Legal systems privilege plain language in their rules for interpreting statutes. If a principle goal of interpretation is to apply the law in a manner that is faithful to will of the legislature that enacted it, there can be no better evidence of legislative will, the argument goes, than the plain language that the legislature employed in its drafting. This chapter addresses two issues that this standard account leaves unaddressed. The first is what we mean when we speak of plain language. I argue here that language is plain when a speaker (writer) would mean only one thing by it and a hearer (reader) would understand only that same thing. If this perspective is correct, it means that when language is plain it is plain because the mental states of individual participants match each other with respect to the particular utterance or passage in question. That, in turn, means that one can be both concerned about questions of intent in construing statutory language, and still commit oneself to giving primary deference to the text. Much of the literature on statutory interpretation draws an improper divide between those who are concerned with intent, and others who rely on text. This perspective also suggests that, since text is only evidence of legislative intent, that there may be occasions, albeit only rare ones, in which there may be better evidence of intent than the language itself. Legislative errors are a particularly good instance. Finally, while the examples in this chapter come from American law, the problems discussed arise from the nature of our language faculty, suggesting that legal systems in general will encounter the same problems, even if they do not subscribe to the same solutions.


Abstract This paper describes the history of archaeology carried out in the Samoan islands. Two archaeological programs under the leadership of Roger Green in the 1960s and Jesse Jennings in the 1970s have laid a firm foundation for the understanding of Samoan prehistory from an archaeological point of view. Subsequent research in American Samoa has also added to this knowledge. This review describes some of the major findings of settlements, mounds and artefacts and discusses the contributions of archaeological research in Samoa and points towards important theoretical and methodical issues for future research. The setting of sights in Samoan archaeology The Samoan Islands occupy an especially revealing place in Pacific history. They lie at the very edge of Lapita expansion as it is currently known, yet they have often been considered, on both traditional and archaeological grounds, as the locality of origin for subsequent Polynesian expansion. Archaeological research to date in Samoa has been rather limited. The research has focused mainly on establishing a general framework of prehistory with efforts directed at locating different sites and field monuments and investigating their temporal status. During the initial research, discussion on cultural chronology was focused on the shift from Lapita to plainware pottery and the abandonment of pottery altogether. The development of monumental architecture has been discussed only briefly (Davidson 1974a:228-30) Renewed archaeological investigations and a further discussion of such issues from a theoretical and comparative standpoint are seen as important. No robust cultural chronology was worked out for Samoa during initial research but changes seen in the material culture and settlement pattern were discussed in a narrative way (Green and Davidson 1969a; 1974a). Subsequently, Roger Green (2002) suggested a cultural chronology for Samoa much in line with the one worked out by Burley et al. (1995) for West Polynesia as a whole (Table 1). A search for origins, especially of the Polynesian 'homeland', has been a dominant paradigm for archaeology in the central Pacific region. The discussion has centred largely on the early Lapita settlement and its dispersal and the subsequent development of Ancestral Polynesian Society in West Polynesia (Kirch and Hunt 1993). The distribution, after initial settlement, of Samoan adzes from Fiji to central Polynesia suggests extensive interactions, which by late prehistory seems to have involved marriage alliances and the exchange of sandalwood and red feathers amongst other communities (Clark 2002, 2004:35-6). Previous archaeological research and the natural setting The Samoan chain of islands is today divided into the independent state of Samoa (formerly known as Western Samoa) and American Samoa (a United States territory) (Figure 1). The former consists of the large volcanic islands 'Upolu and Savai'i, the two smaller islands Manono and Apolima between them and a few offshore islets beyond the Southeastern point of 'Upolu. The latter includes the larger island of Tutuila with its offshore islet Anunu'u and a group of smaller islands under the name of Manu'a, (Ofu, Olosega and Ta'u Islands). The Samoan islands are of volcanic origin and essentially are mountains and ridges sitting on the Pacific plate just north of the Tonga-Kermadec trench. The larger islands in the west are older than those to the east. Volcanism is most recent in the east where Ta'u (American Samoa) dates 100,000 BP. The oldest flows on 'Upolo and Savai'i are the Fagaloa and Salani respectively. Fagaloa volcanics may be of Pliocene origin (5.3-1.8 million years ago) and Salani are probably late Pleistocene (1.8 million-10,000 years ago). The Mulifanua flow is presumed to be between 10,000-40,000 years old, the Lefaga flow is post-Pleistocene, the Puapua flow is mid-Holocene (c. 5000 years old), and the Apo flows are from the historic period with its last eruption in the beginning of last century (Kear and Wood 1959). …


Faced with shrinking budgets and increased subscription prices, many academic libraries are seeking ways to reduce the cost of e-journal access. A common target for cuts is the "Big Deal," or large bundled subscription model, a term coined by Kenneth Frazier in a 2001 paper criticizing the effects of the Big Deal on the academic community. The purpose of this literature review is to examine issues related to reducing e-journal costs, including criteria for subscription retention or cancellation, decision-making strategies, impacts of cancellations, and other options for e-journal content provision. Commonly used criteria for decision-making include usage statistics, overlap analysis, and input from subject specialists. The most commonly used strategy for guiding the process and aggregating data is the rubric or decision grid. While the e-journal landscape supports several access models, such as Pay-Per-View, cloud access, and interlibrary loan, the Big Deal continues to dominate. Trends over the past several years point to dwindling support for the Big Deal however, due largely to significant annual rate increases and loss of content control.


This paper is concerned with the observation that rights-based approaches to development have tended to ignore the ways in which religion and culture shape understandings of human rights. Although religious traditions often act against the pursuit of human rights, there are also areas of overlap and consensus. The first part of the paper suggests that the absence of a research agenda within development studies on 'religion and development' has meant that a significant indigenous mechanism for pursuing rights has been overlooked. Drawing upon examples from India, the second part of my discussion then asks whether a language of social justice based upon the concept of duty is more appropriate than one based upon rights.


BACKGROUND
Construction of gastrointestinal anastomoses by using stapling devices has become a familiar procedure. Most studies have shown no significant differences in complication rates between stapled and sutured anastomoses performed during elective surgery. To date, no study has evaluated the incidence of complications of stapled anastomoses in the trauma patient. The purpose of our study was to determine whether the incidence of postoperative complications differs between stapled and sutured anastomoses after the emergent repair of traumatic bowel injuries.

METHODS
A retrospective analysis of the medical and institutional trauma registry records of patients identified to have undergone a gastrointestinal anastomosis in a regional Level I trauma center over a 4-year period.

RESULTS
A total of 84 patients with 118 gastrointestinal anastomoses were identified. A surgical stapling device was used to create 58 separate anastomoses, whereas a hand-sutured method was used in 60 anastomoses. A complication was defined as an anastomotic leak verified at reoperation. The ratio of blunt versus penetrating injuries, mean abdominal Abbreviated Injury Scale score, and Injury Severity Score were similar in the two groups. Stapling and suturing techniques were evenly distributed between small and large bowel repairs. Mean intensive care unit length of stay was comparable in both cohorts. However, inpatient length of stay was longer in patients with solely a stapled anastomosis compared with sutured anastomoses. Four of the 58 stapled anastomoses and none of the 60 hand-sewn anastomoses resulted in a clinically significant leak requiring reoperation (relative risk = undefined; 95% confidence interval, 1.14-infinity; p = 0.037). Each anastomotic leak occurred in a separate individual. The only death occurred in the stapled cohort secondary to peritonitis and subsequent sepsis.

CONCLUSION
Anastomotic leaks seem to be associated with stapled bowel repairs compared with sutured anastomoses in the traumatically injured patient.


John Lennon . . . as much a part of our world today as he ever was He touched many lives in his brief forty years, and continues to move and inspire millions more to this day. Now, invited by Yoko Ono, friends, family, and fans from all walks of life--including some of the great artists of our day--reminisce about Lennon as a visionary and friend, musician and performer, husband and father, activist and jokester. In their own words and drawings, poems and photos, Lennon's life from his childhood through the Beatles years to the happiness and tragedy of his final days become stunningly vivid. Intimate glimpses gathered from musicians who knew John, such as Pete Townshend, Sir Elton John, Billy Preston, and Joan Baez; friends and relatives such as producer David Geffen, publicist Elliot Mintz, and cousin Mike Cadwallader; and artists who followed him such as Bono, Alicia Keys, Steve Earle, Jello Biafra, and Carlos Santana. And, for the first time, renowned photographer Annie Liebovitz presents every frame of the historic last session with John and Yoko. Memories of John Lennon is a rich and deeply felt appreciation of a truly great man.


The 3D geological model is still regarded as one of the newest and most innovative tools for reservoir management purposes. The computer modelling of structures, rock properties and fluid flow in hydrocarbon reservoirs has evolved from a specialist activity to part of the standard desktop toolkit. The application of these techniques has allowed all disciplines of the subsurface team to collaborate in a common workspace. In today's asset teams, the role of the geological model in hydrocarbon development planning is key and will be for some time ahead. The challenges that face the geologists and engineers will be to provide more seamless interaction between static and dynamic models. This interaction requires the development of conventional and unconventional modelling algorithms and methodologies in order to provide more risk-assessed scenarios, thus enabling geologists and engineers to better understand and capture inherent uncertainties at each aspect of the geological model's life.


