Abstract. The well-established "Match" approach to quantifying chemical destruction of ozone in the polar lower stratosphere is applied to ozone observations from the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) on NASA's Aura spacecraft. Quantification of ozone loss requires distinguishing transport- and chemically induced changes in ozone abundance. This is accomplished in the Match approach by examining cases where trajectories indicate that the same air mass has been observed on multiple occasions. The method was pioneered using ozonesonde observations, for which hundreds of matched ozone observations per winter are typically available. The dense coverage of the MLS measurements, particularly at polar latitudes, allows matches to be made to thousands of observations each day. This study is enabled by recently developed MLS Lagrangian trajectory diagnostic (LTD) support products. Sensitivity studies indicate that the largest influence on the ozone loss estimates are the value of potential vorticity (PV) used to define the edge of the polar vortex (within which matched observations must lie) and the degree to which the PV of an air mass is allowed to vary between matched observations. Applying Match calculations to MLS observations of nitrous oxide, a long-lived tracer whose expected rate of change is negligible on the weekly to monthly timescales considered here, enables quantification of the impact of transport errors on the Match-based ozone loss estimates. Our loss estimates are generally in agreement with previous estimates for selected Arctic winters, though indicating smaller losses than many other studies. Arctic ozone losses are greatest during the 2010/11 winter, as seen in prior studies, with 2.0 ppmv (parts per million by volume) loss estimated at 450 K potential temperature (~ 18 km altitude). As expected, Antarctic winter ozone losses are consistently greater than those for the Arctic, with less interannual variability (e.g., ranging between 2.3 and 3.0 ppmv at 450 K). This study exemplifies the insights into atmospheric processes that can be obtained by applying the Match methodology to a densely sampled observation record such as that from Aura MLS.


We investigate the old star clusters in the sample of cluster candidates from the Froebrich, Scholz & Raftery (FSR) list. Based on photometry from the Two-Micron All-Sky Survey, we generated decontaminated colour–magnitude and colour–colour diagrams to select a sample of 269 old stellar clusters. This sample contains 63 known globular clusters, 174 known open clusters and 32 so far unclassified objects. Isochrone fitting has been used to homogeneously calculate the age, distance and reddening to all clusters. The mean age of the open clusters in our sample is 1 Gyr. The positions of these clusters in the Galactic plane show that 80 per cent of open clusters older than 1 Gyr have a Galactocentric distance of more than 7 kpc. The scaleheight for the old open clusters above the Galactic plane is 375 pc, more than three times as large as 115 pc, which we obtain for the younger open clusters in our sample. We find that the mean optical extinction towards the open clusters in the disc of the Galaxy is 0.70 mag kpc −1 . The FSR sample has a strong selection bias towards objects with an apparent core radius of 30–50 arcsec and there is an unexplained paucity of old open clusters in the Galactic longitude range of 120 ◦ < l < 180 ◦ .


Russia is currently experiencing a financial crisis, due to international sanctions coupled with a decline in oil prices. The length and consequences of this period of turmoil are unpredictable, but it will surely have a visible negative impact on crucial socio-demographic indicators. Recent demographic improvements have become one of the most important indicators of the overall success of domestic policy for Vladimir Putin. In the next few years, however, Russia risks facing a repetition of the 1990s' demographic problems once again – with a new wave of mortality increases and a new wave of fertility decline. Pressing economic issues are currently receiving much more attention from the Government; yet an effective anti-crisis strategy also requires paying attention to the seemingly 'long-term' demographic problems. Several threats to recent demographic gains have appeared with the crisis. As inflation is rising, more of Russia's population is falling into poverty – and risks of impoverishment have traditionally been the highest for families with many children. As the resources available for families shrink, the recent upturn in fertility rates for second and third children may be reversed. When combined with the rapidly declining numbers of women in active reproductive ages (20–29 years) Russia is almost certain to experience a precipitous decline in fertility. In addition, a dramatic increase in the availability of alcohol is looming, reminiscent of the late 1990s. In 1998 Russia experienced a very serious financial crisis accompanied by a jump in inflation (by 84 %) – however, the excise duty on spirits was increased only much more modestly, by 20 %. As a result, during a single year the relative value of excise duty fell by one-third, leading to dramatic * This research has been supported by the Russian Foundation for the Humanities (Project No 1411-00634). Andrey V. Korotayev et al. 53 cheapening of vodka and other spirits. Throughout the early 2000s this fall stayed uncompensated for, and the increases in vodka excise taxes frequently lagged behind the inflation rate. This caused an enormous increase in mortality in 1998–2005, when Russia 'additionally' lost about two million lives. Today the recurrence of a mortality jump due to various initiatives on liberalizing the alcohol market is, unfortunately, a highly probable scenario. The Government has cancelled an earlier-planned increase in the spirits excise tax, which – given the high and rising rate of inflation – actually means their remarkable decline. The minimum price of vodka has been significantly reduced since February 1, 2015. Beer is supposed to return to sidewalk kiosks, the bans on alcohol advertising in mass media and on alcohol sales overnight are to be virtually lifted, etc. As a result, Russia may face a new round of population decline after all the recent claims of demographic victories. Even more sadly, this decline will probably be written off as the consequences of the economic difficulties, while in reality a new wave of depopulation could be averted – or, at least, substantially mitigated – by carefully designed and well-targeted social policy interventions (many of which are purely legislative and would not put any additional strain upon the budget). A new series of calculations performed by a team of researchers from the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), the National Research University Higher School of Economics, the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Moscow State University demonstrates that 'alcohol liberalization' coupled with the absence of a new set of effective family policies may provoke a new demographic collapse with catastrophic consequences. In order to avert this disastrous scenario, appropriate measures must be taken immediately.


In this paper, we present a novel transmission scheduling scheme for fixed broadband wireless access (FBWA) networks. In order to mitigate high co-channel interference resulting from dense reuse of frequency, scheduling schemes often consider interference management issues as an essential part. To that end, a series of literature has been published recently, where a group of base stations form an interference group, and scheduling scheme deployed in the group allows only one base station to transmit at a time. As a result of time orthogonality in transmissions, the co-channel interference and hence the packet error rate can be reduced. However, prohibiting concurrent transmissions in these orthogonal schemes introduces higher end-to-end packet delay which might not be desirable for real-time traffic such as voice and video. Our proposed scheme aims to improve delay performance as well as to ensure better resource utilization in such schemes in several ways, most notably by introducing opportunistic non-orthogonality in transmissions, incorporating channel state based scheduling decisions, and employing adaptive modulation and coding.


To investigate the impact of writing a gratitude letter on particular mood states, we asked students in two university classes (a research class and a positive psychology class) to complete a 15-item mood assessment survey (MAS) twice a day (once in the morning and once at night). The research students who signed up for one or two pass/fail field-study credits in a research class also completed the MAS twice a day, but they did not write the weekly gratitude letter that was expected from the students in the positive psychology class. Each mood state was averaged per each day for the participants in each group and compared between the Gratitude Group and the Control Group. No group difference occurred for some mood states like "incompetent," but for the "unmotivated" mood state, a significant difference was found. To investigate the potential effect of weekday, we compared the average mood rating between groups for each day of the week. For the mood state of "unmotivated", a remarkable dip occurred on Wednesday for the Gratitude group, but not for the Control group. These results indicated that writing a gratitude letter increased the benefactor's motivation, especially on the day when it was accomplished.


The American Library Association (ALA) is undertaking a revision of its code of ethics. The author propo ses and discusses three reasons not to revise the code. The reasons are that there is already a set of interlocking policies on ethics and related issues; that ALA leadership has taken the most conservative possible approach to ethics policy - and especially the connection between librarians' professional responsibilities and rights; and that when policies are amended, they are not always improved, and those on the books are often ignored. The author considers and discusses likely objections to his proposal


Global and local properties of atmospheric aerosols have been extensively observed and measured using both spaceborne and ground-based instruments, especially during the last decade. Unique properties retrieved by the different instruments contribute to an unprecedented availability of the most complete set of complimentary aerosol measurements ever acquired. However, some of these measurements remain underutilized, largely due to the complexities involved in analyzing them synergistically. To characterize the inconsistencies and bridge the gap that exists between the sensors, we have established a Multi-sensor Aerosol Products Sampling System (MAPSS), which consistently samples and generates the spatial statistics (mean, standard deviation, direction and rate of spatial variation, and spatial correlation coefficient) of aerosol products from multiple spacebome sensors, including MODIS (on Terra and Aqua), MISR, OMI, POLDER, CALIOP, and SeaWiFS. Samples of satellite aerosol products are extracted over Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) locations as well as over other locations of interest such as those with available ground-based aerosol observations. In this way, MAPSS enables a direct cross-characterization and data integration between Level-2 aerosol observations from multiple sensors. In addition, the available well-characterized co-located ground-based data provides the basis for the integrated validation of these products. This paper explains the sampling methodology and concepts used in MAPSS, and demonstrates specific examples of using MAPSS for an integrated analysis of multiple aerosol products.


