In September 2004 we left Sweden for South Africa where we in the township of Duncan Village, East London had situated our diploma work with a focus on public space. It was possible for us to do so after receiving a scholarship from SIDA, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. The general aim of our project has been to suggest ways on how to upgrade public spaces, and thereby support and improve the urban social life in Duncan Village, East London. The work has been done in line with the Duncan Village Local Spatial Development Framework (LSDF), a redevelopment program set up by Buffalo City Municipality, with the aim of solving the housing shortage in the area, and along with this improve the social and economical conditions for the residents. Public spaces which have such a large impact on the social conditions and the physical environment of urban areas, have due to the apartheid planning been neglected both in Duncan Village, East London and many other South African cities. Duncan Village has the urban qualities of density and interaction of people in movement but there is no real arena for the public life. We have therefor outlined a suggested for an overall structure of public space. It is based on an inventory showing weaknesses and threnghts in the existing city structure and an analysis functioning as a tool for understanding where, and in what way public activities are conducted. We have also taken the current redevelopment plans of Duncan Village into consideration by trying to envision how they could affect the future structure and use of public spaces. The proposal suggests how the network of public spaces could be complemented and developed, and by this offer better opportunity for social interaction as well as commercial-, public- and transport facilities, along with housing and parks. Two areas/nodes have been chosen for individual detailed studies resulting in design plan proposals for those. The main definition of a public space is obviously that it is not private, but when it comes to further understanding the role it plays in the urban life, and what to consider when planning it, there are several ideas. We have attracted attention to a few aspects that have been significant in our work: Rob Krier - Urban space: Public space should be clearly defined and planned urban space where the boundaries between private and publicare easily understood. Christopher Alexander -The concept of linearity: An appropriate concept for Duncan Village since the main public activities are already today concentrated along a central spine; the Douglas Smit Highway. Bill Hillier - Integration in the urban grid: Accessibility and through-movement which are both spatial and functional effects of integration are crucial for the usage of public space. Howard Besser - Artificial public space: Car orientated spaces as shopping centers outside the city core often exclude the poorer parts of the population. In the redevelopment of Duncan Village we consider it important to provide public spaces accessible to all of its residents. Jan Gehl - The discussion of quality and function: To obtain functional public spaces of high quality the planning method must be: first life, then spaces, then buildings. Gehl divides activities conducted in public space into three categories: necessary, optional and social activities. This division functions as a tool when observing life in public spaces. Following planning principles have also been important for our plan proposals: Crime prevention: Safety is one of the main concerns when developing public spaces in Duncan Village. Public spaces must allow interaction but also ensure that the spaces are defensible. Discouragement of land invasion: Degradation, occupation by informal dwellings and other "non-public" uses originally not intended for public spaces could be prevented if they are developed with a clear public purpose and if there is a mutual concern for them. Diversity and multi-functionality: Close proximity of the private and public spheres makes public spaces welcoming and private dwellings convenient. Diversity in space also supports economic activity. Flexibility and multi-functionality is important when investing in new developments where the cost is crucial. Public open spaces should be able to accommodate a range of activities with change in intensity and changing use over time. An analys method, a pulse measurement, based on Alexander's idea of linearity and Gehl's three categories of activities (necessary, optional or social activities) has functioned as a tool for visual observations of where public activities are most frequent and how they are conducted. We have chosen Douglas Smit Highway which runs centrally through Duncan Village as our research area. The method has helped us to understand where developments or improvements of public spaces are best located. In our proposal for the overall structure of public spaces we have chosen to put our main focus on the environment along Douglas Smit Highway which is the artery linking the area. We suggest a mixture of public spaces with differences in intensity and character to increase movement and thereby interaction of people. We also suggest the upgrading of existing pedestrian paths and the development of new pedestrian connections, giving a structure that increases the accessibility between neighbourhoods and the public places. The areas chosen for detailed studies are of different character, illustrating how public spaces focusing on different uses can be developed and used. The first area includes Gwentsha Memorial Garden, an old burial site, and the site for the Community Hall, showing how these can be upgraded and linked. The area is intended to become a space for optional and recreational activities, a centre of cultural activity. The second area, a plan proposal for the Jabavu node, is taught to be a everyday urban space for intense necessary activities. The area is ment to provide for a civic centre and other public facilities, as well as market places and public spaces for commercial activities and community happenings.


A simulation method for visible and near infrared (VNIR) image is mentioned. The VNIR image obtained by low-level flight is adopted as data resource. After atmospheric correction, the ground reflectivity can be deducted. The simulation method consists of four steps: radiative transfer, spatial resolution, modulation transfer function, and noise simulation. The image of satellite-borne or high-level air-borne sensor could be generated by the simulation method from VNIR image. Experiment is carried out to test the method using an airship as platform. The resulting simulated image is compared to the image with quickbird panchromatic band. The result shows that simulation images enables one to effectively reproduce the entire process of remote sensing of the Earth. The method can be used to simulate VNIR image at satellite level at the same area and the same wavelength.


Zhao et al. noted that when peritoneal macrophages were exposed to both interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and a ligand for Toll-like receptors (TLRs) such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the ligand for TLR-4, the expression and secretion of proinflammatory mediators was enhanced compared with that in cells exposed to either class of ligand alone. Synergism was also observed in an interleukin-12 (IL-12) reporter gene assay between IFN-γ and ligands for TLR-2 [peptidoglycan (PGN)] and TLR-3 (polyI:C). The activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathways by LPS was enhanced by application of both IFN-γ and LPS, whereas activation of the nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) pathway by LPS was not changed by the addition of IFN-γ. LPS stimulated an increase in the abundance of interferon regulator factor 8 (IRF8), and cells deficient for IRF8 showed lower production of inflammatory mediators and were deficient in ERK and JNK activation in response to LPS, PGN, or polyI:C. Introduction of IRF8 or an IRF8 mutant that lacked DNA binding activity into the knockout cells restored the activation of ERK by LPS. IRF8 and TRAF6, a ubiquitin ligase involved in TLR signaling, coimmunoprecipitated from either transfected cells or LPS-stimulated peritoneal macrophages. In transfected cells, IRF8 enhanced ubiquitination of TRAF6, and TRAF6 ubiquitination was reduced in the IRF8 knockout cells. Thus, in addition to its role in stimulating gene expression in response to IFN-γ, IRF8 also enhances signaling through the TLR family of receptors by interacting with and stimulating TRAF6. J. Zhao, H. J. Kong, H. Li, B. Huang, M. Yang, C. Zhu, M. Bogunovic, F. Zheng, L. Mayer, K. Ozato, J. Unkeless, H. Xiong, IRF-8/interferon (IFN) consensus sequence-binding protein is involved in Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling and contributes to the cross-talk between TLR and IFN-γ signaling pathways. J. Biol. Chem. 281, 10073-10080 (2006). [Abstract] [Full Text]


Cardiovascular diseases remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Cardiovascular diseases such as acute myocardial infarction, ischaemia/reperfusion injury and heart failure are associated with cardiac autonomic imbalance characterized by sympathetic overactivity and parasympathetic withdrawal from the heart. Increased parasympathetic activity by electrical vagal nerve stimulation has been shown to provide beneficial effects in the case of cardiovascular diseases in both animals and patients by improving autonomic function, cardiac remodelling and mitochondrial function. However, clinical limitations for electrical vagal nerve stimulation exist because of its invasive nature, costly equipment and limited clinical validation. Therefore, novel therapeutic approaches which moderate parasympathetic activities could be beneficial for in the case of cardiovascular disease. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors inhibit acetylcholinesterase and hence increase cholinergic transmission. Recent studies have reported that acetylcholinesterase inhibitors improve autonomic function and cardiac function in cardiovascular disease models. Despite its potential clinical benefits for cardiovascular disease patients, the role of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors in acute myocardial infarction and heart failure remediation remains unclear. This article comprehensively reviews the effects of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors on the heart in acute myocardial infarction and heart failure scenarios from in vitro and in vivo studies to clinical reports. The mechanisms involved are also discussed in this review.


Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) on host cells recognize motifs known as pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) that are common to groups of microbes. Examples include LPS on Gram-negative bacteria, the structural motif PGN common to all bacteria, MDP the smallest immunostimulatory unit of PGN, and poly I:C the dsRNA analog. PAMP recognition by and stimulation of the innate immune system is crucial to an individual's ability to quickly limit microbial growth and stimulate the adaptive immune system. Characterization of the in vivo immune responses initiated by PAMPs has not been directly addressed. Using growing feathers (GF) as a novel intradermal test site along with concurrent blood sampling, we examined the time-course, phenotype, and severity of PAMP (LPS, PGN, MDP, or poly I:C) elicited leukocyte and cytokine responses in both the peripheral blood circulation (automated hematology analysis) and at the local injection-site (pulp of GF; immunofluorescent staining of pulp cell suspensions). Intradermal injection of LPS or PGN in the pulp of GF resulted in increased heterophil levels in the blood and local tissue as well as smaller increases in macrophage proportions in the tissue. However, injection of PGN also resulted in the rapid recruitment and sustained presence of high levels of T and B lymphocytes at the local tissue site. Unlike PGN, its derivative MDP was not found to be highly immunostimulatory. Poly I:C injection also initiated a unique leukocyte infiltration profile with rapid (4-8 h) increases in macrophages and B cell levels in the pulp of injected GF. Injection of PAMPs (except MDP) in GF was shown to stimulate mRNA expression of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, and CXCL8, and at lower expression levels IL-4 and IFNγ. As the first comprehensive investigation into the immunostimulatory effects of PAMPs in a complex tissue, we show that intradermal administration of PAMPs initiates an elaborate cascade of responses not seen in single cell in vitro studies. Future studies building upon the research reported here will continue to evaluate and dissect innate immune responses in poultry and will find direct application in the development of immunomodulatory treatments, vaccine adjuvants, and breeding/management strategies to improve poultry health.


