takes place only in cysts 80-90 days old.

Adult flukes were recovered from the posterior intestine and rectum of the perch (Perca fluviatilis) six weeks after feeding fully developed metacercariae. Spermatogenesis and oogenesis were studied in the adults until egg formation. Miracidial development could not be observed.

External morphology using SEM of cercaria, metacercaria and adult has been studied and compared. This is the first report of SEM study of these stages of R. campanula.

A brief review of the literature is given and the problems of systematics and taxonomy of the family Bucephalidae the taxonomic position of R. campanula are discussed.Tabular summaries are given for the previous life-cycle studies of bucephalids, synopses of bucephalid trematodes and all previous reports of bucephalid cercariae.


Yogurt base was prepared from skim milk added with 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5% (w/v) black garlic extracts(BGE, 60 brix), fellowed by fermentation with Lactic acid bacteria (the mixed strain of Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus) at 42℃ for 24 hr. The yogurt products were evaluated for acid production (pH, titrable acidity), number of viable cells, viscosity, color value, and sensory properties. The pH of yogurt with BGE was below 6.0 at 6 hr fermentation, after which it was rapidly acidifies. Aftert 24 hr, the titratable acidity of yogurt with 1.5% BGE was 0.74%, which was 5.7 times higher than that before fermentation. There was no significant difference in viable cell count between the samples after 3 hr fermentation. The viscosity of yogurt was decreased by the addition of BGE. As the percentage of BGE increased, the L value (lightness) decreased while the a value (redness) and b value (yellowness) increased. The overall sensory score of yogurt with BGE was lower than that of yogurt with only skim milk. Therefore, moderate addition of BGE was below 1% for the preparation of yogurt.


This manuscript demonstrates the value of understanding locus of control in higher education. Understanding this value provides educators with the ability to potentially predict academic outcomes and have the foresight to guide students to achievement. First, the manuscript identifies and explores the classic theories of motivation from the mid-1900s. Then, a study is conducted that hypothesizes a correlation between demographic variables (age, gender, graduate/undergraduate classification) and locus of control using Rotter's (1966) locus of control questionnaire. Finally, examples from four different disciplines are provided. This manuscript proposes suggestions for future research that will contribute to the findings of the overall construct of motivation, and more specifically, student locus of control in higher education.


Abstract. The digital economy is becoming an important driver of innovation, economic growth andcompetitiveness. More than 15 countries are implementing a national programme of digitization. The formation anddevelopment of the national segment of the digital economy through the use of trusted, mainly domestic ICT, andits further integration into the global digital economy, on the one hand, provides a "window of opportunity" for theintegration of the economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the emerging world economic order, and on the other hand– carries significant risks to economic security and sovereignty of the state. The purpose of the study is to analyze thecurrent state and develop effective measures to regulate the digital economy to achieve sustainable economic growth,improve the competitiveness of the economy and improve the quality of life of the population of the Republic ofKazakhstan. The introduction of information technologies in the public sector brings to a qualitatively new level keyaspects of life – from payment for utilities to insurance policies and treatment. The methodology is based on methods ofanalysis, synthesis, induction and deduction. The value of the research is that the model of digital economy developmentis defined. The practical significance of the study lies in the development of proposals to improve the regulation of thedigital economy in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The article is executed within the project AP05135078 "Formation anddevelopment of digital economy in the Republic of Kazakhstan: theory and practical measures of realization" of grantfinancing of scientific researches of the Ministry of education and science of the Republic of Kazakhstan.Key words: digital economy, digital dividends, digital state, single digital market, online sales, development ofelectronic networks and digital services.


