Background and purpose: Cadmium is hazardous and non-biodegradable material entering the food chain. In this paper, the removal of cadmium from aqueous solutions by sunflower powder (the natural biosorbent) was investigated. Materials and Methods: The experiments were performed in a batch system. The effect of parameters such as contact time, pH, cadmium concentration and adsorbent dose were evaluated. Results: The results showed that increasing of pH, contact time and adsorbent dose caused increasing efficiency of removal cadmium from aqueous solutions. The results were modeled using biosorption kinetics and a neural network with four hidden neurons, including bias which was able to predict the concentration dependency of data very accurately. Conclusion: On the basis of the results, could be used from sunflower residues as a cost and efficient biosorbent for treatment of wastewater with Cadmium. The prediction of the artificial neural network model fit the experimental data very precisely. [Amouei A. *Amooey AA. Asgharzadeh F. Study of Cadmium removal from aqueous solutions by sunflower powders and its modeling using artificial neural network. IJHS 2013;1(3):28-34] http://jhs.mazums.ac.ir


Blogs are a valuable medium for preserving cultural memory, reflecting the various dimensions of human life (O'Sullivan, 2005) and allowing ordinary individuals and marginalised groups the opportunity to contribute to the 'dialogue of history' (Cohen, 2005:10). The diverse perspectives to be found in the blogosphere can help deepen understanding of historical moments. Such examples include 9/11 (Cohen, 2005), the London bombings in 2005 (Allan, 2006) and Hurricane Katrina (Brock, 2009). Using critical race theory (CRT) as a theoretical framework and cultural democracy as the conceptual framework, this study examines the symbolic power of counter-storytelling through the blogosphere. The findings reveal that in relation to coverage of the UK 'riots' in 2011 and the Stephen Lawrence verdict in 2012, African Caribbean bloggers advanced alternative perspectives of the events and appropriated blogs as a medium for self-representation through their own constructions of Black identity. In so doing they performed a vital role as co-creators of British social history.


We have numerically implemented a receiver side all-optical signal processing method, i.e. optical backward propagation (OBP), by dispersion compensating fiber (DCF) and non-linear compensator (NLC) devised by effective negative Kerr non-linear coefficient using two highly non-linear fibers (HNLFs). The method is implemented for the post-processing of fiber transmission impairments, i.e. chromatic dispersion (CD) and non-linearities (NL). The OBP module is evaluated for dual-polarization (DP) m-ary (m=4,16,32,64,256) quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) in 112 Gbit/s coherent transmission over 1200 km standard single mode fiber (SMF). We have also investigated an intensity limited optical backward propagation module (IL-OBP) by using a self-phase modulation-based optical limiter with an appropriate pre-chirping to compensate for the intensity fluctuations in the transmission link. Our results show that in highly non-linear sensitive 256QAM transmission, we have observed a 66% increase in the transmission distance by implementing IL-OBP as compared to conventional OBP.


CAPER is a case-based planning system that makes use of the massive parallelism of the Connection Machine to access a large memory of hundreds or more cases that are not pre-indexed. Preliminary empirical results of these retrieval methods indicate their viability and scalability. These results have motivated the retrieval-intensive design of the complete system, which includes proposed plan adaptation methods that use plan validation structure information and a proposed retrieval planning procedure. The design tradeoffs in the plan retrieval and adaptation processes are discussed, and criteria for empirically evaluating these processes are presented. Many of the proposed areas for evaluation apply to other case-based planning and case-based reasoning systems.


Multimedia signal processing, or media processing [1], is the processing of digital multimedia information in a programmable processor. Digital multimedia information includes visual information like images, video, graphics and animation, audio information like voice and music, and textual information like keyboard text and handwriting. With general-purpose computers processing more multimedia information, multimedia instructions for efficient media processing have been defined for the Instruction Set Architectures (ISAs) of microprocessors. Meanwhile, digital processing of video and audio data in consumer products has also resulted in more sophisticated multimedia processors. Traditional digital signal processors (DSPs) in music players and recorders and mobile telephones are becoming increasingly sophisticated as they process multiple forms of multimedia data, rather than just audio signals. Video processors for televisions and video recorders have become more versatile as they have to take into account high-fidelity audio processing and real-time three-dimensional (3-D) graphics animations. This has led to the design of more versatile media processors, which combine the capabilities of DSPs for efficient audio and signal processing, video processors for efficient video processing, graphics processors for efficient 2-D and 3-D graphics processing, and general-purpose processors for efficient and flexible programming. The functions performed by microprocessors and media processors may eventually converge. In this chapter, we describe some of the key innovations in multimedia instructions added to microprocessor ISAs, which have allowed high-fidelity multimedia to be processed in real-time on ubiquitous desktop and notebook computers. Many of these features have also been adopted in modern media processors and digital signal processors.


Abstract. This paper reports the results of an experiment that aims at the virtual reconstruction of a urban site that has been partially reshaped during the 20th century; the reconstruction process is based on period photos. The chosen case study is the eldest harbour of Palermo, named 'Cala'; the site was bombed during World War II and new buildings took the place of the ruined ones. Two period photos, taken from an aircraft, document the buildings that were destroyed by bombs. The 3D restitution process used the 'inverse' projection from period photos (2D) to the virtual space (3D) ; the first step was therefore addressed to the calculation of the inner parameters (focal length, principal point coordinates) and of the cameras' pose, i.e. their position and orientation. The data needed for these calculations were extracted from the 3D laser scanning survey of those buildings that appear in photos and that are still on site. The calculation of inner parameters and poses has been computed with a motion tracking commercial package. The second part of the paper focuses a process for the fruition of virtual reconstructions, based on the alignment of real panoramic images, generated by photos taken on site, and of virtual panoramic images, extracted from the 3D reconstruction model; the proposed method uses SfM photogrammetric tools.


Abstract The magmatic–hydrothermal system of Kawah Ijen volcano is one of the most exotic on Earth, featuring the largest acidic lake on the planet, a hyper-acidic river and a passively degassing silicic dome. While previous studies have mostly described this unique system from a geochemical perspective, to date there has been no comprehensive geophysical investigation of the system. In our study, we surveyed the lake using a thermocouple, a thermal camera, an echo sounder and CO2 sensors. Furthermore, we gained insights into the hydrogeological structures by combining self-potential surveys with ground and water temperatures. Our results show that the hydrothermal system is self-sealed within the upper edifice and releases pressurized gas only through the active crater. We also show that the extensive hydrological system is formed by not one but three aquifers: a south aquifer that seems to be completely isolated, a west aquifer that sustains the acidic upper springs, and an east aquifer that is the main source of fresh water for the lake. In contrast with previous research, we emphasize the heterogeneity of the acidic lake, illustrated by intense subaqueous degassing. These findings provide new insights into this unique, hazardous hydrothermal system, which may eventually improve the existing monitoring system.


We present VIsible Multi-Object Spectrograph (VIMOS) observations of a z ∼ 6 galaxy quintuply imaged by the Frontier Fields galaxy cluster RXC J2248.7-4431 (z = 0.348). This sub-L∗, high-z galaxy has been recently discovered by Monna et al. (2013) using dropout techniques with the 16-band HST photometry acquired as part of the Cluster Lensing And Supernova survey with Hubble (CLASH). Obtained as part of the CLASH-VLT survey, the VIMOS medium-resolution spectra of this source show a very faint continuum between ∼8700 Å and ∼9300 Å and a prominent emission line at 8643 Å, which can be readily identified with Lyman-α at z = 6.110 ± 0.002. The emission line exhibits an asymmetric profile, with a more pronounced red wing. The rest-frame equivalent width of the line is EW = 79± 10 Å, relatively well constrained thanks to the detection of the UV continuum, which is rarely achieved for a sub-L∗ galaxy at this redshift. After correcting for magnification, the star formation rate (SFR) estimated from the Lyα line is SFR(Lyα) = 11 M yr−1 and that estimated from the UV data is SFR(UV) = 3 M yr−1. We estimate that the effective radius of the source is Re 0.4 kpc, which implies a star formation surface mass density ΣSFR > 6 M yr−1 kpc−2 and, using the Kennicutt-Schmidt relation, a gas surface mass density Σgas > 103 M pc−2. Our results support the idea that this magnified, distant galaxy is a young and compact object with luminosity 0.4 L∗ at z = 6, when the Universe was just 1 Gyr old, with a similar amount of mass in gas and stars. In the spirit of the Frontier Fields initiative, we also publish the redshifts of several multiply imaged sources and other background objects, which will help improving the strong-lensing model of this galaxy cluster.


This study is an examination of a second grade teacher's negotiation of multimodal literacies in a high performing urban primary school in Detroit. In spite of the school's high performing record, teachers were required to adhere closely to paced curriculum and exclusive use of curriculum materials. A teacher and researcher collaboration implemented supplemental texts and negotiated innovations toward multimodal literacies with a theme entitled Fossils . An examination of peer-led discussion groups, peer-led reading logs and the focal teacher's Interactive Whiteboard innovations demonstrates  deeper comprehension and enhanced participation due to linkages across texts and with students' social worlds.


There is a widely held view that breach of contract is immoral. I suggest here that breach may often be seen as moral, once one appreciates that contracts are incompletely detailed agreements and that breach may be committed in problematic contingencies that were not explicitly addressed by the governing contracts. In other words, it is a mistake generally to treat a breach as a violation of a promise that was intended to cover the particular contingency that eventuated.