The document may not be sold or used in conjunction with commercial purposes without prior written approval from UNAIDS (contact: UNAIDS Information Centre). The views expressed in documents by named authors are solely the responsibility of those authors. The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this work do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNAIDS concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers and boundaries. The mention of specific companies or of certain manufacturers' products does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by UNAIDS in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. Errors and omissions excepted, the names of proprietary products are distinguished by initial capital letters.


Objective: To investigate the influence of three different types of shoe models frequently worn at home, including an open heel shoe model, on gait parameters that are associated with fall risk in older persons. Methods: Twenty-five community-dwelling independent older persons were asked to walk on an electronic walkway system, the GAITRite® walkway, while wearing three different shoe models which are frequently worn at home. We measured spatial and temporal gait parameters. Results: Gait velocity and stride length were significantly reduced, and step time, stance, and double support time were significantly increased, when older persons wore an open heel shoe model compared to the high collar shoe models. Conclusion: Wearing an open heel shoe model is associated with gait parameters that are associated with fall risk, compared with a high collar shoe model, in community-dwelling older persons. With regard to falls prevention, further attention for footwear in older persons seems warranted, especially for footwear worn in and around the home.


Previous work has indicated a crucial role for the extracellular cysteine proteinase of Streptococcus pyogenes in the pathogenicity and virulence of this important human pathogen. Here we find that the purified streptococcal cysteine proteinase releases biologically active kinins from their purified precursor protein, H-kininogen, in vitro, and from kininogens present in the human plasma, ex vivo. Kinin liberation in the plasma is due to the direct action of the streptococcal proteinase on the kininogens, and does not involve the previous activation of plasma prekallikrein, the physiological plasma kininogenase. Judged from the amount of released plasma kinins the bacterial proteinase is highly efficient in its action. This is also the case in vivo. Injection of the purified cysteine proteinase into the peritoneal cavity of mice resulted in a progressive cleavage of plasma kininogens and the concomitant release of kinins over a period of 5 h. No kininogen degradation was seen in mice when the cysteine proteinase was inactivated by the specific inhibitor, Z-Leu-Val-Gly- CHN2, before administration. Intraperitoneal administration into mice of living S. pyogenes bacteria producing the cysteine proteinase induced a rapid breakdown of endogenous plasma kininogens and release of kinins. Kinins are hypotensive, they increase vascular permeability, contract smooth muscle, and induce fever and pain. The release of kinins by the cysteine proteinase of S. pyogenes could therefore represent an important and previously unknown virulence mechanism in S. pyogenes infections.


Review of Private Education and Public Policy in Latin America, Laurence Wolff, Juan Carlos Navarro and Pablo Gonzalez (eds.), Washington, DC: Partnership for Educational Revitalization in the Americas (PREAL), 2005 (978-0-9772271-0-5, no price given). This volume, an English revision of a collection that appeared in 2002 (Education privada y politica publica, with the same editors and many of the same contributions), is a hard-copy version of material that is also meant to be available freely on-line.1 Most of its content is devoted to case studies of six Latin American countries (Argentina, Chile, Columbia, Guatemala, Peru, and Venezuela - it omits the chapter on Brazil in the 2002 version)2 that will be of interest to those familiar with educational provision in those countries. The focus of the case studies and of the whole book is on the ways the private sector, or perhaps better the non-governmental sector, can be used to enhance educational opportunity, especially at the primary and secondary levels, although, as Wolff notes (p. 249), the region's private sector is strongest at the post-secondary level. The case studies reveal factors that permit public authorities to get cost-efficient and effective education from independent providers (in Bogota, for instance, concessionaires "must score higher than average on academic tests; under no circumstances can they have below-average results for two consecutive years" (p. 114) and cannot charge parents more than they would pay in the ordinary public sector) and other constellations of factors that work to negate any such benefits. For readers of this journal, however, there is virtually nothing that mentions the possible role of ICT in supporting such provision or increasing access and efficiency. The interest is rather in the general policy position espoused by the editors which they present in terms of 'principal-agent' analysis. Navarro summarises this analysis thus: The idea underlying the case studies is that there is a series of interrelated contracts that create incentives for those participating in the institutions which can influence their practices. On occasion, such practices can serve socially beneficial objectives; sometimes, however, they cause distortions in conduct and resource allocation which worsen the general outcome of school operations. In particular, the contracts within organizations can be analyzed as a process of interaction between a principal and an agent; and the institutional problem can be described in terms of how to make the agent act in a way that is consistent with the principal's goals, (pp. 237-8) It addresses the standard problem of bureaucracies and institutions, that they easily acquire interests in their own perpetuation that have little or nothing to do with the goals for which they were created. We want children to be made literate and numerate; we set up schools for that purpose; but we then divorce the hiring and firing of teachers or principals from the attainment of literacy and numeracy by their pupils. And we wonder why schools fail so often to do what they were intended to do. The principal-agent approach enjoins us to so construct matters that achieving the principal's goals is directly in the interests of the agent, while failing to achieve them is clearly not in the agent's interest. This requires, among other things, that both sides share an understanding of when the goals have been achieved and when they haven't, and a way of recognising what has actually happened.3 Wolff sees a central aim of the collection to be a refocusing of debate about private provision, from a politically loaded argument about the rights and wrongs of free enterprise in the provision of public goods to a concern for efficiency and accountability on the part of both public and private providers. Despite many gaps and deficiencies, the data in the case studies are intended to show that "private education, especially when run by nongovernmental organizations and religiously affiliated groups, is at least as effective as public education, can often reach the poor and underprivileged, and is frequently less costly than public education serving a similar clientele" (p. …


Background : Ensuring the functionality of hospitals and making them safe in the event of disasters poses a major challenge, not only because of the high number of hospitals and their high cost but because there is limited information about current levels of safety and emergency and disaster management in hospitals. Therefore, the aim of this research is to assess disaster preparedness of hospitals at West Java Province, Indonesia. Subjects and Methods: The data for this study were collected from 10 government hospitals in west Java  Province  using  HSI  checklist  from  the  World  Health  Organization  (Pan  American  Health Organization/WHO; 2015) is modified to Bahasa Indonesia Version by the researchers. Analyzing by qualitative method and the sum of the elements for each sub-module led to a total sum, in turn, categorizing by emergency disaster management into one of three categories: A) safe; B) at risk; or C) inadequate. Results: The special hospitals (n=3) were all level B, while the public hospitals (n=5) were all categorized as level B, the public hospitals (n=1) were all categorized as level A, the public hospitals (n=1) were all categorized as level C with respect to disaster management. A lack of hospital emergency and disaster response  and  recovery  planning.  There  was  a  minimum  coordination  of  emergency  and  disaster management activities. The results suggest that the level of hospital preparedness, for disaster for government hospital need a commitment and good support systems. Conclusion: This study showed that the hospital disaster preparedness level, as measured emergency and disaster management by Hospital Safety Index (HIS), west Java Hospital as a government hospital in a Level A, B and C. The hospital's current safety levels are such that patients, hospital staff and its ability to function during and after a disaster are potentially at risk. The level of hospital preparedness is related to hospital accreditation status. To minimize the damage and the suffering the disasters might cause, it is important to maximally mobilize all human resources to cope with difficult situations


This book presents an in-depth analysis of how statutory and third sector organisations have faced the challenge of dealing with former 'terrorists'. Offering a theoretically robust, empirically rich account of work with ex-prisoners and those considered 'at risk' of involvement in extremism in the United Kingdom, Marsden dissects the problems governments are facing in dealing with the effects of 'radicalisation'. Increasingly, governments are struggling with the challenge of dealing with those who have become involved in extremism, and yet, comparatively little is known about how and why people renounce violence. Nor are existing efforts to 'deradicalise' extremists well understood. Arguing that reintegration is a more appropriate framework than 'deradicalisation', Marsden looks in detail at the mechanisms by which people can be supported to move away from extremism. By drawing out implications for policy, practice and academic debates around disengagement from radical subcultures, this book makes a significant contribution to an issue only likely to grow in importance for scholars of criminological theory, terrorism and justice.


Although systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has traditionally been considered a disease of women, men may also be affected. Thirty of 261 patients (12%) with SLE seen in this hospital were men. Arthritis was less common as a first symptom in the men, although this group of patients had discoid lesions and serositis more often than the women. During the follow up a lower incidence of arthritis and malar rash and a higher incidence of other skin complications including discoid lesions and subcutaneous lupus erythematosus was found in the men. The incidence of nephropathy, neurological disease, thrombocytopenia, vasculitis, and serositis, was similar in the two groups. No significant immunological differences were found between men and women. These features indicate that several gender associated clinical differences may be present in patients with SLE.


This study examines the long-run and the short-run relationships between foreign direct investment and economic growth in Ireland. Using an augmented aggregate production function growth model, we applied the bounds testing approach to cointegration, which is more appropriate for estimating small sample studies. The data span for the study is from 1975 to 2006. The results indicate that foreign capital (FDI), domestic capital, and trade are statistically significant in both the long-run and the short-run, having positive effects on economic growth in Ireland. The causality analysis also suggests that there is a bi-directional Granger causality between GDP and FDI, and thus, we conclude that the FDI-led growth hypothesis is valid for the Irish economy.