A NDY HOOPER INSISTS he's not a utopian, but his vision of the future of computing shares some resemblances with the dreams of science-fiction writers. He foresees a not-too-distant time when the world's sources of computing power are concentrated in remote server warehouses strategically located near the sources of renewable energy that power them, such as wind and solar farms. And the usage of the power sources could shift across the globe, depending on where energy is most abundant. "The system we now employ is hugely wasteful," says Hopper, a professor of computer technology at the University of Cambridge and head of its Computer Laboratory. "We lose energy by relying on the national grid. I propose a system that is more efficient, much less expensive, and that would have an immediate impact on the world's energy consumption. It's always cheaper to move data than energy." Hopper is among the more conspicuous and outspoken pioneers in the green computing movement—a multifaceted, global effort to reduce energy consumption and promote sustainability. Proposed and existing strategies range from the practical to the fanciful, and include government regulations, industry initiatives, environmentally friendly computers made of recyclable materials, and Hopper's suggestion of a personal energy meter. Much of the green computing movement's focus today is on data centers, which have been lambasted as "the SUVs of the tech world" for their enormous and wasteful consumption of electricity. The approximately 6,000 data centers in the United States, for instance, consumed roughly 61 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy in 2006, according to Lewis Curtis, a strategic infrastructure architect at Microsoft. The total cost of that energy, $4.5 billion, was more than the cost of electricity used by all the color televisions in the U.S. in 2006, Curtis says. The Department of Energy (DOE) reports that data centers consumed 1.5% of all electricity in the U.S. in 2006, and their power demand is growing 12% a year. If data centers' present rate of consumption continues, Curtis warns, they will consume about 100 billion kWh of energy at an annual cost of $7.4 billion by 2011. The federal government wants data centers' energy consumption to be reduced by at least 10% by 2011. That translates into an energy savings equivalent to the electricity consumed by a million average U.S. households, according to Paul Sheathing, a spokesman for DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Green computing


The industrial and computing research context revolutionized in various directions during the last decades. The blockchain-based smart contract embraced as a significant research interest due to its distinguishing features such as decentralized storage of transactions, autonomous execution of contract codes, and decentralized establishment of the trust. Blockchain-based smart contracts can transform the working architecture of almost all industries towards elevated service standards. The use cases of blockchain based smart contracts range from industrial applications such as cryptocurrency systems towards logistics, agriculture, real estate, energy trading and so forth. The decentralization concept of blockchain is one of the biggest leaps in technology research since future computing got a super momentum towards the Internet of Things (IoT) and edge computing. A plethora of research is in progress to investigate the opportunities for the applicability of smart contracts and blockchain technologies to various industries. It is important to identify the technical aspects of blockchain-based smart contracts to further improve and sharpen the capabilities which they already owed. This survey is conducted to identify the significant technical aspects of blockchain-based smart contracts with the associated future research directions.


Crafting the behavior of a deformable object is difficult—whether it is a biomechanically accurate character model or a new multimate-rial 3D printable design. Getting it right requires constant iteration, performed either manually or driven by an automated system. Unfortunately, previous algorithms for accelerating three-dimensional finite element analysis of elastic objects suffer from expensive pre-computation stages that rely on a priori knowledge of the object's geometry and material composition. In this paper we introduce Data-Driven Finite Elements as a solution to this problem. Given a material palette, our method constructs a metamaterial library which is reusable for subsequent simulations, regardless of object geometry and/or material composition. At runtime, we perform fast coarsening of a simulation mesh using a simple table lookup to select the appropriate metamaterial model for the coarsened elements. When the object's material distribution or geometry changes, we do not need to update the metamaterial library—we simply need to update the metamaterial assignments to the coarsened elements. An important advantage of our approach is that it is applicable to non-linear material models. This is important for designing objects that undergo finite deformation (such as those produced by multimaterial 3D printing). Our method yields speed gains of up to two orders of magnitude while maintaining good accuracy. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the method on both virtual and 3D printed examples in order to show its utility as a tool for deformable object design.


To investigate the role of migratory birds in the dissemination of West Nile virus (WNV), we measured the prevalence of infectious WNV and specific WNV neutralizing antibodies in birds, principally Passeriformes, during spring and fall migrations in the Atlantic and Mississippi flyways from 2001-2003. Blood samples were obtained from 13,403 birds, representing 133 species. Specific WNV neutralizing antibody was detected in 254 resident and migratory birds, representing 39 species, and was most commonly detected in northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) (9.8%, N = 762) and gray catbirds (Dumetella carolinensis) (3.2%, N = 3188). West Nile virus viremias were detected in 19 birds, including 8 gray catbirds, and only during the fall migratory period. These results provide additional evidence that migratory birds may have been a principal agent for the spread of WNV in North America and provide data on the occurrence of WNV in a variety of bird species.


