Abstract Scholars have long speculated about the role of American civil religion and political discourse. Of particular interest to rhetorical scholars is the function of a civil religion idiom within presidential discourse. The cornerstone of this study is founded upon Rod Hart's ideas in The Political Pulpit (1977) wherein the nature of American civil religion is described through the metaphor of a legal contract. A rhetorical approach to civil religion provides the framework for this study. Nine major public speeches by Carter as candidate and president, from 1974 to 1979, are examined in order to locate and identify the symbolic breeches of the historic separation of church and state. Carter's rhetorical choices clearly indicate a unique and creative use of American civil religion. This usage is unconventional insomuch as he extends the boundaries that characterize the norms of civil-religious discourse. This unconventional usage can be understood as nominal, doctrinal, and structural violations of the American civil-religious code. It seems that Carter renegotiates the boundaries between the sacred and the secular, church and state. This study presents evidence that civil religion is a tradition in flux. The examination of Carter's use of the civil-religious idiom, one of the supposed catalysts for the emergence of the 'religious right,' is the focus of this study. Their mobilization for Carter in 1976 and their defection to Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984 is partly explained by Carter's separation of his administration from the religious right's agenda. Through the application of the notion of a rhetorical contract, this study provides cogent explanation for Carter's darkhorse yet successful campaign in 1976, and the overwhelming defeat by Reagan in 1980.


Objective Intracranial electrical stimulation of subcortical axonal tracts is particularly useful during brain surgery, where mapping helps identify and excise dysfunctional tissue while avoiding damage to functional structures. Stimulation parameters are generally set empirically and consequences for the spatial recruitment of axons within subcortical tracts are not well identified. Approach Computational modeling is employed to study the effects of stimulation parameters on the recruitment of axons: monophasic versus biphasic stimuli induced with monopolar versus bipolar electrodes, oriented orthogonal or parallel to the tract, for isotropic and anisotropic tracts. Main results The area and depth of axonal activation strongly depend on tissue conductivity and electrode parameters. The largest activation area results from biphasic stimulation with bipolar electrodes oriented orthogonal to axonal fasciculi, for anisotropic and especially isotropic tracts. For anisotropic tracts, the maximal activation depth is similar regardless of whether a monopolar or bipolar electrode is employed. For isotropic tracts, bipolar parallel and monopolar stimulation activate axons deeper than orthogonal bipolar stimulation. Attention is warranted during monophasic stimulation: a blockade of action potentials immediately under cathodes and a propagation of action potentials under anodes are found. Significance Considering the spatial patterns of blockade and activation present during monophasic stimulation with both monopolar and bipolar electrodes, biphasic stimulation is recommended to explore subcortical axon responses during intraoperative mapping. Finally, the precise effect of electrical stimulation depends on conductivity profiles of tracts, and as such, should be explicitly considered for each individual subject and tract undergoing intracranial mapping.


This memorandum provides a mechanism for representing objects which
are files of Machine-Readable Cataloging records (MARC). The MARC
formats are standards for the representation and communication of
bibliographic and related information. A MARC record contains metadata
for an information resource following MARC format specifications. This
memo provides information for the Internet community. It does not
specify an Internet standard of any kind.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of lamivudine (LMV), telbivudine (LdT), adefovir dipivoxil (ADV) and entecavir (ETV) on decompensated hepatitis B virus-related cirrhosis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
1332 patients with decompensated hepatitis B virus-related cirrhosis were randomly assigned into 5 groups with different clinical treatment including LMV treatment, LdT treatment, ADV treatment, LMV+ADV treatment and ETV treatment. And then the liver function, Child-Pugh scores, sero-conversion of HBeAg/HBeAb, polymerase gene mutations, cost-effectiveness, incremental cost-effectiveness and side effects were investigated and further analyzed.

RESULTS
LMV, ADV, LdT, LMV+ADV and ETV were all effective on decreasing Child-Pugh scores and conversing negatively hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA and HBeAg, whereas LMV+ADV and ETV more effective than LMV, ADV and LdT. HBV DNA polymerase genotypic mutations were rare in the 5 groups. The less mutation rate was found in the LMV+ADV and ETV group than in the LMV, ADV and LdT group. Compared to the cost-effectiveness and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio, ETV was the optimal selection, LMV+ADV was the alternative selection and LMV was the cheapest option. The side effects of the 5 plans were all rare and could be controlled.

CONCLUSIONS
LMV, ADV, LdT, LMV+ADV and ETV were all effective on treatment of decompensated hepatitis B virus-related cirrhosis whereas ETV and LMV+ADV were recommended.


Cells derived from lung biopsies and pleural effusions from AIDS patients with Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) of the lungs were established in long-term culture with the aid of conditioned medium from HTLV-II-transformed T cells (HTLV-II CM). These AIDS-KS cells were similar to the so-called spindle cells in KS lesions and had some of their features. They produced factors that supported their own growth (autocrine) and the growth of other cells (paracrine), including umbilical vein endothelium and fibroblasts. That the AIDS-KS cells also expressed potent angiogenic activity was demonstrated by the chorioallantoic membrane assay and by subcutaneous inoculation of AIDS-KS cells into nude mice, which resulted in the development of angiogenic lesions composed of mouse cells and showing histological features similar to those of human KS lesions. These data suggest that AIDS-associated KS and possibly other types of KS may be initiated by signals that induce the growth of particular cells (spindle cells of lymphatic or vascular origin) and the expression of autocrine and paracrine activities.


This study is a meta-analysis of relationship marketing (RM) in online retailing. The study builds on the meta-analytic model suggested by Palmatier, Dant, Grewal, and Evans (2006) and extends the framework in the domain of online retailing. Specifically, this study identifies key antecedents and consequences of relationship marketing in online retailing. The study also examines the role of four mediators namely trust, commitment, relationship quality, and relationship satisfaction between the antecedents and outcomes of relationship marketing. The model proffered in this study will help managers in identifying the key drivers in relationship marketing. Similarity and seller expertise were found to have the strongest impact on relational mediators and word of mouth was the most critical outcome of relationship marketing efforts.


This article presents results of a study on 'Net music' that was initiated in 1996 and presented in 2002 as a doctoral dissertation at Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg in Germany (Föllmer 2005). Since no scholarship encompassing the whole field as defined by the term 'Net music' has been published until recently, the study involved the collection and analysis of a broad spectrum of musical projects that employ the Internet in very different ways. Around seventy examples considered to be classifiable as Net music were chosen to represent the scope of different approaches to how electronic networks can be used for making music. The first part of this article describes three outstanding examples of Net music and their interplay with particularly important characteristics of electronic networks. The second part discusses a possible typology of Net music.


Automatic segmentation of brain tissues from multispectral magnetic resonance (MR) images (acquired as relaxation time T/sub 1/, T/sub 2/, and proton density P/sub D/ weighted by selecting appropriate settings of T/sub E/ and T/sub R/, the spin-echo delay time and repetition time of a pulse sequence) requires automating the following steps: (1) compensation for image-intensity variation of a same tissue type induced by radiofrequency inhomogeneity across field-of-view; (2) stripping away image pixels which represent skull and scalp; and (3) estimation of model parameters (or training samples) such as image-intensity mean and variance for each tissue type and correlation coefficients for that tissue type among the three spatially-registered images (acquired in a very short time period). This proposed automatic approach first strips away the pixels of skull and scalp. The stripping is performed by detecting radially the pixels of inner-skull margin from the T/sub 2/ weighted transaxial image and applying the detected margin to remove the pixels of skull and scalp in the T/sub 1/ and P/sub D/ weighted transaxial images as well. The approach then determines the intensity-variation map within the margin from each stripped image and compensates for the variation by dividing that image by the determined map. Finally the approach estimates the model parameters by fitting the image data into a multivariate mixture. The fitting is performed by a maximum-likelihood estimator. The above three steps have been successfully implemented by a computer. The automatic approach was tested by a set of three MR images acquired by a 1.5 Tesla whole body scanner from a head. The removal of skull and scalp was very satisfactory. The compensation for the intensity variation improved significantly the estimation of model parameters.<<ETX>>


Abstract This article examines the discourse about race and racism that ensued in the US media after the shooting death of an African American youth, Trayvon Martin, by a neighborhood watch volunteer, George Zimmerman, in February 2012. The analysis examines news programs from the three major cable television channels in the United States: CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC. The theoretical framework builds upon Hill's (2008) discussion of the 'folk theory of race and racism' in contrast to critical race theory, and asks, to what extent does the mainstream media's discourse about race remain embedded in folk ideas and to what extent (if at all) does the conversation move beyond those ideas? The paper aims to unpack the ideologies of race and language that underpin talk about race and racism in an effort to expose the hidden assumptions in the discourse that hinder more productive dialogue on the topic. (Critical race theory, folk theory of race and racism, George Zimmerman, ideology, language ideology, media discourse, race, race talk, racism, slurs, Trayvon Martin)*


Background Control of iron deficiency disorders is prioritized in the nutrition policies of Nepal. The situation is still threatening the public health in both rural and urban areas. Objective There are limited reviews on the iron deficiency situation in Nepal. This study was undertaken to find out the extent of iron deficiency anemia and intake of dietary iron among the general population in Nepal. Materials and methods Published research articles, books, bulletins, and online materials regarding iron deficiency were studied in both national and international scenarios. Results Nearly 46 percent of children (6–59 months) and 35 percent of women (15–49 years) were still suffering from anemia though the trend has been decreasing for the last 15 years. Mostly, young children (6–23 months) and pregnant women were the victims due to their high iron requirements and lower intake of dietary iron. The most common risk factors related to iron deficiency anemia (IDA) found in different studies were low intake of dietary iron, vitamin A deficiency, hookworm infection, malaria, heavy menstrual blood loss, and multiparity. Iron deficiency situation in the Nepalese population is triggered by Illiteracy, lack of awareness, negligence, poor economy, food insecurity, lack of food diversity, changes in dietary behavior, cultural behaviors, poor health and sanitation, and patriarchal structure of the society. Conclusion The main risk factor of IDA is low intake of dietary iron. There is a need of multiple approaches to address IDA with more focus on dietary iron to reduce anemia. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/nje.v2i2.6573 Nepal Journal of Epidemiology 2012;2(2):182-190