We examine the behaviour of the pseudo-marginal random walk Metropolis algorithm, where evaluations of the target density for the accept/reject probability are estimated rather than computed precisely. Under relatively general conditions on the target distribution, we obtain limiting formulae for the acceptance rate and for the expected squared jump distance, as the dimension of the target approaches infinity, under the assumption that the noise in the estimate of the log-target is additive and is independent of the position. For targets with independent and identically distributed components, we also obtain a limiting diffusion for the first component. We then consider the overall efficiency of the algorithm, in terms of both speed of mixing and computational time. Assuming the additive noise is Gaussian and is inversely proportional to the number of unbiased estimates that are used, we prove that the algorithm is optimally efficient when the variance of the noise is approximately 3.3 and the acceptance rate is approximately 7.0%. We also find that the optimal scaling is insensitive to the noise and that the optimal variance of the noise is insensitive to the scaling. The theory is illustrated with a simulation study using the particle random walk Metropolis.


Multiple primary neoplasms are a rare entity and is a growing concern as cancer survivorship is rapidly increasing with timely diagnosis and treatment. The prognosis depends on the stage of the disease and adequate management results in good outcomes. Here, we present a case of dual metachronous malignancy of colon and breast, with the breast primary developing 3 years after the treatment of adenocarcinoma colon. She received right colectomy with ileo-colostomy for colonic malignancy, followed by 8 cycles of adjuvant Capecitabine and Oxaliplatin. The breast malignancy was infiltrating ductal type, pT1N1 and Estrogen receptor positive. It was treated with breast conservation surgery and subsequently, received adjuvant chemotherapy, radiotherapy and is currently on hormonal therapy with Tamoxifen 20 mg daily. A detailed family history and genetic testing should be considered in such cases.


The seventies has recently been the subject of several good books, including this one, that show that the decade was much more complex than the failed presidencies of Nixon, Ford, and Carter and pulsating disco beats. This work covers more territory than Jefferson Cowie's Stayin Alive: The 1970s and the Last Days of the Working Class* and Dominick Sandbrook's Mad As Hell: The Crisis of the 1970 and the Rise of the Populist Right*, books that investigate, respectively, the decline of labor unions and growing anger with government. The Elwood N. And Katherine Thompson Distinguished Professor of Modern World History at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and author of The Cold War and the Color Line: America's Race Relations in the Global Arena, Borstelmann takes a broader approach by analyzing politics, culture, and economics to reveal that the great transformations that roiled America also changed the world. The author views 1973 to 1979 as a period of growing inclusiveness in which women, gays, and peoples of color, particularly Asians and Latinos, gained rights and acceptance previously denied to them. Simultaneously, it was a period when free market capitalism had begun to replace large government as the means to solve economic and social problems. These two important trends would in large measure, the author claims, define not just the seventies, but all succeeding decades. Free-market capitalism was most significantly responsible for the growing economic inequality that split earners into the few haves and the many have-nots, which today has born bitter fruit in the "Occupy" demonstrations cropping up throughout the country. Interestingly, Borstelmann shows that while minorities in ever increasing numbers were participating in the job market, they were performing with a tattered, government-supported safety net compared with that of the 1930s through the 1960s: declining wages, loss of benefits, and a crippling inflation wreaked havoc on the middle class. Culturally, religious fundamentalism and environmentalism entered the mainstream in the United States and the world during this era; Borstelmann shows how entrenched these movements became during the rest of the twentieth century. The author includes a mind-boggling amount of statistics that support this deeply researched account, but these numbers could distract readers. Nonetheless, this is an ambitious and important work that skillfully analyzes all aspects of the seventies and defines its legacy for present times. KARL HELICHER (November 18, 2011)


This year marks the 90th anniversary of the Optical Society of America. Through the years, the Society has grown from a local group of Rochester-based optical scientists and instrument-makers into a large organization that represents physicists and engineers around the world. Let us look back for a moment to appreciate how it all began.


The objectives of these studies were to investigate and compare solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) of two anthracyclines, idarubicin (IDA) and doxorubicin (DOX), against Pgp-mediated multiple drug resistance (MDR) in-vitro and in-vivo using different human and murine cancer cell models. IDA and DOX SLNs were developed from warm microemulsion precursors comprising emulsifying wax as the oil phase, and polyoxyl 20-stearyl ether (Brij 78) and D-alpha-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol succinate (Vitamin E TPGS) as the surfactants. Anionic ion-pairing agents, sodium taurodeoxycholate (STDC) and sodium tetradecyl sulfate (STS), were used to neutralize the charges of the cationic anthracyclines and enhance entrapment of the drugs in the SLN. The in-vitro cytotoxicity results showed that the IC50 value of DOX NPs was 9-fold lower than that of free DOX solution in resistant P388/ADR cell line. In contrast, free IDA had comparable IC50 values as IDA NPs in Pgp-overexpressing P388/ADR and HCT-15 cells. In the in-vivo P388/ADR leukemia mouse model, the median survival time of DOX NPs was significantly greater than that of free DOX, and controls. In contrast, free IDA was equally as effective as IDA NPs in P388 and Pgp-overexpressing HCT-15 mouse tumor models. The cell uptake of IDA formulated as free IDA and IDA NPs was comparable in Pgp-overexpressing cells. In conclusion, DOX NPs could overcome Pgp-mediated MDR both in-vitro in P388/ADR leukemia cells and in-vivo in the murine leukemia mouse model. The present study suggests that our SLNs may offer potential to deliver anticancer drugs for the treatment of Pgp-mediated MDR in leukemia; however, selection of target drug may be very important.


Mineral exploration is increasingly taking advantage of real time techniques that dramatically reduce the costs and time taken to obtain results compared to traditional analytical methods. Portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) is now a well-established technique that is used to acquire lithogeochemical data. To date, however, benchtop scanning electron microscopes, equipped with energy dispersive systems (bSEM-EDS) have received little attention as a possible mineral exploration tool. This study examines the utility of combining pXRF and bSEM-EDS to characterize the igneous stratigraphy and its relationship to Cu-Pd mineralization in a drill hole at the Four Dams occurrence, located within the Eastern Gabbro assemblage of the Coldwell Alkaline Complex, Canada. The first part of this study compares field portable and laboratory techniques. Seventy-two powdered samples analysed by pXRF are compared with traditional major elements analysed by inductively coupled atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) and trace elements by inductively coupled plasma spectrometry (ICP-MS), and the compositions of 128 olivine, clinopyroxene and plagioclase grains analysed by bSEM-EDS are compared with traditional electron microprobe data. Our results show that each portable technique yields results similar to their lab-based counterparts within the analytical capabilities and precisions of the respective instruments. The second part presents a case study for the application of pXRF and bSEM-EDS to resolve questions related to igneous stratigraphy as an aid to mineral exploration in a complicated geological setting. A major problem for Cu-Pd exploration in the Coldwell Complex of NW Ontario is that the oxide-rich units that host Cu-Pd mineralization in the Marathon Series are petrographically similar to the barren oxide-rich units in the Layered Series. However, the mineralized units are geochemically distinctive. Our results show that the mineralized Marathon Series can be distinguished from the barren Layered Series, including oxide-rich units of both, by combinations of P2O5, Ba, Zr and V/Ti values, determined by pXRF, combined with plagioclase, olivine or clinopyroxene compositions measured by bSEM-EDS. The combination of pXRF and bSEM-EDS thus shows considerable promise as an exploration technique. Supplementary material: Comparisons of pXRF analyses with ICP-AES, ICP-MS and IR analysis are available at http://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.3291518


Urban mass rapid transit-oriented development is increasing in developing Asian megacities. However, there are concerns about whether transit-oriented development attracts and allows transit users to live nearby. This study aims to examine the relationship between quality of life (QOL) and bid rent among socioeconomic groups living near rapid transit stations in Bangkok. The levels of various residential QOL indicators were classified into access, amenity, and safety elements. These indicators and their values by socioeconomic groups were examined in station and no-station areas using data from a questionnaire survey of local residents in Bangkok. The QOL indexes and bids for rent were estimated by socioeconomic group and by residential location. The results showed that low-income residents, who most frequently use mass transit, have higher QOL in station areas than in no-station areas, and high-income residents, who rely more on cars, have the highest bid rent.


OpenMP is an informal industry standard for programming parallel computers with a shared memory and has during the last few years achieved considerable acceptance in both the academic world and the industry. OpenMP is a thread level fork-join programming model and relies on a set of compiler directives. An OpenMP aware compiler uses these directives to generate a multi-threaded application. In practice, an OpenMP run-time library is also needed as OpenMP specifies a set of run-time library calls. In this paper we report on a free OpenMP compiler and run-time library infrastructure. We present an OpenMP compiler for C called OdinMP and briefly discuss the run time library that the compiler targets. The source code to both the compiler and the run-time libraries are available and can be freely used for OpenMP research. The compilation system is evaluated using the EPCC micro-benchmark suite for OpenMP and a set of appli cations from the SPLASH-2 benchmarks suite ported to OpenMP. Comparisons are made to OpenMP aware com piler systems from SGI and Intel. The performance of code generated with the pre sented compilation system is shown to be very close to or exceeding that of commercial compilers for a wide range of benchmark applications.


Open Government Data (OGD) and transparency has been recognized as having the potential to provide many benefits for the society at all, including governmental, scientific, commercial and political domains. However, much of the existing research discusses benefits on a high-level basis, and more empirical analysis is needed in order to analyze and assess the real impact of these initiatives. The objective of this paper is to analyze the benefits perceived by the general population of the use of applications based on OGD, especially the Meu Congresso Nacional, a website based on political OGD and broadly used by Brazilian citizens in the Brazilian elections in 2014. The analysis was based on a survey conducted with website visitors and concludes that, despite this kind of application not yet being popular, people consider them more useful than official government websites, able to help reduce corruption and even influence voting decisions.


