Mudslides have been reported to have a very distinctive profile. Using this distinctive profile, a method is presented to analyze the stability of the mudslide at limit equilibrium conditions. From the analysis an equation is developed from which the value of the undrained shear strength, c//u, of the material forming the mudslide can be obtained. The calculated value of c//u is a function of the geometry of the mudslide as well as the unit weight of the mud. If these parameters are known from in-situ profile measurements, the c//u can be easily obtained without causing any disturbance to the mud as is the case when other current available methods of measurement are used. The Mudslide Profile Method was applied to two reported mudslides.


Widely tunable lasers are essential components for high-capacity wavelength-division-multiplexed (WDM) transmission and photonic switching systems. For these optical fiber communication systems, they offer several advantages to increase the capacity, the functionality, and the flexibility of WDM networks. Nevertheless, these widely tunable transmitters must satisfy several stringent requirements depending on the specific application for which they are intended. Using criteria defined to compare the performances of several widely tunable laser structures reported in the literature, we pointed out a structure which presents a good tradeoff between high performances and technological processing simplicity. We designed and realized this component, the sampled-grating distributed Bragg reflector laser. Its tuning mechanism and main characteristics are first discussed. A short review is then made to compare these results to those measured on different widely tunable structures, and to propose improvements needed for practical implementation of these lasers for WDM optical fiber communications.


Temperature regulation is a necessary part of maintaining life, as most biological processes are influenced by temperature. ThermoTRP channels are considered the primary thermosensors in endotherms, but little is known regarding their function in ectotherms. The goal of this study is to establish TRPM8, a cold sensing channel, as a participant in normal thermoregulation of the bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps), an ectotherm. Animals were placed inside a ramping temperature shuttle box to assess the common behavioural thermoregulatory strategy of shuttling. Shuttling involves the periodic movement between cold and warm environments to maintain body temperature at moderate levels. The temperatures for cold and warm escapes represent sensory thresholds for inducing the shuttling thermoeffector. Animals were administered with: 1) an injection of the TRM8 antagonist capsazepine, 2) an injection of the TRPM8 agonist menthol, and 3) menthol applied topically. No effect was observed with injected drugs, but topical menthol resulted in a 2-3oC rise in the ambient temperature threshold and 1-2oC rise in skin temperature threshold for escape from the cold compartment. In an additional experiment, gaping behaviour, a warm temperature thermoregulatory strategy, was assessed. No effect was observed in this behaviour when the same dose of menthol was applied topically. These results point to a role for TRPM8 only in thermoregulation as it relates to cold temperature sensation in lizards, since it does not participate in regulating warm temperature behaviours such as gaping.


We calculate the probability distribution for the volume of the Universe after slow-roll inflation both in the eternal and in the non-eternal regime. Far from the eternal regime the probability distribution for the number of e-foldings, defined as one third of the logarithm of the volume, is sharply peaked around the number of e-foldings of the classical inflaton trajectory. At the transition to the eternal regime this probability is still peaked (with the width of order one e-folding) around the average, which gets twice larger at the transition point. As one enters the eternal regime the probability for the volume to be finite rapidly becomes exponentially small. In addition to developing techniques to study eternal inflation, our results allow us to establish the quantum generalization of a recently proposed bound on the number of e-foldings in the non-eternal regime: the probability for slow-roll inflation to produce a finite volume larger than eSdS/2, where SdS is the de Sitter entropy at the end of the inflationary stage, is smaller than the uncertainty due to non-perturbative quantum gravity effects. The existence of such a bound provides a consistency check for the idea of de Sitter complementarity.


The lower King River is a highly modified environment. Upstream of the Queen River and
downstream of the Crotty Dam, the lower King is affected by decreases in flows downstream of the
Crotty Dam, and changes in flow regime and water quality downstream of the John Butters power
station. Downstream of the Queen River junction, the King is extremely degraded by decades of
pollution from acid mine drainage (AMD), mine tailings and slag emanating from historical mining
activities at Mt Lyell (Koehnken 1997). The biological consequences of these impacts were described
only recently (Davies et al. 1996), and this section of the river is extremely depauperate with no fish
or platypus and only a residual macroinvertebrate fauna. Ongoing impacts occur due to high levels of
metals, particularly copper and aluminium, sulphate and acidity. In addition, the channel has been
infilled with tailing and slag sediments, which have degraded the quality of the benthic habitat and
may also be toxic.


A 'molecular clip' featuring a near-IR emitting fluorophore, BF(2)-chelated tetraarylazadipyrromethane (aza-BODIPY) covalently linked to two porphyrins (MP, M = 2H or Zn) has been newly synthesized to host a three-dimensional electron acceptor fullerene via a 'two-point' metal-ligand axial coordination. Efficient singlet-singlet excitation transfer from (1)ZnP* to aza-BODIPY was witnessed in the dyad and triad in nonpolar and less polar solvents, such as toluene and o-dichlorobenzene, however, in polar solvents, additional electron transfer occurred along with energy transfer. A supramolecular tetrad was formed by assembling bis-pyridine functionalized fullerene via a 'two-point' metal-ligand axial coordination, and the resulted complex was characterized by optical absorption and emission, computational, and electrochemical methods. Electron transfer from photoexcited zinc porphyrin to C(60) is witnessed in the supramolecular tetrad from the femtosecond transient absorption spectral studies. Further, the supramolecular polyads (triad or tetrad) were utilized to build photoelectrochemical cells to check their ability to convert light into electricity by fabricating FTO/SnO(2)/polyad electrodes. The presence of azaBODIPY and fullerene entities of the tetrad improved the overall light energy conversion efficiency. An incident photon-to-current conversion efficiency of up to 17% has been achieved for the tetrad modified electrode.


Throughout the centuries, ballet has had a rich and ever-evolving role in the humanities. Renowned choreographers, composers, and performers have contributed to this unique art form, staging enduring works of beauty. Significant productions by major companies embrace innovations and adaptations, enabling ballet to thrive and delight audiences all over the globe. In The Encyclopedia of World Ballet, Mary Ellen Snodgrass surveys the emergence of ballet from ancient Asian models to the present, providing overviews of rhythmic movement as a subject of art, photography, and cinema. Entries in this volume reveal the nature and purpose of ballet, detailing specifics about leaders in classic design and style, influential costumers and companies, and trends in technique, partnering, variation, and liturgical execution. This reference covers: *Choreographers *Composers *Costumers *Dance companies *Dancers *Productions *Set designers *Techniques *Terminology Among the principal figures included here are Alvin Ailey, Afrasiyab Badalbeyli, George Balanchine, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Pierre Beauchamp, Sergei Diaghilev, Agnes DeMille, Nacho Duato, Isadora Duncan, Boris Eifman, Mats Ek, Erte, Martha Graham, Inigo Jones, Louis XIV, Amalia Hernandez Navarro, Rudolf Nureyev, Marius Petipa, Jerome Robbins, Twyla Tharp, and Agrippina Vaganova. This work also features dance companies from the Americas, Australia, China, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, Korea, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa, and Vietnam. Productions include such universal narrative favorites as Coppelia, The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty, Scheherazade, Firebird, and Swan Lake. Featuring a chronology that identifies key events and figures, this volume highlights significant developments in stage presentations over the centuries. The Encyclopedia of World Ballet will serve general readers, dance instructors, and enthusiasts from middle school through college as well as professional coaches and performers, troupe directors, journalists, and historians of the arts.


Summary

1. The impact of hen harriers Circus cyaneus on red grouse Lagopus lagopus scoticus populations has received much attention. However, little has been done to model the population dynamics of the hen harrier alone. Such a model is needed to help inform the differing aims of conserving harriers and managing grouse moors, which serves as a reflection of human–wildlife conflicts around the globe.

2. On Langholm estate in Scotland, intensive studies have resulted in harrier numbers being known without error. We fit a Bayesian population model to these data, using a super-population model to permit inference in the presence of demographic and environmental stochasticity and in the absence of observation error.

3. Hen harriers have a straightforward life history. After fledging, juveniles show little natal site fidelity, often dispersing long distances into breeding areas rich in their preferred prey, the field vole Microtus agrestis and meadow pipit Anthus pratensis. Therefore, any increase in a local population is largely because of recruitment into the area as opposed to fledging success. Once birds have settled in an area, harriers are generally site faithful, with year-to-year survival depending, in part, on the density of meadow pipits.

4. Our model suggests that temporal patterns in harrier numbers on managed grouse moors, in the absence of illegal persecution, are influenced by vole numbers, whereas meadow pipit density appears to have a limited effect.

5. Synthesis and applications. Our modelling approach is a useful way to infer population processes, and the effects of the environment on these processes, for populations censused without error. When used to predict future harrier numbers under alternate management scenarios, our model indicates that harrier numbers on Langholm estate, Scotland, could be reduced without any direct human intervention if the estate can be managed in a way that reduces vole populations. In contrast, there appears little to gain from managing meadow pipit densities. If these conclusions apply to other harrier populations, then management to reduce vole numbers, while maintaining grouse densities, may help alleviate the conflict between conservationists and managers of grouse moors.