In the last decade the power consumption of electronic devices has increased for both static and active components. Following the Dennard's scaling rule, as long as the transistor sizes are reduced then the supply voltage (VDD) can also be scaled in order to increase the area density and maintain or improve the performances. However, scaling VDD and thus shifting the threshold voltage (Vth) of 60mV in a metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) increases the OFF state current (Ioff ) by a factor of 10 in the ideal case. The reason for this is that the inverse subthreshold slope (SS) in an ideal MOSFET is limited by the thermionic emission of electrons over a potential barrier, which has an intrinsic physical limit of 60mV/decade. To overcome this limit, novel device concepts have been proposed and the tunnel field-effect transistor (TFET) is one of the most promising because it resembles a MOSFET and should enable to achieve sub-60mV/dec SS, low Ioff and small VDD. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the potential of TFETs by the fabrication and characterization of InAs/Si as p-channel and InAs/GaSb as n-channel device for a complementary TFET technology. III-V nanowires are grown via metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) and are integrated on Si(100) substrates using a novel technique called template-assisted selective epitaxy (TASE), which enables the fabrication of vertical and lateral III-V hetero-structure TFETs. Sub-40nm nanowire cross-section InAs/Si p-TFETs and InAs/GaSb n-TFETs in-plane on Si are demonstrated for the first time. The InAs/Si p-TFETs exhibit state-of-the art performances with an ON state current (Ion) of 4uA/um at VGS=VDS=-0.5V, ON/OFF ratio of 1x10E5 with SSavg of 70-80mV/dec at room temperature. The InAs/GaSb n-TFETs have an order of magnitude larger Ion but the SS is limited by the non-optimized gate-stack on InAs channel and by the depletion of the undoped GaSb source. Different operation regimes of TFETs are investigated by temperature-dependent measurements,Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin (WKB) modeling and TCAD simulations, indicating that the switching region for InAs/Si is dominated by the presence of traps at the hetero-junction. The abruptness of the band-edges in InAs/GaSb is studied by the extraction of the conductance slope in fabricated p-n and p-i-n tunnel diodes.


The anatomy of the adhesive organs is described in Megoura viciae Buckton. The claws serve as grappling hooks which are locked in position by the retractor unguis tendon. The pulvilli, pliable cuticular sacs, are everted from the tibiotarsal articulation. They bear a surface adhesive, a non-volatile oil, which is secreted through the cuticle. The pulvilli are everted by blood pressure and are withdrawn inside the tibia by contraction of the tibial muscles. The adhesion of these organs to various types of surface was tested by covering over the pulvilli or by claw amputation. Pulling forces were applied by progressively loading the aphid with weights. The pulvilli perform best on relatively smooth surfaces. Aphids are dislodged from the underside of polished glass by a mass of approx. 9–14mg (a pulling force of 8.8-13.7×10 −5 N). The claws cannot engage a completely smooth surface but are highly effective on rough ones, withstanding a load of approx. 57 mg on dry filter paper. Adhesion of the pulvilli to waxy surfaces is only slightly less than on glass but is greatly reduced on surfaces with still lower free energies, such as Teflon. On a glass surface the pulvilli sometimes leave 'footprints' consisting of oily droplets of variable size. Nevertheless, in many instances such deposits are small or absent, indicating that the bond sometimes breaks between the adhesive and the substratum. In a selected series of footprints with large deposits, their volume was found to be sufficient to form a layer at least 17.7x −9 m in thickness over the area of pulvillar contact. This is consistent with the view that surface tension forces would adequately account for adhesion, an additional limiting factor being the physical properties (wettability) of the substratum. Viscous forces would impede the very rapid (less than 0.02 s) removal of the pulvilli, were it not for the retraction mechanism which peels off the pulvillus from the distal edge, like a piece of adhesive tape. The ultrastructure of the pulvillar gland is described. The epidermal cells discharge into a cavity which is confluent with a further reservoir within the spongy endocuticle, itself a meshwork of dissociated cuticular microfibrils. The points of exit of the secretion appear to be the epicuticular filaments. The product of the gland, which can be collected by pricking the pulvilli, is water soluble and proteinaceous, differing entirely from the hydrophobic lipid-soluble end-product on the pulvillar surface. We presume that the lipoprotein precursor is dissociated enzymatically at the level of the inner epicuticle.


When identifying musical intervals, most musicians appear to use only one strategy: they directly evaluate the musical interval between two notes (relative-pitch strategy). Musicians with absolute pitch (AP) seem to have two strategies available for identifying intervals: they can either use the relative-pitch strategy, or they can first identify the two pitches and then infer the musical interval between them (AP strategy). This study investigates the perception of sequential musical intervals by two groups of musicians, one group with AP and the other without AP. Most subjects in either group were able to name standard sequential musical intervals based on the equal-tempered scale accurately. Most subjects in the AP group were able to name notes of the equal-tempered scale accurately and consistently, whereas subjects without AP were not. Subjects with AP identified, with varying degrees of accuracy and consistency, single notes spaced in 20-cent increments over a 9.4- semitone range, using the standard musical note names. In the main experiment, subjects identified sequential musical intervals ranging in 20- cent steps from 260 to 540 cents, using the standard musical interval names. On the basis of their identification errors, subjects, both with and without AP, appeared to identify the intervals using the RP strategy rather than the AP strategy. It seems that musicians with AP do not use this ability in the identification of sequential musical intervals, relying instead on their sense of relative pitch.


Business documents exchanged in a service-oriented context play a crucial role in the definition of service interfaces. Only if both partners have a common agreement on the data exchanged, automated business interactions are possible. The United Nations Center for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) provides a reliable and interoperable solution for conceptual business document definitions with UN/CE-FACT's Core Components Technical Specification. However, document definitions aren't available in a centralized manner to all interested business partners. In order to allow for an easy search and retrieval of core component business document definitions, a registry is needed. Business partners may retrieve service interface definitions from the registry and adapt their software accordingly in order to engage in automated business interactions. We specify a registry meta model on top of ebRIM, registering core component artifacts and defining their inter-dependencies.


Background Infantile hepatitis B after neonatal immunoprophylaxis is a rare yet distinct disease. This study aimed to analyze the long-term outcomes and risk factors in immunized infants with hepatitis B. Methods The clinical parameters and outcomes of 41 infants born after universal immunization, and admitted for HBV-positive hepatitis were studied. All patients were followed for at least 6 months (median  = 4.4 years, range 0.6–18.1 years). Patient survival, changes of HBsAg and HBeAg status, and complications were analyzed. Results Among the 41 cases (32 males, 9 females), 21 presented with fulminant hepatitis (FH), and 20 with non-fulminant hepatitis (NFH). Ninety-five percent (36/38) of the mothers were positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Multivariate analyses revealed younger age of onset (age <7 months) and negative maternal hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) were associated with FH (p = 0.03 and p = 0.01, respectively). An infantile fulminant hepatitis B risk score using maternal/infant HBeAg positivity and onset age was proposed. Among the FH cases, the rate of mortality, HBsAg clearance, and chronic HBV infection were 47.6%, 38.1%, and 14.3%, respectively. Among the NFH cases, 35% developed chronic infection. Of the 9 chronically infected children received long-term follow-up, 8 had HBeAg seroconversion before 4 years of age. One case of FH developed hepatocellular carcinoma 14 years later. Conclusions Maternal HBsAg + /HBeAg- and early onset age were risk factors for FH in immunized infants. A significant portion of patients with FH or NFH evolve to chronic HBV infection, with HBeAg seroconversion in young childhood. Close surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma is warranted in patients surviving infantile hepatitis B.


ABSTRACT As is true for other intracellular pathogens, immunization with live Chlamydia trachomatis generally induces stronger protective immunity than does immunization with inactivated organism. To investigate the basis for such a difference, we studied immune responses in BALB/c mice immunized with viable or UV-killed C. trachomatis mouse pneumonitis (MoPn). Strong, acquired resistance to C. trachomatis infection was elicited by immunization with viable but not dead organisms. Immunization with viable organisms induced high levels of antigen-specific delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH), gamma interferon production, and immunoglobulin A (IgA) responses. Immunization with inactivated MoPn mainly induced interleukin-10 (IL-10) production and IgG1 antibody without IgA or DTH responses. Analysis of local early cytokine and cellular events at days 3, 5, and 7 after peritoneal cavity immunization showed that high levels of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and IL-12 were detected with viable but not inactivated organisms. Furthermore, enrichment of a dendritic cell (DC)-like population was detected in the peritoneal cavity only among mice immunized with viable organisms. The results suggest that early differences in inducing proinflammatory cytokines and activation and differentiation of DCs may be the key mechanism underlying the difference between viable and inactivated organisms in inducing active immunity to C. trachomatisinfection.


*† ‡ § ¶ An integrated engineering level aerodynamic analysis tool called Rocket Sled eXpert (RSX) has been developed for fast and accurate estimates of the aerodynamic characteristics of rocket sleds at subsonic through hypersonic Mach numbers. The system incorporates a toolbox of component buildup analysis methods to model the complex geometry of typical rocket sleds including effects of the ground plane, track configurations, and reflected shock waves. A knowledge-based expert system is included to provide easy access to the corporate memory from previous programs; the system includes legacy methods, design rules, test requirements, historical documents, and lessons learned. RSX increases the accuracy and speed of the aerodynamic analysis process for rocket sleds, and it provides a capability to reduce the risk and cost associated with future test programs.