In this paper I will attempt to reconstruct the (Late) PIE syntax of experiential constructions for three classes of verbs: in (1) and (2) for verbs of cognition and perception, in (3) verbs denoting changes in bodily states, and in (4) verbs of deontic and epistemic modality. In (5) I will make some proposals regarding typology and syntax of experiential constructions in terms of several diachronic layers. I will also try to ascertain whether we can reconstruct the so-called 'oblique subject' typology for the (Late) PIE and, if not, at which intermediate period in its trajectory to the current state of affairs we can discern the appearance of oblique (or rather 'secondary') subjects. On the whole, I will be more preoccupied with morphological, semantic and pragmatic properties of the experiential constructions in Ancient IE (Greek, Latin, Sanskrit, Gothic, Old Slavic) and Modern Germanic, Baltic and Slavic languages than with the issue of 'subjecthood' in terms of formal syntax. In conclusion, I will submit that the cognitive approach presents a number of important correctives to more formal syntactic approach into the typology and diachrony of experiential constructions across the spectrum of Indo-European languages.


Abstract A high-power, wide-band, steady-state amplifier was developed as a part of research and development for ion cyclotron range of frequency (ICRF) heating in the Large Helical Device at the National Institute for Fusion Science. A double coaxial cavity was adopted to cover the wide frequency range of 25 to 100 MHz. An analysis of this cavity is compared with results of static tests, and good agreement is shown. In a high-power test, long-pulse operation of 5000 s at an output power of 1.6 MW, which is a world record for steady-state operation of an ICRF amplifier, has been achieved as a low-impedance-mode operation is adopted. Cooling of various elements of the amplifier is important in the steady-state operation. This paper reports how the steady-state operation is obtained through cooling. An analysis of heat removal in response to the temperature rise of a coaxial cable is also reported.


Previous laboratory column experiments have given evidence of competitive effects between different groundwater constituents in the process of subsurface arsenic removal, a process in which arsenic is removed from groundwater by injecting water with oxygen into the subsurface. The presence of phosphate and other anions significantly limited arsenic removal. To investigate the influence of phosphate in natural groundwater, pumping stations in Loosdrecht (the Netherlands) and Subotica (Serbia) both with low phosphate concentrations ( −1 ) and considerable arsenic concentrations (30 and 110 μg l −1 ) were chosen, to perform experiments identical to the previous laboratory work. Despite of the absence of phosphate, the subsurface arsenic removal process performed poorly in Subotica, with 50% arsenic breakthrough occurring after 2 to 4 column pore volumes of abstracted water. In Loosdrecht subsurface arsenic removal showed more promising results, 50% breakthrough after 6 to 7 pore volumes, while having a lower pH than Subotica and similar silicate concentrations. The water composition of both locations gives reason to suggest that natural organic matter has a limiting effect on subsurface arsenic removal as well. The presented results have shown the complexity of factors influencing subsurface arsenic removal, making it very challenging to select appropriate sites.


Postoperative delirium is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. We hypothesised that restoration of regional cerebral oxygen desaturation would reduce the incidence of postoperative delirium in elderly patients after cardiac surgery. After institutional ethics review board approval and informed consent, a double‐blinded, prospective, randomised, controlled trial was conducted in patients ≥ 60 years of age undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. In the intervention group, an algorithm was commenced if regional cerebral oxygen saturation decreased below 75% of baseline value for 1 min or longer. In the control group, the cerebral oximetry monitor screen was electronically blinded. Assessment of delirium was performed with confusion assessment method for intensive care unit or confusion assessment method after discharge from intensive care unit at 12‐h intervals for seven postoperative days. Postoperative delirium was present in 30 out of 123 (24.4%) and 31 out of 126 (24.6%) patients in the intervention and control groups, respectively, odds ratio 0.98 (95%CI 0.55–1.76), p = 0.97. Postoperative delirium was present in 20 (71%) out of 28 and in 41 (18%) out of 221 patients with baseline regional cerebral oxygen saturation ≤ 50, or > 50%, respectively, p = 0.0001. Higher baseline regional cerebral oxygen saturation and body mass index were protective against postoperative delirium. Restoration of regional cerebral oxygen desaturation did not result in lower postoperative delirium after cardiac surgery. Pre‐operative regional cerebral oxygen saturation ≤ 50% was associated with increased postoperative delirium rates in elderly patients following cardiac surgery.


In 2004, ISO/IEC SC29 better known as MPEG started a new standard initiative aiming at facilitating the deployment of multi-format video codec design and to enable the possibility of reconfiguring video codecs using a library of standard components. The new standard under development is called MPEG Reconfigurable Video Coding (RVC) framework. Whereas video coding tools are specified in the RVC library, when a new decoder is reconfigured choosing in principle any (sub)-set of tools, the corresponding bitstream syntax, described using MPEG-21 BSDL schema, and the associated parser need to be respectively derived and instantiated reconfiguration by reconfiguration. Therefore, the development of an efficient systematic procedure able to instantiate efficient bitstream parsing and particularly variable length decoding is an important component in RVC. This paper introduces an efficient data flow based implementation of the variable length decoding (VLD) process particularly adapted for the instantiation and synthesis of CAL parsers in the MPEG RVC framework.


Social researchers are facing more and more challenges as criminal networks are expanding in size and moving to the Internet. Many efforts are currently under way to enhance the technical capabilities of researchers working in the field of cybercrimes. Rather than focusing on the technical tools that could enhance research performance, this article focuses on a specific field that has demonstrated its use in the study of criminal networks: social network analysis (SNA). This article evaluates the effectiveness of SNA to enhance the value of information on cybercriminals. This includes both the identification of possible targets for follow-up research as well as the removal of subjects who may be wasting the researchers' time. This article shows that SNA can be useful on two levels. First, SNA provides scientific and objective measures of the structure of networks as well as the position of their key players. Second, fragmentation metrics, which measure the impact of the removal of n nodes in a network, help to determine the amount of resources needed to deal with specific organisations. In this case study, a tactical strike against the network could have had the same destabilising impact as a broader approach. The resources saved by limiting the investigation targets could then be used to monitor the criminal network's reaction to the arrests and to limit its ability to adapt to the post-arrest environment.


This thesis focuses on opposition groups as parties to internal armed conflicts and the concept of the R2P. Accordingly, this research aims to examine the extent to which opposition groups, as parties to internal armed conflicts, could contribute to the objective of protecting civilian populations. The significance of this subject lies in the fact that although the primary objective behind the adoption of the R2P is to improve the protection provided for civilians within the context of internal armed conflicts, the framework regulating the R2P does not include any reference to opposition groups as a main party in internal armed conflicts. It is practically unseen how civilians could be effectively protected in internal armed conflicts without the involvement of opposition groups. The concept of the R2P is used as an interpretive tool to determine the role of opposition groups in the protection of civilians. This research intends to define the elements related to the concept of civilian protection within the framework regulating internal armed conflicts and to trace any potential development after the adoption of the R2P. To this end, it attempts to consult and analyse the relevant primary and secondary materials, such as conventions, reports, cases, books and articles. First, this project defines the concept of organised armed groups and evaluates how organised armed groups are bound by IHL. Second, this thesis determines the extent to which organised armed groups already have a responsibility to protect under the framework regulating internal armed conflicts. This assessment is based on the examination of selected obligations that are fundamentally related to the concept of civilian protection. Third, the research evaluates the extent to which the adoption of the R2P could contribute to the international recognition of the political organs of opposition groups. Finally, this thesis examines the international R2P and the role of opposition groups. It focuses on the provision of arms to opposition groups by third states as well as the legality and scope of the authorised use of force for the purpose of civilian protection. The research concludes that opposition groups could play a fundamental role in the protection of civilians within the context of internal armed conflicts. Like host states, opposition groups are bound by IHL. The level of civilian protection that opposition groups are required to provide depends on their level of organisation. Opposition groups already have a responsibility to protect under the existing rules of IHL. Since the adoption of the R2P concept, there have been indications that opposition groups could be politically recognised at the international level. It has been suggested that the right to self-determination can be relied upon to justify the struggle against repressive regimes. Opposition groups, under very strict conditions, could receive arms and other forms of help from third states for the mere purpose of civilians protection.


Asteroids are arguably the most accessible remnants of building blocks of the early Solar System and an essential piece of the terrestrial planet–formation puzzle. Determining their compositions and physical properties can provide important and otherwise unobtainable information concerning the origin, structure, and dynamic history of the Solar System, as well as insights into the sources of materials from which the terrestrial planets were constructed. Our understanding of the compositional structure of the asteroid belt and of individual asteroids has advanced signifi cantly since the 1970s. Strong associations between asteroids and meteorites are emerging thanks to multitechnique observations, the synthesis of observations and modeling, in situ measurements, and sample-return missions.


Abstract Biometric analyses are useful tools for the study of organisms, their phylogenetic affiliation, and the pattern and rate of their evolution. Various morphometric techniques have been developed to analyze morphological variation, but methodological choices are often made arbitrarily because quantitative comparisons are lacking or inconclusive. Here we address morphometric quantification of taxa with few unambiguously identifiable landmarks (<15), utilizing ornamented and unornamented gastropod shells. Support vector machines were applied to evaluate classification performances of landmark (LMA), elliptic Fourier (EFA), and semi-landmark analysis (SLM). This evaluation is based on the discrimination of between-group differences relative to within-group variation, and thus allows comparing how the techniques treat different types of biological information. The results suggest that EFA performs slightly better than SLM (and certainly LMA) in discerning a priori identified taxa with unornamented shells, but that SLM is significantly superior to other techniques for ornamented shells. Alignment and homology problems may cause the subtle variations in ornamentation to become blurred as noise in EFA, even though EFA is often cited to be able to deal with complex shapes. Performance of LMA depends entirely on how accurately the structure can be covered with landmarks. Guidelines in choosing a morphometric technique in diverse cases are provided.