The outcomes for the previous experiment in this research indicated that students' attitudes differ according to the way of presenting the text and text layout. As the aim of the study was to investigate the three main typographic variables [font size, font type and line length] we will start by font size and font type. Much research has highlighted the character size as a factor in visual display, and reported that font size has a significant effect on readability of texts in both versions. Therefore, defining a readable font size for the Arabic language is the main focus of this experiment, taking into account the effect of one dependent variable, four controlled variables and two independent variables: content length and font type. Students were required to make different judgments of letter pairs, thus indicating which letters were distinguishable. Based on the findings of this experiment, subsequent experiments were designed. In addition, the findings of this experiment will be able to address the issues related to reading Arabic text from screen by children in relation to the following: RQ1: In which font size is the Arabic text read most effectively? RQ2: Is there any correlation between age of the reader and font size? RQ3: Which font type is more readable?


With the global decline of fertility levels and the retirement of the 'baby boomer' generation of the 1960s and 1970s, multinational companies are competing the world over for talented human capital. With rapid globalization and the increasing importance of the knowledge-based economy (KBE), governments are competing with each other to attract the best and brightest talents. The competition for talented human capital is occurring not only in developed economies but also in the newly industrializing economies of Southeast Asia. Singapore is experiencing very low fertility levels and is unable to produce a critical mass of talented individuals to propel further growth of its KBE despite massive investments in its education sector. Malaysia has a higher level of fertility and larger pool of graduates, but because of inherent constraints, most of its graduates have not achieved the level of competence required to sustain growth in Malaysia's KBE. The aim of this paper would be to compare the state strategies of both Malaysia and Singapore in their quest to attract foreign talent that would enable both economies to develop into KBEs. The paper will compare and contrast the strategy of recruiting foreign talent in Malaysia and Singapore as well as its economic, political and social impact on local talent. Specifically, the paper will examine the recruitment of foreign talent from India, which is one of the largest global sources of talent outflow.


The wide pathogenic variability occurring in Phaeoisariopsis griseola , the causal agent of angular leaf spot of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. ), dictates that new sources of resistance be continuously identified. This study was undertaken to determine the reaction of selected bean genotypes to different races of P. griseola in order to identify potential sources of resistance to angular leaf spot. Selected bean genotypes from Eastern and Central Africa Bean Research Network (ECABREN) and National Dryland Farming Research Centre (NDFRC), Katumani in Kenya were separately inoculated with forty-four races of P. griseola and evaluated for disease development under greenhouse conditions. The genotypes included small- and large-seeded types. None of the genotypes was resistant to all the races, indicating a high complexity of the pathogen population. Thirteen genotypes were resistant (disease score 1 to 3) or moderately resistant (score 4 to 6) to at least 40 of the races. Small- seeded bean genotypes ECAB 0754 and ECAB 0617 were resistant or moderately resistant to all races except Mesoamerican race 33-39 and Afro-Andean race 58-18, respectively. Genotype ECAB 0754 exhibited the highest level of resistance, with an average disease severity of 1.1%. All the resistant or moderately resistant genotypes were of the smallseeded bean types which are commercially less popular. The commonly grown large-seeded genotypes were generally susceptible. Among the bean genotypes evaluated, the small-seeded pintos and browns/yellows possessed high levels of resistance. The results of this study indicate that different bean genotypes have varying levels of resistance to angular leaf spot that can be pyramided into appropriate background to provide durable resistance.


Abstract In the past few decades, research on minority and disadvantaged groups in the workplace has focused on the discourse of diversity management; however, most of this research has emphasized individual and organizational discourse rather than broader, societal contexts. Our critical analysis of societal/macro level discourse explores the discursive constructions of equity and diversity in Canada, and provides original findings on how these discourses have been produced in the public sphere. We apply quantitative and qualitative textual analysis to articles published from 1986 to 2014 in The Globe and Mail, a nationally distributed newspaper, and the Canadian Employment Equity Act Annual Reports from 1988 to 2013. This paper describes a range of discursive patterns including those focusing on compliance-based equity oriented toward social justice as well as voluntary 'diversity management' grounded in corporate self-interest. It demonstrates important trade-offs in who is protected and promoted through the contrasting discourses, and in the types of actors legitimizing these discourses. We provide detailed evidence of these patterns by applying Habermas' Theory of Communicative Action, and conclude with a discussion of implications for practice and for theory that are suggested in our analysis.


Exploring the possibility to produce nation-wide forest attribute maps using stereophotogrammetry of aerial images, the national terrain model and data from the National Forest Inventory (NFI). The study areas are four image acquisition blocks in midand south Sweden. Regression models were developed and applied to 12.5 m × 12.5 m raster cells for each block and validation was done with an independent dataset of forest stands. Model performance was compared for eight different forest types separately and the accuracies between forest types clearly differs for both imageand LiDAR methods, but between methods the difference in accuracy is small at plot level. At stand level, the root mean square error in percent of the mean (RMSE%) were ranging: from 7.7% to 10.5% for mean height; from 12.0% to 17.8% for mean diameter; from 21.8% to 22.8% for stem volume; and from 17.7% to 21.1% for basal area. This study clearly shows that aerial images from the national image program together with field sample plots from the NFI can be used for large area forest attribute mapping.


Abstract We examined the relationship between local water conditions (measured as the percent of total area of basins covered by water) and clutch size, egg volume, and hatchling mass of Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and Gadwalls (A. strepera) on four study sites in the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota and Minnesota, 1988–1994. We also examined the relationship between pond density and clutch size of Mallards and Gadwalls, using data collected at another North Dakota site, 1966–1981. For Mallards, we found no relationships to be significant. For Gadwalls, clutch size increased with percent basin area wet and pond density; hatchling mass marginally increased with percent basin area wet. These species differences may reflect, in part, that Mallards acquire lipid reserves used to produce early clutches before they reach the breeding grounds, whereas Gadwalls acquire lipid reserves locally; thus Gadwall clutches are more likely to be influenced by local food resources.


Abstract. The shipping sector is a significant contributor to emissions of air pollutants in marine and coastal regions. In order to achieve sustainable shipping, primarily through new regulations and techniques, greater knowledge of dispersion and deposition of air pollutants is required. Regional model calculations of the dispersion and concentration of sulfur, nitrogen, and particulate matter, as well as deposition of oxidized sulfur and nitrogen from the international maritime sector in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, have been made for the years 2011 to 2013. The contribution from shipping is highest along shipping lanes and near large ports for concentration and dry deposition. Sulfur is the most important pollutant coupled to shipping. The contribution of both SO2 concentration and dry deposition of sulfur represented up to 80 % of the total in some regions. WHO guidelines for annual concentrations were not trespassed for any analysed pollutant, other than PM2.5 in the Netherlands, Belgium, and central Poland. However, due to the resolution of the numerical model, 50 km  ×  50 km, there may be higher concentrations locally close to intense shipping lanes. Wet deposition is more spread and less sensitive to model resolution. The contribution of wet deposition of sulfur and nitrogen from shipping was up to 30 % of the total wet deposition. Comparison of simulated to measured concentration at two coastal stations close to shipping lanes showed some underestimations and missed maximums, probably due to resolution of the model and underestimated ship emissions. A change in regulation for maximum sulfur content in maritime fuel, in 2015 from 1 to 0.1 %, decreases the atmospheric sulfur concentration and deposition significantly. However, due to costs related to refining, the cleaning of exhausts through scrubbers has become a possible economic solution. Open-loop scrubbers meet the air quality criteria but their consequences for the marine environment are largely unknown. The resulting potential of future acidification in the Baltic Sea, both from atmospheric deposition and from scrubber water along the shipping lanes, based on different assumptions about sulfur content in fuel, scrubber usage, and increased shipping density has been assessed. The increase in deposition for different shipping and scrubber scenarios differs for the basins in the Baltic Sea, with highest potential of acidification in the southern basins with high traffic. The proportion of ocean-acidifying sulfur from ships increases when taking scrubber water into account and the major reason for increasing acidifying nitrogen from ships is increasing ship traffic. Also, with the implementation of emission control for nitrogen, the effect of scrubbers on acidification is evident. This study also generates a database of shipping and scrubber scenarios for atmospheric deposition and scrubber exhaust from the period 2011 to 2050.


We describe and evaluate a set of computational intelligence techniques for long-term wind resource assessment. Short term sensor measurements at a potential wind farm site are correlated with publicly available wind data sources in close spatial proximity in order to extrapolate long-term predictions for the site. This general approach to assessment is called "MCP": Measure, Correlate and Predict. Our techniques are based upon statistical inference. They aim to address accurately correlating inexpensive but noisy, short term measurements at the site. Each technique relies upon estimating the joint distribution of wind speeds at the site and the publicly available neighbouring sources. For a site at the Boston Museum of Science when the availability of site data varies between 3, 6 and 8 months, we find that copula modeling is robust to data availability and consistently best overall.