Although modern integrated circuit operational amplifiers ease linear circuit design, IC processing limits amplifier output power. Many applications, however, require substantially greater output voltage swing or current (or both) than IC amplifiers can deliver. In these situations an output ''booster,'' or post amplifier, is required to achieve the needed voltage or current gain. Normally, this stage is placed within the feedback loop of the operational amplifier so that the low drift and stable gain characteristics of the amplifier are retained. Because the booster is a gain stage with its own inherent AC characteristics, the issues of phase shift, oscillation, and frequency response cannot be ignored if the booster and amplifier are to work well together. The design of booster stages which achieve power gain while maintaining good dynamic performance is a difficult challenge. The circuitry for boosters will change with the application's requirements, which can be very diverse. A typical current gain stage is shown in Figure 1. 200 mA CURRENT BOOSTER


Objective: To determine the impact of a proactive first day prescription counseling program on medication adherence to new cardiovascular maintenance medications Design: Cross-sectional study Setting: Regional chain community pharmacy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; August 2009 through November 2010 Patients: Data was collected from all patients aged 18-89 presenting with a new or transferred prescription or change in dosage within the study dates at four study locations Interventions: Patients presenting with a new or transferred prescription or change in dosage were identified to receive pharmacist or student pharmacist counseling. Data from the counseling session was tracked weekly to determine if the program increased adherence to statins, ACEIs and/or ARBs. Main Outcome Measured: Adherence to statins, ACEIs and/or ARBs was determined by differences in proportion of days covered (PDC) at six months and medication persistence to therapy. Results: Analysis was conducted using IDNA sm software. Results of the 6,916 prescriptions included in the study revealed that persistence rates for statins was 32.5% (intervention) and 34.2% (control) (p<0.001); ACEI/ARBs persistence was 37.3% (intervention) and 43.2% (control) (p<0.001). PDC was nonsignificant with respect to statins; 43.2% (intervention) and 45.1% (control); and 50.2% (intervention) and 57.1% (control) (p<0.001) for the ACEI/ARBs. Conclusion: Results from this study showed no improvement in adherence of statins or ACEIs/ARBs with the D1TC program versus control pharmacies, although several important limitations were identified. It is clear that a variety of methods and programs are needed to consistently improve adherence to maintenance medications.


Background Primordial dwarfism (PD) is a heterogeneous clinical entity characterised by severe prenatal and postnatal growth deficiency. Despite the recent wave of disease gene discovery, the causal mutations in many PD patients remain unknown. Objective To describe a PD family that maps to a novel locus. Methods Clinical, imaging and laboratory phenotyping of a new family with PD followed by autozygosity mapping, linkage analysis and candidate gene sequencing. Results We describe a multiplex consanguineous Saudi family in which two full siblings and one half-sibling presented with classical features of Seckel syndrome in addition to optic nerve hypoplasia. We were able to map the phenotype to a single novel locus on 4q25-q28.2, in which we identified a five base-pair deletion in PLK4, which encodes a master regulator of centriole duplication. Conclusions Our discovery further confirms the role of genes involved in centriole biology in the pathogenesis of PD.


Multiplication of the instantaneous frequency of a speech signal is studied by computer simulation. Interest centers on a simple means for compressing and expanding the time dimension of the signal, and for scaling the envelope of its short-time spectrum. Simulation of the process indicates that the speech formant dominant in intensity "captures" the multiplication. In the multiplied signal, the frequency of the dominant formant is multiplied, but the frequency spacings between the dominant formant and other formants remain the same as in the original signal. Stretching the time scale of the multiplied signal by the appropriate factor restores the dominant formant to its correct frequency position, but no other formant is correctly restored. By the same result, a scaling distortion of the spectral envelope (for example, as in speech produced in a He-0 atmosphere) cannot be restored by instantaneous frequency division of the broad-band signal. A twoformant model of the speech signal is used to analyze instantaneous frequency multiplication. Calculations on the model are consistent with spectra obtained from the computer-processed real speech.


Recent numerical studies of oscillating flux tubes have established the significance of resonant absorption in the damping of propagating transverse oscillations in coronal loops. The nonlinear nature of the mechanism has been examined alongside the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, which is expected to manifest in the resonant layers at the edges of the flux tubes. While these two processes have been hypothesized to heat coronal loops through the dissipation of wave energy into smaller scales, the occurring mixing with the hotter surroundings can potentially hide this effect. We aim to study the effects of wave heating from driven and standing kink waves in a coronal loop. Using the MPI-AMRVAC code, we perform ideal, three dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of both (a) footpoint driven and (b) free standing oscillations in a straight coronal flux tube, in the presence of numerical resistivity. We have observed the development of Kelvin-Helmholtz eddies at the loop boundary layer of all three models considered here, as well as an increase of the volume averaged temperature inside the loop. The main heating mechanism in our setups was Ohmic dissipation, as indicated by the higher values for the temperatures and current densities located near the footpoints. The introduction of a temperature gradient between the inner tube and the surrounding plasma, suggests that the mixing of the two regions, in the case of hotter environment, greatly increases the temperature of the tube at the site of the strongest turbulence, beyond the contribution of the aforementioned wave heating mechanism.


Since 1983, five national metrology institutes have submitted six samples of known activity of 110 Ag m to the International Reference System (SIR) for activity comparison at the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures. The activities ranged from about 1 MBq to 6 MBq. The degrees of equivalence between each equivalent activity measured in the SIR and the key comparison reference value (KCRV) have been calculated and the results are given in the form of a matrix. A graphical presentation is also shown. The results of this comparison have been approved by Section II of the Consultative Committee for Ionizing Radiation (CCRI(II)), comparison identifier BIPM.RI(II)-K1.Ag-110m.


This Research Note presents 60 key databases, data sets and chronologies on terrorism events data developed since 1968. It describes design characteristics of these quantitative data collections and points to their usefulness for research on terrorism and counter-terrorism. The information presented here is divided into three categories: (i) Academic, Think Tank and Independent Databases (n =43)(ii) Commercial Databases (n = 10) and(iii) Governmental Databases (n = 7).In a few cases, the scope of the datasets includes related forms of armed conflict. In most cases, there are clickable links to the data storage sites. All website links have been validated as of 11 August 2017.


Wavelength conversion for an optical packet with an optically multiplexed 40-Gbit/s payload and a 2.5-Gbit/s label has been demonstrated for the first time to our knowledge in an optical-label-switched network. The power penalties caused by wavelength conversion for the 40-Gbit/s payload and the 2.5-Gbit/s label are 1.1 and 2.3 dB, respectively. We have also demonstrated that the optical packet is successfully transmitted over two hops with a record transmission distance of 200 km.


When used in conjunction with patterns, class libraries, and components, objectoriented application frameworks can significantly increase software quality and reduce development effort. Frameworks are a kind of domain-specific model whose structure can reuse existing patterns. In the field of medical applications, one of the important trends is the move towards frameworks describing different situations. Frameworks in medicine entails capturing, storing, retrieving, transmitting and manipulating patient-specific health care related data, including clinical, administrative, and biographical data. Using predictive methods in Intensive Care Units is a standard procedure to determine a measure of disease severity, based on current physiologic measurements, age and previous health condition. These situations can be described by reusing existing models and patterns, and building new structures based on flexible issues. In this paper, we present a Java object-oriented framework developed for modelling predictive methods in Intensive Care Units. We also briefly discuss future work, which will include a formal specification as part of the framework's documentation.


LIBYA A History of Modern Libya, by Dirk Vandewalle. Cambridge, UK and New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006. xxviii + 206 pages. Maps. Notes to p. 217. Bibl. to p. 225. Index to p. 246. $75 cloth; $23.99 paper. Forgotten Voices: Power and Agency in Colonial and Postcolonial Libya, by AIi Abdullatif Ahmida. London, UK and New York: Routledge, 2005. xvi + 85 pages. Maps. Tables. Illust. Gloss, to p. 90. Notes to p. 103. Index to p. 108. $27.95 paper. Dirk Vandewalle is an associate professor of government at Dartmouth College. He is the author of Libya since Independence: oil and State-building and the editor of Qadhafi's Libya, 1969-1994, and he has long been recognized as one of the preeminent scholars of contemporary Libya. A History of Modern Libya, based on considerable field research, enhances Vandewalle's reputation as an informed, sensitive, and nuanced observer. That said, the book is not what its title suggests it to be. In lieu of providing a history of modern Libya, as the author readily admits in his introduction, the book "can perhaps more accurately be described as a social and political economy study of the country" (p. 9). To be precise, it is largely an examination of the political economy of 20th century Libya with an emphasis on the post-1969 Qadhafi era. The early history of Libya, from Phoenician, Greek, and Roman times through almost four centuries of Ottoman occupation is treated in a cursory manner, and there is almost no discussion of the rich social, cultural, and intellectual history of modern-day Libya. The core argument of the book, developed and expanded in each chapter, is that the rulers of Libya, from colonial to modern times, have avoided "the process of state-building that normally includes the steady expansion of the administrative reach of the state, as well as a growing incorporation of local citizens in that process." Even today, the author continues, "it remains problematic to consider its people truly as citizens." Despite his rhetoric, Qadhafi tends to view them more as personal subjects, doing little to create confidence in the more impersonal institutions of a modern state. "To that extent, the Qadhafi regime shows a remarkable continuity with the monarchy that preceded it," creating "a political system that will face considerable challenges in the future" (p. 1). This is a powerful thesis that Vandewalle argues well. In the process, he adds much to our understanding of Libya, especially its political system. In one section, for example, he explores the Qadhafi regime's successful use of myths and symbols to bridge the gap between the formal political structures outlined in The Green Book and the reality of an exclusionary political system. …


The purpose of this study is to explore the meaning of management experience to encourage the cultivation of the first Indonesian's entrepreneurial pondok pesantren. A phenomenological qualitative approach was used to understand the meaning of management actions in because motives perspectives. The results showed that the external and internal environment encourages entrepreneurial development in pondok pesantren. External environment that encourages the development of entrepreneurship were miserabled because of the practice of userer. Meanwhile, the internal environment includes fulfill the needs of santri, the need for the consumption from halal sources, and maintaining the educational system as believed. The concept of social care based on the faith in God's
call has an important role in encourage action in the form of the development of entrepreneurial in the pondok pesantren in order to improve the social environment.