Electromechanical coupling in complex oxide heterostructures opens new possibilities for the development of a broad range of novel electronic devices with enhanced functionality. In this article, the switchable hysteretic electromechanical behavior of crystalline epitaxial LaAlO3 (LAO) thin films associated with polarization induced by electrical and mechanical stimuli is investigated. The field–time‐dependent testing of the induced polarization states along with transport measurements and theoretical modeling suggests that the ferroelectric‐like response of the LAO thin films is mediated by the field‐induced ion migration in the bulk of the film. Comparative analysis of the dynamics of polarization reversal under the electrical field and mechanical stress applied via a tip of a scanning probe microscope demonstrates that both electrical and mechanical stimulus can be used to effectively control polarization at least at the submillisecond timescale. However, the mechanical writing is more localized than the electrical one. A combined electrical/mechanical approach for tuning the physical properties of oxide heterostructures may potentially facilitate novel memory and logic devices, in which the data bits are written mechanically and read electrically.


In recent years the challenges for the textile industry has changed because of technological development and outsourcing. The consequence is an increased focus on innovation in the textile trade. This article describes the objectives in a three year research project. In order to contribute to the establishment of an initial framework for the project it has a focus on how to explore costumers and users emotional experiences with fabrics. The three year research project is based on experimental design research and the textile designer's competences and knowledge. During the research project exploring approaches will be developed and carried out with the intention to involve specific stakeholders within an industrial value chain in the design process. More specifically this article reports on a pilot experiment initiated to explore if repertory grid models could be a way to investigate tactile and visual sensing of fabrics in function. It is proposed that tactile and visual sensing of fabrics is a way to investigate and express emotional utility values. The further purpose is to use experiments with repertory grid models as part of the mapping of the entire research project and also as a basis for developing further experiments and approaches based on experimental design research and participatory action research.


This Article will discuss how a subset of human rights - procedural rights - can play an important role in limiting climate change. These include freedom of expression and the right to seek and receive information, the right to participate in decision-making and the right of access to justice. States must address climate change through a transparent process of giving the public full and complete information during the early stages of decision-making in climate change related issues. States must also give the public a voice by allowing participation by all affected communities, including indigenous peoples.In Part II, this Article will first discuss how freedom of expression and access to information are embedded in human rights treaties, multilateral environmental agreements, national constitutions and information laws, and in the jurisprudence of regional human rights and domestic courts, as well as national reporting and how these rights can be used for combating climate change. Part II will also briefly evaluate the right of investors to disclosure of climate risk information and the role of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in light of the agency's new interpretive guidance on existing public company disclosure requirements relating to the issue of climate change. In Part III, this Article will discuss public participation in decision-making related to climate change, first exploring the established legal framework for public participation in "soft law" MEAs, and in environmental impact assessments (EIAs), including the transboundary context. Part III concludes by providing case examples how procedural rights have been used to combat climate change. Finally, Part IV will evaluate the role of civil society participation in the negotiation of an international treaty at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Fifteenth Session of the Conference of the Parties in Copenhagen, as well as the author's participation in the Working Group on Human Rights and Climate Change.


Most of our lives takes place on-line. Our on-line activities, affect directly or indirectly the way other people perceive us. One have to careful decide what to expose and what not. There are a lot of personal and sensitive information that people could unintentionally disclose. Indeed an enormous amount of data is being generated and can be disclosed by an increasing number of people on the Web, often without know who is recording what about them. The odds of being tracked without full acknowledge is growing mainly because of two reasons: the exorbitant number of company in the behavioral advertising field and a market overfilled with free services to attract users. This thesis focus on the study of the value of privacy, as intended by people. Learning the value of privacy is of great importance. How people value their own privacy affects the way relationships among individuals are created and maintained. Not only, it have implications on how an individual relates himself with the world, it influences user behaviors and attitudes. The mechanisms responsible for how people value their own privacy are bounded to the perception of risks and perceived level of fairness of the outside world. That component is the awareness. The way an individual perceives the risks around him/her, represent one of the big challenge in order to fully understand the way people value their privacy. A better understand of those mechanisms and an increased awareness will help to design and build privacy by design systems. Increased awareness can help users to understand how and why their privacy is mined, and to become more informed about what silently happens during their navigation. Learning from disclosure of personal information may help to discriminate potential harmful activities from daily and regular activities that can be performed. Awareness could help people to make informed decision about privacy online, and adopt countermeasures if necessary. Protecting users on-line from privacy risks is a difficult task. Task made even more difficult by users' attitudes. Users are not fully aware of the risks of privacy leaks, even after the increasingly number of press reports about privacy leakage and personal information disclosure on the Web. They ignore that their data can be collected, aggregated and linked with ambient information for various purposes. Anyway, even if awareness is not the only mechanism involved in evaluating privacy, it can be used to study if a privacy tool can help users to make informed decision to reduce their exposure while on the Web. To this aim, we conducted a study to analyze general perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs about privacy online, with a focus on the mutual influence with users skills. We discovered mechanisms responsible for how a person value its own privacy: a) skills influence the perception of privacy risks b) privacy is worth the price if it is a


Nearly every graduate program in music performance requires a research and bibliography class in music, which is generally taught by musicologists or librarians with backgrounds in music history. This class has traditionally focused on finding research materials, citing properly, and producing an annotated bibliography; however, less attention has been devoted to critical thinking and writing an article-length research paper. Performers are often tasked with a culminating project of producing a research thesis for the M.M. and D.M.A. degrees, but unlike students in the humanities, many have had few other avenues to develop their critical thinking and writing skills. I suggest a suggest a structure for a graduate bibliography class, while also presenting original pedagogical paradigms. The first half of the class focuses on critical thinking in scholarly articles: how to speed read, identify a thesis and methodology, evaluate sources, understand context and significance, recognize successful lines of argumentation, and emulate effective writing styles. The second half is devoted to students implementing skills garnered from these readings into their own writing. I divide the paper-writing process into steps: choosing a research paper topic, compiling an annotated bibliography employing primary and secondary sources (utilizing the most up-to-date internet databases), composing an abstract, making a sentence outline, writing a first draft, and editing. I have developed models for choosing successful topics, writing abstracts, and avoiding logical fallacies in argumentative writing, which are unique to my course.


This study presents the results of a randomized controlled trial assessing the impact of a shared-book reading (SBR) intervention that targeted children aged 4 living in socially mixed neighborhoods of the city of Paris. We selected a large, random sample of families and provided parents with free books, information on the benefits of SBR and tips for effective reading practices. We measured SBR frequency and children's vocabulary before and after this intervention, among treated and control children. The intervention had a large effect on SBR frequency. At the pre-test, SBR on a daily basis involved 41.2% of the families, and the treatment fostered this practice by 8 percentage points. SBR on a weekly basis was fostered by 14 percentage points. The intervention fostered SBR frequency only in low-educated households. This equalising impact is an important finding against the background of previous research reporting that disadvantaged families tend to benefit less from SBR programs. The intervention also significantly enhanced children's language skills measured with standardized tests of receptive vocabulary. The effect size for the main treatment effect ranges from 0.12 at the post-test to 0.16 at the follow-up. Treatment effects are persistent six months after the end of the intervention. Children from low-educated and immigrant families improved their vocabulary as much as those from high-educated, native families. Moreover, the persisting positive impacts on vocabulary growth detected at the follow-up also involve children from disadvantaged families. Furthermore, these children more often attend schools with lower educational resources. It is therefore encouraging that the intervention has strong impacts in schools with initially low involvement in reading-related activities and with low educational resources.


Security assurance of Service-Based Systems (SBS) is a necessity and a key challenge in Service Oriented Computing. Several approaches have been introduced in order to take care of the security aspect of SBSs, from the design to the implementation stages. Such solutions, however, require expertise with regards to security languages and technologies or modelling formalisms. Furthermore, existing approaches allow only limited verification of security properties over a service composition, as they focus just on specific properties and require expressing compositions and properties in a model based formalism.

In this thesis we present a unified security aware service composition approach capable of validation of arbitrary security properties. This approach allows SBS designers to build secure applications without the need to learn formal models thanks to security descriptors for services, being they self-appointed or certified by an external third-party.

More specifically, the framework presented in this thesis allows expressing and propagating security requirements expressed for a security composition to requirements for the single activities of the composition, and checking security requirements over security service descriptors. The approach relies on the new core concept of secure composition patterns, modelling proven implications of security requirements within an orchestration pattern. The framework has been implemented and tested extensively in both a SBS design-time and runtime scenario, based respectively on Eclipse BPEL Designer and the Runtime Service Discovery Tool.


BACKGROUND
Evidence obtained in humans and rodents indicates that beta-endorphin (encoded by the proopiomelanocortin [POMC] gene) is critical in the regulation of alcohol drinking behavior. However, the alcohol effect on POMC gene expression has not been studied in rodent mesolimbic regions, such as the nucleus accumbens (NAc).