CT image reconstruction is typically evaluated based on the ability to reduce the radiation dose to as‐low‐as‐reasonably‐achievable (ALARA) while maintaining acceptable image quality. However, the determination of common image quality metrics, such as noise, contrast, and contrast‐to‐noise ratio, is often insufficient for describing clinical radiotherapy task performance. In this study we designed and implemented a new comparative analysis method associating image quality, radiation dose, and patient size with radiotherapy task performance, with the purpose of guiding the clinical radiotherapy usage of CT reconstruction algorithms. The iDose4iterative reconstruction algorithm was selected as the target for comparison, wherein filtered back‐projection (FBP) reconstruction was regarded as the baseline. Both phantom and patient images were analyzed. A layer‐adjustable anthropomorphic pelvis phantom capable of mimicking 38–58 cm lateral diameter‐sized patients was imaged and reconstructed by the FBP and iDose4 algorithms with varying noise‐reduction‐levels, respectively. The resulting image sets were quantitatively assessed by two image quality indices, noise and contrast‐to‐noise ratio, and two clinical task‐based indices, target CT Hounsfield number (for electron density determination) and structure contouring accuracy (for dose‐volume calculations). Additionally, CT images of 34 patients reconstructed with iDose4 with six noise reduction levels were qualitatively evaluated by two radiation oncologists using a five‐point scoring mechanism. For the phantom experiments, iDose4 achieved noise reduction up to 66.1% and CNR improvement up to 53.2%, compared to FBP without considering the changes of spatial resolution among images and the clinical acceptance of reconstructed images. Such improvements consistently appeared across different iDose4 noise reduction levels, exhibiting limited interlevel noise (<5 HU) and target CT number variations (<1 HU). The radiation dose required to achieve similar contouring accuracy decreased when using iDose4 in place of FBP, up to 32%. Contouring accuracy improvement for iDose4 images, when compared to FBP, was greater in larger patients than smaller‐sized patients. Overall, the iDose4 algorithm provided superior radiation dose control while maintaining or improving task performance, when compared to FBP. The reader study on image quality improvement of patient cases shows that physicians preferred iDose4‐reconstructed images on all cases compared to those from FBP algorithm with overall quality score: 1.21 vs. 3.15, p=0.0022. However, qualitative evaluation strongly indicated that the radiation oncologists chose iDose4 noise reduction levels of 3–4 with additional consideration of task performance, instead of image quality metrics alone. Although higher iDose4 noise reduction levels improved the CNR through the further reduction of noise, there was pixelization of anatomical/tumor structures. Very‐low‐dose scans yielded severe photon starvation artifacts, which decreased target visualization on both FBP and iDose4 reconstructions, especially for the 58 cm phantom size. The iDose4 algorithm with a moderate noise reduction level is hence suggested for CT simulation and treatment planning. Quantitative task‐based image quality metrics should be further investigated to accommodate additional clinical applications. PACS number(s): 87.57.C‐, 87,57.Q‐


New PDT-based polymers were combined with two types of benzothiadiazole (BT) derivatives to improve their crystallinity and solar cell performance. These polymers show several advantages, including strong intermolecular interactions, deep HOMO energy levels, and a dense packing structure with a short π–π stacking distance of 3.5–3.6 A. Combinations of PDT and BT units in polymers formed highly crystalline thin films with a long-range order, even in films blended with a fullerene derivative. This suggests that the introduction of optimal acceptor units may increase the regularity of the polymers, leading to effective π–π overlaps between the polymer backbones. However, although the present polymers also formed an appropriate phase separation structure in blended films, in fabricated solar cell devices they yielded low power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) not exceeding 3.8%. GI-WAXS analysis revealed that both polymers were present in a predominantly edge-on orientation. This unsuitable orientation for PSCs prevented efficient carrier transport and reduced charge collection efficiency, resulting in low Jsc and thus low PCE. On the other hand, these polymers also formed highly oriented edge-on structures on n+-Si/SiO2 substrates, which are suitable for high-performance field-effect transistors (FETs), and a fabricated FET device showed a hole mobility as high as 0.18 cm2 V−1 s−1.


Most research in optical imaging incorrectly assumes that light transport in nonscattering regions in the head may be modeled by use of the diffusion approximation. The effect of this assumption is examined in a series of experiments on tissue-equivalent phantoms. Images from cylindrical and head-shaped phantoms with and without clear regions [simulating the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) filled ventricles] and a clear layer (simulating the CSF layer surrounding the brain) are reconstructed with linear and nonlinear reconstruction techniques. The results suggest that absorbing and scattering perturbations can be identified reliably with nonlinear reconstruction methods when the clear regions are also present in the reference data but that the quality of the image degrades considerably if the reference data does not contain these features. Linear reconstruction performs similarly to nonlinear reconstruction, provided the clear regions are present in the reference data, but otherwise linear reconstruction fails. This study supports the use of linear reconstruction for dynamic imaging but suggests that, in all cases, image quality is likely to improve if the clear regions are modeled correctly.


The dynamic U.S. economy causes many challenges to accurately measuring employment and wages. One of the more difficult areas is accounting for mergers and acquisitions, also called predecessors and successors. Inaccurate or incomplete measurement leads to overestimation. This paper profiles research findings and describes implementation into the BLS' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program, which is the BLS sampling frame and source of a number of economic series. QCEW data are used to identify job growth and decline. The QCEW program is about to implement an initiative to improve the linkage of transfers of businesses from one record to another. This will clearly distinguish births and deaths from expansions and contractions, recognize possible duplicate or missing reporting, and better target potential linkages using wage records and scoring techniques.


Abstract. We reconstruct atmospheric abundances of the potent
greenhouse gas c-C4F8 (perfluorocyclobutane, perfluorocarbon
PFC-318) from measurements of in situ, archived, firn, and aircraft air
samples with precisions of ∼1 %–2 % reported on the SIO-14
gravimetric calibration scale. Combined with inverse methods, we found near-zero atmospheric abundances from the early 1900s to the early 1960s, after
which they rose sharply, reaching 1.66 ppt (parts per trillion dry-air mole
fraction) in 2017. Global c-C4F8 emissions rose from near zero in
the 1960s to 1.2±0.1 (1σ) Gg yr−1 in the late 1970s to
late 1980s, then declined to 0.77±0.03 Gg yr−1 in the mid-1990s
to early 2000s, followed by a rise since the early 2000s to 2.20±0.05 Gg yr−1 in 2017. These emissions are significantly larger than
inventory-based emission estimates. Estimated emissions from eastern Asia
rose from 0.36 Gg yr−1 in 2010 to 0.73 Gg yr−1 in 2016 and 2017,
31 % of global emissions, mostly from eastern China. We estimate
emissions of 0.14 Gg yr−1 from northern and central India in 2016 and
find evidence for significant emissions from Russia. In contrast, recent
emissions from northwestern Europe and Australia are estimated to be small
(≤1 % each). We suggest that emissions from China, India, and Russia
are likely related to production of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE,
"Teflon") and other fluoropolymers and fluorochemicals that are based on
the pyrolysis of hydrochlorofluorocarbon HCFC-22 (CHClF2) in which
c-C4F8 is a known by-product. The semiconductor sector, where
c-C4F8 is used, is estimated to be a small source, at least in
South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Europe. Without an obvious correlation with
population density, incineration of waste-containing fluoropolymers is
probably a minor source, and we find no evidence of emissions from
electrolytic production of aluminum in Australia. While many possible
emissive uses of c-C4F8 are known and though we cannot
categorically exclude unknown sources, the start of significant emissions
may well be related to the advent of commercial PTFE production in 1947.
Process controls or abatement to reduce the c-C4F8 by-product were
probably not in place in the early decades, explaining the increase in
emissions in the 1960s and 1970s. With the advent of by-product reporting
requirements to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) in the 1990s, concern about climate change and product stewardship,
abatement, and perhaps the collection of c-C4F8 by-product for use
in the semiconductor industry where it can be easily abated, it is
conceivable that emissions in developed countries were stabilized and then
reduced, explaining the observed emission reduction in the 1980s and 1990s.
Concurrently, production of PTFE in China began to increase rapidly. Without
emission reduction requirements, it is plausible that global emissions today
are dominated by China and other developing countries. We predict that
c-C4F8 emissions will continue to rise and that c-C4F8
will become the second most important emitted PFC in terms of
CO2-equivalent emissions within a year or two. The 2017 radiative
forcing of c-C4F8 (0.52 mW m−2) is small but emissions of
c-C4F8 and other PFCs, due to their very long atmospheric
lifetimes, essentially permanently alter Earth's radiative budget and should
be reduced. Significant emissions inferred outside of the investigated
regions clearly show that observational capabilities and reporting
requirements need to be improved to understand global and country-scale
emissions of PFCs and other synthetic greenhouse gases and ozone-depleting
substances.


Ionospheric scintillation is a common phenomenon observed over the low latitude Indian region. It occurs due to the rapid fluctuations in phase and amplitude of the signal and affects Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) very severely, especially in L-band. Severe scintillation leads to loss of lock at the receiver, which affects user position accuracy. Ionospheric scintillation mainly depends on solar cycle, user latitude, local time, season and elevation angle of the satellite. It also depends on the frequency of the transmitted signal. Usually, lower frequencies experience higher scintillation at ionosphere. In this paper, ionospheric amplitude scintillation effect on Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) L5 and S-band frequencies is studied on the basis of computed S 4 index from Carrier to Noise (C/No) ratio measurements from IRNSS receivers installed at New Delhi and Ahmedabad. A comparison of L5 and S-band scintillation is done. A confirmation of scintillation phenomenon is also carried out using co-located GPS Septentrio (PolarRxS REO) receiver at frequency L1. It is, further, found that the scintillation occurrence is mostly in post sunset periods and may result in frequent loss of lock at L5 band during these periods.