Summary Gender equality in the sexual and reproductive life of women is an ongoing issue. Male interests, attitudes and beliefs still have a tremendous impact on the lives of females. On the one hand, methodological aspects in research play a crucial role in reaching equality in all aspects of women's life and reproductive health, on the other hand, reproductive rights encompassing the right to reproductive health care and the right to reproductive self-determination are a matter for society at large. Within the context of the male-centeredness of research on women's reproductive health, the issues of abortion, contraception, sex education, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS were discussed and scrutinized. Key words: Gender Equality, Reproductive Health, Abortion, Contraception, Sex Education, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, HIV/AIDS Is there Gender Equality in Women's Reproductive Health? A majority of factors related to women's health, including their access to and utilization of health care services, the quality of the health care available to them, and public policies related to health care, are significantly shaped by the social and political status of women (Travis, 1993). Some health conditions, such as osteoporosis and eating disorders, disproportionately affect women as compared to men, whereas other health concerns, such as hysterectomy and menstruation, are unique to women (Yoder, 1999). The androcentric assumption that men's bodies are normative permeates the field and leads to a range of biases in health research and health care. The most prominent biases are (1) gendercentricity (androcentricity/gynocentricity), (2) overgeneraliztion/overspecificity, (3) gender insensitivity, and (4) double standards (Basow, 2001; Hyde & Mezulis, 2001; Legato, 2002; Eichler, 1991, 1997, 1998; Caplan & Caplan, 1994; Rabinowitz & Sechzer, 1993). Gendercentricity In the area of health, male centeredness (androcentricity) is the value set of our dominant culture. Male behavior serves as a standard, and women's behaviors are considered as deviations from what "normal" individuals (i.e., men) do (Basow, 2001). Until now, no explicit model or theory exists relating to "women's health"; the healthy individual is the healthy male, and the healthy female differs from this norm (Broverman, Broverman, Clarkson, Rosenkrantz & Vogel, 1970; Legato, 2002). The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or injury" (World Health Organization, 1948). This definition emphasizes social conditions, which still differ for women and men in most cultures around the world. Furthermore, positively valued abilities, behaviors and traits - such as intelligence, spatial and mathematical abilities, and independence (Caplan & Caplan, 1994; Halpern, 2001; Hamilton, 2001) - are usually regarded as the domain of males. The "prestigious" diseases, such as coronary heart disease, are typically discussed and considered from the male perspective (Shumaker & Smith, 1995; Legato, 2002). In contrast, several negative conditions are typically regarded as occurring almost exclusively in females. These mental disorders and physical problems include eating disorders, depression, and psychosomatic disorders. This designation is in line with the "women-as-problem" bias that Dr. Matlin mentions in her paper in this volume (Matlin, 2000, 2003; Franke & Kammerer, 2001). Overgeneralization/Overspecificity Ordinarily, men's experience tends to be seen as the appropriate basis for making general statements about practically anything but the family, whereas women's experience is seen as relating only to certain aspects of family life and reproduction. These overgeneralizations of the "healthy male as norm" and of certain illnesses as "female diseases" have led to contradictory conclusions based on a biased research focus. …


Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics has been used to study the microstructural factors controlling the strength and toughness of two alpha-beta, titanium alloys. Fracture toughness was found to be independent of orientation for alloy Ti/6A1/4-V, but orientation dependent for IMI 700, bend and tension specimens giving similar toughness values. Increasing the solution temperature led to the usual inverse relationship between strength and toughness, with toughness becoming a minimum as the beta transus was approached. The production of a double heat treated microstructure led to a 100% increase in toughness in the high strength alloy and a 20% increase in alloy Ti/6A1/4V, with little decrease in strength. The double heat treated microstruoture was produced by cooling from the beta field into the alpha beta field, followed. by conventional solution treatment and ageing. Forging above the beta transus led to an increase in toughness over alpha beta forging in the high strength alloy, but had little effect on the toughness of Ti/6A1/4V. Light and electron microscopy showed that the increased toughness resulted from the alpha phase being changed from mainly continuous to a discontinuous platelet form in a transformed beta matrix. Void formation occurred at the alpha-beta interface and crack propagation was via the interface or across the platelet depending on which process required the least energy. Varying the solution treatment temperature produced a varying interplatelet spacing and platelet thickness. The finest interplatelet spacing was associated with the highest toughness, since a higher applied stress was required to give the necessary stress concentration to initiate void formation. The thickest alpha platelet size gave the highest toughness which could be interpreted in terms of Krafftt's "process zone size" and the critical crack tip displacement criterion by Hahn and Rosenfield from an analysis by Goodier and Field.


Williamson's (1979) transaction cost theory (TCT) has been widely used in information technology (IT) outsourcing research. This research, however, has led to mixed and unexpected results. From a theoretical standpoint, this paper argues that the conceptualization of the constructs and, more importantly, the linkage among constructs that IT outsourcing decision models have hypothesized are not completely in line with TCT. By reviewing the extant IT outsourcing decision models, this paper proposes a model of IT outsourcing decision that is closer to TCT than its predecessors. The model links transaction attributes to the outsourcing decision through a cost analysis mechanism, and also includes some attributes of transactions that have been ignored in past IT outsourcing research. In addition, the proposed model re-examines the role of some transaction attributes by taking into account their moderating effects.


As a young man, Robin Trupp competed in equestrian events. He did well enough to be considered for the U.S. Olympic equestrian team. Robin's horse-riding days ended when he entered law school. But his interest in horses remained and was renewed when his son Austin began to ride in equestrian shows. In the 1990s Trupp began to represent clients in the equine industry, establishing a solo practice in that field. He joined a law firm in 2004 and continued to practice equine industry law, as well as doing other legal work. Trupp attended equestrian shows with his son, which usually ran Fridays through Sundays. He was known as the attorney father of Austin Trupp, so people would approach him with their legal problems at the shows. He claimed to have acquired 40 clients in this manner over the years. In the 2005 tax year, Trupp agreed to pay certain equestrian-related expenses to people who allowed his son to ride their horses at shows. He now proposes to deduct $71,836 as " business promotion " expenses in that year. Not a winning argument, the Tax Court has ruled. The equestrian activities were not engaged in for profit, at least not enough to support the deduction. Factors that the Court considered included: • the manner in which the activity was carried out; • expertise of the taxpayer in the field; • time and effort invested in the activity; • expectation that assets used in the activity might appreciate in value; • success of the taxpayer in carrying out similar or dissimilar activities in the past; • history of income or losses in the activity; • amount of occasional profits; • financial status of the taxpayer; and • elements of personal pleasure or recreation. Although Trupp claimed 40 new clients in the equine field, he only documented income from four such, and the most important of these was unrelated to his attendance at horse shows. He did not advertise his presence at the shows but waited for potential clients to approach him. Given Trupp's background as a distinguished equestrian, he must have taken great pleasure in attending the events in which his son participated. Although Trupp may have gained some business through attendance, it was not sufficient to support the tax deduction.


The security risks of cloud computing and ambiguity of security mechanisms implemented on an ondemand cloud service such as Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), continues to raise concerns by cloud consumers. These concerns continue to hinder the adoption of the potentials offered by provisioning of computer resources of this scale. It also indicates a lot needs to be done to improve security controls implemented on cloud computing services as a whole. There is the need to understand and evaluate security mechanisms and controls implemented to preserve the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data stored, processed and accessed in the cloud. Also there is the need to ensure these mechanisms meet security standards and requirements to mitigate any security risks. Although most organisations and cloud service providers (CSPs) have various information security management systems they used to evaluate their computer security and CSPs try to obtain security certifications based on industry standards, cloud customers are however not sure of the security mechanisms implemented on cloud services and how these mechanism are integrated to provide adequate security for their data and applications developed and deployed in the cloud. This research study highlights the use of a systematic and comprehensive approach developed by the researcher to understand in detail, the security architecture of PaaS clouds. This approach presents the development of a security framework which is used as a tool in an attempt to identify and evaluate security mechanism implemented on each PaaS component. The primary findings and preliminary analysis of the evaluation enabled the researcher determine the security provisions, capabilities and limitations of security features implemented on this type of cloud delivery model.


TO THE EDITOR: The alcohol industry invests in "responsible drinking" advertisements purportedly designed to meet corporate social responsibility objectives. Analysts have proposed that such advertising is used to avoid alcohol control measures and in effect constitutes alcohol promotion.1-4 The Australian alcohol industry organisation DrinkWise recently launched an online video advertisement, "How to drink properly", which has been seen by tens of thousands of viewers. To investigate young drinkers' responses, we conducted a qualitative study with 40 Western Australian drinkers aged 18–21 years. A research agency recruited the sample members from among young people listed in its large database, who were sent an invitation email to ascertain whether they drank alcohol. Eligible respondents were then sent an email in March 2014 containing an internet link to the video and an open-ended request to "Let us know your reactions to this video". The participants responded by reply email. Data were analysed using NVivo 10 (QSR International). The responses were coded according to attitudinal (eg, like/dislike the ad) and behavioural intentions variables. The study was approved by the Curtin University Human Research Ethics Committee. Around two-thirds of respondents reported liking the ad, describing it as "cool", "classy" and "clever". It was viewed as specifi cally targeting their age group: "The message was clearly targeting younger drinkers, perhaps in their teens and 20s"; "You can tell it is solely focused on the younger demographic"; and "It seemed as though it was talking to me and my friends, rather than the whole community". Reasons given for this perception included creative elements (cartoon format, humour, swearing) and recognition of heavy drinking practices: "It accepts that people drink and get 'shitfaced', as the ad says". Some noted that the ad stimulated desire: "It immediately encouraged me to drink". Overall for this sample, the takeout message was that drinking is a normal part of life with distinct advantages if undertaken at "appropriate" levels. No respondents nominated the number of drinks required to achieve this level. Some commented that they were aware of the need to avoid excessive consumption, but that it is diffi cult to stop once drinking has commenced. There was no demonstrated understanding of the National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines, which note that young people up to the age of 25 "are at particular risk of harm from alcohol consumption".5 Our study fi ndings suggest that through its "responsible drinking" advertising, DrinkWise instead risks effectively promoting alcohol consumption to 18–21-year-olds. Of considerable concern is that people aged under 18 are also highly likely to be exposed to this advertisement, given its online placement.