METHODS
In this study, we first utilized POMC-enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) transgenic mice to visualize POMC neurons and found that POMC-EGFP cells were modestly distributed throughout the NAc shell and core, in addition to the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus. POMC mRNA expression in the NAc of mice and rats was confirmed using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and solution hybridization assays. We then investigated whether there are genetically determined differences in basal mRNA levels of POMC and mu opioid receptor (MOP-r) between selectively bred Sardinian alcohol-preferring (sP) and nonpreferring (sNP) rats, and whether these mRNA levels are altered in sP rats after alcohol drinking (10%, unlimited access) for 17 days.

RESULTS
Alcohol-naïve sP rats had higher basal POMC mRNA levels than sNP rats only in hypothalamus. Alcohol drinking increased POMC mRNA levels in both the NAc shell (by 100%) and the hypothalamus (by 50%) of sP rats. Although sP rats had lower basal levels of MOP-r mRNA and GTPγS binding in NAc shell than sNP rats, voluntary alcohol consumption had no effect on MOP-r mRNA levels in the NAc shell.

CONCLUSIONS
Our results define the distribution of POMC-expressing neurons in the NAc of mice and rats. Higher POMC expression at basal levels in sP rats (genetically determined), along with increases after drinking (alcohol-induced) in the NAc shell and hypothalamus, suggests that the POMC systems play a role in high alcohol preference and consumption.


Sugar amino acids (SAAs) are carbohydrate derivatives bearing both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. SAAs represent an important class of multifunctional building blocks, which are amenable to serve as glycomimetics or peptidomimetics with well-defined structures and useful properties. Because SAAs exist in nature in many forms with various biological activities, recently, many unnatural SAAs, as the demand for finding new molecules to discover new drugs and new materials, have been designed and synthesized by a number of research groups. In this paper, we have developed a convenient method for the synthesis of novel SAAs gluco-7 and galacto-7 for the first time. The structure of gluco-7 was similar to the natural SAA glucosaminuronic acid that was a component of many typical bacterial cell walls and could be used for the preparation of type D flu vaccine; while galacto-7 was similar to the natural SAA galactosaminuronic acid that was one of bacterial Vi-antigen components of Escherichia coli. Starting from unexpensive and commercially available 3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-D-glucal and 3,4,6-tri-O-acetyl-D-galactal, two novel SAAs gluco-7 and galacto-7 were achieved in the linear 6 steps with 34% overall yield and 19% overall yield, respectively. The key reactions included radical addition, decarboxylation, iodine generation reaction, azide reaction and reductive amination reaction. The crucial step was the synthesis of the target compound gluco-7 from gluco-6. By using method A, the target compound gluco-7 was obtained in 4 steps with 63% overall yield. To optimize the transformation from gluco-6 to gluco-7, method B was developed to generate gluco-7 by using one-pot reaction successfully with 76% yield only in one step. It proved that method B was superior to method A with shorter steps and higher yields. All the new compounds were characterized by IR, H-1 NMR, C-13 NMR and HRMS data. Study on the synthesis and biological evaluation of linear and cyclic oligomers derived from gluco-7 and galacto-7 are currently in progress.


Biotechnology has been one in a row of business hypes, preceded by the dot-com boom and followed by megatrends such as nanotechnology and cleantech. Common to all is the challenge of creating value from research and development – and so is an inherent risk of failure. The created value finds form in intangible assets, which are poorly captured by traditional accounting standards and for which no well-established alternative metrics exist. It is frequently assumed that knowledge created by and embodied in a failed organization virtually disappears. Odd? To say the least! Traditional growth metrics reveal that our common perception of the Finnish biotechnology industry as an allegedly failing industry sector is largely unfounded: The growth rate of value added by the biotechnology industry has outperformed industry average more than ten-fold. Intrigued by the finding we decided to raid the dark side of the moon: the unsung, unseen, and forgotten cohort of failed and vanished companies. It turned out to be an interesting journey. Eighteen Finnish and six Italian biotechnology companies that had already been publicly written off as abandoned, failed, or lost from the map of commercial biotechnology were found to have created and nurtured a vivid mix of intellectual capital, which indeed had been recycled. In sheer numbers, the intellectual capital created in our case companies is estimated to generate sales exceeding 1 billion euros. This book tells the story of our raid and the treasure of lost value – hidden from public perception – that we found.


This study investigates an under-researched area of older people's activities: the
characteristics of the community-based organisations to which older people belong,
the activities they pursue there, and the factors which encourage or deter their
participation. It is now generally accepted that participation in mental, physical and
social activities helps older people maintain their health and wellbeing. This study
explores in depth ways in which participation in the leisure activities offered by selfhelp
organisations benefit older people, by satisfying their desire to remain active,
independent and involved. By giving older people a "voice" in describing their
experiences, the research seeks to discover their motivations for participation, what
benefits they saw as deriving from participation, and how participation affected their
self-assessed quality of life.
A phenomenological and modified Grounded Theory approach was adopted to elicit
the lived experience of the participants and explore their reflections on their
experiences. Twenty-five participants aged 65 to 82 (14 women and l1 men) were
purposively selected from seven different community-based organisations with a
range of size, structure and membership, and offering different activities. Through
semi-structured interviews conducted by a researcher of similar age and experience,
participants were able to voice their opinions freely without the constraint of ageism.
Interview transcriptions provided rich descriptions; respondents' voices have been
captured and used extensively in the study, allowing in-depth exploration of their
attitudes and feelings. Interview data were coded and analysed using thematic
analysis (Strauss & Corbin 1990; Charmaz, 2006).
Using as a framework for analysis of respondents' experiences Toffler's (1981)
concepts of "community, structure and meaning", the study suggests that
participation in community-based organisations helps older people maintain their
wellbeing, independence and self-esteem and a sense of purpose and identity.
Participation gives older people opportunities to make new friends, to use their
knowledge and experience, to act reciprocally, and to continue learning in an
informal, supportive setting.
The study revealed that self-assessed wellbeing is affected less by people's age and
state of health than by their social support networks, and that community-based
organisations have an important role in providing the mental, physical and social
activities that benefit older people. Groups run by older people for their peers were
found to be particularly successful in providing older people with opportunities to
share experiences and understandings, to cope with loss, and to observe and learn
coping strategies for successful ageing


Long-range correlated errors can severely impact the performance of NISQ (noisy intermediate-scale quantum) devices, and fault-tolerant quantum computation. Characterizing these errors is important for improving the performance of these devices, via calibration and error correction, and to ensure correct interpretation of the results. We propose a compressed sensing method for detecting two-qubit correlated dephasing errors, assuming only that the correlations are sparse (i.e., at most s pairs of qubits have correlated errors, where s<<n(n-1)/2, and n is the total number of qubits). In particular, our method can detect long-range correlations between any two qubits in the system (i.e., the correlations are not restricted to be geometrically local). Our method is highly scalable: it requires as few as m = O(s log n) measurement settings, and efficient classical postprocessing based on convex optimization. In addition, when m = O(s log^4(n)), our method is highly robust to noise, and has sample complexity O(max(n,s)^2 log^4(n)), which can be compared to conventional methods that have sample complexity O(n^3). Thus, our method is advantageous when the correlations are sufficiently sparse, that is, when s<O(n^(3/2) / log^2(n)). Our method also performs well in numerical simulations on small system sizes, and has some resistance to state-preparation-and-measurement (SPAM) errors. The key ingredient in our method is a new type of compressed sensing measurement, which works by preparing entangled Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger states (GHZ states) on random subsets of qubits, and measuring their decay rates with high precision.


This project explored the effects of existing run-of-river hydroelectric power (HEP) schemes across England and Wales on communities of small freshwater animals (macroinvertebrates). The research found a very small but statistically significant reduction in the proportion of invertebrates of different families (called evenness) after the HEP schemes were built. It's unclear whether a change in evenness is ecologically important or just a reflection of adaptation to changing conditions.
Run-of-river HEP schemes, which are usually built on existing weirs, are often presumed to be less ecologically damaging than large-scale reservoir storage schemes. However, there is currently limited scientific evidence about their ecological impact. The aim of the study was to see whether macroinvertebrate communities associated with HEP schemes have changed in a different way from unaffected but similar sites over the same time period. The research highlighted the wide variability in invertebrate communities in streams and rivers at a given site over time and between sites at the same time. The study also demonstrated the value of looking at as many sites as possible to detect the presence or absence of effects from site-based interventions where other drivers of change may be present.
The research complements an earlier project on fish and makes use of a multi-site before-after, control-impact (BACI) study. Use was made of routine environmental surveillance data collected by the Environment Agency as part of its long-term monitoring programmes.


(cid:3) Abstract — Plasmodium vivax malaria differs from P. falciparum malaria in that a person suffering from P. vivax infection can suffer relapses of the disease. This is due the parasite being able to remain dormant in the liver of the patients where it is able to re-infect the patient after a passage of time. During this stage, the patient is classified as being in the dormant class. The model to describe the transmission of P. vivax malaria consists of a human population divided into four classes, the susceptible, the infected, the dormant and the recovered. The effect of a time delay on the transmission of this disease is studied. The time delay is the period in which the P. vivax parasite develops inside the mosquito (vector) before the vector becomes infectious (i.e., pass on the infection). We analyze our model by using standard dynamic modeling method. Two stable equilibrium states, a disease free state E 0 and an endemic state E 1 , are found to be possible. It is found that the E 0 state is stable when a newly defined basic reproduction number G is less than one. If G is greater than one the endemic state E 1 is stable. The conditions for the endemic equilibrium state E 1 to be a stable spiral node are established. For realistic values of the parameters in the model, it is found that solutions in phase space are trajectories spiraling into the endemic state. It is shown that the limit cycle and chaotic behaviors can only be achieved with unrealistic parameter values.