Boesenbergia, also known as Kaempferia is one of the genus from the family of Zingiberaceae. The species of Zingiberaceae family have been reported to possess
both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, and thus might be effective as anticancer agents. Boesenbergia has many species that are locally used in the preparation of tonic, 'jamu' and traditional medicine. The aims of the present study started by discovering the ethnobotany of Boesenbergia species from recorded data by local people in Sabah; the selected plants were screened for the antioxidant, total phenolic and flavonoid content as well as cytotoxicity activities; further determination of the phytochemicals (especially flavonoid) were conducted using
High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) for the possible active compounds contributing to antioxidant and anticancer activities. In this study, methanol crude extracts were used. Four different parameters of antioxidant
assessments were conducted: DPPH free radical scavenging activity, ABTS decolorization assay, FRAP assay and p-Carotene linoleate bleaching assay. For cytotoxicity activity determination, the plant extracts were screened by using MTT ([3-( 4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5 diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assay and further evaluated for cell cycle analysis by using flow cytometry. MCF-7 (hormone
dependent breast cancer), MDA-MB-231 (non-hormone dependent breast cancer), CaOV3 (ovarian cancer), HeLa (cervical cancer) and HT-29 (colon cancer) were cultured for cytotoxicity activity. In this study, the leaves and rhizomes from B. rotunda (L.) Mansf. in Kulturpfl., B. pulchella (Ridley) Merrill, B. pulchella var attenuata R. M. Smith, B. sp 1 and B. armeniaca Cowley were analysed separately. B. rotunda was used as a positive control as it has anticancer activity towards certain cancer cell lines such as HT29 colon cancer cells and MCF-7 breasts cancer
cells. In general, B. pulchella and 8. pulchella var attenuata displayed better antioxidant activity compared to the positive control. For MCF-7, B. rotunda (rhizome), B. pulchella var attenuata (rhizome) and B. armeniaca (rhizome) displayed positive cytotoxic effects with IC50 values of 51, 93±2.83 and 94.5±0.71 µg/ml, respectively. Naringin, hesperidin, quercetin and luteolin were detected as the major active compounds that might be contributed to antioxidant and anticancer activities. Thus, the Boesenbergia species collected from Sabah rainforest especially B. pulchella var attenuata (rhizome) and B. armeniaca (rhizome) would be promising anticancer remedy for hormone dependent breast cancer.


The application of AI and Machine Learning (ML) techniques is becoming a primary issue of investigation in the legal and regulatory domain. Antitrust agencies are into the spotlight because antitrust is the first arm of government regulation by tackling forms of monopoly and collusive practices in any markets, including new digital-data-driven markets. A question the antitrust community is asking is whether antitrust agencies are equipped with the appropriate tools and powers to face today's increasingly dynamic markets. Our study aims to tackle this question by building and testing an ML antitrust algorithm (AML) based on an unsupervised approach, devoid of any human intervention. It shows how a relatively simple algorithm can, in an autonomous manner, discover underlying patterns from past antitrust cases classified by commuting similarity. Thus, we recognize that teaching antitrust to an algorithm is possible, although we admit that AI cannot replace antitrust agencies, such as the FTC. Today, having an increasingly fast and uniform way to enforce antitrust principles is fundamental as we move into a new digital economic transformation. Our contribution aims to pave the way for future AI applications in markets' regulation starting from antitrust regulation. Government's adoption of emerging technologies, such as AI, appears to be the key for ensuring consumer welfare and market efficiency in the age of AI and big data.


According to the World Bank Poverty Database, there are more than 1.2 billion people live under the poverty line all around the world. The poorest share of the population in any economy was receiving less than 6% of the GDP in the 1990s. Therefore, it is a fact that more than half of the world's population lives on less than $2 a day. However, the poverty gap tends to decrease each year. Studies suggest that the income growth of the poorest population was greater than the average GDP growth in countries with well-developed financial systems (Beck, Demirguc-Kunt, and Levine, 2004). On the other hand, there are 4 billion people living without reaching any financial services. They live with no account at any financial services and they do not even have access to these services (Chibba, 2008c). An economy that has a population with no access to financial services would face a lack of investment in physical capital and this would harm the productivity of this economy. These problems would cause a loss of welfare in that economy (Honohan, 2006; Claessens, 2005). Despite several studies examine the link between financial development and poverty, the studies investigating the effect of the levels of financial access and poverty measures are rare in the literature. Hence, this study aims to fill this gap by examining the link between financial access levels from both commercial banks and other financial institutions separately and poverty measure in MENA economies. In so doing, this paper empirically examines the link between financial access and poverty measures, using the constructed indices by Yorulmaz (2018) as the proxy of financial access with a panel data for MENA economies using IV estimation model for the period 2004 to 2011. As the contribution to the literature, this study examines access indicators from other financial institutions such as microfinance institutions, cooperatives and post offices as the second proxy of financial access in the models to assess their links between poverty measures. The results suggest that broader access to financial services, from conventional banks to other financial institutions such as microfinance institutions, have significant associations with poverty measures.


Background Little is known about the barriers to disease prevention and health promotion at the community level - within a decentralized health system. Objective This paper, therefore, presents and discusses findings on barriers (and opportunities) for instituting disease prevention and health promotion activities. Design The study was conducted in Kongwa District, Tanzania, using an explorative case study approach. Data were collected through document reviews and in-depth interviews with key informants at district, ward, and village levels. A thematic approach was used in the analysis of the data. Results This study has identified several barriers, namely decision-makers at the national and district levels lack the necessary political will in prioritizing prevention and health promotion; the gravity of prevention and health promotion stated in the national health policy is not reflected in the district health plans; gross underfunding of community-level disease prevention and health promotion activities; and limited community participation. Conclusion In this era, when Tanzania is burdened with both communicable and non-communicable diseases, prevention and health promotion should be at the top of the health care agenda. Despite operating in a neoliberal climate, a stronger role of the state is called for. Accordingly, the government should prioritize higher health-protecting physical, social, and economic environments. This will require a national health promotion policy that will clearly chart out how multisectoral collaboration can be put into practice.


Roger Miller, perhaps the most outstanding experimental physical chemist of his generation, was sadly taken from us at the age of53 years, at the peak of his career. Roger Ervin Miller was born in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, on 23 July 1952, the son of Ruth and Donald R. Miller. Roger had one older brother, Gerry, and one younger sister, Patricia. Roger's father worked in a tyre factory and was very innovative and creative in mending items around the house, a trait that he passed on to his children. From a very early age Roger was curious about the world around him. He was also a hard worker, raising rabbits or picking dew worms to earn money so that he could purchase model rockets, the bigger the better. This was the time of Sputnik and the US space programme, Roger being just 5 years old when the first Sputnik satellite was launched in 1957. As Roger explained in a memoir that he began to write in 2000 (but never finished; extracts are reproduced by courtesy of Mrs. Debbie Miller):


Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-associated non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (AIDS-NHL), a major source of morbidity and mortality among AIDS patients, are derived from B cells and can be classified into two main histologic categories, small noncleaved cell lymphoma (SNCCL) and diffuse large-cell lymphoma (DLCL). DLCL includes two histologic subsets, ie, large noncleaved cell lymphoma (LNCCL) and large cell-immunoblastic plasmacytoid lymphoma (LC-IBPL). Several studies have shown that AIDS-SNCCL is associated with the clonal accumulation of multiple genetic lesions, including Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection, activation of the c-MYC and RAS oncogenes, as well as inactivation of the p53 tumor suppressor gene at variable frequencies. On the contrary, the molecular pathogenesis of AIDS-DLCL is largely obscure, because no genetic lesion other than EBV infection has been specifically identified in this group. In this study, we have tested a panel of 40 AIDS-NHL for structural alterations of BCL-6, a putative proto-oncogene that is frequently altered in DLCL in the immunocompetent host. Our results show that rearrangements of BCL-6 are present in 20% of AIDS-DLCL (5 of 24), including 2 of 8 LNCCL and 3 of 16 LC-IBPL, but in no case of AIDS-SNCCL. BCL-6 rearrangements were detected both in the presence and in the absence of EBV infection of the tumor clone, but in no case were associated with activation of c-MYC or mutations of p53. These data identify a novel genetic lesion in AIDS-DLCL and corroborate the notion that lymphomagenesis in AIDS follows two distinct molecular pathways that are associated with the development of histologically distinct types of AIDS-NHL.


Abstract In Northeast China, large volumes of Mesozoic–Cenozoic igneous rocks have developed as a result of long-lasting subduction of the palaeo-Pacific and Pacific plates beneath the eastern Eurasian continent. Previous studies have convincingly confirmed the presence of depleted mantle (DM), FOcal ZOne (FOZO) mantle and enriched mantle 1 (EM1) end-members; the enriched mantle 2 (EM2) end-member is probably present but it has been poorly constrained. The Late Cretaceous Shuangyashan suite, comprising a monzogabbro and diorite–porphyrite stocks and their cumulate hornblendite enclaves, from the Shuangyashan coal basin, Northeast China, is characterized by high initial 87Sr/86Sr (0.70922–0.71095) and low initial 143Nd/144Nd ratios (0.51221–0.51238) at 98 Ma. Their occurrence demonstrates that EM2 is present in the lithospheric mantle of Northeast China and its formation may be related to recycled continental material in a subduction setting.


Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) are highly multidisciplinary systems that involve disciplines such as embedded computing, control theory and communication technology. Even though building this kind of systems is a challenging task, its introduction during the last courses of computer science and engineering university degrees has proven very valuable to teach students to deal with complexity. This paper presents an educational experience in the field of Computer Science at the University College of Engineering of Vitoria-Gasteiz (UPV/EHU). As part of an elective course, students had to design and develop an Android-based remote control system for teleoperating an educative mobile robot controlled by means of a Raspberry Pi. They had to apply and combine concepts learnt in previous disciplines (such as programming, operating systems or communication networks), reinforcing already acquired skills, as well as gaining other generic skills demanded in their future professional career, such as: (1) effectively working in groups, (2) integrating different technologies, (3) proactive problem solving, or (4) coping with system complexity.


