Renewal of ultrafine aerosols in the marine boundary layer may lead to repopulation of the marine distribution and ultimately determine the concentration of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). Thus the formation of nanometre-scale particles can lead to enhanced scattering of incoming radiation and a net cooling of the atmosphere. The recent demonstration of the chamber formation of new particles from the photolytic production of condensable iodine-containing compounds from diiodomethane (CH2I2), (O'Dowd et al., 2002; Kolb, 2002; Jimenez et al., 2003a; Burkholder and Ravishankara, 2003), provides an additional mechanism to the gas-to-particle conversion of sulphuric acid formed in the photo-oxidation of dimethylsulphide for marine aerosol repopulation. CH2I2 is emitted from seaweeds (Carpenter et al., 1999, 2000) and has been suggested as an initiator of particle formation. We demonstrate here for the first time that ultrafine iodine-containing particles are produced by intertidal macroalgae exposed to ambient levels of ozone. The particle composition is very similar both to those formed in the chamber photo-oxidation of diiodomethane and in the oxidation of molecular iodine by ozone. The particles formed in all three systems are similarly aspherical. When small, those formed in the molecular iodine system swell only moderately when exposed to increased humidity environments, and swell progressively less with increasing size; this behaviour occurs whether they are formed in dry or humid environments, in contrast to those in the CH2I2 system. Direct coastal boundary layer observations of molecular iodine, ultrafine particle production and iodocarbons are reported. Using a newly measured molecular iodine photolysis rate, it is shown that, if atomic iodine is involved in the observed particle bursts, it is of the order of at least 1000 times more likely to result from molecular iodine photolysis than diiodomethane photolysis. A hypothesis for molecular iodine release from intertidal macroalgae is presented and the potential importance of macroalgal iodine particles in their contribution to CCN and global radiative forcing are discussed.


Multi-Representation Modeling (MRM) involves executing multiple models of the same phenomenon jointly. MRM is a technique in modeling and simulation for capturing the combined semantics of multiple models. Previous MRM approaches, such as selective viewing and aggregation-disaggregation, have encountered problems such as chain disaggregation, temporal inconsistency and mapping inconsistency. Eliminating these problems has been a difficult task for MRM designers. We eliminate these problems by showing how to achieve MRM effectively, i.e., correctly, consistently and inexpensively. Our thesis is that MRM can be effective. Maintaining consistency among the concurrent representations of jointly-executing models is our approach for effective MRM.
We developed a framework, UNIFY, to achieve effective MRM. UNIFY satisfies three MRM requirements: multi-representation interaction, multi-representation consistency and cost-effectiveness. It enables designers to construct solutions for application-specific multiple models. UNIFY is based on four fundamental observations that reduce the problem of joint execution to the problem of maintaining consistency among the representations of multiple models when dependent concurrent interactions occur. UNIFY consists of processes and techniques such as Multiple Representation Entities (MREs), Attribute Dependency Graphs (ADGs) and a taxonomy of interactions. An MRE maintains concurrent representations. An ADG captures relationships among attributes in concurrent representations. An ADG and application-specific mapping functions that translate attributes across representations constitute a Consistency Enforcer that maintains internal consistency within an MRE. Our taxonomy of interactions provides a way to classify interactions based on their semantic characteristics. This classification presents policies that can be encoded in an Interaction Resolver for resolving the effects of dependent concurrent interactions on an MRE.
UNIFY contributes to the practice of modeling and simulation. We show how designers can apply techniques in UNIFY. We present guidelines for maintaining consistency among concurrent representations. UNIFY is the first known general framework for achieving effective MRM.


We conduct an analysis of the American television drama Breaking Bad as a show that resists the label of 'science fiction', while its use of scientific imagery and discourse create what we call a 'scientific ethos'. This essay explores the use of science as an appeal to intelligence and credibility in Breaking Bad. We include a theoretical discussion of how ethos emerges in serial television narratives, an analysis of the show's textual construction of its ethos, and a discussion of the intertexual and social effects of that ethos. Finally, we recommend the adoption of a rhetorical perspective in analysing how images of science circulate in fictional texts.


Improving and differentiating the student experience is an imperative in contemporary Higher Education as institutions strive to maintain and increase their market advantage. This often results in directives from leadership to offer a technology-enhanced delivery of curriculum. Teaching staff tasked with implementing these changes often require not only technical training, but also development support that enables them to engage with unfamiliar teaching practices. In the researchers' context of practice, an institutionally supported community of practice was established with the intention of supporting changes to curriculum delivery entailed by a blended learning approach. Communities of practice (CoPs) have emerged as fertile soil for initiating innovation, professional learning and supporting change, and are often positioned as emerging organically from the needs and interests of participants Interviews with members of an institutionally facilitated CoP were used to investigate the extent to which a CoP approach supported academic staff in meeting the outcomes of a mandated project. Analysis indicates that participation within the CoP had a positive impact on both the participants and the changes they implemented in their practices. This finding is congruent with other studies demonstrating the use of CoPs in higher education has positive impacts on teachers' levels of innovation in the face of learning & teaching challenges and further suggests that institutionally created CoPs can emulate the characteristics of those that form organically.


The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) defines a refugee as any person who has a "well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion." An emerging issue in U.S. asylum law is how to define the category "membership of a particular social group." This question has become ever-more pressing in light of the fact that the majority of migrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border are claiming persecution on account of their "membership in a particular social group." The INA does not define the meaning of "particular social group" and courts are split over the correct definition of the term. According to one approach, the focus should be on which immutable characteristics should be protected from systemic discrimination. According to a second approach, the focus should rather be on how members of a given society define the boundaries of the proposed group. Each framework centers the analysis on a fundamentally distinct set of questions and concerns. This Article outlines the development and conceptual basis of each framework, to show that an immutability-centered approach to defining particular social group generates more consistency in asylum decisions and broadens the scope of asylum to include women and victims of harm traditionally categorized as falling within the category of "private criminal activity." This Article contributes to debates on asylum policy by shedding new light on how to define the contours of asylum status and proposing concrete means by which to accomplish change.


The application of thematic maps obtained through the classification of remote images needs the obtained products with an optimal accuracy. The registered images from the airplanes display a very satisfactory spatial resolution, but the classical methods of thematic classification not always give better results than when the registered data from satellite are used. In order to improve these results of classification, in this work, the LIDAR sensor data from first return (Light Detection And Ranging) registered simultaneously with the spectral sensor data from airborne are jointly used. The final results of the thematic classification of the scene object of study have been obtained, quantified and discussed with and without LIDAR data, after applying different methods: Maximum Likehood Classification, Support Vector Machine with four different functions kernel and Isodata clustering algorithm (ML, SVM-L, SVM-P, SVM-RBF, SVM-S, Isodata). The best results are obtained for SVM with Sigmoide kernel. These allow the correlation with others different physical parameters with great interest like Manning hydraulic coefficient, for their incorporation in a GIS and their application in hydraulic modeling.


This study operationalized the Four Worlds model for mass media values in a new context — that of a foreign-language newspaper serving a recent-immigrant community within a First World society, namely a Hispanic community in central Arkansas, in the United States. The study established baseline representations of previously described "First World" and "Fourth World" values in a mainstream central Arkansas newspaper, and in Cherokee and Koori newspapers. The study speculated that the central Arkansas Hispanic community exists with a measure of physical and cultural separation from mainstream society — arising from informal barriers such as socioecomomic status, residential neighborhoods, language, and racism — and that this separation is analogous to the separation of a Fourth World society from its mainstream society. Accordingly, the study predicted that El Latino content would bear greater similarity with the Fourth World baseline than with the First World baseline. The hypothesis was substantially but not wholly born out. El Latino tracked the Fourth World baselines on six of the thirteen values surveyed, First and Fourth World, and results were inconclusive on six more values, two because El Latino fell between the baselines. El Latino tracked the First World baseline on only one value: First World "oddity." It was hoped that this study will stimulate further research into similarities between immigrant groups and Fourth World communities, that they might share in the development of innovative strategies in their common pursuit of socioeconomic development for their peoples while preserving their cultural integrity and ethnic identity.


The Great Dyke of Zimbabwe constitutes the world's second largest reserve of platinum group elements (PGE) after the Bushveld Complex in neighbouring South Africa. Within the Great Dyke, economic concentrations of PGE are restricted to sulphide disseminations of the Main Sulphide Zone (MSZ), which are currently mined at the Ngezi, Unki, and Mimosa mines. Near-surface oxidized MSZ ores have a large potential. Their total resources are in the range of ca. 160 – 250 Mt; however, all previous attempts to extract the PGE from this ore type proved uneconomic due to low PGE recoveries (<< 50 per cent) achieved by conventional metallurgical methods. Within the ores of pristine, sulphide-bearing MSZ, the PGE are bimodally distributed. Platinum occurs mainly in the form of discrete platinum group mineral (PGM) grains (mainly bismuthotellurides, sulphides, and arsenides), whereas approximately 80 per cent of the Pd (and some Rh) is hosted in pentlandite. Within the oxidized MSZ ores, the PGE are polymodally distributed. Whereas arsenideand sulphide-PGMs, making up ca. 25 per cent of the original Pt content of the ore, largely remain stable (relict PGMs), the remaining PGMs are disintegrated. The base metal sulphides are destroyed, partly releasing their base metal and PGE contents, and are replaced by iron oxides or hydroxides. Unspecified amounts of the PGE are redistributed and either form secondary PGMs, are found in chemically and mineralogically ill-defined (Pt/Pd)-oxides or hydroxides, or in iron-hydroxides, Mn–Co-hydroxides, and in secondary silicates. The problematic processing of oxidized MSZ ores is attributable to their complex nature and polymodal distribution of the PGE, prohibiting a significant upgrading of the ores by conventional metallurgical methods. The Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Platinum 2012 648 Therefore, only bulk leaching methods are viable for ore treatment, and novel metallurgical methods have to be developed for the processing of these ores. Our ongoing work aims at locating the PGE in their mineralogical form in order to understand the mineralogical balance of the PGE in the ores and thereby facilitate the evaluation of metallurgical options for their recovery. A short overview on options and recent advances regarding the recovery of the PGE from oxidized ores is given.