It is widely acknowledged that Congo became an East- West battlefield during the first half of the decade of the 1960s, yet the participation of Cuban exiles in the struggles is rarely noted. In this absorbing volume Villafana details the contribution made by Cuban exiles to the preservation of democracy in Congo. When Congo was given its independence by Belgium in 1960, most of its people believed their new government had been installed by the West and opposed it. Anti-colonial, anti-government Congolese patriots started fighting. Some were pro-communist, some anti-communist, and most didn't know the difference. Many countries were involved on both sides of this conflict: Cuba, the Soviet Union, The People's Republic of China, the United States (represented by military advisors, the CIA and Cuban exiles), Belgium, France, the United Kingdom, and several African nations. The Cold War made the involvement of some of these countries predictable, but not the Cuban involvement. Villafana explores reasons for Castro's involvement in Congo. He considers whether Castro was operating with a master plan, of which Africa was a key. He discusses why Castro chose Che Guevara to head the ill-fated military expedition. He contemplates why the United States allowed Castro to freely export his revolution, and why it used Cuban exiles to prevent the mineral riches of Congo from falling into the hands of international communism. Villafana shows that CIA-sponsored Miami Cuban exiles were instrumental in thwarting Castro's plans for Congo, which were believed to have included a confederacy with Tanzania and Congo (Brazzaville), to gain control of Central Africa and its vast resources.


The paper presents the next generation of power energy systems using solar- and wind-energy systems for the country of Jordan. Presently with the oil prices are on the rise, the cost of electrical power production is very high. The opportunity of a large wind and solar hybrid power production is being explored. Sights are chosen to produce electricity using the wind in the Mountains in Northern Jordan and the sun in the Eastern Desert. It is found that the cost of windmill farm to produce 100 – 150 MW is US$290 million while solar power station to produce 100 MW costs US$560 million. The electrical power costs US$0.02/kWh for the wind power and US$0.077 for the solar power. The feasibility for using wind and solar energies is now when the price oil reaches US$ 100.00 per barrel. The paper also discusses different power electronics circuits and control methods to link the renewable energy to the national grid. This paper also looks at some of the modern power electronics converters and electrical generators which have improved significantly solar and wind energy technologies.


The purpose of this paper is to study language change as instances of usage-based reanalysis. We intend to show that a specific Romance complementation, namely the deictic relative, found mainly with verbs of perception, acquires the status of construction (i.e. a schematic construction according to the terminology of Croft & Cruse (2004, p. 255)). According to our conception of grammar, this implies a change from an individual, lexically determined structure, into a grammatical construction. We will show that this change from lexical (=A) to grammatical (=B), is a usage-based reanalysis, i.e. a new analysis of received usage due to structural ambiguity, without immediate surface manifestation of a change (see the definition in Andersen 2008, p. 33). This in turn implies that the speaker interprets the content of one expression first as A, then B and possibly C. The diachronic study of the deictic relative with the perception verb voir in French is based on corpus data from different stages of the language. We intend to show that the innovation spreads from oral to written text types, as witnessed from theatre to other genres.


Traditional transportation fuel, petroleum, is limited and nonrenewable, and it also causes pollutions. Hydrogen is considered one of the best alternative fuels for transportation. The key issue for using hydrogen as fuel for transportation is hydrogen storage. Lithium nitride (Li3N) is an important material which can be used for hydrogen storage. The decompositions of lithium amide (LiNH2) and lithium imide (Li2NH) are important steps for hydrogen storage in Li3N. The effect of anions (e.g. Cl) on the decomposition of LiNH2 has never been studied. Li3N can react with LiBr to form lithium nitride bromide Li13N4Br which has been proposed as solid electrolyte for batteries. The decompositions of LiNH2 and Li2NH with and without promoter were investigated by using temperature programmed decomposition (TPD) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. It was found that the decomposition of LiNH2 produced Li2NH and NH3 via two steps: LiNH2 into a stable intermediate species (Li1.5NH1.5) and then into Li2NH. The decomposition of Li2NH produced Li, N2 and H2 via two steps: Li2NH into an intermediate species  Li4NH and then into Li. The kinetic analysis of Li2NH decomposition showed that the activation energies are 533.6 kJ/mol for the first step and 754.2 kJ/mol for the second step. Furthermore, XRD demonstrated that the Li4NH, which was generated in the decomposition of Li2NH, formed a solid solution with Li2NH. In the solid solution, Li4NH possesses a similar cubic structure as Li2NH. The lattice parameter of the cubic Li4NH is 0.5033nm. xvii The decompositions of LiNH2 and Li2NH can be promoted by chloride ion (Cl). The introduction of Cl into LiNH2 resulted in the generation of a new NH3 peak at low temperature of 250 °C besides the original NH3 peak at 330 °C in TPD profiles. Furthermore, Cl can decrease the decomposition temperature of Li2NH by about 110 °C. The degradation of Li3N was systematically investigated with techniques of XRD, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and UV-visible spectroscopy. It was found that O2 could not affect Li3N at room temperature. However, H2O in air can cause the degradation of Li3N due to the reaction between H2O and Li3N to LiOH. The produced LiOH can further react with CO2 in air to Li2CO3 at room temperature. Furthermore, it was revealed that α-Li3N is more stable in air than βLi3N. The chemical stability of Li13N4Br in air has been investigated by XRD, TPD-MS, and UV-vis absorption as a function of time. The aging process finally leads to the degradation of the Li13N4Br into Li2CO3, lithium bromite (LiBrO2) and the release of gaseous NH3. The reaction order n = 2.43 is the best fitting for the Li13N4Br degradation in air reaction. Li13N4Br energy gap was calculated to be 2.61 eV.


RNA-Seq is widely used in transcriptome studies, and the detection of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between two classes of individuals, e.g., cases versus controls, using RNA-Seq is of fundamental importance. Many statistical methods for DEG detection based on RNA-Seq data have been developed and most of them are based on the read counts mapped to individual genes. On the other hand, genes are composed of exons and the distribution of reads for the different exons can be heterogeneous. We hypothesize that the detection accuracy of differentially expressed genes can be increased by analyzing individual exons within a gene and then combining the results of the exons. We therefore developed a novel program, termed CEDER, to accurately detect DEGs by combining the significance of the exons. CEDER first tests for differentially expressed exons yielding a p-value for each, and then gives a score indicating the potential for a gene to be differentially expressed by integrating the p-values of the exons in the gene. We showed that CEDER can significantly increase the accuracy of existing methods for detecting DEGs on two benchmark RNA-Seq data sets and simulated datasets.


This study examined students' perspectives on the use of assessment criteria and rubrics in graphic design studio at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana. This assessment strategy was introduced with the desire to improve students' participation and involvement in studiobased learning programme. At the end of the semester, a questionnaire was used to gather responses from a sample of 108 students about their opinions on the use of assessment rubric. Analyses of the data collected demonstrate that students were generally positive about the use of rubric in the peer assessment process. Descriptive statistics showed that 86% of the students agreed that assessment criteria helped them in their learning; they found the peer assessment process as a valuable learning experience and 46% contended that they needed training in the use of assessment rubric. The results further suggest 89% of the respondents agreed that the use of assessment rubric enabled them to socially interact. The conclusion drawn from the evidence is that using assessment rubric directed learning activities and can have positive implications for the learning experience in studio-based learning.


JAMA Ophthalmology publishes peer-reviewed original contributions and observations of interest to clinicians and researchers. Special departments in this primary source journal provide in-depth information on new instruments, surgical techniques, socioeconomics, epidemiology, and biostatistics. Color photography provides clear illustration of articles' key points. An occasional feature highlights the global practice of opthalmology.


ABSTRACT Visualizing fluorescent proteins is essential for understanding cellular function. While advances in microscopy can now resolve individual molecules, determining whether the labeled molecules report native behaviors and how the measured behaviors can be coupled to cellular outputs remains challenging. Here, we used integrin alpha-beta heterodimers – which connect extracellular matrix (ECM) and the cytoskeleton – to quantify the mobility and conformation of labeled integrins. We found that while unlabeled and labeled integrins all localized to adhesions and support anchorage-dependent cell function, integrin mobility decreased when the beta rather than the alpha subunit was labeled. In contrast to unlabeled and alpha labeled subunits, beta labeled subunits changed cellular behavior; decreasing protrusive activity and increasing adhesion size and the extent of cell spreading. Labeling the beta subunit changed the integrin conformation, extending the molecule and exposing an epitope that is revealed by activation with Mn2+ treatment. Our findings indicate labeling induced changes in dynamic integrin behavior alter molecular conformation as well as cellular adhesion-dependent function to demonstrate a coupling between molecular inputs and distinct cellular outputs. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper. Summary: Our findings indicate labeling induced changes in dynamic integrin behaviors alter molecular conformation and cellular adhesion-dependent function to demonstrate a coupling between molecular inputs and distinct cellular outputs.


Using classical and quantum methods with a strong emphasis on symmetry principles, this book develops the theory of a variety of optical activity and related phenomena from the perspective of molecular scattering of polarized light. In addition to the traditional topic of optical rotation and circular dichroism in the visible and ultraviolet region associated with electronic transitions, the newer topic of optical activity associated with vibrational transitions, which may be studied using both infrared and Raman techniques, is also treated. Ranging from the physics of elementary particles to the structure of viruses, the subject matter of the book reflects the importance of optical activity and chirality in much of modern science and will be of interest to a wide range of physical and life scientists.