Abstract The Pantanal of Brazil is an important area for the conservation of jaguars (Panthera onca). As the size of traditional large ranches in the Pantanal decreases, human access to jaguar habitat increases, resulting in human-altered landscapes that may influence patterns of resource selection and space use by jaguars. We used global positioning system radiocollars to study jaguars in the southern Pantanal. We radiocollared 10 jaguars (6 males and 4 females), obtained 11,787 locations, and examined their space use, movement rates, and social interactions between October 2001 and April 2004. Estimates of 90% kernel home ranges varied among animals and seasons (range: 34.1–262.9 km2). Core areas (50% isopleth) of both females and males did not differ in size between seasons, but home ranges (90% isopleth) during the dry season were generally larger than during the wet season. The stability of home ranges varied among seasons and individuals. Some females maintained ≥80% of their home ranges from 1 season to the next, whereas other females used ≤50% of their home ranges from the previous season. Site fidelity within individual home ranges also varied; ≥70% of the core areas of some females were located in different sites within their home ranges during different seasons. Locations of females suggested a pattern of spatial avoidance among females during the wet season. Home-range overlap among males was extensive, both in the wet and dry seasons, suggesting that males did not maintain exclusive ranges. Overlap between males and females occurred both in the wet and dry seasons, and movements by females were not restricted within the ranges of individual males. Jaguars were located <200 m apart more often than expected, suggesting some degree of sociality. The reproductive profiles of females suggested either a low conception rate, a low survival rate of young, or that jaguars may be more social than previously thought. Interactions among males also suggested some degree of sociality.


We conducted a randomized experiment targeting 322 Japanese high school students to examine the impacts of a newly developed English learning program. The treated students were offered an opportunity to communicate for 25 minutes with English-speaking Filipino teachers via Skype several times a week over five months. The opportunities were offered as extracurricular activities and were not included in their grades. Results show that only 6% of the treated students completed the recommended number of lessons over the observation period. In addition, the Skype program made the treated students more interested in an international vocation and foreign affairs. However, probably due to the low completion rate, the students did not improve their English speaking and listening abilities as measured by a standardized test. Further investigation shows that the take-up rate was particularly low among students showing a tendency to procrastinate. These results suggest the importance of maintaining students' motivation to keep using such information and communications technology (ICT)-assisted learning programs if they are not already incorporated into the existing curriculum. Having procrastinators self-regulate may be especially crucial. However, significant positive changes in the students' attitude support the use of such programs even as extracurricular activities.


Increased concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, especially of carbon dioxide, has led to attempts to implement carbon policies in order to limit and stabilize gases at acceptable levels. Agricultural activities increase greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, but they can also mitigate concentration of carbon dioxide by sequestering additional carbon. This study evaluated carbon emissions and carbon sequestration and examined the impacts of payments for sequestration and taxes on carbon emissions on cropping choices, profitability, and water consumption in the Texas High Plains. The results showed that reduction of total carbon emissions to 15% of a baseline and imposing a tax reduced the amount of water consumed for irrigation, by about 20% and 16%, respectively. However, payment for sequestration did not affect reduction of carbon emissions, water consumption nor the product mix.


This volume reviews recent findings on the regulation of exocytotic release of neurotransmitters from nerve terminals. Leading international investigators examine the properties and composition of the vesicles that store neurotransmitters and the molecular and cellular mechanisms that cause a vesicle to release transmitters in response to a nerve impulse. Coverage includes detailed analyses of quantal release of transmitters in the central and peripheral nervous systems. These studies shed new light on the questions of whether different transmitters are released together in fixed amounts and proportions, and whether and why effectors respond to such "transmitter quanta" in a quantal fashion. The book highlights the relevance of research on neurotransmitter release to the study of various forms of synaptic plasticity, including higher functions such as learning and memory.


How do media inform our representations of the Other and how does this influence intercultural / international relations? While officially dialogues between different national societies are conducted by diplomats in bilateral and multilateral settings, in practice journalists also participate every day in such dialogues through the phenomenon of the "international media echo" in which they report on each others' societies. Until now, media have only been investigated for their potential role in the foreign policy of specific states. In a case study involving media in three national cultures and languages (French, American and Russian), this book presents an interdisciplinary framework that combines quantitative and qualitative analyses for the study of the international media echo in an intercultural / international relations perspective. In particular, the fundamental functioning of "spirals of anti-Other rhetoric", i.e. media wars, is examined in a Critical Discourse Analysis approach completed with Social Identity Theory and International Relations theories.


This book examines the well-being and development of children in black immigrant families (most with parents from Africa and the Caribbean). There are 1.3 million such children in the United States. While children in these families account for 11 percent of all black children in America and represent a rapidly growing segment of the U.S. population, they remain largely ignored by researchers. To address this important gap in knowledge, the Migration Policy Institute's (MPI) National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy embarked on a project to study these children from birth to age ten. Chapters include analysis of the changing immigration flow to the United States; the role of family and school relationships in the well-being of African immigrant children; exploration of the effects of ethnicity and foreign-born status on infant health; and parenting behaviour, health, and cognitive development among children in black immigrant families. Contributors include Randy Capps (MPI), Dylan Conger (George Washington University), Cati Coe (Rutgers University-Camden), Danielle A. Crosby (University of North Carolina-Greensboro), Angela Valdovinos D'Angelo (University of Chicago), Elizabeth Debraggio (New York University), Fabienne Doucet (Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development), Sarah Dryden-Peterson (University of Toronto), Angelica S. Dunbar (University of North Carolina-Greensboro), Tiffany L. Green (Virginia Commonwealth University), Megan Hatch (George Washington University), Donald J. Hernandez (Hunter College and City University of New York), Margot Jackson (Brown University), Kristen McCabe (MPI), Lauren Rich (University of Chicago), Amy Ellen Schwartz (New York University), Julie Spielberger (University of Chicago), and Kevin J. A. Thomas (Pennsylvania State University).


At the time of this writing, over five million cases of COVID-19 have been reported worldwide. Quite apart from issues around testing, personal protective equipment and ventilator capacity, several public health interventions are a key part of our response to the pandemic. In our city of Vancouver, the message is clear: stay home, stay put. We are invited to do five things: stay home if we are sick; stay at least 2 meters away from others outside our home; avoid any significant gathering of people; work at home if we can; avoid nonessential outings. These behaviors have led to an unprecedented shift in societal organization and individual behaviors. Vulnerable populations, such as those in urban Vancouver, are both more susceptible to the disease and less able to implement recommended public health efforts, leading to the question of how to address the needs and safety of these populations during a global pandemic.


In this paper we present our motivations for proposing of a generic model for the description of quality attributes of software artifacts, in particular suited to software components. The conceptual ideas for our quality description model are derived from researching systems science for its value to software engineering. In this work we realized that software engineering is concerned with a number of different systems, e.g., a development project as a concrete, human activity, system, a software product in the form of programming code as a conceptual system, a software system running in its execution environment as a concrete system. Each of these systems exhibits the basic system theoretic principles and in the context of this paper is strongly related to certain types of qualities. Such qualities receive particular attention in the context of large software systems, where systems are typically a combination of in-house and third party products and are increasingly integrated by means of software component technology. Consequently, quality related information (in the form of a quality data sheet) is needed by component users to gain trust in and to evaluate the possible employment of a candidate component. Interestingly, the concept of a software component appears in most of the aforementioned different types of systems. Hence, they can be an excellent means to carry quality related information that belonged to different spheres up to now. The qualities range from those related to the development economics to those related to the execution performance.


Many complex discourse-level tasks can aid domain experts in their work but require costly expert annotations for data creation. To speed up and ease annotations, we investigate the viability of automatically generated annotation suggestions for such tasks. As an example, we choose a task that is particularly hard for both humans and machines: the segmentation and classification of epistemic activities in diagnostic reasoning texts. We create and publish a new dataset covering two domains and carefully analyse the suggested annotations. We find that suggestions have positive effects on annotation speed and performance, while not introducing noteworthy biases. Envisioning suggestion models that improve with newly annotated texts, we contrast methods for continuous model adjustment and suggest the most effective setup for suggestions in future expert tasks.


The matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), previously known as matrixins, are classically known to be in-volved in the turnover of extracellular matrix (ECM) components. However, recent high throughput pro-teomics analyses have revealed that ~80% of MMP substrates are non-ECM proteins including cytokines, growth factor binding protiens, and receptors. It is now clear that MMPs regulate ECM turnover not only by cleaving ECM components, but also by the regulation of cell signalling, and that some MMPs are bene-ficial and may be drug anti-targets. Thus, MMPs have important roles in many processes including em-bryo development, morphogenesis, tissue homeostasis and remodeling. They are implicated in several diseases such as arthritis, periodontitis, glomerulonephritis, atherosclerosis, tissue ulceration, and cancer cell invasion and metastasis. All MMPs are synthesized as preproenzymes. Alternate splice forms are known, leading to nuclear localization of select MMPs. Most are secreted from the cell, or in the case of membrane type (MT) MMPs become plasma membrane associated, as inactive proenzymes. Their sub-sequent activation is a key regulatory step, with requirements specific to MMP subtype.


We consider the problem of finding distinctive social interactions involving groups of agents embedded in larger social gatherings. Given a pre-defined gallery of short exemplar interaction videos, and a long input video of a large gathering (with approximately-tracked agents), we identify within the gathering small sub-groups of agents exhibiting social interactions that resemble those in the exemplars. The participants of each detected group interaction are localized in space, the extent of their interaction is localized in time, and when the gallery of exemplars is annotated with group-interaction categories, each detected interaction is classified into one of the pre-defined categories. Our approach represents group behaviors by dichotomous collections of descriptors for (a) individual actions, and (b) pair-wise interactions, and it includes efficient algorithms for optimally distinguishing participants from by-standers in every temporal unit and for temporally localizing the extent of the group interaction. Most importantly, the method is generic and can be applied whenever numerous interacting agents can be approximately tracked over time. We evaluate the approach using three different video collections, two that involve humans and one that involves mice.