This paper presents an original unsupervised framework to identify regions belonging to buildings and roads from monocular very high resolution (VHR) satellite images. The proposed framework consists of three main stages. In the first stage, we extract information only related to building regions using shadow evidence and probabilistic fuzzy landscapes. Firstly, the shadow areas cast by building objects are detected and the directional spatial relationship between buildings and their shadows is modelled with the knowledge of illumination direction. Thereafter, each shadow region is handled separately and initial building regions are identified by iterative graph-cuts designed in a two-label partitioning. The second stage of the framework automatically classifies the image into four classes: building, shadow, vegetation, and others. In this step, the previously labelled building regions as well as the shadow and vegetation areas are involved in a four-label graph optimization performed in the entire image domain to achieve the unsupervised classification result. The final stage aims to extend this classification to five classes in which the class road is involved. For that purpose, we extract the regions that might belong to road segments and utilize that information in a final graph optimization. This final stage eventually characterizes the regions belonging to buildings and roads. Experiments performed on seven test images selected from GeoEye-1 VHR datasets show that the presented approach has ability to extract the regions belonging to buildings and roads in a single graph theory framework.


The monetary transmission mechanism describes how policy-induced changes in the nominal money stock or the short-term nominal interest rate impact real variables such as aggregate output and employment. Specific channels of monetary transmission operate through the effects that monetary policy has on interest rates, exchange rates, equity and real estate prices, bank lending, and firm balance sheets. Recent research on the transmission mechanism seeks to understand how these channels work in the context of dynamic, stochastic, general equilibrium models.


A new species of cestode, Proterogynotaenia deblocki (Progynotaeniidae), is described from the Red-capped Plover, Charadrius rujicapillus,
from King Island, Tasmania. The new species is characterised by its longer strobila (18-28 mm), large number of proglottids (60-85),
number and size of the hooks on the rostellum (six large hooks 33-39 flm long, six small hooks 13-15 flm long) and large number of
testes (62-83), which are divided by the uterus into two groups.


Nowadays a vast amount of data is generated in Extensible Markup Language (XML). However, it is necessary for applications in some domains to store and manipulate uncertain information, e.g. when the sensor inputs are noisy, or we want to store data that is uncertain. Another big change we can see in applications and web data is the increasing use of ontologies to describe the semantics of data, i.e., the semantic relationships between the terms in the databases.
As such information is usually absent from traditional databases, there is tremendous opportunity to ask new kinds of queries that could not be handled in the past. This provides new challenges on how to manipulate and maintain such new kinds of database systems.
In this dissertation, we will see how we can (i) incorporate and manipulate uncertainty in databases, and (ii) efficiently compute aggregates and maintain views on ontology databases.
First, I explain applications that require manipulating uncertain information in XML databases and maintaining web ontology databases written in Resource Description Framework (RDF). I then introduce the probabilistic semistructured PXML data model with two formal semantics. I describe a set of algebraic operations and its efficient implementation. Aggregations of PXML instances are studied with two semantics proposed: possible-worlds semantics and expectation semantics. Efficient algorithms with pruning are given and evaluated to show their feasibility. I introduce PIXML, an interval probability version of PXML, and develop a formal semantics for it. A query language and its operational semantics are given and proved to be sound and complete. Based on XML, RDF is a language used to describe web ontologies. RDQL, an RDF query language, is extended to support view definition and aggregations. Two sets of algorithms are given to maintain non-aggregate and aggregate views. Experimental results show that they are efficient compared with standard relational view maintenance algorithms.


This Article offers a detailed analysis of major Taft Court decisions involving prohibition, including Olmstead v. United States, Carroll v. United States, United States v. Lanza, Lambert v. Yellowley, and Tumey v. Ohio. Prohibition, and the Eighteenth Amendment by which it was constitutionally entrenched, was the result of a social movement that fused progressive beliefs in efficiency with conservative beliefs in individual responsibility and self-control. During the 1920s the Supreme Court was a strictly bone-dry institution that regularly sustained the administrative and law enforcement techniques deployed by the federal government in its losing effort to prevent the manufacture and sale of liquor throughout the continental United States. This is surprising, because the Taft Court was in other respects dominated by conservative Justices, who were temperamentally opposed to the expansion of the national administrative state, particularly in contexts in which the national government sought to displace local police power. Prohibition represented the greatest expansion of federal regulatory authority since Reconstruction. It caused a major crisis in the theory and practice of American federalism, as the national government, which lacked the courts or police necessary for implementing the Eighteenth Amendment, sought to conscript state judicial and law enforcement resources. Close inspection reveals that the Taft Court's support for prohibition came from an unlikely alliance between two liberal Justices - Holmes and Brandeis - and three conservative Justices - Taft, Van Devanter, and Sanford. Three conservative Justices - McReynolds, Sutherland, and Butler - remained adamantly opposed to prohibition. Holmes's and Brandeis's support of prohibition likely reflects pre-New Deal liberalism's conviction that courts ought to defer to democratic lawmaking. This conviction was sorely tested by the flagrant and persistent defiance of prohibition, as well as by the repressive criminal and administrative techniques used to secure prohibition's enforcement. Not only did progressives grow suspicious of federal regulatory efforts to enforce sumptuary legislation, but they began to question the legitimacy of positive law that lacked resonance with the customs and mores of the population. These trends in American liberalism are visible in Brandeis's famous dissent in Olmstead. They would vanish with the advent of the New Deal and not reappear until the 1960s, in cases like Griswold v. Connecticut, at a time when the American administrative state had become as effectively entrenched as it had been during prohibition in the 1920s. The opposition to prohibition of McReynolds, Sutherland, and Butler represents the traditional pre-New Deal judicial conservative position that positive law, particularly positive national law, was to be judicially disciplined whenever it departed from customary social values. The vigorous support of prohibition by otherwise conservative Justices like Taft, Van Devanter, and Sanford, by contrast, represents a new development in American judicial conservatism. These Justices fused a conservative belief in social control with an embrace of legal positivism. This fusion disappeared from judicial conservatism with the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment, and it did not reappear until the 1970s and the philosophy of Justice Rehnquist, when judicial conservatism finally came to terms with the entrenchment of the American administrative state. The brief constitutionalization of prohibition, in other words, forced Justices on both the right and the left to stop debating whether there should be an American administrative state, and required them instead to reconstruct their judicial philosophy on the assumption that the administrative state was an unalterable reality. It provoked a brief efflorescence of judicial perspectives that would not come into full flower until late in the twentieth century. Prohibition also forced a rethinking of the appropriate limits of national power, as well as fundamental developments in the meaning of Fourth Amendment limitations on law enforcement.


Tissue damage stimulates quiescent cells to reenter the cell cycle through a mechanism that relies on Ajuba-dependent mechanical stimulation of Yorkie activity. In many tissues, local stem cells maintain tissue homeostasis and mediate regeneration after injury. However, tissue damage can induce normally quiescent, differentiated cells to reenter the cell cycle to mediate repair. In Drosophila melanogaster imaginal discs, expression of a transgene encoding the apoptosis-promoting protein Hid induces widespread cell death followed by extrusion of dying cells from the epithelium and compensatory proliferation of the remaining epithelial cells. Hippo signaling inhibits cell proliferation by causing the phosphorylation and cytoplasmic retention of the transcriptional coactivator factor Yorkie (Yki, known as Yap in vertebrates). Yki cooperates with the transcription factor Scalloped (Sd) to promote the expression of genes required for cell proliferation. Meserve et al. found that tissue damage induced by Hid overexpression caused quiescent cells of the Drosophila eye imaginal disc to reenter the cell cycle through a Hippo pathway–dependent mechanism. Yki and its partner Sd were required for compensatory proliferation of epithelial cells in damaged Drosophila eye discs and stimulated the production of cyclin E, a known target of Yki and Sd that promotes cell proliferation. Compensatory proliferation also required the LIM domain protein Ajuba. Ajuba localizes to cell junctions and antagonizes Hippo signaling by preventing kinases downstream of Hippo from phosphorylating Yki. In the Drosophila wing disc, wounding triggers c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling, which in turn activates Ajuba to stimulate compensatory proliferation of epithelial cells in a Yki-dependent manner. In the eye disc, however, JNK signaling was not required for compensatory proliferation. Instead, results were consistent with wounding-induced increases in mechanical tension activating Ajuba. The authors speculate that forces exerted by the extrusion of dying cells from the epithelium directly activate Ajuba to down-regulate Hippo signaling and enable Yki and Sd to stimulate the expression of genes that drive cell cycle reentry. J. H. Meserve, R. J. Duronio, Scalloped and Yorkie are required for cell cycle re-entry of quiescent cells after tissue damage. Development 142, 2740–2751 (2015). [PubMed]


A series of polymerized high internal phase emulsion (polyHIPE) materials have been prepared by using a water in oil emulsion stabilized by a macro-RAFT agent, 2-(butylthiocarbonothioylthio)-2-poly(styrene)-b-poly(acrylic acid), acting as a polymeric surfactant. The pore structures of the formed polyHIPEs were closed. By removing the RAFT-endgroup of the amphiphilic macro-RAFT agent, the obtained polyHIPEs possessed an open structure with voids. The effect of the RAFT-endgroup of the amphiphilic macro-RAFT agent on the surface chemistry of the polyHIPEs is discussed. The obtained polyHIPEs via this surfactant-assisted functionalization strategies were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, FTIR mapping, SEM, SEM-EDX, TEM, XPS as well as synchrotron-based scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM). The latter technique revealed the surface chemistry of the obtained polyHIPEs and macro-RAFT agent multicomponents with a surface spatial resolution of the order of 30–100 nm.