In this paper, the electrical-to-thermal energy transfer efficiency of the transistor coil ignition system for spark-ignition engines is investigated using both electrical and calorimetry measurements. The gap voltage and discharge current are measured to determine the electrical energy supplied to the spark gap. A pressure-rise calorimeter is used to estimate the thermal energy transferred from the plasma channel to the gas. Firstly, this paper studies the influences of spark gap size, electrode geometry and background pressure on the energy transfer efficiency. To further investigate the effectiveness of increasing breakdown energy on the energy transfer process, a direct-capacitor is paralleled to the spark gap to redistribute the spark energy in both breakdown and glow phases. The varying of the capacitance enables the investigation of the energy transfer efficiency under different breakdown energy level. Results show that the electrical-to-thermal energy transfer efficiency is strongly dependent on gap size, electrode geometry and background pressure. Increasing the breakdown discharge energy is beneficial for the electrical to thermal energy transfer process.


This provocative and illuminating book provides a new perspective on the development of political thought from Homer to Machiavelli, Tocqueville, and Gertrude Stein (who is introduced here, for the first time, as a writer of political significance). Providing nuanced readings of key texts by these and other thinkers, Norma Thompson locates a powerful theme: that the political health of organised political communities, from the ancient polis to the modern state, to contemporary democracy, requires a balance between masculine and feminine qualities. Although most critics view the Western tradition as a progression away from misogyny and toward rights for women, Thompson contends that the need for balance in the political community was well understood in earlier eras. Only now has it been almost entirely overlooked in our focus on surface indications of strict gender equality. Thompson argues that political rhetoric must once again promote the reconciliation of masculine and feminine forces in order to achieve effective politics and statecraft.


Objective Dabigatran and rivaroxaban are novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) approved for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (AF). Although NOACs are more convenient than warfarin, their lack of monitoring may predispose patients to non-persistence. Limited information is available on NOAC non-persistence rates and related clinical outcomes in clinical practice. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study using administrative data from Ontario, Canada, from January 1998 to March 2014 of patients with AF who were dispensed dabigatran or rivaroxaban. Non-persistence was defined as a gap in dabigatran or rivaroxaban prescriptions ≥14 days. A multivariable Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the primary composite outcome of stroke, transient ischaemic attack (TIA) and mortality associated with non-persistence. Results The cohort consisted of 15 857 dabigatran (age 80.7±6.7 year) and 10 119 rivaroxaban users (age 77.0±7.1 year) with women comprising 52% of each medication group. At 6 months, 36.4% of patients were non-persistent to dabigatran, while 31.9% of patients were non-persistent to rivaroxaban. Stroke/TIA/death was significantly higher for those non-persistent to dabigatran (HR 1.76 (95% CI 1.60 to 1.94); p<0.0001) or rivaroxaban (HR 1.89 (95% CI 1.64 to 2.19); p<0.0001) compared with those who were persistent. Risk of stroke/TIA was markedly higher in non-persistent patients to dabigatran (HR 3.75 (95% CI 2.59 to 5.43); p<0.0001) and rivaroxaban (HR 6.25 (95% CI 3.37 to 11.58); p<0.0001) than those persistent. Conclusions NOAC non-persistence rates are high in clinical practice, with approximately one in three patients becoming non-persistent to dabigatran or rivaroxaban within 6 months after drug initiation. Non-persistence with either dabigatran or rivaroxaban is significantly associated with worse clinical outcomes of stroke/TIA/death.


An accepted digital preservation workflow is emerging in which file formats are identified and those believed to be at risk are migrated to what are perceived to be less risky formats. This raises important questions about what to convert and when, if at all. In other words, how to connect file identification and migration. This area has become known as preservation planning, and seeks to take account of a wide variety of factors that might impact preservation decisions. Broadly there are two approaches to preservation planning. One provided in some digital preservation systems is to simplify and reduce both the number of file formats stored and therefore limit the number of preservation tools needed based on accepted recommendations. A more thorough, flexible and possibly complex approach, supported by the Plato preservation planning tool developed by the Planets project, allows decisions on preservation actions to combine analysis of the characteristics of different file formats with specific local requirements, such as costs and resources. This paper shows how Plato can be integrated with digital repository software, in this case EPrints, to enable this powerful approach to be used effectively to manage content in repositories of different sizes and with varying degrees of preservation expertise and support. These tools are accessed via a common repository interface to enable repository managers, and others who do not specialise in preservation, to moderate decisions on preservation planning and to control preservation actions.


In a dual band personal communications services (PCS) network, heavy traffic areas are covered by microcells which overlay macrocells. In such a network, microcells and macrocells utilize different frequency bands. We propose an analytic model to study the performance of a dual band PCS architecture. Our model assumes that a PCS subscriber has a general residence time distribution in a microcell and the macrocell residence time distribution is derived from the microcell residence time distribution. An iterative algorithm is used to compute the overflow traffic from a microcell to its overlaid macrocell. Then, the call incompletion probability is computed by a macrocell model based on the overflow traffic. Our study indicates that the variance of the microcell residence time distribution and the number of microcells covered by a macrocell have significant effects on the call incompletion probability.


: The most common role of a domestic dog in the developed world currently is that of companion. Puppy socialization practices play a large role in the development of well-adjusted adult dogs that display few undesirable behaviors, and which can establish a positive, lifelong relationship with their owner. Age-appropriate socialization practices should begin within a few days of birth, and should extend well into adulthood. These practices should aim to provide exposure to many of the types of experiences, people, and objects that the dog is likely to encounter over the course of its life, in a controlled and pleasant way. Dogs that are appropriately socialized as puppies are less likely to exhibit behavioral problems as adults, including aggression and fearfulness. They are more likely to engage in positive social behaviors with humans, and can learn how to play games with humans better than dogs without proper socialization. However, the evidence in support of puppy socialization classes is less clear. There is some evidence that puppy classes positively impact adult behavior, but other studies show no clear benefit. Since socialization should begin early in a puppy's life, it is the responsibility of the breeder and the owner. Breeders can ensure that puppies are exposed to age-appropriate experiences while in the litter, and owners must ensure that the dog continues to have varied experiences throughout its life. Veterinarians are also an important part of this process, and are heavily relied upon by owners to provide information about health and behavior. Since veterinarians often see puppies during vaccinations, owners can be educated about proper socialization practices at those visits. Future research should aim to determine the minimum amounts of socialization required for a puppy, and whether there is a maximum amount, beyond which there is no benefit, or even a disadvantage.


This dissertation explores the relations between the Sound, Visual and Movement domains in real-time interactive systems. The targeted systems are dance performances, performing interfaces, installations and immersive spaces, where the three domains are present, and where processes of transformation and translation occur between them in real-time (movement into sound, sound into visuals, movement into visuals, etc.). This research proposes a new framework , S+V+M (Sound+Visual+Movement), that aims to classify interactive artworks based on the flow of data through their system. This approach provides a high level of abstraction by looking at the inputs and outputs, transformations, and data flows occurring inside the interactive system, which helps to establish common parameters in artworks with different characteristics, so they can be evaluated and discussed under a unified perspective. This research is split in two interrelated and parallel paths: A theoretical path, where a series of interactive artworks were collected and catalogued according to their processes of transformation. Also a series of related classification systems from the literature were analyzed. Using as baseline the collected artworks, the methods and processes from the analyzed classifications systems as the inputs from the practice based research, a new framework (S+V+M) for the classification of interactive artworks was proposed; A practice-based research path, focused on the development of artworks exploring the relations between Sound, Visuals, and Movement, and this way giving inputs and shaping the development of the framework. A group of thirteen projects were developed and their documentation is presented, providing insights on techniques, software, hardware and critical analysis for the development of interactive artworks. Through the S+V+M framework different data-flow patterns and system typologies are highlighted within the interactive systems of the case-studies artworks. The framework offers a high level of abstraction, helping to recognize similarities and establish common parameters between different systems. Providing this way a language for analysis and critique of the interactive artworks, both for creators and experts as well as for the audiences. The S+V+M framework also proved to be a catalyst for new interactive artworks, since when observing the emerging patterns and relations between domains new research questions and artistic paths emerge, triggering this way new projects with different interactions and Sound, Visual and Movement connections.


Results from Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) have shown that complex diseases are often affected by many genetic variants with small or moderate effects. Identifications of these risk variants remain a very challenging problem. There is a need to develop more powerful statistical methods to leverage available information to improve upon traditional approaches that focus on a single GWAS dataset without incorporating additional data. In this paper, we propose a novel statistical approach, GPA (Genetic analysis incorporating Pleiotropy and Annotation), to increase statistical power to identify risk variants through joint analysis of multiple GWAS data sets and annotation information because: (1) accumulating evidence suggests that different complex diseases share common risk bases, i.e., pleiotropy; and (2) functionally annotated variants have been consistently demonstrated to be enriched among GWAS hits. GPA can integrate multiple GWAS datasets and functional annotations to seek association signals, and it can also perform hypothesis testing to test the presence of pleiotropy and enrichment of functional annotation. Statistical inference of the model parameters and SNP ranking is achieved through an EM algorithm that can handle genome-wide markers efficiently. When we applied GPA to jointly analyze five psychiatric disorders with annotation information, not only did GPA identify many weak signals missed by the traditional single phenotype analysis, but it also revealed relationships in the genetic architecture of these disorders. Using our hypothesis testing framework, statistically significant pleiotropic effects were detected among these psychiatric disorders, and the markers annotated in the central nervous system genes and eQTLs from the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) database were significantly enriched. We also applied GPA to a bladder cancer GWAS data set with the ENCODE DNase-seq data from 125 cell lines. GPA was able to detect cell lines that are biologically more relevant to bladder cancer. The R implementation of GPA is currently available at http://dongjunchung.github.io/GPA/.