This study assessed the effect of varying inclusion levels of crude pawpaw latex (PL) on haemato-biochemical profile, meat quality and intestinal microbiota of broiler chickens. Four experimental diets were formulated such that a corn-soybean basal diet was supplemented with 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 g PL / kg diet. A total of 120 day-old Arbor Acre strain of broiler chicks was randomly allocated to the four dietary treatments comprising three replicates each in a completely randomized design. On day 49 of ad libitum feeding, blood profile (haematology and serum chemistry), meat quality (sensory evaluation, cooking loss and some proximate contents), and intestinal microbiota were evaluated. Data collected were subjected to one-way analysis of variance and treatment means separated using Duncan Multiple Range Test at p<0.05. Haematological parameters were significantly affected (P<0.05) by dietary inclusions of PL except for mean cell haemoglobin content. Packed cell volume, white blood cell, red blood cell and haemoglobin were significantly elevated in diets containing PL whereas mean cell volume and mean cell haemoglobin were reduced compared to PL free diet. Total protein, total cholesterol and globulin were higher (p<0.05) for broilers fed PL free diet compared to PL fed birds. Urea, SGPT and SGOT did not follow any particular pattern. There was significant influence (p<0.05) of flavour, juiciness, texture and overall acceptability of broiler meat on cooking, whereas colour and tenderness were not affected. Roasting of broiler meat showed significant variations (p<0.05) for colour, tenderness and juiciness, while flavour, texture and overall acceptability were not influenced. Broiler meat from the PL-free diet had the highest crude protein (20.03%) and lowest ether extract (9.92%), while meat from 1g/kg PL had the highest ether extract (11.1%). Significant difference was not observed in both total bacteria and coliform counts but beneficial microbes were increased as the level of pawpaw latex increased.


Miospore assemblages are described from a section of the Lower Limestone Shale and the lower part of the Black Rock Limestone at Maesbury in the eastern Mendips. Conodont evidence indicates the miospore assemblages are Middle to Upper Tournaisian (Tn2–Tn3) in age. The assemblages are compared to those obtained from other areas, particularly southern Ireland. One new species Discernisporites sullivanii is erected and one new spore type is described.


Sixteen kids were assigned at an average of 6 weeks of age to two treatments: control with no supplementation and 5 g/kid of probiotic supplementation daily. The probiotic was resuspended in distilled water and given orally in the morning throughout a 42 d study. Grower concentrate, vetch hay and water were offered ad libitum throughout the study. Kids were abruptly weaned 14 days after the initiation of the study and received only grower concentrate, vetch hay and water ad libitum from d 15 to 42. The supplementation of probiotic did not result in any significant differences in weight gain, nutrient intake, milk efficiency and diarrhea score in kids. However a positive trend toward improved weight gain, feed intake and feed efficiency in kids supplemented with probiotic suggested that probiotic might improve growth and performance of kids.


PurposeMany transition economies are former socialist planned economies and have undergone market reforms of their financial sector to signal their transition towards democracy. However, governments in these countries have been reluctant to relinquish the pre-existing controls on economy and have adopted nuanced and sophisticated approaches to retain control. In such context, scholars may find it challenging to investigate the role played by the state in the success or failure of attempted market reforms. This work investigates the different forms of state-induced accounting controls that may preserve the status quo within the economy during transition, using Myanmar as an example.Design/methodology/approachThe authors adopted a longitudinal qualitative research method aiming to reveal the very processes and mechanisms used by the banks and their evolution over time. This method is in accordance with the historical institutionalist perspective that they have applied within this research.FindingsThe authors found that the Myanmar government embarked on the privatisation of their financial sector from 1990 to 2016 as a major public sector reform initiative. Under the guise of market reforms, it used both state-led and market-led controls to emulate and retain the socialist banking model where banks are used to fund the immediate government's budget deficits. This created a series of intended and unintended consequences, resulting in the ultimate failure of the government's market reforms.Research limitations/implicationsPreviously, research on public sector management accounting in emerging economies was not relying consistently on using theory. The relative limited theorisation led to gaps when attempting to understand and explain the opaque forms of state control mechanisms in transition economies. By applying historical institutionalist perspective, and a more theory-driven, reflective approach to the interpretation of the data collected, the authors have provided a deeper insight and understanding on how different forms of state controls can emerge, adapt and persist in transition economies such as Myanmar.Practical implicationsThe authors demonstrated that though the state may have implemented market reforms to signal regimes change, this does not necessarily mean that the government has relinquished their control on the economy. The state could take a more sophisticated, covert approach towards state controls leading to both intended and unintended consequences. Thus, even if the state's preferences change, the decisions cannot be easily reversed, as path-dependent state controls may have become pervasive affecting any further institutional and policy developments. Thus, the authors suggest that governments in both transition and developed economies should be cautious when enacting regulations on corporate control.Originality/valueIn this paper, the authors have applied a historical institutional perspective in their analysis instead of the more widely used sociological, institutionalist approach. This allowed authors to harness rich longitudinal data indicating that market reforms and their success or failure should be examined as an ongoing process rather than a completed action. This is especially important in transition economies where the state may be unwilling to renounce the existing controls on the industry and may resort to more opaque forms of state control, eventually obstructing the intended reforms.


The specialized fungal pathogen Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi infects blueberry flowers via the gynoecial pathway causing mummy berry disease. Managing flower infections is hampered by the short window for well-timed management and the rapid appearance of new infection courts (open flowers) during bloom. Induced resistance (IR) may offer a solution to this challenge, but limited information is available about IR responses in flower pathosystems. Using tomato as a model, treatment with methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and benzothiadiazole (BTH) resulted in overexpression in flower pistils of the IR marker genes Pin2 and PR-4 by 5.17 and 5.62-fold, respectively. In blueberry, PR-3 and PR-4 orthologs were first identified and characterized as IR genes using in silico and wet-lab techniques. In subsequent flower induction studies, 2,6-dichloroisonicotinic acid (INA) and BTH induced overexpression of PR-4 by 3.18 and 1.75-fold, respectively. When treated tomato and blueberry flowers were challenged with the respective pathogens, Botrytis cinerea and M. vaccinii-corymbosi, no disease suppression was observed. Thus, although IR marker genes were inducible in floral tissue, the magnitude of this effect was insufficient to control infection. Hence, other strategies, such as optimizing efficacy of conventional fungicides, are needed.
Current fungicidal management of M. vaccinii-corymbosi relies on multiple sprays during bloom to ensure that the stigma is exposed to active ingredient. However, flowers that open between applications remain unprotected, unless there is systemic movement and/or eradicant activity of active ingredient in the pistil. The activity in floral tissue of two systemic fungicides, fenbuconazole and triforine, was assessed in greenhouse experiments where a single fungicide application was made to plants having multiple pre- and post-anthesis flower stages. Flowers were inoculated 1 day after anthesis, and subsequent fruit mummification recorded. Both fungicides provided excellent protection to flowers at anthesis during fungicide application. Fenbuconazole also protected flowers up to 2 days before and 2.5 days after anthesis, giving a 4.5-day protection window. In contrast, triforine was effective for 11.5 days, extending from 5 days before to 6.5 days after anthesis. Prevention of ovary colonization by eradicant activity appeared to be the predominant mode for superior activity of triforine against M. vaccinii-corymbosi in flowers.


A genetic algorithm (GA) for automating the segmentation of the prostate on pelvic computed tomography (CT) images is presented here. The images consist of slices from three-dimensional CT scans. Segmentation is typically performed manually on these images for treatment planning by an expert physician, who uses the "learned" knowledge of organ shapes, textures and locations to draw a contour around the prostate. Using a GA brings the flexibility to incorporate new "learned" information into the segmentation process without modifying the fitness function that is used to train the GA. Currently the GA uses prior knowledge in the form of texture and shape of the prostate for segmentation. We compare and contrast our algorithm with a level-set based segmentation algorithm, thereby providing justification for using a GA. Each individual of the GA population represents a segmenting contour. Shape variability of the prostate derived from manually segmented images is used to form a shape representation from which an individual of the GA population is randomly generated. The fitness of each individual is evaluated based on the texture of the region it encloses. The segmenting contour that encloses the prostate region is considered more fit than others and is more likely to be selected to produce an offspring over successive generations of the GA run. This process of selection, crossover and mutation is iterated until the desired region is segmented. Results of 2D and 3D segmentation are presented and future work is also discussed here.


This thesis focuses on women homesteaders in Yellowstone County, Montana during the boom years of 1909 to 1934. The historical and cultural phenomenon of American homesteading and its legal framework are discussed, but emphasis is on homesteaders in Montana who did not migrate to the state great numbers until the early twentieth century, particularly after 1909. This study relies principally on data from primary documents including the records of the General Land Office, Census Bureau data, oral histories, and homestead legislation. The data is used to describe and analyze the patterns of homesteading behavior among women in Yellowstone County, Montana. Homesteading is presented as a medium for transforming gender identity through suffrage, land ownership, and autonomous financial security.