Cardiovascular disease, the single greatest killer in the western world, is credited with causing 48% of all deaths worldwide and is of huge economic importance in healthcare provision. The cardiac troponins are definitive indicators of cardiovascular disease and elevated levels of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) are highly-specific for cardiovascular damage.
Using a specific targeting strategy, a panel of novel antibodies were successfully generated against key epitopes in cTnI that are of paramount importance for specific cardiovascular disease detection. Panels of both monoclonal and recombinant antibodies were generated and fully characterised. This approach required a combination of high-throughput assay screening with "state-of-the-art" multiplexed surface-plasmon resonance-based instrumentation. The selected antibodies were demonstrated to outperform current commercially available reagents.
In addition, inherent difficulties associated with the use and expression of cardiac troponin I, the key target analyte, were investigated in detail and alternative recombinant constructs developed and evaluated.
The antibodies ultimately selected were chosen for their applicability for integration on to a point-of-care risk-chip for cardiovascular disease determination due to their specificity, high affinity and genetic tailoring for deployment on a microfluidic device. This stage involved close collaboration with clinical and industrial partners and the commercial feasibility and performance of the antibodies are now under evaluation.


Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) have recently been introduced for addressing copy-move forgery detection (CMFD). However, current CMFD CNN-based approaches have insufficient performance commitment regarding the localization of the positive class. In this paper, this issue is explored by considering both linear and nonlinear interactions between pixels. A nonlinear Inception module based on second-order Volterra kernels is proposed, in order to ameliorate the results of a state-of-the-art CMFD architecture. The outcome of this work shows that a combination of linear and nonlinear convolution kernels can make the input foreground and background pixels more separable. The proposed approach is evaluated on CASIA and CoMoFoD, two publicly available CMFD datasets, and results to an improved positive class localization performance. Moreover, the findings of the proposed method imply that the nonlinear Inception module stimulates immense robustness against miscellaneous post processing attacks.


In this article, I discuss studies in complexity and its epistemological implications for systematic and practical theology. I argue that engagement with complexity does not necessarily assure a non-reductionist approach. However, if complexity is engaged transversally, it becomes possible to transcend reductionist approaches. Moreover, systematic and practical theologians can draw on complexity in developing new ways of understanding and, therefore, new ways of describing the focus, epistemic scope and heuristic structures of systematic and practical theology. Firstly, Edgar Morin draws a distinction between restricted and general complexity based on the epistemology drawn upon in studies in complexity. Moving away from foundationalist approaches to epistemology, Morin argues for a paradigm of systems. Secondly, I discuss Kees van Kooten Niekerk's distinction between epistemology, methodology and ontology in studies in complexity and offer an example of a theological argument that draws on complexity. Thirdly, I argue for the importance of transversality in engaging complexity by drawing on the work of Wentzel van Huyssteen and Paul Cilliers. In conclusion, I argue that theologians have to be conscious of the epistemic foundations of each study in complexity, and these studies illuminate the heart of Reformed theology.
Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: Therefore, this article has both intradisciplinary and interdisciplinary implications. When theologians engage studies in complexity, the epistemological roots of these studies need to be considered seeing that researchers in complexity draw on different epistemologies. Drawing on transversality would enhance such considerations. Furthermore, Edgar Morin's and Paul Cilliers' approach to complexity will inform practical and theoretical considerations in church polity and unity.


Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to extend the literature on the effects of stock splits from mutual funds splits and the QQQ split to 20 exchange traded funds (ETFs) that span a wide variety of indexes. The split sample is compared to a non-split control sample with similar characteristics between 2000 and 2006. The objectives of this study are to investigate whether the results are different between the split sample and the control sample; and whether these results are similar to other investment vehicles in the existing literature. Design/methodology/approach - The paper examines stock excess returns, total capital, several measures of liquidity, and the premium or discount relative to net present value around the split. It also tests for increases in smaller trades after the split. Findings - The results support the hypothesis that two key management objectives of splitting an ETF stock are to increase demand from retail investors and to increase the total capital under management. Support is also found for the existence of momentum in stock price indexes. Research limitations/implications - The effects of splits are examined in a larger group of ETFs that includes less-heavily traded stocks than the QQQ. These smaller ETFs potentially have more to gain in terms of increased investor interest than the QQQ. Originality/value - Positive excess returns were found in the split ETFs before and after the split. This is consistent with the tendency for stocks to be split following a large price run-up, and with momentum theory. Also, significant increases were found in total capital under management and shares outstanding after the splits for the splitting stocks. This is consistent with the hypothesis that a key goal of managers is to increase their compensation via higher total capital under management. Finally, significant increases were found in the number of small trades and dollar values of trades as a percentage of all trades (and of total dollar volumes) in the split sample. These results support the hypothesis that a primary objective (and result) of ETF stock splits is to make the shares more attractive to individual investors – despite possible deterioration of liquidity as evidenced by wider bid/ask spreads.


An account is given of precipitation measurements taken with various precipitation gauge installations at Ultuna, Sweden during 1957-1960. A new gauge constructed to measure small spatial variations in rainfall is described and tested. The difficulty in measuring both rain and snow with the same elevated gauge is demonstrated. An extrapolation procedure is used in an attempt to estimate the snowfall at the snow surface. The great loss in the catch of snow when using elevated gauges (40-50 % at 1.5 m over the ground surface) indicates that this method is very unsatisfactory for measuring solid precipitation.


Abstract Currently intensive global research efforts are being made to increase and modify the accumulation of lipids, alcohols, hydrocarbons, polysaccharides, and other energy storage compounds in photosynthetic organisms, such as yeast, and bacteria. Qatar is in a unique position in the world because it has a rich biodiversity of photosynthetic micro-organisms and the climate and space to lead the world in the research and use of photosynthetic micro-organisms as a biofuel source. Photosynthetic micro-organisms are remarkable in that they have a high photosynthetic conversion efficiency, rapid growth rate, diverse metabolic capabilities, accumulate relatively little recalcitrant biomass and are able to synthesise a variety of biological energy carriers, such as starch and lipids, that are relevant to renewable-bioenergy studies. Lipids and starch, can be converted into diesel-fuel surrogates and metabolised into a variety of biofuels. For the study of photosynthetic micro-organism production of lipids, understanding the chemical profile of the lipids and starch in the organism's biomass is important. Triglycerides are a common lipid found in these organisms and are formed by combining glycerol with three molecules of free fatty acid (FFA). FFA profiling is valuable for large-scale production of biofuel as it provides information about the variety of FFA produced by cyanobacteria in different environments and growth conditions. Analytical techniques such as ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography (UPLC), matrix -assisted laser desorption ionisation (MALDI) and quadrupole - time of flight mass spectrometry (Q-TOF) are employed in this study for the profiling of FFA from olive oil. The results have shown that triglycerides and FFA can be detected, identified and quantified with great accuracy and precision using olive oil as a sample. This work has achieved a successful profiling method to extract and separate FFA from triglycerides in olive oil. The work will be applied to the study of biofuels and measuring FFA in order to understand the lipid profiles of photosynthetic micro-organisms.


Common-carrier parcel lockers present a solution for decreasing delivery times, traffic congestion, and emissions in dense urban areas through consolidation of deliveries. Multi-story residential buildings with large number of residents, and thus a high volume of online package orders, are one of the best venues for installing parcel lockers. But what is the right size for a residential building locker that would suit the residents' and building managers' needs? Because of the novelty of parcel lockers, there is no clear guideline for determining the right locker size and configuration for a residential building given the resident population. A small locker would result in packages exceeding capacity and being left in the lobby, increasing the building manager's workload and confusing and inconveniencing users. On the other hand, a large locker is more expensive, more difficult to install, and unappealing to residents. To answer this question, we installed a common-carrier parcel locker in a residential building in downtown Seattle, WA, U.S.A. Through collecting detailed data on locker usage from the locker provider company, we studied and quantified carriers' delivery patterns and residents' online shopping and package pickup behaviors. We then used this information to model the locker delivery and pickup process, and simulated several locker configurations to find the one that best suits the delivery needs of the building. These findings could aid urban planners and building managers in choosing the right size for residential building lockers that meet delivery demand while minimizing costs and contributing to environmental benefits.