The delegates to COP21 in Paris, in conjunction with nationally formulated commitments and pledges, resolved that countries should take actions to "hold the increase in global temperature to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels" and to achieve "a balance between anthropogenic emissions by sources and removal by sinks of greenhouse gases in the second half of this century". This resolution for action suggests a step towards a global carbon emissions-control regime which, due to regional variabilities and remaining uncertainties as to the exact effects of atmospheric CO2 concentrations, must be considered within the purview of risk management. In this Opinion, four topics are discussed that intertwine science, technology, legal, and policy issues critical to the implementation of any global carbon emissions-control regime: (i) What to regulate and at what levels; (ii) Regulating short-term versus long-term emissions; (iii) Validation of compliance in a regulated global emissions regime; and, (iv) Legal aspects of geoengineering.


Systems for managing multiple taxing jurisdictions in a larger group are working to keep up with the evolution of the modern multijurisdictional taxpayer. Recent decisions from the high courts of several states have brought attention to a meaningful tension in the goals of the Multistate Tax Compact, an agreement between states. Though the federal government has ruled that no congressional approval is necessary based on the Compact Clause of the U.S. Constitution, this agreement between states has taken its place as an important accord among the vast majority of jurisdictions. Having operated as the most effective solution to the problems identified by Congress in the 1960's Willis Report, the Compact simultaneously disavows its binding authority and relies on the reliance of States on it to meet its goal of promoting uniformity in state tax administration. With billions of dollars of much needed tax revenue at issue, this article seeks to examine the intricacies of the legal principles applied to this contract among states while understanding its role in the modern economy, both within the United States and beyond.


The MIRAB model of Pacific island micro-economies was developed in the mid-1980s by the New Zealand economists, Bertram and Watters, and dominated the literature on the economics of small island nations and economies until alternative models were proposed two decades later. Nevertheless, it is still an influential theory. MIRAB is an acronym for migration (MI), remittance (R) and foreign aid (A) and the public bureaucracy (B); the main components of the MIRAB model. The nature of this model is explained and the importance of distinguishing between the two processes involved in it (one based on foreign aid and the other on overseas remittance) is emphasised. Evidence is given of the importance of migration and overseas remittance for the functioning of some Pacific island microstates, such as Tonga. Yet, it is argued that no single model adequately typifies the economic situations of Pacific microstates and micro-economies because of their diversity. Even economies that have been classified as MIRAB economies can be very different. The newer TOURAB, SITE and PROFIT models have similar limitations. In order to understand adequately the economic situation of Pacific island microstates (including their economic vulnerability, their sustainability, and political merchantabilities), it is necessary to adopt a more holistic approach which takes account of historical, cultural and environmental factors. This is illustrated by the case of Nauru.


Any risk analysis process leading to the remediation of contaminated land will be affected by individual judgements. Many contaminated land risk assessments in Sweden are reviewed by the County Administrative Board (CAB), a regional government authority. The cost for risk assessments and eventually remediation is funded by whichever operator is legally responsible; however, when the responsible party is unknown, the cost can be met by government grants. A questionnaire was sent to all employees working with contaminated land at each of Sweden's CABs to investigate whether gender, age and work experience, as well as funding source, affect the reviewing of risk assessments, and the employees' perception of knowledge gained from the Sustainable Remediation (Hållbar Sanering) research programme. It was found that gender was the most significant factor, but also age and experience of the employees influenced the respondent's answers. The reviews of risk assessments also varied depending on funding source.


Multiple images of the same scene improve the result of multichannel blind deconvolution problem. However, existing techniques require alignment of channels. We define a multichannel deconvolution scheme for highly correlated images to estimated the blur kernel and the underlying images. The recovery algorithm is formulated by alternating minimization which is proved to have the convergence guarantee. The scheme does not require the image alignment and decompose the acquired images into a low-rank and sparse component in order to exploit different types of correlations. Our scheme has applications in video sequence, biomedical images, and light fields blind deconvolution.


This project used research to develop more effective criteria for placement and removal of spring load restrictions (SLR). Researchers investigated a method that uses a thawing index equation based on air temperatures to predict thawing events. Results showed that adjusting the reference temperature improved the spring-thaw prediction for Minnesota. Researchers compared historical SLR posting dates from 1986 through 1998 to the dates predicted using this new technique and to falling weight deflectometer and in situ instrumentation readings from 15 flexible pavement test sections in Minnesota. According to results, there was typically a week or more delay from the time that SLR should have been placed until actual posting of restrictions, which caused damage that could have been prevented. Based on testing performed on pavement sections across the state, the typical period required for pavement base and subgrade layers to regain sufficient strength to support heavy truck loads was eight weeks. In 1999, the Minnesota Department of Transportation adopted the improved procedure for placing and removing SLR. The policy uses actual and forecasted average daily temperature to determine timing of SLR. When the SLR duration is fixed at eight weeks, it is easier to plan for the end of the restriction period. Researchers estimate an increase of 10% in a typical low-volume asphalt road's life with implementation of the improved SLR procedures, resulting in a potential savings of more than $10 million annually.


The Upper Confidence bounds for Trees (UCT) algorithm has in recent years captured the attention of the planning and game-playing community due to its notable success in the game of Go. However, attempts to reproduce similar levels of performance in domains that are the forte of Minimax-style algorithms have been largely unsuccessful, making any comparative studies of the two hard. In this paper, we study UCT in the game of Mancala, which to our knowledge is the first domain where both search algorithms perform quite well with minimal enhancement. We focus on the three key components of the UCT algorithm in its purest form - targeted node expansion, state value estimation via playouts and averaging backups - and look at their contributions to the overall performance of the algorithm. We study the trade-offs involved in using alternate ways to perform these steps. Finally, we demonstrate a novel hybrid approach to enhancing UCT, that exploits its superior decision accuracy in regions of the search space with few terminal nodes.


The Hawaii‐2 Observatory (H2O) is an excellent site for studying the source regions and propagation of microseisms since it is located far from shorelines and shallow water. During Leg 200 of the Ocean Drilling Program, the officers of the JOIDES Resolution took wind and wave measurements for comparison with double‐frequency (DF) microseism data collected at nearby H2O. The DF microseism band can be divided into short‐period and long‐period bands, SPDF and LPDF, respectively. Comparison of the ship's weather log with the seismic data in the SPDF band from about 0.20 to 0.45 Hz shows a strong correlation of seismic amplitude with wind speed and direction, implying that the energy reaching the ocean floor is generated locally by ocean gravity waves. Nearshore land seismic stations see similar SPDF spectra, also generated locally by wind seas. At H2O, SPDF microseism amplitudes lag sustained changes in wind speed and direction by several hours, with the lag increasing with wave period. This lag may be associated with the time necessary for the development of opposing seas for DF microseism generation. Correlation of swell height above H2O with the LPDF band from 0.085 to 0.20 Hz is often poor, implying that a significant portion of this energy originates at distant locations. Correlation of the H2O seismic data with NOAA buoy data, with hindcast wave height data from the North Pacific, and with seismic data from mainland and island stations, defines likely source areas of the LPDF signals. Most of the LPDF energy at H2O appears to be generated by high‐amplitude storm waves impacting long stretches of coastline nearly simultaneously, and the Hawaiian Islands appear to be a significant source of LPDF energy in the North Pacific when waves arrive from particular directions. The highest levels observed at mid‐ocean site H2O occur in the SPDF band when two coincident nearby storm systems develop. Deep water, mid‐ocean‐generated DF microseisms are not observed at continental sites, indicating high attenuation of these signals. At near‐coastal seismic stations, both SPDF and LPDF microseism levels are generally dominated by local generation at nearby shorelines.


"Law and economics" has been hailed by its supporters as the only intellectually valid means for analyzing legal issues. Its critics have dismissed law and economics as amoral and biased against the poor. Ironically, each side in this frequently acrimonious debate has much to offer those in the opposing camp. This Article reflects a modest attempt to bridge the chasm.One need not believe that money is everything in order to believe that the effect a given legal rule has on total societal wealth is relevant in decisionmaking. But this admission does not consign one to a legal world where the wealthy win as a matter of right and legal rulings are sold to the highest bidder. It may be surprising to the detractors of law and economics, but the proper application of principles of economic analysis need not lead to anti-poor results. If all relevant factors are considered, the concerns of fairness and of efficiency may coincide more often than partisans of either side in this debate have cared to admit. This article shows how a proper application of the principles of law and economics to the puzzle of interpreting consumer form contracts leads to a nuanced result that protects both parties to the transaction.