Rural-urban disparities in health and health care in Africa have been well described; yet, they remain relatively of less concern among many issues in health and health care in Africa. The disparities have been documented to exist in the utilization of cardiac diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, prescription of analgesia for pains, treatment of diabetes (e.g. gym exercise). Among the fundamental root causes of these disparities, which, can be gathered through studies of the health care systems (biomedical and African health systems) are variations in patients' health beliefs, values, preferences and behaviour. Informed by the need to address the seemingly wide rural-urban disparities in health and health care in Africa, this paper brings to the fore rural patients' recognition of symptoms, threshold for seeking care and the ability to understand disease management strategy, all of which are part of the variations in patients' health beliefs and values. The strategy adopted for foregrounding these disparities is through narratives of diabetes by patients in a rural context in South Africa. The chief aim is to contribute towards improving the quality of health care through incorporating patients' understanding of health. The narrative is subsumed under cultural competence and lay beliefs. Key words : healthcare, rural-urban disparities, cultural competence, lay beliefs, diabetes


The effectiveness of two HPLC methods (a monomeric C18 column with a high ion strength solvent gradient and a monomeric C8 column with a pyridine‐containing mobile phase) in the separation, identification, and quantification of pigments are compared, using phytoplankton, microphytobenthos, and algal cultures. Although the two studied methods showed good analytical resolution, the C18 method presents a higher discrimination for several carotenoid pigments. On the other hand, the C8 method allows the separation of chlorophylls c1, c2, and Mg‐2, 4‐divinyl phaeoporphyrin a5 monomethyl ester as well as the pair chlorophyll a/divinyl Chl a. The C18 method had a shorter elution program and a lower solvent flow rate, making it cheaper and faster than the C8 method. Furthermore, the C18 method showed significantly lower detection and quantification limits, a particularly important advantage for pigments present in trace amounts in both phytoplankton and microphytobenthic samples. Differences in the sensitivity of the two studied methods were due mainly to differences in flow rate, with significantly higher peak areas for slower flow rates. No method is ideal for all pigments and sample types and the choice of method should be made in accordance with the objective of each study, taking into consideration the advantages and disadvantages identified for each method.


Polonium-210, which emits alpha particles, is a natural contaminant of tobacco. For an individual smoking two packages of cigarettes a day, the radiation dose to bronchial epithelium from Po210 inhaled in cigarette smoke probably is at least seven times that from background sources, and in localized areas may be up to 1000 rem or more in 25 years. Radiation from this source may, therefore, be significant in the genesis of bronchial cancer in smokers.


Several startup or longtime underground stone mines have experienced unanticipated roof control difficulties due to the variable geologic character of the roof strata. Careful mapping of roof conditions, and identification of controlling geologic and mine geometric factors, lead to an understanding of the mechanisms causing roof problems. Factors such as unexpected rolls of the roof strata resulting in a gradual change from strong to weak roof; encountering open water-filled master joints; roof strata delamination due to internal water pressures; local karst features with mud, sand, and water hazards; and sudden loss of limestone roof due to paleo-channel erosion are some recent problems described. Strategies for overcoming these problems are discussed and detailed.


This paper reviews the effects of inflation and taxation on the financing of corporate investment, and on the allocation of investment among alternative assets. Two tax distortions were of particular importance during the 1980s: the non-taxation of capital gains and the double taxation of dividends. These were important in encouraging corporate leverage and asset acquisition. It is argued that despite their substantial removal in the 1985 and 1987 tax reforms, some distortions associated with the interaction of the tax system with inflation remain. In particular, capital gains continue to be treated favourably, and inflation continues to influence investment decisions through its interaction with the treatment of depreciation and nominal interest flows.


Temperature‐gradient microstructure and nutrient profiling were undertaken at both an inshore and an offshore site on Mono Lake, California, to determine whether boundary mixing occurred and the effects on nutrient flux within the lake. Turbulence, as quantified by rates of dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy, was two to three orders of magnitude higher at the inshore site where the pycnocline intersected the bottom than at the same depths at an offshore station. The intense turbulence primarily occurred within 3.5 m of the sediment–water interface. In addition, temperature profiles were more incrementally stepped in the pycnocline inshore than offshore. The Turner angle indicated that double‐diffusive processes may have augmented turbulent transport in the upper 10 m, where temperatures were inversely stratified, but not in the main pycnocline. Within the pycnocline, ϵ exceeded the threshold value for buoyancy flux ( ϵthr = 15υN2) in 21% of the turbulent layers inshore but in only 1% of the layers offshore. The coefficient of vertical eddy diffusivity, Κz, was two to four orders of magnitude higher within 4 m of the bottom inshore than offshore at the same depths. Spatially averaged values of Κz, obtained from the heat‐flux method using data obtained from both conductivity–temperature–depth (CTD) profiles and moored thermistor chains, were two orders of magnitude less than those obtained nearshore with microstructure profiling. From the differences in Κz, we inferred that most heat flux occurred due to boundary mixing at the base of the pycnocline inshore with the heat redistributed laterally by advection. Boundary mixing was initiated after winds were strong enough for the Lake number to decrease to a value of 2; thermocline compression and steepening of internal waves at the base of the pycnocline occurred, followed by packets of high‐frequency internal waves critical for wave breaking. Calculated ammonium fluxes at the inshore site were sufficient to support daily rates of primary productivity in the deep chlorophyll maximum throughout the lake. These results indicate the vertical flux of nutrients across the nutricline in Mono Lake occurs over a limited area during intense mixing events initiated by high winds.