This study explored depression, anxiety, and help-seeking at a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III historically women's college in the United States, while taking into account gender identities outside of male and female. An online survey including the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, and help-seeking measures were completed by 109 student-athletes. Participants' ages ranged from 18 to 22. Within the sample, 59.7% of participants identified as LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, among other identities) and 8.3% identified as genderqueer/gender-nonconforming. A total of 33.0% of the participants reported symptoms of depression, while 28.5% reported symptoms of anxiety. Genderqueer/gender-nonconforming athletes reported higher rates of anxiety than athletes who identified as women. Higher rates of depression and anxiety were related to higher levels of formal help-seeking. The results indicate that student-athletes at a historically women's college may be experiencing higher levels of depression and anxiety than student-athletes in other contexts and have more positive views toward help-seeking. Student-athletes who identify outside of the gender binary may be at higher risk for anxiety.


Book synopsis: The Civil Partnership Act 2004 and the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 are important legal, social and historical landmarks, rich in symbolic, material and cultural meanings. While fiercely opposed by many, within mainstream narratives they are often represented as a victory in a legal reform process that commenced with the decriminalisation of homosexuality. Yet, at the same time, for others they represent a problematic and ambivalent political engagement with the institution of marriage. Consequently, understood or labelled as 'revolutionary', 'progressive' and 'conservative', these legal reforms provide a space for thinking about issues that arguably affect everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or relationship status.

This edited collection brings together scholars and commentators from a range of backgrounds, generations and disciplines to reflect on the first ten years of civil partnerships and the introduction of same-sex marriage. Rather than rehearsing the arguments 'for' and 'against' relationship recognition, the essays ask original questions, draw on a variety of methods and collectively provide a detailed and reflective 'snap shot' of a critical moment, a 'history of the present' as well as providing a foundation for innovative ways of thinking about and engaging with the possibilities and experiences arising from the new reality of relationship recognition for gays and lesbians.


Background This study aimed to determine the reliability of the velocity achieved during the last repetition of sets to failure (Vlast) and the association of Vlast with the velocity of the 1-repetition maximum (V1RM) during the paused and touch-and-go bench press (BP) exercises performed in a Smith machine. Methods A total of 96 healthy men participated in this study that consisted of two testing sessions. A single BP variant (paused BP or touch-and-go BP) was evaluated on each session in a randomized order. Each session consisted of an incremental loading test until reaching the 1RM, followed by two sets of repetitions to failure against a load ranging from 75% to 90% of 1RM. Results The reliability of Vlast was unacceptable for both BP variants (CV > 18.3%, ICC < 0.60). The correlations between V1RM and Vlast were small for the paused BP (r = 0.18) and moderate for the touch-and-go BP (r = 0.37). Conclusions Although these results suggest that Vlast could be a better indicator of the minimal velocity threshold than V1RM, the low reliability of Vlast and the similar values of Vlast for both BP variants suggest that a standard V1RM should be used to estimate the 1RM from the individualized load-velocity relationship.


This thesis focuses on collective dominance in horizontal concentrations as regulated under the EU Merger Regulation 139/2004. Chapter 1 introduces the issues that this thesis will examine. Chapter 2 focuses on the concept of collective dominance in mergers by setting out the characteristics of its analysis, its link with tacit collusion and the judgments that have formulated the conditions that must be met in order to establish such a position. Chapter 3 examines the economics of collective dominance as it demonstrates the models of oligopolistic interaction, it emphasises on the game theoretic model of tacit collusion and the related criticism, while it also focuses on the structural features that must be assessed in order to determine the oligopolists' collusive incentives. Chapter 4 emphasises on the policy considerations related to each Phase of the evolution of the collective dominance analysis and inspects the policy objectives pursued by the regulation of such positions. Chapter 5 examines the alterations brought about by the Merger Regulation 139/2004 substantive test on the appraisal of collective dominance, it focuses on the EU Horizontal Merger Guidelines' analysis of coordinated effects and makes a comparison to the approach adopted in the 2010 US Horizontal Merger Guidelines. Chapter 6 compares the concept of collective dominance under the Merger Regulation to the concepts of Article 102 collective dominance and Article 101 concerted practices by demonstrating their distinctive approach on tacit collusion. Chapter 7 scrutinizes the relationship between unilateral and coordinated effects by emphasising on their distinctions in economic theory, the set of necessary conditions required to be established and the applicability of econometric analysis. Chapter 8 highlights the proof of collective dominance in mergers as it focuses on the allocation of the burden of proof, it discerns the applicable standard of proof and examines the judicial review of the Commission's decisions. Lastly, Chapter 9 offers a conclusion on this thesis.


Preface About the Author Part I: FACT, MYTH AND IMPACT 1. What Bullying Is and What it Is Not Spotting the Bully How Bullies Act Intent to Harm An Imbalance of Power The Perpetrator Enjoys Bullying Repeated, Systematic Behavior Bullying Hurts Three Types of Bullying Piercing the Myths About Bullies and Bullying Myth #1: Our School Doesn't Have Bullies Myth #2: Other Safety Issues are a Bigger Concern for Kids Myth #3: Schools Should Not Encourage Complaints Myth #4: Teachers See Everything and Respond When Bullying Takes Place Myth #5: It's the Outcasts Who Bully Others Myth #6: Bullies Appear Tough, but They Are All Actually Anxious and Insecure Myth #7: The "Class Bully" Is Easy to Identify Myth #8: It Is Impossible to Catch the Early Warning Signs Myth #9: There Is No Correlation Between Bullying and Cases of Extreme Violence Myth #10: Bullying Is Not a Legal Issue, It's a Character Issue Summary 2. Through the Eyes of the Victim The Impact of Bullying on Victims Impacted for Life The Effects of Chronic Trauma Post-Traumatic Stress Blaming the Victim Signs and Symptoms That May Indicate a Child Is Being Bullied Six Powerful Practices for Detecting Bullying and Harassment in Schools Safe, Responsive Adults Are the Key Being a Safe Adult Being a Responsive Adult Getting Everyone Involved The Nature and Scope of Anti-Bullying Interventions But Is It Legally Fit? Legal Avenues for Effecting Change Summary 3. Social Scheming and TechnoBullying Mean Girls What Does Relational Bullying Look Like? What's the Harm? The Marvels of Modern Technology Three-Way Calling Attacks Instant Messaging Blogging No Privacy on the Internet Online Impersonation What Can Schools Do? Why Kids Don't Report The Code Changing the Adult Response The Complex Role of the Bystander Group Dynamics The Role of the Defender Shifting the Dynamic: Training Bystanders "I'm Afraid to Walk in That Corridor" Is Your Discipline Code Adequate? What Does Retaliation Look Like? Handling Graffiti Summary Part II: THE LEGAL CONTEXT OF BULLYING 4. Bullying Through a Legal Lens In Loco Parentis Three Bodies of Law What Is a Civil Action? What Is Criminal Law? What Is Administrative Law? What Is Liability? What Is Governmental Immunity? What Is Negligence? Where Does Negligence Fit Under the Law? What Is a Duty of Care? What Is the Standard of Care in Civil Actions for Negligence? Under What Conditions May an Individual Be Found Individually Liable? What Qualifies As "Notice"? How Does a School Receive Notice? What Are Deliberate Indifference and Reckless Disregard? What Is Discrimination? What Is the Difference Between Bias, Prejudice, and Discrimination? What About Students' First Amendment Rights? The First Amendment and Retaliation: A Case in Point Responsibility for the Behavior of Third Parties Who Is Considered a Third Party? Public School Students in Employment Settings Enactment of State Law Summary 5. When Bullying Is Legally Actionable The Criterion: Point by Point Point 1: Is a Protected Classification Involved or Is There Intent to Harm? Point 2: Is the Behavior Unwelcome or Unwanted? Point 3: Is the Behavior Severe or Persistent or Pervasive? Point 4: Does the Behavior Substantially Interfere With the Student's Education? Point 5: Does the Behavior Meet Both Subjective and Objective Tests Related to Its Level of Interference With Student Education? Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment: An Exception to the Five-Point Criterion In Review Follow Your Policy Bullying Policy Highlights A Cautionary Note: The Importance of Being Strategic Your Duty to Provide a Save Environment: The Courts Are Speaking Established Guidelines for Protecting Students Four Responsibilities Under the Duty to Provide a Safe Learning Environment Covering All the Bases Summary PART III: LEGALLY SOUND AND PRINCIPLED-BASED ACTION 6. Daily Practices to Conquer Bullying And the Complaints Keep Coming... Power Tools That Build a Positive School Culture A Legally Sound Response Bullying: Three Levels of Response Level I Response: Training the Front Line Level I Response: Documentation Level II Response Level III Response The McGrath SUCCEED System The McGrath FICA Standard: The Basic Tool How to Evaluate Facts and Make Decisions The McGrath FICA Standard The FACTS: What Happened? IMPACT: The Harm of What Happened When Facts and Impact Do Not Correlate CONTEXT: The Other Factors Surrounding the Situation Context: The Supreme Court Speaks Miss Jones Interviews Becky ACTION: Taking the Logical Next Step Spiraling Forward Back to Mr. Pogue McGrath FICA in Review Implementing the FICA Chat Infrastructure Summary 7. Powered By Principles The "Be" and the "Do" of Conquering Bullying Why Trust, Respect, Understanding, and Growth? Facts With Trust Impact With Respect Context With Understanding Action With Growth Four Lenses: Structure, Quality, Tone, and Balance Structure Counts Quality: Be Specific and Factual Tone: The Relationship Factor Balance: Working the FICA Formula With Integrity It's All About Relationship The McGrath SUCCEED Levels of Mastery A Transformational Approach The Heart of the Matter What It Takes To Be a Partner Turning the Mirror Inward The McGrath SUCCEED System as a Guide for Self-Reflection The Internal "Imposter" The Personal Awareness Paradox The Questing Person Being a Partner: Shared Vision The Sociopath Next Door: A Notable Exception No Matter How Mean the Streets You Can SUCCEED Lead With Your Heart Summary 8. A Legally Sound "To Do" List The Content of Bullying Through the Legal Lens Initial Intake of Complaints: Preliminary Steps The Role of the Complaint Manager Processing Incident Reports From Third Parties If the Complainant Cannot Read and/or Write English Proficiently Complaint Intake With Very Young Students Informing the Parents Should You Audiotape the Child's Answers? Completing the Conversation With the Complainant Don't Be Afraid of Documentation Deciding Who Investigates Handing Off a Complaint to an Investigator First Things First: Eight Preliminary Considerations 1. Take Action on the Complaint Within 24 Hours 2. If Sexual Harassment is Suspected, Use Two Investigators 3. Create a Confidential File 4. Conduct Interviews in a Private Room 5. Review All Pertinent Records 6. Review and Follow All Aplicable Policies, Rules, and Regulations 7. Talk to the Teachers With Whom the Parties Attend Classes 8. Do Not Limit the Investigation to Interviews of the Complainant and Alleged Perpetrator Informal Versus Formal Resolution A Working Definition of "Informal" "Talking It Out" Anonymity Informal Does Not Mean Unwritten What Is an Inquiry? An Example of a Level II Matter When Is Informal Resolution Clearly Inappropriate? Innocent Until Proven Guilty But I Know the Kid Is Guilty Summary 9. Creating and Following a Game Plan: Level III Investigation Know the "Players" The Complaint Manager's Role The Response Team's Role Traits of an Investigator The Title IX Coordinator The Role of Counsel Include All Players in the Game Plan The Five Phases of an Investigation Phase One: Gather the Facts Phase Two: Check for Records of Concern Phase Three: Evaluate the Testimony and Evidence Phase Four: Write the Report Phase Five: Follow-Up Actions By School Officials Corroborative Evidence Hearsay Evidence Creating a McGrath Case and Report Organizer to Guide the Investigation From Start to Finish Organize the Case File The McGrath Case Report Organizer Synopsis Facts Impact Context Action Summary 10. Conclusion Part IV: RESOURCES Resource A: Forms McGrath Incident Report Complaint of Alleged Bullying or Illegal Harassment McGrath Investigation Checklist McGrath Template III Resource B: Laws and Policies Law Case Digest: A Sampler Model Bullying Policy Sample State Anti-Bullying Legislation Resource C: Suggested 360-Degree Anti-Bullying Training Plan Resource D: Glossary Resource E: Useful Web Sites Bibliography Index