Military Reservists Small Business Relief Act of 1999 - Amends the Small Business Act to require the Small Business Administration (SBA), upon written request, to defer repayment of principal and interest due on a direct general business or disaster loan made to a member of the reserves ordered to active duty during a period of military conflict, as long as such reservist: (1) received the loan before being ordered to such duty; and (2) is an essential employee of a small business for which the loan was made. Extends such deferral period until 180 days after such reservist is discharged or released from active duty. Directs the SBA to encourage lenders and loan intermediaries participating in other SBA loan programs to defer repayment of similar loans as well as loans made under the Small Business Investment Act of 1958. Authorizes the SBA to make disaster loans to assist a small business that has or is likely to suffer economic injury as the result of the essential employee of such business being ordered to active duty during a period of military conflict. Extends such assistance until 90 days after such reservist is discharged or released from such duty. Provides a loan limitation. Applies such assistance to periods of military conflict occurring on or after March 24, 1999. Directs the SBA to utilize its entrepreneurial development and management assistance programs to provide business counseling and training to any small business adversely affected by the deployment of units of U.S. armed forces in support of a period of military conflict. Requires the SBA, for the duration of Operation Allied Force and 120 days thereafter, to enhance its publicity of the availability of such assistance.


Ring-shear experiments were used to study subglacial sediment deformation and the development of S-matrix microstructures and microshears to constrain glacially induced deformation in diamicts. The experiments approximated subglacial conditions, and the diamict was sheared and sampled incrementally to strains of 0, 7, 18, 33, 57, and 107. At strains between 7 and 18, a steady association of S-matrix microstructures developed, which did not evolve further despite continued shearing. The I L -index, a measure of microshear-orientation strength parallel to the shearing direction correlates log-linearly with strain, which indicates its potential use as strain proxy. The ring-shear data were compared with the characteristics of Quaternary basal tills from Denmark, Poland, and Svalbard. Based on I L -index values, we conclude that these tills only experienced strain of ∼10 1 , which is orders of magnitude lower than expected for deformation tills. This suggests that pervasive subglacial deformation and sediment advection in the mobile layer at the ice-bed interface may be less significant than previously assumed.


Vegetables are a significant component of agricultural farming systems in Africa and have recently moved into the focus of research organizations, development partners and policy makers. Beyond income generating opportunities for producers, vegetable production for domestic and export markets is an important driver for growth due to employment opportunities in production, processing and trade. Providing the latest socioeconomic research methodologies alongside empirical examples, this volume explores the potential for vegetable production to alleviate poverty, the impact of food production standards on various stakeholders, an assessment of markets and marketing potential for different crops and advanced economic approaches to production.


The security interest is one of the most important devices used by financiers to manage credit risk. A financier that holds a security interest over the assets of a debtor enjoys considerable advantages over those creditors of the debtor who do not - since the security interest confers on the financier, in the event of a default by or the insolvency of the debtor, preferential rights of recourse against the assets encompassed by the security interest. By far the most important class of security interest, concerns security interests granted by companies over their personal property. The company is the dominant legal entity used for business enterprises, and a company's most valuable assets are likely to be its receivables, inventory, cash deposits, investment assets and intellectual property rights, all types of personal property. Security interests over personal property thus play an integral role in many modern financing transactions. For example, the obligations owed by a company to a financier in a multi-lender transaction (such as a loan syndication or risk participation) and to investors in structured financial products (such as asset-backed securities) are commonly supported by security interests over the company's personal property. This book discusses in detail the types of security interest that companies can grant over their personal property, and the regulation of such security interests under the laws of England and Wales, and the major common law jurisdictions of Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Reference is also made to selected material on security interests from the economically important common law jurisdictions of Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore. The book also examines the latest forms of security interest - such as lightweight floaters and fixed charges over fluctuating asset classes - being used by financiers, and the substitutes for security interests, principally negative pledges, retention of title clauses, set-off and flawed assets. Finally, the book considers the international initiatives of UNCITRAL and Unidroit to place cross-border security interests on a sounder footing.


In this paper, we analyze the decision version of the NK landscape model from the perspective of threshold phenomena and phase transitions under two random distributions, the uniform probability model and the fixed ratio model. For the uniform probability model, we prove that the phase transition is easy in the sense that there is a polynomial algorithm that can solve a random instance of the problem with the probability asymptotic to 1 as the problem size tends to infinity. For the fixed ratio model, we establish several upper bounds for the solubility threshold, and prove that random instances with parameters above these upper bounds can be solved polynomially. This, together with our empirical study for random instances generated below and in the phase transition region, suggests that the phase transition of the fixed ratio model is also easy.


A method has been developed for the determination of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene and cumene (BTEXC) in soils, based on methanol extraction, solid-phase extraction (SPE) of the diluted extract and gas chromatography. Quantitative recoveries of BTEXC were obtained from methanol extracts provided the solvent composition was adjusted to methanol–water (50 + 50) prior to SPE, and care was taken to avoid the development of headspace into which analytes could partition. Cartridge (500 mg) load volumes of up to 20 ml of methanol–water extract were possible for all the analytes, except benzene (7 ml), without significant loss due to volatilization. The minimum elution volume for 100% removal of the analytes from the SPE cartridge was 1.5 ml of dichloromethane. It was possible to recover >90% of analytes added as a concentrated methanolic solution to a dry, clay soil, but the recoveries decreased if field-moist soil was used and if the soil was spiked with petrol. Recoveries were also reduced if the soil and spiking solution were left in contact for extended periods (as would occur in the event of a real contaminant spillage). Over a 17 d period, more than 30% of the BTEXC added to a soil as a dilute solution in methanol–water (50 + 50) became too tightly bound for removal by a single aliquot of extractant. When the method of vapour fortification was used to produce performance evaluation materials, both uptake of BTEXC and stability of the analyte concentrations after spiking were found to depend strongly on the soil type.


INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: One of the major health related quality of life issues following radical prostatectomy (RP) is urinary incontinence. The detrusor apron (DA), although well described, is often sacrificed during RP despite its role in continence being unclear. Herein, we present our modified technique for continence preservation, which we call the Detrusor Apron Sparing Hood (DASH) technique. METHODS: We developed our technique using the idea, development, exploration, assessment, long-term follow-up (IDEAL) guidelines as a framework for development, specifically utilizing the idea, development and exploration aspects to help guide our process. For the idea phase, we conducted a literature review to investigate the anatomic and functional roles of the DA regarding continence. We also stained two patient specimens obtained from our traditional RP technique to examine the DA; the specimens were first stained using the Trichrome Masson method, and then we added an S-100 stain to explore the presence of nerves anteriorly. The development phase consisted of modifying our surgical steps such that the DA would be maximally preserved. We also determined how to incorporate the DA into our total anatomical reconstruction technique. We then performed our modified technique on 10 patients to assess the technique's safety and technical/procedural success. The exploration phase consisted of performing the DASH technique in 100 patients and subsequently collecting follow-up data concerning their time to continence recovery. RESULTS: One key modification in the DASH technique includes omission of the endopelvic fascia bilaterally. As the lateral prostatic fascia dissection moves distally, the DA is identified and incised off the anterior aspect of the prostate typically at the base or mid segment of the prostate. The only modification of our anastomosis is that we suture the DA back onto the anterior aspect of the bladder at the end. As of October 2018, we have successfully performed the DASH in 158 patients. Of them, 113 have completed the first follow-up visit (average 5 weeks). The continence rate, defined as no need for pads or condom devices was 73%. CONCLUSIONS: The DASH technique is a safe and feasible method of performing RP. More follow-up is necessary to assess long-term outcomes. Source of Funding: None


Undercover policing, broadly, is the practice of covert deceptive and non-deceptive activities to identify and gather intelligence against offenders. This thesis explores the emotional and psychological wellbeing of former undercover police officers; firstly, by ascertaining the stressors experienced when participating in an undercover operation, and secondly by understanding the ways in which former officers utilised coping strategies. This thesis explores the concepts of: stress and coping; policing research, and undercover policing and stress. This exploration aids in understanding the psychological risks of undertaking an undercover assignment, the welfare of undercover police officers, the inherent dangers in undercover policing, and the practice of deception in undercover policing. The focus of this research was primarily upon the wellbeing of undercover police officers, rather than the operational methods by which undercover police officers conduct their work. In order to do this, a qualitative approach was taken. Data were gathered by conducting semi-structured interviews with five former undercover police officers from various forces, with a focus on wellbeing and coping in an undercover capacity. Data were thematically analysed, and overall it was found that formal support networks were limited, and of poor quality with no alternative, such as friends and family. The stressors experienced by UCOs were found to resonate with previous research, surrounding concepts of risks to safety, as well as risks to emotional and mental wellbeing, and alcohol use, although analysis around identity stressors does not correlate with previous research. Reflection was often utilised negatively, often leading to rumination, however physical activity was positively used by most of the participants. Though limited in scope, this research brings contemporary understanding to an important, but underdeveloped and often fragmented body of knowledge surrounding undercover policing. As a result of this, suggestions for further research and policy implications are also presented.


This research aims to investigate the English learning model applied in elementary school in Surakarta. The population of this research is elementary schools in Surakarta and four elementary schools act as a sample. This research applies qualitative approaches using interview, observation, and documentation to obtain the data. The findings show that elementary schools in Surakarta apply one of the KTSP Curriculum and 2013 Curriculum. Those who apply 2013 Curriculum, consider English as a local content and those which apply KTSP Curriculum, consider English as an extra curricula. In the teaching learning process, the teachers have applied several strategies like lecturing, discussion, and game. The learning sources used to teach is taken from many sources such as textbook, worksheet, and from the internet. There are a little bit obstacles in the teaching learning process such as the varieties of motivation, enthusiastic, and ability of the students. In the learning process, the students want to have varieties approach such as learning in the class, outing class, and using a story. Based on the information above, it can be concluded that English still become one subject in Surakarta elementary school and these school place English either as extra curricula or local content.