User interaction with intelligent systems need not be limited to interaction where pre-trained software has intelligence "baked in." End-user training, including interactive machine learning (IML) approaches, can enable users to create and customise systems themselves. We propose that the user experience of these users is worth considering. Furthermore, the user experience of system developers—people who may train and configure both learning algorithms and their user interfaces—also deserves attention. We additionally propose that IML can improve user experiences by supporting user-centred design processes, and that there is a further role for user-centred design in improving interactive and classical machine learning systems. We are developing this approach and embodying it through the design of a new User Innovation Toolkit, in the context of the European Commission-funded project RAPID-MIX.


This research has two focal points: experiences of stigma and experiences of formal support services among teenage mothers. Twenty teenage mothers were interviewed in depth, ten from a one-to-one support service, and ten from a group based support service. Contributions to knowledge consisted of the following. First, regarding experiences of stigma, this research integrated concepts from the social psychology literature and established the effects of stigma which are experienced by teenage mothers, offering reasons for the same. Additionally, further coping mechanisms in response to being stigmatized were discovered and grouped into two new headings: active and passive coping mechanisms. It is acknowledged that for a minority of participants, stigma does have negative effects, however, the majority experiences no such serious negative effects. Secondly, regarding experiences of support services, this research was able to directly compare one-to-one with group based support for teenage mothers. Knowledge was unearthed as to influential factors in the selection of a mode of support and the functions of each of the modes of support, which were categorised under headings for ease of comparison. It was established that there is indeed a link between these two research foci in that both the one-to-one and group based support services fulfil a stigma management function, in which teenage mothers discuss the phenomenon, share experiences and offer advice to others. However, it was also established that this function is of minor importance compared to the other functions fulfilled by the support services.


This paper analyses the methodology used in assessing inflation credibility (i.e. perceptions of the accuracy of historical inflation rates) in countries targeting inflation, and compares the approaches used in New Zealand, South Africa and Sweden. The results indicate an implied inverse (or negative) relationship in all but one instance, between the direction of actual inflation and the perception of inflation among the respondents. The analysis also shows a lack of knowledge about inflation and price increases among South African respondents, which is absent from similar surveys in New Zealand and Sweden. Important research questions identified include possible links between inflation credibility and the adoption date of inflation targeting, as well as the type and range of targets used.


In this paper, we describe a semi-automated approach to refine the dictionary-entry
structure of the digital version of the Worterbuch der deutschen Gegenwartssprache (WDG,
en.: Dictionary of Present-day German), a dictionary compiled and published between
1952 and 1977 by the Deutsche Akademie der Wissenschaften that comprises six volumes
with over 4,500 pages containing more than 120,000 headwords. We discuss the benefits of
such a refinement in the context of the dictionary project Digitales Worterbuch der
deutschen Sprache (DWDS, en: Digital Dictionary of the German language). In the current
phase of the DWDS project, we aim to integrate multiple dictionary and corpus resources
in German language into a digital lexical system (DLS). In this context, we plan to expand
the current DWDS interface with several special purpose components, which are adaptive
in the sense that they offer specialized data views and search mechanisms for different
dictionary functions-e.g. text comprehension, text production-and different user groups-e.g.
journalists, translators, linguistic researchers, computational linguists. One prerequisite
for generating such data views is the selective access to the lexical items in the article
structure of the dictionaries which are the object of study. For this purpose, the
representation of the eWDG has to be refined. The focus of this paper is on the semiautomated
approach used to transform eWDG into a refined version in which the main
structural units can be explicitly accessed. We will show how this refinement opens new
and flexible ways of visualizing and querying the lexicographic content of the refined
version in the context of the DLS project.


Bacterial communities were detected in deep crystalline rock aquifers within the Columbia River Basalt Group (CRB). CRB ground waters contained up to 60 μM dissolved H2 and autotrophic microorganisms outnumbered heterotrophs. Stable carbon isotope measurements implied that autotrophic methanogenesis dominated this ecosystem and was coupled to the depletion of dissolved inorganic carbon. In laboratory experiments, H2, a potential energy source for bacteria, was produced by reactions between crushed basalt and anaerobic water. Microcosms containing only crushed basalt and ground water supported microbial growth. These results suggest that the CRB contains a lithoautotrophic microbial ecosystem that is independent of photosynthetic primary production.


The Asia-Pacific region is rapidly becoming the main area of growth in the global economy in the 21st century. Recent developments in the movement of people, goods, services, and information are closely linked to the latest round of globalization, of which the effects on this region are particularly dramatic. The papers in this volume are by leading scholars, business leaders and government officials from the region. They include Yuan-Tseh Lee, Nobel Prize Winner in Chemistry, who reflects on the global flow of knowledge and talent; and Alfonso Yuchengco, one of the region's most respected business leaders and diplomats, who discusses transnational businesses, diplomacy, and China's re-emergence as a world power. Other papers present new insights into the processes and policies governing flows of migrants, trade, investment, transport, information technology, and ideas. This book originated from the 2006 Annual Conference of the Ritsumeikan Center for Asia Pacific Studies, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Beppu, Japan, supported by an International Scientific Meetings Grant from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. It will be of interest to all students and scholars of this dynamic region.


The food supply chain plays a substantial role in the European economy. Agricultural markets are highly interdependent and competition at different stages of the supply chain matters for the overall functioning of the entire food sector. Welfare and distributional implications of competition at any stage of the food supply chain concern several 'weak subjects' such as small farmers and consumers who negotiate with "strong subjects" operating in more concentrated (industrial and retailing) sectors. In order to balance power across the EU agro-food supply chain and achieve a more sustainable distribution of value-added, the main instruments featuring the new paradigm of market organisation proposed by the CAP reform are Producer Organisation, Association Producer Organisation and Inter-Branch Organisation. We employ a simple bargaining model aimed to identify the determinants of the bargaining power in the food supply chain; the model is used to assess the capability of POs to strengthen farmers' bargaining power. The results show that, under certain conditions, the joint selling and production planning can be effective tools for rebalancing power in the agro-food system. We also concluded that requiring a minimum size for POs may improve their effectiveness. Such requirement should be calibrated on the structure of the downstream (upstream) relevant market: more consolidated buyer (seller) industries call for larger POs.


Background We have developed manual methods to gather data on the point prevalence of observed smoking in road vehicles. To enable the widespread international collection of such data, we aimed to develop a smartphone application (app) for this work. Methods We developed specifications for an app that described the: (1) variables that could be collected; (2) transfer of data to an online repository; (3) user interface (including visual schematics) and (4) processes to ensure the data authenticity from distant observers. The app functionality was trialled in roadside situations and the app was made publicly available. Results The smartphone app and its accompanying website were developed, tested and released over a period of 6 months. Users (n=18) who have registered themselves (and who met authentication criteria), have reported no significant problems with this application to date (observing 20 535 vehicles as of 5 July 2012). The framework, methodology and source code for this project are now freely available online and can be easily adapted for other research purposes. The prevalence of smoking in vehicles was observed in: Poland 2.7% (95% CI 2.3% to 3.1%); Australia 1.0% (95% CI 0.7% to 1.3%); New Zealand 2.9% (95% CI 2.6% to 3.2%)—similar to results using preapp methods in 2011 (3.2%, 95% CI 3.1% to 3.3%). Conclusions This project indicates that it can be practical and feasible for health researchers to work together with information science researchers and software developers to create smartphone apps for field research in public health. Such apps may be used to collect observational data more widely, effectively and easily than through traditional (non-electronic) methods.


This article is a further detail of the other one on the demographic crisis of Romania (Pușcaciu et al., 2016). The big gap with the EU average conceals a real crisis that affects the entire economic development and generates profound negative social effects. The lack of adequate road transport infrastructure deprives Romania of applying modern methods of just-in-time management and determines that comparative advantages - such as the relatively cheap and qualified labor force - are annihilated and ultimately derives a lack of attractiveness for external investors. But the most serious consequence is the large number of deaths, caused by road accidents, the direct consequence of the lack of a network of highways, and even of some traditional roads. For the positioning of Romania in a European context in terms of quantity, but also in terms of chronological evolution, we consider it is useful to analyze some indicators that commensurate the situation of Romania. We propose that these aspects be studied with the help of the statistical-mathematical instrumentation using the graphic method, for which we used the R Studio software.