Despite the business importance attached to the choice of features in organizational Web sites, most research on the subject is descriptive in nature. To our knowledge, no study has attempted to understand the underlying theoretical rationale explaining firms' choice of Web site features. Adoption of innovative systems by organizations is not always a rational decision based on the market innovation perspective, it may be based on the organizations' decision to conform to the institutionalized norms within or across the industries. In a similar vein, the underlying rationale for the firms' choice of Web site features may be either predominantly rational or institutional. We use Web content analysis to examine the dominant theoretical perspective guiding the organizational Web sites: rational (differentiation) or institutional (alikeness). For this, we analyze the data recorded from 243 Web sites: 91 information technology firms (IT industry), 67 business schools (education industry) and 85 banks (banking industry). Data pertaining to 20 features of Web sites are classified into information and interactive contents within and across three industries. Results suggest that Web site features are primarily explained by intra-industry norms of alikeness rather than inter-industry similarities, thereby supporting the preponderance of institutional perspective for Web site features within each of the three industries examined. In contrast, differences in Web site features across the three industries can be explained using the rational perspective. Thus, both rational and institutional perspectives serve as useful theoretical lenses for understanding choice of organizational Web site features. The study also delineates a set of implications for research and practicebusiness schools differentiation imitation institutional theory inter-industry intra-industry isomorphismIT firms rational Web sites.


The unique achondrite meteorite Northwest Africa (NWA) 6704 and its paired samples are fragments of an unknown parent asteroid that experienced large-scale igneous melting early in our solar system's history. The geochemistry and mineralogy of NWA 6704 show that its parent asteroid has affinities with carbonaceous chondrites and that the precursor materials were relatively oxidized. While large-scale melting has affected the meteorite, there is no evidence for equilibration with a metallic melt. NWA 6704 paired meteorites therefore provide insights into the evolution of planetesimals and bodies that accreted from source materials, possibly in the ice-rich outer solar system. Currently, we lack an understanding of the distribution of potential parent asteroids of the NWA 6704 meteorites. We have undertaken a detailed multiwavelength (0.35–25 μm) spectroscopic and geochemical investigation of NWA 6704 to provide constraints on the potential parent asteroids of these enigmatic meteorites. In comparison with asteroid spectra, NWA 6704 is similar to the S(VI) subtypes of the S-asteroid complex. By using the Bus-DeMeo Taxonomic Classifier, we determine that NWA 6704 has affinities toward V-type (Vesta type) asteroids. We have determined that the parent asteroid of NWA 6704 would be a V-type asteroid that is not dynamically linked to Vesta and also fall in the S(VI) subtype of the Band I center versus Band area ratio diagram. A search in the literature for potential parent bodies yielded one asteroid, (34698) 2001 OD22, as a possible candidate.


Published date: Investigation shows that reactor core performance largely depends on the power. It was in recognition of the role of this importance parameter that measurements were performed to verify the effect of temperature on core power of the Nigeria Research Reactor–1 (NIRR-1), which is Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (MNSR). Our results show that the core power for a preset neutron flux of 5.0×1011 cm-2s-1 shows a fluctuating behaviors and the values ranges from 14.85 kW to 15.09 kW with average excess reactivity of 3.07 mK and 2.99 mK respectively. The power coefficient off reactivity was also found to be (0.113 mK/kW and 0.114 mK/kW) with an average coolant temperature difference of 12.2 °C. The results also indicate the need to obtain a correction factor for samples that will stay in the reactor for cyclic or longer period of irradiation provided there will be shutdown and start-up in-between the irradiations and also addition of beryllium shim to the reactor is necessary in order to compensate for the loss of core excess reactivity. Our results also revealed that there is a strong dependence of the reactor power on coolant temperature difference, which is in perfect agreement with the design of the MNSR and findings of many workers in the area. The computer program developed in this work for the determination of core power using moderator parameters will not only serve as a new source code for microcomputer control of the reactor peak power and flux distribution but will also make it possible for the microcomputer console to display real time core power level, thermal limitation of the reactor core, a tool that is lacking in MNSR design.


A religious movement initiated in mid-1990s by the Tehrik-e-Nafaz-eShariat-e-Mohamadi (TSNM) for bringing about Shariah in the valley of Swat gradually transformed into an armed insurgency by 2007. Initially, the government tried to quell the movement and the insurgency by small army operations and peace deals. However, when the insurgency strengthened in 2009, the government decided to carry out a large-scale army operation Rah-e-Rast. In this article I critically reflect on the immediate and deep-rooted causes of the fall of Swat Valley to the Taliban. The immediate causes include the flawed peace pacts between Pakistani State and the Taliban, and state's reconciliatory policy and the resulting complacency. The deep rooted causes include partial merger of the valley with Pakistan, exploitation of religious sentiments, weak legal and judicial system, economic deprivation, international politics, and lack of comprehensive counter insurgency and de-radicalization policy.


We present a science forecast for the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS) survey. Focusing on discrete tracers, we forecast the expected accuracy of the baryonic acoustic oscillation (BAO), the redshift-space distortion (RSD) measurements, the fNL parameter quantifying the primordial non-Gaussianity, the dark energy and modified gravity parameters. We also use the line-of-sight clustering in the Lyman a forest to constrain the total neutrino mass. We find that eBOSS luminous red galaxies, emission line galaxies and clustering quasars can achieve a precision of 1, 2.2 and 1.6 per cent, respectively, for spherically averaged BAO distance measurements. Using the same samples, the constraint on fob is expected to be 2.5, 3.3 and 2.8 per cent, respectively. For primordial non-Gaussianity, eBOSS alone can reach an accuracy of a (f(NL)) similar to 10-15. eBOSS can at most improve the dark energy figure of merit by a factor of 3 for the Chevallier-Polarski-Linder parametrization, and can well constrain three eigenmodes for the general equation-of-state parameter. eBOSS can also significantly improve constraints on modified gravity parameters by providing the RSD information, which is highly complementary to constraints obtained from weak lensing measurements. A principal component analysis shows that eBOSS can measure the eigenmodes of the effective Newton's constant to 2 per cent precision; this is a factor of 10 improvement over that achievable without eBOSS. Finally, we derive the eBOSS constraint (combined with Planck, Dark Energy Survey and BOSS) on the total neutrino mass, sigma (Em(upsilon)) = 0.03 eV (68 per cent CL), which in principle makes it possible to distinguish between the two scenarios of neutrino mass hierarchies.


In this research the behavior of cylindrical shells under axial load have been studied. The experimental program is included two groups: the first consists of nine cylinders; each has a diameter of 150 mm, while the height varies from 100 to 500 mm and thickness of 1.5 mm, test results show that the optimum height to achieve the maximum strength is 300 mm with L/D equal to 2. The second group consists of two cylinders with diameter of 150 mm and height of 300 and 500 mm strengthened with stiffeners plate welding from inside at four quarters with thickness of 1.5 mm and width 20 mm fabricated from the same metal of the cylinders. After testing these two cylinders were gain an increase in the strength reached to 42% for 300 mm cylinder and 26.4% for 500 mm cylinder. The failure modes for these two groups are: the buckling at bottom like "elephant's foot" for cylinders height from 100 to 300 mm and "inelastic buckling" for cylinders height from 350 to 500 mm for the first group, and the " inelastic buckling" for the second group.


Excessive internet use and its problematic outcomes is a growing focus of research, receiving attention from academics, journalists, health workers, policymakers and the public. However, surprisingly little has yet been accomplished in terms of understanding the causes and consequences of this phenomenon. I argue that this is due to the framing of excessive internet use as an addiction, which leads researchers to neglect people's reasons and motivations for excessive internet use. The perspective taken in this thesis is that excessive internet use may help people to cope with difficult life situations. This explains why people keep using the internet excessively despite problematic outcomes: the overall experience is positive because worse problems are alleviated. Based on the relationship between a person's well-being, which is the focal point of literature on excessive internet use, and the motivations for media use grounded in uses and gratifications research, this thesis proposes a combined framework to examine if excessive internet use may be explained as a coping strategy taken to excess. This question was asked in relation to three online activities: World of Warcraft; Facebook; and online poker. Each group was surveyed about their psychosocial well-being, motivations for internet use, and any problematic outcomes. Findings showed that interactions between motivations for use and psychosocial well-being were important explanatory factors for problematic outcomes. Respondents with low self-esteem or high stress experienced more problematic outcomes when gaming or gambling to escape negative feelings, while escapist use was less problematic for players with high self-esteem or low stress. This has implications for how society needs to respond to cases of excessive internet use, since such behaviour can be both helpful and harmful. Future studies may usefully move beyond theories of addiction and consider excessive internet use as a coping behaviour that has both positive and negative outcomes.