Reminding us that all media were once new, this book challenges the notion that to study new media is to study exclusively today's new media. Examining a variety of media in their historic contexts, it explores those moments of transition when new media were not yet fully defined and their significance was still in flux. Examples range from familiar devices such as the telephone and phonograph to unfamiliar curiosities such as the physiognotrace and the zograscope. Moving beyond the story of technological innovation, the book considers emergent media as sites of ongoing cultural exchange. It considers how habits and structures of communication can frame a collective sense of public and private and how they inform our apprehensions of the "real." By recovering different (and past) senses of media in transition, New Media, 1740-1915 promises to deepen our historical understanding of all media and thus to sharpen our critical awareness of how they acquire their meaning and power. ContributorsWendy Bellion, Erin C. Blake, Patricia Crain, Ellen Gruber Garvey, Lisa Gitelman, Geoffrey B. Pingree, Gregory Radick, Laura Burd Schiavo, Katherine Stubbs, Diane Zimmerman Umble, Paul Young.


In this paper, a new accelerating technique for content-based image retrieval is proposed, suitable for the Color and Edge Directivity Descriptor (CEDD). To date, the experimental results presented in the literature have shown that the CEDD demonstrates high rates of successful retrieval in benchmark image databases. Although its storage requirements are minimal, only 54 bytes per image, the time required for the retrieval procedure may be practically too long when searching on large databases. The proposed technique utilizes the Binary Haar Wavelet Transform in order to extract from the CEDD a smaller and more efficient descriptor, with a size of less than 2 bytes per image, speeding up retrieval from large image databases. This descriptor describes the CEDD, but not necessarily the image from which is extracted. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated through experiments performed with a known benchmark database.


Abstract Background: Ovarian cancer is linked to pro-inflammatory mechanisms through its association with increased lifetime number of ovulations, pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis, and exposure to talc and asbestos. Exposures that directly reduce inflammation, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and factors that may reduce exposure to irritants, including tubal ligation and hysterectomy, have been shown to reduce ovarian cancer risk. However, limited data are available linking ovarian cancer to measurements of circulating inflammatory markers. Methods: To evaluate whether circulating levels of cytokines and other immune markers are associated with ovarian cancer risk, we conducted a nested case-control study within the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial. Four Luminex based multi-plex panels were used to measure circulating levels of 60 inflammation-related biomarkers in all 150 incident ovarian cancer cases with pre-diagnostic serum samples available and 149 controls matched on age at baseline, race, date and time of day of sample collection. Serum samples were collected between 2 and 13 years before cancer diagnosis. We limited analysis to the 24 markers with at least 67% of values above the lower limit of detection and categorized the markers based on the tertile (n=2 markers) or quartile (n=22 markers) distribution in controls. Coefficients of variation for these 24 markers ranged from 1% to 13%. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using conditional logistic regression in unadjusted models and with further adjustment for parity, oral contraceptive use, menopausal hormone therapy use, cigarette smoking and body mass index. Results: In preliminary analyses, elevated serum levels of IL-8 were associated with increased risk of ovarian cancer [Q4 vs. Q1: adjusted OR 2.62 95% CI (1.15-5.95)]. Elevated serum levels of CRP and TNF-alpha were marginally associated with an increased risk [CRP Q4 vs. Q1: 2.11 (0.97-4.59); TNF-alpha Q4 vs. Q1: 2.27 (0.98-5.28)]. In analyses restricted to serous ovarian cancer, the associations with IL-8 and CRP were strengthened [IL-8 Q4 vs. Q1: 3.47 (1.04-11.55); CRP Q4 vs. Q1: 5.62 (1.54-20.56)]. Elevated IL-8, CRP and TNF-alpha levels were statistically significantly related to increased ovarian cancer risk in analysis restricted to specimens collected at least 5 years before diagnosis. Conclusions: Our preliminary results suggest a positive association between IL-8, CRP and TNF-alpha and increased ovarian cancer risk. Our findings confirm an increased risk of ovarian cancer reported for CRP. Associations between IL-8 and TNF-alpha with ovarian cancer risk have not been previously reported, but both markers have been shown to be involved in ovarian function, specifically follicle rupture and repair, and are detectable in tumor tissue from ovarian cancer patients. These findings suggest that increased inflammation is etiologically important in ovarian carcinogenesis, and argue for additional research to confirm and extend these findings. Citation Format: Britton Trabert, Ligia Pinto, Patricia Hartge, Troy Kemp, Amanda Black, Mark E. Sherman, Louise A. Brinton, Ruth Pfeiffer, Anil Chaturvedi, Allan Hildesheim, Nicolas Wentzensen. Prediagnostic serum levels of inflammation markers and risk of ovarian cancer in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial: Preliminary results. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Post-GWAS Horizons in Molecular Epidemiology: Digging Deeper into the Environment; 2012 Nov 11-14; Hollywood, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2012;21(11 Suppl):Abstract nr 22.


Simulation is a tool that can be used to assess functionality and performance of communication networks and protocols. However, efficient simulation of complex communication systems is not a trivial task. In this paper, we discuss modeling and simulation of bus-based communication networks and present the results of modeling and simulation of a multigigabit/s LAN. We used parallel simulation techniques to reduce the simulation time of the LAN and implemented both an optimistic and a conservative parallel simulation scheme. Our experimental results on a shared memory multiprocessor indicate that the conservative parallel simulation scheme is superior to the optimistic one for this specific application. The parallel simulator based on the conservative scheme demonstrates a linear speedup for large networks.


In this paper, we study how firm-level export performance is affected by Real Exchange Rate (RER) volatility and investigate the way this effect is shaped by firm size and more specifically, the number of destinations. Our empirical analysis relies on a French firm-level database that combines balance-sheet and product-destination-specific export information over the period 1995-2009. More specifically, we show that export performance is affected by both bilateral and multilateral real exchange rate volatility (that is, the weighted volatility of all other destinations served by firms), the latter embodying the existence of third-market effects. Besides, we find that firm size and the number of destinations seem to exacerbate the impacts of both bilateral and multilateral RER volatilities on export performance: firms tend to reallocate exports away from destinations characterized by higher, relative RER volatility, and are even more prone to do so when the scope of possible reallocations is extended. Our results suggest that more destination-diversified firms are better able to handle exchange rate risks, with significant implications for exports at the macro level: a very simple empirical exercise shows that aggregate exports would have been 6.6% larger if all firms had been able to reallocate exports across sufficiently numerous destinations.