Abstract Context. Environmental DNA, or eDNA, methods are a novel application of non-invasive genetic sampling in which DNA from organisms is detected via sampling of water or soil, typically for the purposes of determining the presence or absence of an organism. eDNA methods have the potential to revolutionise the study of rare or endangered taxa. Aims. We evaluated the efficacy of eDNA sampling to detect populations of an amphibian of conservation concern, the eastern hellbender (Cryptobranchus a. alleganiensis), indirectly from their aquatic environments. Methods. We developed species-specific primers, validated their specificity and sensitivity, and assessed the utility of our methods in silico and in laboratory trials. In the field, we collected water samples from three sites with known densities of hellbenders, and from one site where hellbenders do not occur. We filtered water samples, extracted DNA from filters, and assayed the extraction products for hellbender DNA by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and gel electrophoresis. Key results. Our methods detected hellbenders at densities approaching the lowest of reported natural densities. The low-density site (0.16 hellbenders per 100 m2) yielded two positive amplifications, the medium-density site (0.38 hellbenders per 100 m2) yielded eight positive amplifications, and the high-density site (0.88 hellbenders per 100 m2) yielded 10 positive amplifications. The apparent relationship between density and detection was obfuscated when river discharge was considered. There was no amplification in any negative control. Conclusion. eDNA methods may represent a cost-effective means by which to establish broad-scale patterns of occupancy for hellbenders. Implications. eDNA can be considered a valuable tool for detecting many species that are otherwise difficult to study.


Human parsing has recently attracted a lot of research interests due to its huge application potentials. However existing datasets have limited number of images and annotations, and lack the variety of human appearances and the coverage of challenging cases in unconstrained environment. In this paper, we introduce a new benchmark Look into Person (LIP) that makes a significant advance in terms of scalability, diversity and difficulty, a contribution that we feel is crucial for future developments in human-centric analysis. This comprehensive dataset contains over 50,000 elaborately annotated images with 19 semantic part labels, which are captured from a wider range of viewpoints, occlusions and background complexity. Given these rich annotations we perform detailed analysis of the leading human parsing approaches, gaining insights into the success and failures of these methods. Furthermore, in contrast to the existing efforts on improving the feature discriminative capability, we solve human parsing by exploring a novel self-supervised structure-sensitive learning approach, which imposes human pose structures into parsing results without resorting to extra supervision (i.e., no need for specifically labeling human joints in model training). Our self-supervised learning framework can be injected into any advanced neural networks to help incorporate rich high-level knowledge regarding human joints from a global perspective and improve the parsing results. Extensive evaluations on our LIP and the public PASCAL-Person-Part dataset demonstrate the superiority of our method.


Purpose: In the context of dynamically changing modern labor market there is a need to develop a model of congruence and correlation of the process of building professional competencies provided by educational standards. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study was performed using monographic, abstract logical, sociological and statistical methods. However, this approach does not imply the formation of supra-professional competencies, which generally predetermine the success of professional tasks performed by a specialist. Findings: The article discusses the role of human capital as a fundamental factor affecting the increase in the competitiveness of production. Practical implications: The study focusses on the most demanded competencies for the development of digital society. The authors have grouped countries by level of human capital use. Originality/Value: At present, the appropriate parameters for measuring professional and general cultural competencies have been adopted as a system for assessing the quality of education in general and the quality of specialist training.


This project explores how longstanding conflicts in Taiwanese society have been reflected in the development of popular song in Taiwan in the period of martial law from the late 1940s to the late 1980s, and in the light of the periods of colonisation experienced by the country (i.e. Japanese colonial rule from 1895-1945, and the rule of the Chinese Nationalists from 1945-1987). The research methodology employed is sociological as well as historical and ethnomusicological in orientation.
It is argued that popular song offers a significant focus for two main reasons: (i) it is a shared medium through which ordinary people interpret and make sense of their everyday life experiences; and (ii) it provides a rich resource in terms of the diversity of linguistic usage in the two main language groups in which popular song is produced in Taiwan – Mandarin Chinese and Minnan-Taiwanese, each of which has come to represent conflicting attitudes to social class and national identity. Genres of popular song like the 'patriotic popular song', the 'campus song', the love song, 'dialogue' songs, and songs of migration and separation are examined and interpreted in relation to the larger historical and political context of this period.
The dissertation is organised into two parts. Part I (Chapters One to Three) focuses on how the Chinese Nationalist government propagated a particular version of Chinese cultural hegemony through cultural policies, control of the mass media and the education system, and support for the notion of 'patriotic popular song'. Part II (Chapters Four and Five) explores the post-war period by examining Taiwanese-language popular song and its musical structures and lyric narratives, together with the starkly contrasting world-view that emerges from these songs.
Through an examination of popular songs and their lyrics in the period of martial law it is shown how the split in Taiwanese society is represented in the songs of these years of change – the move from the countryside to the cities, the role of work, the differing social status of immigrant Chinese and indigenous Taiwanese, and the status of women. What emerges from this study is an awareness that the conflict is not only that between the immigrant Chinese and the indigenous Taiwanese communities, but also the conflict of identity within the Taiwanese Minnan-speaking community itself.


We briefly review the correspondence principle proposed in our previous paper, which claims that if we regard a matrix element defined in terms of the future state at time $T_B$ and the past state at time $T_A$ as an expectation value in the complex action theory whose path runs over not only past but also future, the expectation value at the present time $t$ of a future-included theory for large $T_B-t$ and large $t-T_A$ corresponds to that of a future-not-included theory with a proper inner product for large $t-T_A$. This correspondence principle suggests that the future-included theory is not excluded phenomenologically.


Interview with Abe C. Cooper, African-American alumnus of North Texas State University. The interview includes Cooper's personal experiences about childhood and early adulthood in Dallas, Texas, attending all-black schools, and enrolling at North Texas State College in 1958. Cooper speaks about the adjustments required for attending school in an integrated setting, boarding with African-American families in the "Shack Town" neighborhood of Denton, and the comparative experiences with students and faculty in the Schools of Engineering and Education.


This paper addresses the ongoing debate about the practice of disclosing information about software vulnerabilities through an open public forum. Using game-theoretic approach, we show that such practice may be an equilibrium strategy in a game played by rational loss-minimizing agents. We find that under certain parameters public disclosure of vulnerabilities is desirable from the social welfare standpoint. The presence of an opportunity to disclose allows individual software users to reduce their expected loss from attacks and by doing so improves social welfare. We analyze the effect of several product characteristics and the composition of the pool of software users on the decisions to disclose and on social welfare and compare several public policy alternatives in terms of their efficacy in reducing the overall social welfare loss from attacks. Our results suggest that designing an incentive system that would induce vendors to release fixes sooner and improve the quality of their products should be among the priorities for any policymaking agency concerned with information security. Doing so would reduce individual incentives to disclose vulnerabilities, thus further reducing the potential damage from any given vulnerability. Our preliminary analysis of information-sharing coalitions suggests that such entities have a positive effect only under a fairly restrictive set of conditions. ♣ Corresponding author; Washburn University, firstname.lastname@example.com ♠ Georgia Institute of Technology, email@example.com


The EU seeks to transform the domestic structures of the Western Balkan countries in order to foster peace, stability and prosperity in the region ridden by war and ethnic conflict. Unlike in case of the Mediterranean and Newly Independent States, the EU has even offered its South Eastern European neighbors a membership perspective. Whether the golden carrot is big enough, however, to draw the Western Balkans closer to Europe, is still an open question. Croatia has made sufficient progress to successfully conclude accession negotiations in the years to come. The EU rewarded domestic reforms in Macedonia and Montenegro with granting them candidate status, which Serbia is likely to receive in the near future. Albania, by contrast, appears to be more reluctant to engage in the changes necessary to get even with Macedonia and Montenegro. Bosnia Herzegovina and Kosovo, finally, are seriously lagging behind and have not even applied for membership. Can Europeanization approaches account for the differential impact of the EU in the Western Balkans? The paper argues that problems of limited statehood have seriously curbed the transformative power of the EU in the Western Balkans - despite their membership perspective. Not only has the EU exerted less pressure for adaptation on Western Balkan governments. Weak state capacities and ethnic conflicts have reduced both their willingness and capacity to implement the acquis communautaire. Given its lack of experience in state building, the EU is ill-equipped to address these problems. This results in a serious dilemma. On the one hand, the EU has offered the Western Balkans a membership perspective to stabilize the region and overcome problems caused by weak and contested statehood. On the other hand, it is the limited statehood of Western Balkan countries, which undermines their compliance with EU norms and rules.


Alzheimer's disease (AD) is associated with a prodromal stage of cognitive
decline, manifest clinically as mild cognitive impairment (MCI) that
progresses ultimately to a stage of dementia. There is an urgent need to
recognise AD at its earliest clinical stages, which entails distinguishing AD
from other conditions, particularly other neurodegenerative diseases, but at a
time when clinical symptoms are non-specific. Investigations such as
neuropsychological testing and neuroimaging, using MRI and PET to
determine changes in brain structure and metabolism respectively, provide
additional useful diagnostic information, the changes associated with these
tests now incorporated into diagnostic criteria.
These studies aimed to investigate AD and Frontotemporal dementia (FTD)
using these investigative tools, with a particular focus on AD in keeping with
its central importance as the commonest cause of dementia. Early AD was
the focus of the first study. Given the involvement of the hippocampus from
the initial stages of AD, and of the role of the hippocampus in spatial
memory, the study hypothesis was that a hippocampus-sensitive test of
spatial memory would discriminate prodromal AD and mild AD dementia with
high sensitivity and specificity. The 4 Mountains Test of spatial memory
(4MT) was chosen in view of its potential usability across different cultural
settings.
The second study focused on dementia due to AD and FTD. Given the
diagnostic importance of MRI and PET changes, this study aimed to
measure the concordance of atrophy and hypometabolism in six syndromic
variants of AD and FTD. The primary hypothesis was that concordance
would differ across different AD and FTD syndromes, with a secondary
hypothesis that determination of the topographical extent of atrophy and
hypometabolism would differ according to the method used to determine
imaging changes.