BACKGROUND
Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) complain of dyspnea on activities of daily living (ADLs) with the upper limbs. Dynamic hyperinflation (DH) is one of the ventilatory mechanisms that may contribute towards dyspnea. To minimize the DH it is indicated the use of noninvasive ventilation (NIV).

OBJECTIVES
To verify whether there is DH and dyspnea during the performance of ADL with the upper limbs with and without the use of NIV.

METHODS
32 patients with moderate-to-severe COPD, aged 54 to 87 years (mean 69.4, SD 7.4) were evaluated. The subjects lift up containers weighing between 0.5 and 5.0 kg over a five-minute period, starting from the waist level and putting them onto a shelf located above head height, with and without the use of NIV (BiPAP®; IPAP 10cmH₂O; EPAP 4 cmH₂O). The inspiratory capacity (IC) and dyspnea (Borg scale) were evaluated on all the patients. The IC was measured before and after simulation of the ADL. In order to analyze the data, Student's t test for dependent samples and the Wilcoxon test were used.

RESULTS
There were statistically significant reductions in IC after the ADL with and without NIV (p=0.01). The dyspnea increased after the ADL with and without the NIV, however between both interventional procedures protocols no between-group difference was observed.

CONCLUSIONS
The simulation of an ADL with the upper limbs resulted in an increase in DH and dyspnea. The NIV supplied with pre-established pressure was not enough to prevent the DH and dyspnea.


Efficient interstrand crosslink (ICL) repair in yeast depends on the Pso2/Snm1 protein. Pso2 is a member of the highly conserved metallo‐β‐lactamase structural family of nucleases. Mammalian cells possess three SNM1/Pso2 related proteins, SNM1A, SNM1B/Apollo, and SNM1C/Artemis. Evidence that SNM1A and SNM1B contribute to ICL repair is mounting, whereas Artemis appears to primarily contribute to non‐ICL repair pathways, particularly some double‐strand break repair events. Yeast Pso2 and all three mammalian SNM1‐family proteins have been shown to possess nuclease activity. Here, we review the biochemical, genetic, and cellular evidence for the SNM1 family as DNA repair factors, focusing on ICL repair. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


The olfactory bulb is the first relay stage that processes input from the sensory periphery and relays the information to many high-ordered cortical regions. Despite stimulus activity has been observed in vivo, to study the mechanisms underlying odor-evoked activities is much more difficult using in vivo preparation. In this thesis, we use a nose-olfactory bulb slice preparation of Xenopus Laevis tadpoles and focus on characterized odor-induced spiking and [Ca2+]i activities of OB neurons in the preparation.Using loose-seal, on-cell patch-clamp recordings, we first investigate spiking activities in mitral cells (MCs) and granule cells (GCs). Both types of neurons can generate action potentials (APs) spontaneously. While a majority of MCs fire APs in bursts, the firing pattern of most GCs appeared to be random discharge. Upon odorant stimulation, spontaneous spiking activity of MCs can be modulated as inhibition or excitation. Spontaneous spikes were clearly suppressed by odorant stimulation in some MCs while odor elicits a train of spikes in other responding MCs. In contrast to MCs, most GCs generated only a few spikes during odorant stimulation.To further reveal currents and subthreshold membrane potentials underlying the observed spiking activities, we perform patch clamp recordings in the whole-cell, voltage- and current-clamp configuration. Some MCs show an odor-induced slow inward current and APs superimposed on a subthreshold membrane potential depolarization while others display a slow outward current and an odor-induced hyperpolarization associated with odorant stimuli. In contrast to these slow synaptic currents in MCs, odorant stimulation induced a barrage of fast EPSCs in a majority of responding GCs. These results suggest that electrical responses in MCs are driven by certain slow synaptic inputs whereas odor-evoked excitation in GCs is triggered mainly by fast excitatory inputs.To characterize the stimulus response distributed in the olfactory bulb, we use calcium imaging to monitor activities of a large population of bulbar neurons. First, we observed prominent ongoing [Ca2+]i fluctuations in most MCs and in a majority of GCs. These [Ca2+]i fluctuations are dependent on the extracellular calcium influx because they can be blocked by superfusion of calcium-free external solution. Furthermore, these spontaneous fluctuations are suppressed by TTX and cadmium indicating that this [Ca2+]i activity is dependent on voltage-activated sodium and calcium channels. Odorant stimulation can modulate ongoing [Ca2+]i activities of MCs as enhancement, suppression, or a combination of both, resulting in various complex [Ca2+]i response waveforms in MCs. Conversely, a majority of GCs show single or compound [Ca2+]i transients upon odorant stimulation. Prominent inhibitory responses in MCs indicate that MCs are functionally coupled to intrabulbar inhibitory network. Regarding the spatial pattern of odorant responses to a mixture of amino acids, MCs with similar response properties have certain tendency to be located in a spatial neighborhood but at the same time extensively intermingle with cells of opposite response characteristics.Finally, combining calcium imaging and on-cell patch clamp recordings, we investigate the relationship between somatic [Ca2+]i and action potentials in MCs and GCs. Simultaneous recording reveals a precise correlation between [Ca2+]i increases and the occurrence of spikes during spontaneous and odor-evoked activity in mitral cells. Interestingly, [Ca2+]i decreases induced by odorant stimulation coincide with the suppression of the spontaneous firing. Granule cells, however, show much lower correlation between [Ca2+]i and APs. In addition to AP-correlated [Ca2+]i increases, we also observe substantial numbers of uncorrelated events such as increases of [Ca2+]i without the presence of APs or APs without [Ca2+]i increases. The results indicate that the relationship between somatic [Ca2+]i and APs is different in mitral and granule cells. Thus, one must think of the diversity of neurons when relating [Ca2+]i activity to spike activity.


Studying the distribution of zooplankton in relation to their prey and predators is challenging, especially in situ. Recent developments in underwater imaging enable such fine-scale research. We deployed the Lightframe On-sight Keyspecies Investigation (LOKI) image profiler to study the fine-scale (1 m) vertical distribution of the copepods Calanus hyperboreus and C. glacialis in relation to the subsurface chlorophyll maximum (SCM) at the end of the grazing season in August in the North Water and Nares Strait (Canadian Arctic). The vertical distribution of both species was generally consistent with the predictions of the Predator Avoidance Hypothesis. In the absence of a significant SCM, both copepods remained at depth during the night. In the presence of a significant SCM, copepods remained at depth in daytime and a fraction of the population migrated in the SCM at night. All three profiles where the numerically dominant copepodite stages C4 and C5 of the two species grazed in the SCM at night presented the same intriguing pattern: the abundance of C. hyperboreus peaked in the core of the SCM while that of C. glacialis peaked just above and below the core SCM. These distributions of the same-stage congeners in the SCMs were significantly different. Lipid fullness of copepod individuals was significantly higher in C. hyperboreus in the core SCM than in C. glacialis above and below the core SCM. Foraging interference resulting in the exclusion from the core SCM of the smaller C. glacialis by the larger C. hyperboreus could explain this vertical partitioning of the actively grazing copepodite stages of the two species. Alternatively, specific preferences for microalgal and/or microzooplankton food hypothetically occupying different layers in the SCM could explain the observed partitioning. Investigating the observed fine-scale co-distributions further will enable researchers to better predict potential climate change effects on these important Arctic congeners.


Under the Aquatic Resource Development and Quality Improvement project (ARDQIP) of the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development of Sri Lanka, 25 community-based mini-nurseries involving community groups were established in 10 districts of Sri Lanka. Of these, two were established at Kirawana and Rajawewa in the Ampara district in 2006. Each fish nursery established on lands with an extent of 0.8 ha, consisted of 10 mud ponds with water area of around 4,500 m 2 . Fish fry of Nile tilapia, catla, rohu, mrigal and common carp were reared upto fingerling stage in these mini-nurseries. In general, 3 culture cycles (range from 45-70 days) have been carried-out per annum. Average number of fish fingerlings produced per culture cycle during 2013-2014 were 242,301 (Kirawana) and 262,935 (Rajawewa). Average survival rates from fry to fingerling stage achieved in Kirawana and Rajawewa mini-nurseries were 71.8% and 79.2% respectively. Production cost per fingerling was Rs. 0.69 and Rs. 0.76 respectively for Kirawana and Rajawewa. Net profit obtained per annum was Rs. 953,085.00 in Kirawana and Rs. 974,643.00 in Rajawewa [In May 2016, 1 USD ≈ Rs. 146.9]. Net profits earned by operating mini-nurseries were seven times higher, when compared with the profits generated through paddy cultivation on a land of similar extent. During 2009-2014 period, these mini-nurseries collectively made a contribution of 20.3% to the total fish fingerlings stocked in the Ampara district. Rearing of fish fry to fingerling stage is a very profitable enterprise for rural communities and wellmanaged fish nurseries can play an important role in meeting the fingerling requirement to develop culture-based fisheries in inland reservoirs of the country.


