Internal labour market theory states that the administrative rules and customs that restrict access and regulate the deployment of labour in craft markets will eventually be converted by trade unions into formal collective agreements, preferably enforced by closed shops. However there have been few opportunities to examine what happens when that process is reversed and the protection of those two institutions are removed. The demise of the closed shop in Britain is generally attributed to Mrs Thatcher's Conservative governments whose successive Employment Acts were intended to remove obstacles to the free functioning of the labour market. However, this research will argue, using the example of the British film production industry, that regardless of the political action it is unlikely that the pre-entry closed shop would have survived the technical and social changes of the 1980s. It also shows that many of the constraining practices and principles associated with the industry's internal labour market persist. By tracing the origins of organised labour in the early British film production industry, this research considers whether that closed shop, created by unusual wartime circumstances, merely endorsed the informal rules and customs that characterised an established closed craft community. It will demonstrate that continuity has been possible because internal labour market practices ensure that on-the-job training is only available to those likely to perpetuate the established working practices and demarcation. Furthermore, management are complicit because the efficiencies in screening and training means that a compatible trained workforce is always available. For contrast, it will be shown that in television and video production, seemingly similar sectors, an unrestricted, competitive labour market has been created by the demise of the closed shop, the workers' inability to create a substitute informal network, the unbridled influence of capital and government efforts to assist access to employment.


The family of judicious partitioning problems, introduced by Bollobás and Scott to the field of extremal combinatorics, has been extensively studied from a structural point of view for over two decades. This rich realm of problems aims to counterbalance the objectives of classical partitioning problems such as Min Cut, Min Bisection and Max Cut. While these classical problems focus solely on the minimization/maximization of the number of edges crossing the cut, judicious (bi)partitioning problems ask the natural question of the minimization/maximization of the number of edges lying in the (two) sides of the cut. In particular, Judicious Bipartition (JB) seeks a bipartition that is "judicious" in the sense that neither side is burdened by too many edges, and Balanced JB also requires that the sizes of the sides themselves are "balanced" in the sense that neither of them is too large. Both of these problems were defined in the work by Bollobás and Scott, and have received notable scientific attention since then. In this paper, we shed light on the study of judicious partitioning problems from the viewpoint of algorithm design. Specifically, we prove that BJB is FPT (which also proves that JB is FPT).


These are the lecture notes of the ESSLLI 2009 second week course on Abstract Categorial Grammar. This was an advanced course, while an introductory course was given the first week: Introduction to Abstract Categorial Grammars: Foundations and main properties, delivered by Philippe de Groote and Sylvain Salvati. An up-to-date version of these notes, possible errata, and generally ACG papers, can be found at the ACG homepage: http://calligramme.loria.fr/acg. At this URL, the ACG Development Toolkit is also available and downloadable as free software. It might be useful to run some of the examples given in these notes. In particular, some of the latter are gathered in a special file. The Abstract Categorial Grammar (ACG) framework, a grammar formalism based on the typed lambda calculus, elegantly generalizes and unifies a variety of grammar formalisms that have been proposed for the description of formal and natural languages. The first part of the course investigated formal-language-theoretic properties of "second-order" ACGs, a subclass of ACGs that have "context-free" derivations. Their generative capacity was precisely characterized. Lecture notes for this part are available at http://research.nii.ac.jp/~kanazawa/publications/esslli2009_lectures.pdf. An efficient Earley-style algorithm, suitable both for parsing and generation, was then presented. The second part of the course (these present notes) presents linguistic applications of ACGs and gives various illustrations of how ACGs provide flexible and explicit ways to model the syntax-semantics interface of natural language.


This article presents data from a British Academy-funded study of the everyday literacy practices of three families living on a predominantly white working-class council housing estate on the edge of a Midlands city. The study explored, as one participant succinctly put it, "how people read and write and they don't even notice". This alludes to the ways in which everyday practices may not be recognised as part of a dominant model of literacy. The study considered too the ways in which these literacy practices are part of a wider policy context that also fails to notice the impact of austerity politics on everyday lives. An emphasis on quantitative measures of disadvantage and public discourse which vilifies those facing economic challenge can overshadow the resilience and resourcefulness of individuals and families in making meaning from their experiences. Drawing together consideration of everyday lives and the everyday literacies which are part of them, this article explores the impact of the current policy context on access to both economic and cultural resources, showing how literacy, as part of this context, should be recognised as a powerful means not only of constricting lives but also of constructing them.


This note introduces and illustrates fCPR (Forest Conservation Performance Rating), a system of color-coded ratings for tropical forest conservation performance that can be implemented for local areas, countries, regions, and the entire pan-tropics. The ratings reward tropical forest conservation in three dimensions: (1) exceeding expectations, given an area's forest clearing history and development status; (2) meeting or exceeding global REDD+ goals; and (3) achieving an immediate reduction in forest clearing. We assign green ratings to areas that meet condition (2); yellow to areas that meet (1) only; and red to countries that fail to meet either condition. We have developed fCPR at the Center for Global Development (CGD), using monthly forest clearing indicators from CGD's FORMA (Forest Monitoring for Action). This first release rates the quarterly conservation performance of 27 countries currently tracked by FORMA, as well as 242 of their states and provinces that contain tropical forests. The 27 countries accounted for 94 percent of tropical forest clearing during the period 2000–2005. Future releases will include additional countries as FORMA begins tracking them.


Holy War, Holy Peace: How Religion Can Bring Peace to the Middle East, by Marc Gopin. Oxford, UK and New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. viii + 228 pages. Notes to p. 254. Bibl. Index to p. 269. $29.95. This volume follows closely on the heels of Gopin's first Oxford University Press book, Between Eden and Armageddon: The Future of World Religions, Violence, and Peacemaking (2000), revisiting some of the themes covered there, but now focused on the three Abrahamic religions and their relevance to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Anything on the relevance of religion to conflict, the "holy war" of the title, is not exactly news. More newsworthy is the second part of the title, and Gopin's contention that the three religious traditions (particularly Islam and Judaism) are also relevant to conflict reso- lution and peacemaking. In many respects Gopin is hardheaded and pragmatic. He never denies religion's historical role in conflict, and its proven ability to rationalize (that is, sacralize) extreme and sometimes mass violence. He does not claim (in the manner of so much writing on these matters) that religious peacemaking can rely solely on interfaith dialogues and the spirit of ecumenicism. Indeed, he writes, the "clarion call" of Western liberal pluralism - religion privatized and subordinated to individual rights and liberties - "is fundamentally jarring and even loathsome to the ears and hearts of those Abrahamic faithful who are in search of the good society" (p. 61). It is these faithful who must be engaged. How to engage them forms the core of the book. First, Gopin asserts, it is important to recognize that most conflict resolution processes (especially official, "track one" efforts such as diplomacy) privilege rational, cost-benefit, interest-base thinking, and fail to address the consequential affectively charged roots of deep religious or identity based conflicts. Such matters need to be addressed in their own terms - religious terms - and not reduced to ciphers of Machiavellian or neo-realist realpolitik, ready for bargaining. Secondly, when emotion, identity, or meaning in their religious senses have been introduced in peacemaking efforts, there is often a not-so-subtle Christian bias to the proceedings. This bias reveals itself in several ways, for instance in the freighted parsing of "forgiveness" and "repentance" (say, over "justice"); or in the privileging of words and talk, as in dialogue encounters, over ritual and symbolic action, that is, over deeds - which may well be more powerful agents of transformation in other, non-Christian traditions. Privileging Christian discourse makes the whole invocation of religious sentiments highly problematic when the parties are not all Christians. Third, the hard work of engaging the orthodox believers cannot proceed by ignoring or suppressing those aspects of their religious beliefs that are in fact and practice conflict generating. …


This chapter examines the diachronic rise of a syntactically and pragmatically complex construction type: pseudoclefts. Given that cleft constructions combine available components of grammar — relative clauses and copular clauses — do they arise in full-fledged form? If they emerge gradually, what constrains their development? We first present a corpus-based analysis of the history of English pseudoclefts and develop qualitative and quantitative measures to identify properties of pseudoclefts at different developmental stages. We then apply the same measures of grammaticalization in a synchronic comparison of pseudoclefts in contemporary spoken and written German, Swedish, and English in order to test their cross-linguistic validity. We find that pseudoclefts develop gradually in a process driven by the pragmatic exploitation of their presuppositional structure (Lambrecht 1994).