The icteric male rabbits produced through ligation of common bile duct were employed for investigating not only the shifts of serum bilirubin glucuronide fraction but the change of formation of benzoyl glucuronide or hippuric acid after administration of benzoic acid and the following results were obtained. 1. The molar ratio of glucuronic acid to bilirubin in the serum decreased by ligating the
common bile duct, however, the ratio kept on nearly 1.0 even later than the 3rd day in the normal rabbits, while, the molar ratio in the rabbits with liver injury were more markedly depressed as compared to normal group and kept the value 0.55-0.45. The liver injury with chloroform and that with carbon tetrachloride showed no difference in the molar ratio. 2. No significant difference in 3 fractions of bilirubin fractionated by the method of Kosaka-Hara was found between normal rabbits and rabbits with liver injury after common bile duct ligation; almost all were equally occupied with ester form bilirubin, besides, no change could also be observed by the duration after common bile duct ligation. 3. The good correlation was found between molar ratio of glucuronic acid contained in ester form bilirubin to ester form bilirubin in serum and the grade of disturbance of the serum colloidal reaction. 4. In case that the grade of liver injury showed more than (+), molar ratio revealed less tkan 0.8, on tke other hand, no liver injury was found in the cases with 1.2 or more. 5. When benzoic acid was given to the normal rabbits with ligated common bile duct the excretion of benzoic acid or hippuric acid became minimum after 3 days and showed some recovery after 5 days, while, the excretion of benzoyl glucuronide increased after ligation of common bile duct, however, already revealed the tendency to decrease when the excretion of benzoic acid or hippuric acid reach minimum. It was considered from this results that a limitation seemed to exist in the substitutional effect of glucuronic acid conjugation. On the other hand, not only the excretion of benzoic acid but that of benzoyl glucuronide was diminished in the rabbits with liver injury as compared to normals, then it was concluded that the substitutional effect of glucuronic acid conjugation impaired in the case of liver injury.


Formulating healthy food rich in omega 3 fatty acids requires prior knowledge of the parameters influencing their bioavailability and their metabolic fate. In this context, we studied the effects of various emulsifiers widely used in the food industry, on the gastrointestinal lipolysis of flaxseed oil emulsions in an in vitro model and on the intestinal absorption and lymphatic secretion of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) in rats. In vitro data showed that the emulsification of flaxseed oil with soya lecithin improved the gastric lipolysis of the oil (+30%), while the presence of Tween 80 or of sodium caseinate decreased it (-80% and -40%, respectively). The in vivo data demonstrated that the intestinal absorption and the lymphatic secretion of ALA were improved with soya lecithin (Cmax = 24 mg mL(-1)) and reduced in the presence of sodium caseinate (Cmax = 7 mg mL(-1)) compared to unemulsified flaxseed oil (Cmax = 16 mg mL(-1)); Tween 80 had no effect. In addition, the synthesized chylomicrons were notably larger and more numerous with soya lecithin whereas they were smaller in the presence of sodium caseinate (p < 0.05). This study shows that the intestinal bioavailability of ALA was increased by the emulsification of flaxseed oil with soya lecithin via an improved lipolysis, favouring the intestinal absorption of ALA and the secretion of many large chylomicrons in lymph.


What do preschool children value about museums, and how can we find out? This case study focused on children of preschool age (three and four years) who were already experienced visitors to our UK art museum.  They were given a cuddly toy to take on a guided tour of the museum in order for them to highlight what they considered key objects and features.  This enabled many rich and in-depth conversations between the children, their parents and the researcher.  The children were also invited to draw - about their museum visits - and parents were interviewed to give their perspectives on their children's museum experiences.  Analysis of the children's talk revealed that they valued many different aspects of the experience of visiting the museum – not just the activities and resources specifically designed for families - and displayed a good deal of 'museum literacy' in addition to carrying out sophisticated analyses of particular objects.  The study calls for greater focus on this age group in museum education, particularly through research led by practitioners, who observe on a daily basis how young children express their relationships with museum objects, and who have a wealth of local experiences which could be developed through thoughtfully planned action research.


Numerous statutes and the tort of wrongful discharge purport to prohibit companies from retaliating against employee whistleblowers. However, whistleblowers often lose retaliation lawsuits because these statutory and common law tort protections depend upon a variety of nuanced factors, such as the employer for whom the whistleblower works, the kind of wrongdoing reported, the way in which the employee blew the whistle, and, under some laws, the willingness of an administrative agency to investigate the whistleblower's claim. Given these difficulties, this Article explores an alternate route for whistleblower protection: enforcing the existing contract protections that private employers currently provide employees when they report misconduct. Rules recently enacted by the major stock exchanges now require each publicly traded company to publish a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics promising not to retaliate against employees. These Code anti-retaliation promises potentially provide broader whistleblower protection than statutory and tort protections, and enforcing the Codes contractually could address the weaknesses of these traditional remedies. This Article highlights the benefits of breach of contract claims based on corporate Codes, addresses the potential difficulties that whistleblowers may face when asserting such claims, and presents possible solutions to these problems.


Alarge proportion of accidental paediatric exposures and deliberate self-poisoning incidents involve paracetamol; it is the leading pharmaceutical agent responsible for calls to Poisons Information Centres in Australia and New Zealand. Management of paracetamol poisoning has altered since the previous guidelines were published in 2008, so that they do not reflect current practice by clinical toxicologists. The key changes from the previous guidelines concern the indications for administration of activated charcoal; the management of patients taking large or massive overdoses; modified-release and supratherapeutic ingestions; and paediatric liquid paracetamol ingestion.


Development of cataracts is a relatively frequent ocular disease of the dog and cataract extraction via phacoemulsification (PE) is commonly performed by veterinary ophthalmologists. Postoperative ocular hypertension (POH) describes the elevation of pressures within the eye during the acute postoperative period and can result in vision loss and poor surgical outcome. Relatively little is known about risk factors or efficacy of prophylactic treatment for POH, and current clinical practice with regard to pressure monitoring and medication administration are highly variable. The literature on POH prophylaxis in humans indicates that improved efficacy may be achieved with a multi-dose approach and that dorzolamide hydrochloride/timolol maleate (DHTM) may be more efficacious than other pressure lowering medications. The canine literature on POH prophylaxis is limited and DHTM has not yet been evaluated despite common use in the clinical setting. Our objectives, therefore, were to investigate risk factors for POH and to test the hypothesis that perioperative topical ophthalmic dorzolamide hydrochloride 2%/timolol maleate 0.5% (DHTM) reduces the prevalence and/or severity of postoperative ocular hypertension (POH) in dogs undergoing cataract extraction by phacoemulsification (PE). We employed a randomized double-masked placebo-controlled study and enrolled 103 dogs (180 eyes) presenting for unilateral or bilateral PE. Select historical, signalment, ophthalmic examination, and surgical data was collected. Dogs were treated with DHTM or Blink Contacts (BC) placebo at 14and 2-h preoperatively and at conclusion of surgical closure. Intraocular pressures were assessed by rebound tonometry at 2, 4, 6, and 8 hours after surgery and at 8 am the following morning. POH was defined as IOP>25 mmHg and intervention consisted of latanoprost 0.005% if IOP rose to 26 mmHg 45 mmHg or surgeon treatment of choice if >45 mmHg. Our investigation of risk factors yielded a statistically significant association only with surgeon and surgical time, which were also associated with one another. DHTM significantly reduced the prevalence of POH in comparison with BC (26% versus 49% of eyes, OR=0.36; 34% versus 62% of dogs, OR=0.32). There was also a trend toward reduction of POH severity in DHTM-treated eyes (POH value 37.17±10.47 mmHg with BC, 32.67±6.39 mmHg with DHTM). DHTM-treated eyes that developed POH were significantly more likely to respond favorably (1 hour post-treatment IOP <25 mmHg) to treatment with latanoprost than those in the BC group (76% versus 51%, OR=3.87). We conclude that multi-dose perioperative administration of DHTM may be recommended in dogs undergoing PE to reduce the risk of POH and improve responsiveness of POH to treatment with latanoprost.


We show how the quantum Zeno effect can be exploited to implement the CNOT gate in two separated cavities with two atomic four-level tripod systems. In respective subspaces of the total Hilbert space, the evolution of the quantum system exhibits different dynamical properties due to the continuous coupling between atoms and cavities. The strictly numerical simulation reveals that a high average gate fidelity can be obtained in the presence of decoherence.


Titania is one of the most preferable ceramic membrane materials of superior durability (as zirconia) when compared to that of other ceramics, e.g. alumina or silica. The surface charge of the membrane top layer is an important parameter of the separation performance of the multilayer ceramic membrane due to the Donnan exclusion mechanisms. In this study, the change of the surface charge of unsupported nano-structured titania top layer is investigated with calcination temperature variation. The effect observed indicates the possibility of preparation of tailor-made top layers for multilayer ceramic membranes.


This thesis describes the investigation into finding a safer alternative to the polychloroprene cross-linking agent ethylene thiourea (ETU). The novel approach of utilising spectroscopic analysis in combination with a study of mechanical and physical properties of polychloroprene was employed. Currently the most effective cross-linking system for polychloroprene is ETU in combination with zinc oxide (ZnO). However, due to the health risks associated with it, ETU may in the future be banned or heavily regulated, thus a replacement is sought. An investigation of the cross-linking mechanisms of ETU alone, and ETU in conjunction with ZnO was completed. This was necessary as polychloroprene cross-links differently to many other polymers. The study was carried out using model compounds, such as amines and thiols, in addition to work on more widely used accelerators, including thiurams and dithiocarbamates; this revealed that at least three disparate mechanisms are in operation. These mechanisms, comprise one of a cationic nature employed by ZnO, a bis-alkylation mechanism of ETU and a new proposed mechanism seen when ETU and ZnO work together synergistically. This new mechanism shows ZnO activating the polymer chain, followed by the sulfur of ETU creating a cross-link. Using this new mechanism, several new accelerators were proposed. These accelerators contain a dithiocarbamate group and are complexed with diamines. The diamine present acts as an activator and the dithiocarbamate group a cross-linker. These new accelerators were tested in pure polychloroprene rubber on their own, and in combination with tetrabenzyl thiuramdisulfide (TBzTD) or ZnO. All the proposed accelerators were able to cross-link. The replacement which most closely matched ETU, in terms of physical and mechanical properties of the vulcanisate was a complex of piperazine-1-carbodithioic acid and 1,3-diaminopropane (named PNA5). This accelerator was taken forward and tested in a filled commercial master batch. As a successful conclusion to the project a complete PNA5-based system was shown to closely match the performance of an ETU system in a master batch. Concomitantly the use of a multi-functional additive (a complex formed between stearic acid and 1,4-diaminobutane) allowed a reduction in ZnO needed, due to environmental concerns.