Seven strains of acetic acid bacteria were separated into two welldefined groups on nutritional criteria. One group grew relatively poorly in media containing amino-acids and glucose, but grew well when lactate replaced glucose. In the presence of glucose and lactate, but not of glucose alone, ammonia was utilized as the sole source of nitrogen. With one exception, this group required no added growth factors for growth in a defined medium. The second group grew well when glucose, but not lactate, was supplied as the chief source of carbon and/or energy. Casein acid hydrolysate was a suitable source of nitrogen, but ammonia, as a sole source of nitrogen, failed to support growth even when lactate was present, except to a limited extent when the growth period was prolonged to 7 days. All members of this group required added nicotinate, pantothenate and p-aminobenzoate.


Calculations of molecular structures, relative stabilities of the various tautomers, and molecular electrostatic potentials (MEPs) were used to examine the molecular properties that determine the actions at H2-receptors of histamine analogs in which the imidazole ring was replaced by triazole or tetrazole. The analysis indicates that the most stable tautomer of 3-ethylamine-1,2,4-triazole (EATRI), is also the most similar to the assumed active form of histamine. Differences in the MEP of EATRI and histamine are observed mainly near the N(2) nitrogen of EATRI which is the steric equivalent of the C(4) position of histamine. Because EATRI is recognized at the receptor in spite of these differences, we conclude that the H2-receptor has no selectivity with respect to the electrostatic or steric properties near this position, in agreement with previous observations from structure-activity relations. This conclusion contrasts with the apparent selectivity of the receptor for the reactivity properties of the position equivalent to C(2) in histamine. Thus, the analysis of the tautomeric forms and MEP of the 5-ethylamine-1,2,3,4-tetrazole, which is not recognized by the H2-histamine receptor, suggests that the negative potential near the N(3) nitrogen, which corresponds to C(2) in histamine, is responsible for the inactivity of this molecule. The mechanism of receptor activation by EATRI is analyzed in relation to results from a theoretical simulation of a proposed activation mechanism of H2-histamine receptors. We find that the discriminant property for receptor activation by EATRI should be the relative energy of the ring protonated tautomers, and our results indicate that only the cation in which the ring protonation is on N(1) and N(4) and the side chain is anchored at the negative receptor site can be recognized at the histamine H2-receptor, and can participate in the proposed activation process.


In coastal marine systems worldwide, land‐based nutrient inputs are often correlated with blooms of macroalgae, which can negatively affect seagrass habitats. We used spatiotemporal trends in production to identify the role of marine‐derived nutrients in mediating these interactions. Among ocean upwelling‐influenced estuaries along the northeastern Pacific, we documented a negative correlation between annual production of ulvoid macroalgae and the seagrass, Zostera marina L., at a regional scale that included four estuaries along a ∼ 400 km distance. While macroalgal biomass was ∼ 30 times greater in southern (Yaquina Bay and Coos Bay, Oregon) compared to northern (Willapa Bay, Washington, and Netarts Bay, Oregon) estuaries, no temporal patterns of eelgrass decline were observed within the estuaries over a 5 yr period. Latitudinally, 65% of the between‐site ordination variance in interannual macrophyte production was associated with ocean upwelling; macroalgae was positively correlated, and eelgrass negatively correlated with more intense upwelling. Within one estuary, Coos Bay, we found that land‐based nutrients had no effect on macrophyte productivity. Instead, a little more than a third of the variation was explained by upwelling (marine dissolved inorganic nitrogen and salinity) and climate (photosynthetically active radiation). Thus, contrary to the paradigm of negative effects of macroalgae on eelgrass, we found correlative evidence that ocean upwelling and local estuarine conditions could be responsible for these large biogeographic patterns.


This project is a two-year evaluation of pricing/incentives applied to the one-way, all electric carsharing system operated by car2go in San Diego, CA. This system is the only electric vehicle-based, one-way carsharing system with instant access (i.e., accessible without reservation) operating in the U.S. The goal of this project is to work with car2go and the San Diego region to develop and evaluate pricing/incentive structures for their members, which improve system operational efficiency (vehicle redistribution, state-of-charge management, use of vehicles placed at public transit stations) and encourage shared-vehicle use.


While counterfactual thinking has been widely investigated, we know much less about how counterfactual ("If . . . then") statements are employed in political communication. We analysed statements made by politicians during pre-electoral televised broadcasts, to assess whether politicians employ counterfactuals in facework. Counterfactuals were coded according to their direction, controllability, and structure. Log-linear analysis revealed that upward, controllable, and additive counterfactuals were more frequent than downward, uncontrollable, and subtractive counterfactuals, respectively. A significant three-way interaction between target, direction, and controllability also emerged. While politicians more often employed upward controllable counterfactuals when speaking about targets other than themselves, they more often used downward controllable and upward uncontrollable counterfactuals when referring to themselves. These findings advance our knowledge of how counterfactuals are employed by politicians to promote their positive face and aggravate the face of adversaries.


Historically, low-pressure membranes (microfiltration (MF) and ultrafiltration (UF)) used in potable water treatment are made of polymers (polysulfone (PS), polypropylene (PP), polyethersulfone (PES), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) etc). Recently, membranes made of ceramic materials (aluminium oxide) have been developed by MetaWater (Japan), Kubota (Japan) and others and is being marketed in the United States (US) by Kruger, Inc. (Cary, NC). Ceramic membranes offer several potential advantages over polymeric membranes, including higher mechanical robustness and ability to handle higher loading of particulates, higher resistance to oxidants and membrane cleaning chemicals, higher membrane integrity, longer service life and compact footprint. The authors conducted collaborative evaluations of this emerging technology at two different places; (i) Elm Fork Water Treatment Plant (WTP) of Dallas Water Utilities (DWU), Dallas, Texas, USA and (ii) Graham Mesa WTP, City of Rifle, Rifle, Colorado, USA. The evaluations included pilot testing of ceramic membranes in direct filtration mode (i.e. without clarification) and with coagulant addition. The water streams that were pilot tested at Elm Fork WTP included Trinity River water, spent filter backwash wastewater and lagoon recycle water (spent filter backwash water combined with clarifier blow down water). The City of Rifle pilot testing was conducted on Colorado River water. This paper presents the key results of these two pilot studies. Results of pilot testing were used to define the potential membrane flux, backwash protocols (interval and duration), chemical enhanced backwash (CEB) and clean-in-place (CIP) protocols. Pilot test results and engineering judgment were used for developing concept-level sizing and outlining parameters for future evaluation. This paper will discuss the key technical and economic considerations of the emerging treatment technology and its potential applications for potable water treatment. This paper will be of interest to water providers that are considering alternatives to treat challenging source waters (waters with high particulates and under heavy microbial influence), build new compact water treatment plants, increase plant capacity through membrane retrofits and treat recycle streams at existing WTPs.


This study assesses whether the theoretical compensation framework used to explain differences in public sector pay among full-time federal and state employees may also explain differences in pay at a local government level. In doing so, this study uses ordinary least squares (OLS) regression to test the application of the theoretical framework to a specific local government. Robust and quantile regression models are used subsequently to validate the findings obtained by the OLS model. The findings reveal that the covariates used to explain differences in compensation among full-time federal and state employees have similar effects at a local governmental level. While the OLS statistical model explains 26% (R2 = .26) of the variance, the robust regression model explains 39% (R2 = .39) of the variance. The percentage of variation explained by the quantile statistical models ranges from 14% (pseudo-R2 = .14) to 50% (pseudo-R2 = .50).


Previous research highlights tensions that social hybrids face by spanning categories. This article explores the emergence of legislation to support a new category for social hybrids, focusing on Benefit Corporation legislation in the United States. It presents quantitative analysis of state-level factors that make a state suitable for a social hybrid category (attractiveness for for-profit business and nonprofits, existing social hybrid organizations, legislative intensity, and political leanings) followed by qualitative analysis of the arguments marshaled for the creation of the Benefit Corporation legal form. These findings raise important insights for research on social hybrids and suggest a range of practical implications.


Recent progress on the drawing of micro and nanowires shows the length could only reach several millimeters because of the lack of material feeding mechanism. We report here a multistage modified fiber drawing process which allows a fiber preform to be drawn several times in the heating zone so that the desired diameter of microns and nanometers can be achieved more than 1 m long. Current results show that by this approach the micro/nano optical wires (MNOWs) could be drawn with the length up to 165 cm and the diameter down to 1.9 mum. A real-time diameter measuring system is also developed to monitor the diameter in situ and hence to optimize our fabrication process.