Japan is a safe haven in the world of international parental child abductions. (1) This became obvious in October 2009 when American-born Christopher Savoie was arrested in Japan as he attempted to bring his children back to the United States. (2) Chris had expressed fear that his ex-wife, and Japanese-native, Noriko Savoie might permanently take their children to Japan during U.S. custody proceedings, and as predicted, she abducted the children in August 2009 in violation of the U.S. court order. (3) Chris was released from jail on the condition he does not return to Japan or contact his children, (4) and Noriko, still facing U.S. charges for child abduction, lives with the couple's children in Japan. (5) Japan still considers Noriko and Chris married. (6) Though U.S. courts recognize the couple as divorced and have granted Chris full custody of the children, (7) he has no way to enforce his visitation rights in Japan. (8) Unfortunately, Japan is now home to 139 children abducted from a U.S. parent. (9) Well-aware of Mr. Savoie's situation, U.S. policymakers hoped Japan's 2009 elections would end decades of conservative power and provide an opportunity to discuss parental child abduction. (10) In a November 5, 2009 letter to President Barack Obama, U.S. Senators noted their concern that Japan does not criminalize parental abduction and is the only "Group of Seven" industrialized nations which has not signed the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction ("Hague Convention"). (11) The letter stressed that, though Japan's accession to the Hague Convention is a worthy goal, (12) the United States cannot simply wait for Japanese accession while abducted children grow up without one parent. (13) On December 1, 2009, in response to criticism expressed by America and Europe, Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada unveiled a new Division for Issues Related to Child Custody to recommend whether Japan should sign the Hague Convention. (14) Although critics questioned Japan's willingness to stray from its customs, it appeared Japan was at least attempting to address the international crisis. (15) Months later, however, Congress was still not satisfied. On May 5, 2010, U.S. lawmakers introduced H.R. 1326, a nonbinding resolution condemning Japan for being an international safe haven for child abductors, and calling on the U.S. government to pressure Japan to join the Hague Convention. (16) After months of uncertainty, (17) H.R. 1326 was passed by a House vote of 416 to 1 on September 28, 2010. (18) Following the passage of H.R. 1326, the Japanese Embassy issued a statement alleging Japan is sympathetic to the plight of children caught in U.S.-Japan custody battles and is "continuing to make sincere efforts to deal with the issue from the standpoint that the welfare of the child should be of the utmost importance." (19) Japan's deputy press secretary indicated Japan was seriously considering signing the Hague Convention, but needs time to prepare domestic laws on the issue. (20) It is unclear how much time Japan will need to prepare these domestic laws and whether the country is truly willing to transform the established customs and values of its family law system to avoid international conflict. Moreover, many critics fear that, even if Japan reforms its domestic laws and signs the Hague Convention, Japanese parents could avoid the Convention's requirements by simply claiming that returning the children would expose the children to a risk of physical or psychological harm. (21) For example, attorney Kensuke Onuki opposes Japanese accession to the Hague Convention because most of the cases he's seen involve "domestic violence, unjust control[,] and verbal abuse." (22) Where those circumstances exist, the Hague Convention does not force the return of children. (23) Regardless of when--or whether--Japan signs the Hague Convention, U.S. …


LAW GOVERNING MEETING OF MINDS A question may arise whether there was in legal contemplation a meeting of minds. Suppose that A in New York makes an offer to B in Germany by mail, and that he revokes it by cable after B has received the letter containing the offer. Under the German law A is bound by his offer if it is accepted within the period within which A would under ordinary circumstances expect an answer. 56 If the transmission of a letter between New York and Germany takes two weeks B could accept the offer by cable at any time before the expiration of the two weeks after the receipt of the offer. Under the law of New York A is not bound by his offer and can withdraw it at any time before it is accepted. If B accepts the offer within the period mentioned, has a contract been formed? It has been said that the offeror is deemed present in the state in which his offer has been received, and the conclusion has been drawn that A's duty to keep his offer open should be governed in the above case by German law. 5 7 Such a deduction involves, however, a process of reasoning that starts from a false premise. If the law of the forum regards the contract as made in the state from which the acceptance is sent, in our case, Germany, the consequences will be the same, of course, as if A had made the offer in person in Germany. But the preliminary question, where the .contract was made, is actually decided by the law of the forum without reference to the German law. If the German law had been consulted the contract would have been made in New York. For the same reason the law of the forum must determine, in accordance with its own views, the preliminary question regarding the binding nature of an offer. There is no more reason why the court should consult German law on this point than there was in determining the situs of the contract. These preliminary questions


A data integration system (DIS) provides access to a set of heterogeneous data sources through a so-called global schema. There are basically two approaches for designing a DIS. In the global-as-view (GAV) approach, one defines the elements in the global schema as views over the sources, whereas in the local-as-view (LAV) approach, one characterizes the sources as views over the global schema. In this paper we propose methodologies to reconcile data, both for LAV and GAV. For LAV, we propose to declaratively specify reconciliation correspondences to be used to solve conflicts among data in different sources, and define an algorithm that rewrites queries posed on the global schema in terms of both the source elements and the reconciliation correspondences. For GAV, it is a common opinion that query processing is much easier than in LAV, where query processing is similar to query answering with incomplete information. However, we show that, when constraints are expressed over the global schema, the problem of incomplete information arises in GAV as well. We provide a general semantics for a GAV DIS, and specify algorithms for query answering in the presence of both incompleteness of the sources and inconsistencies between the data at the sources and the constraints on the global schema.


This book is thus relevant not only in retrospect but also very much in prospect. Its purpose is to review the outcomes of the processes used to assess the pulp mill's economic, social and environmental impacts within the broader historical, geographical and community context in which they occurred. The unambiguous conclusion of the book is that these outcomes—and the processes that delivered them—were seriously flawed. The post-RPDC processes used under the Pulp Mill Assessment Act, the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Act, and the Scientific Panel assessed only a small subset of the pulp mill's potential impacts; were based on assumptions never subjected to full expert scrutiny; and lacked the openness, transparency and deliberation required of modern environmental assessments. These major deficiencies in how the economic, social and environmental impacts of the Tamar Valley pulp mill were assessed appear to stand in the way of the project ever receiving the wider support and legitimacy that the project's proponents now desire. For many, therefore, the acid test of a company finally and rightly concerned to secure its social licence to practise business in the Tamar Valley will be whether it is prepared to resubmit the proposal to a new, independent and public environmental assessment of the full costs, benefits and impacts.


Abstract The role and importance of ecological interactions for evolutionary responses to environmental changes is to large extent unknown. Here it is shown that interspecific competition may slow down rates of adaptation substantially and fundamentally change patterns of adaptation to long-term environmental changes. In the model investigated here, species compete for resources distributed along an ecological niche space. Environmental change is represented by a slowly moving resource maximum and evolutionary responses of single species are compared with responses of coalitions of two and three competing species. In scenarios with two and three species, species that are favored by increasing resource availability increase in equilibrium population size whereas disfavored species decline in size. Increased competition makes it less favorable for individuals of a disfavored species to occupy a niche close to the maximum and reduces the selection pressure for tracking the moving resource distribution. Individual-based simulations and an analysis using adaptive dynamics show that the combination of weaker selection pressure and reduced population size reduces the evolutionary rate of the disfavored species considerably. If the resource landscape moves stochastically, weak evolutionary responses cause large fluctuations in population size and thereby large extinction risk for competing species, whereas a single species subject to the same environmental variability may track the resource maximum closely and maintain a much more stable population size. Other studies have shown that competitive interactions may amplify changes in mean population sizes due to environmental changes and thereby increase extinction risks. This study accentuates the harmful role of competitive interactions by illustrating that they may also decrease rates of adaptation. The slowdown in evolutionary rates caused by competition may also contribute to explain low rates of morphological change in spite of large environmental fluctuations found in fossil records.


We present a ``negative'' semantics of the C11 language---a semantics that does not just give meaning to correct programs, but also rejects undefined programs. We investigate undefined behavior in C and discuss the techniques and special considerations needed for formally specifying it. We have used these techniques to modify and extend a semantics of C into one that captures undefined behavior. The amount of semantic infrastructure and effort required to achieve this was unexpectedly high, in the end nearly doubling the size of the original semantics. From our semantics, we have automatically extracted an undefinedness checker, which we evaluate against other popular analysis tools, using our own test suite in addition to a third-party test suite. Our checker is capable of detecting examples of all 77 categories of core language undefinedness appearing in the C11 standard, more than any other tool we considered. Based on this evaluation, we argue that our work is the most comprehensive and complete semantic treatment of undefined behavior in C, and thus of the C language itself.


We have developed a procedure for iron isotope analysis using a hexapole collision cell MC-ICP-MS which is capable of Fe isotope ratio analysis using two different extraction modes. Matrix effects were minimised and the signal-to-background ratio was maximised using high-concentration samples (∼5 μg Fe) and introducing 1.8 mL min−1 Ar and 2 mL min−1 H2 into the collision cell to decrease polyatomic interferences. The use of large intensity on the faraday cups considerably decreases the internal error of the ratios and ultimately, improves the external precision of a run. Standard bracketing correction for mass bias was possible when using hard extraction. Mass bias in soft extraction mode seems to show temporal instability that makes the standard bracketing inappropriate. The hexapole rf amplitude was decreased to 50% to further decrease polyatomic interferences and promote the transmission of iron range masses. We routinely measure Fe isotopes with a precision of ± 0.05‰ and ± 0.12‰ (2σ) for δ56Fe and δ57Fe respectively.


Abstract:This article argues that the unraveling of the post–Cold War liberal order is manifested by the West's declining influence in international politics; the waning attraction of liberal democracy; and the maturing tensions within liberal democratic regimes. This unraveling renders problematic the European project of trying to extend democracy beyond the nation-state—a project that has enhanced the appeal of illiberal democracy, defined by majoritarian regimes in which the majority transforms the state into its own private possession. These regimes have become an answer to the pressures of a world where popular will is the only source of political legitimacy, and global markets are the only source of economic growth. Their rise portends devastating and far-reaching consequences throughout Europe.