OBJECTIVE Advances in understanding the neurobiological basis of psychiatric disorders will improve the ability to refine neuromodulatory procedures for treatment-refractory patients. One of the core dysfunctions in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a deficit in cognitive control, especially involving the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC). The authors' aim was to derive a neurobiological understanding of the successful treatment of refractory OCD with psychiatric neurosurgical procedures targeting the dACC. METHODS First, the authors systematically conducted a review of the literature on the role of the dACC in OCD by using the search terms "obsessive compulsive disorder" and "anterior cingulate." The neuroscience literature on cognitive control mechanisms in the dACC was then combined with the literature on psychiatric neurosurgical procedures targeting the dACC for the treatment of refractory OCD. RESULTS The authors reviewed 89 studies covering topics that included structural and functional neuroimaging and electrophysiology. The majority of resting-state functional neuroimaging studies demonstrated dACC hyperactivity in patients with OCD relative to that in controls, while task-based studies were more variable. Electrophysiological studies showed altered dACC-related biomarkers of cognitive control, such as error-related negativity in OCD patients. These studies were combined with the cognitive control neurophysiology literature, including the recently elaborated expected value of control theory of dACC function. The authors suggest that a central feature of OCD pathophysiology involves the generation of mis-specified cognitive control signals by the dACC, and they elaborate on this theory and provide suggestions for further study. CONCLUSIONS Although abnormalities in brain structure and function in OCD are distributed across a wide network, the dACC plays a central role. The authors propose a theory of cognitive control dysfunction in OCD that attempts to explain the therapeutic efficacy of dACC neuromodulation. This theoretical framework should help to guide further research into targeted treatments of OCD and other disorders of cognitive control.


Media seems to have become more partisan, often providing a biased coverage of news catering to the interest of specific groups. It is therefore essential to identify credible information content that provides an objective narrative of an event. News communities such as digg, reddit, or newstrust offer recommendations, reviews, quality ratings, and further insights on journalistic works. However, there is a complex interaction between different factors in such online communities: fairness and style of reporting, language clarity and objectivity, topical perspectives (like political viewpoint), expertise and bias of community members, and more. This paper presents a model to systematically analyze the different interactions in a news community between users, news, and sources. We develop a probabilistic graphical model that leverages this joint interaction to identify 1) highly credible news articles, 2) trustworthy news sources, and 3) expert users who perform the role of "citizen journalists" in the community. Our method extends CRF models to incorporate real-valued ratings, as some communities have very fine-grained scales that cannot be easily discretized without losing information. To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first full-fledged analysis of credibility, trust, and expertise in news communities.


The remnant PbI2 at the mesoporous-TiO2 (m-TiO2)/CH3NH3PbI3 interface can act as an interface modification layer for high-efficiency perovskite solar cells (PSCs). In this study, we adopted Pb(CH3COO)2·3H2O (PbAc2) to control the amount of remnant PbI2 at the m-TiO2/CH3NH3PbI3 interface. The characterization results demonstrate that the amount of remnant PbI2 could be controlled by the concentration of PbAc2 solution without influencing the crystallographic textures of CH3NH3PbI3 films. By adjusting the PbAc2 solution concentration, the optimized PSC can achieve a 15% enhancement of PCE in the case of using a two-step method for CH3NH3PbI3 preparation. Under the circumstances of using an anti-solution method, it still displayed a 10% enhancement of the average PCE for 10 individual PSCs with PbAc2 (13.6% to 15.0%). The steady-state photoluminescence (PL), time-resolved photoluminescence (TR-PL) and open-circuit voltage decay results demonstrated that the remnant PbI2 could reduce carrier recombination at the m-TiO2/CH3NH3PbI3 interface. Meanwhile, the enhancement of the open-circuit voltage was achieved for PSCs with PbAc2.