This population-based case control study examined the hypothesis that the occurrence of firesetting might be greater in youths who exhibit a combination of shyness and aggressiveness and may be complicated by peer rejection. The study's self-report data were from a nationally representative sample survey conducted in 1995. There were 284 cases involving 12- to 17-year-old youths who self-reported recent firesetting, regardless of their intentions. Control subjects were 4,207 youths with no such history. After subjects were matched according to age and neighborhood, conditional logistic regressions were used for estimation. Moderate to strong associations were observed between firesetting and both shyness and aggressiveness (odds ratio [OR] = 6.6; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.2-20.4) and feeling highly rejected by peers (OR = 14.5, 95% CI = 3.5-59.6). Independently, boys were 3.8 times more likely to be firesetters (p = .001). Although this cross-sectional study revealed associations of firesetting with shyness and aggressiveness, with evidence of a possibly separate influence of peer rejection, correlation should not be construed as causation. More longitudinal research is needed to clarify temporal sequencing of these characteristics. Prevention trials may indicate whether firesetting can be reduced by amelioration of socially maladaptive behavior and peer rejection as manifested in the child and teenage years.


An investigation has been made in the Langley spin tunnel to determine the erect and inverted spin and recovery characteristics of a 1/30-scale dynamic model of the North American A-5A airplane. Tests were made for the basic flight design loading with the center of gravity at 30-percent mean aerodynamic chord and also for a forward position and a rearward position with the center of gravity at 26-percent and 40-percent mean aerodynamic chord, respectively. Tests were also made to determine the effect of full external wing tanks on both wings, and of an asymmetrical condition when only one full tank is carried.


Many countries have implemented policies to prevent or combat educational disadvantage associated with socioeconomic factors in the students' home environment. Under such policies, educational institutions generally receive extra support from the central or local government. The support is normally based on indicators available in the home environment of the children, mostly family-structural characteristics. In the Netherlands, the core of educational disadvantage policy is the so-called weighted student funding scheme, which awards schools with disadvantaged students additional financial resources. When this scheme was developed in 1984, three indicators of disadvantage were selected, namely: parental education, occupation, and ethnicity. Analyses conducted at the time established a predictive validity estimate of 0.50, amounting to 25 percent of explained variance. Nowadays, some thirty years later, the funding scheme is based on only one indicator, namely parental education. Analyses performed on data collected in 2014 show a validity estimate of 0.20, thus accounting for no more than four percent of variance. This dramatic decrease of the indicator's predictive validity shows that the empirical basis of the Dutch weighted student funding scheme has become highly problematic. It is suggested that instead of employing family characteristics as educational disadvantage indicators, the actual performance of students based on test achievement and teacher observations may offer a more valid alternative.


"In all, beautifully written and wonderfully inspiring." --The Wall Street Journal "Crossing the Atlantic under sail, alone, is a nexus of sorts for all sailors, a dream and an adventure that seems obtainable within the framework of life and work, and it's in this context that Sea Trials provides inspiration to all of us. Bourke's route across the ocean, as a participant in the 2009 OSTAR, is circuitous at best as he battles headwinds and mechanical snafus, but he keeps it in perspective and never loses his sense of humor and awe. Sure he wants to do well in the race, but getting to the starting line is already a victory, and finishing, when others would have retired, seems in character. Bourke deftly weaves his life story into the narrative, from the tragic death of his wife that leaves him an angry single parent, to postponing his dreams until his kids are settled, to his rather bumbling attempts to become a sailor. It takes a good writer to make this work within the framework of a voyage, and Bourke is a very good writer...I was in the cockpit with him as he spent long hours at the helm, attuned to the sea and alone withhis thoughts. He doesn't whine but he's not a hero either, just a sailor dealing with his boat, the Atlantic, and life, and he relishes it all. This is a brilliant book." -- John Kretschmer, author, Sailing a SeriousOcean and At the Mercy of the Sea Peter Bourke first heard the siren call of the sea as a young boy when he crossed the Atlantic from England with his family. Decades later, three years after his wife's sudden death, he bought a boat--even though he did not yetknow how to sail. His friends thought he was crazy; but for Bourke, buying his fi rst sailboat was a lifeline, a glimmer of hope in a world turned upside down. Learning to juggle single parenting, a career in finance, and a growingurge to set sail was akin to walking a tightrope of sanity. Small voyage by small voyage he gained his sea legs, balancing the risks of singlehanding while raising children, holding his sailing dream lightly until his children had safely transited out of high school. Bourke entered the Oldest Singlehanded Trans-Atlantic Race (OSTAR) at age 57. Sea Trials is the humble account of those 40 days of racing on his 44-foot sailboat Rubicon. As he shares his highs and lows at sea, he alsoweaves his intimate story of grief and rediscovery into the narrative: pain and joy, seasickness, fear, and his boundless gratitude. You are along for Bourke's racing adventure--the good, the bad, and the very unpredictable.Gear failure and reefi ng sails on a pitching deck in the double dark of the mid-Atlantic night intermix with wet twilights of Da Nang, Vietnam, where artillery shells pierce the sky; we also travel with Bourke down the pastoral streets of his suburban hometown toward a neighbor's house, wondering how he will find the words and courage to tell his daughter and son they have lost their mother. Bourke's offshore passage is a passage home, to the core of his humanity and humility--and as Bourke and Rubicon cross the fi nish line in Newport, Rhode Island, the world had been simultaneously opened wide and brought closer. To dream and to sail the dream is to journey offand come home again, changed. And undoubtedly you will be inspired to take a big--but satisfying--risk of your own to fulfill your lifelong dream, whether it's on the big blue or dry land. "Life and circumstance had left me working flat out trying to maintain my professional position, be a good father, and keep everything together. At the late-night end of many days, I found myself mumbling: 'I can't keep doing this, this is killing me, I'm dying.' It wasn't a question of wanting out of the parenting role, or the business role, but I needed a third ball for balance ..." "To be at sea is to be in a different world, and to live alone for a time in this alien place can yield a spiritual calm...In such a calm, order and perspective can enter your thoughts. Life can be harsh at sea, but it is never sordid. The simple necessities of food, drink, and sleep are received with gratitude, and always there is the sea's reminder that you are a speck of dust in the cosmos. The rush of thoughts slows, and order replaces the chaos as you consider your journey." -- From the book SEA TRIALS is a poignant account of one man's pursuit of a dream that will inspire you to tackle challenging endeavors as well as squarely face life's emotional challenges, fi nding the courage to live a fullyengaged, authentic life.


Gymnastics is the umbrella term that represents seven different and unique disciplines of gymnastics. Men and women of all ages and abilities practice this sport, and participation in gymnastics can develop both gross and fine motor skills, strength, flexibility, coordination and balance. There are various social factors, such as a family's socioeconomic status or accessibility to sports facilities that may play a role in affecting levels of participation. The aim of this study is to investigate the social factors that have an influence on gymnastics participation in the Western Cape. To this end, a qualitative approach is adopted to collect data. This study also adopts the ecological systems theory as the theoretical framework, and is used to analyze and interpret current social factors that directly or indirectly influence participation in gymnastics. The study's objectives were to ascertain which social factors hinder participation, and which social factors promote participation, thus, coaches, parents and gymnasts participated in focus group discussions. Key informant interviews took place with experts in the field of gymnastics in the Western Cape. A thematic analysis was conducted on transcriptions from the focus group discussions and key informant interviews. Social factors investigated in this study occurred in the chronosystem, macrosystem, exosystem, mesosystem, and microsystem, and had both a direct and indirect influence on the gymnast's continued participation. These systems are defined as the environment of the individual, in which they grow and develop. The research findings of this paper are used to draw conclusions and make specific recommendations for practice and further research. The information gathered in this study can assist all stakeholders within the field of gymnastics, such as parents, judges, coaches, gymnasts, and the supporting community which surround the participating gymnast. Keywords—Developing child, ecological systems theory, facilities, federation, gymnastics, influence, participation, social factors, socioeconomic status, sport


This thesis is concerned with momentum anisotropy in strongly correlated electron systems, and explores its origin and its consequences through two contrasting projects. The first is a study of the temperature dependences of magnetotransport quantities in the normal state of the cuprate high-temperature superconductors. A phenomenological anisotropic small-angle scattering model is investigated; Hall effect measurements can be reproduced for parameters sufficiently close to particle-hole symmetry, but the experimentally observed magnetoresistance cannot be explained. The second project studies the phase diagram and quasiparticle properties of the square lattice Hubbard model within two-site cluster dynamical mean field theory (DMFT), at zero temperature. The "two-site" approach provides a drastically simplified but physically motivated self-consistency scheme for DMFT. This is combined for the first time with cluster DMFT, within which different magnetic orders and momentum anisotropy may be represented consistently. The extent of antiferromagnetism is determined; phases are discovered where the Fermi surface consists of small hole pockets, and the Mott transition happens as these pockets shrink to points. Anisotropic phenomena observed in the cuprates are reproduced by the theory; a pseudogap destroys the Fermi surface in some places, leaving behind Fermi arcs that closed into hole pockets by lines with very small quasiparticle residue.


An American pespective on children's rights and parental authority - possible lessons for South Africa
The aim of this article is to determine to what extent constitutional litigation has contributed towards the establishment of a culture of children's rights. The American constitution does not explicitly confer constitutional rights on parents or children, but constitutional litigation becomes relevant where parental authority and children's rights are apparently in conflict. Constitutional litigation involving a child and his rights requires the court to balance family autonomy and parental authority against the constitutional rights of the child. The article, by means of an analysis of jurisprudence, indicates how a balance can be struck between the constitutional rights of parents, children and the state.