Iron pyrite (FeS 2 ) is the most abundant sulfide material on earth. This material has been widely investigated by researchers because of its optical properties. However, it has been difficult to produce High efficiency FeS 2 based solar cells. This is due to many different impurities that arise when making the materials. The ability to synthesize pure pyrite FeS 2 material is therefore critical for applications. Pure Iron pyrite nanocrystals were synthesized using hot injection by mixing sulfur with an iron precursor in the presence of an amine. To improve the stability, shorter ligands replaced the native amines ligands. The stability of the iron pyrite after ligand exchange was investigated by looking at the changes in the properties of films deposited by spray pyrolysis before and after being stored in air and at room temperature for one year. Even when being deposited at high temperature, the pyrite films were not sulfur deficient. Quenching the PL emission of the nanocrystals and increasing their dark current was observed after ligand exchange. This was detrimental for the solar cells. The use of FeS2 for thermoelectrics was investigated because of its metal like conductivity. The nanoparticles were once again synthesized and the native ligands replaced. The nanoparticles were dried to make a powder and pressed to make pellets. Their thermoelectric properties were measured. The seebeck coefficient of the pellets showed a p-type conductivity and the highest value of the ZT in the 10 -3 . To increase the ZT, the nanocrystals were doped for the first time with cobalt using a two-step hot injection method.. The thermoelectric properties of the doped nanoparticles were measured. The ZT showed an increase of 2 order of magnitude, the highest reported ZT from iron pyrite. To increase the optical properties of the iron pyrite, the nanoparticles were coupled with gold and silver. The idea was to use the plasmonic effect to enhance the optical properties. Absorption spectra and PL spectra were obtained before and after coupling. No significant changes were observed in the optical properties after the coupling. Finite difference frequency domain simulation was used to simulate the behavior.


Fully revised and thoroughly updated, the second edition of this classic book brings together many leading international authors on educational leadership, with brand new chapters from leaders in the field Ken Leithwood, Paul Begley, Allan Walker and Alma Harris. Providing an overview of essential topics within the field, this book adopts an international perspective and offers conceptual and empirical insights into: moral and ethical leadership; distributed leadership; developing leaders; leadership for learning; building and leading learning cultures; managing human and financial resources; leadership for diversity; leadership, partnerships and community; and, professionalism and professional development. The book is for scholars, researchers and postgraduate students in educational leadership, management and administration, as well as for senior leaders in education and those taking professional leadership qualifications.


Book synopsis: In general terms, the essays of this collection address the peculiar and uncanny commonplace that doctrine is the subject of law. Their theme is the various and varied relations between law, doctrine and crime, and the predicament that has arisen from all three seemingly occupying the place of the subject of law. Furthermore, the specific situation of criminal law is examined, particularly the alleged failure so far to place its teachings and arguments within a cohesive structure that may offer greater power and authority. The essays collected here fall roughly into three parts, corresponding to the general elements of the dogmatic tradition of law, namely the questioning of address, of institution and of judgement.


What sorts of brain processes covary with consciousness? We argue that empirical neural correlates of consciousness (NCCs) include neural substrates (actual conscious experience representation in the brain), neural prerequisites and neural consequences of a conscious experience. In a conventional correlative paradigm, these three NCCs are principally indistinguishable. However a multi-pronged research program might begin to disentangle them. We here integrate our ideas with other recent considerations on the various components of the empirically defined NCC, and propose strategies to address the empirical-epistemological challenges faced by the problem of three NCCs. We conclude that while this problem is important and difficult, it is not destructive. The NCC research program still has much to contribute.


Intense changes have arisen in global agriculture, yielding a new market reality that is more complex and competitive than before. To confront these changes, a renewed perspective on the practice of agribusiness management is necessary. However, studies in this critical line of research are scant. This study updated the outlook on the strategic management of agribusiness in Taiwan by conducting in-depth interviews with 10 expert agrientrepreneurs. The results indicated that agribusiness strategies can be categorised as targeting one of three dimensions: the external environment, the internal environment, and sustainable development. This paper discusses each dimension in detail and suggests five broader trends of strategic management.


Traumatic injury of the central nervous system (CNS) has severe impact on the patients' quality of life and initiates many molecular and cellular changes at the site of insult. Traumatic CNS injury results in direct damage of the axons of CNS neurons, loss of myelin sheaths, destruction of the surrounding vascular architecture and initiation of an immune response. Class III semaphorins (SEMA3s) are present in the neural scar and influence a wide range of molecules and cell types in and surrounding the injured tissue. SEMA3s and their receptors, neuropilins (NRPs) and plexins (PLXNs) were initially studied because of their involvement in repulsive axon guidance. To date, SEMA3 signaling is recognized to be of crucial importance for re-vascularization, the immune response and remyelination. The purpose of this review is to summarize and discuss how SEMA3s modulate these processes that are all crucial components of the tissue response to injury. Most of the functions for SEMA3s are achieved through their binding partners NRPs, which are also co-receptors for a variety of other molecules implicated in the above processes. The most notable ligands are members of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family and the transforming growth factor family. Therefore, a second aim is to highlight the overlapping or competing signaling pathways that are mediated through NRPs in the same processes. In conclusion, we show that the role of SEMA3s goes beyond inhibiting axonal regeneration, since they are also critical modulators of re-vascularization, the immune response and re-myelination.


IMPORTANCE
Cataracts are a main cause of low vision; with the growing elderly population, the incidence of cataracts is likely to increase. Investigators have previously hypothesized that statin antioxidant effects may slow the natural aging process of the lens.

OBJECTIVE
To compare the risks for development of cataracts between statin users and nonusers.

DESIGN
A propensity score-matched cohort analysis using retrospective data from October 1, 2003, to March 1, 2010. A propensity score-matched cohort of statin users and nonusers was created using 44 variables.

SETTING
Database of a military health care system.

PARTICIPANTS
Based on medication fills during fiscal year 2005, patients were divided into 2 groups: (1) statin users (received at least a 90-day supply of statin) and (2) nonusers (never received a statin throughout the study). Among 46,249 patients meeting study criteria, we identified 13,626 statin users and 32,623 nonusers.

EXPOSURE
Use of statin therapy for more than 90 days.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
Primary analysis examined the risks for cataract in the propensity score-matched cohort. Secondary analyses examined the risks for cataract in patients with no comorbidities according to the Charlson Comorbidity Index (patients with no Charlson comorbidity). A sensitivity analysis was conducted to repeat the secondary analysis in patients taking statins for durations of 2, 4, and 6 years.

RESULTS
For our primary analysis, we matched 6972 pairs of statin users and nonusers. The risk for cataract was higher among statin users in comparison with nonusers in the propensity score-matched cohort (odds ratio, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.02-1.17). In secondary analyses, after adjusting for identified confounders, the incidence of cataract was higher in statin users in comparison with nonusers (odds ratio, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.15-1.40). Sensitivity analysis confirmed this relationship.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
The risk for cataract is increased among statin users as compared with nonusers. The risk-benefit ratio of statin use, specifically for primary prevention, should be carefully weighed, and further studies are warranted.


As societies depart from current economic models which are built around affordable and easily accessible fossil fuels to energy systems increasingly based on the use of renewable energies, the need grows for a wide-scale clean and sustainable energy vector. Hydrogen fulfils most of the needed equirements, but implementation and large scale penetration, especially for mobile applications, is precluded by technical issues. Among these, arguably the most complex is how to safely, economically and efficiently store hydrogen. Storage in a porous material offers some attractive features, which include fast kinetics, reversibility and moderate energy penalties. A new methodology to analyse hydrogen adsorption isotherms in microporous materials is presented in this thesis. The methodology is applied to hydrogen adsorption in different classes of high-surface area materials but could in principle be used for any supercritical fluid adsorbed onto a microporous material. To illustrate the application of the methodology, high-pressure hydrogen adsorption isotherms of four different materials were analysed, metal-organic frameworks MIL-101 and NOTT-101 and carbons AX-21 and TE7. The analysis extracts important information on the adsorptive capacities of the materials and compares them with conventional storage methods, which include compression, liquefaction and cryogenic compression. The methodology also aids in the calculation of the thermodynamics of adsorption, providing a more accurate calculation method than currently reported techniques, demonstrated with the calculation of the differential isosteric enthalpies for metal-organic framework NOTT-101. NMR and INS are used in a novel way at the same operating conditions of sorption experiments to validate the findings of the analysis. Both methods provide a qualitative validation for the analysis. Remarkably, the INS reveals that the adsorbed hydrogen in TE7 is in a solid-like state. GCMC simulations were also used to compare with the application and findings of the methodology, using silicalite-1 as a test material.


Graffiti on concrete structures is an ongoing, costly and increasing problem. A number of various anti-graffiti agents available on the market are intended to be resistant to graffiti attack or provide a treatment that aids the removal of graffiti. In several European countries the testing of anti-graffiti agents on concrete structures is following the EN 1504-2. This method is not appropriate for the aimed result. The method tests if an anti-graffiti agent damages a concrete structure and focuses on drying index and frost resistance in comparison with untreated samples. The aspects of the efficacy against graffiti attack, other types of dirt and aesthetic changes due to anti-graffiti protection are not evaluated by the present method. Therefore a validation and improvement of the current method is proposed.


The last twenty years have witnessed an astonishing transformation: the fght against corruption has grown from a handful of local undertakings into a truly global effort. Law occupies a central role in that effort and this timely book assesses the challenges faced in using law as it too morphs from a handful of local rules into a global regime.