Background Thrombocytopenia is a decrease in the number of platelets in the blood resulting from disorders of production, distribution or destruction, leading to bleeding. The respective treatment of thrombocytopenia is usually based on corticotherapy and platelet transfusion. Aims Report the evolution of homeopathic treatment in a 12 years old Maltese canine cardiopathic patient with thrombocytopenia associated with the diagnosis of Ehrlichia canis. Methods Replacement of corticoid and transfusion by Platelet Biotherapic, to stimulate platelet production and high diluted Phosphorus to contain the bleeding. Results On 01/28/19, the patient presented thrombocytopenia of 5.000/mm³ with large platelets, petechials and suffusion hemorrhages in dorsal and ventral regions, extensive acute cervical hematoma due to blood collection; anisocytosis, polychromasia and Howell Jolly corpuscle in red series; and also reactive lymphocytes, monocytes active and toxic neutrophils in white series. On 01/30/19, initiated the administration of 3 globules of Platelet Biotherapic 12CH every 12 hours; 3 globules of Phosphorus 6CH every 24 hours, both oral; and topical phytotherapeutic use of Arnica montana once daily. Three days later, it was observed the complete absence of petechials and suffusion hemorrhages, with elevation of platelets count to 74.000/mm³ and mild leukocytosis with improvement in overall patient well-being. On 02/06/19, there was regression of hematoma and leukocytosis, in addition to the platelet count in 95.000/mm³. On 02/14/19, due to slight decrease in platelets to 92.000/mm³, the frequency of Phosphorus 6CH was changed every 12 hours. On 02/20/19, the new platelet count reached 126.000/mm³ with standardized morphology and no Howell Jolly record. Conclusion The homeopathies (High dilution medicine) have proven to be successful in the treatment of thrombocytopenia without causing side effects.


Most of this thesis describes experiments conducted in order to generate soft x-rays of energy >67 eV from a laser-generated plasma, in order to pump the Xe III Auger laser at 109 nm. In attempts to obtain the optimal sub-nanosecond laser pulses for amplification in a very simple KrF (248 nm) laser a compact KrF oscillator was used to obtain 1 ml pulses of FWHM duration 2 ns, and plasma-truncated reflection of a focused KrF beam from metal targets gave 1.8 ns pulses. Longer pulses were obtained by truncated stimulated Brillouin scattering (TRUBS), and by plasma-truncated spatial-filtering. Experiments were conducted to pump the Xe III laser using the leading edge of a 20 ns KrF laser pulse. An off-axis spherical mirror produced a 3 cm line plasma on a tantalum target. A poor conversion efficiency to soft x-rays was observed. Unexpectedly poor KrF beam quality was shown to have been a potential cause, a fault in the detection system having been ruled out. A repeat experiment was started, employing tighter focusing and better KrF beam quality. A 7 ps KrF laser system was also investigated for the generation of the necessary plasmas. No 109 nm lasing was observed, and a low conversion efficiency into soft x-rays was measured. The short duration of the KrF pulse was suspected as the cause, and some attempts were made to compensate for this by means of preformed plasmas. Over the course of the work, several aspects of KrF laser technology were improved, including: the characterisation of a novel, safe, solid-state source of fluorine (F 2 ); the quantitative characterisation of nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) as a variable attenuator for KrF radiation; and the manufacture of uniform, transparent, electrodes led to the laser system having the highest single pulse energy (2.55 J) of any UV-preionised, discharge-excited, conventional-aperture KrF laser. Finally, separate work led to the development and absolute characterisation of a laser-plasma source of tunable VUV/EUV/XUV radiation (30 nm to 200 nm; 6 eV to 41 eV), as well as a sodium salicylate scintillator-based detection system. After optimisation of the target material, laser focusing, and micro-channel-plate (MCP) focusing of the plasma emission, an output of between 10 6 and 10 7 photons per shot in a 4 nm bandwidth could be delivered on target.


Evidence exists that the state of North Carolina's eugenic sterilization program was racially biased insofar as it specifically targeted black Americans. In this paper, we consider the extent to which state-sanctioned eugenic sterilization in North Carolina was motivated by a desire to reduce the size of a presumably genetically unfit and unproductive surplus population. We utilize data on 2,163 eugenic sterilizations in the state of North Carolina between 1958-1968. Count data parameter estimates from a specification that conditions county-level eugenic sterilizations on measures of race-specific components of the surplus population reveals that the number of state-sanctioned eugenic sterilizations increased only with a county's black surplus population. Our results suggest that over the 1958-1968 time period North Carolina's eugenic sterilization was apparently tailored to asymptotically breeding-out the offspring of a presumably genetically unfit and undesirable surplus black population. This suggests that the presumption of genetic inferiority was unique to, and a burden born by blacks, as only their eugenic sterilizations in North Carolina were a function of their surplus population shares.


Opposing currents affect the wave breaking processes. The condition of wave breaking caused by opposing currents in deep water is described by the ratio of the wave celerity to the velocity of the opposing current(Yu(1952)). For the wave breaking caused by the opposing currents in shallow water on a flat bed, the equation given by Miche(1951) for the breaking criteria without current remains available (Iwagaki et al.(1980)). However, it is the breaking of shoaling wave in the presence of opposing current on a uniform slope, which is of concern in this paper. Sakai et al.(1981) showed that the wave breaking affected by opposing currents on a sloping sea bed is characterized by a normalized unit width discharge q*, as well as an incident wave steepness Ho/Lo and a slope of sea bed S, where q* is defined as q*= q/g2T3; q: a unit width discharge, g; the gravitational acceleration, T: a wave period. They proposed diagrams for the breaker height and the breaking depth as a function of these three parameters. The breaker index curves in their diagrams show the relationships between the breaker height (or the breaking depth) and q* for waves with particular values of Ho/Lo and S, and it is much more convenient to give a general expression for the breaker indices for arbitrary conditions of q*, Ho/Lo and S. The purpose of this study is to formulate the effects of these parameters on wave breaking, based on the results of systematic experiments performed by the authors, and to derive an empirical and simplified expression for the breaker height and depth in the presence of opposing currents.


During the Obama administration, waves of new legislation upended regulatory environments in finance and healthcare. At the forefront of these changes were the federal bureaucracies tasked with adopting and implementing new rules based on the legislation. This thesis examines final rules published by the Securities and Exchange Commission and Department of Health and Human Services related to the Dodd-Frank Act and Affordable Care Act to determine which organized interests have an advantage during the notice-and-comment period required by the Administrative Procedures Act, what factors encourage agencies to change proposed rules, and how regulatory bureaucracies differ from public service agencies on these topics. The results indicate that biases towards particular types of commenters exist, but those biases differ across different types of agencies. Furthermore, coalitions of commenters are effective at achieving desired results in both types of agencies.


Robust preconditioners on block-triangular and block-factorized form for three types of linear systems of two-by-two block form are studied in this thesis. The first type of linear systems, which are dense, arise from a boundary element type of discretization of crack propagation problems. Numerical experiment show that simple algebraic preconditioning strategies results in iterative schemes that are highly competitive with a direct solution method. The second type of algebraic systems, which are sparse, indefinite and nonsymmetric, arise from a finite element (FE) discretization of the partial differential equations (PDE) that describe (visco)elastic glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA). The Schur complement approximation in the block preconditioners is constructed by assembly of local, exactly computed Schur matrices. The quality of the approximation is verified in numerical experiments. When the block preconditioners for the indefinite problem are combined with an inner iterative scheme preconditioned by a (nearly) optimal multilevel preconditioner, the resulting preconditioner is (nearly) optimal and robust with respect to problem size, material parameters, number of space dimensions, and coefficient jumps. Two approaches to mathematically formulate the PDEs for GIA are compared. In the first approach the equations are formulated in their full complexity, whereas in the second their formulation is confined to the features and restrictions of the employed FE package. Different solution methods for the algebraic problem are used in the two approaches. Analysis and numerical experiments reveal that the first strategy is more accurate and efficient than the latter. The block structure in the third type of algebraic systems is due to a fine-coarse splitting of the unknowns. The inverse of the pivot block is approximated by a sparse matrix which is assembled from local, exactly inverted matrices. Numerical experiments and analysis of the approximation show that it is robust with respect to problem size and coefficient jumps.