Urinary tract infections (UTI) cause a many morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to study the risk factors and uropathogens of urinary tract infection in all patients. In the present study 2400 patients with clinical symptoms and suspected to UTI were examined. Clean-catch midstream urine was collected. Urine samples were inoculated, isolated and identified using standard bacteriological methods. Over all 650 (27.1%) uropathogens isolated belonging to 12 species with four Gram-positive, seven Gram-negative bacteria and candida spp. during the span of 12 months. The overall prevalence of UTIs in women was 69.8 % and men was 30.2%. Age-wise distribution of uropatogens was predominant in the age groups of 20-30 years both women (105, 16.2%) and men (40, 6.2%). In almost of patients (60.9%) was associated with common urinary tract infection. Urinary cystis was the second (9.7%) leading risk factor causing urinary tract infection followed by urithritis (7.9%), catheterization (7.7%), pyelonephritis (4.3%) and suspected cancer (3.1%) almost equally contributed. In the gram Negative bacteria Escherichia coli were the predominant pathogen in both the groups (38.09%). Klebsiella Sps (11.2%) was the second common organism in hospital acquired infection followed by Pseudomonas sps. (6.8%), Proteus sps. (3.7%), Enterobacter sps. (0.6%), Citrobacter sps. (0.3%) and Acinetobacter sps. In the gram positive bacteria the main organism identified was Coagulase Negative Staphylococcus (4.1%), Enterococcus (3.7%), Staphylococcus saprophyticus, (2.3%), Staphylococcus aureus (1.1%), and candida species. In the present study, overall incidence of UTIs were observed in females. High rate of UTI was observed in female of 21-40 years age. It is concluded that Gram-negative bacilli were responsible for UTI infections in our patients. The common isolated bacteria from urinary tract infections were E.coli. In the Indian setting, routine urine cultures may be advisable, since treatment failure is likely to occur with commonly used antimicrobials. This study provides valuable laboratory data to monitor the status of uropathogens and to improve treatment recommendations in a specific geographical region.


We use empirical techniques to interpret the near-infrared (near-IR) colours of a sample of 5800 galaxies drawn from Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) main spectroscopic sample with YJHK photometry from the United Kingdom Infrared Deep Sky Survey (UKIDSS) data release 1. Our study focuses on the inner 3 arcsec regions of the galaxies sampled by the SDSS fibre spectra. We study correlations between near-IR colours measured within this aperture and physical parameters derived from the spectra. These parameters include specific star formation rate (SFR), stellar age, metallicity and dust attenuation. All correlations are analysed for samples of galaxies that are closely matched in redshift, in stellar mass and in concentration index. Whereas more strongly star-forming galaxies have bluer optical colours, the opposite is true at near-IR wavelengths ? galaxies with higher specific SFR have redder near-IR colours. This result agrees qualitatively with the predictions of models in which thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch (TP-AGB) stars dominate the H- and K-band light of a galaxy following a burst of star formation. We also find a surprisingly strong correlation between the near-IR colours of star-forming galaxies and their dust attenuation as measured from the Balmer decrement. Unlike optical colours, however, near-IR colours exhibit very little dependence on galaxy inclination. This suggests that the correlation of near-IR colours with dust attenuation arises because TP-AGB stars are the main source of dust in the galaxy. Finally, we compare the near-IR colours of the galaxies in our sample to the predictions of three different stellar population models: the Bruzual & Charlot model, a preliminary version of a new model under development which includes a new prescription for AGB star evolution, and the Maraston model.


Like all good comic writers Mr Burgess lives his creations as much as he writes them. First class' Observer. Anthony Burgess was an officer in the Colonial Service. In The Malayan Trilogy - Time for a Tiger, The Enemy in the Blanket and Beds in the East - he satirises the dog days of colonialism. Victor Crabbe is a well meaning, ineffectual English man in the tropics, keen to teach the Malays what the West can do for them. Through Crabbe's rise and fall and a series of wonderfully colourful characters, Burgess lays bare racial and social prejudices of post-war Malaya during the upheaval of Independence.


Underwater surveillance missions both for defense and civilian applications are continually demanding the need for unmanned underwater vehicles or UUVs. Unmanned vehicles are needed to meet the logistical requirements for operation over long distances, greater depths, long duration, and harsh conditions. In order to design UUVs that not only satisfy these needs but are also adaptive and efficient, there has been increasing interest in taking inspiration from nature. These biomimetic/bio-inspired UUVs are expected to provide significant improvement over the conventional propeller based vehicles by taking advantage of flexible bodies and smart actuation. In this thesis, jetting jellyfish were utilized as the inspiration to understand the fundamentals of this new form of propulsion and subsequently translate the understanding onto the engineered platform to validate the hypothesis and construct robust models. Jetting jellyfish species are generally smaller in dimensions than rowing jellyfish, consume lower energy for transport, and exhibit higher proficiency. In the second chapter, a bio-inspired stationary jet propulsion mechanism that utilizes an iris diaphragm actuation system was developed. Detailed discussion is provided on the design methodology and factors playing the leading role in controlling the vortex formation. The propulsion mechanism was intended to mimic the morphological and deformation features of Sarsia sp. jellyfish that measures approximately 1 cm in diameter. The performance of experimental model was analyzed and modeled to elucidate the role of structure and fluid displacement. Utilizing the results from Chapter 2, a free-swimming jellyfish-inspired robot (named JetPRo) was developed (also utilizing an iris diaphragm) in Chapter 3 and characterized for relevant propulsive metrics. A combination of theoretical modeling and experimental analysis was used to optimize the JetPRo's gait for maximum steady-state swimming velocity. Next, an attempt was made towards creating a free-swimming jetting robot (named JP2) using a guided cable mechanism to achieve the desired actuation and improve the propulsion while simplifying the drive mechanism. Using JP2 robotic model, a systematic set of experiments were conducted and the results were used to refine the theory. Based upon the comprehensive computational analysis, an optimized swimming gait was predicted and then validated. A modular robot inspired by siphonophores was developed and initial efforts were made in laying down the foundation for understanding of this complex locomotion mechanism. Siphonophores are colonial organisms consisting of several jetting bodies attached to a central stem. An experimental model was developed mimicking the multimodal swimming propulsion utilized by Siphonophores. Several swimming gaits inspired by the natural animal were replicated and the preliminary performance of the experimental model was quantified. Using these results, an analysis is presented towards further improving the design and assembly of a siphonophore-inspired robot.


Collocations, simply defined, are words that have a high frequency of co-occurrence (Biber et al., 1999: Shin, 2006). Collocational fluency is an essential aspect of communicating in and comprehending a second language in a native-like fashion. However, second language learners of English struggle to obtain such fluency since there is a lack of focus on it in the classroom and in ESL resources. This stems from the lack of a large-scale resource that identifies which collocations to teach to help learners master high-frequency English. So, although a large number of researchers agree upon the importance of collocational fluency and focusing on high-frequency collocations directly, learners, teachers and materials writers lack guidance as to which items to focus on. Such a resource is not available because research that has consideration for all the important aspects of identifying collocations that previous researchers have identified has yet to be implemented on a large scale. Therefore, this thesis set out to accomplish such a task. The goal was to create a methodology which would result in a practical resource which identifies multi-word units most representative of high-frequency collocations of high-frequency lemma of English, and which of these items would be most useful for Japanese learners to study. It aimed to identify such items by collecting and analyzing corpus data with the help of eight native English speaking university teachers in Japan who teach English as a second language, two native English speaking junior high school teachers in Japan who teach English as a second language, five native Japanese translators with native-like ability in English, one native English speaking university professor who teaches English as a second language and has extensive knowledge developing concordance software, and one Romanian translator with native-like ability in both English and Japanese. Once identified, Japanese university freshmen were tested on their knowledge of these items. This study took a corpus linguistics approach, working with data from the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA), to identify high-frequency collocations and the multiword units they most commonly occur in. A frequency cut-off was identified which resulted in approximately 11,000 multi-word units that only consist of approximately 3,000 word families, of which the vast majority are high-frequency. Corpus dispersion and chronological data were iii deemed unreliable for determining whether or not items selected had general usefulness over a variety of genres and throughout time, and time-consuming manual analysis for general usefulness was deemed essential. This was due to the fact that this study's data analysis alone would either lead to items deemed worthy of direct instruction by native speakers being flagged as having unbalanced data dispersion at certain parameters, while at other parameters items deemed unworthy of direct instruction were shown to have balanced data dispersion. Also, consideration for colligation was found to only improve upon a small percentage of items, and while useful for improving the quality of data, the process was found to be extremely complex and time consuming due to the lack of an established methodology and dedicated software. Expanding multi-word units beyond their core was found to be an essential step in that native speakers opted to do this in over half of the items identified. For example, concordance data identified equal access as the most frequent multi-word unit that the two lemma equal/access occur in (the core unit), but the native speaker opted to add the next most common multi-word unit instead (equal access to) in regards to what unit should be studied directly by learners. Semantic transparency analysis to help select only items that are semantically opaque and thus deserve more study time was not fruitful since the majority of items identified were considered to be semantically transparent. In contrast, L1-L2 congruency was found to be a very important criterion to consider with half of the items identified being considered incongruent to an extent, thus deserving more study time. Furthermore, native speaker intuition was found to be extremely reliable in regards to context creation using mostly high-frequency vocabulary. Out of 130,000 tokens of example sentence context created, the added content only reduced the percentage of tokens in the high-frequency realm (3,000 word families) by 0.92 percent. Confirming this was essential in that if their intuition could be relied upon for context creation that used mostly high-frequency vocabulary it would help avoid adding additional learning burden. Finally, university students' knowledge of a balanced selection of the items with consideration for frequency and L1-L2 congruency was found to be quite low overall, highlighting the need for increased focus on the list in general. This study thus filled a major gap in the research in that it resulted in a list of items which can be utilized to help create resources or studied directly to help improve collocational fluency. A variety of steps were taken to create this resource which helped highlight the value or lack iv thereof of each of these steps to achieve this study's goal. Therefore, this study should be considered a valuable contribution towards research which aims to help second language learners achieve collocational fluency.