The book presents the perspectives of a global array of scholars, of policy makers, and of practitioners. Topics range from critical theoretical understandings of the global regime as a whole, to regional and local experiences in implementing and infuencing the regime, including specifc legal techniques such as deferred prosecution agreements, addressing corruption issues in dispute resolution, whistleblower protection, civil and administrative prosecutions, as well as blocking statutes. The book also includes discussions of the future shape of the global regime, the emergence of transnational compliance standards, and discussions by leaders of international organizations that take a leading role in the transnationalization of anti-corruption law.

The Transnationalization of Anti-Corruption Law deals with the most salient aspects of the global anti-corruption regime. It is written by people who contribute to the structure of the regime, who practice within the regime, and who study the regime. It is written for anyone interested in corruption or corruption control in general, anyone with a general interest in jurisprudence or in international law, and especially anyone who is interested in critical thinking and analysis of how law can control corruption in a global context.


Seismic site classifications are widely used to represent seismic site effects and estimate the hazard parameters at soil surface. Most countries including Australia, China and India follow seismic site classification system similar to that in International Building Code (IBC), which is based on 30 m average shear wave velocity (SWV), Standard Penetration Test (SPT) N values and undrained shear strength. The site classification system in IBC is developed based on the studies carried out in United States. The present paper presents the seismic site classification according to IBC considering 30 m average SWV and SPT N and compares with seismic site classification given in the seismic design codes of Australia, China and India. SWV and SPT N values have been collected from different part of Australia, China and India. These data were selected considering rock depth; the data are available for depth of few meters to about 180 m. This study shows that site classification based on 30 m depth gives stiffer site class and lower spectral acceleration coefficient for building design. New site classification based on average soil thickness, SWV and SPT N up to engineering rock has been proposed. The proposed site classification represents soil thickness and shear stiffness of site rather than adding the rock SWV and SPT N values, if the depth of soil is less than 30 m or omitting the same if the depth of engineering rock is greater than 30m.


In recent years, there has been a large amount of disparate work concerning the representation and reasoning with qualitative preferential information by means of approaches to nonmonotonic reasoning. Given the variety of underlying systems, assumptions, motivations, and intuitions, it is difficult to compare or relate one approach with another. Here, we present an overview and classification for approaches to dealing with preference. A set of criteria for classifying approaches is given, followed by a set of desiderata that an approach might be expected to satisfy. A comprehensive set of approaches is subsequently given and classified with respect to these sets of underlying principles.


The first gendered prose debate in a European vernacular, Le Bestiaire d'amour and subsequent Response constitute a clash of opposites: a medieval chancellor's erotic bestiary to a woman is countered by the woman's passionate protest against the cleric's misogynistic presuppositions. Jeanette Beer presents a close, linear reading of the two literary texts, examining the context that led to the love-bestiary's production in the thirteenth century, especially an influential version of the Physiologus by Pierre de Beauvais, the suggestiveness of the animal symbolism, and the aftermath of the debate. In her exploration of Le Bestiaire d'amour and the Response, Beer analyzes the disparity of their sexual, philosophical, and theological orientations, and considers, animal by animal, this gendered duelling of the two bestiaries, the symbolism of the one calqued upon the symbolism of the other. Largely neglected for seven hundred years, Le Bestiaire d'amour and the Response address issues that are universally relevant: male and female expectations in love, sexual dominance, sexual exploitation, and female strategies for self-preservation in a society where women were powerless and vulnerable.


In the backdrop of intense political division, San Francisco is proud to be a beacon of diversity and inclusion. But the "sanctuary city" has an appalling history of racism and continues to relegate marginalized communities with transportation infrastructure decisions that exacerbate racial segregation and economic inequality. This Note exposes the racial bias underlying decisions with respect to transportation infrastructure, concluding that grassroots organizing, transparent decision making processes, and enhanced government accountability are three necessary means to protect the public's interest.


Carboxypeptidase E is a major enzyme in the biosynthesis of numerous neuroendocrine peptides. Previously, we developed a technique for the isolation of neuropeptide-processing intermediates from mice that lack carboxypeptidase E activity (Cpe fat/fat mice) due to a naturally occurring point mutation. In the present study, we used a differential labeling procedure with stable isotopic tags and mass spectrometry to quantitate the relative changes in a number of hypothalamic peptides in Cpe fat/fat mice in two different paradigms that each cause an approximately 10% decrease in body mass. One paradigm involved a 2-day fast under normal sedentary conditions (i.e. standard mouse cages); the other involved giving mice access to an exercise wheel for 4 weeks with free access to food. Approximately 50 peptides were detected in both studies, and over 80 peptides were detected in at least one of the two studies. Twenty-eight peptides were increased >50% by food deprivation, and some of these were increased by 2- to 3-fold. In contrast, only three peptides were increased >50% in the group with exercise wheels, and many peptides showed a slight 15-30% decrease upon exercise. Approximately one-half of the peptides detected in both studies were identified by tandem mass spectrometry. Peptides found to be elevated by food deprivation but not exercise included a number of fragments of proenkephalin, prothyrotropin-releasing hormone, secretogranin II, chromogranin B, and pro-SAAS. Taken together, the differential regulation of these peptides in the two paradigms suggests that the regulation is not due to the lower body weight but to the manner in which the paradigms achieved this lower body weight.


One spring morning two men cutting peat in a Danish bog uncovered a well-preserved body of a man with a noose around his neck. Thinking they had stumbled upon a murder victim, they reported their discovery to the police, who were baffled until they consulted the famous archaeologist P.V. Glob. Glob identified the body as that of a two-thousand-year-old man, ritually murdered and thrown in the bog as a sacrifice to the goddess of fertility. Written in the guise of a scientific detective story, this classic of archaeological history--a best-seller when it was published in England but out of print for many years--is a thoroughly engrossing and still reliable account of the religion, culture, and daily life of the European Iron Age. Includes 76 black-and-white photographs.


To manage ever increasing traffic volume on modern highways, transportation agencies have introduced special managed lanes where only vehicles with a certain occupancy level are allowed. This encourages highway users to ride together, thus, in theory, more efficiently transporting people through the highway system. In order to be effective, however, adherence to the vehicle occupancy rules has to be enforced. Recent studies have shown that the traditional approach of dispatching traffic law enforcement officers to perform roadside visual inspections is not only expensive and dangerous, but also ineffective for managed lane enforcement. In this paper, we describe an image-based machine learning approach for automatic or semi-automatic vehicle occupancy detection. Our method localizes windshield regions by constructing an elastic deformation model from sets of uniquely defined landmark points along the front windshield. From the localized windshield region, the method calculates image-level feature representations, which are then applied to a trained classifier for classifying the vehicle into violator and non-violator classes.


Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, domestic violence, as the most common type of violence against women, had been raised globally. Lockdown, as a security measure taken during the pandemic, has forced women to stay at home with the people who are the perpetrators of violence against them. In this predicament, it seems that the number of victims in countries like Iran, in which women have no support from civic society and the legal authorities, is higher than in other communities. Likewise, this research aims to assess the prevalence of domestic violence against Iranian women during the pandemic, based on some scattered reports, recent interviews, and field studies. Accordingly, "coercive control" is used as a tool to analyze the data collected in this study.


We present a robust control system and methodology for physics-informed artificial intelligence (PAI) used to optimize and improve oil recovery, demonstrated in the Yates Field operated by the Kinder Morgan CO2 company. The system consists of a robust control system (referred to as Dynamic Feedback Loop, or DFL) equipped with novel hydrocarbon sensors that measure oil concentration and other parameters continuously and simultaneously on a set of producing wells. The goal of this system is to optimize operational parameters (e.g. choke valve settings, injection rates) to reach specific target metrics of production (e.g. maximizing produced oil while minimizing produced gas). The key element of our approach is the use of a multi-layer artificial neural network (deep neural network, or DNN, to be specific) that extracts physics-based parameters from the real-time measurements and predicts relevant parameters of the DFL control system. DNNs are prone to overfitting in training, making them ineffective in unfamiliar or challenging situations outside the training dataset. To overcome this problem, we have developed a physics-informed robust neural network technique, where the reservoir physics and sensor data are used to train DNN representations of the key physical parameters. Typically, only simplified physical models are developed using available geostatic or historical production data. Also, due to the dynamic nature of these systems, the accuracy of the models often changes over time. To improve predictive capability of the model, we combine the DNN with the system-theoretic robust control concepts based on physics with a model uncertainty formulation. The concept was first validated using a combination of simulations, isolated sensor data and analyses based on sets of historic production data. A study using historic production data on Kinder Morgan's Yates Field Unit (YFU) 4045 Pilot (3 producing wells) indicates application of the DFL system results in an increase in cumulative production of up to 35% per year, compared to what is obtained through a traditional (fixed-point) control system. Currently, the DFL is being field-tested on a different set of wells in the Yates Field, instrumented with the novel hydrocarbon sensors that generate continuous and simultaneous production data.


This paper discusses stochastic models of inhomogeneous media and a method of nonlinear Kalman filtering that provides increased resolving power when processing actual low-coherence interference signals obtained in systems of optical coherent tomography. A method is proposed for the dynamic estimation of the positions of the local maxima of the signal envelope while scanning over the depth of the sample, making it possible to increase the resolution of the maxima of partially overlapping peaks by comparison with the classical criteria. The model results are presented along with experimental results obtained when studying a test sample of biological tissue.


Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is a neurotropic human alphaherpesvirus that causes varicella upon primary infection, establishes latency in multiple ganglionic neurons, and can reactivate to cause zoster. Live attenuated VZV vaccines are available; however, they can also establish latent infections and reactivate. Studies of VZV latency have been limited to the analyses of human ganglia removed at autopsy, as the virus is strictly a human pathogen. Recently, terminally differentiated human neurons have received much attention as a means to study the interaction between VZV and human neurons; however, the short life-span of these cells in culture has limited their application. Herein, we describe the construction of a model of normal human neural progenitor cells (NHNP) in tissue-like assemblies (TLAs), which can be successfully maintained for at least 180 days in three-dimensional (3D) culture, and exhibit an expression profile similar to that of human trigeminal ganglia. Infection of NHNP TLAs with cell-free VZV resulted in a persistent infection that was maintained for three months, during which the virus genome remained stable. Immediate-early, early and late VZV genes were transcribed, and low-levels of infectious VZV were recurrently detected in the culture supernatant. Our data suggest that NHNP TLAs are an effective system to investigate long-term interactions of VZV with complex assemblies of human neuronal cells.


We study the dynamic behaviour at high energies of a chain of anharmonic oscillators coupled at its ends to heat baths at possibly different temperatures. In our setup, each oscillator is subject to a homogeneous anharmonic pinning potential V1(qi) = |qi|/2k and harmonic coupling potentials V2(qi− qi−1) = (qi− qi−1)/2 between itself and its nearest neighbours. We consider the case k > 1 when the pinning potential is stronger then the coupling potential. At high energy, when a large fraction of the energy is located in the bulk of the chain, breathers appear and block the transport of energy through the system, thus slowing its convergence to equilibrium. In such a regime, we obtain equations for an effective dynamics by averaging out the fast oscillation of the breather. Using this representation and related ideas, we can prove a number of results. When the chain is of length three and k > 3/2 we show that there exists a unique invariant measure. If k > 2 we further show that the system does not relax exponentially fast to this equilibrium by demonstrating that zero is in the essential spectrum of the generator of the dynamics. When the chain has five or more oscillators and k > 3/2 we show that the generator again has zero in its essential spectrum. In addition to these rigorous results, a theory is given for the rate of decrease of the energy when it is concentrated in one of the oscillators without dissipation. Numerical simulations are included which confirm the theory.


Abstract. The monitoring of statistical network properties could be useful for the short-term hazard assessment of the occurrence of mainshocks in the presence of foreshocks. Using successive connections between events acquired from the earthquake catalog of the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) for the case of the L'Aquila (Italy) mainshock (Mw = 6.3) of 6 April 2009, we provide evidence that network measures, both global (average clustering coefficient, small-world index) and local (betweenness centrality) ones, could potentially be exploited for forecasting purposes both in time and space. Our results reveal statistically significant increases in the topological measures and a nucleation of the betweenness centrality around the location of the epicenter about 2 months before the mainshock. The results of the analysis are robust even when considering either large or off-centered the main event space windows.


Reveals the ancient mathematical principles refuting the notion of the solar system as an accidental creation - Reveals how ancient civilizations encoded their secret knowledge of the sky in mythology, music, and sacred measures - Shows how modern culture can benefit from the ancient astronomical and astrological worldview based on number - Shows the role of ratio and harmonic proportions in the creation of the material world Humanity's understanding of number was deeper and richer when the concept of creation was rooted in direct experience. But modern sensibility favors knowledge based exclusively on physical laws. We have forgotten what our ancestors once knew: that numbers and their properties create the forms of the world. Ancient units of measurement held within them the secrets of cosmic proportion and alignment that are hidden by the arbitrary decimal units of modern mathematical thinking. Sacred numbers arose from ancient man's observations of the heavens. Just as base ten numbers relate to the fingers and toes in terms of counting, each celestial period divides into the others like fingers revealing the base numbers of planetary creation. This ancient system made the art of counting a sacramental art, its units being given spiritual meanings beyond just measurement. The imperial yard, for example, retains a direct relationship to the Equator, the length of a day and a year, and the angular values of Earth, Moon, and Jupiter. The ancients encoded their secret knowledge of the skies within mythology, music, monuments, and units of sacred measurement. They understood that the ripeness of the natural world is the perfection of ratio and realized that the planetary environment--and time itself--is a creation of number.


There's more than petty theft going on in a London youth hostel...An outbreak of kleptomania at a student hostel was not normally the sort of crime that aroused Hercule Poirot's interest. But when he saw the list of stolen and vandalized items - including a stethoscope, some old flannel trousers, a box of chocolates, a slashed rucksack and a diamond ring found in a bowl of soup - he congratulated the warden, Mrs Hubbard, on a 'unique and beautiful problem'. The list made absolutely no sense at all. But, reasoned Poirot, if this was merely a petty thief at work, why was everyone at the hostel so frightened?


Background: Neuroimaging is important for determining etiology and guiding care in early childhood epilepsy. However, access to appropriate imaging in sub-Saharan Africa is modest, and as a consequence, etiological descriptions of childhood epilepsy in the region have been limited. We sought to describe MRI findings in children with epilepsy presenting to a tertiary hospital in Nairobi, Kenya, over a 6-year period of routine care. Materials and Methods: We undertook a retrospective review of MRI findings of children aged between 0 and 18 years with a diagnosis of epilepsy presenting to the pediatric neurology department of Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya, between January 2014 and July 2020. Over this period, the hospital had 1.5T MRI machines (GE1.5T Signa Excite and GE 1.5T Signa Explorer) and a 3T MRI machine (Philips 3T Ingenia). MRI images were independently reviewed by two study radiologists, and the findings were summarized and categorized into a study database. Related clinical and electroencephalographic (EEG) details were extracted from patient records. Categorical data analysis methods were applied to investigate for relationships between clinically relevant neuroimaging findings and key clinical and EEG observations. Results: Over the study period, 288 children with a confirmed diagnosis of epilepsy had an MRI. They were of median age of 6 [interquartile range (IQR) 2–11] years. Ninety-five (33%) children had abnormal findings on imaging. The most common findings were encephalomalacia related to chronic infarcts (n = 18: 6.3%), cerebral atrophy (n = 11: 3.8%), disorders of neuronal migration (n = 11: 3.8%), periventricular leukomalacia (n = 9: 3.1%), and hippocampal sclerosis (n = 8: 2.8%). Findings related to infectious etiology were only observed in four children. Clinical comorbidity and inter-ictal epileptiform activity on EEG were independently associated with abnormal findings on imaging. Conclusion: Up to a third of the children who underwent an MRI had a positive yield for abnormal findings. Imaging findings related to infectious etiologies were little observed in our cohort, in contradistinction to etiology studies in similar settings. At the time of the study, comorbidity and inter-ictal epileptiform activity on EEG were associated with abnormal findings on imaging and should be considered in informing prioritization for imaging in childhood epilepsy in this setting.


This paper investigates network policies and mechanisms to enhance security in SCADA networks using a mix of TCP and UDP transport protocols over IP. It recommends creating a trust system that can be added in strategic locations to protect existing legacy architectures and to accommodate a transition to IP through the introduction of equipment based on modern standards such as IEC 61850. The trust system is based on a best-of-breed application of standard information technology (IT) network security mechanisms and IP protocols. The trust system provides seamless, automated command and control for the suppression of network attacks and other suspicious events. It also supplies access control, format validation, event analysis, alerting, blocking, and event logging at any network-level and can do so on behalf of any system that does not have the resources to perform these functions itself. Latency calculations are used to estimate limits of applicability within a company and between geographically separated company and area control centers, scalable to hierarchical regional implementations.


Health promotion has developed significantly since its inception with the Lalonde Report (Lalonde 1974) and its formal promulgation by the World Health Organization through the Ottawa Charter in 1986 (WHO 1986). However, there is often a gap between policy intention and its implementation: 'Governments mediate, through their architecture of machinery and policy, access to rights and, by extension, to services' (Lawson et al. 2008: 3). There is a need for people with intellectual disabilities and their carers to break through this architecture to obtain the services they require. One possible bridging mechanism is the evidence and insights provided by programme evaluation. Elsewhere in this book, health promotion strategies for key health topic areas have been explored and ethical issues considered. It should be noted, however, that no matter how well developed the theoretical and practice-based elements of health promotion programmes are, we inevitably come to the key question: 'How do we know that health promotion interventions improve the health status of people with intellectual disabilities at all levels from individual to population?' This chapter seeks to define the concept of evaluation and identify its integral role within health promotion practice. It explores the key elements of evaluation planning and implementation in health promotion programmes, particularly as they affect people with intellectual disabilities. We also recognize that the engagement with health promotion by people with intellectual disabilities and their caregivers will have collateral effects on their significant others, those who commission and deliver health promotion programmes, and the wider community. Those who advocate for the rights of people with intellectual disabilities, as they monitor the effects of health promotion interventions on this population, will also have an interest in the nature and outcomes of evaluation


The propose an advanced Website Evaluation system that rates the website based on the opinion of the user. Website will be evaluated based on factors such genuineness of the website, timely delivery of the product after online transaction and support provided by the website. User will comment about the website, based on the comment system will rate the website. The system takes opinion of various users, based on the opinion; system will decide whether the website is genuine or not. The system uses opinion mining methodology in order to achieve desired functionality. We use a database of sentiment based keywords along with positivity or negativity weight in database and then based on these sentiment keywords mined in user comment is ranked. The system contains keywords related to fraud, genuineness, timely delivery of the product and service meters in the database. Based on these factors system will rate the website.