In a key article (Walsham & Sahay, 2005) outlining research on information systems in developing countries and suggesting potential areas for future research, a notable omission was the issue of gender and gender relations. In this article, we draw on the substantial gender and development literature to demonstrate the centrality of gender to our understanding of information systems (IS) in developing countries. In particular, we consider the relationship among gender, information and communication technologies (ICTs), and globalization to illustrate how changes in the global economy both impact on and are influenced by changing gender identities and roles. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


NORTHERN SONG REFLECTIONS ON THE TANG Jeffrey Rice Victor Mair In the mid-eleventh century Chinese intellectuals argued about history, and left their competing narratives to us in print. They contested how history should be written, and what relevant lessons ought to be adapted to the changing society of Song 宋 (960-1279) dynasty China. They were particularly concerned with the history of the long-lasting Tang 唐 (618-907) dynasty. They revised the official history of the Tang on a variety of levels: they used primary sources differently to analyze evidence, developed a new literary language to write historical prose, employed editorial critiques differently to draw political morals by analogy to historical events, and harnessed new print technology to disseminate their views to a wider audience. This dissertation analyzes the revisions to the history of the Tang produced in the eleventh century on each of these levels: historiography, linguistics, politics, and print culture. These elements all functioned to reinvent the ancient ideal of the Confucian scholar in terms that advanced the interests of the burgeoning class of literati officials in Northern Song China. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group East Asian Languages & Civilizations First Advisor Victor H. Mair


Hydraulic fracturing is controversial. Many people believe that hydraulic fracturing has caused contamination of groundwater and that the process should be prohibited because it is likely to cause additional contamination if it continues to be used. Many other people believe that hydraulic fracturing has not caused contamination and that little additional regulation is needed because fracturing is a useful process that poses little risk. Notably, this disagreement is not merely a difference of opinion regarding how society should balance economic development and environmental protection. Instead, the disagreement concerns facts – whether fracturing already has caused contamination and how much risk the process entails. In part, the disagreement about facts arises from the difficulties in proving whether water is contaminated and, if so, what caused the contamination. It is important to consider ways to deal with these difficulties because determining whether hydraulic fracturing has caused contamination in specific circumstances can shed light on the general level of risk involved in using fracturing. It also can be important for purposes of resolving the numerous individual lawsuits in which plaintiffs allege that their groundwater has been contaminated by hydraulic fracturing. This article contains four sections. The first two sections discuss what hydraulic fracturing is and the reasons why proving contamination claims is often difficult. The remaining sections discuss ways to deal with two "problems of proof." Specifically, the third section examines new state regulations that require or encourage baseline testing of groundwater before oil or gas drilling takes place. The absence of pre-drilling data has often been a problem when evaluating contamination claims. The fourth section of this paper discusses Lone Pine orders, a procedure that courts can use in an effort to quickly resolve cases in which plaintiffs lack evidence to support an essential element of their claim.


The major objectives of this paper are to summarize and synthesize what we know about the energetics of lotic systems, to identify some of the major gaps in our knowledge, and in so doing to provide guidance for new research directions. We identify the major abiotic forcing functions and their connections with terrestrial and stream biota. We further identify how forcings and feedbacks loops are likely to affect the biomass and production of biotic components. A review of the literature suggests that there are several major gaps in our understanding of stream bioenergetics. Most importantly, few comprehensive studies of stream bioenergetics integrate all levels of production, and organic matter budgets rarely have been combined with production analyses beyond the primary producers. In addition, secondary production studies in the tropics are largely lacking. Most bioenergetics studies to date have been descriptive, and there is a major need to study those abiotic and biotic factors which control bioenergetics in streams across biomes and latitudes. The importance of floodplains and the role of dissolved organic matter have not been adequately incorporated into our understanding of stream bioenergetics. We need to determine if some generally applicable organismal-environmental relationships can be used to predict energetic characteristics across streams. Major new initiatives are required to answer some of the larger scale questions. Several approaches are possible: (1) synoptic analysis of multiple streams to compare within-region variance with between-region variance, (2) experimental manipulation of entire streams or their catchments to test factors that control bioenergetics, (3) the use of batteries of experimental streams to help isolate cause-effect relationships, and (4) the further development of computer models that incorporate abiotic forcings and bioenergetics.


Union with Christ is a heuristic, over-arching rubric for the discussion of many themes in Torrance's soteriology. Union with Christ, however, has not been a major topic in Torrance studies. The purpose of this article is to address this inadequacy. The present article provides an overview of Torrance's discussion of incarnational reconciliation and 'vicarious humanity' of Jesus Christ. According to Torrance, the hypostatic union is a dynamic, atoning union in which humanity is cleansed of sin and brought into sanctifying union with God. Throughout his earthly life, Jesus acts 'vicariously', reconciling humanity to God and sanctifying every stage of human life, so that union with Christ is fully and objectively accomplished for all humanity in Jesus. All aspects of Christian life, including faith, justification and sanctification are fully realised for all in the incarnate life of Christ. The objective union, established in the incarnation, is subjectively realised in the life of the believer through the communion of the Holy Spirit. In response to the objective reality of grace, believers are summoned to take up the cross and follow Jesus. Torrance's assertion of union with Christ as a fait accompli in the incarnation and vicarious act of Christ raises questions regarding the subjective human response to salvation as well as the issue of universalism. Content is based on a review of primary literature published by Torrance over a span of more than 40 years as well as a review of recent secondary resources that include some aspect of the subject.


The death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1) can act as an oncogene or a tumor suppressor gene depending on the cellular context as well as external stimuli. Our study aims to investigate the prognostic significance of DAPK1 in liver cancer in both mRNA and protein levels. The mRNA expression of DAPK1 was extracted from the Gene Expression Omnibus database in three independent liver cancer datasets while protein expression of DAPK1 was detected by immunohistochemistry in our Chinese liver cancer patient cohort. The associations between DAPK1 expression and clinical characteristics were tested. DAPK1 mRNA expression was down-regulated in liver cancer. Low levels of DAPK1 mRNA were associated with shorter survival in a liver cancer patient cohort (n = 115; p = 0.041), while negative staining of DAPK1 protein was significantly correlated with shorter time to progression (p = 0.002) and overall survival (p = 0.02). DAPK1 was an independent prognostic marker for both time to progression and overall survival by multivariate analysis. Liver cancer with the b-catenin mutation has a lower DAPK1 expression, suggesting that DAPK1 may be regulated under the b-catenin pathway. In addition, we also identified genes that are co-regulated with DAPK1. DAPK1 expression was positively correlated with IRF2, IL7R, PCOLCE and ZBTB16, and negatively correlated with SLC16A3 in both liver cancer datasets. Among these genes, PCOLCE and ZBTB16 were significantly down-regulated, while SLC16A3 was significantly upregulated in liver cancer. By using connectivity mapping of these co-regulated genes, we have identified amcinonide and sulpiride as potential small molecules that could potentially reverse DAPK1/PCOLCE/ZBTB16/SLC16A3 expression. Our study demonstrated for the first time that both DAPK1 mRNA and protein expression levels are important prognostic markers in liver cancer, and have identified genes that may contribute to DAPK1-mediated liver carcinogenesis.


Decisions Without Hierarchy is based on a two-year examination of three feminist organizations: a peace group, health collective, and business women's group. From these case studies, Iannello constructs a model of organizations that, while structured, is nevertheless non-hierarchical. She terms this organization from the "modified consensus model." Her case studies show that modified consensus does not give way to pressures toward formal hierarchy and that, therefore, the model merits the attention of feminists and organization theorists alike.


Although a number of policies tackling educational inequalities have been introduced in recent decades in Europe, educational inequalities exist to a varying extent both in different sub- and supranational contexts. In this article, we address the link between social and educational policies with respect to educational inequalities. Educational policies aim to guarantee opportunities throughout educational trajectories and beyond. They pertain to all areas and the entire duration of the human life. Our contribution to socialpolicy.ch introduces the ongoing Horizon 2020 project PIONEERED on educational inequalities by elaborating on the social problems behind those disparities, and by outlining the project's conceptual and methodological approaches that join together multilevel, intersectional and life-course perspectives.


Cloud Computing refers to applications delivered as services over the internet, and the datacenters that provide those services with hardware and systems software. These were earlier referred to as Software as a Service (SaaS). Scheduling is justified by job components (called tasks), lack of information. In fact, in a large fraction of jobs from machine learning, bio-computing, and image processing domains, it is possible to estimate the maximum time required for a task in the job. This study focuses on Trust based scheduling to improve cloud security by modifying Heterogeneous Earliest Finish Time (HEFT) algorithm. It also proposes TR-HEFT (Trust Reputation HEFT) which is then compared to Dynamic Load Scheduling. Keywords—Software as a Service (SaaS), Trust, Heterogeneous Earliest Finish Time (HEFT) algorithm, Dynamic Load Scheduling.


It is well known that sensor duty-cycling is an important mechanism that helps densely deployed wireless sensor networks (WSNs) save energy. On the other hand, geographic forwarding is an efficient scheme for WSNs as it requires maintaining only local topology information to forward data to their destination. Most of geographic forwarding protocols assume that all sensors are always on (or active) during forwarding. However, such an assumption is unrealistic for real-world applications where sensors are switched on or off (or inactive). In this paper, we describe our cover-sense-inform (CSI) framework for k-covered WSNs, where each point in a sensor field is covered by at least k active sensors. In CSI, k-coverage, sensor scheduling, and data forwarding are jointly considered. Based on our previous work on connected k-coverage [3], we propose the first design of geographic forwarding protocols for duty-cycled k-covered WSNs with and without data aggregation. Then, we evaluate the performance of our joint k-coverage and geographic forwarding protocols and compare them to CCP [37], a k-Coverage Configuration Protocol, with a geographic forwarding protocol on top of it, such as BVGF [36], which we have slightly updated in such a way that it considers energy for a fair comparison. Simulation results show that our joint protocols outperform CCP+BVGF.