The exploration bonus is an effective approach to manage the exploration-exploitation trade-off in Markov Decision Processes (MDPs). While it has been analyzed in infinite-horizon discounted and finite-horizon problems, we focus on designing and analysing the exploration bonus in the more challenging infinite-horizon undiscounted setting. We first introduce SCAL+, a variant of SCAL (Fruit et al. 2018), that uses a suitable exploration bonus to solve any discrete unknown weakly-communicating MDP for which an upper bound $c$ on the span of the optimal bias function is known. We prove that SCAL+ enjoys the same regret guarantees as SCAL, which relies on the less efficient extended value iteration approach. Furthermore, we leverage the flexibility provided by the exploration bonus scheme to generalize SCAL+ to smooth MDPs with continuous state space and discrete actions. We show that the resulting algorithm (SCCAL+) achieves the same regret bound as UCCRL (Ortner and Ryabko, 2012) while being the first implementable algorithm for this setting.


We propose a DC sputtering process to fabricate an indium-tin oxide (ITO) electrode with nano-pinhole morphology for an efficient exciplex organic light-emitting device (OLED). The ITO thin-film of 80 nm thickness sputtered at room temperature shows an optical transmittance of over 86.5% in the range of visible light and an electrical sheet resistance of 75 ohm sq−1. A layer of di-[4-(N,N-ditolyl-amino)-phenyl]cyclohexane (HATCN) is inserted into the device to improve the hole injection efficiency by reducing the injection barrier at the anode/di-[4-(N,N-ditolyl-amino)-phenyl]cyclohexane (TAPC) interface and simultaneously modifying the work function of sputtered ITO/HAT-CN to 5.5 eV, as characterized by photoelectron spectroscopy. The exciplex-forming phosphorescent OLEDs employing such sputtered ITO exhibit a maximum external quantum efficiency, power efficiency, and current efficiency of 34%, 132.8 lm W−1, and 127.6 cd A−1, respectively. In addition, the device shows Lambertian emission attributed to the sputtered ITO film with a special nano-pinhole morphology by enhancing the scattering effect inside the device and resulting in the improvement of the light extraction properties and device performance.


This paper important developments in epistemology, and defends a theoretical framework for evidence scholarship from the perspective of naturalized epistemology. It demonstrates that naturalized epistemology provides a firm conceptual foundation for much research into law of evidence. These developments in epistemology have not been much noted in legal scholarship, despite their importance in philosophy and their coincidence with some widely shared approaches to evidence scholarship. This article is a partial antidote for the unproductive fascination in some quarters of the legal academy with "postmodern" conceptions of knowledge and truth and to the even more common search by the legal professoriat for algorithms that provide answers to important legal questions. In the field of evidence, there is some interest in post-modern epistemology, and much searching for the appropriate algorithm, such as Bayesian decision theory or micro-economics, or simply the complete neglect of epistemological matters. The article argues that the naturalistic turn in epistemology of the past thirty years (especially that branch of naturalized epistemology known as social epistemology) provides the appropriate theoretical framework for the study of evidence, as it does for virtually any enterprise concerned with the empirical adequacy of its theories and the truth-generating capacity of its methodologies. Evidence scholarship and law are concerned with both, and thus naturalized epistemology provides a fruitful way of understanding the limitations of some of the existing efforts to provide theoretical and philosophical foundations to evidence law. It also provides a way to conceptualize and evaluate specific rules of evidence, and concomitantly explains what most evidence scholars do, regardless of their explicit philosophical commitments. For the great bulk of evidentiary scholars, this article should solidify the ground beneath their feet.


Background Patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma and refractory to the first line of treatment or in relapse, received the BEAM conditioning regimen (carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine, melphalan) followed by transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells. Purpose To define the characteristics of patients who received this protocol, evaluate its effectiveness, and analyse the tolerance in relation to the carmustine, a cytotoxic agent responsible for many side effects. Materials and Methods We conducted a retrospective study on patients who received this treatment between January 2001 and September 2011 in the paediatric haematology oncology ward. A data collection document was created to list the patients' characteristics and information related to the protocol (tolerance, efficacy and previous chemotherapy). Results 14 children with Hodgkin's lymphoma aged between 5 and 17 were given BEAM protocol transplantation conditioning after a relapse (79%) or after tumoural progression during the previous chemotherapies (21%). Following the BEAM protocol treatment, the overall remission rate was 57%. Carmustine treatment led to adverse effects in 66% of patients during the infusion. During the 3 months after the transplantation, the main adverse effects were digestive disorders, fever and hematemesis. In the longer term, various pulmonary disorders were observed (pneumonia, pulmonary tuberculosis, breathlessness on exertion, etc.). Conclusions This protocol resulted in remission in approximately two thirds of the cases regardless of the disease stage. The overall tolerance was relatively good, despite some severe pulmonary damage probably related to the toxicity of the carmustine. In view of these results, the BEAM protocol could be used widely in children with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma. No conflict of interest.


Despite government efforts to reform teacher professional development (TPD) in the past four decades, Indonesian teacher quality remains low. Why have the improvement efforts failed? In the present study we investigate what caused these reforms to fail from two angles. First, we examine the efficacy of the latest teacher professional development (TPD) initiative in Indonesia, Pengembangan Keprofesian Berkelanjutan or PKB (Continuing Professional Development), and identify the factors affecting its efficacy. We found that some essential features of effective TPD are missing in PKB. The PKB programme has not targeted teachers based on years of experience, has not followed up teachers with post-training activities, has not incorporated teaching practice through lesson enactment, and has not built upon teacher existing practice. Second, our analysis demonstrates that PKB's weaknesses have existed in Indonesia's previous TPD initiatives as far back as four decades ago. This indicates that the long-term problem of TPD's ineffectiveness is driven by different elements of the education system beyond the TPD's technical and operational aspects. Our system-level analysis points out that merely improving the technical aspects of TPD would be insufficient given the Indonesian education system's lack of coherence surrounding teacher quality. The problems surrounding the provision of effective TPD is more complex than simply a matter of replacing the "old" with the "new" initiative. The change requires a reorientation of the education system to produce high-quality teachers.


Soil is an important but complex natural resource which is increasingly used as sink for chemicals. The monitoring of soil quality and the assessment of risks posed by contaminants have become crucial. This study deals
 with the potential use of biomarkers in the monitoring of soils and the assessment of risk resulting from contamination. Apart from an overview of the existing literature on biomarkers, the results of various of our field experiments in South
 African soils are discussed. Biomarkers may have potential in the assessment of risk because they can indicate at an early stage that exposure has taken place and that a toxic response has been initiated. It is therefore expected that early
 biomarkers will play an increasing role as diagnostic tools for determining exposure to chemicals and the resulting effects. They may have predictive value that can assist in the prevention or minimising of risks. The aim of this study was to
 investigate the possibilities of using our results on biomarker responses of soil dwelling organisms to predict changes at higher organisational levels (which may have ecological implications). Our recent experimental results on the evaluation of
 various biomarkers in both the laboratory and the field are interpreted and placed in perspective within the broader framework of response biology. The aim was further to contribute to the development and application of biomarkers in regulatory
 risk assessment schemes of soils. This critical review of our own and recent literature on biomarkers in ecotoxicology leads to the conclusion that biomarkers can, under certain conditions, be useful tools in risk assessment. Clear relationships
 between contamination loads in soil organisms and certain biomarker responses were determined in woodlice, earthworms and terrestrial snails. Clear correlations were also established in field experiments between biomarker responses and changes at
 the population level. This indicated that, in spite of the fact that direct mechanistic links are still not clarified, biomarkers may have the potential to provide early indications of forthcoming changes at higher organisational levels. Ways are
 proposed in which biomarkers could be used in the future in risk assessment schemes of soils and future research directions are suggested.


Climate change will shift mean environmental conditions and also increase the frequency and intensity of extreme events, exerting additional stress on ecosystems. While field observations on extremes are emerging, experimental evidence of their biological consequences is rare. Here, we introduce a mesocosm system that was developed to study the effects of environmental variability of multiple drivers (temperature, salinity, pH, light) on single species and communities at various temporal scales (diurnal ‐ seasonal): the Kiel Indoor Benthocosms (KIBs). Both, real‐time offsets from field measurements or various dynamic regimes of environmental scenarios, can be implemented, including sinusoidal curve functions at any chosen amplitude or frequency, stochastic regimes matching in situ dynamics of previous years and modeled extreme events. With temperature as the driver in focus, we highlight the strengths and discuss limitations of the system. In addition, we examined the effects of different sinusoidal temperature fluctuation frequencies on mytilid mussel performance. High‐frequency fluctuations around a warming mean (+2°C warming, ± 2°C fluctuations, wavelength = 1.5 d) increased mussel growth as did a constant warming of 2°C. Fluctuations at a lower frequency (+2 and ± 2°C, wavelength = 4.5 d), however, reduced the mussels' growth. This shows that environmental fluctuations, and importantly their associated characteristics (such as frequency), can mediate the strength of global change impacts on a key marine species. The here presented mesocosm system can help to overcome a major short‐coming of marine experimental ecology and will provide more robust data for the prediction of shifts in ecosystem structure and services in a changing and fluctuating world.