Background Students' instructional experiences—that is, their experiences working with subject matter during classroom instruction—are a major determinant of how they learn. Given the importance of classroom instruction, valid, generalizable evidence is needed by policymakers, researchers, and practitioners. Over the past two decades, a wealth of generalizable evidence on instruction has been generated by large-scale surveys administered to nationally-representative probability samples. But this vast body of research has not been systematically summarized. Purpose of the Study This article attempts to fill a gap in the research by describing evidence on instruction from all surveys conducted between 1987 and 2005 that measured instruction using nationally-representative samples. Our goal is to generate a portrait of the evidence from these surveys that identifies strengths and gaps in the literature and that summarizes what this research base says about the relationship between classroom instruction and student outcomes. Research Design Evidence on instruction was compiled and summarized in four steps: (1) all surveys conducted between 1987 and 2005 that measured instruction and were administered to nationally representative probability samples were identified, (2) manuscripts using data from these surveys were selected for review, (3) the dimensions of instruction addressed by each manuscript and other manuscript characteristics were coded, and (4) the methodology and findings of each manuscript were summarized. Findings More than half the studies used data more than a decade old; few studies examined instruction during important transition years such as sixth and ninth grade; and subject area emphasis was lopsided, with mathematics and science instruction receiving much greater attention than English/language arts and social studies. The summary also revealed a repeated finding of low-SES students receiving diminished learning opportunities than more affluent peers. We also found repeated evidence of a positive association with student achievement for six dimensions of instruction, and repeated evidence of a negative or null association with achievement for five dimensions of instruction. Conclusions More research is needed on disparities in the instructional experiences of low-and high-income students. More research is also needed on instruction at key transition points and on instruction in English/language arts and social studies. This review also suggests a need for studies that more rigorously test research questions about instruction using measures that more authentically reflect the complexities of instruction and that examine student achievement growth over longer periods of time.


OBJECTIVE
Recent advances in the translational research showed that dietary nutrients have critical importance to the microbioma balance in the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, the alteration of the intestinal microbiota in order to achieve, restore, and maintain favorable balance in the ecosystem, and the activity of microorganisms present in the gastrointestinal tract is necessary for the improved health condition of the host. The objective of this translational study was to evaluate, in a pediatric population, the efficacy and safety of prophylactic probiotics for a better nutritional absorption capacity in the view to enhance their overall health and immunity.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
A total of 40 pediatric patients between the ages of 14 and 18 years were enrolled in the study and divided under two categories (treated/active group and placebo group). Three-time points clinical evaluations were performed: a baseline assessment (Time 0), a second evaluation at 5 weeks after the start of probiotic use (Time 1), and a final evaluation at the timeline after 10 weeks (Time 2). In the initial phase of the study, the recruited subjects underwent a panel of initial T0 clinical tests. For each of the patients, a blood sample was taken in order to evaluate the following biochemical measurements: Vitamin D, Vitamin A, Calcium, Zinc, and Iron. Moreover, an initial nutritional evaluation was carried out through which the nutritionist estimated the body composition of the subject (weight and body mass index), the caloric needs and dietary behaviour of each recruited patient.

RESULTS
Eligible participants were randomized into placebo (n = 20) or treated/active (n = 20) treatment conditions by random allocation using a computerized random number generator, ensuring all investigators remained blind to the treatment distribution. The data were compared within and between groups using statistical methods. The results confirmed that the probiotic supplementation was effective in increasing the overall blood biomarkers levels of vitamins, calcium, and mineral absorption from baseline to 10 weeks of treatment, compared with the placebo.

CONCLUSIONS
Probiotics may be suggested as supplements to improve biomarkers serum concentration if administered for a period of at least ≥ 5 weeks. However, further studies are required for optimal recommendations in patient treatment.


ABSTRACT The 2007–2008 Global Financial Crisis profoundly impacted the housing markets, particularly of the so-called PIGS countries. Main cities in Portugal, Italy and Greece have seen a sharp decrease in house prices and rent value since 2010. At the same time, the rise of Airbnb has contributed to the reframing of housing market demand in cities, with an increase of temporary lettings in prime urban tourist areas. Understandably, this has direct implications for local residents, with renters' displacement, tourism gentrification and raising cases of tourismphobia. This article provides insights from three cities – Athens, Lisbon and Milan – to show how the dynamics in the housing market and the boost of Airbnb over the last decade are steadily changing the urban populations of the aforementioned cities. This research builds upon the rent gap theory and the Luke's' Power Theory to illustrate how Airbnb is fostering a new form of urban displacement at a faster rate than traditional housing gentrification, with the renting of prime residential areas to tourists.


Inequality is transmitted intergenerationally because the outcomes of parents and their children are correlated. The correlation may be due to inherited, economic, and/or contextual factors. A structural model is proposed in which parents affect their children directly through their own schooling and earnings and indirectly through their own inherited ability. By taking account of inherited ability, the causal effect on outcome of parental schooling and earnings upon the schooling and earnings of their children is identified. A generated regressor methodology is used to estimate the ability to learn and earn of Israeli parents. It is shown that the schooling and earnings of children are affected by these generated regressors. Further, although the causal effects are small, it is shown that parents' income and schooling matter for their children's schooling and earnings. Both nature and nurture are reflected in the intergenerational correlation for schooling and earnings, but nature and contextual variables turn out to matter more than nurture.


ABSTRACT In the last decade, autocrats and democrats alike have used a wide range of innovative illiberal methods to cement or expand their power. Especially in democracies, however, these techniques have often been difficult to detect as they are typically packaged as acts of democracy defense, not erosion. This article discusses the deployment of authoritarian innovations in Indonesia, where the elite as a collective, the opposition and the executive each launched illiberal initiatives that caused a notable decline in the country's democratic quality. These illiberal strategies concern a narrowing of electoral competitiveness, the mobilization of identity politics, and attempts at power concentration and maximization by the executive. The wide spread of anti-democratic actors in Indonesia differs from other cases of increasing illiberalism, in which executive leaders have been the main drivers. But Indonesia also stands out because the residual resources of its defective but persistent electoral democracy have mitigated the effectiveness of the authoritarian innovations, preventing (thus far) the polity's full descent into autocracy or populist illiberalism.


This study investigates the influence of popular culture texts on the subjectivities of young people and argues that critical pedagogical practices need to be further deployed by English teachers in response to the corporate driven nature of popular texts. Three levels of synthesized information are presented, using data analysis born of a quantitative survey and in-depth interviews with a group of secondary English students in Perth, Australia.

Firstly, I argue that popular culture texts constitute the predominate form of consumed textual material for young people and that these texts are increasingly defined by corporate ideologies and branding. Secondly, I investigate the influence that these popular culture texts have on the subjectivities and everyday social experiences of young people. I argue that the ideologies and discourses in popular texts position young people to assume subjectivities that are increasingly defined by branding and corporate ideology, and that these texts often have a normalizing effect.

