Background: Conjunctival ultraviolet autofluorescence (CUVAF) area detected from UVAF photographs is a recently developed potential marker for past sun exposure, but its relationship with sun-related factors has not been fully investigated. Methods: The study included 339 healthy children ages 5 to 15 years in Melbourne, Australia. Data were collected by questionnaire and examination at school. CUVAF area was measured using a computer program and analyzed as a continuous and dichotomous outcome (any/none). Results: Fifty-three children (15.6%) had detectable CUVAF, and the youngest age at which a child showed sun damage was 8 years. Compared with silicone skin cast score, there was good inter-grader agreement on CUVAF grading, with Cohen kappa 0.85 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.65–1.00] for total CUVAF area using both eye photographs. Perfect intra-grader agreement was achieved. Fairer pigmentation, including medium/fair skin color [adjusted odds ratio (AOR), 3.42; 95% CI, 1.02–11.48 vs. dark/olive] and blue/gray eye color (AOR, 4.07; 95% CI, 1.73–9.55 vs. brown) was associated with increased odds of CUVAF. Increasing lifetime sunburn number (e.g., AOR, 2.89; 95% CI, 1.14–7.35 and 4.29; 1.04–17.76 for sunburns 2 to 4 and ≥ 5 times, respectively, vs. no sunburns, trend P = 0.004) and freckling by the end of last summer were associated with increased odds of CUVAF. Conclusions: CUVAF area can be an a priori objective measure of past sun exposure in pediatric populations for future research. Impact: To our knowledge, this is the first pediatric study that evaluated associations of sun-related risk factors with CUVAF. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 26(7); 1146–53. ©2017 AACR.


The lead-lag relationships present in the regional price discovery process are important indicators of market performance. Differences across markets in the speed of adjustment to evolving information may have implications for pricing efficiency within these markets. This study estimates intertemporal price relationships among 11 regional slaughter cattle markets. Larger-volume markets, located in the major cattle feeding regions, were the dominant price discovery locations. Price adjustments across markets were completed in one to two weeks in the large-volume markets located relatively close to each other and in two to three weeks in the more remote, smaller-volume markets.


Food assistance programs play an important role in meeting the basic needs of low-income households. We consider the complex interactions among food stamps, labor force participation, and food insecurity status of low-income households under different program designs and economic conditions. The analysis uses data from the Survey of Program Dynamics to jointly estimate the role of participation in the Food Stamp Program (FSP), labor market participation and well-being, measured as food security, through the use of a simultaneous equation model. The results of our research suggest that food insecurity has a positive effect on FSP participation while labor force participation reduces FSP participation. Furthermore, FSP participation is more responsive to changes in the program benefits than to changes in nonlabor income. The linkages among food program participation, labor force participation, and well-being, measured in terms of food insecurity, are complex. The structural approach provides evidence that, among low-income households, program parameters affect FSP participation but no evidence that the food assistance reduces food insecurity.


In this paper the authors report on a course that was given in Cuba in 2010. The funding for the course came from the European Union, within the ALFA III program. The project was called US0+I; Universidad, Sociedad e Innovacion and its aim was to facilitate the exchange of educational methodology and pedagogy between the partner countries that made up the US0+I consortium. Within this project the University of Boras was assigned the task of giving the above mentioned course about the use of Learning Management Systems (LMS) in Higher Education. This paper describes the design and implementation of the course, with emphasis on how it was adapted to meet the needs of lecturers in a developing country. It also analyzes the results of research data that was collected during the duration of the course. The main aim of the research was to more clearly define key questions and issues in the area of cross cultural use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) as part of a larger action research project concerning ICT and cross cultural equity. The basic question that drives this research project is: What technical, social, economic and cultural differences affect the implementation of LMS in developed as compared to developing countries?


Holistic strategies can provide economic and social benefits to disadvan taged communities, through local food movements such as food sovereignty. This paper examines concrete methods to increase economic opportunities for farmers and to better livelihoods for producers that also increase food security for the community at large. The focus is on recent trends that support food sheds, target marginalized populations, and stimulate the local economy through participatory community efforts in the promotion of local food sources. Case studies draw upon new developments in the rural USA, particularly in the poorest communities of New Mexico. They demonstrate how economic betterment for farmers, positive development of value chains and infrastructure improvements that increase local trade also have the potential to foster healthier communities. Findings that are applicable to developing economies highlight the value of pursuing strategies for community-based, small-scale, integrated food systems.


Counselor education pedagogy has not sufficiently recognized or incorporated current knowledge of gender differences and their potential impact on women's learning experiences. Instead, the body of research that addresses gender in counselor education refers to incorporating gender in the classroom as a topic of discussion rather than considering gender as a component in the learning process. The body of literature on counselor education pedagogy at the doctoral level remains sparse. To date, no research has recognized gender as a lens for pedagogical training in the counselor education doctorate. This phenomenological study examined the learning experiences of eight women counselor education doctoral students across three CACREP accredited counselor education programs to understand how pedagogy supported or inhibited women's development as counselor educators. Women's ways of knowing (WWK) theory (Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger, & Tarule, 1997) offered a developmental framework for understanding women's learning preferences. Data analysis revealed five themes that indicated relationships were integral in gauging and affirming participants' learning and developmental processes. Data analysis also revealed structures in the counselor education doctorate that contributed to barriers to learning for minority students. Suggestions for re-conceptualizing the counselor education doctorate are discussed. LINDSAY PENNELL MEYERS SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY & COUNSELOR EDUCATION THE COLLEGE OF WILLIAM AND MARY IN VIRGINIA A PHENOMENOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF WOMEN'S LEARNING EXPERIENCES IN COUNSELOR EDUCATION


Technological innovation continues to make trading and markets more efficient, generally benefitting market participants and the investing public. But flash trading, a practice that evolved from high-frequency trading, benefits only a select few sophisticated traders and institutions with the resources necessary to view and respond to flashed orders. This practice undermines the basic principles of fairness and transparency in securities regulation, exacerbates information asymmetries and harms investor confidence. This iBrief revisits the Securities and Exchange Commission's proposed ban on the controversial practice of "flash trading" and urges the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to implement the ban across the securities and futures markets. Banning flash trading will not impact high-frequency trading or other advantageous innovative trading practices, and will benefit all market participants by making prices and liquidity more transparent. In the wake of the May 6, 2010 "flash crash" and the passage of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, now is an opportune time for the Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission to implement the ban.


Among‐lake variation in mercury (Hg) concentrations in landlocked Arctic char was examined in 27 char populations from remote lakes across the Canadian Arctic. A total of 520 landlocked Arctic char were collected from 27 lakes, as well as sediments and surface water from a subset of lakes in 1999, 2002, and 2005 to 2007. Size, length, age, and trophic position (δ15N) of individual char were determined and relationships with total Hg (THg) concentrations investigated, to identify a common covariate for adjustment using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). A subset of 216 char from 24 populations was used for spatial comparison, after length‐adjustment. The influence of trophic position and food web length and abiotic characteristics such as location, geomorphology, lake area, catchment area, catchment‐to‐lake area ratio of the lakes on adjusted THg concentrations in char muscle tissue were then evaluated. Arctic char from Amituk Lake (Cornwallis Island) had the highest Hg concentrations (1.31 µg/g wet wt), while Tessisoak Lake (Labrador, 0.07 µg/g wet wt) had the lowest. Concentrations of THg were positively correlated with size, δ15N, and age, respectively, in 88, 71, and 58% of 24 char populations. Length and δ15N were correlated in 67% of 24 char populations. Food chain length did not explain the differences in length‐adjusted THg concentrations in char. No relationships between adjusted THg concentrations in char and latitude or longitude were found, however, THg concentrations in char showed a positive correlation with catchment‐to‐lake area ratio. Furthermore, we conclude that inputs from the surrounding environment may influence THg concentrations, and will ultimately affect THg concentrations in char as a result of predicted climate‐driven changes that may occur in Arctic lake watersheds. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2010;29:633–643. © 2009 SETAC


Why have many regional organizations, such as ASEAN, Mercosur and SADC, adopted EU-type common markets and customs unions? I propose the mechanism of frame diffusion—the process by which a cognitive schema that originates in one organization shapes decision making over institutional choices in other organizations—to account for the spread of a specific institutional form across structurally diverse contexts in the absence of outside imposition. The argument is developed in three steps. First, I contend that existing arguments of international economic cooperation and regional market building drawn from International Political Economy, Neofunctionalism and Realism are largely indeterminate in terms of the specific institutional form that such cooperation takes. Second, I posit that developments in Europe and North America in the 1980s and early 1990s acted as a catalyst for the emergence of a set of frames that depicted ambitious regional market building as an appropriate institutional solution to challenges in international competitiveness. These guided policymaking in other regions under conditions of negative externalities and uncertainty. Third, I illustrate this argument in an exploratory comparison of institutional change in three 'most different' regional organizations: the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Mercosur and the Southern African Development Community. The presented argument has implications for research in International Political Economy and comparative regionalism.


BACKGROUND
Although measurement of haemoglobin A1c has become the cornerstone for diagnosing diabetes mellitus in routine clinical practice, the role of this biomarker in reflecting long-term glycaemic control in patients with chronic kidney disease has been questioned.

METHODS
Consensus review paper based on narrative literature review.

RESULTS
As a different association between glycaemic control and morbidity/mortality might be observed in patients with and without renal insufficiency, the European Renal Best Practice, the official guideline body of the European Renal Association-European Dialysis and Transplant Association, presents the current knowledge and evidence of the use of alternative glycaemic markers (glycated albumin, fructosamine, 1,5-anhydroglucitol and continuous glucose monitoring).