The long-range impact of real returns on any form of saved or invested money on a macroeconomy is modeled and discussed. It is shown that, subject to conditions concerning savings rate and loan amortization time, any economic system with positive real returns must eventually reach a depression-like economic state, regardless of real output growth. The observed disproportionate growth of financial sectors in recent years is explained by the proposed theory. A simple dynamic model for "long waves" in world capitalism is also presented. IMHO there are two _different_ explanations for long-term cycles/paths toward depression in capitalism, which have that in common that they may be categorized as "accumulation- related". (there are also other explanations, f.inst. innovation- oriented ones) First the "capital intensity" theory: A long-term falling trend in the average rate of profit mainly due to growth in capital intensity is used to explain the transition from boom to recession to depression. This theory is widely known and discussed. Then to the second theory (argued in the paper). It is based purely on he dynamics of accumulation of financial--in all senses--assets. Accumulation is a simple and well-known phenomenon, familiar to everybody with an elementary knowledge of the interest mechanism. It is therefore remarkable that the macroeconomic consequences of this mechanism have not--as far as this author has been able to ascertain-- been explored rigorously and comprehensively. The paper is an attempt to do so. (The strong focus on money and finance in the paper is not to be understood such that "the real economy" is considered unimportant. The primary concern of economics is of course--or at least should be--real economic goals. But when specific financial phenomena run their course regardless of real economy developments, and sooner or later also influence real economic indicators decisively and negatively, one has no choice but to to focus strongly on money and finance.) The model developed in the first part of the paper may be shortly put like this. Define the population of agents in an economy as gvt., municipalities, firms and households. Sort those agents into two aggregates; an "aggregate agent" of net creditors (NC) and another of net debtors (ND). (Society as a whole will have zero aggregate net debt/assets, when we look at a closed economy). Between the two groups one will have a net cash flow going from ND to NC consisting of returns (interest, dividends on stocks) and repayments (not on stocks, but on loans given). Another net cash flow goes the other way, consisting of new loans, purchase of bonds, purchase of stocks. Those flows imply future returns back from the ND to the NC. Let us call both these flows for _financial_ flows. All other cash flows, such as wages, purchase of capital goods, consumption, etc., are _real_ flows. Now, under quite non-restrictive conditions, it is easily proved that financial flows will grow exponentially with time: If the NC aggregate has a sufficiently high propensity to save (in an average sense that is, and/or real interest rates are high, and/or repayment rates are low, this will be the case. Aggregate net assets for the NC--let us call this term A(t)--will also grow exponentially. Correspondingly, A(t) is also the aggregate net debt for the ND. I call this growth process "polarization". Assuming that the money stock among the ND increases slower than this exponential growth, a relatively decreasing share of cash will circulate as real flows and a correspondingly increasing share as financial flows. Assuming that the propensity to save for the NC aggregate is constant, so also the propensity to consume. This means exponentially increasing consumption for the NC aggregate.One will expect consumption and capital goods purchases for the NC aggregate, and also employment in the financial sector to increase relatively, and a relative decrease of consumption, capital goods purchases and employment in the rest of the economy which delivers goods and non- financial ("real") services. If, however, money is somehow injected into the real part of the economy (Friedman's "helicopter money"/increased velocity there/near-monies being used more extensively for transactions) this will counter the real flow relative cash depletion effect. In this case, if physical output doesn't also increase exponentially, we will have inflation, which will erode aggregate assets A(t): Inflation will work against polarization. But if polarization is present, this _neccesarily_ means relative depletion of real cash flows. Now to a point made against me in a discussion of the polarization theory: Suppose a growing economy, meaning that output increases each year. Lenders can accumulate assets and borrowers can accumulate debts for ever as long as the rate at which this accumulation takes place is less than the rate of growth. This is a polarization time path. Financial fragility will inexorably increase. This means crisis sooner or later. Growth in real output has no influence on this. Polarization may-- however--be at work for a long period with no crisis symptoms, and with increased real wages and economic growth: Assume a situation where we have a positive inflation rate, a higher nominal mean interest rate, and also a (not too low) savings rate among the NC, such that in spite of inflation polarization is positive, but slow. Since polarization is slow in relation to the inflation rate, nominal aggregate wages (the sum of wages in the financial sector and in the rest of the economy) will grow. Furthermore, let us assume that the workforce also grows, but somewhat slower than aggregate nominal wages, such that the average workperson also experiences a positive, albeit lower, nominal wage growth. If productivity increase is such that real output grows faster than aggregate demand, the expanding workforce will also experience _real_ wage growth. The key point then, is the rate of productivity increase. It follows that a long-range trend of average increase in living standards, as observed after World War II, does not as such exclude the presence of polarization in this period. What is invariant, however, is this: Under any combination of inflation rate, productivity increase and nominal wage increase, and whether overall employment waxes or wanes: If polarization is present, it should always be accompanied by a relative increase in activity - cash flows and employment - in the financial sector. This inexorable tilt in the direction of finance _must_ lead to crisis: Economic fragility will increase since an increasing share of cash flows are contracted financial cash flows which cannot not be easily reduced as with an agent's consumption or purchase of capital goods. In other words: Crisis will happen regardless of continuous growth in productivity and physical output, it is cash depletion and fragility that decides this. Sooner or later physical output will stagnate, in spite of steadily increasing productivity, due to insolvency epidemies reducing employment and production. The paper develops the polarization theory, which is presented as a theoretical argument, not accompanied by empirical data. But, even if empirical studies are not presented in the paper, it seems that one sort of empirical evidence is the extreme relative growth of the financial sector in the 80ies. I started this note by mentioning that there is another theory for the expanation of long waves or long-term paths towards depression, by me called the "capital intensity" theory. In what way is this theory different from the polarization theory? Imagine an economy where manufacturing technology is fairly unchanged for several decades. Following the capital intensity argument, this economy should then be _exempt_ from the long-term crisis mechanism. But, imagine that this society has a real level of interest/returns sufficient for lenders/investors to financially accumulate. Accumulation of assets on one side is accumulation of debts on the other, what we may call polarization. Economic fragility will increase with polarization as stated above. Debtors will sooner or later default on a large scale, and creditors will lose money, and also have few new safe investment opportunities. Society will grind to halt. If such a crisis mechanism is present, also a technologically static economy will experience a path towards depression. On the other hand, the first (capital intensity) mechanism does not predict crisis for such a society. By this I have made the point that the two theories are qualitively different.


Recent changes in immigration law have affected the characteristics of immigrants coming to the United States. The major changes in immigration policy contained in the 1965 Immigration Act, which amended the McCarran-Walter Act of 1952, concerned the abolition of the quota system, preference system and labor clearances for certain classes of immigrants. The effects of these policy changes on two controversial characteristics of immigrants, their country of origin and occupational levels, are traced. The law led to clear changes in origin of immigrants. Southern European, Asian and Caribbean immigrants make up a larger proportion of immigrants than previously. Although the volume of immigration increased, the distribution of occupational levels remained about the same. The sources of the various occupational groups shifted to some extent, especially the professional level from Asian countries. Some effects of the policy changes and the changes in population characteristics on the American social and political scene are briefly outlined.


Existing work on workflow mining ignores the dataflow aspect of the problem. This is not acceptable for service-oriented applications that use Web services with typed inputs and outputs. We propose a novel algorithm WIT (Workflow Inference from Traces) which identifies the context similarities of the observed actions based on the dataflow and uses model merging techniques to generalize the control flow and the dataflow simultaneously. We identify the class of workflows that WIT can learn correctly. We implemented WIT and tested it on a real world medical scheduling domain where WIT was able to find a good approximation of the target workflow.


A completely revised and updated edition of A Course in Language Teaching. This book provides a comprehensive introduction to English language teaching, and is suitable for teachers in a variety of educational settings, including compulsory education. It has been completely revised and updated to include essential new topics for the modern English language teacher, including English as an international language, Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) and using digital materials. It is ideal for initial teacher training and as a reference guide for practising teachers. The book combines theory and practice, with each unit containing tasks that encourage reflection and discussion, plus action tasks such as classroom observation and practice.


From friendships, to ambitions, to mental health, money plays a huge role in our lives and relationships, yet we're often too polite or embarrassed to talk about it. But in an age of pay-gap exposes and growing inequality, we need to talk about money more than ever.

Open Up is an outspoken, warm and timely book that destigmatises the way we talk, think and feel about money. It's full of conversations about money in everyday life - how we earn it, how we spend it and how it affects us. Whether learning from friends, being transparent with partners, finding community with colleagues or recognising what you're worth, talking about money means letting go of shame, and creating a healthy relationship with your finances. Full of sympathetic, practical advice on everything from mindful spending to the freelance jump and how to challenge the status quo, this is a book that strips away the awkwardness, to help you find the power and solidarity of talking about money.


ABSTRACT Several nonenveloped animal viruses possess an autolytic capsid protein that is cleaved as a maturation step during assembly to yield infectious virions. The 76-kDa major outer capsid protein μ1 of mammalian orthoreoviruses (reoviruses) is also thought to be autocatalytically cleaved, yielding the virion-associated fragments μ1N (4 kDa; myristoylated) and μ1C (72 kDa). In this study, we found that μ1 cleavage to yield μ1N and μ1C was not required for outer capsid assembly but contributed greatly to the infectivity of the assembled particles. Recoated particles containing mutant, cleavage-defective μ1 (asparagine → alanine substitution at amino acid 42) were competent for attachment; processing by exogenous proteases; structural changes in the outer capsid, including μ1 conformational change and σ1 release; and transcriptase activation but failed to mediate membrane permeabilization either in vitro (no hemolysis) or in vivo (no coentry of the ribonucleotoxin α-sarcin). In addition, after these particles were allowed to enter cells, the δ region of μ1 continued to colocalize with viral core proteins in punctate structures, indicating that both elements remained bound together in particles and/or trapped within the same subcellular compartments, consistent with a defect in membrane penetration. If membrane penetration activity was supplied in trans by a coinfecting genome-deficient particle, the recoated particles with cleavage-defective μ1 displayed much higher levels of infectivity. These findings led us to propose a new uncoating intermediate, at which particles are trapped in the absence of μ1N/μ1C cleavage. We additionally showed that this cleavage allowed the myristoylated, N-terminal μ1N fragment to be released from reovirus particles during entry-related uncoating, analogous to the myristoylated, N-terminal VP4 fragment of picornavirus capsid proteins. The results thus suggest that hydrophobic peptide release following capsid protein autocleavage is part of a general mechanism of membrane penetration shared by several diverse nonenveloped animal viruses.