This Article provides a roadmap for cases involving foreign official immunity in U.S. courts. In 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Samantar v. Yousuf that the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) does not govern the immunity of foreign officials. Since Samantar, dozens of decisions have addressed questions of foreign-official immunity. Yet U.S. courts often seem lost. They frequently fail to engage with the customary international law rules of foreign official immunity, instead reaching back to an outdated provision of the 1965 Restatement (Second) of Foreign Relations Law. They are divided on how much deference to give the executive branch when it suggests immunity or non-immunity in a particular case. They are even unsure of the procedural rules to apply. For example, courts continue to treat foreign-official immunity as a question of subject-matter jurisdiction, following a path worn by the FSIA, even though Samantar clearly held that the FSIA does not apply to natural persons.

This Article makes three distinct contributions. First, it provides a concise overview of the international law rules that govern foreign-official immunity and explains why courts should resist the temptation to expand the federal common law of immunity beyond what international law clearly requires. Second, it contributes to the literature on deference to the executive in foreign affairs by examining the deference owed to executive suggestions of foreign-official immunity or non-immunity. Third, it addresses a series of critical procedural questions that have so far received no academic attention, arguing among other things that foreign official immunity should be treated not as a question of subject-matter jurisdiction but rather as an affirmative defense.


This dissertation includes three empirical essays on development economics and one on the economics of education. The first essay (co-authored by Stephan Klasen) is a contribution to the debate surrounding the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the on-going debate about what international development goals should be adopted in the future. The main contribution of this paper is to assess whether the newly proposed child mortality goal, which calls for a reduction in the child mortality rate to a minimum level of 20 deaths per 1,000 live births by 2030, is feasible. We use dynamic panel data methods which allow for a tendency of rates of reduction to revert to a long-run mean. Since African countries were benefiting from an unusually favorable set of circumstances in recent years, assessments based on extrapolating from recent reductions result in predictions that are overly optimistic. Hence, the new goal would again set up African countries for failure. At the same time, we find that a 're-newed' MDG4, which calls for a reduction in child mortality by two-thirds within 25 years, seems more realistic today. A relative target would also maintain the advantage of being relevant to countries that have attained a comparatively low level of under-five mortality already today. The second essay (also co-authored by Stephan Klasen) investigates the potential for proxy means-tests (PMTs) in Bolivia. PMTs are one way of overcoming problems with data availability in developing countries when the goal is to target social programs to the poor. Results show that the proportion of poor that receive the program is low when the program is narrowly targeted to the poorest but much higher when PMTs are used to target a broad share of the population. Despite these problems in identifying the poorest households, PMT-based transfers have a large poverty effect only when targeted narrowly to the poorest. This points to a trade-off that has received little attention in the literature so far: high accuracy in targeting does not automatically translate into a large effect on poverty. The third essay (co-authored by Malte Reimers) investigates whether rural households in developing countries sell livestock in response to economic hardship. As previous empirical studies have been inconclusive, we re-investigate this question expoliting two large panel datasets on rural households that cover Burkina's 2004 drought. These are combined with data on annual rainfall at the province-level. Our main argument is that conflicting results in past studies can be explained by differences in empirical approach: while some authors focus on the number of livestock sold, others focus on changes in the value of net sales. We show that there is unambiguous evidence for an increase in sales following adverse shocks. However, we also show that prices decline as many households resort to sales at the same time. These two effects tend to offset each other so that the net value of sales does not vary significantly with rainfall. In addition, we document a large role for savings in the form of grain storage. Nevertheless, we also find evidence that households' consumption expenditure varies positively with transitory income. The fourth essay (co-authored by Marten von Werder) analyzes the causal effects of tracking, the practice of grouping students by ability, on educational outcomes and the intergenerational transmission of education. While proponents of tracking argue that the practice increases efficiency in educational production, opponents point out that tracking potentially aggravates initial differences between students and that miss-classification is often rife. We find that de-tracking in Germany during the 1970s had no effect on educational outcomes on average. We document a sizeable effect of this reform on the inter-generational transmission of education for males yet not for females. As a consequence of the reform, the gap in years of education between males with educated and those with uneducated parents decreased by about 1.2 years, roughly 50 percent of the initial gap. While years of education increased by about 0.6 years for male students with uneducated benefits, they decreased by about the same amount for male students with educated parents. These results are robust to various empirical specifications and alternative samples.


We study the problem of intervention effects generating various types of outliers in a linear count time‐series model. This model belongs to the class of observation‐driven models and extends the class of Gaussian linear time‐series models within the exponential family framework. Studies about effects of covariates and interventions for count time‐series models have largely fallen behind, because the underlying process, whose behaviour determines the dynamics of the observed process, is not observed. We suggest a computationally feasible approach to these problems, focusing especially on the detection and estimation of sudden shifts and outliers. We consider three different scenarios, namely the detection of an intervention effect of a known type at a known time, the detection of an intervention effect when the type and the time are both unknown and the detection of multiple intervention effects. We develop score tests for the first scenario and a parametric bootstrap procedure based on the maximum of the different score test statistics for the second scenario. The third scenario is treated by a stepwise procedure, where we detect and correct intervention effects iteratively. The usefulness of the proposed methods is illustrated using simulated and real data examples.


This dissertation is a philosophical contribution to the theories on trust and on risk communication. The importance of trust in risk communication has been argued for and empirically studied since the 80s. However, there is little agreement on the notion of trust and the precise function of trust. This thesis sets out to study both aspects from a philosophical point of view. The dissertation consists of five essays and an introduction. Essay I is a comment on risk perception theory and the psychometric model in particular. The essay argues that sometimes individuals take risks simply because they are in a vulnerable position and have no other choice. Four factors are identified as crucial in risks from vulnerability: poor outset conditions, lack of reasonable options, hope and liability to disinformation. Essay II addresses the democratic approach to risk communication and the ideal of risk communication as a dialogue between more or less equal stakeholders. The essay develops a typology of different risk communication practices and influence distributions and concludes that the form of risk communication most commonly referred to in the literature is of the most imbalanced kind where all three types of influence falls to the same party. Essay III argues that trust can be understood as comfortable defocusing. Trust as comfortable defocusing means that when a person trusts, he or she is comfortable with letting certain things be in the hands or in the control of the trusted other. Departing from this idea a definition of trust is proposed consisting of three elements: (i) the truster's comfortable defocusing from the trusted person's part of caring for X, based on a (ii) belief about the trusted person's care for X, concerning (iii) something of concern to the truster. Essay IV explores the concept of trustworthiness and under which conditions trust can be betrayed in a morally justified way. It is argued that two aspects are essential for every reasonable notion of trustworthiness: reliability in terms of commitment to trust and predictability in terms of compliance with norms. In order to be untrustworthy in a morally justified way two major conditions need to be fulfilled: first, what is expected from the trustee needs to be either immoral or part of an ongoing immoral or unjust relationship between truster and trustee and, secondly, the trustee must not be in a position to explicitly reject trust. Essay V examines two of the most employed distinctions within the trust literature, that of trust/confidence and of trust/reliance. These distinctions are evaluated against a set of five criteria. It is argued that both these distinctions are employed to cover several distinguishing properties, thus adding to conceptual confusion.


A novel optical spatial quantized analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is presented and the performance enhancements through employing this architecture are analyzed theoretically. A high-speed low-jitter ADC sampling clock is provided by a mode-locked laser. A high sampling rate is maintained by avoiding any speed-limiting conversion from optical to electrical domain in an all-optical quantization technique. A high quantization bandwidth is achieved by employing the all-optical quantization technique, benefiting from the high bandwidth characteristics of optical modulation. A high ADC resolution is obtained by using a single-channel quantization configuration and detecting a single image at each sampling step. A high power efficiency is achieved by extracting some portions of the required power from the analog electrical signal and optical sampling clock, directly. Various ADC-resolution limiting factors including the ambiguity of photodetector's, jitter of the optical sampling-clock, the limited beam deflector bandwidth, dispersion, phase modulator nonlinearity/mismatch, noise, and crosstalk have been identified and the contribution of each effect has been discussed.


Most of the Jointed Plain Concrete Pavement (JPCP) in Georgia was laid in the 1970s. The inservice JPCPs have carried significant traffic (e.g., more than 2 times of designed ESALs) and now are in need of concrete pavement restoration (CPR), such as broken slab replacement, grinding, and joint reseal. Detailed distress information, including crack type, length, severity level, and condition of adjacent slabs, are essential for determining CPR need at the slab-level and estimating the quantity (e.g., length of slab replacement). However, current manual survey cannot provide such detailed information, especially on multi-lane roadways with high traffic volumes. In this paper, a method is proposed to effectively identify the slabs that need to be replaced and accurately estimate their lengths using geo-referenced joint and distress information, especially crack patterns that can be extracted from 3D pavement data. A case study was conducted on a 1-mile section on I-285, one of Atlanta's most heavily traveled roadways. This section was built in 1968 as 10-in un-doweled JPCP with 30-ft joint spacing. It has lasted 45 years and carried more than 4 million ESALs. Detailed distress data, including joint location, crack type, and length was extracted from 3D pavement data and used to determine the CPR (e.g. 6-ft to 30-ft slab replacement) at the slab-level. The case study, using the actual pavement distress data on an interstate highway, demonstrated the proposed method is promising for developing an accurate, cost-effective, and safe CPR program.