CONCLUSION
Although reference values of HbA1C might be different in patients with chronic kidney disease, it still remains the cornerstone as follow-up of longer term glycaemic control, as most clinical trials have used it as reference.


In the segmentation of fine-scale structures from natural and biomedical images, per-pixel accuracy is not the only metric of concern. Topological correctness, such as vessel connectivity and membrane closure, is crucial for downstream analysis tasks. In this paper, we propose a new approach to train deep image segmentation networks for better topological accuracy. In particular, leveraging the power of discrete Morse theory (DMT), we identify global structures, including 1D skeletons and 2D patches, which are important for topological accuracy. Trained with a novel loss based on these global structures, the network performance is significantly improved especially near topologically challenging locations (such as weak spots of connections and membranes). On diverse datasets, our method achieves superior performance on both the DICE score and topological metrics.


In recent decades, new pathogens such as HIV, the Ebola virus, and the BSE prion have emerged, while old scourges such as tuberculosis, cholera, and malaria have grown increasingly resistant to treatment. The global spread of disease does not threaten the human species, but it threatens the prosperity and stability of human societies. In this pathbreaking book, Andrew Price-Smith investigates the influence of infectious disease on nations' stability and prosperity. He also provides a theoretical and empirical foundation for the emerging field of health security. Price-Smith shows that the global proliferation of infectious disease will limit the ability of states to govern themselves effectively and to maximize their economic power. Because infectious disease can cause poverty, intra-state violence and political instability may increase. This in turn may have negative long-term effects on regional economic and political stability, damaging international relations and development. Price-Smith takes an interdisciplinary approach to topics ranging from the effects of global environmental change on the spread of disease to the feedback loop between public health and the strength of a nation's economy and its political stability over time. As the proliferation of infectious disease threatens international stability and the policy interests of the United States in years to come, its study will become an increasingly important subfield of political science.


In the 1960s and 1970s the Pop Art movement exerted a great influence on picturebook artists in different European countries (Finland, France, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom) and the USA. By referring to various avant-garde movements, such as Dadaism, Expressionism, and Surrealism, and by combining materials chosen from different media (advertisements, comics, film, newspapers, photography, and poster art), the author-illustrators introduced new ideas and concepts into picturebook art, thus crossing the boundaries between popular culture, children's literature, and modern art. Moreover, Pop Art picturebooks are characterized by an anti-pedagogical approach that encourages the child reader to critically reflect upon moral, political, and pedagogical issues and to revolt against authorities. Extended paratexts explain the artists' intentions and emphasize the presumption that children usually have more openness to new experiences than adults.


Advancements in technology over the last two decades have changed how spatial data are created and used. In particular, in the last decade, volunteered geographic information (VGI), i.e., the crowdsourcing of geographic information, has revolutionized the spatial domain by shifting the map-making process from the hands of experts to those of any willing contributor. Started in 2004, OpenStreetMap (OSM) is the pinnacle of VGI due to the large number of volunteers involved and the volume of spatial data generated. While the original objective of OSM was to create a free map of the world, its uses have shown how the potential of such an initiative goes well beyond map-making: ranging from projects such as the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap (HOT) project, that understands itself as a bridge between the OSM community and humanitarian responders, to collaborative projects such as Mapillary, where citizens take street-level images and the system aims to automate mapping. A common trend among these projects using OSM is the fact that the community dynamic tends to create spin-off projects. Currently, we see a drive towards projects that support sustainability goals using OSM. We discuss some such applications and highlight challenges posed by this new paradigm. We also explore the most promising future uses of this increasingly popular participatory phenomenon.


We have performed a comprehensive first-principles study of the electronic and magnetic properties of two-dimensional (2D) transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMD) heterobilayers MX2/MoS2 (M = Mo, Cr, W, Fe, V; X = S, Se). For M = Mo, Cr, W; X = S, Se, all heterobilayers show semiconducting characteristics with an indirect bandgap with the exception of the WSe2/MoS2 heterobilayer which retains the direct-bandgap character of the constituent monolayer. For M = Fe, V; X = S, Se, the MX2/MoS2 heterobilayers exhibit metallic characters. Particular attention of this study has been focused on engineering the bandgap of the TMD heterobilayer materials via application of either a tensile strain or an external electric field. We find that with increasing either the biaxial or uniaxial tensile strain, the MX2/MoS2 (M = Mo, Cr, W; X = S, Se) heterobilayers can undergo a semiconductor-to-metal transition. For the WSe2/MoS2 heterobilayer, a direct-to-indirect bandgap transition may occur beyond a critical biaxial or uniaxial strain. For M (=Fe, V) and X (=S, Se), the magnetic moments of both metal and chalcogen atoms are enhanced when the MX2/MoS2 heterobilayers are under a biaxial tensile strain. Moreover, the bandgap of MX2/MoS2 (M = Mo, Cr, W; X = S, Se) heterobilayers can be reduced by the vertical electric field. For two heterobilayers MSe2/MoS2 (M = Mo, Cr), PBE calculations suggest that the indirect-to-direct bandgap transition may occur under an external electric field. The transition is attributed to the enhanced spontaneous polarization. The tunable bandgaps in general and possible indirect-direct bandgap transitions due to tensile strain or external electric field make the TMD heterobilayer materials a viable candidate for optoelectronic applications.


Plentiful research has addressed low-complexity software-based shared-memory systems since the idea was first introduced more than two decades ago. However, software-coherent systems have not been very successful in the commercial marketplace. We believe there are two main reasons for this: lack of performance and/or lack of binary compatibility. This thesis studies multiple aspects of how to design future binary-compatible high-performance scalable shared-memory servers while keeping the hardware complexity at a minimum. It starts with a software-based distributed shared-memory system relying on no specific hardware support and gradually moves towards architectures with simple hardware support. The evaluation is made in a modern chip-multiprocessor environment with both high-performance compute workloads and commercial applications. It shows that implementing the coherence-violation detection in hardware while solving the interchip coherence in software allows for high-performing binary-compatible systems with very low hardware complexity. Our second-generation hardware-software hybrid performs on par with, and often better than, traditional hardware-only designs. Based on our results, we conclude that it is not only possible to design simple systems while maintaining performance and the binary-compatibility envelope, it is often possible to get better performance than in traditional and more complex designs. We also explore two new techniques for evaluating a new shared-memory design throughout this work: adjustable simulation fidelity and statistical multiprocessor cache modeling.


"This case study examines the scaling-up experiences of two microfinance institutions: the Nirdhan Utthan Bank Limited (NUBL) in Nepal and the Self-Help Group (SHG)-Bank linkage program of the National Agricultural Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) in India. Both NUBL and NABARD groups use self-regulation (peer selection, peer monitoring, and peer enforcement of contracts) as key to gaining access to services not otherwise available to them.... The NABARD experience is government-led. NUBL, on the other hand, was established as an alternative to government action. In both cases, government policy in the form of mandatory "priority sector" credit played and continues to play a critical role in facilitating expansion. The subsidy content (explicit and implicit) of both NUBL and the NABARD program is quite high, and continued expansion of both programs is highly conditional on whether the policy regime of directed credit continues. Any change in this policy will deal a severe blow to both of these institutions." from Authors' Abstract


Due to the large-scale implementation of distributed generation, the power delivery system is changing gradually from a "vertically" to a "horizontally" controlled and operated structure. This transition has prompted the emergence of the active distribution network (ADN) concept as an efficient and flexible distribution system to deal with various challenging issues. This paper addresses a multiagent system (MAS) as a suitable technology to manage autonomous control actions and perform the coordination in an ADN. In this agent-based ADN a smart power router is implemented, which can flexibly integrate network areas and optimally manage power flows. Operational and control functions of the power router has been investigated in a laboratory experiment. In this lab setup, a configuration of the power router is established in a combination of a three-inverter system and an agent. The experiments show that the ADN can operate in an efficient and flexible way with the support of the power router interface. The control function of the inverters and the operation of MAS are thoroughly verified.


This report assesses the openness of public procurement markets in key third countries of interest to the EU. It provides a comparative overview of the regulatory and market access characteristics of the US, Brazil, India, China, Japans' procurement markets, with reference to the procurement regulation and enforcement within the EU. The report assesses the available data on both the de jure and de facto levels of openness of these markets to put forward some conclusions of value to policy making both within the EU and in its trading relations with key third countries.

This assessment concludes that the lack of comprehensive comparable data on procurement contract awards, particularly at the sub-central level, is not a trivial challenge for policy makers. Nevertheless, it is evident that the liberalisation of procurement markets continues to take place on a strictly reciprocal basis – linked to the offensive interests of governments. Given the slow-down in negotiating mega-regional agreements with comprehensive procurement chapters, the WTO Government Procurement Agreement remains the most efficient and transparent forum for undertaking further liberalisation in public procurement.