The Complete Guide to Avoiding and Fixing Common Rails 3 Code and Design Problems As developers worldwide have adopted the powerful Ruby on Rails web framework, many have fallen victim to common mistakes that reduce code quality, performance, reliability, stability, scalability, and maintainability. Rails AntiPatterns identifies these widespread Rails code and design problems, explains why theyre bad and why they happenand shows exactly what to do instead. The book is organized into concise, modular chapterseach outlines a single common AntiPattern and offers detailed, cookbook-style code solutions that were previously difficult or impossible to find. Leading Rails developers Chad Pytel and Tammer Saleh also offer specific guidance for refactoring existing bad code or design to reflect sound object-oriented principles and established Rails best practices. With their help, developers, architects, and testers can dramatically improve new and existing applications, avoid future problems, and establish superior Rails coding standards throughout their organizations. This book will help you understand, avoid, and solve problems with Model layer code, from general object-oriented programming violations to complex SQL and excessive redundancyDomain modeling, including schema and database issues such as normalization and serializationView layer tools and conventionsController-layer code, including RESTful codeService-related APIs, including timeouts, exceptions, backgrounding, and response codesThird-party code, including plug-ins and gemsTesting, from test suites to test-driven development processesScaling and deploymentDatabase issues, including migrations and validationsSystem design for graceful degradation in the real world


Praise for The Truth About Email Marketing"It's refreshing to see an author address specifics instead of gloss over generalities that can be boiled down to one sentence. Simms' book debunks the top email marketing myths in a readable and logical fashion."Tad Clarke, Editorial Director, MarketingSherpa Inc."Anyone interested in maximizing their marketing budgets should stop what they are doing and read this book. Simms' deep experience in email marketing is widely evident in this very insightful and fact-filled book. Great insight into an area of marketing that is often overlooked. Plus, its a fun, easy read...especially for us marketers!"Jeff Hilimire, President, Engauge Digital"Simms has a great knack for simplifying the complex world of email. From the novice email marketer to the email aficionado, The Truth about Email Marketing provides insight and thought-provoking content that all of us can use in our email and online marketing efforts."Aaron Kahlow, CEO & Founder, Online Marketing Summit"Simms Jenkins expertly outlines a series of useful Truths to ensure effective and highly optimized, permission-based email marketing programs. Take advantage of Simms' battle scars and set yourself on a direct course that unleashes the power of this important marketing channel."Sam Cece, Chief Executive Officer, StrongMail SystemsEverything you must know to utilize email marketing in your corporation or small business! The truth about recession-proofing your business with email marketing The truth about measuring results and improving promotional and newsletter campaigns The truth about email marketing versus spam This book reveals 49 proven email marketing best practicesand bite-size, easy-to-use techniques that get resultsEmail marketing is one of the most incredibly powerful yet misunderstood marketing channels of the business world. While many companies practice email marketing, few get it right. Industry expert, Simms Jenkins, provides a set of best practices to help you assess and refine your strategy and tactics. Your organization can gain much from new and proven approaches to email marketing: strengthen customer relationships, create loyalty, and build trust and awareness. The result is increased responses in sales, leads, registrations, and more.


Object tracking has remained a challenging problem in recent years. Most of the trackers can not work well, especially when dealing with problems such as similarly colored backgrounds, object occlusions, low illumination, or sudden illumination changes in real scenes. A centroid iteration algorithm using multiple features and a posterior probability criterion is presented to solve these problems. The model representation of the object and the similarity measure are two key factors that greatly influence the performance of the tracker. Firstly, this paper propose using a local texture feature which is a generalization of the local binary pattern (LBP) descriptor, which we call the double center-symmetric local binary pattern (DCS-LBP). This feature shows great discrimination between similar regions and high robustness to noise. By analyzing DCS-LBP patterns, a simplified DCS-LBP is used to improve the object texture model called the SDCS-LBP. The SDCS-LBP is able to describe the primitive structural information of the local image such as edges and corners. Then, the SDCS-LBP and the color are combined to generate the multiple features as the target model. Secondly, a posterior probability measure is introduced to reduce the rate of matching mistakes. Three strategies of target model update are employed. Experimental results show that our proposed algorithm is effective in improving tracking performance in complicated real scenarios compared with some state-of-the-art methods.


The purpose of this study is to investigate how people express religious and national identities in the conflict-ridden Patani region of southern Thailand. In a historical framework of disputes over territory and political legitimacy, where identities have developed in response to an emerging Thai nation, it is of relevance to understand the dynamics of these identities and to disclose how local people perceive themselves, their communities and society at large. While the key to ending the violence in the Patani region will likely be found in negotiations between insurgent groups and the Thai state, the prospects for a lasting peace will also depend on the degree to which such political solutions take the local population into consideration. A history of repressive policies aimed at undermining Malay Muslim culture and attempts to impose the ideology of Thainess upon the region have left the Thai state without legitimacy in the eyes of the Malay Muslim majority. As such, ethnicity and religion have become major sources of dissonance between the Thai state and the local population. Exploring local interethnic relations and attitudes towards Thainess and Thai nation-building is thus of great significance when it comes to comprehending the fundamental conflict lines in the region. Using anthropological fieldwork, this dissertation aims to detect how the concepts of religion and nation define and shape identity in the Patani region among Malay Muslims and Thai Buddhists. It seeks to identify what resonance there is for national and local discourses of religion and nation in the local population, how people are influenced by these discourses and how they redefine them. The findings show that both Malay Muslims and Thai Buddhists have developed multiple identities that tend to shift depending on situation and context. A primary objective of this study is thus to explore why these multiple identities have developed, how they are expressed in daily life and what impact they have on interethnic relations and interpretations of the southern Thai conflict. (Less)


Myths are stories whose real subject lies elsewhere. In myths lie ancient symbols expressing philosophical and ethical meanings. The power of these symbols and meanings, which may have often long receded into subconsciousness, crosses time, space and cultures. Each generation and each culture not only interpret their meanings into those older symbols to which they are drawn by affinity but also create new symbols by using, modifying and transforming those of the past. There exists something like a spontaneous rediscovery or remembrance of the original meaning of mythological symbols. These last become then a potentially cross-generational and cross-cultural lexicon sinking its roots into shared cultural memory. Artists in the past have relied on the power of myth to visually speak to their audience, re-presenting myths in an illusionistic way, inviting the viewer to discover and construct meanings and relying on the subconscious memory that can connect people to mythological symbols and allegories and the meanings that they convey. Today art is not telling stories in a conventional way anymore and is disentangled from the need of mimesis. How has the relation between art and myth changed outside the framework of representational art? How do art and myth intersect today? What does motivate contemporary artists to take myths as subjects? Are mythological allegories in contemporary art still understood by the viewer? Is the universality inherent to myth able to communicate contemporary issues and tell recent stories? This paper aims to answer these questions, through the analysis of the work of relevant contemporary artists and primary and creative research. It also aims at fostering reflection upon the relationship between myth, visual symbols and recent histories, issues and debates in today's creative environment.


The paper develops a growth model in an overlapping generations framework of a financially repressed small open economy, and analyzes the effects of financial liberalization. The following observations are made: An increase (decrease) of interest rate (reserve requirements) reduces (increases) the steady-state stock of capital and the trade balance, but improves (deteriorates) the level of foreign exchange reserves. However, financial liberalization, in any form, is always welfare-improving. The paper, thus, advocates financial liberalization policies to be oriented towards reduction of reserve requirements rather than interest rate deregulation, if foreign reserve holding is not in a critical position.


Grafted VxOy catalysts for oxidative dehydrogenation of propane (ODP) have been studied due to their potential high performance and as model catalysts in the past. We report on a positive synergetic effect capable of considerably enhancing the propene productivities above reported performances. The most productive catalysts were found at metal loadings (V + Ti) close to the monolayer coverage. The 4V/13Ti/SBA-15 catalyst presented a considerably high productivity (6–9 kgpropene kgcat−1 h−1). Moreover, with this catalyst, propene productivity only slightly decreased as a function of propane conversion, indicating that propene combustion toward COx occurs more slowly in comparison to other catalysts exhibiting high propene productivities. A detailed kinetic analysis of the 4V/13Ti/SBA-15 catalyst revealed that high vanadia and titania dispersions are required for high propene productivity.


More than two decade-old Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has finally tasted success and wild poliovirus is now on the verge of eradication. The pre-eradication era was full of challenges and a great learning experience for all those involved with this tedious process. Many new phenomena emerged and new information about poliovirus learned during this campaign. Many new developments such as vaccine-derived polioviruses (VDPVs) were not anticipated and resulted in serious thinking regarding post-eradication vaccine policy. As a result, the post-eradication era is going to be even more complex, more uncertain and complicated than the pre-eradication era. There are many issues that warrant urgent attention not only by the perpetrators of GPEI but by the individual member country. There is almost unanimity that continuous post-eradication use of oral polio vaccine (OPV) is incompatible with the eradication, hence, OPV will need to be discontinued. However, there is utter confusion on the face of future polio immunization after eradication. Few of the most contentious issues of immediate posteradication era are how to safely stop and withdraw OPV usage world-wide and whether universal inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) be used or not, especially in developing countries. Although both OPV and IPV have proven highly effective in the past, neither the live nor the current IPV are optimal for use in the post-eradication setting. Therefore, rigorous efforts are urgently needed to develop a new generation of inactivated vaccine that is risk-free and affordable and can be produced even in developing country setup. This review provides an insight to the all the issues related to post-eradication era and also discusses briefly the need of having a third generation IPV.


Plenoptic particle image velocimetry (PIV) was used to perform instantaneous threedimensional (3D) velocity measurements in the near-wake of a wall-mounted hemispherical roughness element at a Reynolds number (based on roughness height) of 4.57 × 10 and boundary layer to roughness height-ratio of 4.67. The experiment was performed in a refractive index matched flow facility to mitigate laser reflections from the hemispherical surface. Data gathered from this experiment represents one of the first applications of plenoptic PIV. The time-average flow is characterized by a separated shear layer off of the hemisphere, a symmetric recirculation region, and an arch-shaped vortex. In the instantaneous 3D velocity fields, a separated boundary layer and recirculation region with asymmetric characteristics are present. Additionally, arch vortices are found that are both attached and detached to the hemispherical surface, similar to previously studied recirculation arch (RA) vortices. The proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) was applied to both the 3D velocity and 3D vorticity fields. Velocity modes produced features associated with the overall flow whereas vorticity modes produced features associated with the wake. The most energetic POD modes confirm the fluctuations in the boundary layer and recirculation region, as well as suggest the existence of shed arch-shaped vortices.