Introduction: Pets are increasingly sharing a bed with their owners, regardless of social class. Methods: We interviewed 50 Dog owners, at the Neuro-Sono Outpatients Clinic. The semistructured interviews were designed to collect information about the place where it was allowed to sleep (same bed as owner, elsewhere in owner's bedroom, or elsewhere in the home) and if the owners' sleep is better or worse sharing the bed with their dogs.
Results: Of the 49 participants who made up the final sample, 43% (21 of 49) allowed their dogs to sleep in the bedroom, whereas 57% (28 of 49) had their dogs sleep elsewhere in the home. Of the 21 owners who shared their bedroom with their dogs, 62% (13) allowed their dogs to sleep on the bed, whereas 38% (8) did not. Sixty-six percent of respondents who allowed their dogs to sleep in the bedroom (14 of 21) reported that their sleep was better because of the dog´s presence (95%CI: 0.46-0.85).
Conclusion: We conclude that the presence of a dog in the bedroom or bed during nighttime is not associated to poor sleep; to the contrary, the dog owners interviewed in our sample reported that their sleep was better with a dog sleeping in the room.


The practice of charging lesser included offenses often leads juries to acquit on some levels of a given count but deadlock on others, but many states do not give effect to such acquittals and instead record only the deadlock for the entire count. Because the Double Jeopardy Clause only attaches to formally recorded verdicts, defendants' double jeopardy rights will thus often depend on whether and how a jury is afforded the opportunity to give effect to such partial acquittals. Some states expressly forbid such partial acquittals, a practice deemed constitutional by the United States Supreme Court. New Mexico not only allows partial verdicts, but also takes the unusual approach of requiring trial courts to poll juries which deadlock on counts with lesser included offenses to see whether the jury voted to acquit on any level of the offense. This comment argues that New Mexico is correct to allow partial verdicts on lesser included offenses, but that it has not chosen the proper means to do so. Polling is too imprecise to protect defendants' double jeopardy rights. Instead of polling, the Court should require that juries be provided partial verdict forms, which would enable the jury to mark "guilty" or "not guilty" on each level of a count with lesser included offenses. This small change in the verdict form would strengthen constitutional protections while promoting judicial efficiency and ensuring more accurate verdicts.


Particle Markov chain Monte Carlo (PMCMC) is a systematic way of combining the two main tools used for Monte Carlo statistical inference: sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) and Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC). We present a new PMCMC algorithm that we refer to as particle Gibbs with ancestor sampling (PGAS). PGAS provides the data analyst with an off-the-shelf class of Markov kernels that can be used to simulate, for instance, the typically high-dimensional and highly autocorrelated state trajectory in a state-space model. The ancestor sampling procedure enables fast mixing of the PGAS kernel even when using seemingly few particles in the underlying SMC sampler. This is important as it can significantly reduce the computational burden that is typically associated with using SMC. PGAS is conceptually similar to the existing PG with backward simulation (PGBS) procedure. Instead of using separate forward and backward sweeps as in PGBS, however, we achieve the same effect in a single forward sweep. This makes PGAS well suited for addressing inference problems not only in state-space models, but also in models with more complex dependencies, such as non-Markovian, Bayesian nonparametric, and general probabilistic graphical models.


Migration is commonly associated with large scale movements of people, from one country to another, both in terms of refugee displacement and voluntary migration. The internal movement within countries is however less studied despite the fact that this is an important indicator for imbalance and also crucial for planning the future for the country. In Iraq, a major reason for migration has been security, due to its turbulent history since the 1980's. This has caused a large scale displacement of Iraqi people. More recently, Kurdistan Region in Iraq has been stabilized leading to more voluntary population movements, such as economic migration. This paper seeks to contribute with information on the internal and external movements in Duhok Governorate, Kurdistan, Iraq, looking at reasons for migration, characteristics of the migrants and the time for migration. Data on migration, environment and rural livelihoods was collected through 606 interviews in rural villages in Duhok Governorate.Additionally, 600 interviews were conducted in the urban areas of Duhok, Semel, Zakho and Amedi, to capture the rural to urban migration. The study found that economy is the main reason for migration, closely followed by family/marriage. There is a trend of urban to rural migration for households, contradicting common notions of urbanization. Individuals however are more prone to migrate abroad or from rural to urban areas. Environmental migration is low and can be explained by the low dependence on agriculture in the region. (Less)


A low-speed wind-tunnel investigation was made to determine the lateral control characteristics of a series of untapered low-aspect-ratio wings. Sealed flap ailerons of various spans and spanwise locations were investigated on unswept wings of aspect ratios 1.13, 1.13, 4.13, and 6.13; and various projections of 0.60-semispan retractable ailerons were investigated on the unsweptback wings of aspect ratios 1.13, 2.13, and 4.13 and on a 45 degree sweptback wing. The retractable ailerons investigated on the unswept wings spanned the outboard stations of each wing; whereas the plain and stepped retractable ailerons investigated on the sweptback wing were located at various spanwise stations. Design charts based on experimental results are presented for estimating the flap aileron effectiveness for low-aspect-ratio, untapered, unswept.


Various methods exist for crossing over multi-way loudspeaker systems. These methods include those loosely classified as Linkwitz-Riley filters, constant-voltage filters, and D'Appolito configurations. All these methods do not provide broad-band constant-beamwidth or constant-directivity operation because their vertical radiation patterns change shape as a function of frequency. This paper describes a simple, non-iterative linear-phase crossover filter design technique that provides uniform frequency responses vertically off-axis for a given multi-way loudspeaker. Distances between the individual drivers, and desired off-axis attenuation are prescribed as input parameters for the design process, the outcome of which is a set of crossover frequencies and unique filter frequency responses in each band. In order to obtain wide-band constant-beamwidth, a loudspeaker array configuration composed of a single central tweeter surrounded symmetrically by pairs of lower-operating-frequency transducers arranged in a vertical line is required. Practical implementation issues are outlined in the paper by means of various design examples. Two design methods are presented in in two-parts: Part 1: a general method which emphasizes flatness of arbitrary off-axis frequency responses and Part 2: a simplified method that emphasizes frequency uniformity of beam shape and coverage angle (vertical beamwidth) of the polar patterns.


Background: Cyst infection is one of the complications of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease and polycystic liver disease. The diagnosis is typically made on a mix of clinical, laboratory and imaging abnormalities but the importance of individual items is uncertain. We aimed to perform a Delphi survey amongst physicians to achieve consensus on diagnostic criteria. Methods: We retrieved diagnostic items from the literature and conducted physician and patient interviews. All items were combined to create the online questionnaire. Participants rated each item during 3 consecutive rounds. Items were rated for diagnostic helpfulness for hepatic and renal cyst infection on a 9-point scale with anchors, from extremely unimportant (n = 1) to extremely important (n = 9). We determined consensus with the disagreement index. The median rating of each item was calculated and categorized into inappropriate (≤3.4), uncertain (3.5-6.4) or appropriate (≥6.5). By combining all items that reached an appropriate consensus rating, we developed a diagnostic algorithm based on expert consensus. Results: We invited 58 physicians to participate in the survey. In total, 35 (60%) responded to round 1 of which 91% (n = 32) and 86% (n = 30) responded to round 2 and 3, respectively. The final panel included 23 nephrologists, 5 hepatologists, a nuclear medicine specialist and an infectious disease physician from 11 countries (male 67%, mean age 47 ± 11 years, median clinical experience 21 years). The panel rated the diagnostic helpfulness of 59 potential items. Ultimately, 22 hepatic and 26 renal items were rated appropriate, including positive blood cultures and fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission CT imaging. Ultrasonography and absence of intracystic bleeding were amongst those deemed uncertain or inappropriate. Subsequently, by combining items rated appropriate, we developed a clinical tool to diagnose hepatic and renal cyst infection. Conclusions: We identified diagnostic items for hepatic and renal cyst infection and developed an expert-based diagnostic algorithm, which may aid physicians in the diagnostic work-up. A prospective study is necessary to validate this algorithm.