The use of millimeter wave technologies offer a promising solution for dense small cell networks, despite having to contend with challenging propagation characteristics. In particular, user-induced effects can lead to significant channel variations depending on the user equipment (UE) usage mode which in turn, can impact the quality of service. Estimation of UE operating conditions is therefore critical for optimal radio resource management. We propose a new approach to user activity recognition which makes use of both supervised and unsupervised machine learning. In particular, using information extracted from the received signal strength (RSS), a common metric readily available from many receiver chipsets, we perform a classification of user state (static or mobile relative to an access point) and UE mode of operation (voice call, using an app or in pocket). To develop and then train our classification system, measured RSS data was obtained using a custom 60 GHz measurement system for a range of indoor office scenarios which considered various UE to ceiling mounted access point configurations. In our approach, differentiation between static and mobile states is performed in preprocessing using a k-means algorithm. Small-scale fading features are then estimated from the RSS data and, using different feature scaling mechanisms, various supervised learning approaches are applied to investigate the optimal classification accuracy for the considered use cases in this work. We compare the classification performance of various window sizes and types, and show that a sliding window length of 1s without overlap performs best for time series segmentation at 60 GHz for the activities considered in this study. Among the different supervised learning approaches, the Decision Tree (DT) classifier performs best for both the user static and mobile cases with an accuracy of 100% and 98.0%, respectively. For static cases, user orientation, i.e., line-of-sight (LOS), quasi-LOS, and non-LOS, can also be classified and here the DT classifier also performs best with an accuracy of 98.2%, 97.6% and 100% for the voice call, using an app or in pocket use cases. Additionally, a feature ranking algorithm, called ReliefF, is adopted to determine the small-scale fading features that have the most significant influences on the classification accuracy and three different feature sets, namely Full, Reduced and Constrained sets, are then proposed based on feature ranking results. This allows the proposed techniques to be deployed on wireless platforms with different levels of processing capability.


Background: Fatalistic beliefs about cancer have been implicated in low uptake of screening and delay in presentation particularly in low socioeconomic status (SES) groups, but no studies have systematically evaluated interrelationships between SES, fatalism, and early detection behaviors. We explored whether (i) fatalism is associated with negative attitudes toward early detection, (ii) lower SES groups are more fatalistic, and (iii) SES differences in fatalism partly explain SES differences in attitudes toward early detection. Methods: In a population-representative sample of adults in Britain using computer-based interviews in the home setting, respondents (N = 2,018) answered two questions to index fatalism (expectations of cancer survival and cure) and two items on early detection attitudes (the perceived value of early detection and fear of symptom reporting). SES was indexed with a social grade classification. Results: Fatalism was associated with being less positive about early detection (β = −0.40, P < 0.001) and more fearful about seeking help for a suspicious symptom (β = 0.24, P < 0.001). Lower SES groups were more fatalistic (β = −0.21, P < 0.001). Path analyses suggest that SES differences in fatalism might explain SES differences in attitudes about early detection. Conclusions: In this population sample, SES differences in fatalism partly explained SES differences in the perceived value of early detection and fear of symptom presentation. Impact: Fatalistic beliefs about cancer should be targeted to promote early presentation of cancer and this may be particularly important for lower SES groups. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 20(10); 2127–31. ©2011 AACR.


In this work, the leakage current properties of semi-insulating GaN (SI-GaN) grown on Si(1 1 1) substrate with a low-temperature (LT) AlN interlayer were studied. Two terminal lateral current–voltage measurements revealed an early conduction phenomenon via buffer layers with an LT-AlN interlayer, in which both p- and n-type conduction phenomena were observed from Hall-effect measurement during temperature changing. It is suggested that the p-type conduction existed in the Si substrate due to the diffusion of Al atoms into the Si substrate during the epitaxial growth. The origin of n-type conduction was two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in the LT-AlN/GaN interface, which acted as a conduction channel in SI-GaN. Furthermore, the vertical leakage current measurement and the space charge limited current model were used to analyse the impact of the 2DEG conduction channel on the leakage current properties. It is revealed that leakage current properties are very sensitive to the thickness of the GaN layer above the LT-AlN interlayer (Top-GaN). Increasing the thickness of Top-GaN becomes an effective way to suppress leakage current. Therefore, both strain engineering and leakage current properties are essential factors to be considered in the selection of strain compensation interlayer in the growth of SI-GaN on Si substrate for power switching applications.


We study gravitational waves (GWs) from a set of 2D multigroup neutrino radiation hydrodynamic simulations of core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe). Our goal is to systematize the current knowledge about the post-bounce CCSN GW signal and recognize the templatable features that could be used by the ground-based laser interferometers. We demonstrate that, starting from ∼400 ms after core bounce, the dominant GW signal represents the fundamental quadrupole (l = 2) oscillation mode (f-mode) of the proto–neutron star (PNS), which can be accurately reproduced by a linear perturbation analysis of the angle-averaged PNS profile. Before that, in the time interval between ∼200 and ∼400 ms after bounce, the dominant mode has two radial nodes and represents a g-mode. We associate the high-frequency noise in the GW spectrograms above the main signal with p-modes, while below the dominant frequency there is a region with very little power. The collection of models presented here summarizes the dependence of the CCSN GW signal on the progenitor mass, equation of state, many-body corrections to the neutrino opacity, and rotation. Weak dependence of the dominant GW frequency on the progenitor mass motivates us to provide a simple fit for it as a function of time, which can be used as a prior when looking for CCSN candidates in the LIGO data.


Moderate earthquakes in 1948 and 1986 that occurred along the southern San Andreas fault zone are examined to help understand the subsurface geometry and seismic behavior of active fault segments in the northern Coachella Valley. The 1986 North Palm Springs earthquake occurred between the Banning and Mission Creek traces of the San Andreas fault zone. Based on data from both portable and permanent stations, aftershocks of the 1986 event define a nearly planar surface that strikes about N60° to 70°W, is about 15-km long, and dips northeast from near the Banning surface trace at about 45° to 50°. Relocation of the mainshock using revised station corrections and a local velocity model inverted from the aftershock arrival times indicates a location at 34°N00.26′, 116°W36.34′, and a focal depth of 10.4 km. The first-motion focal mechanism for the mainshock indicates pure right-slip on a plane dipping northeast at 40° to 45° with a strike of N60°W. Previous moment-tensor solutions (e.g., Hartzell, 1989) exhibit significant oblique-reverse slip on a plane with a more westerly strike and a seismic moment of 1.4 to 1.7 × 1018 N-m (Mw = 6.1). Actual and synthetic Wood-Anderson recordings indicate a local magnitude of ML 6.0.
 The 1948 Desert Hot Springs earthquake produced waveforms similar to 1986, although amplitudes for 1948 are typically 20 to 30% larger. The 1948 mainshock is relocated at 33°N55.2′, 116°W28.9′, with a focal depth of 12 km, a revised magnitude of ML 6.3, and an estimated seismic moment of 2 to 3 × 1018 N-m. Based on arrival-time information from close (<20 km) portable stations deployed in 1948 to 1949, the 1948 aftershock distribution is about 15-km long, 8- to 10-km wide, and abuts the 1986 aftershock sequence to the southeast along the Banning fault. The 1948 aftershock zone is consistent with a focal mechanism that exhibits predominantly right-slip motion (rake 169°) on a plane that strikes N55°W and dips more steeply northeast at 60° to 70°.
 In 1986, the horizontal extent of the rupture may have been controlled by secondary cross faults and possible changes in fault geometry, while the down-dip extent may have been controlled by the presence at depth of a regional detachment. In 1948, the rupture likely had a steeper dip than in 1986 and extended southeast as far as the northern Indio Hills, where the surface trace of the Banning fault undergoes an approximate 7° change in strike. These results indicate that the Banning fault is nonvertical, is likely segmented according to fault dip, as well as fault strike, and has been the primary locus of recent moderate-sized earthquake activity in the northern Coachella Valley.


Purpose
The purpose of this study is to identify the association between environmental leadership (EL) and pro-environmental behaviour among the middle-level employees in iron and steel manufacturing companies. The study further emphasizes on mediation of the relationship by green rewards and green self-efficacy in EL and pro-environmental behaviour relationship, moderated by green training.

Design/methodology/approach
To find the reliability and validity of the model, confirmatory factor analysis was used. Pearson correlation was used to explore the relationship between variables. PROCESS macro of Hayes (2013) Model 14 was used to test mediation and moderated mediation.

Findings
EL influenced pro-environmental behaviour in middle-level employees. Green rewards and green self-efficacy mediated the relationship. Green training moderated the mediated relationship of green rewards and green self-efficacy between EL and pro-environmental behaviour.

Originality/value
This is a fresh contribution around EL and pro-environmental behaviour in iron and steel companies; however, there are studies available on this relationship, but the unique contribution of the study is studying EL in iron and steel companies and mediated moderated relationship by green rewards, self-efficacy and training. It is necessary for the organizations to develop environmental leaders to promote pro-environmental behaviour in employees across sectors.


This work addresses the question of Pound's poetics, proceeding upon the conviction that the term "ideogrammic method", so often slighted by commentators, is to be taken seriously, and that an understanding of its nature and implications provides a sound framework for one's understanding of Pound's mature poetic practice. Part One begins by tracing the evolution of Imagism/Worticism, locating in Pound's theory and practice at that time his first adumbration of the poetic morphology which I maintain is central to the Cantos. The first four Cantos are then examined and their pattern of theophanies related to the merphology. The Malatesta Cantos are identified as the first expression of the ideogrammic method, the latter being defined as an extention into the "epic" dimension of Imagist/Vorticist principles. Part Two retreats somewhat from the detail of the Cantos to deal more speculatively with the ideogrammic method and its related ideas. In particular, through the figures of Francis Bacon, Emerson, Fenollosa and Pound himself the method is set in relation to the Adamic conception of language. Part Three begins by further enlarging the terms of the ideogrammic method to incorporate Pound's notion of the forma, and relating both method and notion to the poetic morphology. This complex of ideas is then shown in action in Cantos XXXIX and XLVII. The rhythms of the Leopoldine Cantos are examined, and a more generalizing discussion of rhythms in the Cantos as a whole follows; This is then related to the question of form in the poem. The work concludes with a detailed examination of the Pisan Cantos and Canto XC. The ideogrammic method is not a body of settled doctrine, but I believe it to be the generative locus of Pound's mature poetics. It as as such that I would recommend the concept for fresh attention.