Abstract Limits on consumer attention give firms incentives to manipulate prospective buyers' allocation of attention. This paper models such attention manipulation and shows that it limits the ability of disclosure regulation to improve consumer welfare. Competitive information supply from firms competing for attention can reduce consumers' knowledge by causing information overload. A single firm subjected to a disclosure mandate may deliberately induce such information overload to obfuscate financially relevant information or engage in product complexification to bound consumers' financial literacy. Thus, disclosure rules that would improve welfare for agents without attention limitations can prove ineffective for consumers with limited attention. Obfuscation suggests a role for rules that mandate not only the content, but also the format of disclosure; however, even rules that mandate 'easy-to-understand' formats can be ineffective against complexification, which may call for regulation of product design.


Abstract Single-basin tidal range power plants have the advantage of predictable energy outputs, but feature non-generation periods in every tidal cycle. Linked-basin tidal power systems can reduce this variability and consistently generate power. However, as a concept the latter are under-studied with limited information on their performance relative to single-basin designs. In addressing this, we outline the basic principles of linked-basin power plant operation and report results from their numerical simulation. Tidal range energy operational models are applied to gauge their capabilities relative to conventional, single-basin tidal power plants. A coastal ocean model (Thetis) is then refined with linked-basin modelling capabilities. Simulations demonstrate that linked-basin systems can reduce non-generation periods at the expense of the extractable energy output relative to conventional tidal lagoons and barrages. As an example, a hypothetical case is considered for a site in the Severn Estuary, UK. The linked-basin system is seen to generate energy 80–100% of the time over a spring-neap cycle, but harnesses at best ≈ 30% of the energy of an equivalent-area single-basin design.


ABSTRACT This paper proposes a new implementation model that bases implementation outcomes on the responses of academics to a new policy. The model is derived from a review of policy and organisational behaviour literature. The model was tested within the context of the implementation of significant reforms aimed at changing the work practices of academics operating in the Australian higher education sector, in particular reforms resulting from the implementation of a quality initiative in the early 1990s, at approximately the same time as the advent of managerialism. The findings were used to modify the original model. The major finding is that the long‐established organisational culture is maintained and reinforced by the actions of senior academics undertaking management responsibilities. As such, the factors organisational culture and leadership combine to form a strong force that acts to mediate proposed organisational changes according to established values and beliefs. The revised model contributes to a better understanding of how academics respond during the implementation of change. The revised model may have relevance for similar types of professionals in public institutions, such as public research institutions, hospitals, schools and some welfare agencies.


Prebiotics stimulate growth and/or activity of some presumably beneficial colonic bacteria and thereby have the potential to improve health, possibly through the actions of fermentation end products including butyrate. Some ingested oligosaccharides and resistant starches elevate levels of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, and decrease bacteroides, enterobacteria and clostridia. Rodent studies have shown that prebiotic consumption can protect against pathogens, reduce the risk of colon cancer, enhance mineral absorption and influence lipogenesis. However confirmation of effects in humans is needed in clinical studies. With this wide range of potential applications, prebiotics need to be broadly classified based on microbiological and physiological function. Studies investigating mechanisms of action and the combined effects of prebiotics and probiotics are sparse. Resistant starch also functions as a culture protagonist because it provides enhanced bacterial survival when combined with probiotics. With the availability of a variety of prebiotics and probiotics, the potential exists for providing combinations targeted for specific health related benefits. Keywords: Beneficial microbes, health benefits, oligosaccharides, prebiotics, resistant starch


Why are some states more willing to adopt military innovations than others? Why, for example, were the great powers of Europe able to successfully reform their military practices to better adapt to and participate in the so-called military revolution of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries while their most important extra-European competitor, the Ottoman Empire, failed to do so? This puzzle is best explained by two factors: civil-military relations and historical timing. In the Ottoman Empire, the emergence of an institutionally strong and internally cohesive army during the early stages of state formation—in the late fourteenth century—equipped the military with substantial bargaining powers. In contrast, the great powers of Europe drew heavily on private providers of military power during the military revolution and developed similar armies only by the second half of the seventeenth century, limiting the bargaining leverage of European militaries over their rulers. In essence, the Ottoman standing army was able to block reform efforts that it believed challenged its parochial interests. Absent a similar institutional challenge, European rulers initiated military reforms and motivated officers and military entrepreneurs to participate in the ongoing military revolution.


This paper presents ongoing work focused on dynamic reconfiguration of industrial automation systems as a part of their total life cycle. Modification of the control logic has to be enabled at runtime and without any disturbances of related applications. The epsivCEDAC engineering cycle for dynamic system evolution is based on the use of an IEC 61499 reconfiguration application responsible for the dynamic transformation of the program during its execution. The verification of this evolution step takes the central role in this engineering cycle. The paper discusses the general requirements for this kind of verification. Especially the capabilities of the automation system - the used hardware and software - form a major point. The paper describes the basic concepts and ongoing work regarding the verification of downtimeless system evolution.


The climate change debate in the United States has now moved beyond arguments about whether climate change is real and man-made to focus on what the country should do about this threat. In this excerpt of an Article published in the Columbia Law Review, we take on and debunk the "climate change winner" argument. That argument asserts that the United States is likely to fare well in a warmer world, at least compared to most other states and therefore should invest less, rather than more, in mitigation efforts. We explain that existing estimates of the impact of climate change on the United States systematically understate the likely economic impact of climate change, and we provide rough estimates of what a more complete accounting would reveal. Existing estimates fail to account for a variety of the costs that climate change will impose, and ignore the ways in which climate change impacts abroad are likely to spill over into the United States. By looking more carefully at these omitted costs, this Essay shows that the United States, acting in its own self-interest, should take action to combat climate change. A more complete accounting of the costs reveals that the United States would be better off paying the full cost of mitigating its impact by itself (if doing so were possible) rather than allowing the world to continue in a "business as usual" fashion. This conclusion is even stronger if Europe and perhaps the rest of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are assumed to shoulder some of the costs. The point is not that the United States or the OECD should actually bear these costs alone, or even that it would be possible to do so, but rather that there is a strong case for action by the United States even if some countries refuse to cooperate. The United States has reason to take prompt and aggressive action to address climate change, not out of benevolence or guilt, but out of self-interest.


In this article, I evaluate a city's right to destroy property that it owns and how that right can have both positive and negative impacts on resiliency. The article starts from the proposition that property destruction is as necessary to urban resiliency as creation: destruction allows cities to eliminate outdated and vacant buildings; create the necessary physical space for redevelopment; and redirect economic resources to best meet the needs of residents. However, the article contends that the power to destroy poses risks to the city's resiliency because of the very characteristics that make it appealing in other contexts: it is permanent, cheap, and simple. As a result, cities may engage in a tendency to overuse the power to destroy in situations where it is not the most resilient choice. The article suggests that the difficulty is predicting a priori when exercising the right to destroy will make a city more resilient and when it will not. Although the standards employed in a particular context may implicate considerations related to resiliency, a city's decision to destroy property is often made on an ad hoc basis, without any explicit consideration of the impact on the city's resiliency. Therefore, the article argues that before exercising the right to destroy as a property owner, a city should conduct a demolition review procedure, modeled on existing legal procedures such as environmental protection laws and demolition delay regulations.


All the writings which come to us from antiquity, including the writings of the Old and New Testaments, have suffered from misadventures. The interpreter of these materials cannot proceed from assumptions which would be accepted without question in the study ofa modern book. The text to be interpreted must first be established-it is not already defined. The available witnesses to the text must first be examined in order to reconstruct a single form of the text which we can assert with confidence to be as close to the form of the autographs as scientific principles can Lead us, if not (ideally) identical with them. The work of textual criticism is both a preliminary and an integral part of the task of interpretation; its role may once have been overrated, just as now it tends to be overlooked, yet its service remains indispensable. The purpose and goal of our critical editions of the Bible is to assist in achieving an objective understanding of the text. They bring together in a convenient form a vast array of material, well beyond the capacity of individual scholars to assemble for themselves, to provide the first requirements for a systematic study of the text. But to deal with all this material and use it effectively we must understand its peculiarities and the value of its various elements. When faced with a difficult passage we cannot simply gather together the various readings and select the one which seems to offer the simplest solution, at times preferring the Hebrew text, at other times the Septuagint, and yet other times the Aramaic Targum. Textual witnesses are not all equally reliable. Each has its own character and its own peculiar history. We must be familiar with these if we hope to avoid inadequate or false solutions.


Executive Summary Infrastructure investment can substantially increase a nation's capital stock and thereby boost productive, or supply-side, potential. It can also be useful as a tool in macroeconomic stabilisation, while public spending on quality infrastructure projects has been shown to have significantly greater multiplier effects than tax cuts – so the case for an increasing spend is not undermined by a country's overall debt level. These arguments are especially apposite for post-Brexit UK. Britain's investment performance in general has been especially poor since the 2016 EU referendum. Fixed capital formation as a proportion of GDP is low by international standards, while the government's share of fixed capital formation, at 2.5 per cent, is also below average. It would make sense to target an increase in public and private infrastructure spend to 3.5 per cent of GDP which is the OECD's recommended level. While major infrastructure projects continue to generate controversy on grounds of cost overruns and other issues, UK policy-makers have recently taken a more constructive approach to infrastructure development, notably with the creation of an independent National Infrastructure Commission. But the UK's infrastructure remains unsatisfactory, with significant parts of its energy, water, transport and communications networks in need of renewal or replacement, and infrastructure project delivery remains poor. In summary, much of Britain continues to operate well into the 21st century largely with 20th century, sometimes 19th century, infrastructure assets that are creating bottlenecks, crimping productivity, putting off potential foreign investors, undermining the economy's competitiveness, increasing inequality, and leaving the economy ill-equipped to face future challenges such as Brexit and climate change. The government needs to be bolder, setting out a more ambitious set of priorities including energy projects, regional spending, and fostering capital recycling and private sector investment. A still more ambitious, but eminently feasible, proposal would be to establish a National Investment Bank to offer project guarantees, recommend user fees, lend to projects with the proceeds of National Investment Bonds and simplify planning among other tasks. In a serious downturn, with monetary policy exhausted, the NIB could also help to co-ordinate and finance a response.