A photoelectric polarization photometer is described for the measurement of the polarization of the fluorescence of solutions. This instrument uses the principle that the linearly polarized component of the fluorescence vibrating in the direction of propagation of the exciting light is independent of the plane of polarization of the excitation and may be used to give a reference signal against which the signal given by the fluorescence component in the direction of vibration of the excitation may be compared. Positive and negative polarizations may be measured and actual measurements of solutions with p=0.003 to p=0.44 show the standard deviation of a measurement to be Δp=±0.001. Analysis of the systematic errors involved indicates an absolute precision of equal magnitude. The absorption and re-emission of the fluorescence by the solutions results in changes of the polarization with concentration which are easily detected in the case of glycerol and water solutions of xanthydrol derivatives, where conditions are particularly favorable.


Over the past decade, electronic word-of-mouth communication (EWOM) has become more salient in online contexts. However, the extant literature on EWOM has largely depended upon theories developed in traditional offline contexts. We proposed that both individual and social settings should not be ignored in the study of EWOM and sought to integrate two perspectives: social influence and social identity. More specifically, we examined the impact of cognitive and emotional social identities on social influence. While both types of social identities were positively associated with social influence, the strength of influence varied depending on the type of products being consumed. We also found that fewer members identified with communities where there were high discrepancies in members' product expertise. Conversely, more members identified with communities where they had strong ties. These findings had strong theoretical and practical implications on EWOM.


This Article offers a more comprehensive and substantial approach to constitutional review of the general power to tax and the way tax laws should comply with constitutional rights and principles. The power of Congress to levy taxes is not confined to income taxes; it is broader and much more general. Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution describes the general power of Congress in terms of tax laws as follows: "The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defense and general Welfare of the United States . . . ." This provision contains more than it seems at first glance. First, it says that only the legislature has the power to lay taxes. The legislature represents the people; hence, a tax should be levied only if there is a collective consent of the people, the taxpayers. Second, any tax should be enacted only for the provision of the "common defense and general welfare." The Author's underlying assumption here is quite clear and straightforward: tax laws are not immune from judicial review and constitutional limitations restrict the power to impose taxes. Taxes should be scrutinized, via judicial review, like any other act of Congress. Any tax may be unconstitutional if it does not provide for the common defense and general welfare, or if it does not represent the collective consent. Furthermore, a tax should not violate any other constitutional rights or interests, e.g., property or equal protection rights.


Title of Dissertation: RISKING WAR: REGIME CRISES, POLITICAL EXCLUSION AND INDISCRIMINATE VIOLENCE IN AFRICA Philip Gregory Roessler, Doctor of Philosophy, 2007 Directed By: Professor Mark I. Lichbach Department of Government and Politics Between 1956 and 1999 one-third of the civil wars in the world occurred in subSaharan Africa. The prevailing explanation given to account for this fact is the economic weakness of African states. While low income is a robust determinant of civil war onset in global models, it is not as precise a predictor within sub-Saharan Africa. Instead, I argue that civil war is often a consequence of how African rulers respond to threats to regime survival, such as failed coups d'etat and other regime crises. In the wake of regime crises, rulers, concerned by their tenuous hold on power, seek to reduce the risk of future coups by eliminating disloyal agents from within the government and increasing spoils for more trusted clients to try to guarantee their support should another coup or threat materialize. The problem for the ruler is distinguishing loyal agents from traitors. To overcome this information problem rulers often use ethnicity as a cue to restructure their ruling networks, excluding perceived 'ethnic enemies' from spoils. The consequence of such ethnic exclusion is that, due to the weakness of formal state structures, the ruler forfeits his leverage over and information about such societal groups, undermining the government's ability to effectively prevent and contain violent mobilization and increasing the risk of civil war. To test this hypothesis, I employ a nested research design. The first part quantitatively tests the causal logic on a sample of 40 African countries between independence and 1999. I find that in the five years after a regime crisis there is a significant increase in the risk of civil war onset, often when the government resorts to indiscriminate violence to regulate the opposition. Part two examines this argument at the micro-level by examining two cases in Sudan based on hundreds of interviews during more than 14-months of fieldwork between 2005 and 2006. The second Sudan case illustrates that the civil war in Darfur in 2003 was a consequence of how the central government responded to a crisis within the Islamic movement in 1999 and 2000. RISKING WAR: REGIME CRISES, POLITICAL EXCLUSION AND INDISCRIMINATE VIOLENCE IN AFRICA


Tumor necrosis factor can interact with its receptor either as a membrane-bound protein or as a soluble cytokine. TNF interacts with two receptors, TNFR1 and TNFR2. TNFR1 responds fully to either ligand, but TNFR2 responds preferentially to membrane-bound TNF. To explore the nature of this differential response, Krippner-Heidenreich et al. constructed chimeric receptors in which the extracellular and transmembrane domains of TNFR1 and TNFR2 were fused with the cytoplamic domain of human Fas and expressed in immortalized fibroblasts from knockout mice lacking both TNFR1 and TNFR2. The TNFR2 chimera coupled TNFR2 ligation to a new signaling output (induction of apoptosis through FADD-mediated activation of caspase 8), rather than having its normal effects on regulation of transcription through the transcription factor NF-κB and JNK (c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase). Nevertheless, the TNFR2 chimera retained a selective response to membrane-bound TNF, whereas the TNFR1 chimera responded to both ligands. This means that the distinction is manifested in the extracellular domain of the receptor. Only membrane-bound TNF could cause formation of receptor induced-signaling complex (RISK), the complex of proteins recruited to activated receptors that mediate an apoptotic signal from Fas. The effectiveness of membrane-bound TNF on the TNFR2 chimera correlated with a slower dissociation rate and longer half-life of receptor binding (as compared to those of soluble TNF). The authors propose that stability of the complex of bound receptor and ligand may be critical in determining whether complexes of signaling proteins in the cytoplasm have time to form and transmit a functional signal. A. Krippner-Heidenreich, F. Tübing, S. Bryde, S. Willi, G. Zimmermann, P. Scheurich, Control of receptor-induced signaling complex formation by the kinetics of ligand/receptor interaction. J. Biol. Chem. 277, 44155-44163 (2002). [Abstract] [Full Text]


Notch filters are invariably used in communication, control, instrumentation and bio-medical engineering, besides a host of other fields, to eliminate noise and power line interferences. Digital notch filters can be designed as infinite impulse response (IIR) as well as finite impulse response (FIR) structures. As compared to the latter, IIR filters have the advantage that they require lower orders for efficient approximation of a given set of specifications. However, IIR filters are potentially unstable and do not provide linear phase characteristics, in general. FIR filters, on the other hand, are unconditionally stable and can be designed to give exact linear phase characteristics. We, in this review paper, focus our attention to the recent design techniques proposed by us for FIR notch filters. Standard FIR filter design methods, such as windowing, frequency sampling and computer-aided/optimization may be used for designing FIR notch filters. However, most of these methods result in ripples in the passbands. In many situations, maximally at (MF) filters are preferred since they have maximum attenuation in the stopband and hence can yield the best signal-to-noise ratio. A number of methods are available in the literature for designing MF digital filters. We, in this paper, review the design techniques for computing the weights of MF FIR notch filters. A number of design methodologies have been highlighted that lead to either recursive or explicit formulas for the computation of weights of FIR notch filters. Procedures for the design of FIR notch filters with maximal flatness of the amplitude response (in the Butterworth sense) at ω = 0 and ω = p have been given. Empirical formulas for finding the filter length N have also been proposed. By relaxing the linear phase property, it is possible to reduce the filter order required for a given magnitude response specifications. An FIR filter (with non-linear phase) can be derived from a second order IIR notch filter prototype. Explicit mathematical formulas for computing the weights for such FIR notch filters have been given. Design approaches based on the use of (i) Bernstein polynomials, and (ii) lowpass filter design have also been exploited to obtain maximally at FIR notch filters.


Different cell sources for bone tissue engineering are reviewed. In particular, adult cell source strategies have been based on the implantation of unfractionated fresh bone marrow; purified, culture expanded mesenchymal stem cells, differentiated osteoblasts, or cells that have been modified genetically to express rhBMP. Several limiting factors are mentioned for these strategies such as low number of available cells or possible immunological reaction of the host. Foetal bone cells are presented as an alternative solution and review of actual treatments using these cells is presented. Finally, foetal cells used specifically for bone tissue engineering are characterised and potentially interesting therapeutic options are proposed.


Restoration of degraded lands in urban areas increases the ecologic, aesthetic and economic value of these areas and contributes to quality of life in cities. This study explores public attitudes towards restoration of a derelict urban streamside corridor. Data for this study were collected using a social survey among users and neighbourhood residents of the Çayboyu area in Isparta, Turkey. The survey compared the previous and present situation of the survey site in order to reveal the influence of stream restorations on public perception and use of derelict urban landscapes. The results identified a dramatic change in public perceptions between the previous and present situation of the area. Following the restoration works, the Çayboyu area has become one of the most popular and intensively used green spaces in the city. The survey results suggest that restoration of derelict lands increases the value of such areas for people and enhances their uses for recreational purposes in urban areas. Therefore, it is vital that urban planners and local authorities should encourage restoration of derelict and unused urban areas and preserve them as green spaces to meet the amenity needs of urban people. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.