The Danian carbonates exposed in the Urbasa–Andia plateau (western Pyrenees, North Spain) provide the opportunity to examine at different scales the facies types and architecture of a greenhouse ramp to rimmed shelf from the slope to coralgal reefal margin through to the highly restricted evaporitic inner shelf areas, integrated with a range of porosity-forming, early diagenetic phases associated with third-order highstands and lowstands. The detailed nature of the stratal architecture of this greenhouse system provides an understanding of potential reservoir layering, lateral facies and facies cycle changes, and widespread early dolomitization but significantly allows a whole paleokarst macroporosity system related to a third-order lowstand to be accessed, illustrating how eogenetic karstic porosity can vary drastically from margins to shelf interiors. The outcrops serve as potential analogs for fields in Paleocene carbonates in North Africa and the Middle East and also offer valuable depositional and digenetic models for greenhouse platforms of other ages.


Two advanced Kriging metamodeling techniques were used to compute the failure probability of geotechnical structures involving spatially varying soil properties. These methods are based on a Kriging metamodel combined with a global sensitivity analysis that is called in literature Global Sensitivity Analysis‐enhanced Surrogate (GSAS) modeling for reliability analysis. The GSAS methodology may be used in combination with either the Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) or importance sampling (IS) method. The resulting Kriging metamodeling techniques are called GSAS‐MCS or GSAS‐IS. The objective of these techniques is to reduce the number of calls of the mechanical model as compared with the classical Kriging‐based metamodeling techniques (called AK‐MCS and AK‐IS) combining Kriging with MCS or IS. The soil uncertain parameters were assumed as non‐Gaussian random fields. EOLE methodology was used to discretize these random fields. The mechanical models were based on numerical simulations. Some probabilistic numerical results are presented and discussed.


Stephen Balter: Issues in Interventional Fluoroscopy Procedures Some fluoroscopically-guided interventional procedures (FGI) require the use of a substantial amount of radiation for their completion. Radiation can be regarded as a toxic agent in the same sense that contrast-media and drugs can be toxic if inappropriately used. The interventional radiologist should have reasonable knowledge of the toxic effects of radiation on patients at dose levels that may occur during IR procedures. These include short-term tissue reactions on the skin, hair loss, and radiogenic cataracts. Longer term effects such as cancer induction are of importance for some patients. Because radiation is potentially toxic, its risks should be appropriately discussed during the informed consent process. The display of reference air kerma and kerma area product provide risk information to the radiologist while performing a procedure. This is intended to provide ongoing inputs into a continuous evaluation of benefit-risk.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Be able to describe effects on patient's skin, hair, eyes, and other tissues resulting from fluoroscopically-guided interventional procedures. 2. Be able to adequately communicate FGI radiation risk as part of the informed consent process. 3. Understand the use of real-time displays of radiation quantities and their relation to radiation risks. Beth Schueler: Measurements and Dose Calculations The measurement of patient dose during fluoroscopically-guided interventional procedures is an important tool for assessment of individual patient radiation risk. Moreover, the display of patient dose is valuable as feedback to the operator to aid in optimization of radiation exposure. Many different methods of measuring fluoroscopy dose have been developed, including direct methods (dosimeters and film) and indirect methods (fluoroscopy time, dose-area-product meters and reference point air kerma estimation). This presentation will review the advantages and limitations of each of these methods, along with common dose metrics that fluoroscopy operators, medical physicists and technologists should be familiar with. In addition, we will discuss skin dose mapping methods that are currently being developed.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Review methods of measuring patient radiation dose during fluoroscopically-guided interventional procedures. 2. Compare the advantages and limitations of dose measurement methods. 3. Understand parameters that are used to describe patient entrance dose. 4. Learn about new methods for skin dose calculation and recording. Kyle Jones: Establishing an Interventional Radiology Patient Radiation Safety Program An interventional radiology patient safety program is essential to better educate patients who are scheduled to undergo fluoroscopically guided interventional radiology procedures; monitor radiation doses delivered during procedures and reduce the risk of tissue effects; ensure appropriate medical management of patients experiencing significant peak skin doses; and for practice quality improvement through analysis of procedural data and exceptional cases. The program combines pre-procedure evaluation and counseling, intra-procedure monitoring, and post-procedure documentation and counseling consistent with guidelines from the National Cancer Institute and the Society of Interventional Radiology. Implementation of a patient safety program is straightforward, requires little infrastructure and few resources, and can be applied in most interventional radiology practices. Learning Ojbectives: 1. List the radiation dose descriptors that should be recorded at the conclusion of a fluoroscopy-guided procedure. 2. Describe the actions that may be taken during the three phases of a fluoroscopy-guided procedure to enhance patient safety. 3. Discuss how to recognize cases that are outside the normal control limits of an interventional radiology practice.


Dense Networks and large MIMO are two key enablers to achieve high data rates towards next generation 5G networks. In this context, we study user association in an interference limited Multi-user MIMO Small Cell Network. Extending on our previous findings, we derive explicit expressions for the optimal ratio of the number of antennas at the base station to the number of users that can associate to a base station in such a Network. This expressions are used to compute the actual number of users that can associate for a given interference level and other system parameters. Simulation results and numerical examples are provided to support our theoretical findings.


A focus on enrollments, rankings, uncertain budgets, and branding efforts to operate universities could have serious implications for discussions of sustainable solutions to complex problems and the decision-making processes of leaders. The Authentic Leadership Model for framing ill-defined problems in higher education is posited to improve the process of ethical problem solving and the creation of sustainable solutions to complex problems faced by university leaders.


Saussure's general linguistic is usually heralded for having sacrificed the speaking subject on a semiological altar and for initiating a methodological turn towards structured semiological systems as solely constitutive of cultural signification. This view may reflect, however, a postwar French institutionalized antagonism between the traditions of inquiry which privilege subjective experience on the one hand and semiological systems on the other, that is, phenomenology and structuralism (and post-structuralism). Thus while Kristeva opposes the speaking subject to Saussure's linguistics and its structuralist legacy, I argue that Saussure's own, lesser known reflections help to chart a zone of linguistic experience undecided between renewing subjectivity and sedimented signification. My contribution to rethinking the interrelation between subject and structure based approaches in this essay will follow the lead of Saussure's Nachlass , especially his analysis of the arbitrary (unnatural or unmotivated) status of linguistic signification. While the posthumous edition of the Course in General Linguistics proposes a programmatic statement ofs cientific linguistics with a set of vertical hierarchies between la langue and la parole , synchrony and diachrony, and the signifier and the signified, the Nachlass develops a philosophically refined reflection on the heterogeneity of the linguistic field and the plurality of methods available to the scholar of language.


Daily headlines warn American workers that their retirement years may be far from golden. The main components of the retirement income system --Social Security and employer-provided pensions and health insurance --are in decline while the amount of income needed for a comfortable retirement continues to rise. In Working Longer , Alicia Munnell and Steven Sass suggest a simple solution to this problem: postponing retirement by two to four years. By following their advice, the average worker retiring in 2030 can be as well off as today's retirees. Implementing this solution on a national scale, however, may not be simple. Working Longer investigates the prospects for moving the average retirement age from 63, the current figure, to 66. Munnell and Sass ask whether future generations will be healthy enough to work beyond the current retirement age and whether older men and women want to work. They examine companies' incentives to employ older works and ask what government can do to promote continued participation in the workforce. Finally, they consider the challenge of ensuring a secure retirement for low-wage workers and those who are unable to continue to work. The retirement system faces very real challenges. But together, workers, employers, and the government can keep this vital piece of the American dream alive.


This thesis explores girls' perceptions of mathematics and how they make sense of their mathematical identity. It seeks to understand the characterisations girls make of mathematics and mathematicians, shedding light upon their positioning as mathematicians. This is important because there remains a tendency for able females to rate themselves lower than males of a similar attainment, and be less likely to continue into post-compulsory study of mathematics. This research followed an interpretive paradigm, taking a grounded, case-based approach and using a mosaic of qualitative methods. Fourteen girls from a school in the south-east of England aged 8-9 at the start of the study took part in the research over 15 months. The data collected comprised scrapbooks, concept maps, relationship wheels, drawings, digital photographs, metaphors, group and individual interviews. Data were analysed using open and focused coding, sensitising concepts and constant comparison to arrive at key categories and themes. The main conclusions of the study are that time taken to explore the diversity of girls' perceptions of themselves as mathematicians provides a powerful insight into their identity formation. Many girls struggled to articulate the purpose of mathematics dominant in their vision of what it meant to be a mathematician. Whilst they recognised a rich variety of authentic mathematical activity at home, this was overwhelmed by number, calculation, speed and processes, with mathematics recognised as desk-bound and isolating. They made sense of their mathematical identity through their characterisations of mathematics alongside interactions and comparisons with others. The girls in the study took a high degree of responsibility for their own development, believing they could improve with ever-greater effort. However, this led to the need for a buffer zone, allowing teachers, family and friends to support the individual in continuing to grow and protecting them from mathematical harm. This research recommends the provision of safe spaces for mathematical exploration in terms of time, space and collaboration, connecting mathematical study with application and interest, reframing mathematics as a social endeavour and sharing responsibility with girls for their mathematical development. Finally, it suggests the value of practitioners paying close attention to girls' evolving mathematical identities.