Sweden has adopted ambitious energy savings objectives for buildings, but at the current rate of energy efficiency investments the objectives are unlikely to be reached. In this article we report the early findings of how real estate owners reason and act in energy efficiency investment decisions. Based on the results from interviews with the real estate companies, the companies have been divided into four ideal types that illuminate the differences in energy efficiency ambition and strategies; the Strict Profit Maximizing Company, the Little Extra Company, the Policy Led Ambitious Company and the Administration Led Ambitious Company. The different strategies will determine how the companies respond to incentives to invest in energy efficiency, and affect the overall result in the energy efficiency work. The ideal types hence are important to have in mind when designing policies to increase energy efficiency.


The first recorded outbreak of yellow fever in Kenya occurred from mid-1992 through March 1993 in the south Kerio Valley, Rift Valley Province. We conducted entomologic studies in February-March 1993 to identify the likely vectors and determine the potential for transmission in the surrounding rural and urban areas. Mosquitoes were collected by landing capture and processed for virus isolation. Container surveys were conducted around human habitation. Transmission was mainly in woodland of varying density, at altitudes of 1,300-1,800 m. The abundance of Aedes africanus in this biotope, and two isolations of virus from pools of this species, suggest that it was the principal vector in the main period of the outbreak. A third isolate was made from a pool of Ae. keniensis, a little-known species that was collected in the same biotope. Other known yellow fever vectors that were collected in the arid parts of the valley may have been involved at an earlier stage of the epidemic. Vervet monkeys and baboons were present in the outbreak area. Peridomestic mosquito species were absent but abundant at urban sites outside the outbreak area. The entomologic and epidemiologic evidence indicate that this was a sylvatic outbreak in which human cases were directly linked to the epizootic and were independent of other human cases. The region of the Kerio Valley is probably subject to recurrent wandering epizootics of yellow fever, although previous episodes of scattered human infection have gone unrecorded. The risk that the disease could emerge as an urban problem in Kenya should not be ignored.


When Hurricane Katrina tore through New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, hundreds of thousands were left behind to suffer the ravages of destruction, disease, and even death. The majority of these people were black; nearly all were poor. The Federal government's slow response to local appeals for help is by now notorious. Yet despite the cries of outrage that have mounted since the levees broke, we have failed to confront the disaster's true lesson: to be poor, or black, in today's ownership society, is to be left behind. Displaying the intellectual rigor, political passion, and personal empathy that have won him acclaim and fans all across the color line, Michael Eric Dyson offers a searing assessment of the meaning of Hurricane Katrina. Combining interviews with survivors of the disaster with his deep knowledge of black migrations and government policy over decades, Dyson provides the historical context that has been sorely missing from public conversation. He explores the legacy of black suffering in America since slavery and ties its psychic scars to today's crisis. And, finally, his critique of the way black people are framed in the national consciousness will shock and surprise even the most politically savvy reader. With this clarion call Dyson warns us that we can only find redemption as a society if we acknowledge that Katrina was more than an engineering or emergency response failure. From the TV newsroom to the Capitol Building to the backyard, we must change the way we relate to the black and the poor among us. What's at stake is no less than the future of democracy.


To determine how the Rapid Assessment Process (RAP) can be adapted to evaluate the readiness of primary care clinics for acceptance and use of computerized clinical decision support (CDS) related to clinical management of working patients, we used a unique blend of ethnographic methods for gathering data. First, knowledge resources, which were prototypes of CDS content areas (diabetes, lower back pain, and asthma) containing evidence-based information, decision logic, scenarios and examples of use, were developed by subject matter experts. A team of RAP researchers then visited five clinic settings to identify barriers and facilitators to implementing CDS about the health of workers in general and the knowledge resources specifically. Methods included observations, semi-structured qualitative interviews and graphic elicitation interviews about the knowledge resources. We used both template and grounded hermeneutic approaches to data analysis. Preliminary results indicate that the methods succeeded in generating specific actionable recommendations for CDS design.


This chapter shows the importance of comparing corpora that are really comparable. The chapter conceives of texts as exemplars of situated genres and acknowledges that the rhetorical and discourse configuration of texts vary as a function of the contextual factors in which texts are situated. It argues that corpora may be considered equivalent (or similar to the maximum degree) across cultures to the extent that the text exemplars are similar in all of the relevant contextual factors. It concludes that cross-cultural corpora designs should attempt to control statistically as many of the relevant contextual factors as possible. If not, it may not be possible to say anything reliable about the possible effect of the language/culture factor on texts. Instead, possible differences found may be due to uncontrolled contextual variables.