We show that direct measurement of the beam radius in Z-scan experiments using a CCD camera at the output of a 4f-imaging system allows higher sensitivity and better accuracy than Baryscan. One of the advantages is to be insensitive to pointing instability of pulsed lasers because no hard (physical) aperture is employed as in the usual Z-scan. In addition, the numerical calculations involved here and the measurement of the beam radius are simplified since we do not measure the transmittance through an aperture and it is not subject to mathematical artifacts related to a normalization process, especially when the diffracted light intensity is very low.


Get Peak Performance from Two-Stroke Engines

Do you spend more time trying to start your weed trimmer than you do enjoying your backyard? With this how-to guide, you can win the battle with the temperamental two-stroke engine.

Written by long-time mechanic and bestselling author Paul Dempsey, Two-Stroke Engine Repair & Maintenance shows you how to fix the engines that power garden equipment, construction tools, portable pumps, mopeds, generators, trolling motors, and more. Detailed drawings, schematics, and photographs along with step-by-step instructions make it easy to get the job done quickly. Save time and money when you learn how to:

Troubleshoot the engine to determine the source of the problem
Repair magnetos and solid-state systems--both analog and digital ignition modules
Adjust and repair float-type, diaphragm, and variable venturi carburetors
Fabricate a crankcase pressure tester
Fix rewind starters of all types
Overhaul engines--replace crankshaft seals, main bearings, pistons, and rings
Work with centrifugal clutches, V-belts, chains, and torque converters

Table of contents
Introduction; Ch. 1. Fundamentals; Ch. 2. Troubleshooting; Ch. 3. Ignition Systems; Ch. 4. Fuel Systems; Ch. 5. Starters and Related Components; Ch. 6. Engine Service; Ch. 7. Power Transmission; Index


This paper develops the first evidence on how individuals' union membership status affects their net fiscal impact, the difference between taxes they pay and cost of public benefits they receive, enriching our understanding of how labor relations interacts with public economics. Current Population Survey data between 1994 and 2015 in pooled cross-sections and individual first-difference models yield evidence that union membership has a positive net fiscal impact through the worker-level channels studied.


This paper examines whether there is an externality of parental occupational exposure to pesticides on children's health, and whether some children are more severely affected by the externality than others. Using the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination survey, we find children of exposed parents are more likely to develop chronic conditions and less likely to attain good health than children of unexposed parents, after controlling for a large set of child and family characteristics. Furthermore, children from low socioeconomic status are most vulnerable to health shocks resulting from pesticides and other related environmental toxins. Our analysis suggests that terminating the pathway of parental occupational exposure would be cost effective to correct the externality. Taken together with earlier findings that poor childhood health is associated with lower adult earnings, our results suggest more attention to be paid to the health shocks from environmental toxins for the poor as a potential mechanism through which the increasing poverty across generations at the very poor takes place: poverty makes individuals more susceptible to health shocks at childhood, which is associated with worse poverty for their children.


The Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA) subjects a telemarketer's use of autodialed telephone calls, automated text messages, and faxes to statutory damages of $500 per violation or up to $1,500 per willful violation. Depending on the circumstances of the violating communication, the TCPA's penalties can exceed by orders of magnitude any plausible economic estimate of the recipient's actual harm, such that the TCPA, as applied, likely violates the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment. A violating communication causes actual harm of between 6.8 cents and 70.7 cents per violating communication, depending on the communication channel used. The remainder of the TCPA's statutory damages is purely punitive. The punitive component of the TCPA's statutory damages is between 706 and 22,058 times the total actual damages that a violating communication imposes. That multiplier can vary significantly according to the specific circumstances of the violating communication. Given the Supreme Court's jurisprudence on punitive damages, lower courts must take seriously the possibility that the TCPA's statutory damages violate the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment as applied.


In this paper, we study the dynamic interdependencies between high-frequency volatility, liquidity demand as well as trading costs in an electronic limit order book market. Using data from the Australian Stock Exchange we model 1-min squared mid-quote returns, average trade sizes, number of trades and average (excess) trading costs per time interval in terms of a four-dimensional multiplicative error model. The latter is augmented to account also for zero observations. We find evidence for significant contemporaneous relationships and dynamic interdependencies between the individual variables. Liquidity is causal for future volatility but not vice versa. Furthermore, trade sizes are negatively driven by past trading intensities and trading costs. Finally, excess trading costs mainly depend on their own history.


Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-dependent protein kinase R (PKR) has been generally thought to be solely regulated by dsRNA, an intermediate in the replication of many viruses. However, the notion that PKR acts solely as a sensor for viral infection has been challenged by recent findings that alteration of PKR activity has effects on cellular growth and by the discovery of a virus-independent activator of PKR, a cellular protein called PACT (PKR-activating protein). The activation of the transcription factor nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) by PKR has been shown to account for the host antiviral response. We summarize the most recent findings on the molecular mechanisms leading to the activation of NF-kappaB by PKR and discuss three major unanswered questions. First, is PACT an alternative to dsRNA as a direct activator of the PKR-NF-kappaB pathway? Second, how is PACT itself activated and targeted to PKR? And third, what are the biological functions of PKR in the absence of viral infection?


In his essay, 'Dilemma of a Dog Barking at a Mountain: Pragmatist-Idealist Dialectic and the Writer in Malaysia', Kee Thuan Chye, Malaysia's foremost playwright, critic and columnist, evaluates his position as an idealist-writer — one 'who desires to write without fear or restraint, and to reassess it in relation to (his) willingness as a person to accept the consequences of (his) desire, no matter how adverse these consequences may be' (67) — and as a pragmatist who also has to consider the 'harsh realities' in Malaysia as he is 'subject to conditions peculiar to (Malaysian) society'. He confesses that this dilemma he is in has begun to raise 'suspicions of (his) validity and self-worth' and, as such, the pragmatist in him 'is getting increasingly circumspect and sweaty under the collar' (67). This journal article is available in Kunapipi: http://ro.uow.edu.au/kunapipi/vol32/iss1/4


Modern copyright law is based upon a theory: increase copyright protection and you increase the number of creative works available to society. This theory has been the driving force behind an economic vision that has expanded, beyond all recognition, the original law created by the Statute of Anne. And with this expansion, we are told that the costs associated with copyright are worthwhile because of the bounty it produces. What if this theory could be tested? After all, this is not a question of faith or morality, nor is it a statement on how humans should behave; it is a theory about how humans do behave. In this article, we use statistical analysis to test the theory that increasing copyright protection usually increases the number of new creative works. Relying upon U.S. copyright registrations from 1870 through 2006 as a proxy for the number of works created, we considered how four variables, population, the economy, law changes, and technology influenced subsequent copyright registrations. Based upon this data, our findings cast serious doubt on the idea that with copyright law, one size fits all. While individual law changes may be associated with changes in subsequent copyright registrations, overall, the relationship between law changes and registrations is neither consistent nor completely predictable.


In Zimbabwe, a broad-ridge and broad-furrow tillage system was promoted by the state, scientists and a nongovernmental organisation for its presumed agronomic and environmental viability and economic returns for small farmers. Zungwi vlei, a wetland of value to the community was transformed from a common use natural resource into a limited access broad-ridge and broad-furrow irrigation landscape that benefited a small number of people. Our study sought to understand conflicts over natural resources access, use and management arising from this land use change. The study adopted mixed methods combining qualitative and quantitative data collection tools. The results indicated the presence of a wide range of internal and external conflicts following the transformation of the landscape. Prior to the transformation, low levels of conflict were noted. We concluded that despite the ability of the broad-ridge and furrow tillage system to boost agricultural productivity per square meter, it triggered considerable resource use conflicts as fewer families directly benefited from the innovation. Key words: Development, vlei, agricultural technology, resources conflict, political ecology, Zimbabwe


Abstract For many years, Japan has attracted exceptionally low levels of Foreign Direct Investment. This study sets out to provide a better understanding of the activity of foreign affiliates in Japan, and suggests strategies Japanese policy makers may undertake to optimize the potential for positive spillover effects from Foreign Direct Investment in the future. Using firm-level data, the pattern of distribution of capital and labor of foreign affiliates operating in Japan is presented and analyzed. From 1999 to 2008, foreign affiliates have grown rapidly in numbers, paid capital and number of employees. Nevertheless, dynamics differ between foreign affiliates depending on their origin, position in relation with international trade flows, the nature of the activity they undertake and their place within the organizational structure of their parent multinational company.


This article explores the sociologically neglected practice of hitch-hiking. It demonstrates the paucity of research on what is potentially a fascinating instance of social interaction and it argues that hitch-hiking provides an interesting test case for the applicability of recent social theories of risk and trust. The reasons for the relative decline in hitch-hiking in Britain are discussed and comparisons are made with continental Europe and the U.S.. The article suggests that despite the increasingly risk-averse nature of public bodies, attention to this subject could provide interesting possibilities for policy makers concerned with the development of sustainable modes of transport, as well as for those concerned with the re-vitalisation of civil society.