In this contribution problems relating to the non-linear interaction between an elastic tire and soft soil are discussed. A basic approach for solving this problem is described, where the friction force is modeled as a function dependent on the lateral displacement of the tire. The sinking of the tire is not accurately modeled – it is approximated by increasing the friction coefficient both linearly and non-linearly. The behavior exhibited using the approaches described is compared with measured behavior from real tests and the potential of the approach is appraised.


We revised the current status of the apsidal-motion test to stellar structure and evolution. The obser- vational sample was increased by about 50% in comparison to previous studies. Classical and relativistic systems were analyzed simultaneously and only systems with accurate absolute dimensions were considered. New interior models incorporating recent opacity tables, stellar rotation, mass loss, and moderate core overshooting were used as theoretical tools to compare the predicted with the observed shifts of the position of the periastron. The stellar models were computed for the precise observed masses and the adopted chemical compositions are consistent with the corresponding tables of opacities to avoid the inherent problems of interpolation in mass and in (X, Z). The derived chemical composition for each individual system was used to infer the primordial helium content as well as a law of enrichment. The values found are in good agreement with those obtained from various independent sources. For the rst time, the eects of dynamic tides are taken into account systematically to determine the con- tribution of the tidal distortion to the predicted apsidal-motion rate. The deviations between the apsidal-motion rates resulting from the classical formula and those determined by taking into account the eects of dynamic tides are presented as a function of the level of synchronism. For systems close to synchronisation, dynamic tides cause deviations with respect to the classical apsidal-motion formula due to the eects of the compressibility of the stel- lar fluid. For systems with higher rotational angular velocities, additional deviations due to resonances arise when the forcing frequencies of the dynamic tides come into the range of the free oscillation modes of the component stars. The resulting comparison shows a good agreement between the observed and theoretical apsidal-motion rates. No systematic eects in the sense that models are less mass concentrated than real stars and no correlations with the evolutionary status of the systems were detected.


Are linear regression models reliable in testing whether high expected real interest rates encourage current savings and deferred consumption? Here, a Monte Carlo test shows that a linear model yields a fairly accurate estimate and small standard error, but is highly susceptible to specification bias.


The aim of this study was to elucidate municipal night registered nurses' (RNs) experiences of the meaning of caring in nursing. The research context involved all night duty RNs working in municipal care of older people in a medium-sized municipality located in central Sweden. The meaning of caring in nursing was experienced as: caring for by advocacy, superior responsibility in caring, and consultative nursing service. The municipal night RNs' experience of caring is interpreted as meanings in paradoxes: 'being close at distance', the condition of 'being responsible with insignificant control', and 'being interdependently independent'. The RNs' experience of the meaning of caring involves focusing on the care recipient by advocating their perspectives. The meaning of caring in this context is an endeavour to grasp an overall caring responsibility by responding to vocational and personal demands regarding the issue of being a RN, in guaranteeing ethical, qualitative and competent care for older people.


ABSTRACT Ferreira, M.A.; Johnson, D.; and Pereira da Silva, C., 2016. Measuring success of Ocean governance: a set of indicators from Portugal. In: Vila-Concejo, A.; Bruce, E.; Kennedy, D.M., and McCarroll, R.J. (eds.), Proceedings of the 14th International Coastal Symposium (Sydney, Australia). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue, No. 75, pp. 982 - 986. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Evaluating the success of marine spatial planning (MSP) remains a challenging task. Portugal, one of the world's largest maritime nations, with its recent ocean governance framework, is an ideal case study for the development of an evaluation mechanism for MSP. This paper presents a brief characterization of Portugal's maritime area and of its legal regime, and a methodology for defining and selecting a set of indicators to evaluate MSP once it has been operational for a number of years. The resulting set of indicators is discussed, as are prospects for their development and generalization.


This paper investigates the existence and nature of constraints prevailing among Mexican microenterprises. It provides inter-temporal insights by relying on firm-level data spanning from 1994 to 2012. A performance index is defined based on firm levels of capital stock and monthly profits, and is used to estimate the empirical probability of a business's success. The predicted values are used to classify every microenterprise into one of three categories: upper, middle, or lower segment. Overall, the study provides evidence of constrained productivity and capital misallocation. Specifically, middle-segment firms exhibit entrepreneurial features and their average marginal returns are 15 percent. Because this segment faces mainly external constraints, cost-effective interventions are plausible. Regarding the lower-segment firms, it is estimated that their average monthly marginal returns are 30 per cent, compared to 1 per cent for the upper segment. It is also shown that, over time, the share that middle-segment firms represent relative to all microenterprises increased from 16 to 22 percent. Lastly, the sources of variation in monthly profits among segments are explored using the Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition method.


Multiculturalism has recently become a word without which hardly any discussion of identity, nationality or historical and ideological narratives seems possible. However, the popularity of this word and its current usefulness should not obscure the fact that the concept itself is not an easy and obvious one: many apparently firm assumptions have been disputed from a multicultural perspective, while there are still a great number of social, cultural and political spheres which need to be re-defined and re-articulated as some dominant notions and symbols have been subverted by recognition of the diversity of subjective positions and cultural identities. The concept of multi-culturalism assumes that our identities -- both individual and collective -- are shaped by our relationships with others. This volume addresses issues of multiculturalism and identity in culture and reveals a wide spectrum of perspectives from which we look at the Other/the Unfamiliar/the Unknown. It is an attempt to reveal the patterns and practices our culture has used in order to envisage, negate or welcome the Other, and seeks to contribute to the ongoing discussion about multiculturalism.


Multilinguality is an important topic for knowledge bases, especially Wikidata, that was build to serve the multilingual requirements of an international community. Its labels are the way for humans to interact with the data. In this paper, we explore the state of languages in Wikidata as of now, especially in regard to its ontology, and the relationship to Wikipedia. Furthermore, we set the multilinguality of Wikidata in the context of the real world by comparing it to the distribution of native speakers. We find an existing language maldistribution, which is less urgent in the ontology, and promising results for future improvements.


High quality blue fluorescent carbon quantum dots (CDs) were fabricated from a dilute NH4OH/water solution of waste biomass via one-step hydrothermal carbonization. Different from conventional synthesis methods, NH4OH was used as the solvent as well as passivation agent rather than organic amine compounds. The best quantum yield (QY) of the nitrogen-doped biomass CDs was up to 16%, which was higher than the non-doped CDs (only 2%) and those passivated by organic molecules (7%). Further investigations revealed the unique emission behaviours of the NH4OH-passivated CDs dependent on excitation, pH values and solvents and interesting up-conversion photoluminescence. In addition, an in vitro cytotoxicity test demonstrated the negligible toxicity of NH4OH-passivated CDs, and they were successfully applied in bio-imaging of murine embryonic stem cells. This low-cost and green chemistry method provides a feasible route for value-added and sustainable utilization of waste biomass.


Most angiosperms have gynoecia with two to five carpels. However, more than five carpels (here termed 'multicarpellate condition') are present in some representatives of all larger subclades of angiosperms. In such multicarpellate gynoecia, the carpels are in either one or more than one whorl (or series). I focus especially on gynoecia in which the carpels are in a single whorl (or series). In such multicarpellate syncarpous gynoecia, the closure in the centre of the gynoecium is imprecise as a result of slightly irregular development of the carpel flanks. Irregular bumps appear to stuff the remaining holes. In multicarpellate gynoecia, the centre of the remaining floral apex is not involved in carpel morphogenesis, so that this unspent part of the floral apex remains morphologically undifferentiated. It usually becomes enclosed within the gynoecium, but, in some cases, remains exposed and may or may not form simple excrescences. The area within the remaining floral apex is histologically characterized by a parenchyma of simple longitudinal cell rows. In highly multicarpellate gynoecia with the carpels in a whorl, the whorl tends to be deformed into an H-shaped or star-shaped structure by differential growth of the floral sectors, so that carpels become aligned in parallel rows, in which they face each other with the ventral sides. In this way, a fractionated compitum may still be functional. Multicarpellate gynoecia (with the carpels in one whorl or series) occur in at least one species in 37 of the 63 angiosperm orders. In contrast, non-multicarpellate gynoecia are present in at least one species of all 63 orders. The basal condition in angiosperms is more likely non-multicarpellate. Multicarpellate gynoecia are restricted to flowers that are not highly synorganized. In groups with synorganized androecium and gynoecium and in groups with elaborate monosymmetric flowers, multicarpellate gynoecia are lacking. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2014, 174, 1–43.


This brief essay responds to Josh Bowers' argument that criminal procedure should openly allow innocent defendants to plead guilty as a legal fiction. Though most scholars emphasize the few but salient serious felony cases, Bowers is right to refocus attention on misdemeanors and violations, which are far more numerous. And though the phrase wrongful convictions conjures up images of punishing upstanding citizens, Bowers is also right to emphasize that recidivists are far more likely to suffer wrongful suspicion and conviction. Bowers' mistake is to treat the criminal justice system as simply a means of satisfying defendants' preferences and choices. This narrow, utilitarian approach downplays the importance of public faith and confidence in the criminal justice system. It also risks undercutting the pleas of guilty defendants, who could later change their minds and tell themselves and others that their pleas were simply legal fictions, leaving them in denial and frustrating victims. Most fundamentally, Bowers' utilitarianism sacrifices the deontic command not to facilitate convicting the innocent. Though the massive flaws in criminal justice are frustrating, we must not sacrifice justice as our ideal.