INTRODUCTION The need for greater skill building in Master of Public Administration (MPA) curricula is increasingly finding expression in the literature as a result of the new emphasis on outcome assessment in academic programs.(1) Outcome assessment encourages a focus on the "ideal" or "expected" values and skills of the MPA graduate (the "product") as a means of designing curricula and assessing their success. To oversimplify somewhat, the focus of outcome assessment is on the knowledge and skills that students are generally expected to have when they complete their studies. As a terminal degree for public and nonprofit sector professionals, the MPA bas generally been defined in terms of the professional values and practical knowledge and skills needed to survive and prosper in public and nonprofit agencies and to respond to the interests and needs of democratic societies. In some measure, it is generally expected that MPA programs are providing students with the requisite skills in quantitative analysis to be successful and effective public administrators. The focus here is on the nature and sophistication of the specific skills in quantitative analysis that typically are taught in MPA curricula. While many of the values, knowledge, and skills that should be acquired in an MPA program are articulated in the National Association for Schools of Public Affairs and Public Administration's curricular standards, there is still considerable debate within the membership of NASPAA and within other professional and academic organizations. For example, the debate can be found in recent writings criticizing the lack of attention among MPA programs to basic communication skills (e.g., Manns and Waugh, 1990; Hambrick, 1990; Waugh and Manns, 1991), microcomputer and other information technology skills (e.g., Candle, 1990; Brudney, Hy, and Waugh, 1993), advanced research techniques (e.g., LaPlante, 1989; Waugh, Hy, and Brudney, 1991), and management science techniques (e.g., Garson, 1989). Much the same kind of debate revolves around the question of what kinds of quantitative analysis skills should be taught in MPA curricula. To some extent, the central issues have been: what kinds of skills are in fact required in public and nonprofit sector employment and what kinds of skills are generally expected of MPA graduates? The skill needs of public and nonprofit sector administrators are still uncertain and certainly vary tremendously according to work responsibilities. There are discussions of appropriate skills for some occupational categories such as policy analysts (see, e.g., LaPlante, 1989; Schachter. 1985) and program evaluators (see. e.g., Hy and Brooks, 1984). But, the breadth of the field of public administration mitigates against the development of a single set of skill needs. In terms of the skills acquired in MPA programs, earlier studies of MPA curricula (e.g., Hy, Nelson, and Waugh, 1981; Hy, Waugh, and Nelson, 1987) have inventoried the statistical and methodological techniques taught and questioned the level of sophistication in quantitative analysis expected of students. Little guidance has been offered by any of the studies concerning the requisite skills in mathematics, research methods, and other analysis-related coursework. Indeed, the Hy, Waugh, and Nelson (1987) analyses have commented on the difficulty of measuring the capacities of entering students for more advanced coursework on the basis of prior coursework, the uncertain value of strong mathematically-based statistical skills (relative to the value of more superficial "cookbook" type skills), and the unclear distinction between research and decision-making skills. This analysis addresses two principal questions: (1) what kinds of basic and advanced quantitative analysis skills for research and public decision-making are students acquiring in MPA programs and (2) what do those skills suggest for the definition of "outcomes" in public administration education? …


The age and depositional history of Dominican amber-bearing deposits have not been well constrained. Resinites of different ages exist in Hispaniola, but all of the main amberiferous deposits in the Dominican Republic (including those famous for yielding biological inclusions) were formed in a single sedimentary basin during the late Early Miocene through early Middle Miocene (15 to 20 million years ago), according to available biostratigraphic and paleogeographic data. There is little evidence for extensive reworking or redeposition, in either time or space. The brevity of the depositional interval (less than 5 million years) provides a temporal benchmark that can be used to calibrate rates of molecular evolution in amber taxa.


The purpose of the project "Comparison of Rainfall-Runoff Models for Flood Forecasting" is to provide guidance to the Environment Agency on the choice of rainfall-runoff model for use in different catchments for flood forecasting purposes. A literature review of models presented in the Part 1 Report recognised that whilst there is a plethora of "brand-name" models there is much similarity between many of them. A rather small set of model functions is common to many models and they differ in the detail of their configuration. Eight models were selected for a more detailed assessment of performance using data from nine catchments of varied character and spread throughout the regions of the Agency. The results are reported in this Part 2 Report along with conclusions and recommendations.