Transmission of digital information through a wireless channel with resolvable multipaths or a bandwidth limited channel results in intersymbol interference (1SI) among a number of adjacent symbols. The design of an equalizer is thus important to combat the ISI problem for these types of channels and hence provides reliable communication. Channel coding is used to provide reliable data transmission by adding controlled redundancy to the data. Turbo equalization (TE) is the joint design of channel coding and equalization to approach the achievable uniform input information rate of an ISI channel. The main focus of this dissertation is to investigate the different TE techniques used for a static frequency selective additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel. The extrinsic information transfer (EXIT) chart is used to analyse the iterative equalization/decoding process and to determine the minimum signal to noise ratio (SNR) in order to achieve convergence. The use of the Minimum Mean Square Error (MMSE) Linear Equalizer (LE) using a priori information has been shown to achieve the same performance compared \\jth the optimal trellis based Maximum A Posterior (MAP) equalizer for long block lengths. Motivated by improving the performance of the MMSE LE, two equalization schemes are initially proposed: the MMSE Linear Equalizer with Extrinsic information Feedback (LE-EF (1) and (U)). A general structure for the MMSE LE, MMSE Decision Feedback Equalizer (DFE) and two MMSE LE-EF receivers, using a priori information is also presented. The EXIT chart is used to analyse the two proposed equalizers and their characteristics are compared to the existing MAP equalizer, MMSE LE and MMSE DFE. It is shown that the proposed MMSE LE-EF (1) does have an improved performance compared with the existing MMSE LE and approaches the MMSE Linear Equalizer with Perfect Extrinsic information Feedback (LE-PEF) only after a large number of iterations. For this reason the MMSE LE-EF is shown to suffer from the error propagation problem during the early iterations. A novel way to reduce the error propagation problem is proposed to further improve the performance of the MMSE LE-EF (I). The MAP equalizer was shown to offer a much improved performance over the MMSE equalizers, especially during the initial iterations. Motivated by using the good quality of the MAP equalizer during the early iterations and the hybrid MAPIMMSE LE-EF (l) is proposed in order to suppress the error propagation problem inherent in the MMSE LE-EF (I). The EXIT chart analysis reveals that the hybrid MAPIMMSE LE-EF (l) requires fewer iterations in order to achieve convergence relative to the MMSE LE-EF (l). Simulation results demonstrate that the hybrid MAPIMMSE LE-EF (I) has a superior performance compared to the MMSE LE-EF (I) as well as approaches the performance of both the MAP equalizer and MMSE LE-PEF at high SNRs, at [he cost of increased complexity relative to the MMSE LEEF (I) receiver. The final part of this dissertation considers the use of precoders in a TE system. It was shown in the literature that a precoder drastically improves the system performance. Motivated by this, the EXIT chart is used to analyse the characteristics of four different precoders for long block lengths. It was shown that using a precoder results in a loss in mutual information during the initial equalization stage. However" we show by analysis and simulations that this phenomenon is not observed in the equalization of all precoded channels. The slope of the transfer function, relating to the MAP equalization of a precoded ISI channel (MEP), during the high input mutual information values is shown to play an important role in determining the convergence of precoded TE systems. Simulation results are presented to show how the precoders' weight affects the convergence of TE systems. The design of the hybrid MAP/MEP equalizer is also proposed. We also show that the EXIT chart can be used to compute the trellis code capacity of a precoded ISI channel.


Building information modelling (BIM) is not only an authoring tool for architects and engineers, but also an analysis tool for all stakeholders in the supply chain procurement process. Analysis tools such as the code checking of building regulations and environmental simulations that can report on heating loads, daylighting and carbon use will influence the adoption of intelligent modelling faster and further than previously thought. The benefits for clients should not be underestimated either and some are already reaping them where project certainty is to the fore. However, the professional language that architects and engineers espouse is a latent force that can run counter to fostering collaboration. An emerging professional, the Architectural Technologist, can bridge that divide and adopt the adjunct role of manager in the integrated project delivery. The impact of digitalisation on the management role of architectural technology leads to four objectives namely; the practicalities of integrating drawing operations; the practicalities of design processes within the databased controlled programmes; the mapping of the overall process pitted against individual responsibility, data reliability and standard risk and the significant contribution to an understanding of how IMTs will drive changes within the discipline of Architectural Technology through the next decade. These objectives were then tested to establish whether there was an evolution in the manner in which the design team is structured. They included; how the opportunities for BIM are impacting design strategies, how they are impacting associated management structures and a deeper analysis of the changing role of the architectural technologist as a result of adoption. In conclusion, two streams were identified where one points to the educational set-up where primarily there is an apparent latent talent shortage waiting to be filled. Secondly, to the industry where project certainty will evidently drive the adoption of building information modelling and integrated project delivery as both clients and contractors will require projects to be delivered in BIM formats.


The Charities Act 2011 requires that charitable purposes must fit within one or more of the statutory descriptions of 'charity' and, demonstrably, be in the public benefit. From the perspective of the now dismantled fourth Pemsel head of charity, this article examines the elusive concept of a charitable purpose and the misconceived statutory public benefit requirement. The guidance and decision-making roles of the Charity Commission are appraised and problems in applying the current law exposed. As few charity cases reach the courts or Upper Tribunal, this work analyses the limited, but important, registration appeals that have reached the First-tier Tribunal. It will explore the emerging trends in charity appeals, the divergent approaches adopted by the Commission and the Tribunal and the lamentable degree of unpredictability facing prospective charity trustees. It concludes that an absence of clear-thinking pervades this vital aspect of charity law and invites reworking and revision.


This thesis deals with Large Eddy Simulation (LES) of impinging air jets. The impinging jet configuration features heated circular jets impinging onto a flat plate. The problem addressed here is of generic nature, with applications in many engineering devices, such as cooling of components in gas turbines, in cars and electronic devices. The flow is inherently unsteady and contains relatively slowly varying coherent structures. Therefore, LES is the method of choice when the Reynolds number is large enough to exclude Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS). The present LES model is a basic model without explicit Sub-Grid-Scale (SGS) modeling and without explicit filtering. Instead, the numerical scheme is used to account for the necessary amount of dissipation. By using the computational grid as a filter the cutoff wavenumber depends explicitly on the grid spacing. The underlying computational grid is staggered and constructed in a Cartesian coordinate system. Heat transfer is modeled by the transport equation for a passive scalar. This is possible due to the negligible influence of buoyancy which implies constant density throughout the flow field. The present method provides accurate results for simple geometries in an efficient manner. A great variety of inlet conditions have been considered in order to elucidate how the dynamics of the flow and heat transfer are affected. The considered studies include top-hat and mollified mean velocity profiles subjected to random and sinusoidal perturbations and top-hat profiles superimposed with solid body rotation. It has been found that the shape of the mean inlet velocity profile has a decisive influence on the development of the flow and scalar fields, whereas the characteristics of the imposed artificial disturbances (under consideration) have somewhat weaker effect. In order to obtain results unequivocally comparable to experimental data on turbulent impinging jets both space and time correlations of the inflow data must be considered, so also the spectral content. This is particularly important if the region of interest is close to the velocity inlet, i.e. for small nozzle-to-plate spacings. Within this work mainly small nozzle-toplate spacings are considered (within the range of 0.25 and 4 nozzle diameters), which emphasizes the importance of the inflow conditions. Thus, additional to the basic methods also turbulent inflow conditions, acquired from a precursor pipe simulation, have been examined. Both for swirling and non-swirling flows. This method emulates fully developed turbulent pipe flow conditions and is the best in the sense of being well defined, but it demands a great deal of computing power and is also rather inflexibility. In case of the basic randomly perturbed methods the top-hat approach has been found to produce results in closest agreement with those originating from turbulent inlet conditions. In the present simulations the growth of individual instability modes is clearly detected. The character of the instability is strongly influenced by the imposed boundary conditions. Due to the lack of correlation random superimposed fluctuations have only a weak influence on the developing flow field. The shape of the mean profile, on the other hand, influences both the growth rate and the frequency of the dominant modes. The top-hat profile yields a higher natural frequency than the mollified. Furthermore, for the top-hat profile coalescence of pairs of vortices takes place within the shear-layer of the axial jet, whereas for the mollified profile (for the considered degree of mollification) it takes place within the wall jet. This indicates that the transition process is delayed for smoother profiles. The amount of wall heat transfer is directly influenced by the character of the convective vortical structures. For the mollified cases wall heat transfer originates predominantly from the dynamics of discrete coherent structures. The influence from eddy structures is low and hence Reynolds analogy is applicable, at least in regions of attached flow. The top-hat and the turbulent inflow conditions yield a higher rate of incoherent small scale structures. This strongly affects the character of wall heat transfer. Also the applied level of swirl at the velocity inlet has significant influence on the rate of heat transfer. The turbulence level increases with swirl, which is positive for heat transfer, and so also the spreading of the jet. The latter effect has a negative influence on wall heat transfer, particularly in the center most regions. This however depends also on the details of the inflow data.


This paper considers the historical context in which Berbice Dutch was formed before turning to the significance of the presence in that language of function words derived from the Eastern Ịjọ substrate. The view that transfer of Eastern Ịjọ grammatical properties took place in the formation of Berbice Dutch, is subjected to detailed scrutiny for tense-mood-aspect marking and negation. Despite similarities, important areas of divergence or discontinuity between Berbice Dutch and its substrate are identified – areas which point to reanalysis of substrate-derived functional material in the genesis of Berbice Dutch. This runs counter to the view that Eastern Ịjọ speakers played a central role in the formation of Berbice Dutch, and suggests that 'the invisible hand' in its genesis must have been another group, possibly the mixed progeny of the plantation population, which included Dutch, Eastern Ịjọ and Arawak speakers.


Hybrid promoters are created by shuffling of DNA fragments while keeping intact regulatory regions crucial of promoter activity. Two fragments of alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh) promoter from Zea mays were selected to generate hybrid promoter. Sequence analysis of both alcohol dehydrogenase promoter fragments through bioinformatics tools identified several crucial cis regulatory elements and transcription factors binding sites. Both fragments were separately cloned in the TA vector (pTZ57R/T) and fused to get the complete hybrid promoter ( Adh -H). Alcohol dehydrogenase hybrid promoter was further cloned in expression vector pGR1 through adaptor ligation. Transient β-glucuronidase (GUS) assay revealed that hybrid promoter exhibited high expression under anaerobic conditions in wheat tissues. From the study it is concluded that hybrid promoter (Adh-H) may be used to derive gene expression in monocots during anaerobic conditions. The present work also provides an important insight in the designing of hybrid monocot promoters to improve multiple traits in crops without facing intellectual property rights (IPRs) issues. Key words : Hybrid promoter, histochemical β-glucuronidase ( GUS ) assay staining, cis regulatory elements, alcohol dehydrogenase, Zea mays .