This article aims to investigate the Six Sigma implementation in Libyan banking sector in order to identify its perceived benefits and to explore the critical success factors. Data were based on the findings of a questionnaire survey in Libyan banking sector. A total of 154 questionnaires were distributed and only 81 questionnaires were returned usable, giving a response rate of 62.79%. The results indicated that the Six Sigma implementation can be used at Libyan banking sector, which can be used as a template for other banks in emerging countries since it provides an insight into the critical factors influencing a successful Six Sigma implementation. The findings of the survey confirm that there is hardly and difference managerial levels in the observing and evaluating the benefits and the successful factors of the quality control tools implementation in banking. Finally the main limitations of this article are outlined and opportunities for future research are discussed, particularly in relation to this article's findings about the need to reconsider the Six Sigma benefits and critical success factors of the Libyan banking sector and also the need for a multiple perspective approach for studying the diffusion of Six Sigma implementation of the Libyan banking sector.


Background:
 IP-10 is a pro-inflammatory CXC chemokine that acts as a chemo-attractant for monocytes and T cells. Prior work has shown that IP-10 levels increase after experimental stroke. IP-10 levels are correlated with degree of neurological injury; lower levels are associated with better outcome. Importantly, although nearly three quarters of strokes occur in aged people, no studies have examined IP-10 levels in aged stroke patient or animal populations. As mice and humans age, there is a progressive increase in pro-inflammatory factors circulating in the blood. Consequently, we hypothesize that aged populations will have significantly higher post-stroke IP-10 levels.

 Methods:
 Young (2-3 months) and aged (20 months) male C57BL6 mice were subjected to 60 minutes (24hr and 28 day group) or 90 minutes (72hr group) of MCAO and randomly split into 3 groups (n=5/group). Mice were sacrificed 24hrs, 72hrs, or 28 days after sham or stroke surgery. We collected serum samples from the 24hr and 28-day group and brain samples from the 72hr group. We also collected young (37-69yrs; n=18) and aged (70yrs; n=23) human serum samples 24hrs after imaging-confirmed ischemic stroke. IP-10 levels were assessed via ELISA (mouse) and cytokine multiplex assay (human).

 Results:
 Aged mice had significantly higher serum IP-10 levels than young mice (102.43±9.21pg/ml vs. 61.99±8.98pg/ml; p<.0001). However, there was no significant difference in either age group 24hrs after stroke. There was an interaction effect of age and stroke 72hrs after stroke, (F (1,14) =10.25, p<.006); aged stroke mice had the highest brain IP-10 levels. There was a significant increase in serum IP-10 levels in aged stroke mice compared to aged sham (45.47±5.32pg/ml vs. 23.26±0.31pg/ml; p<.03) and in aged stroke compared to young mice (45.47±5.32pg/ml vs. 15.72±2.63pg/ml; p<.005) 28 days after stroke. However, there was no difference between young stroke and sham. Lastly, in line with our animal data, serum IP-10 levels were significantly higher in aged humans (p<.02).

 Conclusions:
 This study demonstrates that aging exacerbates post-stroke brain and serum IP-10 levels in both mice and human subjects. Blocking IP-10 may be especially beneficial in improving post stroke recovery in aged populations.


Background: Human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) encodes a set of 37 genes which are essential structural and functional components of the electron transport chain. Variations in these genes have been implicated in a broad spectrum of diseases and are extensively reported in literature and various databases. In this study, we describe MitoLSDB, an integrated platform to catalogue disease association studies on mtDNA (http://mitolsdb.igib.res.in). The main goal of MitoLSDB is to provide a central platform for direct submissions of novel variants that can be curated by the Mitochondrial Research Community. Description: MitoLSDB provides access to standardized and annotated data from literature and databases encompassing information from 5231 individuals, 675 populations and 27 phenotypes. This platform is developed using the Leiden Open (source) Variation Database (LOVD) software. MitoLSDB houses information on all 37 genes in each population amounting to 132397 variants, 5147 unique variants. For each variant its genomic location as per the Revised Cambridge Reference Sequence, codon and amino acid change for variations in protein-coding regions, frequency, disease/phenotype, population, reference and remarks are also listed. MitoLSDB curators have also reported errors documented in literature which includes 94 phantom mutations, 10 NUMTs, six documentation errors and one artefactual recombination. Conclusion: MitoLSDB is the largest repository of mtDNA variants systematically standardized and presented using the LOVD platform. We believe that this is a good starting resource to curate mtDNA variants and will facilitate direct submissions enhancing data coverage, annotation in context of pathogenesis and quality control by ensuring


Background: The use of knee–ankle–foot orthoses with drop locked knee joints produces some limitations for walking in subjects with quadriceps muscle weakness. The development of stance control orthoses can potentially improve their functionality. Objectives: The aim of this review was to compare the evidence of the effect of stance control orthoses to knee–ankle–foot orthoses with drop locked knee joints in improving kinematic variables and energy efficiency of walking by subjects with quadriceps muscle weakness caused by different pathologies. Study design: Literature review. Methods: Based on selected keywords and their composition, a search was performed in Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and ISI Web of Knowledge databases. In total, 18 articles were finally chosen for review. Results: The results of this study demonstrated that this type of orthosis can improve the walking parameters of subjects with quadriceps muscle weakness and spinal cord injury patients when compared to a locked knee–ankle–foot orthosis. Conclusion: There is evidence to show that stance control orthosis designs improve the gait kinematics but not energetic of knee–ankle–foot orthosis users. Development of new designs of stance control orthoses to provide a more normal pattern of walking is still required. Clinical relevance Stance control orthoses are a new generation of orthotic intervention that could potentially be significant in assisting to improve the gait kinematics by knee–ankle–foot orthosis users.


Raman scattering experiments for nominally pure and uranium doped CaF2 single crystals were presented. In all crystals, the Raman active T_(2g) vibration mode of CaF2 was observed, whose frequency shift and full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) broadening correspond well with defects and impurities in CaF2 lattice. Additional Raman peaks develop in nominally pure CaF2 with high etch pits density and U^(6+):CaF2 crystals. Part of additional Raman peaks in the experimental results, which are assumed due to vibration modes from F- interstitials and vacancies, are in well agreement with the theoretical predications by employing the Green-function formulation.


Studies in a temperature controlled greenhouse were conducted to determine if phytotoxic effects of chemical seed treatments found in incubation studies also have an effect on the germination- and seedling vigour of canola (cv Varola 44) seed planted in simulated field conditions and secondly to determine the efficiency of seed treatments in soils from different localities (naturally infested) and in soil artificially infested with soilborne pathogens. In the first experiment untreated (control) and seeds treated with 0.5X, 1.0X and 2.0X of the recommended rates of Cruiser® and a local mixture (SA-Combination) were planted at 5 and 10 mm depths in dry (10% of field water capacity), moist (50% of field water capacity) and wet (70% of field water capacity) pasteurized soil to ensure that only the phytotoxic effects of the seed treatments were measured. In general, results showed that some treatments (application rates) of both chemicals used delayed seed germination and therefore reduced the number of seedlings emerged after 9 days, especially when planted at a 5 mm depth in pasteurized dry soil, but not in moist (50% FWC) soil. In soils naturally infested with especially Rhizoctonia spp. and Pythium spp. (experiment two), seedling emergence, survival and plant height of treated seeds were significantly higher compared to that of untreated seed. In experiment three all the seed treatments significantly increased survival of canola seedlings in soil artificially infested with Fusarium avenaceum, Pythium F group, P. irregulare, P. mamillatum, P. ultimum var. ultimum and Rhizoctonia spp. under growth room conditions. Survival of seedlings was a more accurate or sensitive parameter than dry mass when evaluating the effect of seed treatments against damping-off of canola caused by these soilborne pathogens. Because no consistant differences for all parameters used were found between chemicals used, both chemicals should be regarded as efficient. More research is needed to test their efficiency against specific pathogens under field conditions before any recommendations with regard to registration and commercial use in the RSA can be made.


Balancing the representation of ecosystems and threatened species habitats is critical for optimizing protected area (PA) networks and achieving the Convention on Biological Diversity strategic goals. Here we provide a systematic approach for maximizing representativeness of ecosystems and threatened species within a constrained total PA network size, using Australia as a case study. We show that protection of 24.4% of Australia is needed to achieve 17% representation for each ecosystem and all threatened species habitat targets. When the size of the PA estate is constrained, trade‐off curves between ecosystem and species targets are J‐shaped, indicating potential "win‐win" configurations. For example, optimally increasing the current PA network to 17% could protect 9% of each ecosystem and ensure that all threatened species achieve at least 78% of their targets. This method of integrating species and ecosystem targets in PA planning allows nations to maximize different PA goals under financial and geographical constraints.