Thermoplastic liners are commonly used to protect a wide range of oilfield tubulars offering the advantages of increased corrosion resistance, wear mitigation, and ease of tubular installation while diminishing pressure drop issues and maximizing fluid throughput capacity especially in high rate wells operating with high velocity fluids. Furthermore, they may offer a competitive advantage over corrosion resistant alloys (CRA's), plastic coatings and thermoset liner products in extending tubular life. The most commonly used thermoplastic liners in water injection service are largely extruded from polyolefins for installation in environments up to 99°C; yet, for more demanding environments, engineering thermoplastics such as PPS are available to handle temperatures as high as 175°C. All of these polymers are significantly more flexible and impact resistant compared to traditional thermoset materials historically used to protect injection tubing meaning that they can be practically applied in harsh field conditions and maintain a protective barrier against the tubing ID even after pulling/rerunning tubing combined with multiple wireline and coiled tubing surveys. The same liners can be used to protect costly downhole components and jewelry such as packers and tubing anchors. Examples of lined tubulars with both API and premium tubular connections will be covered. This paper will present case studies detailing the successful use of thermoplastic lined tubulars including liner products composed of HDPE, a proprietary polyolefin blend, and PPS. All of the lined tubulars in these wells are still in service today and some were installed back in 1998. A review of critical limitations of the liners such as temperature and diameter reduction effects will also be discussed in an effort to avoid the misapplication of thermoplastic liners. Economic benefits, improved service life, and better flow characteristics due to the high quality surface finish of the liners will be detailed in thirteen different fields and water injection environments. Furthermore, to exhibit the overall economic impact of thermoplastic lined tubulars, a review of field installation and handling procedures will be presented as well. The fundamental technical benefits of various thermoplastic lined tubulars will be covered with an emphasis on the proven extension of tubing service life using thermoplastic liners.


We present Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph observations of 14 nearby low-luminosity active galactic nuclei, including 13 LINERs and 1 Seyfert, taken at multiple parallel slit positions centered on the galaxy nuclei and covering the Hα spectral region. For each galaxy, we measure the emission-line velocities, line widths, and strengths to map out the inner narrow-line region structure—typically within ∼100 pc from the galaxy nucleus. There is a wide diversity among the velocity fields: in a few galaxies the gas is clearly in disk-like rotation, while in other galaxies the gas kinematics either appear chaotic or are dominated by radial flows with multiple velocity components. In most objects, the emission-line surface brightness distribution is very centrally peaked. The [S ii] line ratio indicates a radial stratification in gas density, with a sharp increase within the inner 10–20 pc, in the majority of the Type 1 (broad-lined) objects. The electron-density gradients of the Type 1 objects exhibit a similar shape that is well fit by a power law of the form ne = n0(r/1 pc)α, where α = −0.60 ± 0.13. We examine how the [N ii] λ6583 line width varies as a function of the aperture size over a range of spatial scales, extending from scales comparable to the black hole's sphere of influence to scales dominated by the host galaxy's bulge. For most galaxies in the sample, we find that the emission-line velocity dispersion is largest within the black hole's gravitational sphere of influence, and decreases with increasing aperture size toward values similar to the bulge stellar velocity dispersion measured within ground-based apertures. We construct models of gas disks in circular rotation and show that this behavior can be consistent with virial motion, although for some combinations of disk parameters we show that the line width can increase as a function of aperture size, as observed in NGC 3245. Future dynamical modeling to determine black hole masses for a few objects in this sample may be worthwhile, although disorganized motion will limit the accuracy of the mass measurements.


OBJECTIVES
We have previously described that bioactive lysophospholipids-lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), and sphingosylphosphorylcholine (SPC)-are present in ascitic fluids from patients with ovarian cancer. To understand the role of these lipids in ovarian cancer, we investigated the effects of these lipids on interleukin-8 (IL-8) production in ovarian cancer cells. IL-8 is a proinflammatory and proangiogenic factor, which is potentially involved in ovarian cancer development.

METHODS
The Clontech PCR-Select cDNA subtraction method (Clontech Laboratories, Inc., Palo Alto, CA) was used to identify genes potentially regulated by LPA in HEY and OCC1 ovarian cancer cell lines. Northern blot analysis was used to confirm and examine IL-8 mRNA regulation by lysolipids. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used for detecting secreted IL-8.

RESULTS
We describe here that LPA, S1P, and SPC increased mRNA levels (2- to 7-fold) and protein secretion (2- to 12-fold) of IL-8 from ovarian cancer cells (HEY, OCC1, and SKOV3) in vitro. These regulations were both dose- and time-dependent. All three lipids increased the stability IL-8 mRNA in HEY cells. In contrast to malignant ovarian cancer cells, immortalized human ovarian epithelial cells did not respond to any of these lipids to increase the secretion of IL-8, although these cells secreted similar basal levels of IL-8 (310 pg/ml/10,000 cells). Two breast cancer cell lines (MCF7 and T47D) secreted lower basal levels of IL-8 (48-80 pg/ml/10,000 cells), compared with ovarian cancer cells (200-500 pg/ml/10,000 cells). MCF7 cells responded to LPA, but not S1P and SPC, by increasing the secretion of IL-8. T47D and MCF10A, an immortalized breast cell line, did not respond to LPA, S1P, or SPC to increase IL-8 secretion.

CONCLUSIONS
LPA, S1P, and SPC regulate the mRNA and protein levels of the proinflammatory and proangiogenic factor IL-8 in ovarian cancer cells. The pathological significance of these regulations in ovarian cancer remains to be further investigated.


People living with HIV (PLWH) are diagnosed with cancer at an increased rate over the general population and generally have a higher mortality due to delayed diagnoses, advanced cancer stage, comorbidities, immunosuppression, and cancer treatment disparities. Lack of guidelines and provider education has led to substandard cancer care being offered to PLWH. To fill that gap, the NCCN Guidelines for Cancer in PLWH were developed; they provide treatment recommendations for PLWH who develop non-small cell lung cancer, anal cancer, Hodgkin lymphoma, and cervical cancer. In addition, the NCCN Guidelines outline advice regarding HIV management during cancer therapy; drug-drug interactions between antiretroviral treatments and cancer therapies; and workup, radiation therapy, surgical management, and supportive care in PLWH who have cancer.


Forty consecutive patients who underwent craniotomy for traumatic hematoma after developing bilateral fixed dilated pupils were studied to determine the factors influencing quality of survival and to seek criteria for management. Clinical and computerized tomography (CT) data were correlated with outcome 1 year after craniotomy. The functional recovery (good outcome or moderate disability) rate was 25%, with a mortality rate of 43%. Patients with subdural hematoma had a higher mortality rate (64%) compared to patients with extradural hematoma (18%) (chi-square test, p > 0.05). Other factors associated with markedly increased morbidity and mortality were increasing age (> 20 years), a prolonged interval (> 3 hours) between loss of pupillary reactivity and craniotomy, compression of basal cisterns, and presence of subarachnoid hemorrhage on CT. There were no survivors among patients exhibiting any of the following features: surgery 6 hours or more after bilateral loss of pupillary reactivity; age greater than 65 years; or absent motor response. Apart from the latter group, the nature of motor response (before pharmacological paralysis and intubation) was not a reliable predictor of mortality. The results suggest that the presence of an acute subdural hematoma is the single most important predictor of negative outcome in patients with bilateral unresponsive pupils.


116 out of 136. That is the number of white men who have served on the 82-year old committee responsible for creating and maintaining the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The tiny number of non-white, non-male committee members is disproportionate even in the context of the white-male-dominated legal profession. Were the rules simply a technical set of instructions made by a neutral set of experts, perhaps these numbers might not be as disturbing. But that is not the case. The Civil Rules embody normative judgments about the values that have primacy in our civil justice system, and the rulemakers—while expert—are not apolitical actors. This essay argues that the homogeneous composition of the rulemaking committee, not only historically, but also today, limits the quality of the rules produced and perpetuates inequality. The remedy to this problem is straightforward: appoint different people to the rulemaking committee. To be sure, the federal civil rulemaking process is but one small part of where and how gender and racial identity matter. Even still, this essay argues that the rulemaking committee members, the Judiciary, and the Bar should demand that the civil rulemaking committee cease being #SoWhiteMale.


We examine the temporal climate variability of 18 Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites in the United States including Puerto Rico and Antarctica. Annual and seasonal means of air temperature and totals of precipitation were collected from sites for the period 1957-1990 and, for some sites, for longer periods ranging up to a century. Fourteen of the sites show a positive trend in annual mean temperature during the 1957-1990 period, while 4 show a negative trend. Statistical evidence exists at some groups of sites for a step function in temperature and precipitation occurring in the 14 yr either side of 1976. Comparisons suggest that with respect to changes in time, the cli- mates of sites in the North Central part of the US tend to act in concert as one group while the climates of sites near the East Coast tend to act together as a separate group. The climates of the Antarctic sites also seem to act in a coherent manner. There is less coherence among the climates of other LTER sites. These patterns are shown in the variations of the detrended standardized 5 yr mov- ing averages of temperature and precipitation at the sites. The patterns are associated with variations in the values of teleconnective indices, particularly the North Atlantic Oscillation index for the North Central and East Coast LTER sites and the Pacific North American index for the Alaskan and Pacific Northwest group of LTER sites. The climates of some sites, such as those in the center of the country, show some evidence of 'cyclicity' but the record length is too short to make definitive statements about this. We review the variability of some ecological effects that have been documented at LTER sites as this variability relates to the described climate.