Seeking multiple optima simultaneously, which multimodal optimization aims at, has attracted increasing attention but remains challenging. Taking advantage of ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithms in preserving high diversity, this paper intends to extend ACO algorithms to deal with multimodal optimization. First, combined with current niching methods, an adaptive multimodal continuous ACO algorithm is introduced. In this algorithm, an adaptive parameter adjustment is developed, which takes the difference among niches into consideration. Second, to accelerate convergence, a differential evolution mutation operator is alternatively utilized to build base vectors for ants to construct new solutions. Then, to enhance the exploitation, a local search scheme based on Gaussian distribution is self-adaptively performed around the seeds of niches. Together, the proposed algorithm affords a good balance between exploration and exploitation. Extensive experiments on 20 widely used benchmark multimodal functions are conducted to investigate the influence of each algorithmic component and results are compared with several state-of-the-art multimodal algorithms and winners of competitions on multimodal optimization. These comparisons demonstrate the competitive efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, especially in dealing with complex problems with high numbers of local optima.


Linguistic theories direct scientific inquiry. They propose testable inventories of universal categories, properties, relations, and interactions that may constitute a language; for a particular language, they define sub-inventories of these that are legitimate expressions of the general design. To say that the emerging field of language documentation has a "theory" is premature, as evidenced by current definitions that stress the conduct of documentation as much as its contents. Instead of theory-building, practitioners often urge exemplary ethical and best practices. Importantly practice-first approaches improve collaborations between speakers and investigators, encourage community participation, create a genuine indigenous linguistics, and provide paths for constructing a true linguistic documentation theory. This chapter offers examples of work within practice-based orientations and its relevance for theory-building.


The objective of this research is the analysis of the effect of lorries and buses on the number of road accidents and related casualties in Greece. For this purpose, the NTUA database with disaggregate road accident data was exploited. In particular, a comparative analysis of all road accidents and related casualties with or without the involvement of lorries and buses was carried out, for different road network types, vehicle types, accident types and driver characteristics. Specific analysis techniques were implemented in order to deal with the lack of related exposure data (e.g. vehicle kilometres of travel), such as the calculation of accident severity rates and fatality distributions per accident type. The results revealed important involvement of lorries and buses in road accidents in Greece, rising up to more than 16% of all road accidents and more than 20% of all fatalities. As regards road accident severity, it was found that the number of fatalities per accidents in accidents with lorry or bus involvement is almost double than the related severity rate in accidents without lorry or bus involvement. However, the respective difference in accident severity for injured persons was not statistically significant. Moreover, lorries and buses are clearly over-represented in head-on or at-angle collisions. The results of this analysis may be useful for the planning and implementation of specific measures for the traffic management of lorries and buses, in order to decrease road accident involvement and severity of lorries in Greece, both in urban and interurban roads.


The widespread adoption of school autonomy with accountability reforms in education has generated debate regarding the relationship between autonomy, innovation and accountability. While at the policy design level, these three elements are highly related, several authors highlight the contradictions among them. By analyzing key documents and interviews, this paper aims to identify the program ontology behind the current Italian National Evaluation System (SNV), with a focus on the way in which autonomy, accountability and innovation have been conceptualized and linked together. The paper also aims to explore whether pitfalls and/or tensions exist that might hamper the achievement of the SNV goals. The findings highlight the peculiarities of the Italian autonomy with accountability system, which has resulted from the involvement of different stakeholders in the design and implementation of the reforms. The findings also reveal contradictions regarding some of its premises. Various rationales (improvement, efficiency, equity and transparency) emerge that seem to have acted as drivers of the reforms, however, the influence of globalizing discourses on international competition and the benefits of datafication also appears significant. A number of contextual aspects are finally considered which hamper the expected change mechanisms, highlighting the discontinuous ground in which such policy dispositifs operate.


This essay examines speech acts and sexuality in Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown," relying on Lacanian psychoanalysis, etymology, and speech act theory to identify how Brown acts as a split subject. While many scholars have taken a psychosexual approach to Hawthorne's tale, critics still treat Brown's voyage into the forest like a morality tale. This paper's unique approach to the story focuses entirely on the passages before Brown departs from his home and after he returns from the forest, interpreting the man's subsequent trauma as an internal bifurcation rather than a spiritual crisis. When examined side-by-side, the few paragraphs before and after Brown's forest experience reveal a split in the main character, vis-à-vis his relationship to others' speech. Specifically, an eventual fusion of sex and speech puts pressure on Brown's reception of speech acts. This fusion grants Brown sexual productivity but traumatizes him in the process.


There has been an increasing appreciation and understanding of the link between dietary fruit and vegetable intake and improved health in humans. The widespread and growing intake of apples and apple juice/products and their rich phytochemical profile suggest their important potential to affect the health of the populations consuming them. This review summarizes current clinical, in vitro, and in vivo data and builds upon earlier published reports that apple may reduce the risk of chronic disease by various mechanisms, including antioxidant, antiproliferative, and cell signaling effects. Exposure to apples and apple products has been associated with beneficial effects on risk, markers, and etiology of cancer, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and Alzheimer's disease. Recent work suggests that these products may also be associated with improved outcomes related to cognitive decline of normal aging, diabetes, weight management, bone health, pulmonary function, and gastrointestinal protection.


The thesis evaluates the effect of Czech National Bank's exchange rate commitment on Czech sectoral exports. Thus, we show how unconventional monetary policies could affect the exports. To assess the impact of interventions, we use Synthetic Control Method. The method constructs synthetic Czech exports from data of comparable countries that were not under the policy of interest and compares them to observed Czech exports following the interventions. We expect a positive effect of Czech National Bank's commitment on Czech exports, because the interventions resulted in the undervaluation of koruna causing a higher demand for Czech goods abroad. Additionally, the exporters should benefit from reduced uncertainty caused by no exchange rate volatility with the euro area. The results showed a positive impact of interventions only in half of the export sectors. The positive effect of a stable exchange rate is not confirmed, because the effect on the euro area countries in some categories was smaller than for the other countries. The results for total sectoral exports were stable across model specifications and confirmed by analysis of Czech bilateral sectoral exports to the largest destinations. The significant contribution of this thesis is application of Synthetic Control Method on total sectoral exports, which was not done before. The method performed well, therefore it gives researchers a useful tool for evaluating the impact of policies and events on exports. JEL Classification E42, E52, E58, F14, F17, F31


Hercules was one of the oldest constellations to be named and portrays the mythology of the past in a very special way. The "strong man" was seen as a hero crouching on one knee, bow and arrow in hand. The constellation Sagita was probably seen as the arrow shot off by him. Before the Common Era the constellation was simply called The Kneeler, but the real name ascribed to the strong man in antiquity was Ninurta, the War God. The constellation is the fifth largest of the 88 constellations inhabiting the starry skies.


Pakistan's pharmaceutical sector consists of nearly 400 companies but top 100 companies handle 90 percent of the pharmaceutical business. The sector includes 30 multinational companies accounting for 50% of the business. The competition with multi-nationals has played a positive role in managing forward logistics through good supply chain practices. Management of returns is largely accommodated as a regulatory and customer service necessity and handled as a market and sales activity. The reverse logistics (RL) process if managed correctly can improve the efficiency of overall supply chain. This research found that medicines retrieved from the market often have residual life and due to improper management lose their value while lying in sales centers. In some cases where return is due to damaged packing full market value could be recovered. Donation of unexpired medicines to charitable hospitals can add to the corporate image. Proper management of RL will be helpful in ensuring security of supply chain and prevent infiltration of counterfeit medicines. Application of better inventory management through Radio frequency identification (RFID) and other information technology applications will improve RL as well as overall supply chain. It has been estimated that RL management could save at least 10% of the cost of present reverse logistics estimated at nearly Rs 5 billion.


Among the different types of diabetes, in Romania the malnutrition-related diabetes displays the highest territorial inequality. In this paper, we combined two types of statistical tools, temporal clustering and spatial analysis, to find some relevant patterns in its territorial distribution. Firstly we conducted a time series clustering for the 41 counties and Bucharest Municipality, over 2007-2014, based on CORT and ACF dissimilarity distances and choose four clusters in each case. Within each cluster the evolution of malnutrition diabetes is similar. The clusters were then included as dummy variables in a spatial model testing the determinants of malnutrition-related diabetes incidence at county level. Malnutrition-related diabetes is a disease that might be linked to the economic status, therefore GDP per capita and average wage have been tested and found significant as factors of influence in various model specifications. The dummies representing the temporal clusters are also significant determinants of the regional incidence of malnutrition-related diabetes in Romania. We found that when introducing the cluster dummies in the spatial model, it becomes less appropriate than classic OLS regression, which suggests that temporal clusters were able to capture the spatial dependence in our data. The contribution of our work is three folded. First, we applied time series clustering in R and in doing so we added a real – data application to this scarce stream of literature. Secondly, we combined two techniques relatively new in Romanian data: spatial analysis and time series clustering. Last, but not least, we discussed the malnutrition – related diabetes, mellitus, as a possible proxy of poverty, and tried to advocate our claim by relating this disease's territorial distribution with some economic variables.