Benthic-pelagic coupling links the sediments and the water column in shallow coastal marine ecosystems. Measurements of benthic-pelagic coupling have been made for decades in shallow, estuarine ecosystems, but relatively few measurements have been made in transitional inner continental shelf areas. Accordingly, the Providence River Estuary and mid-Narragansett Bay have many measurements while ecosystems on the Southern New England inner continental shelf have few. However, even in estuarine areas, the reactions and response times of benthic-pelagic coupling to recent anthropogenic and climate-induced changes are poorly constrained. Recently, a climate-induced oligotrophication has weakened the relationship between the benthos and the water column in Narragansett Bay. When benthic metabolism and nutrient flux measurements were first measured in the 1970s, benthic nutrient regeneration supplied 50 to over 200 percent of the required nitrogen and phosphorus for phytoplankton production. By the mid-2000s, a considerable reduction in benthic fluxes was observed. These decreases were driven by climateinduced ecosystem changes (e.g. altered winter-spring diatom bloom timing, warming water, increased cloudiness, etc.). Similar changes did not occur in the Providence River Estuary, an area in the upper Bay heavily fertilized by effluent from wastewater treatment facilities. I measured benthic fluxes of oxygen, and dissolved inorganic nutrients across two annual cycles in these areas to (1) determine if mid-Bay sediments have responded to the recent return of the traditional winter-spring diatom bloom, and (2) compare benthic-pelagic coupling in two stations at different locations on a north-south gradient of anthropogenic impacts. I hypothesized that the response time of mid-Bay benthic-pelagic coupling would be fast and regulated on relatively short time scales, and that differences in water column biology (i.e. primary production, phytoplankton biomass) and nutrients between the Providence River Estuary and the mid-Bay would be mirrored in the benthic fluxes. In the mid-Bay, I measured substantial increases in regeneration of ammonium (176%) and phosphate (266%) regeneration compared to rates measured in 2005-2006, and a significant relationship between surface water phytoplankton biomass and sediment oxygen demand (R=0.23, p=0.02). Even though these changes occurred concurrently with the recent return of the winter-spring phytoplankton bloom, the lack of difference in sediment oxygen demand over time indicated either a lack of rapid response or loss of organic matter through water column consumption. Despite strong gradients in some of the drivers of benthic mineralization such as organic matter (phytoplankton biomass) and primary production, I found no significant differences in average benthic nutrient fluxes between the Providence River Estuary and the mid-Bay. This may be due to the export of organic material down-bay before an excess amount can fall to the benthos. Block Island Sound (BIS) and Rhode Island Sound (RIS) are adjacent, phytoplankton-based ecosystems on the inner continental shelf off Southern New England with contrasting hydrographic regimes. The water column of Block Island Sound is more well mixed as a result of year-round energetic tidal mixing, while Rhode Island Sound typically becomes stratified during the summer. I aimed to examine the effect of hydrography on benthic-pelagic coupling in transitional shelf areas. To address these goals, I measured parameters in both the water column and the benthos. I compared annual cycles of surface chlorophyll a and C-measured primary production between these two ecosystems using samples collected over 22 months (chlorophyll) and approximately monthly for 12 months (production). In the benthos, I made the first measurements of biogeochemical fluxes of oxygen and inorganic nutrients at the sediment-water interface in Block Island and Rhode Island Sounds. I hypothesized that seasonal water column stratification in Rhode Island Sound would result in increased summer nutrient limitation, lower primary production, and reduced biogeochemical exchanges at the sediment-water interface compared to the relatively more well-mixed Block Island Sound, and that stratification would ultimately weaken the link between the benthos and the water column. In situ measurements of surface chlorophyll a in Block Island Sound and Rhode Island Sound revealed no significant differences in chlorophyll concentrations between the regions. However, the regional validation of satellite chlorophyll a data enabled a comparison over a larger extent of space and time that clearly showed higher overall concentrations in Block Island Sound than Rhode Island Sound. Empirical models of primary production indicated that annual primary production was also higher in relatively well-mixed Block Island Sound (230-329 g C m y) than in seasonally stratified Rhode Island Sound (162-256 g C m y). Despite the higher rate of euphotic zone primary production in Block Island Sound, benthic metabolism (measured as sediment oxygen demand) was not significantly different between the two areas (BIS=953.8 μmol m h; RIS=912.2 μmol m h). This lack of differences was likely due to differences in water column hydrography between the sounds, where the energetic water column mixing in Block Island Sound resuspended organic matter back to the water column to be decomposed before reaching the benthos. Additionally, the seasonal presence of a strong pycnocline in Rhode Island Sound likely prevented mixing of regenerated DIN and DIP to surface waters for use by phytoplankton. Apparent differences in benthic macrofaunal communities between Block Island Sound and Rhode Island Sound translated to differences in dissolved inorganic nutrient fluxes between the two areas, despite the similarities in benthic metabolism. Excretion and irrigation activities by the dense amphipod communities in Block Island Sound caused higher effluxes of DIN (NH4=36.9 μmol m h; NOX=23.5 μmol m h) and DIP (7.2 μmol m h) compared to fluxes in Rhode Island Sound (NH4=22.8 μmol m h; NOX=11.1 μmol m h; DIP=3.2 μmol m h). These findings indicate that the hydrographic regime of the water column may exert a strong influence on benthic-pelagic coupling dynamics on the Southern New England shelf and in other inner continental shelf


Extant findings show that voter fraud is extremely rare and difficult to prove in the United States. Voter's knowledge about voter fraud allegations likely comes through the media, who tend to sensationalize the issue. In this study, we argue that the more voters are exposed to media coverage of voter fraud allegations, the more likely that they will perceive that voter fraud is a frequent problem. We merge the 2012 Survey of Performance of American Elections with state-level media coverage of voter fraud leading up to the 2012 election. Our results show that media coverage of voter fraud is associated with public beliefs about voter fraud. In states where fraud was more frequently featured in local media outlets, public concerns about voter fraud were heightened. In particular, we find that press attention to voter fraud has a larger influence on Republicans than Democrats and Independents. We further find that media coverage of voter fraud does not further polarize partisan perceptions of voter fraud. Rather, political interest moderates state media coverage on voter fraud beliefs only among Republicans. Last, our results provide no support that demographic changes, approval of election administration, or information concerning actual reported voting irregularities have any discernable effects on partisan perceptions.


Spectra of Bi ii and Pb ii were excited by high-frequency oscillations in a quartz discharge tube conaining the vapor of the metal in an atmosphere of helium. The following five lines, corresponding to transitions among the five lowest levels of Bi ii belonging to the 6s2 6p2 electron configuration and forbidden by the Laporte selection rule, were observed: λ3240.7 (1S0→3P1), a pure magnetic dipole line;λ3683.2 (1S0→3P2), a pure electric quadrupole line; two lines of mixed character, λ4850.2 (1D2 → 3P1) and λ5913.5 (1D2 →3P2); and λ7503.2 (3P1 → 3P0), a pure magnetic dipole line observed for the first time as a nonintercombination transition. In addition, a line was found in the spectrum of Pb ii at λ7099.8 (²P120→²P120). It corresponds to the transition between the two lowest levels of Pb ii belonging to the 6s26p electron configuration. This is a line of mixed character representing the first definite identification of a spin reversal line. By use of Fabry– Perot etalons, the hyperfine structure of each of these lines was photographed, establishing the identity of the lines and, at thesame time, giving the hitherto unknown splittings of the corresponding levelsThe hyperfine structure splitting factors "A" and the quadrupole coupling constants "B" for the levels were calculated from these results and compared with theory. For this purpose, the procedure for the calculation of quadrupole coupling constants as originally given by Casimir was extended to include the case of two equivalent p electrons.


The dilemma between cultural and sector predictors of compensation policies is more important than ever in a context of internationalisation. If relations between sectors of activity and compensation practices are well established in a single country, international comparisons are less common. In contrast with the strategic human resource perspective, whereby human resource managers have high autonomy in alignment of human resources with various business contingencies, such as strategy and structure, institutional pressures in a particular country somewhat limit firms' power to adopt well-established international compensation policies. Based on data from 602 large firms in three countries (Canada, France, Great Britain) this study demonstrates that country is a more appropriate level of analysis than the high technology sector in understanding compensation policies. However, the results show that several compensation strategies are more adapted to firms in high technology environments.


Effective public policy to mitigate climate change footprints should build on data-driven analysis of firm-level strategies. This article's conceptual approach augments the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm and identifies investments in four firm-level resource domains (Governance, Information management, Systems, and Technology [GISTe]) to develop capabilities in climate change impact mitigation. The authors denote the resulting framework as the GISTe model, which frames their analysis and public policy recommendations. This research uses the 2008 Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) database, with high-quality information on firm-level climate change strategies for 552 companies from North America and Europe. In contrast to the widely accepted myth that European firms are performing better than North American ones, the authors find a different result. Many firms, whether European or North American, do not just "talk" about climate change impact mitigation, but actually do "walk the talk." European firms appear to be better than their North American counterparts in "walk I," denoting attention to governance, information management, and systems. But when it comes down to "walk II," meaning actual Technology-related investments, North American firms' performance is equal or superior to that of the European companies. The authors formulate public policy recommendations to accelerate firm-level, sector-level, and cluster-level implementation of climate change strategies.


Routing technology at the network layer is pivotal in the architecture of wireless sensor networks. As an active branch of routing technology, cluster-based routing protocols excel in network topology management, energy minimization, data aggregation and so on. In this paper, cluster-based routing mechanisms for wireless sensor networks are analyzed. Cluster head selection, cluster formation and data transmission are three key techniques in cluster-based routing protocols. As viewed from the three techniques, recent representative cluster-based routing protocols are presented, and their characteristics and application areas are compared. Finally, the future research issues in this area are pointed out.


Objective: The authors set out to determine which sport in the literature has the highest injury rates.
Data sources: A systematic review of sports injury studies was performed using the PubMed database on the National Library of Medicine website, using the key words: ''Injury Incidence'' in combination with each of the sports: ''boxing,'' ''football,'' ''hockey,'' ''rodeo,'' ''rugby,'' and ''soccer.''
Study section: Using a 3-round selection process, 2021 papers were reviewed. Those papers that did not report injury rates as a function of time were excluded.
Data extraction: Each paper underwent an independent review by two authors. Injury rates from the papers reporting the top 5 injury rates for each sport were recorded and placed into an electronic spreadsheet for comparison. All selected studies reported injury rates as a function of time, although the unit of time was not always the same; therefore, simple extrapolation was made for all studies to make the unit of time in hours.
Data synthesis: The injury rate in bull riding was found to be 1440 injuries/1000 exposure hours; 1.56 times greater than amateur boxing, 1.75 times greater than semi-professional rugby, 10.3 times greater than American football, and 13.3 times greater than ice hockey.
Conclusions: The authors conclude that injury rates vary widely between contact sports and that American bull riding is the most dangerous organised, spectator sport in the world.