Geospatial content-based image retrieval (CBIR) systems can be used to query for visually similar images by identifying similar patterns between a query image and those in the database. When several different classes of features are used, some queries require that each class should be given a different degree of weight; to this end, CBIR indexes are built for each class of features. This paper proposes an approach for weighting multiple indexes in a geospatial CBIR system by mining information from user feedback. After a small number of iterations of relevance feedback and data mining, index weights can be determined dynamically per query. Using this technique geospatial retrieval system precision of results increased from 70% to 79% after 5 iterations of feedback.


Summary

Background

Although resistance of Helicobacter pylori to metronidazole had been reported to be associated with mutations in the rdxA or the frxA gene, recent studies have indicated that they may contribute little to metronidazole resistance.

Aim

To clarify the roles of these genes in metronidazole resistance, we examined them in strains that were not eradicated by first-line eradication therapy.

Patients and methods

A total of 132 patients (92 males, 40 females, average age: 53.8 years old) who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy after unsuccessful first-line H. pylori eradication were enrolled. Antibiotic susceptibility to metronidazole was investigated using the agar dilution method. The H. pylorirdxA and frxA genes were then sequenced.

Results

In the metronidazole-resistant strains, the sensitivity of detection of frameshift mutations in the rdxA gene was 44%. A significant association between the presence of frameshift mutations in the rdxA gene and resistance to metronidazole was observed. No significant association between frameshift mutations in the frxA gene and resistance to metronidazole was observed.

Conclusion

Mutation in the rdxA gene was sufficient, but not necessary to confer resistance to metronidazole in H. pylori. Mutation in the frxA gene was not necessary for resistance to metronidazole in H. pylori.


An influential literature in economics explores the phenomenon of "safe assets" – when participants across financial markets act "as if" certain debt is risk free – as well as its role in the global financial crisis and its implications for post-crisis reform.
We highlight the role of private ordering in constructing safe assets. Private ordering, including contractual devices and transaction structures, contributes to the creation of these debt contracts, to their collective treatment in financial markets as low risk investments, and to the making of deep and liquid markets in them. These contracts and transaction structures also provide a template for understanding the role of government regulation in constructing safe assets.
Safe asset supply and demand does not occur organically. Rather, whether through private or public ordering, three types of legal tools operate to construct safe assets:
1. Making Assets Safe: one set of tools contributes to the production of safe assets by regulating the cash flows into and out of an issuer of safe assets to increase the likelihood of full and prompt payment to investors. These tools might take the form of:
engineering the asset side of an issuer's balance sheet to reduce the risk of inputs in safe assets;
engineering the liability side of an issuer's balance sheet to give holders of safe assets priority over other claimants on the issuer; or
creating and regulating the secondary market for safe assets.
2. Labeling Assets Safe: another set of legal tools focuses on the demand for safe assets by granting special status to these contracts when held on the books of investors. These tools create liquid markets for certain assets by either:
signaling the low risk of default by issuers of those assets; or
coordinating the collective treatment of those assets as having low risk and high liquidity.
3. Guaranteeing Asset Safety: financial intermediaries and governments can also guarantee the performance of safe assets, putting their own credit on the line. Guarantees may be ex ante or ex post, explicit or implicit.
A comparison of private and public ordering in safe asset markets reveals how difficult it is to separate the two. Indeed, much of private ordering relies on statute and regulation. Public ordering succeeds at creating safe assets when it enables private ordering and herding by investors into safe asset markets. Understanding this complex interplay between public and private tools becomes vital for understanding how safe asset markets operate, how they fail, and how they must be reformed.
The Article concludes with two lessons. First, it deconstructs the notion that there is purely private or public ordering in safe asset markets. Second, it underscores a kind of first law of thermodynamics for safe assets: neither private nor public ordering can banish risk altogether from safe asset markets or financial markets in general. They merely move risk around or, worse, obscure risk until it rematerializes.


We sought increased understanding of men's decision-making process for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening, especially among elderly men, and a more knowledgeable basis for interventions to modify screening rates. A cross-sectional postal questionnaire assessed measures consistent with the Theory of Planned Behavior among a population-based age-stratified random sample of 452 Iowa men who were free of prostate cancer and aware of PSA. Our primary outcome was intention to receive PSA screening within a year; this encompassed the degree men wanted and planned to be screened. We examined three explanatory variables via structural equation modeling: attitude, social influence, and perceived control. Attitude included the degree screening is important-unnecessary, reassuring-worrisome, and useful-useless. Social influence encompassed the extent a man believed people expect him to, and think he should be screened. Perceived control covered the degree a man can be screened, if desired, and how much control he has over screening. We then examined attitude, social influence, and perceived control as dependent variables. We examined how potential outcomes of screening influenced attitude, how specific people affected overall social influence, and how specific factors influenced perceived control. Roughly 75% expressed intent to receive PSA screening within a year. Attitude, social influence, and perceived control each contributed significantly to the explanation of intentions (p<0.001); the model accounted for 72% of the variability in intention. Detecting cancer early, obtaining peace of mind, knowing their PSA value, and false test results were potential outcomes and each convincingly influenced attitude. A man's wife, primary care physician, urologist, family, friends, and people with cancer each visibly swayed overall perceived social influence. The impacts of health insurance, transportation, information, health problems, including PSA in routine exams, and


Explicitation has long been considered a tendency in translation and has been empirically investigated by a number of scholars. This paper responds to Chesterman´s (2004a:47) call to test explicitation phenomena on different translation modalities and types, and tests the explicitation hypothesis against a comparable web corpus containing 40m words. The fast evolving field of web localization was selected given that (1) if explicitation is a potential universal or general tendency, it should be equally present in current and future translation types; (2) localization is a specific case of translation in which explicitation might not be expected due to space constraints and web usability guidelines; (3) research using comparable web corpora has produced evidence contradicting other proposed general tendencies, such as conventionalization (Jimenez-Crespo 2009a; Kenny 2001). The results of the study confirm that despite specific constraints, localized texts show explicitation if contrasted with non-translated web texts belonging to the same digital genre.


Evolutionary algorithms (EAs) can be used as optimisation mechanisms. Based on the model of natural evolution, they work on populations of individuals instead of on single solutions. In this way, the search is performed in a parallel manner. During the last decades, there has been an increasing interest in evolutionary algorithms to solve scheduling problems. One important feature in these algorithms is the selection of individuals. Selection is the operation by which individuals (i.e. their chromosomes) are selected for mating. To emulate natural selection, individuals with higher fitness should be selected with higher probability, and thus it is one of the operators where the fitness plays an important role. There are many different models of selection (some are not biologically plausible). Commonly, proportional, ranking, tournament selection and stochastic universal sampling are used. EAs considered in this work are improved with a multiplicity feature to solve the job shop scheduling problems (JSSP). The algorithm applied here, multiple crossovers on multiple parents (MCMP), considers more than two parents for reproduction with the possibility to generate multiple children. This approach uses a permutation representation for the chromosome. The objective of this work is to compare the algorithms performance using different selection mechanisms and to analyse the different crossover methods developed to apply MCMP with a permutation representation.


As biometrics gains popularity and proliferates into the daily life, there is an increased concern over the loss of privacy and potential misuse of biometric data held in central repositories. The major concerns are about i) the use of biometrics to track people, ii) non-revocability of biometrics (eg. if a fingerprint is compromised it can not be canceled or reissued), and iii) disclosure of sensitive information such as race, gender and health problems which may be revealed by biometric traits. The straightforward suggestion of keeping the biometric data in a user owned token (eg. smart cards) does not completely solve the problem, since malicious users can claim that their token is broken to avoid biometric verification altogether. Put together, these concerns brought the need for privacy preserving biometric authentication methods in the recent years. In this dissertation, we survey existing privacy preserving biometric systems and implement and analyze fuzzy vault in particular; we propose a new privacy preserving approach; and we study the discriminative capability of online signatures as it relates to the success of using online signatures in the available privacy preserving biometric verification systems. Our privacy preserving authentication scheme combines multiple biometric traits to obtain a multi-biometric template that hides the constituent biometrics and allows the possibility of creating non-unique identifiers for a person, such that linking separate template databases is impossible. We provide two separate realizations of the framework: one uses two separate fingerprints of the same individual to obtain a combined biometric template, while the other one combines a fingerprint with a vocal pass-phrase. We show that both realizations of the framework are successful in verifying a person's identity given both biometric traits, while preserving privacy (i.e. biometric data is protected and the combined identifier can not be used to track people). The Fuzzy Vault emerged as a promising construct which can be used in protecting biometric templates. It combines biometrics and cryptography in order to get the benefits of both fields; while biometrics provides non-repudiation and convenience, cryptography guarantees privacy and adjustable levels of security. On the other hand, the fuzzy vault is a general construct for unordered data, and as such, it is not straightforward how it can be used with different biometric traits. In the scope of this thesis, we demonstrate realizations of the fuzzy vault using fingerprints and online signatures such that authentication can be done while biometric templates are protected. We then demonstrate how to use the fuzzy vault for secret sharing, using biometrics. Secret sharing schemes are cryptographic constructs where a secret is split into shares and distributed amongst the participants in such a way that it is constructed/revealed only when a necessary number of share holders come together (e.g. in joint bank accounts). The revealed secret can then be used for encryption or authentication. Finally, we implemented how correlation attacks can be used to unlock the vault; showing that further measures are needed to protect the fuzzy vault against such attacks. The discriminative capability of a biometric modality is based on its uniqueness/entropy and is an important factor in choosing a biometric for a large-scale deployment or a cryptographic application. We present an individuality model for online signatures in order to substantiate their applicability in biometric authentication. In order to build our model, we adopt the Fourier domain representation of the signature and propose a matching algorithm. The signature individuality is measured as the probability of a coincidental match between two arbitrary signatures, where model parameters are estimated using a large signature database. Based on this preliminary model and estimated parameters, we conclude that an average online signature provides a high level of security for authentication purposes. Finally, we provide a public online signature database along with associated testing protocols that can be used for testing signature verification systems