This book details how three highland ranges of the mountain system found in present-day Poland, Slovakia, and Ukraine were discovered for a broader regional public. This is a story of how the Tatras, Eastern Carpathians, and Bieszczady Mountains went from being terra incognita to becoming the popular tourist destinations they are today. It is a story of the encounter of Polish and Ukrainian lowlanders with the wild, sublime highlands and with the indigenous highlanders — Górale, Hutsuls, Boikos, and Lemkos — and how these peoples were incorporated into a national narrative as the territories were transformed into a native/national landscape. The set of microhistories in the book occur from about 1860 to 1980, a time in which nations and states concerned themselves with the "frontier at the edge." Discoverers not only became enthralled with what were perceived as their own highlands but also availed themselves of the mountains as places to work out answers to the burning questions of the day. Each discovery led to a surge in mountain tourism and interest in the mountains and their indigenous highlanders. Although these mountains, essentially a continuation of the Alps, are Central and Eastern Europe's most prominent physical feature, politically they are peripheral. This is the first book to deal with the northern slopes in such a way, showing how these discoveries had a direct impact on the various nation-building, state-building, and modernization projects. Its history incorporates a unique blend of environmental history, borderlands studies, and the history of tourism and leisure.


Nanson's and Baldwin's voting rules selecta winner by successively eliminatingcandidates with low Borda scores. We showthat these rules have a number of desirablecomputational properties. In particular,with unweighted votes, it isNP-hard to manipulate either rule with one manipulator, whilstwith weighted votes, it isNP-hard to manipulate either rule with a small number ofcandidates and a coalition of manipulators.As only a couple of other voting rulesare known to be NP-hard to manipulatewith a single manipulator, Nanson'sand Baldwin's rules appearto be particularly resistant to manipulation from a theoretical perspective.We also propose a number of approximation methodsfor manipulating these two rules.Experiments demonstrate that both rules areoften difficult to manipulate in practice.These results suggest that elimination stylevoting rules deserve further study.


Abstract. As three-dimensional (3-D) aquatic ecosystem models are used more frequently for operational water quality forecasts and ecological management decisions, it is important to understand the relative strengths and limitations of existing 3-D models of varying spatial resolution and biogeochemical complexity. To this end, 2-year simulations of the Chesapeake Bay from eight hydrodynamic-oxygen models have been statistically compared to each other and to historical monitoring data. Results show that although models have difficulty resolving the variables typically thought to be the main drivers of dissolved oxygen variability (stratification, nutrients, and chlorophyll), all eight models have significant skill in reproducing the mean and seasonal variability of dissolved oxygen. In addition, models with constant net respiration rates independent of nutrient supply and temperature reproduced observed dissolved oxygen concentrations about as well as much more complex, nutrient-dependent biogeochemical models. This finding has significant ramifications for short-term hypoxia forecasts in the Chesapeake Bay, which may be possible with very simple oxygen parameterizations, in contrast to the more complex full biogeochemical models required for scenario-based forecasting. However, models have difficulty simulating correct density and oxygen mixed layer depths, which are important ecologically in terms of habitat compression. Observations indicate a much stronger correlation between the depths of the top of the pycnocline and oxycline than between their maximum vertical gradients, highlighting the importance of the mixing depth in defining the region of aerobic habitat in the Chesapeake Bay when low-oxygen bottom waters are present. Improvement in hypoxia simulations will thus depend more on the ability of models to reproduce the correct mean and variability of the depth of the physically driven surface mixed layer than the precise magnitude of the vertical density gradient.


The Supreme Court's decision in Dura Pharmaceuticals dramatically changed federal securities fraud litigation. The Dura decision itself said little, but counseled lower courts to fashion new requirements of causation and harm modeled upon common law tort principles. These instructions have led lower courts to craft a series of confusing and inconsistent decisions that incorporate little of the reasoning upon which the common law principles are based.This Article accepts the Dura challenge and examines both common law causation principles and their applicability to federal securities fraud. In so doing, the Article identifies the failure of the federal courts properly to confront the complex causation challenges presented by securities fraud and the extent to which common law approaches to multiple and indeterminate causation offer guidance. Common law causation analysis further highlights the critical issue of harm specification. The Article demonstrates how, from Basic to Dura, the Supreme Court has refused to address the issue of what constitutes an appropriate economic loss, despite the fact that this determination is a necessary predicate to formulating a causation requirement. The Article goes on to show how, in Basic, the Court shifted the nature of actionable harm and, in so doing, exacerbated the complexity of causation analysis.Defining the appropriate harm involved in securities fraud is challenging. Drawing upon tort law principles, the Article considers several alternatives, ranging from artificial price inflation and ex post stock drop, to increased investment risk. The choice among these alternatives reflects policy judgments about the appropriate goals of private securities fraud litigation. In its final section, the Article considers current critiques of securities fraud litigation and demonstrates how these concerns should influence the scope of the private right of action.


We report an outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) associated paediatric haemolytic uraemic syndrome linked to the consumption of raw cow's milk soft cheeses. From 25 March to 27 May 2019, 16 outbreak cases infected with STEC O26 (median age: 22 months) were identified. Interviews and trace-back investigations using loyalty cards identified the consumption of raw milk cheeses from a single producer. Trace-forward investigations revealed that these cheeses were internationally distributed.


Both left libertarians, who support the redistribution of income and wealth through taxation, and right libertarians, who oppose redistributive taxation, share an important view: that, looming catastrophes aside, the state must never redistribute any part of our body or our person without our consent. Cécile Fabre rejects that view. For her, just as the undeservedly poor have a just claim to money from their fellow citizens in order to lead a minimally flourishing life (here Fabre sides with left libertarians), the undeservedly 'medically poor' have a just claim to help from fellow citizens in order to lead such a life. Such obligatory help may in principle involve even the supply of body parts for transplantation. The state ought to exact such resources from the medically rich whenever doing so would secure the prospect of a minimally flourishing life to the medically poor without denying that prospect to anyone else. Fabre criticizes Ronald Dworkin's belief in 'a prophylactic line that comes close to making the body inviolate, that is, making body parts not parts of social resources at all'. For her, 'Duties to help . . . do not stop at material resources: they involve the body . . . in invasive ways' (p. 119).


Introduction Patients suffering from remaining disability after anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ACDF) surgery for cervical disc disease may be prescribed physical activity (PPA) or neck-specific exercises (NSEs). Currently, we lack data for the success of either approach. There is also a knowledge gap concerning the use of internet-based care for cervical disc disease. The scarcity of these data, and the high proportion of patients with various degrees of incapacity following ACDF, warrant increased efforts to investigate and improve cost-effective rehabilitation. The objective is to compare the effectiveness of a structured, internet-based NSE programme, versus PPA following ACDF surgery. Methods and analysis This is a prospective, randomised, multicentre study that includes 140 patients with remaining disability (≥30% on the Neck Disability Index, NDI) following ACDF for radiculopathy due to cervical disc disease. Patient recruitment occurs following attendance at routine clinical appointments, scheduled at 3 months postsurgery. Patients are then randomised to one of two groups (70 patients/group) for a 3-month treatment programme/period of either internet-based NSE or PPA. Questionnaires on background data, pain and discomfort, physical and mental capacity, satisfaction with care, and health and workplace factors are completed, along with physical measures of neck-related function conducted by independent test leaders blinded to randomisation. Measures are collected at inclusion, after the 3-month treatments (end of treatment) and at a 2-year follow-up. Radiography will be completed at the 2-year follow-up. Preoperative data will be collected from the Swedish Spine Registry. Data on healthcare consumption, drug use and sick leave will be requested from the relevant national registers. Ethical considerations This study was approved by the Regional Ethical Review Board in Linköping Ref. 2016/283–31 and 2017/91– 32. The scientists are independent with no commercial ties. Patients are recruited after providing written informed consent. Patient data are presented at group level such that no connection to any individual can be made. All data are anonymised when reported, and subject to the Swedish Official Secrets Health Acts. The test leaders are independent and blinded for randomisation. Exercises, both general and neck-specific, have been used extensively in clinical practice and we anticipate no harm from their implementation other than a risk of muscle soreness. Both randomisation groups will receive care that is expected to relieve pain, although the group receiving NSE is expected to demonstrate a greater and more cost-effective improvement versu s the PPA group. Any significant harm or unintended effects in each group will be collected by the test leaders. All questionnaires and test materials are coded by the research group, with code lists stored in locked, fireproof file cabinets, housed at the university in a room with controlled (card-based) access. Only individuals in receipt of a unique website address posted by the researchers can access the programme; patients can neither communicate with each other nor with caregivers via the programme. Study participation might lead to improved rehabilitation versus non-participation, and might therefore be of benefit. The results of this study should also contribute to more effective and flexible rehabilitation, shorter waiting times, lower costs and the possibility to implement our findings on a wider level. Dissemination If effective, the protocols used in this study can be implemented in existing healthcare structures. The results of the study will be presented in scientific journals and popular science magazines of relevance to health. The findings will also be presented at local, regional, national and international conferences and meetings, as well as in the education of university students and at public lectures. Information about the results will be communicated to the general population in cooperation with patient organisations and the media. Trial registration NCT03036007.