The chosen models encompass those used operationally by the EA together with one overseas model and a simple distributed model previously developed for the Agency. Four of the models are lumped, conceptual models with continuous water accounting procedures: the Thames Catchment Model (TCM), the Midlands Catchment Runoff Model (MCRM), the Probability Distributed Moisture model (PDM), and the US National Weather Service Sacramento model (NWS). A fifth model, the Isolated Event Model (IEM), is an event model modified to operate continuously in real-time. Water balance principles are used for soil moisture accounting and water storage routing but an empirical function links the two components, controlling runoff production as a function of soil moisture. The sixth model is a simple Transfer Function (TF) model whilst the seventh is a constrained form of TF model, referred to as the Physically Realisable Transfer Function (PRTF). The TF types of model are black-box models which empirically relate rainfall and flow, can be related to unit hydrographs and can be subject to conceptual interpretation as forms of routing function. The last model, the Grid Model, is included as a simple form of distributed conceptual rainfall-runoff model suitable for use in flood forecasting and able to use weather radar estimates of rainfall in grid form. Each model is associated with an updating procedure whereby recent measurements of flow are incorporated into the model so as to improve forecast performance in real-time.

The strategy for assessment used is based on first calibrating all models in "simulation-mode", where each model is used to transform rainfall (and potential evaporation) to runoff without using flow to update the model forecast. Each model is then evaluated using periods of data not used for calibration. This simulation-mode evaluation serves to focus on the process model capabilities of a given model. Subsequently, each model is evaluated in "forecast-mode" in which an updating scheme is used to incorporate measurements of flow up to the "forecast time-origin". This emulates the forecast performance expected operationally at different forecast lead times. Perfect foreknowledge of rainfall is assumed so as not to confound the model assessment with uncertainties in rainfall forecasts. The statistics used for model assessment are R2 and a Threshold CSI (Critical Success Index). The R2 statistic, giving the proportion of the variability in the flow accounted for by the model forecasts, is used to provide a broad guide to model performance. The Threshold CSI statistic is used to judge the efficacy of a model to correctly forecast the exceedence of a set of flow thresholds, particularly relevant to the use of a forecast to trigger an alert level of a given severity. Forecasts are also judged more informally via hydrograph plots and scatter plots of observed and forecast flood peaks. Whilst the main assessment relates to the use of raingauge estimates of rainfall as input to the models, for three of the catchments the assessment extends to the use of weather radar, both in raw form and as raingauge-calibrated radar estimates of rainfall. Whilst forecast accuracy is the focus of the model assessment, other issues are taken into consideration including ease of model configuration, initialisation and calibration.

The form of model assessment used, employing long continuous records at a fixed 15 minute time-step typically eight months in duration, has meant that it has been difficult to emulate the operational performance of TF and PRTF models. These models are used by the Agency in "event mode" and commonly operate on baseflow separated runoff where baseflow is taken as the flow at the start of the event. The opportunity exists to manually adjust the model parameters affecting the volume, shape and timing of the forecast as the flood develops. Also, the model time-step and model order are commonly chosen with regard to the response characteristics of the catchment. The results reported here relate to TF/PRTF models without baseflow separation, using an automated method of model parameter adjustment and using a fixed model time-step and model order. The approach most resembles that used on the River Medway to support the operation of the Leigh Flood Barrier and the method of automated model gain adjustment has also been used in Anglian Region. The results relating to TF/PRTF models should be interpreted against this background.

Overall, the results suggest that no one model consistently out-performs all others across all catchments. The TCM is one of the best performing models when judged using the R2 statistic whilst the PDM is more successful according to the Threshold CSI criterion (relevant to the issuing of flood alerts) and in forecasting flood peaks. Whilst the TCM is the most complex model and can be a challenge to calibrate, the PDM is of intermediate complexity. For a simple model, the IEM is surprisingly successful, particularly in terms of Threshold CSI. The simplest models, the TF and PRTF, are easiest to calibrate and initialise and can provide acceptable forecasts for some catchments. For smaller catchments in particular, TF models compare favourably with other models when used with error prediction rather than state updating. The MCRM proved sensitive to initial conditions of soil moisture but can work well on small-to-medium sized catchments. The NWS model, despite its large number of parameters, proved easy to calibrate using automatic optimisation and provided reasonable performance. Use of radar data gave as good, and sometimes slightly better results than using raingauge data alone, provided the radar was functioning well, and raingauge-calibration generally helped. The Grid Model was the only distributed model assessed and can utilise radar data in grid form. For the three catchments on which it was evaluated in simulation-mode it consistently gave the second best model simulations in terms of R2 but did less well according to the Threshold CSI criterion.