Hence, I argue that young people?s social currency is often defined by the extent to which individuals demonstrate an alliance to the ideologies of popular media, and that individuals who deviate from such popular norms often experience subjugation and exclusion within peer and social settings. Constructivist notions of subjectivity and an analytical framework heavily influenced by Foucauldian theory inform this theorization. Thirdly, I finalize my argument by dealing pedagogically with subject English and areas of it that hold relevance in terms of the integration and analysis of 'the popular'; including critical literacy, multiliteracies and critical pedagogy. I argue that a commitment to critically analyzing popular culture texts in the subject is lacking and that students feel many English teachers are 'out of touch' with the everyday realities of young people and their popular culture influences. I argue that such failures risk producing students whose everyday experiences are silenced and who are unaware of the ways they are being positioned to adopt certain corporate driven subjectivities.

Methodologically this study is informed by principles of critical theory, cultural studies, discourse analysis and a commitment to position the often-silenced student voice as a prime analytical tool. Aspects of autoethnography are deployed through punctuating personal narratives that feature within this text in order to illuminate the journey of self-realization and fundamental self reevaluation I have traveled throughout the production of this research work.


The Mexican crisis of 1994-95 had strong spillover effects on Argentina. The Argentine government successfully announced a series of policies to mitigate the contagion effects. This paper studies how capital markets reacted to each policy announcement and news. Capital markets welcomed announcements that demonstrated a firm commitment to the currency board. The agreement with the IMF, the dollarization of reserve deposits in the central bank, and changes in reserve requirements had a strong positive impact on market returns. After a period of higher volatility, the appointment of a new finance minister significantly decreased the variance of stock and bond returns, while lower reserve requirements increased the volatility of interest rates. JEL Classification Codes: E44, E58, E65, F36, F41, G14, G15, G18


Using a unique survey of adults in Turkey, we find that an increase in educational attainment, due to an exogenous secular education reform, decreases women's propensity to identify themselves as religious, lowers their tendency to wear a religious head cover (head scarf, turban or burka) and increases the tendency for modernity. Education reduces women's propensity to vote for Islamic parties. There is no statistically significant impact of education on men's religiosity or their tendency to vote for Islamic parties and education does not influence the propensity to cast a vote in national elections for men or women. The impact of education on religiosity and voting preference is not working through migration, residential location or labor force participation.


The precise stratigraphic position of the sediments in the Heist-op-den-Berg and Beerzel hills has been under debate for a long time. According to the geological map of Flanders, these deposits are included in the Diest Formation. Reference data for the Diest and Kasterlee Formations are defined and compared to new sediment-petrological data from samples collected in the Heist-op-den-Berg and Beerzel area. This comparative study indicates that the sediments are similar to the Kasterlee Formation. Additionally, a gravel bed observed at the base of the deposits at the Heist-op-den-Berg and Beerzel hills is similar to the basal gravel of the Kasterlee Formation at Olen. The Kasterlee Formation at Heist-op-den-Berg and Beerzel is subdivided into three members. The lithofacies of the lowermost member is comparable to the Diest Formation and is explained through significant reworking. The occurrence of the Kasterlee Formation in the study area implies the formation of a bay or estuary in the late Miocene sea extending towards the south. The curvature in the present base of the Kasterlee Formation and the considerable thinning of the Diest Formation to the south indicates ongoing subsidence of the Campine basin and uplift of the Caledonian Brabant Massif during the late Miocene and Pliocene.


This Essay asserts that in McCleskey v. Kemp, the Supreme Court created a problematic standard for the evidence of race bias necessary to uphold an equal protection claim under the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. First, the Court's opinion reinforced the cramped understanding that constitutional claims require evidence of not only disparate impact but also discriminatory purpose, producing significant negative consequences for the operation of the U.S. criminal justice system. Second, the Court rejected the Baldus study's findings of statistically significant correlations between the races of the perpetrators and victims and the imposition of the death penalty within Georgia criminal courts as insufficient proof of discriminatory intent, overlooking unconscious and structural racism. Third, Justice Lewis Powell's approach to causation in McCleskey would have rendered almost any social science study incapable of proving the existence of race bias to his satisfaction, creating an unduly high bar for proving intent. Furthermore, this Essay contrasts the Court's use of the Baldus data in McCleskey with its use of social science data in other cases. For example, in oral arguments for a recent gerrymandering case, Gill v. Whitford, Chief Justice John Roberts summarily rejected the utility of applying empirical findings. In Brown v. Board of Education, by contrast, the Court positively endorsed studies on the harms of racial segregation that were less robust than the Baldus data. In response to uneven uses of empirical data in these cases, this Essay suggests approaches courts might develop to distinguish between stronger and weaker empirical evidence, including an update of how appellate courts review research introduced under the Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc. standard. In the wake of decisions such as McCleskey, and the troubled history of considerations of race within social science research, this Essay also articulates the unique challenges that must be confronted when courts consider data on racial impact.


This paper addresses threats to the public interest in a period where economic globalization has promoted increasing university, industry, and government collaborations. A significant focus of these partnerships has been industry-supported research that purports to serve the public interest but instead creates conflicts of interest for both universities and government. The implications are drawn especially for academic researchers with entrepreneurial pursuits. In addition, specific examples are given of how existing regulatory mechanisms have been inadequate with respect to preventing the intrusion of corporate profit-making over the public welfare. In the context of national and state budgetary shortfalls, it will become that much more attractive for institutions to seek commercial support to realize public interest goals. For this reason, the impact of commercially funded activities deserves much more public policy attention.


We present results from the first large-scale international survey on time preference, conducted in 53 countries. All countries exhibit hyperbolic discounting patterns, i.e., the immediate future is discounted more than far future. We also observe higher heterogeneity for shorter time horizons, consistent with the pattern reviewed by Frederick, Loewenstein, and O'Donoghue (2002). Cultural factors as captured by the Hofstede cultural dimensions (Hofstede, 1991) contribute significantly to the variation of time discounting, even after controlling for economic factors, such as GDP, inflation rate and growth rate. In particular, higher levels of Uncertainty Avoidance are associated with stronger hyperbolic discounting, whereas higher degrees of Individualism and Long Term Orientation predict stronger tendency to wait for larger payoffs. We also find the waiting tendency is correlated with innovation, environmental protection, crediting rating, and body mass index at country level after controlling for county wealth. These results help us to enhance the understanding of differences across financial markets and economic behavior worldwide.


The bar's character and fitness inquiry seeks to protect the public. As part of this inquiry, bar applicants are required to produce detailed information about their past histories. The rationale for this inquiry is that this information can be used to identify who will subsequently become a problematic lawyer. Bar applicants bear the burden of providing their "good" character even though there is little evidence that past conduct predicts who will become a problematic lawyer. This article looks at psychological and other research that attempt to identify factors that might predict future misconduct in the work place. It also reports on a study of Connecticut lawyers which was designed to determine whether information obtained during the bar admissions process predicts future discipline. The data reveal that while some bar application information is predictive of future misconduct, the effect sizes are extremely low. It is highly unlikely that anyone would be denied admission to the bar based on the slight increase in risk these applicants present. The article considers the implications of certain findings and suggests areas that merit further research. It also suggests some alternatives to the current character and fitness inquiry.


Using unitary (instead of general) matrices in artificial neural networks (ANNs) is a promising way to solve the gradient explosion/vanishing problem, as well as to enable ANNs to learn long-term correlations in the data. This approach appears particularly promising for Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs). In this work, we present a new architecture for implementing an Efficient Unitary Neural Network (EUNNs); its main advantages can be summarized as follows. Firstly, the representation capacity of the unitary space in an EUNN is fully tunable, ranging from a subspace of SU(N) to the entire unitary space. Secondly, the computational complexity for training an EUNN is merely O(1) per parameter. Finally, we test the performance of EUNNs on the standard copying task, the pixel-permuted MNIST digit recognition benchmark as well as the Speech Prediction Test (TIMIT). We find that our architecture significantly outperforms both other state-of-the-art unitary RNNs and the LSTM architecture, in terms of the final performance and/or the wall-clock training speed. EUNNs are thus promising alternatives to RNNs and LSTMs for a wide variety of applications.


Secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) reaches the airway lumen by local transcytosis across airway epithelial cells or with tracheobronchial submucosal gland secretions. In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), deficiency of SIgA on the airway surface has been reported. However, reduction of SIgA levels in sputum and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid has not been consistently observed. To explain this discrepancy, we analyzed BAL fluid and lung tissue from pat ients wi th COPD and control subjec ts . Immunohistochemical analysis of large and small airways of COPD patients showed that MUC5AC is the predominant mucin expressed by airway epithelial cells, whereas MUC5B is expressed in submucosal glands of large airways. Dual immunostaining with anti-IgA and anti-MUC5B antibodies showed reduction of IgA on the airway surface as well as accumulation of IgAwithin MUC5B-positive luminal mucus plugs, suggesting that luminal SIgA originates from submucosal glands in COPD patients. We found that the concentration of SIgA in BAL is inversely correlated with forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) in COPD, but that the ratio of SIgA/MUC5B is a better predictor of FEV1, particularly in patients with moderate COPD. Together, these findings suggest that SIgA production by submucosal glands, which are expanded in COPD, is insufficient to compensate for reduced SIgA transcytosis by airway epithelial cells. Localized SIgA deficiency on the surface of small airways is associated with COPD progression and represents a potential new therapeutic target in COPD.


Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology 3e is about how to do research and investigate various types of research questions that arise in criminology and criminal justice. The text explores the entire research process from beginning to end including: sampling procedures; data collection techniques; measurement, validity and reliability issues; the role of ethics in the research process; and writing and documenting research papers.