The chronology of northern hemisphere ice-sheet extent during the last deglaciation is now fairly well known from glacial-geological observations. The thickness and volume of the ice sheets is however much harder to reconstruct from the geomorphological evidence and generally needs to be inferred from indirect evidence and modelling. One approach consists of glacio-isostatic modelling of relative sea-level changes in regions far away and in the vicinity of the former ice sheets to both determine the time-dependent change in global ice volume and the source contributions from individual ice sheets from some inverse modeling scheme. One problem is however that the resulting ice-sheet geometries are often at odds with the conventional understanding of ice dynamics. Here we report on another approach that aims to produce a glaciologically, climatologically, and geomorphologically consistent ice-loading history on the continents of the northern hemisphere since the LGM. We use a 3-D thermomechanical ice-sheet model applied to a northern hemisphere domain, which was upgraded from earlier versions to include more sophisticated mass-balance and glacial-isostatic components and a new treatment for marine calving. The climatic forcing was derived from a time-dependent experiment with the atmosphere/ocean/sea-ice model of intermediate complexity ECBILT/CLIO, which is fast enough to be able to model the period from LGM to present-day in a logistically reasonable period of time. Boundary conditions imposed on ECBILT/CLIO consist of changes in ice sheet area (albedo), ice sheet elevation, solar insolation and greenhouse gas concentrations. We expect that using the resulting ice loading histories as input in visco-elastic earth models may put better constraints on postglacial rebound and current rates of land uplift.


Background: increased life expectancy and an aging population have made home care for the elderly a major responsibility for families. Caring for a chronically ill or physically disabled person has been referred to as physically or emotionally stressful, placing the caregiver at a heightened risk of burden. This study aimed to identify factors related to caregiving burden among caregivers who care for their disabled older family members. Methods: a cross sectional descriptive study was conducted from October 2008 to January 2009 in two randomly selected villages of Shebin El-Kom Menoufiya, Egypt. In an interview setting, questionnaires were used to collect the required data from 288 primary caregivers. Independent variables included the demographic characteristics of caregivers and care recipients, the severity of care recipients' functional abilities, financial adequacy and caregivers' degree of social support. Hierarchical regression was used to predict the levels of caregiver burden. The objective of the study was adequately explained to participants and their consent was obtained with assured confidentiality. Results: caregivers who had little informal social support, inadequate financial resources and more caregiving hours were more likely to experience intense caregiving burden. Burden was also positively associated to the functional disabilities of care recipients and the degree of caregiver burnout. The results of this study indicated that the female spouse was the most common caregiver within the sample, which indicates that cultural norms in Egypt still affect caregiving burden. Conclusions: identifying predictors of caregiver burden promotes a more comprehensive understanding of burden experiences when caring for older adults, and this may help prevent their deterioration to burn out syndrome


This study reports economic development outcomes—defined as change in employment—for areas within 0.25 mi of three streetcar stations along four lines in each of four cities: Portland OR; Salt Lake City UT; Seattle WA; and New Orleans LA. Employment 3 years prior to the start of the streetcar construction was compared with employment within the three streetcar station areas in 2013. Before–after comparisons were also applied to 10 bus stops within each urbanized area selected as "controls" because they were quantitatively comparable to each streetcar station area studied. Shift-share analysis is used to compare each streetcar and control station area's employment trends with respect to central county economic performance. Portland's system showed strong economic development consistency followed by New Orleans. The Salt Lake City and Seattle lines, however, did not perform as consistently. These results indicate that although streetcar investment may support economic development, it is not alone a driver of employment growth.


Abstract The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), with its 16 plant conservation targets, was originally adopted by the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 2002. It was updated and revised in 2010, with targets set to be achieved by 2020. The GSPC's targets are output oriented, specific, and measurable. They address the conservation needs of wild plants as well as those of cultivated crops, pastures, and forests. Although it is generally acknowledged that greater progress has been made in conserving threatened plants than would have been made without the GSPC, there is a continued lack of mainstreaming plant conservation at the national level and a lack of comprehensive information on which plants are threatened and where. With the GSPC reaching the end of its second phase in 2020, it is important to consider how plant conservation can enhance its visibility and generate support in the future. The 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and associated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were developed to succeed the Millennium Development Goals and were adopted in 2015 by the international community through the United Nations. It is expected that the SDGs will shape the actions taken by governments in the future. This paper reviews and highlights the contribution that plant conservation can make in achieving the SDGs. The SDG framework provides a helpful point of reference to demonstrate the fundamental importance of plants for the planet, and importantly, if plant conservation is not achieved, then the achievement of these goals is put at risk, suggesting that the integration and mainstreaming of biodiversity conservation, ecological restoration of degraded ecosystems, and plant protection in particular, are of fundamental importance to the achievement of sustainability on the planet.


OF THESIS Comparisons of ablator experimental performance to response modeling and effects of water phase transition in porous TPS materials The Mars Science Laboratory Entry Descent and Landing Instrumentation (MEDLI) project performed extensive arc jet tests for development, qualification, and calibration of instrumented heat shield plugs. These plugs each contained several thermocouples for recording near-surface and in-depth temperature response of the Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA) heat shield. The arc jet test results are entered into a comprehensive database so that broad trends across the test series can be compared. One method of analysis is to compare with ablator material response calculations and solve the in-depth heat conduction equations. Using the near-surface thermocouple measurements as a boundary condition in numerical simulations, comparisons are made with other thermocouple measurements taken deeper within the TPS test article. The work presented here uses this technique to compare test results with model simulations using several metrics, such as peak-temperature difference, maximum difference in temperature, and a total integrated temperature deviation. A significant difference in prediction behavior with respect to the location of source thermocouple is shown based on these comparisons. The temperature prediction accuracy is quantified for the tested material and material response code and is found to be highly dependent on the distance between the boundary condition thermocouple and the deeper reference thermocouple. Based on this test data, it is shown that numerical models can predict in-depth temperature measurements equally well for sensor plugs installed in the arc jet test model with or without a silicone adhesive. It is found that predicted temperatures are consistently greater than measured values, indicating the PICA material model is generally conservative for in-depth temperature predictions. In addition, a low-temperature phenomenon was consistently observed through thermocouple measurements deep within the material during the MEDLI arc jet testing. This anomaly, referred to here as the "hump," consists of a change in concavity of the temperature profile well below the maximum temperature and is seen in various TPS materials and atmospheric conditions, and typically occurs around 40 ◦C. It is proposed that the observed "hump" is a result of the heat of vaporization during the endothermic phase transition of water within the TPS material. This is supported by the known absorption of water by PICA from the atmosphere prior to testing or flight. The presented material response model captures energy effects of phase transition from a pre-existing water presence. This work shows that water presence currently appears to be the most probable cause for the phenomenon, which is observed in multiple different porous TPS materials.


Building the adaptive capacity of interlinked social and ecological systems is assumed to improve implementation of sustainable forest management (SFM) policies. One mechanism is collaborative learning by continuous evaluation, communication, and transdisciplinary knowledge production. The Model Forest (MF) concept, developed in Canada, is intended to encourage all dimensions of sustainable development through collaboration among stakeholders of forest resources in a geographical area. Because the MF approach encompasses both social and ecological systems, it can be seen as a process aimed at improving adaptive capacity to deal with uncertainty and change. We analyzed multi-stakeholder approaches used in four MF initiatives representing social-ecological systems with different governance legacies and economic histories in the northwest of the Russian Federation (Komi MF and Pskov MF) and in Sweden (Vilhelmina MF and the Foundation Safsen Forests in the Bergslagen region). To describe the motivations behind development of the initiative and the governance systems, we used qualitative open- ended interviews and analyzed reports and official documents. The initial driving forces for establishing new local governance arrangements were different in all four cases. All MFs were characterized by multi- level and multi-sector collaboration. However, the distribution of power among stakeholders ranged from clearly top down in the Russian Federation to largely bottom up in Sweden. All MF initiatives shared three main challenges: (a) to develop governance arrangements that include representative actors and stakeholders, (b) to combine top-down and bottom-up approaches to governance, and (c) to coordinate different sectors' modes of landscape governance. We conclude that, in principle, the MF concept is a promising approach to multi-stakeholder collaboration. However, to understand the local and regional dimensions of sustainability, and the level of adaptability of such multi-stakeholder collaboration initiatives, empirical studies of outcomes are needed. To assess the adaptive capacity, the states and trends of economic, ecological, social, and cultural dimensions in actual landscapes need to be linked to how the multi- stakeholder collaboration develops and performs over the long term.


A general information equilibrium model in the case of ideal information transfer is defined and then used to derive the relationship between supply (information destination) and demand (information source) with the price as the detector of information exchange between demand and supply. We recover the properties of the traditional economic supply-demand diagram. Information equilibrium is then applied to macroeconomic problems, recovering some common macroeconomic models in particular limits like the AD-AS model, IS-LM model (in a low inflation limit), the quantity theory of money (in a high inflation limit) and the Solow-Swan growth model. Information equilibrium results in empirically accurate models of inflation and interest rates, and can be used to motivate a 'statistical economics', analogous to statistical mechanics for thermodynamics.


Large‐eddy simulation (LES) of turbulence in plant canopies has traditionally been validated using bulk statistical quantities such as mean velocity and variance profiles. However, turbulent exchanges between a plant canopy and the atmosphere are dominated by large‐scale coherent structures, and therefore LES must also be validated using statistical tools that are sensitive to details of coherent structures. In this study, LES and measurements using particle image velocimetry (PIV) are compared near the top of the canopy by means of a quadrant‐hole analysis of turbulent kinetic energy, vorticity, and dissipation rate. The LES resolves coarse features of individual corn plants and uses the Lagrangian scale‐dependent dynamic subgrid model. At the measurement location, there is good agreement between the LES predictions and the field data in terms of most conditionally sampled quantities, confirming the applicability of LES for fundamental studies of vegetation‐air interactions and coherent structures. The simulation results confirm that sweeps (the fourth‐quadrant events) contribute the largest fraction of turbulent kinetic energy, vorticity, and dissipation rate inside the plant canopy. The magnitudes of the vorticity and dissipation rate at the top of the canopy are highest in the first quadrant (rare events of outward interactions).