This report aims to shed light on some of the key drivers which are worth taking into account when assessing the effect of new technologies on the future of work and skills. It combines a synthesis of the most recent and robust scientific evidence available with original JRC research on issues which have been often overlooked by existing studies. In particular, the report provides new insights on the interplay between automation and work organisation, the extent and nature of platform work, and the patterns of occupational changes across EU regions. The first chapter discusses the impact of technology on employment. It overviews the most recent estimates on technology-induced job creation and destruction, and provides new insights on the role of workplace organisation in shaping the effect of new technologies on labour markets. The second chapter discusses how skills needs are shifting towards digital and non-cognitive skills, showing evidence of an increasing shortage of these skills in the EU, which education systems are not fully tackling yet. The third chapter reviews the opportunities and challenges related to the recent upwards trend in new forms of employment in the EU, focusing on the results of the second wave of the COLLEEM survey on platform work in the EU. The final chapter presents results from a new JRC-Eurofound study on the patterns of occupational change in EU regions in the last 15 years which shows that low-wage jobs have increasingly concentrated in peripheral regions while higher-wage jobs are becoming more and more concentrated in capital regions, leading to increasing territorial disparities, both across and within EU Member States.


[Summary of the book containing these chapters:] The prospect of parenthood represents a milestone in anyone's life course and is often a period of stress and challenge. There are a number of significant mental health problems that can occur during the perinatal period, the consequences of which can be both enduring and, occasionally, life threatening. However, irrespective of the specifics of the clinical manifestation of a disturbance, the distress and misery that accompanies it has significant ramifications for the mother or mother-to-be and her partner and family.

This book is arranged in themed parts that represent key aspects of facilitating access to effective clinical management during the antenatal and postnatal period. These are covered in the first two Parts One and Two of the book. Part Three examines the pertinent areas of concern regarding partners, a critical but often neglected area of concern within the sphere of perinatal mental health. Part Four explores the social dimension of perinatal mental health, covering areas as diverse as the role of social workers to the psychological processes of obedience within the clinical setting. Part Five focuses on key themes of assessment and psychological interventions, a complex and often misunderstood area. Part Six highlights emerging issues of contemporary relevance, often challenging to the veracity and depth of the current evidence base but of increasing clinical and academic concern. Finally, Part Seven considers the broad spectrum of child health, child care and child development, often significantly influenced by the themes established and explored in the preceding parts of the book.

It is hoped that this book will not only provide a handy and evidence-based book for the busy health professional, but will also promote interest and understanding of the complex area that represents perinatal mental health to a wider audience.


The LHCb experiment has been designed to exploit the potential of heavy-flavour production in highly energetic pp collisions at the Large Hadron Collider, in order to look for indirect signs of physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. This thesis presents two distinct measurements performed using LHCb data. The first is that of the ratio of branching fractions R(D*)=B(B→D*-τ+ντ)/B(B→D*-l+νl), with the τ lepton decaying to final states containing three charged pions, performed using a data sample of pp collisions at the centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 Tev, corresponding to 3fb-1 of integrated luminosity. The result is R(D*)=0.291±0.019±0.026±0.013, where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second systematic and the third due to the knowledge of the B(B→D*-π+π-π+) branching fraction, as this decay is used in the analysis as a normalisation for the intermediate measurement of B(B→D*-τ+ντ).
This corresponds to one of the most precise single measurements of R(D*) and to the first performed with the three-prong decay of the τ lepton to date.
The measured value of R(D*) is compatible with previous determinations and with the Standard Model expectation.
The second measurement presented in this thesis is that of the difference between the CP asymmetries in D0→K+K- and D0→π+π- decays, performed using a data sample of pp collisions at the centre-of-mass energy of 13 Tev, corresponding to 6fb-1 of integrated luminosity.
The value of ΔACP=ACP(K+K-)-ACP(π+π-), measured by reconstructing D0 mesons which originate from D*+→D0π+ decays or from B→D0μνX decays, is ΔACP=(-17.1±3.0±1.0)x10-4, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. By combining this result with previous LHCb measurements based on Run-1 data, the value of ΔACP results to be ΔACP=(-15.4±2.9)x10-4, which differs from zero by 5.3 standard deviations. This is the first observation of CP violation in the decay of a charm hadron.


This article analyzes data of labor motivation studies in Russian society currently undergoing a transformation with particular emphasis on the methods of studying this motivation. It demonstrated that the most frequently utilized methods (in the Soviet times, as well as in post-Soviet period) do not provide adequate information that can be applied directly to the practices of managing work process of the employees. With the help of these methodologies, we are able to identify the value systems of everyday consciousness, but not the motivational importance of labor factors. Based on the materials of a study, conducted at two private industrial enterprises from 2013 on, by using direct questions, we found out that labor motives there are: good salary, work safety, convenient work hours, relations with co-workers, adequate sanitary-hygienic conditions, job security, relations with management and interesting work. Author proposes a new methodology, in which definition of the relevance and significance of the elements of production situation is based on the analysis of correlation between indicators that reflect a balance between work values (aspirations) and ability to implement them in the labor activities (character of the current work), on the one hand, and nature of the identification of the workers with the company, on the other. As a result of its application for the workers at two private industrial enterprises from 2013 – the labor content and utilization of their abilities under current production situation appeared to be the most significant. Public recognition of their work efforts, relations with management and job security also turned out to be a significant element of production situation. Proposed methodology can be utilized to identify controllable factors of labor activities of workers at specific industrial enterprises.


Incidence and mortality rates for lung cancer in the United States are significantly greater in blacks than in whites. This disparity cannot be explained by differences in smoking behavior. We hypothesize that the observed racial differences in risk may be due to differences in the metabolic activation or detoxification of the tobacco-specific lung carcinogen 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK). To test this, different biomarkers of NNK exposure and metabolism, including the urinary metabolite 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol (NNAL) and the presumed detoxification product [4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)but-1-yl]-beta-O-D-glucosiduronic acid (NNAL-Gluc), were examined along with questionnaire data on lifestyle habits and diet in a metabolic epidemiological study of 34 black and 27 white healthy smokers. Results demonstrated that urinary NNAL-Gluc:NNAL ratios, a likely indicator of NNAL glucuronidation and detoxification, were significantly greater in whites than in blacks (P < 0.02). In addition, two phenotypes were apparent by probit analysis representing poor (ratio < 6) and extensive (ratio > or = 6) glucuronidation groups. The proportion of blacks falling into the former, potentially high-risk group was significantly greater than that of whites (P < 0.05). The absolute levels of urinary NNAL, NNAL-Gluc, and cotinine were also greater in blacks than in whites when adjusted for the number of cigarettes smoked. None of the observed racial differences could be explained by dissimilarities in exposure or other sociodemographic or dietary factors. Also, it is unlikely that the dissimilarities are due to racial differences in preference for mentholated cigarettes, because chronic administration of menthol to NNK-treated rats did not result in either increases in urinary total NNAL or decreases in NNAL-Gluc:NNAL ratios. Altogether, these results suggest that racial differences in NNAL glucuronidation, a putative detoxification pathway for NNK, may explain in part the observed differences in cancer risk.


Video instance segmentation (VIS) aims at segmenting and tracking objects in videos. Prior methods typically generate frame-level or clip-level object instances first and then associate them by either additional tracking heads or complex instance matching algorithms. This explicit instance association approach increases system complexity and fails to fully exploit temporal cues in videos. In this paper, we design a simple, fast and yet effective query-based framework for online VIS. Relying on an instance query and proposal propagation mechanism with several specially developed components, this framework can perform accurate instance association implicitly. Specifically, we generate frame-level object instances based on a set of instance query-proposal pairs propagated from previous frames. This instance query-proposal pair is learned to bind with one specific object across frames through conscientiously developed strategies. When using such a pair to predict an object instance on the current frame, not only the generated instance is automatically associated with its precursors on previous frames, but the model gets a good prior for predicting the same object. In this way, we naturally achieve implicit instance association in parallel with segmentation and elegantly take advantage of temporal clues in videos. To show the effectiveness of our method InsPro, we evaluate it on two popular VIS benchmarks, i.e., YouTube-VIS 2019 and YouTube-VIS 2021. Without bells-and-whistles, our InsPro with ResNet-50 backbone achieves 43.2 AP and 37.6 AP on these two benchmarks respectively, outperforming all other online VIS methods.


Genetic testing and counseling for cancer have made great strides in recent years. The popular demand for advanced screening, advances in testing, and the response of insurance companies and corporations have all served to shape this important area of cancer risk management. This practical, user-friendly guidebook allows you to search by disease site for the hereditary cancer syndromes relevant to your patient's cancer. This handy resource will help you formulate questions when expanding that patient's personal and family history, identify the genes that are most relevant, determine whether to refer that patient for genetic counseling and testing, and guide the patient's long-term management based on the patient's mutation-positive or -negative status. The guidebook will be of equal value to the practicing oncologist, surgeon, urologist, endocrinologist, gynecologist, primary care physician, physician's assistant, advanced practice nurse, and any other clinician counseling a patient who has had cancer. Look inside and discover: informative overview summarizes the history and current state of genetic cancer testing; site-specific chapters help you locate essential facts quickly; expert contributors share their years of experience in genetic testing and counseling; and timely insights address key medical, ethical, legal, and financial implications of genetic cancer testing. Be sure your patients have the advance information they need...Pick up your copy today!