An intensity modulated cathode-ray screen of the PPI type used in radar depends on differential brightness discrimination for detection of weak signals. The brightness quantities have been largely unknown, because of photometric difficulties, but it has commonly been assumed that dark-adaptation is required for efficient visual detection. Therefore, an experimenal test was undertaken of the effects of light- and dark-adaptation on the contrast threshold and on time required for detection of supra-threshold signals appearing on a typical screen (P7 phosphor). Adapting brightnesses ranged from zero to 2000 millilamberts (ml.). By special photometry, the four screen intensities used were estimated as ranging from 0.0001 ml. to 0.22 ml. Length of exposure to the brightest adapting light and the degree of contrast between signal and background were also varied. The lowest contrast thresholds and the shortest detection times were found to occur when the test and adapting illuminations were equal or nearly so. When the two illuminations were unequal, the loss in sensitivity was roughly in proportion to their difference. The optimal field brightness of the phosphor screen used was on the order of 0.1 ml. With this field the level of adaptation of the eye can be a relatively insignificant factor in radar detection, even of weak signals. Increasing values of signal contrast allow progressive reduction in detection delay after exposure to the highest brightness.


Statistics released by Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JAKIM) shows that the marital conflict and divorce rates among Muslim increases every year. There are a range of factors associated with marital conflict and divorce. In present study, personality, communication, and attachment are highlighted as the factors that contribute to marital conflict and divorce among Muslim spouses. It is because previous studies have documented that personality has an impact on spousal interaction, marital functioning, and marital adjustment while communication was identified by JAKIM as one of the factors for marital conflict and divorce among Muslim spouses. Besides, studies have shown that Muslim reported higher levels of attachment (especially in anxiety dimension) than Chinese and Indian which were associated with lower marital quality. In an effort to help spouses manage and overcome marital conflicts, Muslim spouses need for an Islamic base according to the religious perspective. A psychoeducational group is a systematic effort to help improve the functioning of Muslim spouses through education and preventative means which widely used in guidance and counseling services. It is a group approach conducted by marriage counselors to educate and disseminating knowledge and skills related to marriage relationships. For that purposes, this study proposed a psychoeducational group known as Marital Psycho-Spiritual Intervention (MP-SI) that focuses on teaching marriage knowledge and skills according to Islamic way. The overarching goal of the present study is to examine the effects of the MP-SI on personality, communication and attachment among Muslim spouses in Kedah, Malaysia. The research design utilized in this study was randomized controlled trials (randomized, pretest, posttest, follow up tests, control group design). This study involved 76 participants. These participants were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (n = 38) or the control group (n = 38). Only participants in the experimental group received treatment of the MP-SI for 6 weeks (2 hours per week). A self-administered questionnaire containing the Ummatic Personality Inventory (UPI), Marital Communication Inventory (MCI), and Revised Adult Attachment Scale (RAAS) were used for collecting data. Data were collected from participants at the baseline assessment prior to the intervention (pretest), then 2 weeks following the completion of the intervention (posttest), and follow up after 2 months (follow up test). Data were analyzed using statistical test, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and mixed between-within subjects ANOVA. The results from mixed between-within subjects ANOVA showed that there were a statistically significant main effect of time and group for personality, communication, and attachment (avoidance dimension). The result of MANOVA revealed that there was a significant difference between the experimental group and the control group for the dimension of personality; worship, trust, and knowledge. These results reveal valuable information that an Islamic psycho-spiritual approach that emphasizes the spiritual practices and element of nafs (soul), aql (intellect), qalb (heart), and ruh (spirit) help improve Muslim spouses' personality, communication and avoidance attachment. In conclusion, the findings of this study give positive reactions on the impact of the Islamic psycho-spiritual approach on human growth. Besides, it leads to theoretical implication for guidance and counseling and a wide range of implication for practice especially for Muslim spouses, marriage counselors, religious departments, and to the public. It is recommended a psychoeducational group of the MP-SI to be used as an intervention in helping Muslim spouses.


The use of crop yield futures contracts is examined. The expectation being modeled here reflects that of an Illinois corn and soybeans producer at planting, of revenue realized at harvest. The effects of using price and crop yield contracts are measured by comparing the results of the expected distribution to the expected distribution found under five general alternatives: 1) a revenue hedge using just price futures, 2) a revenue hedge using crop yield futures, 3) an unhedged scenario where revenue is determined by realized prices and yields, 4) an unhedged scenario where revenue is determined by realized prices and yields and by participation in government support programs with deficiency payments, and 5) a no hedge scenario where revenue is determined by realized prices and yields and by participation in a proposed revenue-assurance program. We draw four major conclusions from the results. First, hedging effectiveness using the new crop yield contract depends critically on yield basis risk which presumably can be reduced considerably by covering large geographical areas. Second, crop yield futures can be used in conjunction with price futures to derive risk management benefits significantly higher than using either of the two alone. Third, hedging using price and crop yield futures has a potential to offer benefits larger than those from the simulated revenue assurance program. However, the robustness of the findings depends largely on whether yield basis risk varies significantly across regions. Finally, the qualitative results described by the above three conclusions do not change depending on whether yields are distributed according to the beta or lognormal distribution.


Sari Altschuler "'Picture it all, Darley': Race Politics and the Media History of George Lippard's The Quaker City " (pp. 65–101) This essay adresses two related questions. First, how did George Lippard's The Quaker City develop from a multimedia story told through newspaper conventions, illustration, and two plays into the novel that appeared in May 1845? And second, how did Lippard's white-seduction narrative come to pivot around the nightmare of an ambiguously raced Devil-Bug? Joining these questions of form and content, I argue that the media history of The Quaker City is inextricable from its history of race. In the wake of the almost riot around the mid-serialization of his Philadelphia play, Lippard moved away from fictionalizing current events toward the "grotesque-sublime" through a broader critique of Philadelphia less open to charges of libel. This shift took place through the transformation of Devil-Bug, a character Lippard rapidly developed in the middle installments until he was complex enough to carry the new story. Turning the once-black Devil-Bug into his protagonist, however, required character developments that necessarily complicated the story's representation of race, a process that occurred concurrently with events related to the work that highlighted the systemic oppression of African Americans. In winter 1844, troubles with two stage productions and his illustrator highlighted the problems of representing race. After a several-month hiatus, Lippard published new installments vituperously condemning the representational limits of these nonprose forms and turned to prose to develop his antislavery position through Devil-Bug. As a result of these confluent developments, The Quaker City became an antislavery text through the process of opening Devil-Bug's character up to its own hybridity and interiority.


43rd Annual Postgraduate Course 19-21 January 1996 New York, NY Sponsorship: The American Diabetes Association Contact: American Diabetes Association, Professional Education Department, 1660 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. Tel: 703549-1500 or toll-free 800-232-3472, ext. 2212 or 2215 for program information; ext. 2453 or 2330 for registration materials. Fax: 703683-1839 or 703-683-1351. E-mail: meetings @diabetes.org.


Recently, rateless codes have introduced a promising approach to obtaining wireless throughput higher than what is achieved by fixed-rate codes, especially over time-varying channels. Rateless codes like Raptor, Strider, and spinal codes naturally process all the information available at the receiver corresponding to a packet, whether from one or many frame transmissions. However, a profitable deployment of rateless codes in a wireless network requires a link-layer protocol to coordinate between sender and receiver. This protocol needs to determine how much coded data should be sent before the sender pauses for feedback from the receiver. Without such feedback, an open-loop sender would not know when the packet has been decoded, but sending this feedback is not free and consumes a significant fraction of the packet transmission time. This paper develops RateMore, a protocol that learns the probability distribution of the number of symbols required to decode a packet (the decoding CDF), and uses the learned distribution in a dynamic programming strategy to produce an optimal transmission schedule. Our experiments show that RateMore reduces overhead by between 2.6x and 3.9x compared to 802.11-style ARQ and between 2.8x and 5.4x compared to 3GPP-style "Try-after-n" HARQ.


Tellurium containing nanoparticles were designed and synthesized for the delivery of cisplatin based on coordination interaction. The tellurium containing nanomedicine could achieve better in vivo efficacy and reduce side effects, owing to the prolonged blood circulation. This kind of approach marked a new frontier of tellurium containing nanomedicine.


Objective . Prior studies of full-marathon participants have demonstrated a higher incidence of hyponatraemia in runners with completion times of 4 hours or more. Our primary aim was to determine if slower pace is associated with increased prevalence of hyponatraemia. Secondly, we evaluated the prevalence of hyponatraemia in full-marathoners v. halfmarathoners. Methods . This observational, cross-sectional study comprised consenting runners in the 26.2 With Donna, The National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer, in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, February 2008. On race day, participants completed a questionnaire, provided finger-stick blood samples, and were weighed both pre- and post-race. Results . A significant negative association was found between pace and post-race sodium level (p<0.001). A negative correlation was found between finishing time and post-race sodium level (p<0.001). The prevalence of post-race hyponatraemia was 4% (4/106) among half-marathoners and 13% (12/89) among full-marathoners (P=0.02). An inverse correlation was found between sodium change and weight change, significant in fullmarathoners (r=-0.55, p<0.001) but not half-marathoners (r=- 0.23, p=0.042). Conclusions . Slower race pace and longer finishing times were associated with lower post-race sodium levels. Full-marathoners had a significantly higher prevalence of hyponatraemia. The development of hyponatraemia was associated with weight gain. Our data indicate that the relationship between post-race sodium concentration and pace differs according to the distance of the event. We can extrapolate from this data that longer race distance with increased availability of fluid stations combined with a slower pace may increase the risk of developing exerciseinduced hyponatraemia.