Aircraft noise is a growing social, technical, economic and environmental problem, especially in developing countries like South Africa.
It arises from the growth in air traffic, urbanization, uncoordinated
planning around airports, and open-window living that makes
physical insulation an ineffective mitigating solution. Cape Town
International airport is a typical South African example of the
phenomenon. Air traffic volume is steadily increasing and an
additional runway has been proposed for the airport's efficient
operation. The changing noise pattern requires the demarcation of
a 'noise-controlled area' around the airport as the planning framework
that is legally prescribed to manage this type of environmental
nuisance. This paper reports the application of geographic information
system (GIS) technology to define a control zone using various
spatial demarcation techniques. Each alternative zone has different
spatial characteristics that define and incorporate the adjacent
residential communities affected as well as vulnerable land in the
vicinity. An aircraft noise generation model was used to map noise
intensity contours. Different spatial noise footprints for six optional
demarcation criteria were used to identify affected areas around the
airport. The GIS methods were then compared and evaluated
to select the optimum planning approach under South African
conditions.


This work attempts to analyze Katip Celebi, one of the most prominent intellectuals of the 17th century. Based on Mizan ul-Hak and Dustur ul-Amel, that he wrote and Tarih-i Kostantiniyye ve Kayasire and Tarih-i Frengi Tercumesi that he edited, this thesis, aims to explore Katip Celebi's thoughts on social, political, legal and historical areas. The work considers Katip Celebi within the perspective of Early Modern Era, in which religious law and reason often coexisted. This work is also aims to explore Katip Celebi's thoughts on 17th century crisis, society and authority as well as his understanding of the ideal society. This thesis also aims to discuss the responses of Katip Celebi to the popular debates of the 17th century and old debates of the Islamic-Ottoman cultural milieus. Basing on the works that Katip Celebi edited, the work attempts to analyze how Katip Celebi presented the texts to the Ottoman cultural milieu.


This article begins with an examination of the origin of the federal tax exemption of the tax-exempt hospital, the current statutory frame-work for federal tax exemption, and the community benefits standard. Next, the article discusses the rationale for the exemption and the regulatory changes in the standards of exemption that paved the way for the current movement away from charity care by the tax-exempt hospital and the need for new national guidance. Thereafter, the article discusses some state initiatives aimed at making the tax-exempt hospital more accountable. Finally, the article recommends that the Internal Revenue Service (the "Service") issue a new revenue ruling requiring the tax-exempt hospital to provide minimum annual levels of qualitative and quantitative charity care as part of the community benefit standard.


1. To study the validity of mean whole-body intracellular hydrogen ion activity measurements ([H+]i) by the distribution of 14C-labelled 5,5-dimethyl-2,4-oxazo-lidinedione ([14C]DMO), eight anaesthetized dogs received three separate injections of iso-osmotic buffered chemical DMO, in cumulative doses of 50–2000 mg/kg body weight, following a control [H+]i determination by the 14C-tracer technique. 2. A correlation between dose of chemical DMO and measured [H+]i was found with a regression line of −Δ[H+]i = 23.27 + 16.45 [log DMO dose −2.41]. 3. Although the results are consistent with active transport of DMO across cell membranes, other possible explanations such as altered cell buffering capacity by DMO loading and variable sequestration of DMO in the gastrointestinal tract must be considered. 4. There is no evidence for cellular binding of DMO.


The main aim of the work reported in this thesis is to gather experimental evidence of the relationship between HLAS (Linear Alkylbenzene Sulphonic Acid) phase changes and binding performance in detergent granulation. In order to fulfil this goal a novel micromechanistic apparatus, the EC-MFB (Environmentally Controlled Micro Force Balance), capable of characterising binder-particle interactions, such as contact angles and liquid bridge adhesive forces, in an environmentally controlled glove box, has been designed developed and commissioned.
Linear alkylbenzene sulphonic acid (LAS acid or HLAS) is a reactive binder used in industrial detergent granulation processes. The neutralisation of HLAS with sodium carbonate particles during granulation generates Sodium Linear Alklybenzine Sulphonate (LAS-Na), one of the world's most used anionic surfactants for washing powder formulations. The reaction neutralises HLAS to increasing degrees, depending on the amount of acid reacted to form the salt. During granulation the binder has the dual function of forming physical links between the particles and participating in the neutralisation reaction to form LAS-Na. Both HLAS and LAS-Na have been found to be highly hygroscopic. The experimental investigation described here is aimed at establishing whether the extent of HLAS neutralisation and the binder water content influences the wettability and adhesive strength of individual liquid bridges holding particles together during the granulation process. HLAS being a reactive binder , the characterisation of the wetting and adhesive behaviour is complicated by their strong dependency on the kinetics of the binder-powder reaction. Hence, a novel approach to reactive binder studies is presented here, with the experiments carried out using inert particles and acid that has been partially pre-neutralised with Na2CO3. Contact angle and spreading velocity measurements show that the higher the degree of neutralisation the lower is the tendency of the liquid to wet the particles. Moreover, it will be shown that particle wetting is strongly dependent on binder water content and relatively humidity (RH). A "sticky regime map" is presented as a function of neutralisation and water content distinguish between wetting and non-wetting conditions. This highlights the importance of controlling the environmental conditions, both during the granulation process and the storage of the product materials.


The meteorological surface variables and boundary-layer structures in the Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA) were examined during the MAPS-Seoul (Megacity Air Pollution Studies in Seoul) intensive field experiment (18 May–13 June 2015). Data were obtained from a surface energy balance system and a ceilometer installed at a UMS-Seoul (urban meteorological observation system in the SMA) station located in the eastern part of the city of Seoul. A series of migratory anticyclone passages under a strong El Nino event meant that the experimental period was much warmer and drier than the climatological ones. The mean air temperature during this period was 2.6°C higher than the recent 30-year (1981–2010) climatological value, while only one-eighth of the climatological precipitation was recorded. Twelve mist event days were recorded, as were four of haze and six of rainfall events. The SMA was found to be affected by the sea-land breeze: Westerly winds (sea-breezes) were dominant from the afternoon till the early evening, while easterlies (land-breezes) were dominant before the morning. Finally, the vertical profile of the attenuated backscatter obtained by the ceilometer indicated that the maximum daily mixing-layer heights (MLHs) on days with mist/haze and much cloud cover were lower than on days with no-mist/haze and less cloud cover, respectively, mainly due to a decrease in the downward solar radiation. However, the effect of mist/haze on the daytime MLH evolution was larger than that of cloud cover. The MLH also exhibited an altitude similar to that of the steepest vertical gradient of sulfate and organic aerosol concentration, obtained from the airborne measurement on 13 June 2015.


Abstract Disorders of emotion, communication, and learning in early childhood are considered in light of evidence on human brain growth from embryo stages. We cite microbehavioral evidence indicating that infants are born able to express the internal activity of their brains, including dynamic "motive states" that drive learning. Infant expressions stimulate the development of imitative and reciprocal relations with corresponding dynamic brain states of caregivers. The infant's mind must have an "innate self-with-other representation" of the inter-mind correspondence and reciprocity of feelings that can be generated with an adult. Primordial motive systems appear in subcortical and limbic systems of the embryo before the cerebral cortex. These are presumed to continue to guide the growth of a child's brain after birth. We propose that an "intrinsic motive formation" is assembled prenatally and is ready at birth to share emotion with caregivers for regulation of the child's cortical development, on which cultural cognition and learning depend. The intrinsic potentiality for "intersubjectivity" can be disorganized if the epigenetic program for the infant's brain fails. Indeed, many psychological disorders of childhood can be traced to faults in early stages of brain development when core motive systems form.


The debate over the racist name and mascot of the professional football team based in the nation's capital, the "Redskins," has reached a fever pitch in recent months. Fifty U.S. senators signed a letter urging the National Football League, or NFL, to take action and change the name. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office recently canceled several of the team's trademarks because they were disparaging to American Indian and Alaska Native, or AI/AN, people and communities. And several media outlets across the country have stopped printing and using the name, including the San Francisco Chronicle, Slate, and The Seattle Times. AI/AN students across the country attend K-12 and postsecondary schools that still maintain racist and derogatory mascots. Research shows that these team names and mascots can establish an unwelcome and hostile learning environment for AI/AN students. It also reveals that the presence of AI/AN mascots directly results in lower self-esteem and mental health for AI/AN adolescents and young adults. And just as importantly, studies show that these mascots undermine the educational experience of all students, particularly those with little or no contact with indigenous and AI/AN people. In other words, these stereotypical representations are too often understood as factual representations and thus "contribute to the development of cultural biases and prejudices." This report examines the current research about the impact of these mascots and team names on the mental health and self-esteem of AI/AN students, while sharing the real stories of AI/AN students in their own words. It also provides an overview of the ongoing movement across the country to retire them from K-12 and postsecondary schools. Finally, the report proposes recommendations to local, state, and federal agencies that will help school administrators, educators, and community members transform learning environments that are hostile and unwelcoming to AI/AN students and their families into ones that are supportive.