Stan Kenton (1911–1979) formed his first full orchestra in 1940 and soon drew record-breaking crowds to hear and dance to his exciting sound. He continued to tour and record unrelentingly for the next four decades. Stan Kenton: This Is an Orchestra! sums up the mesmerizing bandleader at the height of his powers, arms waving energetically, his face a study of concentration as he cajoled, coaxed, strained, and obtained the last ounce of energy from every musician under his control. Michael Sparke's narrative captures that enthusiasm in words: a lucid account of the evolution of the Kenton Sound, and the first book to offer a critical evaluation of the role that Stan played in its creation. "Michael Sparke's book, the first general history of the Kenton Orchestra, is the best evaluation yet of Kenton's 40-year musical development."—The Wall Street Journal


Smith, Maya Angela. Senegal Abroad: Linguistic borders, racial formations, and diasporic imaginaries. University of Wisconsin Press, 2019. Senegal Abroad explores the fascinating role of language in national, transnational, postcolonial, racial, and migrant identities. Capturing the experiences of Senegalese in Paris, Rome, and New York, it depicts how they make sense of who they are—and how they t into their communities, countries, and the larger global Senegalese diaspora. Drawing on extensive interviews with a wide range of emigrants as well as people of Senegalese heritage, Maya Angela Smith contends that they shape their identity as they purposefully switch between languages and structure their discourse. https/:/uwpress.wisc.edu/books/5763.htm


The comparative strengths and weaknesses of judicial, executive and legislative enforcement of the Constitution are examined through a case study of attempts to enforce the rights of the overlapping Francophones, Roman Catholics and the Metis minorities in Manitoba. In these case studies, the courts were generally the more reliable protector of minority rights than legislatures or the executive. At the same time, there was not always compliance with judicial decisions and courts often produced remedies that were less effective than had there been co-operation with the executive, the legislature and civil society. In particular, legislative remedies both with respect to restoring funding to Catholic schools and ensuring French language services from the government would have been more effective than judicial remedies. They were, however, blocked by filibusters by legislators hostile to the minority rights in question. The 1983 legislative obstruction forced the Supreme Court of Canada in 1985 to pioneer the innovative remedy of a suspended declaration of invalidity. This remedy allows both courts and legislatures to participate in devising remedies. It is now used frequently in Canada and is enshrined in the 1996 South African Constitution.


Changes in the "habitat" may interfere with the normal functioning of all biological systems. The existence of relationships between environmental changes and health in humans and animal species is well known and it has become generally accepted that poor health affects the animal's natural behaviors and animal welfare and, consequently, food safety and animal production quality. Microclimate alterations, husbandry-management conditions, quality of human-animal interactions, feeding systems, and rearing environment represent the main factors that could negatively affect animal welfare and may produce behavioral, biochemical, endocrine, and pathological modifications in domestic and wild animals. Particularly, high stress levels can reduce the immune system response and promote infectious diseases. Adverse socio-environmental factors can represent a major stimulus to the development of different pathologies. This chapter will discuss the main pathological modifications described in domestic and wild animals due to "disturbed habitat" paying more attention to critical points detected in standard breeding systems.


We present a direct, room-temperature near-field optical study of light confinement by a subwavelength defect microcavity in a photonic crystal slab containing quantum-well sources. The observations are compared with three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain calculations, and excellent agreement is found. Moreover, we use a subwavelength cavity to study the influence of a near-field probe on the imaging of localized optical modes.


Gender and spirituality are both terms that signify alterity, especially a critique of established social conventions, including conventions of disciplining personhood on the basis of gender classifications and according to doctrinal and ritual patterns of organized religion. To be aware of gender as a hierarchical system is a modern phenomenon; "spirituality" has a much longer history of use and was generated from within organized religion, though its evolution increasingly marked it as a perspective distinct from, and necessitating the evaluative intervention of, official religious channels. Developing through a confluence of interest in Western esotericism, Transcendentalism, Theosophy, the German Romantics, and Asian traditions in the early 20th century, spirituality as a cultural concept and practice was poised to respond to widespread late modern questioning of received social modes, especially in terms of defining oneself. Contesting theoretical predictions of society's secularization but supporting those of the "subjective turn," late modern spirituality groups, especially those inspired by feminism, civil rights, and gay rights, valorized marginalized bodies and their distinctive experiences, creating new paths of spiritual expression in which personal experience in the context of group affirmation was foregrounded. Postmodern ideas on the fluidity of gender further contributed to the voices of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and queer) people who critiqued residual gender binaries operative in some New Age spiritualities and provided new arguments for social inclusivity in spirituality groups and in the wider society.
 What characterizes spirituality into the 21st century is the "turn to holism," in which a wide variety of methods are promoted as leading to a holistic sense of the well-being of body and spirit. Diverse practices include Kirlian aura photography, Johrei Fellowship healing, tarot cards, shiatsu massage, acupressure, aromatherapy, kinesiology, and yoga, leading some scholars to critique the spirituality climate as a neoliberal capitalist "spiritual marketplace." Others view it as a generative opportunity for seeking and bricolage construction of the self that has transformative potential for both self and society.


IN 1392, IN A RECONCILIATION with the City of London after a quarrel involving money, Richard II and his queen Anne of Bohemia made a triumphal formal entry into the city. For the entry the London authorities provided not only formal ceremonies, music, and gifts but also elaborate street pageantry involving maidens scattering gold coins, like leaves or flowers, from the top of Cheapside's Great Conduit onto the royal and civic procession as it passed, and a constructed castle or tower, further along Cheapside at the Standard, suspended on cords and from which an angel and a maiden descended through the air in clouds to the king and queen, offering them crowns and a cup of wine, and then reascending. Another elaborate device, of God and angels, was located at the western end of Cheapside near St. Paul's cathedral, and yet another, a wilderness with beasts, St. John Baptist, and another descending angel, was positioned at Temple Bar. (1) We know a great deal about the pageants (constructed theatrical displays) because of a contemporary descriptive poem on the entry by Richard Maidstone (or Maydiston), providing more detail than is given in the chronicle-history accounts of the occasion. (2) The entry has been much discussed and analyzed as the first truly elaborate London royal entry; and it has been seen as developing from two earlier, seemingly simpler London entries: the coronation entry of Richard II in 1377 and the coronation entry of his queen, Anne of Bohemia, in 1382. (3) The 1377 entry is normally thought of as the first English civic entry to have included a constructed street pageant, and also performers. (4) In 1377 Richard II was formally received through London as part of the ceremonial leading up to his coronation at Westminster; and in the chronicles, as is well known, we do find descriptions of what appears to be a simpler version (though perhaps only in quantity--of pageants, gifts, and the like) of his 1392 entry. (Holinshed, however, in describing only one elaborate 1377 entry pageant, also refers to other pageants and shows not described, and so it is possible that our kinds of information differ, for the 1392 and 1377 entries, more than did the actual entries themselves. (5) We have no surviving descriptive poem, for example, on the 1377 entry; and the chroniclers Holinshed, Grafton, and Fabyan all deal with only one pageant in 1392's entry, while Maidstone's poem deals with four.) In 1377, the chronicles tell us, Richard encountered, as his procession passed through Cheapside, a castle with four towers, from each of which a maiden dressed in white blew leaves of gold and scattered imitation gold coins down upon the king and his train, and from a higher tower in the center a golden angel leaned down to the king with a crown. Wine ran from two of the castle's sides; and the maidens must also have descended from their towers in some way, spectacularly or otherwise, since they are said to have offered the king and his nobles wine from gold cups filled from the castle's spouts. (6) Five years later, for the entry of Anne of Bohemia through London for her coronation at Westminster, a Cheapside castle was also constructed: although we know about this not from the chronicles--which comment only briefly on Anne's entry--but instead from the early surviving accounts of the Goldsmiths' Company, a wealthy London craft guild also responsible for the castle in the 1377 entry, for which entry some costs have also survived in the company's accounts. The Goldsmiths' accounts provide little information about the 1377 pageant beyond that it was a constructed castle (the expenses for which included ropes), and that there were maidens; (7) without the chronicles we would not know about the four towers, gold leaves and coins, angel with a crown, and cups of wine. The company's accounts provide a bit more information about the 1382 pageant: but since the chronicles are silent about it, in the end we do not know as much about it as about 1377's. …


Recently, interest in tabletop computing has surged, both within the research community and within the commercial sector. However, given the early stage of interactive tabletop adoption and current low availability, it is difficult to find end users with extended experience in using such devices. We conducted a survey of 58 tabletop researchers and developers, the only available population with longer-term tabletop use experience, to find out how they use their devices, what they use them for, and what features they consider important for novice, single-user, and collaborative scenarios. While not without inherent biases, their answers suggest important directions for further research in designing and evaluating interactive tabletop systems, including identification of obstacles to mainstream adoption, and input and ergonomic challenges.


We document judicial leniency on defendant birthdays across 5 million decisions. French sentences are 1% fewer and 3% shorter. U.S. federal sentences are 33% shorter in the day component of sentences (the month component remains unaffected). New Orleans sentences are 15% shorter overall. No leniency appears on the days before or after a defendant's birthday. Federal judges using deterrence language in opinions, are unaffected, isolating the judicial as opposed to defendant channel. The effect is doubled when judge and defendant share the same race. Our courtroom setting rules out many models of social preferences with reciprocity motives.