A central paradox marks the story
of the Roman Catholic mission in the American South. On one hand,
the Church committed itself to providing access to quality
education in underserved southern black communities. The
establishment of southern Catholic schools for African American
children supported the nation's traditional emphasis on education
as a prerequisite for economic, social, and political advancement.
Insofar as Catholic schools and sisters in the Jim Crow South
offered opportunity in communities that otherwise lacked access to
education, they demonstrated some of the best qualities
traditionally associated with the United States of
America. On the other hand, Catholic institutions
in the South maintained the color line through the mid-twentieth
century. Schoolchildren attended segregated schools. Black women
who sought admission to traditionally white sisterhoods were
routinely denied entrance. Here, the paradox emerges in full force:
within these Catholic institutions, in a religion whose very name
claims the mantle of human universality and inclusivity, racial
segregation and discrimination structured its schools and defined
its sisterhoods. The history of Catholic schools in the American
South evinces this contradiction. "Reaping the `Colored Harvest' "
focuses on the origins and growth of the Church's southern mission.
From the highest reaches of the Catholic hierarchy to the humblest
mission schools, a variety of perspectives and individual voices
reflect the complicated nature of this
story.


Many voices over the last decade have called for reform in special education in American public schools. As the number of those receiving services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ("IDEA") has grown, scholars and pundits have increasingly argued that the system not only is failing to meet the needs of many children with disabilities, but in some cases is actively causing harm to those it is intended to serve.Over the last several years, an increasing number of state legislatures have proposed or have passed laws that give children with disabilities public money to attend a private school. Rather than trying to fix the perceived deficiencies within the existing system, these states instead facilitate the exit of unhappy parents and students from public schools altogether. The evidence suggests that some voucher supporters have focused on children with disabilities because of the political viability of using vulnerable children as the first step towards universal school choice. The momentum toward vouchers has the potential to make a significant and lasting impact on the manner in which children with disabilities are educated in the United States. Because most states require students receiving vouchers to waive their rights under the IDEA as a condition precedent to receiving state money, this impact will be felt not only at the state level, but also on federal policy going forward. This article explores the impetus behind the voucher movement, the parameters of existing legislation, the legality of voucher programs, and the corresponding public policy consequences which follow their adoption.


S O'Meara

Ms S O'Meara, University of York, York, UK; firstname.lastname@example.com

Are systemic antibiotics and topical antibiotics and antiseptics effective for treatment of venous leg ulcers?

Studies selected compared systemic antibiotics or topical antibiotics or antiseptics with placebo, no treatment, usual care, another antibiotic or antiseptic, or another treatment in patients with venous leg ulcers. Studies involving topical silver-based preparations or honey were excluded. Outcomes were objective measures of wound healing (time to healing, proportion of ulcers completely healed, change in ulcer size, or healing rate).

Cochrane Wounds Group Specialised Register, Medline, CINAHL, and EMBASE/Excerpta Medica (to Oct 2007); Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Issue 4, 2007); and reference lists were searched for randomised controlled trials (RCTs). 22 RCTs met the selection criteria; treatments assessed were systemic antibiotics (5 RCTs, n = 232), cadexomer iodine (10 RCTs, n = 645), povidone iodine (2 RCTs, n = 300), peroxides (3 RCTs, n = 83), and miscellaneous topical preparations (2 RCTs, n = 283). Median duration of follow-up was 6 …


This article addresses that attribute variously called good, sound, seasoned, or mature judgment. How do we in the academy describe this almost ineffable quality, much less teach it? To be clear, this is not the usual legal or philosophical task of sitting in retrospective judgment, as in the attribution of fault or blame, but instead the process of prospective decision-making. The question is who is capable of making mixed law and business judgments. We can model these as the overlap between pure business judgments and pure legal judgments in the circles of a Venn diagram. The practical implication is that businesspeople are not generally competent to make the legal judgment, but not inclined merely to trust the mixed decision to lawyers. Lawyers, on the other hand, are usually successors to a particular conceptual method of organizing the world, and members of a closed discipline; they are usually not business people. My thesis is that the very nature of a judgment, however, requires that it occur privately in a single conscious mind, no matter how the judgment is ultimately influenced, communicated, shared, or adopted by others. The implication for lawyering and legal education is that some of the old canards about leaving business judgment to the business people must fall away.There are three sub-themes. First, there is no "collective judgment." Practical judgment does not occur in some communitarian ether, but in a mind. The closest we have come to a science of judgment is the exploration of consciousness and cognition, both of which remain tough nuts. There is still no scientific explanation of consciousness; it is subject to what Thomas Nagel referred to as the "explanatory gap." It is fair to say that if there is anything to the idea that consciousness is irreducible, judgment must also be. Indeed, an inquiry into prospective judgment overlaps traditional questions whether anything actually constrains a judge's retrospective decisions. It seems intuitively correct, when we think about judgment not within the adjudication context but as a relatively mundane and prospective exercise, that our judgments are neither pre-ordained by some kind of formula nor wholly random. We need to assess rule following in the non-adjudication context, and for that I turn to work in cognitive science and the law.Second, the judgment in the overlap is interdisciplinary. Business judgment depends far more on the argument from merit, versus legal judgment, which depends far more on the argument from authority, and a particular kind of authority at that. What, then, does it means to be an expert in the overlap of the diagram? We need to define a new professional discipline: the field of metadisciplinarity. Being a metadisciplinarian takes us to a higher order skill: it means being expert in the making of interdisciplinary judgments. My experience was that successful business people and business lawyers frequently made judgments in which they weighed and selected among the views of experts in different disciplines, even those they were not expert in any of them.Third, metadisciplinarity recruits such basic cognitive abilities that the task of learning it is never going to be easy. It requires that its practitioners understand that human beings are "meaning-making machines," employing what the cognitive scientists call "cognitive integration" or "blending" (of which metaphor is a prime component). Metadisciplinary lawyers will not merely understand the fact of cognitive blending, but also approach it empathetically.


Urban agriculture is the practice of production of food and non-food items in and around the urban area. This study aims to explore emerging global research trends, topical focus and gaps in peer-reviewed urban agriculture research for fifteen years (2004-2018). Bibliometric methods were used to analyse the research articles on urban agriculture extracted from SCOPUS database. The study shows that urban agriculture has been increasingly gaining attention in the research agenda with a sudden rise in research articles from 2013 onwards. The research on urban agriculture is largely centred in the Global North with minimal representation from institutions of the Global South. Major reasons for increased urban agriculture research in the Global North could be historical factors, grassroots community gardening initiatives and an increased demand for local food. Most of the research in urban agriculture is carried out in the subject area of Social Sciences. Main emphasis within urban agriculture research is given to food security, sustainability and community gardening. Keyword analysis indicates a recent shift in the research focus towards exploring socio-environmental sustainability potential of urban agriculture. Our findings show very little research in the areas of policy and governance related to urban agriculture.


The nutritive value of 4 straws, obtained after thrashing of seeds from fodder crops, was assessed as complete feed for ruminants. Sixteen male Murrah buffaloes (liveweight 365.8±19.5 kg), were divided into 4 equal groups and offered ad lib. straw of either Trifolium resupinatum, Trifolium alexandrium, Medicago saliva or Lolium perenne, supplemented with minerals and vitamin A, for 40 days in a completely randomized design. Simultaneously, each straw was offered to 3 rumen fistulated male buffaloes in order to assess the biochemical changes in the rumen. Compared to other straws M. sativa straw had higher (p<0.05) organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), acid-detergent fiber (ADF) and cellulose content. L.perenne had the highest (p<0.05) hemicellulose and lowest (p<0.05) CP and acid-detergent lignin (ADL) content. T. resupinatum had the lowest concentration of cell wall constituents (CWC). The digestibility of nutrients of T. resupinatum and L. perenne straw was similar, but higher (p<0.05) than that of other straws. Msativa straw showed highest (p<0.05) digestibility of CP. The highest OM digestibility of T. resupinatum and CP digestibility of M. saliva were responsible for highest (p<0.05) total volatile fatty acids and trichloroacetic acid precipitable nitrogen in the strained rumen liquor. The digestible crude protein (DCP) was highest (p<0.05) in M. sativa followed by that in T. alexandrium. The total purine derivatives excreted in urine varied from 0.22-0.32 mmol/kg W 75 /d. The efficiency of microbial protein synthesis indicated that OM of straws of M. sativa and that of T. alexandrium was used more (p<0.05) efficiently. The microbial protein synthesized was highest in T. resupinatum, but statistically similar to other groups. The values for N-retention and apparent biological value were highest for L. perenne, though comparable with that of M. sativa and T. alexandrium. The available metabolizable energy (ME) was highest (p<0.05) in T. resupinatum followed by that in L. perenne and lowest in M. sativa. It was concluded that all the straws, supplemented with minerals and vitamin A, could be fed exclusively to adult ruminants with no adverse affect, as animals were able to maintain body weight (372±20.1 kg).