For a slowly varying stimulus, the simplest relationship between a neuron's input and output is a rate code, in which the spike rate is a unique function of the stimulus at that instant. In the case of spike-rate adaptation, there is no unique relationship between input and output, because the spike rate at any time depends both on the instantaneous stimulus and on prior spiking (the "history"). To improve the decoding of spike trains produced by neurons that show spike-rate adaptation, we developed a simple scheme that incorporates "history" into a rate code. We utilized this rate-history code successfully to decode spike trains produced by 1) mathematical models of a neuron in which the mechanism for adaptation (IAHP) is specified, and 2) the gastropyloric receptor (GPR2), a stretch-sensitive neuron in the stomatogastric nervous system of the crab Cancer borealis, that exhibits long-lasting adaptation of unknown origin. Moreover, when we modified the spike rate either mathematically in a model system or by applying neuromodulatory agents to the experimental system, we found that changes in the rate-history code could be related to the biophysical mechanisms responsible for altering the spiking.


In this work we use a MultiCriteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) model to evalu- ate the creditworthiness of a sample of Italian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), on the basis of their balance sheet data provided by the AIDA database. Our methodology is able to consider simultaneously different factors affecting the firmsO solvency level, and can produce results in terms of scoring, classification into homogeneous rating classes and migration probabilities. In this contribution we compare the results obtained considering two scenarios. On one hand, we experience an exogenous specification of the parameters that describe the preference structure implicit in the used MCDA model. On the other hand, we consider the results obtained using a preference disaggregation method to endogenously determine some of the model parameters. Because of the complexity of the obtained math- ematical programming problem, we use an heuristic methodology, namely Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), which provides a reasonable compromise between the quality of the solution and the computational burden.


This Good Practice Guide was commissioned by the Law Associate Deans Network to support the implementation of Threshold Learning Outcome 1: Knowledge. The Threshold Learning Outcomes (TLOs) for the Bachelor of Laws were developed in 2010 as part of the Learning and Teaching Academic Standards (LTAS) Project, led by Professors Sally Kift and Mark Israel. TLO 1 states: Graduates of the Bachelor of Laws will demonstrate an understanding of a coherent body of knowledge that includes: (a) the fundamental areas of legal knowledge, the Australian legal system, and underlying principles and concepts, including international and comparative contexts, (b) the broader contexts within which legal issues arise, and (c) the principles and values of justice and of ethical practice in lawyers' roles. This Good Practice Guide addresses 1(b). It provides an overview of the theoretical perspectives through which legal education has been viewed – from positivism to critical race theory and the way these theories impact on what has been considered the appropriate breadth of context within which legal education should occur. The Guide then provides a list of context areas that could be relevant to legal studies, and a list of articles or books that discuss or use broader contexts in a legal education setting. The lists are necessarily incomplete and correspondence is invited on further resources that could be available.


Adaptations may require multiple mutations that are beneficial only in combination. To adapt, a lineage must acquire mutations that are individually neutral or deleterious before gaining the beneficial combination, thereby crossing a plateau or valley, respectively, in the mapping from genotype to fitness. Spatial population structure can facilitate plateau and valley crossing by allowing neutral and deleterious lineages to survive longer and produce more beneficial mutants. Here, we analyze adaptation across a two-mutation plateau or valley in an asexual population that is subdivided into discrete subpopulations, or demes, connected by migration. We describe how subdivision alters the dynamics of adaptation from those in an equally sized unstructured population and give a complete quantitative description of these dynamics for the island migration model. Subdivision can significantly decrease the waiting time for the adaptation if demes and migration rates are small enough that single-mutant lineages fix in one or more demes before producing the beneficial double mutant. But, the potential decrease is small in very large populations and may also be limited by the slow spread of the beneficial mutant in extremely subdivided populations. Subdivision has a smaller effect on the probability that the population adapts very quickly than on the mean time to adapt, which has important consequences in some applications, such as the development of cancer. Our results provide a general and intuitive framework for predicting the effects of spatial structure in other models and in natural populations.


We present theoretical predictions for the spectral, temporal and intensity signatures of the electromagnetic radiation emitted during the process of the gravitational collapse of a stellar core to a black hole, during which electromagnetic field strengths rise over the critical value for e+e- pair creation. The last phases of this gravitational collapse are studied, leading to the formation of a black hole with a subcritical electromagnetic field, likely with zero charge, and an outgoing pulse of initially optically thick e+e--photon plasma. Such a pulse reaches transparency at Lorentz gamma factors of 102–104. We find a clear signature in the outgoing electromagnetic signal, drifting from a soft to a hard spectrum, on very precise time-scales and with a very specific intensity modulation. The relevance of these theoretical results for the understanding of short gamma-ray bursts is outlined.


On interannual to decadal time scales tropospheric Antarctic circulation is driven by three forces: ENSO (El Nino Southern Oscillation), AAO (Antarctic Oscillation or Southern Annular Mode), and potentially ACW (Antarctic Circumpolar Wave) but there is widespread disagreement on their relative influences and temporal robustness.We present high resolution records from three snow pits from the McMurdo Sound region (Victoria Lower Glacier, Evans Piedmont Glacier and Mt Erebus). The snow pits are dated using annual layer counting and represent up to ~50 years. Water chemistry (major ion Ca, K, Mg, Na & Cl, NO3, SO4, trace elements Al, Fe, Mn, P, S, Si, Sr), isotopic ratios (oxygen, deuterium, and d-excess data), dust concentration, and density fluctuations are presented. The ice core proxies were calibrated to meteorological (AWS) data using transfer functions.Our data support the concept of a double-sided ENSO effect in the Ross Sea Region, but show that the ENSO forcing is non-linear and non-stationary. We suggest a new mechanism that could explain a teleconnection with positive feedbacks between ENSO and AAO. Furthermore, we present data from a firn core from Victoria Lower Glacier representing the last millennium. The core has been dated using volcanic benchmarks found in the non-seasalt SO4 signal. The isotope record indicates a reoccurring pattern of rapid changes between cooler and warmer climate modes, suggesting that the relative influence of ENSO and AAO and possibly ACW has varied through time.


The TCV Tokamak was designed to create a large variety of plasma shapes. Such a large flexibility requires high precision magnetic measurements with a good spatial coverage. This article gives a detailed description of the magnetic sensor geometry, fabrication, calibration, the associated electronics, and the diagnostic operation and monitoring. A substantial effort has been made to quantify the precision in the measurements and a novel method has been developed to derive corrections in the sensor position and calibration which optimise the consistency of the entire measurement set. Accuracy of 0.5 mWb in the poloidal flux and 1 mT in the magnetic field with a position error of a few mm have been achieved.


Enormous shifts occurred in poverty trends, research and policies in the United States during the 1990s. Poverty rates soared early in the decade; at their peak, the rates approached the levels associated with the deep recession of the early 1980s. The rapid ascent, however, was followed by an even more rapid decline that brought poverty rates near to their historic lows of the mid-1970s. Numerous methodological developments, such as the introduction of new measures, a return to large-scale social experiments, and a more widespread and sophisticated application of qualitative, ethnographic methods, also marked the decade. In terms of policy, the federal and state governments had just begun implementing the Family Support Act and Medicaid expansions at the start of the 1990s. Within a few years, the federal government expanded the Earned Income Tax Credit, while the states began experimenting with cash assistance reforms through Section 1115 waivers from the Social Security Act. In 1996, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunities Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) swept the old Aid to Families with Dependent Children program aside and replaced it with Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. The legislation also changed how food assistance, child support enforcement and other programs operated. With these vast changes as a backdrop, the edited volume, Understanding Poverty, sets out to crystallize current thinking about various aspects of poverty.


This study historicises and contextualises the rebirth doctrines of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831–1891), the matriarch of the Theosophical Society and one of the most influential women of the nineteenth century. It analyses Blavatsky's complicated theories about the cosmos and its divine source as presented in her two seminal Theosophical treatises, Isis Unveiled (1877) and The Secret Doctrine (1888), as well as her articles and letters. The book argues that Blavatsky taught two distinct theories of rebirth and that the later one developed from the earlier. It reveals Blavatsky's appropriation of a plethora of contemporaneous works in the construction of these doctrines and contextualises her interpretations in nineteenth-century intellectual and cultural life. In particular, it explores Blavatsky's adaptations of Spiritualist ideas, scientific theories, Platonism, and Oriental religions, which in turn are set in relief against broader nineteenth-century American and European trends. The chapters come together to reveal the contours of a modern perspective on reincarnation that is inseparable from the nineteenth-century discourses within which it emerged. In addition, it reveals some consequential, perhaps unexpected, and evidently under-acknowledged historical roots of the reincarnationism that is so popular in today's postmodern world.