Operationally, the TCM, PDM and IEM models appear to be the most appropriate flood forecasting models to use, of those assessed, the choice depending on the complexity of catchment response whilst all models have value in the right situation. The advantage of model familiarity acquired through past use is employed to guide more specific recommendations for each EA region. It is recommended that more automated applications of TF/PRTF models be pursued which accommodate the effects of catchment wetness on runoff production through effective rainfall transformations and incorporate baseflow via parallel "fast" and "slow" transfer function routing components. Opportunities for further research on model formulation and configuration, updating schemes, and catchment-scale rainfall estimation are identified.


The Supreme Court is in the midst of a revolution in arbitration jurisprudence comparable to that reflected in the Steelworkers Trilogy in 1960. While the Trilogy was hailed as a major accomplishment in labor relations, the current revolution is devastating the rights of nonunion workers and consumers. The Court's evisceration of the class action through approval of waivers in unilaterally imposed arbitration agreements has forced employees and consumers to individually arbitrate legal claims. While plaintiffs' attorneys are quick to file class actions in court, they are far less interested in individual arbitration cases. This development may provide an opportunity for labor unions to step in and offer assistance to workers with these claims.This paper discusses several ways that unions might capitalize on this development to grow the labor movement, considering the advantages and disadvantages of possible options. Whichever is chosen, however, it is crucial that providing representation to workers with legal claims is only one piece of a larger strategy. The strategy must be designed to build a worker-driven movement capable of meeting the needs of 21st century workers and providing balance to the power of 21st century wealth. To achieve this objective, unions cannot be merely service organizations for members. Instead, they must be part of a broader movement for workplace equality.


Abstract New phase diagrams for the dynamic structure of clay-laden open-channel flows are proposed. These diagrams can be used to distinguish between turbulent Newtonian, transitional, and laminar non-Newtonian flow behavior, on the basis of the balance between turbulent forces (approximated by the horizontal components of flow velocity and turbulence intensity) and cohesive forces (approximated by the suspended clay concentration and rheology). Stability regimes for five different flow types are defined using a comprehensive series of laboratory flume experiments at depth-averaged flow velocities ranging from 0.13 m s−1 to 1.47 m s−1, and at volumetric kaolinite clay concentrations ranging from 0.03% (= 0.8 g L−1) to 16.7% (= 434 g L−1). As clay concentration increases, five flow types can be distinguished: turbulent flow, turbulence-enhanced transitional flow, lower and upper transitional plug flow, and quasi-laminar plug flow. The turbulent properties of transitional flows are shown to be considerably more complex than the common notion of gradual turbulence damping. Turbulence-enhanced transitional flows display higher turbulence intensity than turbulent flows of similar velocity, with such enhancement originating from development of a highly turbulent basal internal shear layer within ~ 0.01 m of the bed. In lower transitional plug flows, the basal internal shear layer separates a lower region of high vertical gradient in horizontal velocity and strong turbulence from an upper region of plug flow with a much gentler velocity gradient and lower turbulence intensity. Kelvin-Helmholtz shear instabilities within the highly turbulent shear layer are expressed as distinct second-scale oscillations in the time series of downstream velocity. Turbulence damping dominates upper transitional plug flows, because strong cohesive forces, inferred to be caused by gelling of the high-concentration clay suspension, start to outbalance turbulent forces. In quasi-laminar plug flows, gelling is pervasive and turbulence is fully suppressed, apart from some minor residual turbulence near the base of these flows. With very few exceptions, all flows pass through the same development stages as clay concentration increases, regardless of their velocity, but the threshold concentrations for turbulence enhancement, gelling, and development of internal shear layers and plug flows are proportional to flow velocity. At flow velocities below ~ 0.5 m s−1, only low concentrations (< 0.75%) of kaolinite are required to induce transitional flow behavior, thus potentially affecting many slow-moving and decelerating clay flows in natural sedimentary environments. However, at flow velocities above 1 m s−1, clay concentrations of at least 6% are required in order for flows to enter the transitional flow phase, but even at these velocities the transitional flow phases make up a significant proportion of the flow phase space. By converting the experimental data to nondimensional Froude number (momentum term) and Reynolds number (cohesive term), it is shown that each boundary between the turbulent, transitional, and laminar flow phases can be described by a specific narrow range of Reynolds numbers. Within the duration of the experiments, settling of clay particles occurred only in plug flows of low flow velocity (and low Froude number), when the flows lacked the strength to support the entire clay suspension load.